This weekend I have my 20 miler and then taper down to the big day on 9/24. On the weekend of 9/11, I am supposed to do 12 miles. However, I am also registered for the Chicago Half-marathon down in Hyde Park/Jackson Park. Its a pretty course, usually a fast one, and the only one where you finish underneath a giant gold statute of the winged goddess of Victory (Nike) from the 1893 World's Fair. Any down side to tacking on a little extra distance and probably running a little harder than I might otherwise do on a 12 mile taper run on my own? What does our blog's reader have to say?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Hanging with the Tri-Guys
It must say something that our new mayor finished the sprint Triathlon in 1:36. While Rahm was doing his thing along the lakefront downtown, I had my wife drive me 14 miles straight south to the former South Shore Country Club so I could run home to the north side. About six miles into my run, I hit the turn around point for the triathlon run and the first elite wave of runners. The top guys all blew by me as did a few of the women. The rest I could hang with until I was driven off the course closer to the finish. Then I had to do all kinds of detours and curlicues to get back on the lakefront on the other side of 
the bike transition area. And finally another 4.5 miles home all in the face of a pretty stiff head wind. All in all, a pretty good day and a sub-ten minute pace even with a bathroom break and too many water stops. Next up a Labor Day weekend 20 miler and taper down to 9/24 in the Hamptons.
the bike transition area. And finally another 4.5 miles home all in the face of a pretty stiff head wind. All in all, a pretty good day and a sub-ten minute pace even with a bathroom break and too many water stops. Next up a Labor Day weekend 20 miler and taper down to 9/24 in the Hamptons.
A Worthwhile Experiment
I tried something new for my first bankruptcy class today. I wrote the word "bankrupt(cy)" on the board, and asked the students to write down the first word that came to their minds. I called roll (that's not new for the first day) and asked them to report their word. One student wrote them all on the board. It was a great exercise. The words more or less provided the context for the entire remaining 65 minutes of class.
One surprise: there were about 30 students relating words that basically amounted to "broke" (20 actual "broke"s). There was only one "deadbeat." I am sure it would not have come out that way when I first taught related subjects in 2005.
One surprise: there were about 30 students relating words that basically amounted to "broke" (20 actual "broke"s). There was only one "deadbeat." I am sure it would not have come out that way when I first taught related subjects in 2005.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Did I Bounce?
We left Valdez by bicycle on Sunday night at 6 pm, headed north along the Richardson Highway toward Glenallen. The ride was to take us to Fairbanks, then south to Anchorage, stopping in Talkeetna, covering 750 miles in 90 hours or less. (More on these perhaps pointless -- but that's really the point, isn't it -- endeavors at the Randonneurs USA website.) S__ and I were two of 29 starters.
It was a magical ride through the canyon past Bridleveil Falls (Alaska's version); Horsetail Falls; Worthington Glacier; and countless unnamed rivulets and mini-glaciers. After 30 miles we topped Thompson Pass, descending quickly to the first "control" (check-point) at Tsaina and into the late-summers-eve half light. The next 40 miles were rolling hills and false-flats as we headed toward Tonsina Lodge, where the proprietors were staging a late-night buffet just for the riders. S__ and I traded places with a pace-line that we never quite joined, sometimes moving ahead, sometimes falling behind.
I remember seeing the highway marker for mile 63, which signaled 16 miles to Tonsina. I hit a few small pot-holes and realized I needed a brighter lamp, and I fumbled for a few seconds with the switch. I have an impressionistic picture of flying, twisting right-ward. And then at some point a motorcyclist asked me where I was, and I didn't know. S__ filled in the gaps: my wheel hit a rock and separated from the fork; the fork hit the ground; and I went over. S__, riding in my draft, rode over me and the bike before crashing himself. Somehow in the lost minutes he dressed me in warm clothes and we waited a half hour before others came by to assist.
So that was it for our grand bike tour of east-central Alaska to close out the summer. I now join Spencer in the ranks of "aren't I too old to be falling off of my bike"?
