FROST BEARDS (or frost masks for the ladies, yes it is a double standard but that is the way it goes). Every runner needs to experience this at some point in their training life. Even you soft folks who live in warmer climates.
Some pieces of gear you never regret buying, a great pair of trainers, a comfy pair of socks, my wind briefs. I bought the Brooks LSD jacket on sale for something like $20. It stuffs into its own pocket, it is windproof (wore out in the North Hills today and when layered it works like a charm), will fit in any bag, and is now a part of my kit whenever I go for a run. Just in case. Breathablity of the jacket blows, but for the price and functionality it is a hard one to beat.
I might occasionally cross paths with a morning walker (rarely) or other early morning runners (thankfully I am not the only one stupid/stubborn/committed enough to be out of a warm bed). I might say hi to someone grabbing their copy of the Journal Star with coffee mug in hand.
But as much as I love the objective look at running, I love looking back on the experience of the run even more. Who I was with, the feel of the ground under my feet, the air in my lungs, and the route I was on are all pretty subjective things. They are hard to write down in a running log and so in the process of running that day, I try to file things away in my brain. Now, there is nothing more futile than saying I will remember something and not write it down. There is seemingly something about how I am wired that allows me to remember moments from many of my efforts over the years (the same thing applies to recalling PRs versus that person’s name I just met). Weirdly, I may not remember a step from Monday’s run while I can burrow into my memory and haul out something from my high school days.
#1- My wife and I spent some time out shopping Friday afternoon. Usually we wait until the afternoon, to let the crowds go down a bit and in this case let people settle into the Husker game. Still crowded out, but not insanely so. Not really my point though. Now I teach economics. I get the power of markets and how they work. Yet I am continually stunned by how much “stuff” is out there. It almost made me nauseous. The world of running gear is no different. Shoes, clothing, technology, accessories, and more. I have a large number of running shoes, more clothing than I know what to do with, and enough t-shirts to compete with those boxes they send to developing countries after a team loses the Super Bowl. So here is my Thanksgiving resolution: To pare down my running “quiver”. I don’t know what that means exactly, but if you see a dude with a bag of running clothing dropping off at a donation site, it might be me.
#2- I have now set my winter goal races. Surf City Half-Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA and a 50k trail race in February. So today I began my winter training cycle. I always pick a race to train for and keep me motivated through those cold winter days. So those two will be in my thoughts during 4:30am training runs the next few months. But the main point of, um, this point is that I am restructuring my plans coming up. I am doubling up on some stuff my brother is doing via Nate Jenkins over at Runners Connect. Tough stuff, but good stuff. My training paces are established by Jack Daniels in his incredible book (See below). While most folks probably find a lot of that stuff too sciency, there are a few pages in there that can really guide your training. But here is the most important thing I have to say. Sometimes you need to swallow your pride and try some new training plans. It is tough to admit that you might need something new, but that might be the exact thing needed to push your racing to the next PR.
There are also folks who are more reserved. They speak when spoken too, they prefer to observe or merely wait until something comes along that they feel compelled to talk about, as opposed to the constant movement of the “bee people”. I tend to gravitate towards this category of folks. It is a drawback in my teaching/coaching (I was definitely not blessed with the gift of gab) and in maintaining the freshness of this site. The upside though is that when I do get around to speaking, I make every effort to make it count. So as I sit here on a Sunday morning with a coffee in hand, getting ready to meet some old friends for a run, rest assured that my posts are something I try to put some thought into and not blather on everyday. It has been almost exactly four weeks since the last time I was on here. . . Continue reading