Seeking a better country...

My legs feel some semblance of normal today.  Perhaps a 3-4 miler after work.  Each day it's like a layer of soreness is removed to reveal a new uncomfortable area.  My mood needs to go for a run.

I got out with my son.  To Smoot Park and back.  The drinking fountain wasn't cold, but it's still on.  My right lateral glute is sore.  Everything else loosened up in a mile or so.  I think reports that the Huntsville Marathon is a body masher are overstated.  Any marathon at race pace is a body masher.  

4 with Jens. Feeling better except for right glute.

5 on BST with Jens. It was his longest run ever. It was in the 30's when we went around 9 am. The sun came over the mtn and things warmed up quickly. Good run.

My back was killing me, so I needed to run to. I managed to move the soreness to my legs. Jens came again, but he wanted to do 2 tempo miles. He's not being very nice to his old man. We walked out the door and ran the first mile around 7:40. Not too tough. At the turnaround he decided to pick it up a bit. I let him go, but kept him close enough. He ran pretty hard for .6 and started to fade. I passed him on a hill, leaving us .25 of flat straight to get home. At this point I ran out of my croc. I had to go get it, and he passed me back and gapped me. I decided to let him win. It's probably even money that I could have caught him. That second mile was 6:40. He was pretty gassed and glad to go inside. I ran four additional pedestrian miles, more suited to post marathon recovery. No switchbacks

Jack and I tried out the BST.  It's too bumpy.  I've already ruined one stroller up there, so I better just leave him home on these runs.  We got up, went over to Cheese park and got back on the road to 500 S, then returned home.  My legs felt excited for about 2 miles.  Then they felt trashed.  I'm getting there...

To Freedom Hills, 1 switchback, home on BST.  The sunset was an 8.  It was a perfect night for temps and running.

This is so funny:

Runners World:  Why now for your first attempt at the distance?
Pete Magill: I could give you an idealistic answer about climbing every mountain. But the truth is, after six national masters cross country titles, and numerous American age-group records, I get tired of people suggesting I’m not a real distance runner because I haven’t run a marathon. The chairman of U.S. Masters Long Distance Running holds this belief. Even the magazine I write for, Running Times—maybe you’ve heard of it?—last year didn’t include me in its age-group rankings, even though I had the fastest 50-plus 5K and 10K times ever for an American in the age division. I consider it my duty to show we 5K/10K and cross country runners can run marathons if we choose to.

I’m really tired of my neighbor, who’s run 5:30 or 6:00 for the marathon, telling me that if I trained harder I could do marathons. 

This evening my daughter's choir concert induced a brooding melancholy.  Before I started running I was pretty involved w/ choral music, and it has completely fallen by the wayside.  There simply isn't time to do it all.  So I hopped on the TM and dripped away my sorrows with 7 miles and the NLCS.   

6 p.m.  We (Jens and the three little ones) ran/biked/strollered to the apple tree and back.  We picked a dozen.  Jack ate one to the worm on the way home.  It was somewhat cool; my hands were a bit cold.  Good times with the group.

After a delightful day of employment, I returned home in time for a bit of a run before rushing off to see The Scarlet Pimpernel.  Early evening runs in October are delightful.  

3 weeks post marathon I am rudderless.  The only goal I have come up with for the rest of the year is to top 2000 miles.  This is a sleepy goal, requiring little effort; a scant 28 mpw.

My legs have no spring.  My rt ankle is irritated.  A tempo run might help, but I can't force one out of myself.  

Freedom Hills and back with the baby and girls on bikes.  Anna used her "power legs" and made it halfway up the hill before walking.  We played at the park for a bit.  Jack wasn't very sure about the reduced metal decking, but he did like to go down the slide feet first on his belly.

After we returned, Jens and Grace joined for 4 miles.  It was a perfect fall evening, with green grass, yellow leaves and grey sky.  Grey/Gray.  Thoughts? 

It was a bit rainy, so I stayed inside to watch NFL.  It's getting to be the time of year to become acquainted with the new TM.  I did 7-8-7-9-7-8-7 mph each for 1 mile.  The faster miles felt good.  My legs haven't done that for nearly 4 weeks.  

One of the disadvantages to running inside is not having anywhere to blow my nose.  The world is my Kleenex, but not inside the house.  I had to stop once to track down some TP.  All that remained was the square with glue on it at the very end of the roll.  I ended up washing my face.

My old TM is for sale on KSL for $100.  My daughter is selling it, cuz she doesn't have any money.  5 people have called, but nobody has come to pick it up yet.  I just checked my shoe manager, and I am incredulous that I ran 1090 miles on that thing.  It doesn't seem possible.  The more I think about it, I guess it's possible.  5 seasons of 24, 2 of Prison Break, lots of Survivor, Amazing Race and NFL.  I guess the bulk of my winter training for 2 Boston Marathons was on that noisy beast.

So the new mill set me back 700 clams.  Currently, that's $15/mile.  Ouch.  I know Tami and the kids have put in a few miles, so that might bring that number down a bit.  At least we cancelled the Rec Center membership, so not having that monthly charge for 15 months will pay for the mill.  Gosh, this is a long entry.  Maybe I'll label it as a race report...  

5 on the mill.  Still not feeling great.

6 on the mill, till it got a bit warmer, then 4 to finish up in the cold.  Every runner I saw had gloves, hat, long pants, jackets.  I wore a long sleeve shirt, shorts and crocs.  It was a beautiful morning.

Gorgeous night.  I overdressed with a long sleeve shirt, and brought and iPod I didn't listen to at all.  I'm too old to be making rookie mistakes.  Jens came with, and ran 10k for the first time ever-- 53ish minutes.  Of course we were going much easier than he plans to do the race, but a good confidence builder for him to go the distance.  

Baseball is over.  Is there anything else worth watching?  It's going to be a long 5 months until April.   I can already sense that lots of neglected house chores will be completed over the winter.  There must be a correlation between being inside and seeing all the stuff that needs to be buttoned up and actually doing it.  

Happy Halloween.  After inspecting my girls' loot from trick or treating, Jens and I ran to Fresh Market to scope out the leftover candy.  They didn't have much.  During the run he told me running wasn't his thing.  He'd given it enough of a try.  I told him fine.  You gotta run your own race.  .25 miles from home, with an uphill finish, I told Jens he wouldn't be sprinting ahead and beating me home tonight.  Despite my 93.2% effort, he matched me.  That kid has more spit in him than I thought.  Too bad running is so boring.  He went in to eat his Halloween candy, and Tami met us at the door.  I asked her if she wanted to go for a run.  She did.  I recovered on the porch while she changed, and we headed north instead of south.  It was a perfect night, with moon, and still.  We didn't leave till almost 10, so the roads were pretty quiet.  We had a nice visit, and to my surprise, she wanted to do 6.  I was pretty tired, and dinner wasn't agreeing with me by the end; I thought I'd be up all night and missing work today with flu.  To no avail, thank goodness, although I wouldn't have minded missing work.  If a perfect night to run 11 miles exists, last night was it.