Running With Jack

On Saturday I had the pleasure of running with members of the Heidelberg International Marathon Club. The plan was to meet around 8:00 a.m. at a wandering event in Heidelberg and run the 20K wander course, which would take us up and over the famous castle.

I had a 20-mile run on the schedule, so showed up early so I could run 5K before meeting the group. About 10 minutes before eight I stood in front of the school where we were to meet and started looking for "crazy runner types". I found a likely candidate without too much trouble and sure enough it was a member of the marathon club. We waited a bit and eventually had 15-20 people gathered. We split into small groups based on running pace and we were off.

I ended up running with a younger man, Kevin, who said he was going to take it easy, maybe around a 10:00/mile. As we started up the first hill my roughly 15 years younger running companion didn't slow much as we cruised up the challenging slope. My breathing increased, but I hung with him as we muscled our way up a winding road towards the top. I was relieved when we reached the top and Kevin, who seemly was barely winded, started flying down the other side of the hill on a stony trail at a pace that was downright scary.

It wasn't long until we were climbing the next hill and about halfway up I finally said I had to slow down, so we did, but as soon as we reached the top off we went again. This continued for the first 10K or so, but as we started climbing a long steep hill I told Kevin that he would probably lose me on this one and he should go on ahead. He kept churning up the hill and I shuffled. Another runner (not with the club) passed me and soon was on Kevin's heels.

As I reached the crown of the hill, they were already out of sight! I started hurling down the hill thinking that maybe I could catch them and next thing I knew I caught my left toe on a rock and down I went hitting the fine gravel path hard and fast. I tried to roll to lessen the impact, but too little too late. I stood up and rinsed off my hands and knees with water from my CamelBak and did a damage assessment. My left knee was bleeding quite a bit from a couple cuts, and the other injuries were just scrapes, so started running again.

After 10-12 minutes I arrived at the next aid station. My lower left leg was covered with blood and I was getting some really strange looks from the walkers who were gathered there. I decided to have the Red Cross medic take a look at my knee. He cleaned it up and wrapped a bandage around it and soon I was on my way.

I finished the last hour of the run at a moderate pace without any further mishaps. As I arrived back at the starting point Kevin was out front waiting for me, wondering what had happened to me. We talked about my fall and the run as we waited for the others to show up. I stayed around and chatted for awhile until group started disbanding, then thanked everyone for a great morning. I inquired about their normal running days and hope I can run with them on occasion in the future.

I headed home for a shower and some hot food, and the scolding that I knew I would receive from my wife for coming home "bloody" again.

Posted by Jack at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm sitting alone in my office today, everyone else is on vacation. I just poured a cup of coffee and sat for a moment thinking about what a great year of running I've had so far. I'm not talking about record setting stuff, although I have had a couple of those races, no I mean how much enjoyment I have had through my running. I've ran a lot more with my running club this year, that's been really great. I've also done a few runs with members outside the club runs and find that tremendous. I hope to continue doing this, maybe even find a regular running partner.

As I sit here I find myself thinking ahead to next year. Last night I added several tentative races for 2009 to the margin of my blog, I have high ambitions. I really don't know if my wife will sign off on all these, or if my job will permit the training time necessary to complete all these. But I find satisfaction in knowing that, time permitting, I have a very good chance of completing all these goals and more.

That latter point I don't take for granted, it was only 5-6 years ago that I was 70+ pounds overweight and wore myself out on a good flight of stairs. When I line up for my 21st marathon/ultra on the 21st I will be sure to take a moment and thank my heavenly Father for giving me this ability. I'm not an elite runner, I don't finish in the front, but I do try to keep improving. Not at each race, but gradually over a series of races. I don't have patience in a lot (too many) areas of my life, but somehow patience is my companion when I am out on the trail. I pray that I will have lots of good years left to celebrate running and racing, if not, well I have already enjoyed a cup full.

