Official results

According to the computer chip-timed results now posted online, I finished yesterday's Holiday Hustle in a time of 31:37, rather than the 31:38 I had recorded. And this brought me in 819th out of 1237 participants, but a dismal 31st out of 35 in my age group (50-54). Oh well! I'll hope to do better in 2010, with another year of experience under my belt! :)

Aging

I have said for some years now that, while with grandmothers who lived to be 102 and 93, I expect to have many decades ahead of me yet, I plan "only" to run until I'm 90 (increasingly slowly), and then scale back and walk. Now, though, at 52, I'm finding that thought more and more daunting. I still believe it's feasible ... but I need to readjust my expectations of myself, in terms of distance and speed. It's OK for me to allow myself to scale back a bit ... the important thing is just to keep going.

Holiday Hustle

This afternoon I ran another 5K race, the "Holiday Hustle," in the small town of Dexter, a few miles west of our Ann Arbor home. Like last year it was cold (about 28 degrees this time), but whereas in 2008 we ran through a picturesque light snowfall, this year we experienced a little snow on the drive to Dexter, but it was absent during the race. My training has been so spotty in recent weeks due to minor illness and injury that I didn't expect to have a good finishing time, and in that, I was accurate. Last year I broke a half-hour for the first time in a 5K, finishing in 29:29; this year I was hoping to break 32 minutes, and in fact by my unofficial timing, I crossed the line in about 31:38 (a pace of 10:11/mile). I came close to not running it, though, and then to stopping midway through and just walking. We arrived early and the race began a few minutes late, so as I waited on the cold afternoon, in the gathering twilight, I was tempted to just toss in the towel. But, as I run without my glasses, and am severely nearsighted, I knew I'd never find Michelle ... so I decided to just go and do the best I could. And I'm glad I did. It was very enjoyable, too, to run with my iPod playing Christmas music of Acoustic Eidolon, an ensemble I enjoy hugely, and whom I saw in concert in Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago.

Changing seasons

I ran 7.25 miles outdoors on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 26), and, though I don't think it caused this, my back was sore and stiff for the next few days, so I did not run again until today. I had double reason to want to run today, though. For one thing, it may have been the last chance I'll have to run outside in a t-shirt in 2009 ... 46-degree sunshine made for an irresistible lure. And the second reason was that it occurred to me this morning, that since I'm planning to run a 5K this Saturday (the "Holiday Hustle," which I also did last December), I'd better get back in the saddle and make sure it was going to be OK. I'm still mildly uncomfortable, but not bad ... I sure won't be trying for speed, though! And, as to the weather, the rain that has dogged us in recent days is slated to return tomorrow, to be followed by SNOW on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Fall

As today is a quintessential mid-Fall day ... cold and extremely windy ... I went to Bally this morning (for the first time since April 22) and ran 4 miles (38:38) on their indoor track. It is quite different from my outdoor running all through the summer, but I'd better get used to it! Although I'm fairly sure that more outdoor runs await me in upcoming weeks, I'm also sure that many, many days in the next six months will see me indoors.

Big House Big Heart official results

Results from today's race have now been posted online, and I find first of all that my official time was 4 seconds slower than I had recorded (30:42, not 30:38). This netted me a finish in 1607th place out of a field of 3752 (somewhat smaller than I had thought), and, out of my age group (males 50-54) I was 71st out of 121.

Big House Big Heart

This morning I ran a 5K event - the Big House Big Heart - which finishes through the tunnel and across the 50-yard-line of Michigan Stadium (the "Big House"), which is the largest football stadium in existence. It was a very nice morning for running - cool (upper forties) and cloudy (while sun is picturesque, it also can create vision problems). I knew going in that my time would not be as good as I would like, due to two factors: (1) a dismal lack of good training in recent weeks and days due to injury and illness; and (2) a very crowded field. I was told there were close to 10,000 registrants, and though I'm sure many of these ran in the 10K or 1-mile events, I'm sure that we had well over 5,000 runners in the 5K. The difference between my unofficial time on my watch, and the digital clock at the finish line, was about 4 minutes - I'll learn my computer chip time later, online, but I'm glad that system of timing was available, as I was stuck WAY back at the starting line, and had to walk several minutes to reach the official starting line, and even then could only jog very slowly. Not until we reached the 1-mile sign could I begin to run very freely, and even then it was crowded. In 2007 (the first year of the Big House Big Heart) I ran it in 32:59; last year I did it in 30:30; and this year, under the circumstances, I consider it a "moral victory" to have finished (by my timing) in 30:38. And it was especially nice that, running as part of Team Hope Clinic from our church, supporting the Ypsilanti non-profit ministry by that name, we met first at 8:00 beneath the Team Hope Clinic tent near the start for an informal devotional service which was very nice. All in all, a very positive experience, and one I hope to be able to repeat for many years to come.

