Sunday, January 28, 2007

This What


Went to a party in San Gabriel last night for TNT alum Nick. Coaches Jimmy and Kate were there along with other TNT alums Ernesto, Tiffany and PJ (Nick's wife). Huge party, spilling out into the backyard where there was a dj, taco chef, bar, and hard-drinking folks. Even the rain didn't slow things down. This was Nick's 30th birthday and I thought he celebrated well.

Coach Kate has committed to monster goals this year. In addition to her full-time job, she is bossing TNT SGV Summer Team and has hired her own coach to prepare her for an Iron Man Triathalon in August. That's something like a 2 mile open water swim, followed by 144 mile bike ride, and topped off by a marathon. ( I'm still recovering from just the marathon.) But Kate is very focused and a hard-charger. I believe she'll be successful.

By the same token, Kate believes I'll be successful in breaking 4 hours the next time I try. This led me today to plan a few races for '07. I signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September because they give out a big silly medal.

And in October, the Chicago Marathon.

This is the 30th anniversary and will bring my running full-circle. Back in 1977, the year of Nick's birth, I signed up to run the very first Chicago marathon. I got a tee-shirt and race number in the mail. (They don't mail them anymore. Most races want you to attend a race expo where they'll sell you everything from water bottles to special "quick mist" that you spray on your shoes to make you go faster. ) In any case, I trained a little and drank a lot and never made it to the start line. But I vowed to run the marathon in 1978.

Naw.

In 1979 I moved to California. And so my marathon vowing continued throughout the years until 2005 when I run Honolulu with TNT.

Now I want to drive a nail through Chicago and break 4 hours there.

I'm thinking of skipping the Palos Verdes Marathon and just taking it easy until May. Then I'll start training in earnest for Chicago.

Lots 'o writing work. Still developing that manta ray show. Plus there's a new animated series that needs scripts. It's about five pieces of sushi that come to life and fight crime.

I can't say 'no' to that.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Now What?

Bummed. Ran a little yesterday and felt old and slow. Post-marathon recovery is a cruel tease. Just when you most crave running endorphins, your body is too trashed to allow a safe harvest.

For the moment, my new goal is to run the Palos Verdes Marathon in May. A small marathonlet with few hundred runners, PVM follows a hilly course down at the end of the Harbor Freeway near Point Fermin.

I could train leisurely without thought of personal records.

After that, I'll get serious.

My next goal is to break four hours.

On the writing side, plenty of development work, including a fun animated project that I thought had died last fall. It's about a manta ray who decides to help humanity whether they need it or not.

Plus it pays!

My wife will be so pleased.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

TNT Winter '07 Recap


Final practice today for Team in Training, San Gabriel Valley, Greater Los Angeles, 2006/07. A handful of Phoenix veterans including Cesar, Dan Fastrup, Megan, Shannon and Tom modeled marathon and half-marathon medals for the Spring Team. Spring was about to embark on a chilly, eighteen-mile training run. We, on the other hand, took a leisurely "victory" walk around the Rose Bowl with coaches Katie, Kate and Mel.



I thought of my marathon and how I breezed through the first 15 miles. Then I fought sundry pains for the next five. Coach Kate met me at mile 20. We ran in from there, dropping walk breaks because they were too uncomfortable. We finished hard, passing most runners in the last 1.2 miles. I wobbled across the timing mat, woozy because all spare blood had drained to my legs. Kate held me up. I had knocked one hour and 40 minutes off my previous marathon time.

Sure, I'd run a strong marathon, but I was ready. I had trained hard since my cast came off in May. At first I aqua ran and worked out in the gym. In July I could run again, though not very well. Throughout the late summer and fall, I built myself up, adding hills and track and weekly tempo runs. I lifted weights and my injured leg was stronger than ever. The coaches gave me extra homework like "ladders" and interval runs. In the last week, I added mental workouts, visualizing myself overcoming obstacles during the race. Plus I had the benefit of having completed a marathon.

Furthermore I was unemployed, thus fat with time to train.

Still, my teammates' marathons were more inspiring.

They didn't have my preparation. The majority were tackling an endurance event for the first time. Many of them carried nagging injuries and all the doubt and uncertainty that brings. Megan, for example, had been hurt all season and hadn't run beyond 16 miles. The day before the marathon she was thinking of quitting after half. But on race day Megan pushed herself and commited to 26.2 miles. Dan and Mary, also dogged by injuries, ran with her. They brought each other through.

