10 10 Till We Do It Again John

Having done what I needed to do last week it was time to do it all over again this week,hence the CB Radio reference.....I threw John in since CB Radio was very much an American thing when I first discovered it way back when,the obligatory John gave it a subtle Englishness.......

Another delightfully mild evening,64 degrees,I,m gonna ride this train as long as Mother Nature allows it.
I must've gotten a slightly earlier start than usual as there was still a last vestige of daylight over South West Philly as I made my way towards the South St bridge along the footpath.
After Saturdays "grind em till you find em" closing 4 miles I was happy to encounter smoother sailing this evening,running 10 milers doesn't hold much of a threat.....which is just as well since my next scheduled race on Nov 23rd is a XC 15K  in NYC at the Pete McCardle race at VCP.

The Little Engine That Could

I'm not gonna front,the last mile was as ugly as fuck but I nailed my 12 miler to at LONG last say I compleated a 5 day 50 mile week.......now to do it all over again this coming week!!!!
I've always said if Websters ever make a Picture Dictionary next to the word Unconventional you'll see my photo! this week was no exception to that.
IF this  week goes to plan{and lets face it that's a bleedin' big IF where muggins here is involved!!!} it would look like so:
Mon-10 miles
Tue-10 miles
Wed-8 miles
Sat -6x1 mile repeats{w/ mile warm up and cool down foa total of 8 miles}
Sun-14 miles
5 day 50 mile week a Conventional week.....
Last Week went as follows:
Mon-10 miles
Tue-10 miles
Wed-10 miles
Fri-8 miles
Sat-12 miles
5 day 50 mile week Unconventional week........
By hook or by crook yeah?

It's been a while Since I've ran on a Saturday for one reason or another but as I aim to "fall in line" w/ conventional training now it was good practice for what's about to come.
I wasn't phased by the 51 degrees temps,unlike Fridays 8 miler at 4.40pm I would at least have daylight on my side setting off at 12.20pm,in fact I was able to don my shades as the "current bun" was out in full force,in fact unlike Friday when I kept the sleeves of my long sleeved shirt down all run by mile 2 I was frantically rolling them up!!!

Given last weekend was the New York Marathon and I believe the Phily Marathon is coming up in another two weeks I figured there'd be other likeminded souls out there Saturday afternoon "getting their run on"....not that I was too concerned w/ other runners as this was all about me vs me.
Not only have I not compleated a 5 day week in several weeks I couldn't tell you when I last logged a 50 mile week or when I last ran above 10 miles so the only runner I needed to worry about was me and being able to "take care of business"
Reaching the turnaround b4 Falls Bridge I felt in good shape I reeled in one runner who'd gone by me in the opposite direction towards Lloyd Hall b4 I made the turn w/in half a mile and slowly set my sights the other who was some considerable distance ahead of me mindful of the mantra "not to get into any pissing contests" as I still  had 5 and 1/2 miles to go.
I did pass the runner ahead of me b4 I hit the 8 mile mark but now felt my knee lift and leg turnover "go south" on me,so much so that he over took me w/in quarter of a mile,I knew now I had to "hunker down" and dig deep both mentally and physically.

I felt the last 2 miles were going to be the test as I haven't been over 10 miles since pre 5th Avenue Mile training in early September,the uphill along the ramp to South St bridge was my first challenge which I passed but when I couldn't muster the chops to beat the light at the corner of the on/off ramp from I 76 and was forced to wait as the lights went through their sequences I dreaded to think what that stop had cost me....thankfully I was able to get going again as the light turned to my favour.
Over the next mile and and half I had to "mentally barter" w/ myself mile and a half,mile,10 blocks 9 blocks etc as reached my front door,knackered but victotious.
W/ that Monkey off my back,which after going 0 for 6 was feeling like bleedin' King Kong...I now have to do it again this week...and the week after.....but w/ one on the plus side I hope if not physically but mentally I've goten over that hurdle

Running On The Sabbath Bloody {Pagan} Sabbath

Anyone who's seen "Chariots Of Fire" knows the story that Eric  Liddell w/drew from the 100m at the Olympics as either a heat or a semi final was on a Sunday and as a devout christian he refused to "run on the Lord's day".....
I as devout born again black hearted Celtic Pagan have tried whenever possible NOT to run on Fridays as it has tongue in cheek become my "Pagan Sabbath".......however when needs must......

If my desire to finally complete a 5 day 50mile week had been in question the fact I "laced em up" on a Friday and took care of business over 8 miles hopefully silenced the doubters.
Was it odd to be out running on a Friday?????hell yeah!!! but I was SO close to a 50 mile week I could taste it so that trumped the "I will not run on the Pagan Sabbath" mindset as I set off into the dark at 4.40pm.
After 66 degrees on Tuesday and 61 degrees on Wednesday the dip to 51 degrees was noticeable,not to mention setting off 20 mins later than usual which meant less sunlight to warm me...hey ho welcome to training in November!

