Kicks and Niggles

This taper thing is driving me crazy.  I didn't have any injuries of consequence during the training...only the expected muscle soreness. But now during the taper, I feel this twinge in my butt that reminds me of a problem I had before my 1st marathon back in 1980.  I actually had trouble standing and walking last night without pain!  Is it psychological or real..it certainly feels real! 

But luckily, after a full night's sleep and a morning hike, all seems to be improving.  I'll try a bit longer run tomorrow morning...at approximately the same time as the scheduled race start and with my intended race gear.

5 miles this AM and skipped the traditional evening hike after the lower back flared again after dinner.

Another Easy Day

A few days ago I warned that the daily posting could get boring.  Today was an easy, recovery day and I didn't exert much effort.  I had been feeling the stiffness in my hamstrings from the "bonus" hills at Pilot Knob and that had been on top of a rather quick-paced 10 miler the day before.  

So it was fast-hiking with the dog today and then some catching up on email correspondence and some actual work at the City of Plymouth, that just hired me as a consultant.

I checked in with Fred McCurnin, who is training in Colorado right now, and caught him out on the trails.  His wife, Jeanne, is in the middle of training for the Leadville 100 later this summer.  Jeanne just won her age group at the Garden of the Gods 10 miler last weekend!  Way to go, Jeanne.

4 mile hiking this AM and another 3 yet tonight.

Running Longevity...You Know You're Old When

Unintentionally I ended up with another stronger effort for a second day in a row.  Curtis and I both wanted to get some more hill work in as a bit of a test before the hills we'll face in the race.  We thought Friday would work but changed to today at the last minute in order to coordinate both of our schedules.  So we hit the hills of Pilot Knob (second highest point in Iowa) with purpose this morning.  I could feel the effort of yesterday's run but we stayed steady for a good 6 mile loop that hit many of the rolling hills at the park.

I had begun thinking about the past and, simply, how things have changed through the years. So I started a list of...

You Know You've Been Running A Long Time When...

1. You not only remember names like Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Jeff Galloway, or Billy Mills but also remember seeing them race!
2. You could wait until the day of the race before deciding whether or not to enter rather than commit to it months in advance.
3. Race entry fees were in the range of $10.
4. Race shirts were always all cotton so you took a size larger than what you thought you would wear. Technical shirts were, technically, not yet existent.
5.  Races were primarily on the roads with very little mention of ultras or trails in the periodicals.
6. The only periodicals available for running were, basically, Track & Field News, Runner's World, and The Runner.
7. Internet and online were thought to be terms reserved for the fishing industry rather than a source of  running information or race entry.
8. Race-day supplements consisted of only a handful of choices rather than more than you can imagine today.
9. You could buy 3 pairs of running shoes for what one pair costs today.
10. It now takes as long to get ready to run in the morning as it used to take for the entire workout.
11. Clipping your toenails was straight off the front rather than top, sideways, and whatever direction they decide to grow!

Six miles with Curtis at Pilot Knob in the AM.  The routine evening hike tonight.

Groovy

The weather has moderated into a groove of sunny, cool, pleasant, breezy repetitiveness.  I wasn't sure how I would feel when hitting the trail today because, even though I've backed off on the mileage, I had been feeling less than sharp.  

That changed soon after I began to run, things were clicking and the pace felt easy while running faster than usual. I, also, was in the groove.  I purposely needed to stop and hike some sections to keep from "racing" the loop.  So I guess this was additional reinforcement that training has gone well and I'll be stoked for the race on the 23rd!

10 miles at mid-day and my evening hike yet to come.

Reinforcement

I'm sure some of my doubts about whether my knees could withstand ultra-training and racing has crept into my blogging.  I've used a regular pattern of combining fast hiking with my running and today came across another blog that helps support this approach!  The Running Man writes about it here.

I continued the taper today and resigned myself to hiking.  The weather is great and there's a temptation to head out and work some trails with more vigor...but I'll hold off a bit.  I'm sure I'll be running some quality yet this week but today is for rest and recovery.

5 miles in the AM. The regular hike yet tonight.

Bark in the Park

The Humane Society of North Iowa held a fund-raiser at Lime Creek today.  There were plenty of dogs out there and I'm sure some great presentations.  I used to not pay much attention to canine events but, do now because we dog-sit for my son so often!

As for my workout, I spent an easy day out in 90 degree temperatures, listening to podcasts and transitioning between hiking and running.

7 miles and the hike routine this evening. 76 miles for the week.

Heating Up

The questions about how well I'm prepared are beginning to haunt me a bit.  I waited a while today to let the weather warm up.  The humidity seems to have increased, as well.  It was quite easy to run and I ran much of the 7 mile loop.  Another 3 mile hike at dusk.