Game On

Back to back 6 milers on the weekend....I know.....this is getting serious....finally! actually beginning to feel like a runner and not some imposter walking around in running gear as has been the case of late.
In fairness there have been a few weekends in the recent past I did get my arse out the door on both a Saturday and Sunday.....but even then it was only to loop around Clark Park this weekend I continued to reintroduce myself to the Schuylkill Banks.....it's about to become my office for the next several months

It was my plan to get a semi early start on Saturday rather than fall into the old trap of sitting on the recliner playing "catch up" w/ my dvr which has been the problem the last several weeks/months and to that end I got a little help from "Postman Pat"
When I arrived home on Friday I had a "we tried to deliver" card in my mail which meant getting over to the local post office on 52nd & Kingsessing b4 12pm on Saturday,not the worst thing in the world as it would get me up and dressed.....two things not necessarily happening in recent months and also I figured the walk there and back would get the blood flowing b4 the run.....the briskness of the morning air if nothing else woke me up!
It's been a long time since I've done the out and back on a Saturday  a day that's been reserved for track repeats{and will be again in a few weeks time once I get my wheels back under me}and I was relishing a  clear run along Spruce St to the South St bridge once I cut in from Baltimore Ave at 35th St unlike during the week when I run into all the UPENN  HUP and CHOP pedestrian traffic......only to catch the tailend of a UPENN pep rally, that said the rhythmic drumming helped w/ the cadence of my running so no harm no foul there....and the cheerleaders looked cute also!!!
Marginally slower than  Thursdays time by 58 seconds but still quicker than what I ran on Tue and Wed......

Sundays run was always going to  go one of two ways,due to the scheduling gods  the Spurs Man City game was kicking off 8.30am here and I planned to run after the final whistle around 10.30am give or take.
A defeat and Spurs could pretty much kiss their Champions League hopes goodbye and I'd be running angry,a win and we'd keep the pressure on North London rivals arsenal and fellow Londoners chelski for one of the two last available Champions League spots, a three way battle and bragging rights across London would ensure running inspired.......
For 75 minutes it looked like I'd be doing my best John Lydon "anger is an energy" impression as the Lillywhites trailed 1.0......and then just like that bang!bang!!bang!!!  three goals in the space of under 7 minutes meant Spurs won 3.1 we're still in w/ a shot of Champions League footie next season and lo and behold yours truly ran his fastest time of the week!!.
Six days in running can be a long time on Tuesday when I went out hard and reached the Lloyd Hall turnaround in 29.44 I folded on the inbound leg to clock 63.07,not today made the turn in 29.41 and finished in 60.04,little by little it's getting there....now to repeat all of what I managed this week next week beginning tomorrow.

Brought To You By The Good People At Granny Smiths......

Steady on Jeeves! back to back to back 6 miles.......someone may mistake me for a real runner if I keep this lark up!!!
Following another of my all to recent lapses in training I was hell bent on getting stuck in again....for what feels like the umpteenth time in the last eight months however Monday's proposed 6 miler out and back along the Schuylkill Banks got scuppered b4 it had a chance to begin.....

In the freakiest of accidents I somehow managed to lodge a splinter into my left heal on the weekend and me being me it was in  location I couldn't quite reach,the prospect of my heal striking the ground repeatedly over a 6 mile run w/ a splinter stuck in it didn't inspire me to "lace em up" so I sat down on the recliner and turned on the tv......the news of the carnage from Boston was front and center.....
The following day splinter or no splinter I was determined to run,I made a cushion for the affected area to minimize the discomfort and headed out for my run
In a symbol of solidarity to the fallen in Boston I dug out my 05 Boston marathon dri fit shirt,my small token gesture to those who had lost their lives and limbs the day b4,I knew up and down the nation and probably world wide runners were doing something to honour the victims,prayers,lighting candles,running maybe all three I opted to pray and run.

Wednesday saw me back out there again this time dealing w/ something I haven't dealt w/ since August or September....71 degree heat.
It's funny how when your not in full blown running/training mode the fundamentals can slip through the cracks,I knew it was going to a warm afternoon and yet I didn't hydrate sufficiently during the course of the day so I had nobody but myself to blame for the soft shoe shuffle along the Schuylkill Banks, not that time was the be all and end all of the run but I was 3.04 slower than Tuesday,frankly I was just happy to finish and enjoy a pint of Strawberry milk and a cold shower,when I called it a nite at 9pm I knew I was beat....but not beaten!

Throughout yesterday my legs felt heavy,something I haven't experienced for a while mainly because I just haven't pushed the envelope that hard,however something that has alarmingly become natural is running up the white flag.
W/ heavy legs and then heavy eyes on the trolley ride home I found myself in an all too frequent scenario of saying to myself"I'm tired,I don't feel like running this afternoon".......even I know that's bollocks but somehow over the last several months I've allowed that inner voice to call the shots way too often,reaching into my "Inner Cher" I remembered in the late 80's/early 90's when Cher was the spokesperson for Ballys health club and one of her commericals was her  saying "we can all find excuses for not going to the gym,but that's all they are,excuses".....
And w/ that I wasn't taking a "zen like" attitude w/ my recliner and becoming one w/ it,I was dressed in my running gear and out the door for a third crack at this route in three days.