After back to back to back 10 milers a drop down to 8 felt welcome,I could have gone w/ back to back 10s Friday and Saturday but there was a method to my madness,by throwing in a 12 miler Saturday it would hopefully prep me for next Sundays return to the realm of the Sunday long run over 14 miles,38 down,12 to go.....

Me Thinks The Lad Quite Serious About This Running Lark......

Back to back to back 10 milers........I'd have to consult the Oracle....aka my running log to see when that last happened,it's been a while that much I do know.
Pleasent running conditions again between 4.20pm and 5.50pm 61 degrees but just as sure as rain is wet and falls downwards the colder weather is coming and the evenings of shorts and shortsleeves will become a memory......although one could hope it won't be a distant memory.

A couple of weeks back,three to be exact I was on the verge of a 5 day/50mpw untill my knee gave out on me so I'm not getting too carried away having notched 30 of my required 50 miles this week.
Chance are tonites scheduled 8  miler could get rained out and if that happens it may not be the worst thing in the world as 4 days in a row might be me over extending myself,lest we forget I'm 8 days away from my 51st b'day I'm not the spry young spring chicken I once was!!!

IF I have to run my 8 miler tomorrow,sobeit an easy 8 miler followed by a 12 miler on Saturday would give me my now near mythical 5day/50mpw and underline the fact I'm serious about kicking training up a notch,walk the walk,talk the talk run the training runs I say!!!

Remembering The 5th Of November W/ Indoor Fireworks Of My Own

Back to back 10 milers......steady on Jeeves!!!! I swear were it not for the race for Governor of Pennsylvaina yesterday the local news crews would've been camped out on my doorstep upon my return from the run.......
All jokes aside I'm not about to brake my hand patting myself on the back for doing what comes as naturally as drawing breath I'm just happy to have logged back to back runs.

After Mondays run w/ the clocks gone back I wasn't as......"in the dark" as to how conditions would be,sunset is at 4.54pm so I'm used to things being dark by the time I hit Lloyd Hall at mile 7 of the run,at 66 degrees it was a comfortable evening for running.
W/ another 5 weeks of 10 milers to contend w/ I can at least look forward to a reduction in miles come December 15th when I return to the realm of 40mpw w/ 6 and 8 miles in the evening as the emphasis will be more on speed work as I look to resume the midweek track workouts as well as Saturdays b4 the traditional Sunday long run of 14 miles.

It may seem odd in early November to be planning my indoor season but what can I say ever the Boy Scout I like to "Be Prepared" as Roy Keane once famously said"failure to prepare,prepare for failure"
Last week The Armory announced it's Indoor schedule from December thro March which allowed yours truly to sellect a least the meets I want to run even if the actual schedules have yet to be released.
Illness,injury and weather permitting my build up to Indoor Nationals in Winston Salem on March 20th-22nd looks like this:

Jan 15th Thursday Nite @ The Races #1
Jan 24th Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile
Jan 29th Thursday Nite @ The Races #2

Feb 19th Thursday Nite @  The Races #3

Mar 5th Thursday Nite @ The Races #4
Mar 8th USATFNYC C'ships
Mar 21st Indoor Nationals Mile
Mar 22nd Indoor Nationals 800m

Obviously not knowing the schedules make picking my races a guessing game for now,in an ideal world 3x 1 mile and 3x 800m would be nice but I won't be too bent out of shape if one of the miles is a 1,500m and one of the 800m is a 1,000m as long as I get a decent seed time for the mile and 800m b4 he dealine for entries for Indoor Nationals........#gameon

Darkness On The Edge Of Town

It's become somewhat of a non running joke over the first six weeks of my off season training that I've failed miserably to get remotely close to my desired five day/50 mpw total,rather than reel off a laundry list of reasons/excuses and boo hoo it I'm reminded of something my former coach would tell me back in the day"you can't chase after lost miles"
W/ that in mind and taking a "quality over quanity" mindset I aim to make the last six weeksof off season count beginning w/ {hopefully!!!} the first five day/fifty mile week his week.....even if I have to be unconventional in doing so........which ought to suit yours truly as the poster child of all things unconventional!!!!