Back at it

I just finished my first run in a month, having taken off since July 22 to rest my injured leg. I did a slow 3.7 miles today (38:54), just taking it easy - and it felt wonderful to be able to be out there again (though strange). I experienced no problems, or pain in my legs - but I can sure tell that I lost a lot in conditioning during the month off! (Not that I was in very great shape before, mind you.)

Restarting

Since injuring my leg in an early morning run on July 22, I have not run, trying to treat it with an excess of caution and patience in allowing it to heal. In recent days I have been doing consistent lengthy walks. However, I saw a therapist yesterday, who opined that, in my patience, I had done well, and since I was now pain-free, I could in good conscience resume working myself slowly back into running. So I plan to do an initial easy, short run (4 miles) tomorrow morning - short in contrast to my usual lengthy Saturday runs of, generally, between 6 and 10 miles.

Gallup Gallop official results

According to the computer, my time was actually a little slower than I had thought ... 29:58 (or a pace of 9:40 per mile). At least I still broke a half-hour (barely). And this brought me in 172nd out of 278 finishers, and number 6 out of 6 in my age group (males 50-54). It's a benchmark, from which I expect to be able to make clear improvement in this run next year. (I do realize, though, that I'm at the age when, inevitably, my times are going to start worsening unavoidably. But not yet, I hope!)

Gallup Gallop

This morning, I ran another 5K race, which bore the humorous title of Gallup Gallop, since it was held at Gallup Park, a pleasant spot in Ann Arbor on the Huron River where Michelle and I used to take Christy and John for day trips when I still an inpatient at St. Joseph Hospital following my accident back in 1993. Today was a gorgeous day for a race - brightly sunny and warm, but not hot (68 degrees) - and it was a pleasant size field. We were told that there were slightly over 300 runners. I did relatively well, although not as well as I had hoped. I couldn't spot the starting line, so I took the best guess I could with my watch, and will thus be eager to learn my computer time. But I recorded a time of 29:34 (a pace of 9:31 per mile), which, though not a bad time, was not a record, either. I had run a 5K race in Mason on May 1 in 29:14, and last December 13 I ran the Holiday Hustle in Dexter during a light snowfall in 29:29. Oh well - I guess this will keep me from complacency next time I run a 5K! (Though I don't yet know when that will be.)

Summer running

I was happy to be able to return to morning runs a few weeks ago, but then after a while I shifted back to afternoons so I could work on the training for my projected new career in the mornings. But this week has been so extremely hot that I've gone back to morning runs in order to try and beat the heat. Sunday I did 10K at about 5:30; Monday I did 4 miles (in the afternoon); Tuesday I did 5.9 miles at 5:15; yesterday I did 4 miles at 5:45; and today I did 7.25 miles at 5:15. The additional daylight and cooler morning temperatures are most welcome, as the last two days have seen highs above 90 degrees.

Act your age, Borton!

A few days ago, one of the Detroit Tigers' broadcasters injured himself (a torn quad tendon) while jogging, and ended up missing a few games while he had surgery. I was amused in reading this morning's online edition of the Detroit Free Press to read the following statement in one story: "What was he thinking, jogging at his age?" (It cracked me up because the announcer in question is a year younger than I, and I fully intend to keep running for several decades yet.)