Posted by Jack at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My wife said she would be late coming home from work yesterday, so I took advantage of the situation and headed out for a run. My legs were a bit tired from my medium long runs from Monday and Wednesday, so I kept the pace down. It was fairly cool outside (17°C/63°F) and on the verge of raining, so I wore my running jacket again the cool dampness.

I headed out on my normal 14K (8.7 mi.) loop in the reverse direction, but deviated on some side trails to add diversity. I whizzed by a young jogger, scaring the daylights out of him, I guess he was lost in his MP3 world. He really was going slow, because I sure was not pushing the pace. I continued to weave my way around the woods for a bit, eventually heading back over the fields on a tractor trail. I ended up running 11K (6.8 mi.) in around 65 minutes, a bit fast for a recovery run.

After showering I rustled up a hot meal just as my wife came home, she just loves when I cook! Hey I even did the dishes...

Tomorrow morning at 8:00 I am meeting some members of the Heidelberg International Marathon Club for a 22 km (14 mi.) run. On Sunday is a 10K race in nearby Karlsdorf, I'll let you know how the weekend goes.

Posted by Jack at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was pouring down rain as I stepped outside and began my run to the trailhead to run with my running club. Fortunately it was still reasonably warm (18°C/65°F), and I had my rain jacket, so I was good to go. I took a slightly longer route to the trailhead which gave me 5K by the time I got there, my goal for the evening being 21.1K (a half').

I chatted with a couple club members as we waited for the rest of the group to show. The rain, which had let up on my way to the trailhead, started pouring again, so we decided not to wait any more and took off early on our run.

There were lots of mud puddles on our forest route and the frontrunners were gingerly running around them. After a few minutes I figured out they weren't going to run any faster, so plowed my way through the next big puddle and took the lead. A couple other runners followed and we moved on ahead at roughly a 5:30/km (9:00/mi.) pace. We cruised around the 11 km (7 mi.) loop, actually picking up speed the last few kilometers.

When we got back we learned that most of the runners behind us had taken the shorter 8K loop and were already gone - what's up with that, it's only rain people?

I chatted a couple minutes with the remaining runners until I started feeling a chill, then headed home, running the last 5K+ at a slightly slower speed. I ended up with 21.2 km (13.2 mi.), my second "half" for the week.

This weekend is my last long run before the Baden Marathon in Karlsruhe. I e-mailed the Heidelberg International Marathon Club a day or two ago about joining their club, they ended up inviting me for a run on Saturday. They are only running 22 km (~13 mi.), so I will need to add an hour on somewhere, but it should be fun running with some new friends.

Last but not least is the local 10K race on Sunday that I will be running with my running club. I suppose after running the 20 miles on Saturday, especially in hilly Heidelberg (yes, up to the castle), I won't be seeing any new speed record.

Posted by Jack at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I spent some time last night catching up with work on my PC at home. After an hour or two I started getting really stiff from all the sitting, so decided to take a break. I contemplated going for a short run, but decided against it as my wife seems to think I have been running a lot lately (four times a week isn't a lot, or?). Then I remembered my long neglected rowing machine up in the shed...so upstairs I went and for the next 10 minutes I did some very active rowing that rid the body of any sign of stiffness. I added a dozen kettlebell swings and some pull-ups for good measure and was ready for another hour or two at the computer! I need to suggest to my boss that we set up a gym at the office, we could significantly reduce coffee consumption...

We received word that my brother and family that live in New Orleans were out of state during the hurricane, so no cause to worry. We also received word that the son of a good friend of ours is on his way to the Middle East with the military - we'll be praying for him Kim!

I find myself a bit stressed out about the Baden Marathon coming up on the 21st. I was going to (leisurely) run the marathon with a coworker from Switzerland who was running her first marathon, but life interfered and she won't be running the race. Like every year a large number of my running club will be running the half-marathon and a few the full marathon. For most this is the big race of the year and they have been training hard so they can do well. Somehow my languid "end of the season" attitude isn't compatible and in my feeble mind I now feel obligated to run a fast marathon as well.