Kicking off the week was the first of three scheduled 10 milers,right now the weather forecast for Thursday calls for rain but that could change between now and then....if it dosen't then I'll have to forgo the "Pagan Sabbath" and run 8 miles on Friday b4 going long on Saturday over 12 miles to make 50 miles as I have a non running commitment in NYC on Sunday that takes a run out of the equation.
There's little to no"margin for error" but I keep telling myself if I can get that first week of 50miles under my belt I can build some momentum going forward,I thought I had it two weeks ago till my knee  became an issue,the status on my knee so far is the investment of a Copper Fit knee sleeve and daily icing has improved it.....the sixty four billion dollar question is will it hold up to a whole week of training......watch this space....

W/ the clocks going back on Sunday last nite was my first taste of having to run in the dark,at least for now the later half of the run,as the weeks go by it'll get darker earlier {obviously!!!} but come December 15th I'll transition back to 40mpw w/ weekday runs over 6 to 8 miles but even so between now and mid to late Febuary I'm looking at running part,some and eventuall all of my runs in the dark.........should've listen to my mother when I was younger and eaten my Carrots I guess!!!
I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of sundown and where I'd be on the out and back 10 miler,setting off at 4.20pm and averaging roughly 9 minute mile pace I probably reached the turnaround b4 St Joe's boathouse around 5.05pm,at this stage there was still day light and the lights along Kelly Dr were unlit on the way out.......
Remarkably in the 18 minutes it took after the turnaround to reach mile 7 and Boathouse  Row it was now dark and thankfully the lights were now on,the last vestige of daylight was long gone by the time I reached mile 8 along the new path on the Schuylkill towards South St bridge.

Roughly a 90 min run which is fine and dandy w/ me,I will say this for all the training runs I've missed/blown/ over the past 6 weeks I'm pleasently surprised at my level of conditioning,granted it could be better and fingers crossed between now and December 13th it will be.....one run at a time

Legends Of The Fall

I dreamed I heared that you were dead,I dreamed I searched an empty bed for a sign of you
And the sea called hard to me lke a cell w/out a key and I felt the distance
I watched the tall ships go w/ the driftwood on the flow w/ the pride that grows in hardship and I knew you were below
I hear you voice and it keeps me from sleeping,why must it always be dreams when your voice comes to me?

Tall Ships Go-Big Country

Much as I prefer to get out on a Monday and kick start my week in training Monday saw two outstanding obligations that needed taking care of
One picking up volume #83 of my diary....if you think what I write in my blog is close to the knuckle you's probably shit a breeze block never mind a brick if you read my diary!!!!
The second was obligation was to stop by St John's church to light a candle and pay my respects to my late father Kevin aka The Auld Fella who died 30years ago on Oct 27th.
I think by now most people who know me are well aware of the infamous night back in Ireland at the end of August 1972 when he chased me home in the pouring rain cracking a towel and swinging his boot in the direction of my backside if I even thought of stopping....he wasn't joking trust me even at 8 years old I knew NOT to see if he was bluffing!!!

Fast forward 8 years to the summer of 1980 and another classic Auld Fella gem,the upcoming Lewisham Parks championships were fast approaching and I'd entered the 800m
My issue as a younger runner back then was I was always too old for the younger age group and subsequently the youngest runner in the older group.
To The Auld Fella second wasn't "first runner up" it meant you'd failed and in his book that was NOT an option which always put undue pressure on me,trying to blunt that I pointed out the whole age group issue a few days b4 the race......
"We'll give them a run for their money" he said to wit I replied "We??? I didn't realize you were running too"......and which point the crafty old devil said"well if you're too fucking chicken to run don't bother showing up".......
He knew exactly what he was doing 5 days b4 the race cos he lit such a fire under me there was never any doubt who's win the 800m race .......yours truly.

I inherited a number of things from The Auld Fella, a strong work ethic,a short temper,the balls to speak my mind no matter how unpopular it makes me and w/out a doubt his lasting legacy my love of Tottenham Hotspurs.
Due to a family connection on my mothers side of the family tree I was born into a Chelsea{Chelski} family however my father always rooted for Tottenham,I asked him why Spurs when I was little but old enough to remember the answer and he told me that he chose Spurs for one reason,Danny Blanchflower was the first Irish player to make a name for himself playing football/soccer in England and that was good enough for him and so when I graduated high school and began to work on Saturdays which screwed me for football on a Saturday I began a 33 year and counting love affair w/ Tottenham,I even took The Auld Fella w/ me to White Hart Lane a few times which considering how uncomfortable he was in large crowds was a major coup on my part.

Ironically in the 30 years since his death the fortunes of Spurs have declined considerably,we won  several trophies under the guidence of the late and great Bill Nicholson but since 84 we've won three an average of one a decade,Bill Nicholson passed away ten years ago this past Sunday and I dare say Bill and The Auld Fella have shared several conversations inside the pearly gates.....