I thought about the victims of Boston,how some of them may never run again and here I am fannying around claiming my legs are sore....PLEASE!!! not only did I reach Lloyd Hall{my turnaround point} 16 seconds up on yesterday but I  proceeded to take almost 5 minutes off of Wednesdays time...not bad for someone who felt tired and was whining about heavy legs!!!!
Hopefully this weekend will see me continue to do what I'm meant to do,get the run in and then worry about the rest of my day,it's like the old AC/DC song says"It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll" and I  was born to rock....and run......recess is over class school is in session!

Why?

While I've been a little tardy w/ "Running Free" of late I couldn't allow the horror of Mondays Boston Marathon bombings to go w/out comment.
First and foremost my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this barbaric act of cowardice and also the family,friends and loved ones of the victims,even though it's eight years since my last Boston marathon and also eight years since my last marathon period I still have friends in the marathon community to the best of my knowledge everyone I know is ok but having watched the moment both bombs went off over and over since Monday I can't shake the thought of the innocent bystanders caught in the impact and some how I doubt I ever will.
The runner in me feels terrible for the runners who were unable to finish the marathon,ok I get that when human lives are at risk at the end of the day the Boston marathon is just a race however I of all people understand what it is to not only run a marathon {14 in 20 years between 85 and 05} but also run the Boston marathon{three times 91,02,05},there's that great Emil Zatopek quote "if you want to run something run the 100 meters,if you want to experience something run a marathon". which always sums up what it's like to run 26.2 miles......if it was easy everyone would run one!

I remember watching the first London marathon in 81 and thinking "I wouldn't mind some of that" at that point in time I hadn't run further than 6 miles but later that  year I ran my first ever 10 mile and 12 runs....they nearly killed me so maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world my 82 London marathon application was rejected...this however didn't stop me from having a typical teen aged angst "I quit" meltdown but w/in a year I was back running again.
By 84 I'd gotten serious about running a marathon if London was going to keep rejecting my application as it had again for the 84 marathon I'd run somewhere else first and hope that would help my application,I became fluent in 10 milers which although they rendered me almost incapable of anything for a day afterwards were essential if I had any hopes of eventually running 26 miles.
In August of 84 I ran my first ever 10 mile race and then in September my first ever half marathon I believed I was closing in on "the big one" only to have things grind to a halt at the end of October when my father died unexpectedly.

A year later after finally knuckling down in training I ran my first ever Marathon in Harrow Middlesex just outside of London and surprised myself by breaking the three hour barrier w/ a 2.55.11. finish and six months later I finally got to run the London marathon although I hadn't trained as hard for London as I had in Harrow
By 87 I'd now moved to Philadelphia and suddenly the prospect of the "big three" New York,Chicago and of course the grandaddy of them all Boston was very real.
Sadly in the 87 Philly marathon I "bonked" as badly as one can in a marathon,suffering dehydration it was a testimony to my bull headedness that I even finished,back then you had to post a qualifying time to make it into Boston and my time was 3.00 to this day I still recall hitting the 24 mile marker on W.River Drive and seeing the digital clock turn from 2.59.59. to 3.00.00. I turned to the runner alongside me who I didn't know and shrugged "there goes Boston" I offered meekly

It would be another three years b4 I ran another marathon,New York 1990,of course me being me I had to do things the hard way,not only had I given up on my application but I was now working third shift.....
Six weeks prior to the marathon on the eve of the old Philadelphia Distance Run I got official notice I'd been accepted into the NYC marathon, now I had to up my mileage from 13 miles to 20 miles and do it in the middle of the afternoon!
There were several afternoon I would wake up at 3pm and head out to the Art Museum Loop  and just grit my teeth to get my 14,16,18 mile runs in and then take a nap in the evening b4 heading to work at 10.30pm....hardly text book marathon training 101 but then again most of my early marathon training was me making it up as I went along.
Somehow it all paid off w/  a BQ {Boston Qualifier} of 3.10 I produced a 3.06.2. the first words out of my mouth crossing the finish line in Central Park were"Boston here I come!!!"

Having finally made it to "the promised land" I was determined to leave no stone unturned in my preparation for Boston,having heard all about Heartbreak Hill I made sure to incorporate hills in my long runs and would tackle the Belmont Plateau as winter wore off and spring began,in running as in life there are no guarantees so if this was to be my only crack at Boston{it turned out to be the first of three}I needed to be sure I made the most of it.
The hill work on Belmont Plateau paid off in spades they say "ignorance is bliss" so as I made my way up a hill I turned and asked the runner next to me if Heartbreak Hill was anywhere around here,in a rather pained voice he informed me "this is Heartbreak Hill"...."really" I thought to myself as I left him in my wake I expected something more akin to the North face of the Eiger but like said ignorance is bliss.