I am pretty sure, based on my last marathon, that I really could run a PR race if conditions are right. The trouble is that my mindset is more in line with a slow 50-mile race, rather than a fast marathon, it's only too bad there isn't any 50 mile races around. Well, I still have 2-1/2 weeks to get focused, we'll see.

Posted by Jack at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last night I got home a little early from work, so decided to go for a longer run. It was pouring rain when I arrived at the house, but the sun was shining brightly by the time I suited up and headed out. The first 20 minutes it was like running in a sauna, you could see the moisture raising from the roads as the sun heated up the pavement. Luckily the forest was still cool and damp as I reached the woodline.

My legs felt good, so I was able to maintain a fairly good pace the first hour. I ran part of my normal 14 km (8.7 mi.) loop, then headed out on a longer loop that brought me to the outskirts of Graben, then back along the trail that my running club uses. As I passed by the trailhead there were several club members getting ready to do a 10 mile run. They invited me to join them, but I already had ten miles behind me, so declined and headed back to the house. I ended up with exactly 21.1 km (13.1 mi.) in 1:53:47, not bad for a "training half"!

Well, it's about two and a half weeks until what will probably be my last marathon this year. It's kind of sad really, I've been having such a good time. In October we will be vacationing in the USA and our visit doesn't correspond to any races in the areas where we will be travelling. Of course with my wife along I didn't look too hard.

After vacation the only marathons in Germany (and the surrounding countries) would require an overnight stay, so probably will not be budgeted in. If I get the urge I can always run one of the many 10K races in the area in November/December.

Although it is a bit early to talk about plans for next year, I do have a 50K race on the calendar for the end of January. If I decide to run this race I will need to start training this year. The race is in the middle of the winter, and since I'm not a cold weather runner, it will be a tough one. The race will remain tentative, probably up until the last minute until I see what the weather brings - but at least it's a worthy goal to carry me into the new year.

Posted by Jack at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Saturday I decided to run the 4.5 km to my running club trailhead and run the 11 km loop with the group. My legs were a bit stiff from my hilly run the night before, but once I warmed up it was fine. I chatted with some of the group as we waited for the rest to show up and around 5 p.m. we took off. I decided to keep the pace down, so ran with some of the mid-packers who were running around 6:00-6:15/km pace (~10:00/mile). It was sunny and quite warm, but not extreme, just right for me.

After the run I chatted with friends for a bit, then ran back to the house. I ended up with a total of 20 km (12.4 mi.) which was my plan.

Our club leader was recruiting runners for a 10K race next Sunday, so I decided to run that instead of the half-marathon Teufelslauf that I talked about a couple days ago. Our leader is hoping we will get the prize for the largest group, so I decided it's more important to support the club rather then meet my own ambitions.

Did you hear about the hurricane heading towards New Orleans and the area? Be sure to pray for the folks there, I know I will, I have family there!

So, ich versuche mein Deutsche zu Übung:

Am Samstag habe ich entscheidet die 4,5 km zu meinem Lauftreff zu laufen. Meine Beine waren etwas müde von dem hügelige Lauf am Freitagabend, so ich habe mit die mitte-schnell Gruppe angefangen. Wir haben eine ruhiger 6:00/6:15 km durchschnitte Tempo durchgehalten, genau richtig für die etwas warme Nacht.

Nachher habe ich ein bisschen geblieben und geplaudert, dann zurück nach Hause gelaufen. Unsere Lauftreff Chefin hat versucht Läufer für die 10K lauf in Karlsdorf zu organisieren, so ich habe entscheidet mit zulaufen, d. H. ich wurde die Teufelslauf nicht machen.

Ein neue Hurrikan sollte die New Orleans und die Umgebung Heute Abend erreichen. Sag bitte eine bete für alle die Leute dar, besonderes für meine Familie dort!

Posted by Jack at 6:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)