Kickin' the new Ka-nowledge

September 30

6.5, 45:15 (6:58/mi): Shortcut+xtra. Well, the "xtra" made it less of a shortcut. Pre-meet with Senner and Hools, the latter of whom required the xtra. I'm whipped. Not like Alison, who describes her run as follows:_____________________. At least there's not a race tomorrow.

You Want That Realness?

September 29

5mi, 35:26 (7:04/mi): Loring/Kenwood/Isles with Nick + accells. Way better than when I ran with Matt.

September 28

Day Off. Switched with Friday.

E is for Erik

September 27

8mi, wkout. 2.5up, 4x800m (90s R), 4x200m (200m jog), 2.5down. 2:37, :42, :40, :41, 33, 33, 33, 31. Windy, but felt very smooth and easy breaking in new flats (Supernova Comp.) Be sure to check out the second-to-last comment on yesterday's thread if you haven't already. It's not about Biz. E is also for Edmonson, Zach, who joined me for 800 #2 and #4 and cooled down with me and Gehring. Watch for him in the 5K this Saturday...

Shout A "Hip Ho-Ray!"

September 26

8mi, 56:19 (7:03/mi): Stone Arch Seven + xtra. Easy (!) with Senner. We can only assume that Birdman's increased strength during his taper is also the reason why teams like the Blue Jays have leaped into positions like second place. But the A's lost and the Twins clinched, so (some) things are starting to come together this week. There is a chill in the air and all things in this world are possible.

Whopping Good Time

September 25

4+, Untimed. Lake Calhoun with M. Scholi. Good easy run to start a taper week. Hey Scholi, ever notice how there are all these people working out, getting in shape, but they're never getting in shape for anything. So really, it's all this effort so that we can be in shape...the next time we work out.

Workingman's Blues

September 24

8mi, 48:09 (6:01/mi): LS8+xtra. Not Senner's fault.

Week: 63mi. Pretty good week, especially Wednesday's workout.

September 23

12mi, 1:21ish (wkout): 4up, 4+@Senner's MP (5:30), 4down. Decent workout with Senner between aprx mile 15 and 19 on the course. Felt ok, a little dehydrated. We picked it up for 22min...I'll let Senner evaluate whether or not we achieved the pacing objective...

Rainy Day Women

September 22

8mi, 53:20 (6:40/mi): Mac & Back. Decent run with Senner covering miles 19.5-23.5 of the course. Or, if you're a reasonable person, miles 3-7. Felt fine in cold morning rain. Plus Senner stoned me while I was trying to look so good.

September 21

11mi, 1:17:36 (7:03/mi): Stone Arch Loop + Lake St-Annie's. First 4.5ish with LSCC before adding on with Dan for another 45min of wind and rain. Earning the malt. Felt ok, not great towards the end.

Apocrypha - Corinth Writes Back

September 20

16mi, 1:42:32 (6:25/mi): 3+up, aprx 8mi @ tempo (5:37s), 4.5 down. Started tempo portion on the east bank side of the Stone Arch Bridge, crossed and followed the TC10M course to a block past Lexington.

An Open Letter to St. Paul,
c/o Summit Ave.

When last I sailed your boulevards t'was with poisonous affection. I knew you then, but without respect, and you knew me as you know thousands. It is not a lonely thing to suffer your corridors, only painful. So I am writing today without remorse or sentiment or forgiveness, only respect. Ten days from now I will arrive prepared to give you the attention and energy you demand and that so many waste on your Western Sister. She is fanciful and uncomplicated. You are simply, relentlessly subtle.

I understand. I ask only the same.

s/The Church

September 19

Day Off. Legs fine. Body fine. Am contributing this day off to the Chris Lundberg Relief Program.

Puts His Jacket 'Round His Girl As The Autumn Wind Sends A Chill...

September 18

8mi, 53:34 (6:42/mi): LS8+xtra. Excellent easy run, exactly as planned. Chilly, but down on the west bank, probably about the two mile mark of the TC10M, there are two trees with brilliant yellow leaves like street lamps against deep evergreens and paler Wait For Octobers and a sky flirting with winter because it's just remembering how to be fall. So am I.

(Haven't shaved in a week...)

Sharks on a Roller Coaster

September 17

16mi, 1:48:06 (6:45/mi): Fishouse Extended. That might not actually be the name of this run, but it's something like that. Beautiful run in perfect weather. And, finally, I felt great. Easily the best run of the week.