Then there was Dan Fastrup, marathon veteran, who'd just lost his wife to lymphoma in November. He gave up his own marathon time to stay with two teammates and see them safely across the finish line.

The same thing happened in Hawaii, where speedy Ryan Lim held himself back and ran/walked injured teammate Matt to the completion of his first marathon.



In the end, we all finished what we started.

A lot of heart, this Winter Team.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Frigid Start for Phoenix Marathon


Big darn anchor.

Predawn in downtown Phoenix; twenty-nine degrees. The marathon began from Wesley Bolin Plaza. In the plaza's center rested the anchor from the battleship Arizona. Runners huddled near this cold metal object, shivering in their trash bags.

I wasn't one.

I was shivering over by the UPS gear-check trucks. They would haul everyone's stuff to the finish line near Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium. Along with TNTers Cesar and Angie, we killed time talking about how stinking cold it was.

The previous afternoon, Coach Katie had presented me with two pace charts. One was for 4 hours and 30 minutes on the nose. The other was a bit more ambitious: 4 hours and 24 minutes. I was shooting for the latter time.

As the sun rose, seven thousand runners reluctantly said 'good-bye' to their warm clothes and lined up for the race. The mayor of Phoenix delivered a cheery message that came out garbled over the loudspeakers. I don't know what he said. He could've still been drunk from a fundraiser and admitted to shooting his wife. But everyone cheered anyway. It warmed the lungs.

A few women sang our national anthem a capella and off we ran. I was excited. I'd been waiting 13 months for this marathon and still couldn't believe it had just started. Rather than marvel over the obvious, I urged myself to take the first mile slow.

The day would soon warm up.

I hoped.










(Photo by Meghan Kroneman)

Nailed the Phoenix Marathon


Beyond expectations. A morose freezing start; a long chilly run; some welcome help at mile 20; and the last 6.2 miles at a hard, blood-draining pace. All that and more made this a marathon to remember.

I shattered my goal of four and a half hours to wobble across the finish line in 4 hours, 21 minutes and 45 seconds.

Thank you Jeff, K, and everyone else for your support and encouragement.

I'm still visiting family and friends in Phoenix as well as nursing sore hip flexors.

Many great stories to tell.

I'll get posting tomorrow evening.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

. . . Gone! Phoenix Marathon a Wrap

Another Ribbon

Dale came out to California to be a rock star. He never got famous but he did get work. Dale played guitar in different bands and made a nice living as a promoter. He would book musicians such as the last living member of Canned Heat or Ike Turner for venues down in Long Beach. I've known him 13 years and he only has two speeds: fast and extremely fast.


I just got back from the hospital. Dale had a tumor removed from his colon this week. The pathology report stated that some of the tumor jumped to a nearby lymph node. He's diagnosed as Stage 4 - not good. However the doctors feel the cancer is isolated enough to respond to treatment. Dale faces six months of chemo.

When he's back home, I'll let Dale know about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He already knows I run for "some cancer thing." Now he'll find out how the money I raise with Team in Training helps support victims and their families. I'll also be adding Dale's name to a ribbon I'm wearing this Sunday. He'll be in good company next to Melanie Fastrup.

And I'll be running more than a marathon. I'll be running in honor of one survivor who lost her fight with cancer and in support of another survivor who is just beginning.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Ready for Phoenix Marathon Plus TV Animation Work

Ready . . . set . . . . Ran my last training miles today: an EZ four. Very difficult to go slow, but I tried keeping my pace down to match the first 10 to 13 miles of the marathon.

Work has chosen this moment to pick up. (Any time work picks up is a good time.) I have a meeting next Friday that should bring in a little development money. And if the idea I develop gets bought, then I'll have a fine show to work on as producer or story editor.

Also I'm brushing up an old animated series concept for a pitch to Disney.

As a result, I'll have to bring my laptop to Phoenix.

But work will take my mind off the race.

Then give me something to look forward to when it's over and the depression sets in.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Thoughts on Upcoming Second Marathon

That's that again. Last TNT practice today. We ran eight miles that felt short and easy. All has been said and done. There's nothing left but the race next Sunday. I'm excited, scared, impatient; giddy in a manly way.