It was a magical ride through the canyon past Bridleveil Falls (Alaska's version); Horsetail Falls; Worthington Glacier; and countless unnamed rivulets and mini-glaciers. After 30 miles we topped Thompson Pass, descending quickly to the first "control" (check-point) at Tsaina and into the late-summers-eve half light. The next 40 miles were rolling hills and false-flats as we headed toward Tonsina Lodge, where the proprietors were staging a late-night buffet just for the riders. S__ and I traded places with a pace-line that we never quite joined, sometimes moving ahead, sometimes falling behind.
I remember seeing the highway marker for mile 63, which signaled 16 miles to Tonsina. I hit a few small pot-holes and realized I needed a brighter lamp, and I fumbled for a few seconds with the switch. I have an impressionistic picture of flying, twisting right-ward. And then at some point a motorcyclist asked me where I was, and I didn't know. S__ filled in the gaps: my wheel hit a rock and separated from the fork; the fork hit the ground; and I went over. S__, riding in my draft, rode over me and the bike before crashing himself. Somehow in the lost minutes he dressed me in warm clothes and we waited a half hour before others came by to assist.
So that was it for our grand bike tour of east-central Alaska to close out the summer. I now join Spencer in the ranks of "aren't I too old to be falling off of my bike"?
The End of Summer
Forget the calendar. Summer ended yesterday. And its a good thing. After one last gasp of 90s and humidity summer gave up the ghost. Temps in the low 70s no humidity to speak of. I ran 9 bringing me to a total of 31 for the week since I had to do my long run on Monday instead of Sunday. I didn't need to stop every mile and a half for water, didn't chafe, didn't have 3 pounds of sweat on my shirt, and my training time dropped by nearly a minute per mile. Still doing slight negative splits. All mild signs of hope... and fall.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Racing to Relax
Looking back over the past few months of posts, it appears that I'm the only (semi-) regular contributor who uses these electronic pages primarily as a confessional. Maybe it's because I'm the only contributor whose relationship with running is more dysfunctional than my parents' was back in 1979. Wait, did I say that out loud? Add "unnecessary self-disclosure" to my list of blogging sins.
In any event, I've recently figured out something rather important: I have to be training for something. But it's not precisely like one might think. A few years back, the lack of an event in my future would have been a recipe for couch potato soup. But now I've swung too far in the other direction. If I am not actively training for something, my pattern is now "run 7 miles as fast as I can every day." But if I'm training for something, I tend to be able to follow a schedule that includes not only intervals, hills, and tempo runs, but also weights and rest days.
Does anyone else race to relax?
To that end, I'm considering the St. Louis Rock & Roll Half on October 23, the Indianapolis Monumental Half on November 5, or the somewhat less popular Valparaiso 13.1 on November 12. Anyone want to join me?
In any event, I've recently figured out something rather important: I have to be training for something. But it's not precisely like one might think. A few years back, the lack of an event in my future would have been a recipe for couch potato soup. But now I've swung too far in the other direction. If I am not actively training for something, my pattern is now "run 7 miles as fast as I can every day." But if I'm training for something, I tend to be able to follow a schedule that includes not only intervals, hills, and tempo runs, but also weights and rest days.
Does anyone else race to relax?
To that end, I'm considering the St. Louis Rock & Roll Half on October 23, the Indianapolis Monumental Half on November 5, or the somewhat less popular Valparaiso 13.1 on November 12. Anyone want to join me?
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Vacation Running Part Deux
Liked Alaska a lot but didn't get to run on land. It was pouring in Juneau and we had only a short stop in Ketchikan. Could have run in Skagway but instead went a nice hike with my daughter. What qualifies as a moderate hike on the maps and guides there seemed reasonably tough for us flatlanders but it was great to get out into some real woods and lakes with my daughter for a couple of hours. Did manage to get in about 18 miles on treadmills over 3 days while the boat gently rocked in the swell. A very odd feeling. Not back on dry land with an 18 miler waiting for me either tonight or first thing tomorrow.
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