Week: 73mi. Obviously less than I'd planned, but I finished the week feeling strong and rested instead of burnt-out so I'm not that upset about the mileage drop. More disappointed in my poor focus for the workouts this week, but still got in some quality running. Re-focus this week before a TC10M taper week...


September 16

9mi, Wkout. 7x800m, 90s R. 2:34, :34, :33, :32, :33, :34, :34. Cut from ten. Legs felt good and aerobic effort was entirely reasonable. But frustrated with myself for basically letting poor planning compromise the workout. Ran with Dan in the afternoon, but hadn't scheduled the workout time until late, so hadn't eaten very much and was not hydrated enough for the heat. Felt dizzy and weak from the time I stepped onto the track, and when the maintenence guy couldn't open the doors for bathrooms and water after #7 I had to call it quits. Just stupid. On the plus side, 1xPeanut-Butter/Ice-Cream Pie in the evening. Schrades, I added a layer of sliced bananas underneath the hot fudge. Ryan Hall and Jorge Torres had been so impressed and complimentary after watching Dan and me on the track that I invited them over to try some pie. They said the bananas were a great addition. Then they gave me their phone numbers.

Bringing Sexy Back

September 15

6, 40:22 (6:44/mi): Up to NE House. Short run, but body, legs and everything felt normal. So I've got that going for me...

Everything's Just Wonderful

September 14

9mi, 1:07:01 (7:35ish/mi): LS8 modified/extended. Ran most of the way with the already-mentioned good LSCC company. Body felt much better than yesterday but the legs needed the easy effort. Recovery makes you faster...

Three Days Down The Highway, Looking Like I Feel

September 13

7mi, 54:07 (7:43/mi): LS8. Miserable run with trashed legs, punctuated with acid reflux. Not tired, of course, but only because there is an asymptote* at Tired. I was probably somewhere around Tuckered on the T-word curve...Ugh. Moving on.

*Would you believe that Biz remembered this word? Mind blowing.

...Just Come Back Home

September 12

PM: 11mi, 1:10:13 (6:23/mi): 3up, 2x2mi @ Threshold, 1mi jog recovery, 3down. On river road. 11:01, 10:44. First one up the Franklin Hill, second one back down. Distance is approximate but effort felt about like threshold. Good workout close to 10mi race pace on part of the TC10mi course. Could feel yesterday's ambitious 7-miler in my legs but not too bad. Ran into Biz over the last half mile of the second interval and had the pleasure of his company for the cool-down. YAY!

AM: 3mi, 20:43: Island Hopping - Boom and Nicollet. Easy shakeout run.

Now With These Hands...

September 11

PM: 7mi, 41:02 (5:51/mi): LS8. Pace only partially intentional, but it felt smooth and controlled and I should recover ok. Had planned on doing an easy 10, but rushed things in order to get to Phil's hippie class on time. The weather was cool and I felt good, but the best part of the run was the massive high school team out doing repeats on the river's Franklin Hill. They were in full-fledged High Schoolers Supporting Everyone mode. One kid announced "I see you on Wednesday nights!" and for the next 3/4 of a mile at least one kid in each pack of runners gave me a very earnest "Keep it up!" or "You got this!" More or less made my day. Schof, what is the problem with high school running?

AM: 5mi, 32ish: Down the West Bank. Pace was a little quicker than normal in the mornings but felt ok. Some fairly acute soreness in my left quad seemed to go away by the end.

(Booyah.)

September 10

9mi, 1:02:48 (6:59/mi): Ford-Franklin. Easy run on chilly, misty day. Legs felt worse than I would have expected, but that's ok. Took it easy to prepare for a couple big weeks leading up to TC 10-mi. A fantastic lazy Sunday, more or less on the Calvin and Hobbes model.

Week: 60mi. Decent, considering the off-day and the pre-meet day. Figured I'd concede lower mileage rather than scramble myself into a pile of fatigue and render the next week's workouts useless...

September 9

10mi, Winning. The Opener. The Booyah. The Alumsyah. 33-35. I was 5th overall in 26:47 and would be much more frustrated with the day if it hadn't been bouyed by some fantastic races across the board. Physically, legs weren't great but the overall effort was pretty easy. Mentally I really need to start racing instead of just running. Never felt like I was pushing myself, and afterwards felt like the race had no effect on me. Should have followed the fat man. BUT! Still my third fastest XC 8K. BD is looking ready for some marathon throw-downaj. And huge congratulations are in order for Andrew Schroeder on an outright PR, as well as for my brother for a course-best only about 25s away from an outright PR that came on a rocketship course with the wind at his back...This was also probably the best ever Church Brothers combined performance in a single race. Booyah.