Dexter-Ann Arbor Run

The 10K I ran this morning was a very enjoyable event. The weather was perfect - sunny and calm, and warm but not hot. And I was very pleased to finish in 59:39 (this was by my watch, but I later learned my official time was 59:38 ... 901st out of 1677 finishers) ... not only a new personal record (I had run this same race last year in 1:02:29), but even breaking the one-hour barrier, which I had hoped to do, but didn't really expect. There were 3 minor drawbacks: (1) Almost a half-hour in (a little before the 3-mile mark), while pushing for time, I attempted to make my way around a rough stretch of pavement, and instead fell. I bloodied my right elbow, although didn't realize this until the race was finished - at the time, I just popped back up and kept going. (I suppose that, for a Sunday, this "holey ground" was appropriate.) (2) One of the sponsors, Domino's Pizza, was supposed to be providing slices for the runners at the conclusion of the race. But I couldn't find it! (SOB) (3) Afterwards, when Michelle and I were backing out of the downtown parking lot, we heard a loud THUNK as the right front of the car dropped down, and a horrible grinding ensued. Bystanders told us, variously, that it was a broken ball joint, a CV joint, or a tie rod. At any rate, we called AAA, and had it towed to Firestone (where I work) for repair, and got the good news that my employee discounts would save us several hundred dollars on the bill.

Minnesota 5K

This morning I ran a 5K on the St. Olaf College campus which is part of what they call Celebration Weekend (Commencement) - we came to Minnesota yesterday to see my son John graduate tomorrow, and also to enjoy my 30th reunion (as I graduated from St. Olaf on May 27, 1979). Conditions were not conducive to a good time - it had been raining, and the course was all on grass and a few dirt/gravel roads - but at least, thankfully, the rain stopped during the race. So, as opposed to my personal best of 29:14 from May 1, this morning my time was 31:08. But I was just trying to focus on staying upright today, and in that, I succeeded. Christy came, and although she didn't run it, as she had suggested she might, it was wonderful to see her there, cheering me on loudly (WOO, DADDERS!).

Later, Christy's mother sent us this picture which she took immediately after the race.

Shifting plans

Although highly disappointed about this, I have just decided that, due to recent illness, I cannot run the half-marathon I had planned for May 31. So I have switched to the 10K portion of that day's run. First, I was unable to do a long run I had intended for last Saturday. Then, I could not run at all this week on Thursday, yesterday, or today. So, it seems the writing is one the wall. I will rest now as needed, and then should be able to do the 10K without problem, since that is a distance I have done very frequently in training. But doing a half-marathon in 2010 is a BIG goal for me now.

Springtime

I have measured out a 10-kilometer route that takes me past my church (Westminster Presbyterian), and I think of this as the "Church 10K." I ran it this evening, in 1:02:38 (a 10:05/mile pace - not a bad time, but not one of my better ones, either), leaving at 6 PM in very pleasant (a word I tend to overuse) spring weather - 65 degrees. (I just traded messages with a Facebook friend, a former sister-in-law who lives in Phoenix, and said that I bet it was getting warm there. She replied that it is downright "H-O-T" now. Much better for me here in Michigan!

Generally when I run, I consult my watch frequently, chasing down a series of mini-goals ("OK, I want to make that next landmark by x:xx"). But today I purposefully avoided that for the most part, and could not see where it made much difference in the end.

Official times

I have gotten my official computer chip times for both recent races, and in both cases, was just barely behind the unofficial time I recorded with my watch. For Friday's 5K, I had recorded 29:12, and instead was actually 29:14 - clearly breaking my previous personal record of 29:29. I finished in 365th place out of 677 runners. And in my age group (50-54), I was 15th out of 19. For Sunday's 10K, the results were much less encouraging. I had recorded 1:11:07, and the official time was 1:11:08, for a pace of 11:27 per mile, bringing me in #7 out of 7 in my age group. I finished 180th overall - I'm not sure how large the field was, but in the results I saw at least someone having finished in 183rd place, so I know I wasn't dead last. But it's questionable how meaningful this time is, since I don't know precisely how far I ran.

