What you do when you're not running much

ORN: 3 miles, 8:25/mile, 25:05, priceless

As I claw back to the surface of steady, 20+ mile running weeks, I have more time on my hands. Or, on my feet.

So, I’ve diddled with this blog. I’ve wanted to have a more interesting header for some time. Thanks to photos from Dee Dee and expert photo-editing by my sister Karen, I have it. Mind you, this is “art” as envisioned by an engineer; i.e. pretty clunky and very, very, linear. But, hey, there it is…the solitude and pleasure of running alone and the ultimate prize of finishing the race. Karen offered to edit out the clock on the finish photo. I wanted to leave it, as a reminder of plodding and the cruel but real fact some tasks just require you to slog through it and finish, no matter the time.

I’ve also added data from RunningAHEAD on the sidebar, posting my 5 most recent runs and on-going totals. For the voyeuristic amongst you, I have made my running log public. If complete boredom takes over, you can go see what odd comments I make about each run.

Core strength is a new item. Looking at my log, I realized it was mid-November when I added daily sit-ups and push-ups. Fascinatingly, I now look forward to them. Like many habits, it takes some time to get used to it…then the feelings follow. I’m up to 25 of each in the morning. Now, rather than just getting through them, I’m focusing on form. I’m trying to see how many perfect sit ups and pushups I can do in a set. I’ll get maybe one or two right now, each day. I gotta say, the abdomen and lower back feel a lot better.

I’ve also dusted off the weight bench in the basement and have added daily leg extensions to the regimen. I understand from a number of sources quad strength adds to proper alignment of the knee, diminishing the knee pain I’m trying to avoid in 2008.

Oh yeah, I’m also running a bit. Had a nice 3 miler yesterday, and plan to do 3 more this week and 6 next Saturday. The knee is feeling fine…I’m going to ease it back into service.

Then I had a wonderful surprise run this afternoon, Sunday. My youngest son, Matt, still home from college, is in ROTC. After getting home from church, I suggested we go for a run since it was nearly 60 degrees and he needed to keep in shape for Army PT purposes. He agreed and so out we went. I suggested he set the pace and, boy, did he. We ripped through the first mile at 7:56. He slowed a bit through the second mile, at 8:11, then a runny nose slowed him further to a 8:45 pace in the final mile. He still had enough moxie to kick the final 200m and leave me in the dust. Plus, I suspect, he enjoyed proving that 19 is a lot younger than 54, as if we needed proof. We had a great time, though, engendering some great conversation during and after the run. And, guess what?? Not a single quibble from the right knee. Priceless.

You never know what surprise awaits. Raising kids is an ultimate test of perseverance. And, sometimes, despite the difficulty, you get a glimpse of the finish line.