Filling the Gap, You Dropped an I on Me!

In the early 80's the most excellent "Gap Band," dropped the Bomb on us. Oh, what a truly great song. You can, and should listen to it via the Youtube below.

The bit from that song that remains in my imperfect memory is the repeated, I, I, I in there, hence, the title as I have now completed the PinhotI, in Pinhoti Trail 100. How did I do it?

Well, I had a yeoman's 43 mile weekend. There was the 30 miler with Andy B on Saturday morning that turned into 24. I ran 18 quality miles before I bonked. I was sick as a dog on Friday, and knew that Saturday would be a tough run, but I knew I would get some portion done and it would be more valuable than staying in bed. So, I met A2 at 3 am, and we drove to Clermont for a 4:30 start. I ran until I couldn't run anymore, then I ran/walked 6 more for 24.

I, I, I got some good sleep on Saturday night and met Becky and Margo for 13 on Sunday morning and I felt much better. Then just to top it off, I met two work buddies who are training for their first 1/2 marathon for a 6 miler on Sunday night.

Even though none of the runs were particularly fast, or long, sometimes just hanging in is the perfect recipe. It helped me cook up an I this weekend!

Now enjoy some Gap Band:

The Line on Pick Ups

From time to time you'll hear me mention my coach, well, my coach isn't a person, it's people. It's someone who gives me advice that sticks, that makes me go, "oh yeah!"

On Tuesday night's run my coach told me about a technique he passed on to an up and coming runner. This runner was trying to improve his speed and was having trouble maintaining a faster pace. So my coach told him to pick up the pace for varying distances, between 30 and 100 yards at a time, during the run. Not only does this train your body to run faster, but when you slow down you are likely to be running faster than you were when you were just chugging along.

Great advice. I used to do this all the time when I got bored during my runs. It really helped those long middle miles move along. I'd forgotten all about this until coach reminded me.

Thanks for the line on pick ups! Which is very different from pick up lines. My favorite of those is below (hey, we may have discovered why I'm still single!)

I got my T Back!

A stellar weekend of running if I do say my ownself. I feel that the weekend was letter worthy, so here we go, I'm closing in on it.....

P-I-N-H-O-T- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As my coach's friend Stephanie says, it's quality not quantity.

Saturday morning I met A2 for a quick near 20 at Morris Bridge. We started t00 fast for comfort, but I accepted it and went along. I know I need to push myself, and this seemed a good place to start. After 4 miles or so we slowed down and stayed slower through 9 when we dropped A2's friend James back at his car. Then we jogged across the street to the restrooms where we saw Dr. Frank and chatted before we took off, and took off we did. We spent about three miles at an uncomfortably fast clip, but I figured what the heck, I'll do as well as I can. Once again we thankfully slowed and finished our run.

That was a good workout, but not quite letter worthy, I would earn the letter on Sunday morning. Coach and I met up with a slew of runners at Clermont's National Training Center for an 8 mile hill run. Coach said that if I ran all 8 miles I should get a letter, that sounded like a good idea, so that's the bargain I made with myself on top of the hill at the start. At the start on top of the hill. On the top. Start. Hill. Yeah, I was kicking myself as I struggled on the inbound portion as I had to go back up the hill to top to finish. Clermont is certainly Central Florida's hilliest area and these hills dwarf Croom's (which I often walk) and tower over those in San Antonio, which I sometimes walked. But today, I ran 'em and earned my T.

Way to go me!

Friday

It's Friday, and that doesn't suck!

My brother SuperDave, when he was a kid, he loved Fridays and he hated Sundays. Why, he loved the last day of school for the week, knowing he didn't have to go for the next two, and he hated the day before he had to go back for the next 5.

Well, I love Fridays, love 'em all up, but I like Sunday's too. But Friday's really are the best.

You know what they say:
You can beat your wife.
You can beat your kids.
But, you can't beat Fridays!

The Second Wind

As I was making excuses for my lack of leg speed during our Tuesday evening run (hey, I ran 5 Sat. morn, 27 Sat. eve/Sun morn, and another 5 Sunday eve) I was wondering, I kept running all along.

After a quick stop and dip in the pool at Jon's house (man, that pool was a little slice of heaven) we headed back towards my house to finish the run. Seeing how I struggled in to Jon's, I wasn't really looking forward to the 2 miles back to my house. But almost instantly it happened. I got the second wind. I haven't had that awesome feeling in a long time. It means that all this running and dieting is starting to work. I'm getting back! The run back to my house, while not effortless, was much easier than the run had been at other point on that Tuesday.

Sure do hope this wasn't some fluke, I'll keep you posted.

O, Yeah!

I Picked up another letter this morning.

5 of us crazies set out at Croom last night 7PM and ran around the woods until 1 am this morning. It may seem whacked to some, but I got a letter out of it!

Here's where I stand: P I N H O _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _! I'm doing A-Ok.

Last nights run was an adventure.

I met up with A2 and A3 at the Winner's grill and off we went. After placing our 3 drops at various places along the route we were off to the starting point at Tucker Hill. Along the way A2 stopped his big truck, not once but twice to move gopher tortoises off of Croom Road. Surely this would bring us good karma.

The karma was working as we hooked up with Woody and Dan and took off down the trail. We made it to the first drop point about 8 miles in with no problem. We refueled and again went down the trail. A2 was feeling pretty good as he took us through the Vortex twice, if it's worth doing it's worth doing twice he must have been thinking. We quickly got back on track and trudged to drop #2 at 12 - 13 mile point. At this drop all the A's 1-3 were feeling Antsy. Oh, we weren't in a hurry, or nervous, we had just placed our drops in the midst of an ant colony. We spent the next 10 minutes swatting at these god forsaken near invisible little leg munchers.