Burns Park Run

This morning's 10K was altogether a somewhat disappointing experience. It was a lovely day for a run - when I left home at 6:45, bright blue skies were in evidence, though at 35 degrees it was a bit cool. But when I picked up my packet, I was dismayed to find I was listed on the 5K, rather than the 10K - I must have inadvertently misregistered. But after I pondered it for a while, I went back and was able to communicate my desire to change, and they switched me with no problem. Then I asked if there was a map I could consult, and they said, "No map," but assured me that volunteers would be in place at every corner to point us the right way. I was running pretty well through the first 4 or 5 miles, but then late in the race was an intersection without volunteers - particularly disadvantageous at this late stage, when we were tiring. I turned the wrong way, and later when I discovered this, tried to add on a few blocks to assure myself of doing at least 10K. But I think I tacked on too much, and ended up running about 7 miles, finishing (by my watch) in 1:11:07. My error was confirmed when I ran by the home of my good friends David and April Wright on Hermitage, which was not part of the course. The mystery continued, though, as the clock at the finish line showed about 1:26, and I KNOW I was not that far behind the official start time. My friend and coach Tom Brown had predicted that, based on my training times, I would "almost certainly" make my goal of breaking an hour, and while I wasn't so sure, I was reasonably certain of setting a new personal 10K race record (my old post-accident one was 1:02:29).

Mason 5K

Tonight I got my big month of racing in May off to a good start, running a 5K in the small town of Mason, Michigan (south of Lansing), where my brother-in-law Chip (Michelle's younger brother) and his family (wife Carla, and children Lauren and Grant, who are our godchildren) live. The course was a mostly flat tour of Mason's residential neighborhoods ... though it did finish with a mildly challenging uphill stretch leading to the downtown area. Chip and his family live right on the route, about a third of a mile from the end, and they watched from their front porch, along with Michelle and her parents, and they all set up a loud cry of support for me as I went by - it was very nice to have my own personal cheering section, especially at that point in the race, as it spurred me on to a good finish. Though I still await the official computer time, my unofficial time by my watch was 29:12, which would handily break my previous personal 5K record of 29:29 from a race in Dexter on December 13. I despaired of doing well, as I was prevented from doing the warmup I had wanted to my being trapped in an interminable line for the porta-potties before the race began ... but I just made up my mind to do the best I could anyway, and enjoyed listening to my iPod as I ran ... the first song was the theme from Chariots of Fire, and the one with which I finished (appropriately) was John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

Week of preparation

As I am running a 5K race this Friday evening, and a 10K on Sunday, I am preparing this week to go hard in both races and shoot for new personal records. The 5K seems likelier to me, in some ways - my current record is 29:29, which I ran in the Holiday Hustle 5K in Dexter on December 13. And I have only run one 10K race since my accident - the 10K portion of the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run last June 1, which I did in 1:02:29. I'd love to break an hour, but don't know if that's feasible. However, I have run 10K under an hour a couple of times in training.

BIG Saturday

This morning I left at 6:25 AM, in already pleasantly warm conditions, wearing (for visibility) the bright orange t-shirt from our recent Mission Trip to Mexico, and ran a long run I've been planning and waiting for since last summer - 11.8 miles to the far side of Ypsilanti, from which I rode the bus home. The run took me 2:02:42, which was a pace of 10:26/mile. Now I look forward to relaxing the rest of the day - and drinking plenty of water!

A long run on a nice day

THursday afternoon, I experienced probably the nicest day, overall, that I've had to run in since early last fall. It was brightly sunny, and almost sixty degrees. (It's supposed to be warmer the next few days - almost too warm for my tastes, as it pushes eighty.) Accordingly, I ran 10 miles, in a little over 1:44. This was not quite as good a time as I had hoped for, but still I was glad to be able to do it at all. As I ran, I listened on my iPod to a new "Running" playlist I had compiled, beginning and ending with the theme from "Chariots of Fire." I figured this big run would be a good help in preparing me for the half-marathon I'm planning to run on May 31.

A disappointing run

After having been pleased to do a big run of 11.3 miles last Saturday, I set out at 7 AM today, hoping to do the same route (though in the reverse direction). But I was disappointed to allow myself to cave in to fatigue (much more mental than physical), and hopped on the bus after 6.8 miles (about 1:11). Not that this is disastrous - but it is something I mustn't allow to continue if I want to build up the kind of mental toughness that will be necessary for the half-marathon on May 31.