Training serves as the ante. The marathon is the game. The rules are fluid. It could be nothing you imagined or exactly as planned. There are so many imponderables, not least being mental outlook. That's where I faltered last year. Yes, the humidity in Hawaii zapped me and I wobbled to a stop. But I wasn't prepared to deal with adversity. My training had gone smooth and injury free. Too smooth. Mr. Trouble had never come around.

Out there on the sun-washed asphalt of Honolulu, as runners streamed past, I stopped checking my watch. I shuffled along, no longer caring when I finished — until I finished. Then I knew I could've watered up, pushed myself and run a bit more. Quitting still eats at me like a chubby tape worm.

All I can do is run my best marathon, The results will take care of themselves.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Last Track Session Before Phoenix.


Last night was our final track practice. Very light workout. Jerry and I were the first to arrive. As we warmed up, Jerry gave me his marathon anti-cramp recommendations: bring plenty of salt tablets and vary the pace.

Then off to the Soup Plantation for soups and such. Teammate Jennifer, who ran Honolulu, showed up with a cake. I forget the occasion, but she baked it herself and it was pretty darn good.

I'm concentrating now on mental training. I visualize running smoothly with good form. Using more T'ai Chi and yoga breathing exercises helps keep me centered.

Oh, and trying to earn some money this year. That's also a good thing to focus on.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Frosty Final Runs Before Phoenix Marathon


Yes, indeed. The Rose Bowl is in a canyon. This canyon is colder than the surrounding hills. Car windshields are frosted over in this canyon.

In other words, practice was stinking cold. Once we left the canyon and ran up into the hills, it was cold there as well. Frost on the grass with a blinding sun in skies swept clear by recent storms.

Last year, my final practice runs were in similar chilly temperatures. Not as cold as today, but brisk nonetheless. Then I went off to steamy Hawaii and broiled out at mile 19. If I ever run Honolulu again, I'm going to practice starting in August wearing double layers of clothes and a plastic-lined jacket with a built-in heater. Then I'll go home and sit before a fire.

Two weeks to Phoenix. I'm excited, fired up, stoked. I wish it were tomorrow.

Then again, I"m glad it's not. I would have to start packing.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Thanks, LMA

A tip of the old barbarian hat to blogger Little Miss Attila for plugging my upcoming marathon.

I'm inching toward my fund-raising goal and every wee bit helps.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Merry Christmas!!



Last 12 Mile Run


The P.F. Chang runners are all that remain from 2006 Winter Team. Because of Christmas, many people weren't at practice. Four or five others were injured and worked out in the pool. The handful that actually ran were folded in with the Spring Team. This was their first 12 miler and our last.

Cold morning but sunny. I ran a new ratio of six minutes running to one minute walking. Coach(es) Kate think I can finish the marathon in 4 hours and 30 minutes. So I ran at a slightly faster pace.

Cesar ran the last 9 miles with me. His knee is healing well and he should be fine in time for Phoenix. Coach Jimmy will be running the marathon also. He hopes to break three hours.

Lots of Christmas stuff to do.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Now We're Cooking!

Finally got my TNT website updated. A new page look was recently introduced that is incompatible with my web browser. And while the website folk couldn't actually fix the problem, the most noble Luis inputted my changes and tweaks.

I'm now ready to close out the Winter 2006/07 season with a thunderous big sound!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Lonely 20 Mile Run

Honolulu veterans stopped by practice yesterday morning to show off their medals. The Honolulu Marathon is a tough race for first-timers, but they all made it across the finish line.

Meanwhile, a small band of Team members prepared to run 20 miles. There were only about a dozen of us on a chilly, wet morning, split up among different pace groups. I ran the first nine miles with teammate Cesar, who was nursing an injury. He turned back so as not to stress his knee. As the rain picked up, I continued on alone into the hills.

Fortunately, I brought along two key items. Item number one was a plastic garbage bag. Not only did it offer rain protection, but the plastic kept me warm. Item number two were Gummy Bears. I ate them around mile 16 when my energy flagged. I finished on marathon pace: a bit under 3 hours and 40 minutes. Within a half-hour, the sky opened up and it really poured. The coaches, aid station mentors, and other runners must've gotten drenched. I thought of them as I turned up the heat in my car.