A few miles later running along Commonwealth Ave I looked up to see the John Hancock tower which I knew was at the finish line,I remember looking over to my right and the runner next to me had also seen it,we smiled and nodded the finish line was close by.
I can still recall making a right hand turn off Commonwealth Ave onto Hereford Street and then a left onto Boylston St where your only 385 yards from the finish,I still recall the crowds cheering madly for all of us as we neared the finish line it was a magical moment made even more poignant by setting a then pr of 2.54.3. which still ranks as my 4th fastest marathon of all time.

Those are the memories of Boylston St I cherish,not what I saw on my tv on Monday at 2.50pm,I don't know if there's another Boston marathon in me muchless another marathon but somewhere deep in my subconscious lies the thought that maybe after the horror of Monday I need to create a new Boylston St memory.....

Shake It Up

It was a toss up between The Cars "Shake It Up" or Staind "Brake The Cycle" for the title for this run.
After weeks if not months of looping around Clark Park I felt it was time to......shake it up and opted for my old 6 mile out and back run down to the Schuylkill Banks and out to Lloyd Hall b4 turning and back.

While it's officially Spring it was still half zip fleece and running pants for yours truly although I did dispense w/ the ski hat and gloves....hopefully I won't need them again anytime b4 November/December.
It felt good to get back to this route,once I hit the Banks it's a lot more runner friendly and it helps to have targets out on the run to pull me along.

A major plus today was that since I last ran this route they've finished the footbridge over the Conrail tracks at Locust Point where the Banks start,they were constructing it whenever I  cut through Millward Gardens last,no more sprinting to beat the gates closing as the CSX freight train makes its way along the tracks,no more standing waiting for the gates to open or having to take the stairs on the Locust St bridge.

Felt I got a lot more out of today's run than alot of my numerous loops around Clark Park of late,maybe it's all psychosomatic but it did feel good to shake up what may've become a stale routine,onwards....

Play Ball....Or Not!

I had hoped the beginning of April would herald the start of a return to serious training however not  for the first time yesterday fatigue won the battle of the day forcing me to sit this one out.
For the past several weeks although thankfully in waves and not in a constant I've been suffering what could best be described as a mild form of insomnia,some nites I only sleep for a few hours or not at all,those nites are particularly brutal as I then spend the next day feeling like a Zombie and frankly running when I get home rates somewhat lower on the "to do" list.

Case in point Sunday I went to bed at 11pm but never felt like I fell asleep,I got up at 2.20am to watch tv till 3am and tried again to fall asleep....no dice!
Up again at 4am to watch tv till 5am where not for the first time in recent weeks I got dressed and left for work early since my regularly scheduled wake up time is 5.25am,yeah it's great I'm getting to work at 6am or 6.15am instead of 6.25am when I normally get here but the lack of sleep is killing me,I got home at 4pm and even though I wanted to get changed and  head out to run instead I slumped into the recliner,in fact I was so tired I ended up sleeping on the living room floor from 9.30pm till 2.30am where I then tossed and turned for three hours till the trust alarm sounded at 5.25am.
Five hours sleep at least should be enough to get my out running this evening.

Somebody Said It's Spring?

Back to back 5 milers around Clark Park Wednesday and Thursday kept me on pace for a 5/25 week.
Laughingly it's officially Spring since Wednesday....it hasn't felt like first thing in the mornings let me tell ya but in truth this Winter wasn't that harsh,we didn't get that much snow and I can only think of one week in particular when we were below freezing for almost the entire week.

While the masses are off to Landover this weekend to compete at Indoor Nationals I'll be home pondering my next move,I'd like to be back running track this summer but I also have to consider my options if my leg speed has gone,I haven't ruled out a return to road running and maybe marathons!

Can You Hear Me Now??!!

I was determined not to fall into the same trap as last week,I missed my window of opportunity on Monday due to the rain and often when I miss Monday it sets the tone for the rest of the week,I couldn't allow another week to get away from me so I was dressed and out the door by 4.20pm for my easy 5 miler around trusty Clark Park in the glorious sunshine,Spring officially arrives tomorrow....yea!

If I needed inspiration to run  I had it no thanks to those scum sucking sob's at Verizon,allow me to explain!
Back in late September I got a letter from them telling me they had suspended my account due to in their words"suspicious activity"on my account,when I inquired to the nature of this suspicious activity I was informed there were"several phone calls to the United Kingdom!!!!!!!!!!
After my pants had dried off I pointed out to "jobsworth" that I call my Mother every Sunday,my brother every other month and my sister periodically and in order to do so I had Overseas calling plan at 5 cents a minute,why hadn't these calls been taken care of as such........
According to Verizon,because my bill had been paid late they had shut down several of my services,and YET somehow when I got caught up on my bill they hadn't reset my Overseas calling plan.......I was lead to believe they expected me to do so!!!!!!!

Over the past few months there have been several terse phone calls between me and Verzion,me telling them they could whistle for the $600 plus in Internationals calls they'd coned me into, them citing these calls were my responsibility them trying to placate me by taking a couple of hundred bucks off the bill but the bottom line was they sent me a bill for $475 at the start of the month that I had no intention of paying......till they shut my phone off last week forcing me to cough up the $475....PISSED does NOT begin to sum up how I feel but I need a phone so congrats Verzion,I blinked you won.....go fuck yourselves!!!