Once we go out of there the biting subsided and we were back on track. A few stumbles aside we made it the the 20 mile drop without incident. There we refueled for the last time and got back out pretty quickly. We had a few stretches of really good running and I was feeling better than I have all summer. As we were going up E's hill, I decided that I wasn't going to walk at all for the last 4 miles, included the hills. So, off I ran.

There were a few little inclines that I normally walk, but I was using A2's karma and ran up the little hills. When I got to Croom Mtn (this is actually higher and with more switchbacks than Devil's Thumb) I was second guessing my decision to run the entire route, but I thought, What the Johnny Ho, I'll give it a go, and I kept my head down and BAM, I ran to the top and over. Of course having run up Croom Mountain, now it would have just been wimpy to walk up the twins, or no-name hill, so even as I was tiring I kept running.

I decided I was going to run to where the Blue trail hits the Orange trail 1/3 of a mile to the finish, I was looking at the spot just a few yards ahead when Blam! I should have been looking at the trail because I went down like a salami (hard!). The ants, then this, could we be running out of Karma. The answer was readily apparent in 1/3 of a mile. When I got up to A2's truck, the driver's rear time was pancake flat. We got screwed, literally, there was a big silver screw wedged in his tire. When he got back to the truck a few minutes later I got to greet him the news, you're Karma does not extend to your truckma, because your tire is flatma! Even though the tire was only flat on the bottom, at 1 am after 27 miles of running in 100% humidity, changing a tire is no fun. But A2 barely complained as he jacked the truck up 3 times (if it's worth doing it's worth doing again, and again!) swapped out the tire and headed home.

All in all, it was a great night. Best of all, I got my O!

It's A Guy Thing

Today, I saw a masterpiece.

The Expendables. Two words, Arr Arr!

Should you see it? Not only should you, it's your duty. This youtube pretty much says it all:

Shake it Up!

I did something today that I haven't done in 9 years (No not that!). I signed up for a 5K.

Big Bro SuperDave asked me to run the Race for the Cure in Charleston on October 16, which just happens to be the day he's getting married. What could I say? I said, heck yes! Shoot, the last time I ran a 5K was the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day in 2001. I ran a 19:45 and I was not happy about it! I gave up 5 K's, because I didn't want to go over 20 minutes. Now, I'd be happy with a 24 minute 5K. But, my focus has drastically changed. I do what Bill Cosby told the fat kid to do in sandlot football. "What do I do, what do I do?" Bill says, "You go long! I'll fake it to you!"

Well, now at the price of speed I go long.

But, I've been doing some shorter, faster running lately (mostly so I can qualify for an afternoon or evening beer). It's a good thing to shake it up from time to time!

Thanks a H of a Lot!

Thanks coach! You helped me put the H in PinHoti Trail 100!

Here's where it stands:

P I N H _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!

How in the H-E-double Hockey sticks did I get the H in there?

It may have been the hardest letter yet. Coach asked me a couple of weeks ago, "Aren't you going to give yourself a letter for losing 5 pounds?"

I wanted the reward, but I know me, I like my vices too much, wings, brew-doggies, all the nasty sweet crap on the faculty table at work, and knew those pounds could back with a couple of buddies if I wasn't careful. So, I held off on the letter, until this morning. Why this morning?

Well, first: the weight has stayed off for about 3 weeks. (it was nice several people of the female persuasion at work told me I looked much thinner :)

Second: Not once but thrice, I really wanted a brewski but hadn't yet ran my 4 miles, and under the new rules, I must run or no suds for the day. I begged my coach, "I went to the gym, does that count?" NO! "What if I walk the dog? Does that count?" NO! "Can I borrow on tomorrow's miles? I'm running 20 tomorrow? H NO! So, with the rules set I settled my three-time dilemma this way: Once I just drank water, the other two times, I got my lazy arse outside and zipped around my hood to qualify (my own version of a BQ, no not a Boston Qualifier, but a Beer Qualifier!). Those beers taste really good when you earn them.

Third: Well, general discipline. I've stayed away from all sweets, and snacking, and I've exercised in some form every day.

........... I bought these, but I gave them to Ali, I didn't eat them!....

I really need to keep it up, but what an "H" of a start! Thanks coach!

Weight, Weight, DON'T TELL ME!

I haven't said anything about it in a long time, my actual weight that is. Truth is I've been afraid to get on a scale. I HATE seeing anything higher than the 180's when I'm on the scale. I've mentioned that I am not happy about where I am, and I NEED to lose some Lbs. Butt, and this is really disturbing, the wish method is no longer working for me! I can't just lose weight by just wishing I weighed less.

Aint that a kick in the pants?

So, I've had to take some drastic measures:

1.No beer unless I've run at least 4 miles that day. (Shoot, I'm going to a Rays game tonight, and instead of running this morning, I met my bud Morejon at the gym! Gotta squeeze in a run before the game, I think there is free drinks!)

2. No sweets during the week.

3. Chicken wings no more than twice a month. (That'll be easy till football season, which starts like now. Yikes!)

I'm open for more suggestions, but this is going to be hard enough. I've already been doing most of this informally and it is working. The Beckster even paid me a sort of compliment as we were running, "Your love handles aren't as huge as there were." Er, thanks... And the scale has also been much kinder recently, I have maintained a 5 pound weight loss for two weeks now. Another 10 pounds, not even a pound a week, and I'll be at a good place for Pinhoti.

Wish me luck!