kind of whiny training update

i haven't run in 4 days now.  figured i'd just resort to writing about it instead of doing it.

most frightening thing of it all: i am sort of getting used to sleeping in already.

i am sick as a dog.  the pandemic and terrible cold that has struck so many loved ones around me has finally flipped over the rock i was apparently hiding under and sunk it's icy talons into my chest, throat and face.  youch.

TINA!

so anywayz...  it's been a weird month this here January.  i did a lot of long and slow shit-jogging and really kind of sandbagged most of the track and tempo workouts.  i couldn't tell you why but i skipped nearly every hill/strength gig too.  i was really only faithful to jogging workouts. 

and while i am happy that i took advantage of the bounty of free time i had [mostly] on Saturday mornings (with 20, 26, 31, and 25 mile runs) i don't feel like this generally sluggish base-build-o-rama program has done much for me.

once i kick this bug i'ma get me my kick back. 

the local classic Zena Road Run 15k is this weekend and at this rate i'll be jogging the thing with a whitney/tina mixed tape in vs. attempting to chase Oregon Track Club and Bowerman AC's masters extraordinaires.

end rant.

hope you chase a wild dream this year kiddos!  if you don't you won't.

"Goalsies" 2014

Because "goals" sounds so harsh and intimidating i am calling them "goalsies".  so fun, light and refreshing.

Because it seems virtually everyone else is putting them out there this time of year... here's my pocket full of run-related "goalsies" for the new year:

1. 4:5_ mile (road/track).  Not solid on this one yet.  Part of me wants to put 4:50, the other part says 4:54 (looks trivial but from where I stand today this looks like a BIG difference).

2. 16:30 5k (road/x-country).  On the right course with good temps and good competition this seems "totes" do-able.

3. 3:30 50k (trail-flat).  Same thoughts/feelings as 5k goal above, with a nutrition component added in.  Gotta nail that too.

4. Finish Mac50k for the 3rd Time and beat last year's time, so 4:30s.  This course is nasty and it's a bad time of year for me, but it's become tradition of a sort.  I'd be happy to just keep doing a little better each year from here on out (next 5-10 years).

5. Nutrition/diet: I hate "diets" because they seem so cultish/religious with their fanatic Believers all claiming to know the Truth.  But it seems there's some solid "science" and personal testimony out there that suggest I could benefit from less carbs in my day-to-day eating.  I am not going all Paleo-caveman but I aim to apply a little more discretion when it comes to eating.  That said, I will just think of the Kenyan dudes that own the marathon and probably subsist on carbs (cooked grains) when I smell some tasty polenta or homemade tortillas in the kitchen.  Yum.

6. Adventure.  I want to join friends in running adventures this year.  I seldom get in adventurous outings and when I do I can never seem to pull them off with friends.  I got into trail running from a climbing/hiking background.  I simply loved exploring wild lands and had a desire to cover more ground more quickly.  I've crossed over a bit into running's "darkside" and find myself running for running sake--or what I'd consider "training"--all the time.  It's still really fun at this point but I need to mix some more adventure in there if it's going to be fun forever.

7. Organize a running event and donate some money to charity.  I don't care if it's $10 I just want to put something together for a cause and have a blast doing it.

Hey 2014, bring it.

Santa Paws 5k Recap (and New Year's Hangover Run)

If you're ever down in Palm Springs visiting Grandma around Christmas run the Santa Paws 5k.  Lots of fun. 

It's a charity event for Guide Dogs with 5-600 people, each in 5-piece Santa suits, running around some city blocks and a couple weird out-n-backs until they reach the milk and cookies at the finish.  I am not a big themed 5k person (bubbles, mud, paint, glow-in-the-dark, all that crappola) but I am a sucker for all things Christmas (you know Amy Grant's Christmas album, plastic baby-Jesus in the manger scenes, lights, etc.) so wearing the Santa suits and having my wife Kattie there made this race extra fun.

Here's some pics from the trip which also included some great runs in the surrounding mountains (Painted Canyon in the Mecca Hills Wilderness Area, Art Smith Trail off Hwy 74, and a bit of Magnesia Canyon).

Mr. and Mrs. Claus, down from the North ready to race.



Victory!  A 17:26 was good enough to be 1st overall in the greatest athletic accomplishment of my life!

Ladder in Painted Canyon, Mecca Hills Wilderness.  Very fun to run/hike.

KT and me in the barren desert hills above Painted Canyon.

I am a sucker for all things Christmas.  This tree at La Quinta--and the mescal I drank at dinner there--made me really stoked.

Yesterday I started 2014 with the New Year's Hangover Run (a 3k) out on a farm here in town.  It started at noon so I was able to sleep in a bit and finish digesting all the food, champagne, and beer from the night's festivities before heading over to the race.  It was really laid back and fun to see a lot of the local runner scene there for the short x-country style race.  Some mud and a handful of dodgey twists and turns made for a fun little dash.  I made a push just a 1/4 mile into things and Mark Robins came with me but never caught up like I thought he would.  A 10:44 was good for 1st place and a good little Wednesday speed workout to start the year.

The Beer Mile was an hour or so later and I am glad I stuck around to witness the course record get smashed by Eric Jeffers with a 6:05!  Cups were used but I am sure that advantage was probably negated by a tricky cross country loop vs. a track.  Dude can pound beers and run!  Fun (in a weird/sick way) to watch the people puking too.  I love beer and running!

Cheers to a bad-ass 2014!  Keep it real folks.