Expanding my mileage

As I am getting ready to run a half-marathon (13.1 miles) on May 31, I'm in the process of ramping up my miles in training so I'll be ready for it. At the same time, I'm attempting to walk the fine line of not doing it too quickly so as to strain and injure myself. Last Saturday morning I ran 11.3 miles, comfortably and relatively easily. This Saturday I intend to do the same. Race director Hal Wolfe assures me that if I can do that distance, the half-marathon will be "well within" my range. I hope (and trust) he is right!

A good Saturday

Since I am planning to run a half-marathon on May 31, I realized I needed to step up my mileage in preparation for it, so I went out this morning just past 7 AM and ran 11.3 miles in slightly under 2 hours. It was 32 degrees when I left, and 38 when I finished, so the run was brisk ... but there was no wind to speak of, and a mixture of sun and clouds. Later in the morning I drove the route of the half-marathon in order to begin familiarizing myself with it ... most of it follows Huron River Drive between Dexter and Ann Arbor, which is a nice, winding, tree-lined road that has the river in close proximity much of the time.

The merry month of May

I am looking for May to be an eventful month in my running, with several races that should be quite enjoyable. I begin the month with a 5K on Friday evening, May 1, in Mason (near Lansing), where my brother-in-law and his family live. (The course finishes past their house, and Chip and Carla and their kids, Lauren [5] and Grant [2] (our godchildren), enjoy watching the runners go by.) Secondly, on Sunday morning, May 3, I'm planning to do a 10K here in Ann Arbor - the Burns Park Run. Next, my son John graduates from St. Olaf College in Minnesota (my alma mater, too) on Sunday, May 24, and the previous day, as part of what they call Celebration Weekend, St. Olaf runs a 5K, which I am planning to do. Then I'll finish the month with the biggest challenge of all. The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run is a big annual happening in these parts. In 2007 I ran the 5K portion of it; last year I did the 10K; and this year I intend to step up to my longest run since my accident, doing the half-marathon (13.1 miles). It begins in the small town of Dexter, west of us, winds along the Huron River Drive, and finishes in downtown Ann Arbor. At one point I was hoping I might be able to do it in 2 hours, but now I'm thinking 2:15 is a much more realistic goal. (I ran the Twin Cities [MN] Marathon in 1984 and 1992 in 3:32:45 each time ... but I was a lot younger then, and without some other baggage, as well.)

"In the long run"

Since my grandmothers lived to be 102 and 93, I fully expect to live a long life - in fact, I believe I will be 100. (The male side of my heritage is a little shakier, but there are extenuating circumstances. My Dad's father, a smoker, died of cancer at the age of 62; my Mom's father was killed in a car accident at age 38; and my Dad was 85 when he died after a long bout with Alzheimer's.) I amuse my kids by telling them that, despite this, I "only" plan to run till I'm 90, and then scale back to walking. But I am serious about this ... even though I'm sure I'll slow down considerably as I age, I intend to keep going. Should this work out, I estimate I'll have at least 25,000 - 30,000 miles ahead of me yet. (I just turned 52, which would mean 38 more years ... last year I ran almost 1200 miles, but don't know if it's realistic for me to keep up that average till the year 2047.)

Blisters

Having had a large, painful blister on the side of my right big toe, I have not been able to run since March 21. I have been tempted the last couple of days, but decided it would be wise to hold off and give myself a little extra time. Today, I resumed, with 4 miles - pain-free and utterly lacking in any discomfort. So now I hope to be able to continue regularly.

Shoes

After hurting my feet a couple of years ago by trying to run too long in one pair of shoes, I turned for advice to my friend Steve Angerman, who co-owns a Running Fit store here in town. Steve advised me that I should plan to get 250-300 miles out of a pair of shoes before replacing them. So I now track the mileage with the Training Rog available through Runner's World's website, and as I could see I was rapidly approaching that limit this week, I just got a new pair of shoes today - my first since a new pair after the 5K I ran on December 13. So it seems they last me roughly 3 months.