We wasn't supposed to make it past 25, joke's on you, we still alive

September 8

5mi, 34:13 (probably slower than that, actually): Down the West Bank. Easy pre-meet run in new shoes. Legs were grateful for the cushioning and the pace. Decent stretching afterwards has legs starting to think about approaching chipperness.

September 7

4mi, Untimed. Easy shakeout run with Gehring. Legs felt horrible. So naturally, we went to Masa in search of a cure. Instead there were forbidden enchiladas and sangria and a fellah's table that places a distant third behind the Original Sevy Tea Room and Annie's. Most of all, there was a grumbling Chaypaw, which is all a brother can really ask for on his birthday.

So Here I Lay In Me 25th Year...

September 7

10mi, 1:07:57 (4:10/mi): Star Trib Ten. Nice loop in NE with Biz, watching a beautiful sun rise over the Mississippi. Possibly a little long. My body felt smashed like a bowl of eggs, and Bizyah carried off both me legs.

September 6

14+ 1:33:26 (wkout): 3mi WU, Hooley's Fartlek Workout, 3mi CD. 3x(meheme)(3min each interval). Tried to keep "m" close to threshold, "h" close to Como last week, and "e" an honest 6:30-:40. Got hard towards the end, but I'm sure that had absolutely nothing to do with my fitness. This is a great workout that I need to do more often because it forces me to really focus the whole way. It's a tougher mental effort than it appears, especially if you're trying to avoid a typical recovery slog on the easy intervals. Legs felt pretty unresponsive, actually. Need to stretch/ice/break out new shoes...

September 5

Day Off. Last week was 81.5mi, not 82.5mi as previously reported. Still, two long travelling weekends and the most consecutive miles (193.5) since college helped me justify a nap. Plus, Tegenkamp took a day off the week before his 3:35.96.

September 4

8mi, 54:27 (6:whatever/mi): 10K Loop + xtra with Schrades. Good easy miles, including a tour of the Madison Zoo, shrieking at the monkeys. Thanks to Schrades also for his dynamite peanut-butter ice-cream pie recipe, which I've now made public so that I'm forced to make it sometime soon.

You're Gonna Fly High, You're Never Gonna Die, They're Gonna Love You!

September 3

17mi, 1:53:icantbeexpectedtoremembereverylittlethingplusmywatchisoverthere (we're so happy we can hardly count): Evidently, Jill McKiernan feels that every name Andrew Schroeder and Tom Church think of is "offensive", which seems entirely unlikely given how Totally Classy those Two Kings is. Are. Whatever. We ran a long way this morning. Over a bunch of trails, up a bunch of hills, through a bunch of backyards covering roughly 17mi of Madison, Crestwood, Shorewood, Wherever. Jill now requests that she be given phones so that no calls are made to "Workroom Jim." Workroom Jim knows, as do all wise men, that it is important to consider approximations to be exact when it comes to Sunday long runs. Collective Soul knows that it is important to eat fried chicken if you are to be well liked by Biggie Smalls (The Smalls). And Dan, (Schroeder), knows that is important to be chill during paddle and portage. Dan (Church), knows that is important to be chill enough to fall asleep at any moment.

Week: 82.5 I think. It's around there, anyway, Whooooo, daddy, that's a lotta miles. Stats For Schrades: 1) Current Distance Between Schrades And Tom = Not. 2) 308mi in August is the most since August 2004 (343). 3) Jill is right. My run name suggestions tonight are offensive. 4) Jill loves to steal her computer from the rightful Computer Usurpers.

Ok, I'm gonna stop posting now.

I Was Just A Skinny Lad...

September 2

11mi, wkout: Cow Chip Classic 10K in 34:46. Felt like a very easy threshold effort, working the itch out of my legs - exactly what I needed after Como. 5:42, 6:09 (uphill), 5:35 (catching local jokers), 5:17 (downhill), 5:42, 5:08 (skeptical about that...), 1:11. Went 1-2 with Schrades - Syttende Mai, Woods to Water, Cow Chip...we own this state, baybeee!

"We Caught 3 Butterflies and 2 Bees!"

September 1

8mi, 51:31 (that's math): LS8 + xtra. Legs felt better but run was a little rushed before leaving for Madtowne.

August 31

PM: 7mi, 48:19 (????): LS8. Fine run. Tired legs from workout and then wearing dress shoes all day.

AM: 3mi, Untimed: Riley Run. Easy shakeout run. Legs very stiff from workout...