Twenty is my longest run in over a year.

Now we taper down our mileage as we prepare for P.F. Chang's Rock 'N Roll Marathon in Phoenix. There is a rock band every mile, giving the whole event a festive air. Plus the course is run on flat level streets in 60 degree weather.

A far cry from steamy, volcano-riddled, Honolulu.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant


Yesterday, Melanie Fastrup's memorial service took place. Among songs and remembrances, there was a photo montage that included her picture as a youngster.

The smile of the child never left the adult.

Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Melanie spent the last four years on the hard end of life: 15 blood transfusions, spleen removal, chemo, experimental treatments.

Which makes her smile all the more remarkable.

Her life revolved around family, faith and teaching. And even during those last rough years, Melanie still reached out to be of service to others. Now only the glow remains after the light has faded.

Judging from the testimonies and tears, that glow reaches far.

Thanks to Melanie's teaching colleagues who contacted me with stories.

A special salute to TNT Coach Kiley. The memorial service for his father was Saturday night. Yet on Sunday, he showed up to honor Melanie. That's leadership and heart in full measure.

Former TNT Coach Amber and her fiance drove up to Azusa from distant Huntington Beach to support Dan Fastrup and the girls.

And while the Pastor prayed and a soloist sang "How Great Thou Art," my Team in Training comrades struggled in the humidity to finish the Honolulu Marathon, running to fund a cure for the disease that took Melanie Fastrup.


Our lives are raindrop ripples on a vast sea.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

City of Angels Half Marathon

Met two fellow Team mates at the City of Angels Half-Marathon. The start line was near Travel Town in Griffith Park. Predawn temperatures hovered around 38 degrees. It must've taken me 4 miles to warm up.

Much of the Griffith Park course followed my old running routes. Very nostalgic. Leaving the park, we followed the L.A. River to the Hyperion Bridge, then up into Silver Lake, down Sunset Blvd. to Echo Park, and finally into downtown for the finish. Jerry and Caesar kicked it at the end. I loped in, still basking in my Santa Barbara PR from last month.

I felt tired and stiff most of the run. Still, we all finished in the 2:07 range.

This will be my last race before the marathon in January.

Right now I think I'll nap.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

So Long, Melanie Fastrup


Today Melanie Fastrup lost her battle with lymphoma. She died in the hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Melanie was mom to three girls, a former teacher, and wife of my teammate, Dan Fastrup. She suffered from Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.

This mouthful of words simply means that lymphoma cells in the bone marrow crowd out normal blood-producing cells. As a result, Melanie needed a lot of blood transfusions. She had one yesterday afternoon and caught a bacterial infection. Dan found her unconscious on the living room floor. At the hospital, all her systems began shutting down. Melanie went on life support. She perished this afternoon.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training was a big deal to Melanie. She participated as a walker with the San Gabriel Valley team. She got Dan off the couch and into running with TNT. And this season, Melanie served as our Honored Teammate. Honored Teammates are leukemia/lymphoma survivors that we salute in spirit whenever we run.

I remember Melanie cheering on TNT at mile 12 of the Santa Barbara Half-Marathon. She had a big smile and word of encouragement for me as I headed to the finish line. In fact, rarely did Melanie not have a big smile. Perhaps it was living under threat of death for so long that gave her a deep inner joy. She used to ask me how my broken foot was mending. This in the midst of bone marrow transplants, blood transfusions, and chemo to the 10th power. Melanie had discarded much of the baggage we think is important and found a peace and a courage that I greatly admired.

Our Coach Katie McCollom sent around a poem by author Raymond Carver. He also fought cancer and this is what he thought shortly before his death.

"Late Fragment"

"And did you get what you wanted
from this life? Even so,
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth."

Melanie passed away beloved by many. She will always be my Honored Teammate.

I run the City of Angels Half-Marathon this Sunday in her memory.

And come January, I will run the Phoenix Marathon for Melanie as well.

And if you could, please click on my Team in Training button and make a donation.

Melanie's fight is finished. But there are other beloved out there who may still be saved.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Southern California Cold


As the years pass, I find it difficult to believe I once unloaded trucks in sub-zero temperatures for the post office. This was back in Chicago during a series of winters so furious that the national media assured us we faced global cooling. A new ice age was a'coming. All the science agreed.