Shamrocks and Shenanigans

Today's 5K was somewhat disappointing. It couldn't have been a nicer day for a run: brightly sunny, no wind, and a temperature in the mid-forties. The course was a two-lap route in downtown Ann Arbor. Through the first half I ran hard, and put myself at least in the position to be able to challenge for a new personal record (though it was by no means a lock).

But early in the second half (just shy of 20 minutes in), I was going west on Washington (down a hill), preparing to turn south (left) on First Street, pushing hard, and my legs just gave way. I fell, and was totally uninjured (except for bloodying my left knee and the knuckle of my left forefinger). Two Red Cross volunteers on a golf cart swooped over very quickly to tend to me, and would not let me get up. (Their concern was exacerbated, of course, by my inability to speak clearly.) The 23-year-old driver, Adam, and his assistant, Sid, cleaned and bandaged my wounds, and their concern was alleviated somewhat when they asked my medical history, and I was able to say, "1993 Traumatic Brain Injury ... that's why I can't speak well." We joked and had a nice chat, with Adam opining after he found out my age that it might not have been realistic for me to "try to keep up with these young bucks." :)

Anyway, then a Huron Valley Ambulance had been called and came over, and after we chatted a bit, they were happy to learn I was OK, but since they had come they had to fill out a report. And, of course, I had to "sign off" on a form saying that, though I had been offered a ride to the hospital, I declined. (The driver joked, "So if your knee falls off tomorrow, you can't sue us!" She was in a good mood because at one point earlier, after she had forgotten something, I attributed it to her being "blonde" ... and although she pretended to be offended by this, she grinned and it was clear she took it as a sign of me being in good condition.)

After this was over, Adam and Sid gave me a ride back to my car at the library - they asked whether I wanted to continue running or not, and although I feel that I perhaps should have, I wimped out and accepted the ride. So, anyway, all's well that ends well - but next race I expect to do better!

New goal

I am hoping to run another 5K in downtown Ann Arbor on March 15 - Shamrocks and Shenanigans. I'd like to see if I can break 29 minutes. My current 5K race personal record is 29:29, from December 13, but I have broken 29 minutes in training, which gives me hope that it is doable.

A quickening pace

I was happy to run 10K at Bally today in 58:50, breaking an hour for that distance for only the second time ever. I first did it last week, on January 13, in 58:46.

Dexter-Ann Arbor Run

The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run is a big annual event in our area, taking place the first Sunday in June. In 2007, as shown here, I ran the 5K portion of it on June 1. In 2008, I moved up to my first post-accident 10K. Now, on June 7, 2009, I'm planning to do the half-marathon (which begins in Dexter and ends in Ann Arbor, giving the event its name). It'll surely be a test ... easily the longest run I've done since doing the Twin Cities Marathon in both 1984 and 1992 (in about 3:32:45 each time). But it's a challenge to which I look forward.

Winter running

I am so glad to be able to run indoors at Bally this winter! We are getting pounded with an extremely severe and heavy winter - lots of snow and intense cold. I drove there this morning before 7 AM, through several inches of new snow (but no traffic) and ran 10K (6.2 miles) in just over an hour.

First Saturday of the new year

I ran 10 miles at Bally this morning ... the farthest I have run since Dec. 1 ... and it felt really good. As incentive, I rewarded myself with a soak in the jacuzzi afterwards, reading the John Grisham book I'm now working on (The Firm). I was especially pleased to run 10-minute miles, finishing in 1:40:03, and to be able to keep going, after having terminated several runs early in recent weeks.

New Year's Day

I was so pleased to see a sign at Bally this week that they would be open at 8 AM today, so I looked forward to getting 2009 off to an ambitious start, as I had planned to do 10 miles. But, though I waited outside their door in my car from 7:50 till 8:15, it remained resolutely locked and dark. (I'm thinking whoever was scheduled to open must have partied too hard last night.) So I made my way home and did a cautious 2.2 miles outdoors on a nippy morning (17 degrees), slowly and cautiously, telling myself safety was much more important than either speed or distance, and at least I was doing something.