Here in greater Los Angeles, anything below 60 degrees is a sign of global cooling. At track practice last night I would run 880 repeats, then put on my jacket and stretch vigorously until time to go again. (Temperatures were in the 40s, but this is considered Hawaiian-shirt weather for a Midwestern winter.)

Speaking of Hawaiian shirts, my Teammates running the Honolulu Marathon will be feted tomorrow night at a San Gabriel Valley pizza parlor. (A humble but sincere gesture.) They are less than two weeks away from their event. I remember my excitement last year, preparing to go.

Now I've went.

So I'll wear my sea shell chain finishers medal and bask in the ever warmth of friends.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Bay Area T-Day

Up to the San Francisco Bay area for turkey with the in-laws. My wife and I drove up Tuesday and got back Friday. Smooth traffic sailing all the way. We stayed with an aunt-in-law. She listens to NPR 24/7 and has the TV going as well. Electronic voice overdose. I don't think I turned on the car radio all the way home.

Yesterday I ran ten miles with the Team. A light practice turnout with many folk gone for the holidays. I experimented with my marathon pace. Hills made it difficult to maintain even splits. But I managed a respectable average.

Today, my wife cooks a turkey for our private dining pleasure.

Work has pretty much dried up. Nothing in sight for the new year. But I'm grateful to be alive and healthy.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

SB Half Marathon Final Time

Master Time Keeper from Santa Barbara contacted me. A unique series of events involving my chip and a faulty mat led to a two-week delay in recording my finish: 2 hours, 4 minutes and 52 seconds.

I thanked him for his diligence.

K, we are now official.

Ran 18 miles today with the Team. Took an ice bath afterwards. I should be walking around fine tomorrow.

To work now on a script for my overseas client.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Santa Barbarians and Race Results


A final twelve names were added to the finsher's roster for the Santa Barbara Half-Marathon.

I was not among them.

I had fun and got a nice finisher's medal.

Plus a knock in my engine turned out to be a failing water pump. It held up on the two-hour ride home and didn't strand me in some desolate valley on a Saturday afternoon.

But I never officially ran the race.

I have already registered for the inaugeral City of Angels Half-Marathon. The mostly downhill course begins in Griffith Park and ends in downtown Los Angeles, passing the Silver Lake Reservoir and Echo Park lagoon.

Here's hoping for a good, officially recorded, finish time.

And no engine problems.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks my first year on the web.

3,398 visits.

5, 770 page views.

Many thanks to my fine regulars.

I hope to add sound and video files in the coming year.

Hoo-ray for cyberspace.

Monday, November 13, 2006

A Mere Ten Mile Run

EZ Saturday. We ran a brief ten miles in preparation for the next intense phase of training.

No final results yet from the Santa Barbara half-marathon. But I received the promise of some from the Master Time Smith.

Back writing on my foreign animated show after a two-month hiatus. (It takes a long time for outlines and scripts to be approved as they must pass among different authorities on three continents.) But income will be useful as we just had new gutters installed and are in the midst of exterior painting.

We're broke but looking good.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

SB Half Marathon Time Woes

All the half-marathon chips were tabulated and matched with tags torn off each runner's number bib. The revised final results for the Santa Barbara News Press Half Marathon are in!

Eighteen more runners were added to the official finisher's list.

I wasn't one.

I sent another email to the Santa Barbara Athletic Association's master tabulator. I asked if there wasn't anywhere else he could check for my chip. As the race was my best half-marathon effort, I said I'd really like an official time.

So far, no word back.

Perhaps they're waiting to count the absentee chips.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

SB Half Marathon Photos and Update

No news on my missing stats. How vexing! I paid to enter their race. The least they can do is list my finishing time. Every event where I ran awful, from Pacific Shoreline to the Santa Anita 5K, managed to zip my pathetic results right up onto the web that very day.

Come on, Santa Barbara. Don't let me down.

Thanks to teammate Sharla for the photos. That's me pictured above at mile 6. Below we have the San Gabriel Valley participants in chipper pre-race mode.

Monday, November 06, 2006

K's Run

Re. my last post, I should run for K more often. I set a personal record of 2 hours, three minutes and various seconds for 13.1 miles. The only reason I don't have a more precise finishing time is because I was left off the official results. (I emailed some nice person associated with the race and they're taking care of that.)

A beautiful course that mostly followed the ocean, the race started and ended at Leadbetter Beach near the campus of Santa Barbara City College. I liked that fact that there was a small field of around 1400 half-marathoners. However the residents of Santa Barbara didn't seem 100 percent behind the race. Cars were often lined up, impatiently waiting to slice through the pack and get on with their day. Bicycle riders, especially along the beach, attempted to share the pathway with a horde of runners eager to finish strong. It seemed a collective decision had been made on the part of many to simply pretend there was no race.

But they failed and, if certain motorists were any indication, there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Meanwhile the racers had a blast. TNT was out in force. Teams from the San Fernando Valley, South Bay, Santa Barbara and my own San Gabriel Valley Team talked and encouraged each other the length of the run. Beginning around mile 6, I played hopscotch with a young TNTer from the San Fernando Valley. We supported each other, one passing the other over the next seven miles. Afterwards we shook hands. (She also posted a good finishing time.) That's part of why I enjoy Team in Training. There's running, then there's the company of runners, then there's the special camaraderie of TNT runners.

Anyway, K, you picked a great race. We did just fine. Here's a photo of the San Gabriel Valley Team from our 10k . ( I'm the gray-haired one in the back.)

Friday, November 03, 2006

Enroute to Santa Barbara Marathon


Off today to Santa Barbara. Tomorrow morning is the SB Half-Marathon. This will be my first half since Pacific Shoreline back in February. (Where I began Injury Fest '06.)

My friend K asked me to run for her. We've known each other almost 30 years and she recently hurt her foot and can't get around. K suffers from a variety of exotic and mundane aliments including allergic reactions to most everything. Nevertheless, one could learn grace under pressure from her as she keeps a clear head and good sense of humor while dealing with health issues that would break many.

K's wide-ranging blog examines a wealth of topics from orchids and zoological dung studies to live-blogging hurricanes.

I will be honored to run for K this Saturday.

Her example inspires me.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Sweet Sixteen

Well, more like an Okay sixteen miles. This is the longest I've run since last October, training for Honolulu. Once again Shannon and I ran together. Pace was erratic because we couldn't start from our usual Rose Bowl spot because of a UCLA football game. Thus, I wasn't sure where the mile markers were. But we managed to do just fine.

Next week, the Santa Barbara half-marathon!

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Running Ten Again

Dinged my heel working out, so I didn't run all week. Today we did ten miles. For whatever reason, turnout was rather sparse. I ran with the 11-minute pace group. To be precise, my teammate Shannon and I ran solo most of the way. A beautiful autumn day, mild temperatures, great running weather.

This afternoon, former teammates Nick and PJ tie the knot. They've known each other since grammar school and have decided to travel the rest of the journey together. I wish them the very best.

And so say all of us.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Racing a High School Girl

Bought new, light-weight running shoes for track practice and shorter races. They weigh considerably less than the heavy honkers I wear for long distance and marathons.

This afternoon I was trying them out around the Rose Bowl. I'm running a moderate pace, on my fourth mile, when I pass a teenage girl. I hear her speed up, so I speed up. She keeps pace behind me and speeds up some more. I up the pace ante yet again.

Suddenly other teenage girls start cheering. Apparently they are her teammates. "Come on, Nikki! You can beat him!" I realize I'm in a race with some kid on a high school cross-country team.

For a few seconds, things went my way. I held the lead as we zipped toward a pack of walkers and joggers. I cut around a mom with a stroller, but Nickki looped around two oncoming joggers and zoomed ahead. A teammate with a clipboard and a stop watch cheered as she crossed her finish line.

Nikki shook my hand as I ran past.

I kept good form and pace until I passed over a small hill out-of-sight. Then I sucked in air like they weren't making any more and finished my last mile at a reduced gait.

But man, those shoes! I felt so speeeeeedy!

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Damp 14 Mile Run

First sprinkles of the year showed up at mile 6 of a 14 mile run. Just enough to wet the rocks on the hills we had to climb. But the weather remained cool — a perfect distance climate.

I finished strong but felt rather stiff the rest of the day. After our upcoming 16 mile practice, I'll be heading home to soak in an ice bath. This ghastly practice actually speeds recovery.

Fourteen miles is the furthest I've run since spring. I'm slowly making my way back up the marathon ladder.

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