2018 wrap up

Last year’s wrap to set some context.

2017:  3622.1 miles, 481.3 hours, 170,115 feet.
12 days off
74 travel nights, 10 camping nights, 5 non work travel nights
9.2 hours of running a week on average, with an average of 69.5 miles a week.  Average pace was 7.5 mph.

2016: 2892.7 miles, 400.49 hours, 143,120 feet.
67 run days off.
31 work travel nights (8% business travel), 14 non work travel nights, 19 camping nights
7.66 hours of running a week on average, 55.32 miles a week, average pace was 7.2+mph, 67.7 miles a week average if counting just the days run.

2015 for comparison was 3451.5 miles (averaging 66.19 miles a week), 236,905 vertical feet, 478.53.15 hours (averaging 9.18 hours a week), 40 days off and 65 travel nights for work (18%) and then 14 nights of camping.

2014 – 3436.9 miles, 172005 vert and 459.7 hours
2013 – 3493.6 miles, 272300 vert and 512.1 hours
2012 – 3367 miles, 236,110 vert and 529.92 hours
2011- 3629 miles, 264,848 vert and 543.37 hours
I know 2010 was 4100 miles …

This year 2018 ends up as:

3323 miles, 450 hours, 151,565 feet.
13 days off
74 travel nights,  4 camping nights, 5 non work travel nights
8.6 hours of running a week on average, with an average of 63.7 miles a week.  Average pace was 7.38 mph.

There is a lot more I could say about the numbers for ‘18 of course … less miles, less vertical, slower, and more performances that were slower than I have ever run – but all that is already well chronicled here and with dozens of other bloggers who go fist to cuffs with Father Time and inevitably succumb.  Rather than focus on what was, I’ll see what I can do to win a round or two in this next lap around this yellow star.

I usually can see the dichotomy of truths in my head regarding this time of “running life” … I recognize that I am never going to be the runner I was but I don’t want to give up on that.  It is not right to compare my current soft self to my 30 year old self I was but I don’t want to give up on that and start the slide that makes me become that coach who looks like he actually ate some version of his childhood self and now waddles around talking of days of old.  I don’t expect to be the runner I was, but I ain’t happy with the decline.  But I am not wallowing in frustration with it either.  It is what it is.

I am mostly amazed that I had exactly the same number of travel nights for work in both 2017 and 2018.

Anyway, I post this data because I suspect that someday it might be of interest, but I am committed – as least in word, but yet to be demonstrated in deed - to not be so slaved to the mileage in 2019 -  but more focused on performance.  Actually I don’t feel that I really chase miles in as much I chase the routine of doing something every day.  That consistency is a strength in some regards, but has also become the genesis of a bunch of weaknesses. 

I feel with the signing up for “big” races again (starting with Pikes tomorrow!) I will find a way to be be more focused on key workouts versus the regular getting out for getting out sake that I do. It is possible that I still might end up with the same number of miles given the goals are inclusive of a couple of marathons, but I need it to be way more performance oriented versus miles gathering.

Onward.

Alumni Run

Greg and I have kicked around the idea of doing an Alumni Run for a bit.  We pulled the trigger on it for this AM – hoping to get some of the folks home for the holidays or on college break.  The weather made things a bit challenging (cold and snow) for some but we still had a solid turn out for the first event.  It was really heart warming to be a part of this. 

The Toyota Way by Liker

The Toyota Way: by Jeffrey Liker:  I first “read” this book ten years ago or so.  I put “read” in quotes because I really just skimmed it. 

I came back to it because many of the principles discussed in came up in conversations in my trip to a manufacturing facility in Singapore.  I decided to buzz through it as part of my “20 PAD” (twenty pages a day project) – and I got through it in just over 2 weeks. 

20 PAD means I read a little each day – and don’t just devour the book.  There is some disadvantage in that I read perhaps less than I could or should but that also means I get to consume the content I read in smaller chunks – and then consider and think on it.  For a book like this, versus say fiction, this is a preferred approach for me.

I did deviate from 20 pages a day when it made sense.  If I was in the middle of a chapter, I’d finish that (as long as I met the 20 minimum).  I didn’t count the side bar case studies in the text either.

This text came out in 2005, and so it is interesting because there is a “timing” issue here with the book given its age.  Some manufacturing principles and approaches, including the philosophies coming out of Japan appear to be timeless, but others have shifted.  And while the text is not written for software manufacturers, there is clearly the foundation elements for what is considered core doctrine in “Agile” methodologies today.

It was a good read (I think if I am hating a read outright I will just drop the text and move on) and glad I made this refresher one of my first back in the 20PAD “project.”

Next up is another that I have discussed or skimmed in the past – Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages.”    TZ has mentioned this book several times in the past decade and I have eyeballed it quickly.  I have heard it mentioned enough by people when they describe their relationships, I figured it is time to actually read it. 

Parkrun on a Saturday

Greg and Jen had not done a Parkrun before and had expressed interest in doing the one this AM.  I was knackered from skiing and getting KZ off to the airport pre-dawn but figured it would be a good workout.  Even if it was only 11 degrees. 

19:48, on miles of 6:10, 6:28 and 6:22.  I was really soft through out the whole thing.  Greg took the win, about 45 seconds ahead, and I was fourth.  If I had any guts I would have got second as they were less than 10 seconds ahead.  I caught the guy who would end up second with about 800 to go but then had no fight as he rallied (damn teenagers). 

On the good side of things, it was about the same sort of thing I have run there before (19:39 being my best there last summer).  Maybe that is worth something given the cold.  Maybe not.

In any case, it is about time I volunteered for one of these.  And I’ll look to do more of them next year as it is a good workout.

Registration for Pikes is Tuesday!!

21!

How’d this happen?  Love you crunch and munch. 

Ski Day

We did the day at Cooper – which is different than Copper.  Cooper is the old 10th Mountain Division hill outside of Leadville.  Copper is the hill just off 70 before heading to Vail or Leadville. 

As is typical for when I ski – it is an ass kicker of a day with the prep, the drive, and the skiing itself.  And with a high in the teens and temps starting below zero, it was cold too. 

I am the worst of the skiers in my family.  This is not surprising since I skied for the for the first time after I was in the Air Force and everyone else in my family has been doing it since they could basically walk.  JZ basically runs circles around me laughing at how hard I make even easy stuff look. 

Death Hill

I decided to go and do what the kids call “Death Hill” a couple of handfuls of times.

Based on what I get from Strava, the hill is just over 200 meters, gaining just over 100 feet in that distance, with the upper section being close to a 30% grade. 

As far as I know this is only the third time I have ever done that workout – the last time was in 2015  - and this was by far the slowest (26 and half minutes in April of 2015, and just under 32 minutes today).  When I have run this harder, I try to keep the ups as well as the downs honest.  There was none of that today.  So there is work to be done here.

It is probably a bit too steep but it is fine as an occasional different look.  I’ll do it again to see what I can drum out of it this spring. 

Other ways I get my heart rate up these days …

Wednesday 26DEC2018

Got in a jog with Jen and Greg this AM at the Tank.  Been a little while since I have been out to Teller.  That place is great. 

My legs felt relatively shot, but based on what GW and JB were saying – their pegs were cooked too – so the pace was easy. Still the rise ups out there have a good bite.

Got in another half an hour in the afternoon. 

Christmas Day 2018

Headed out in the later afternoon and got a bit of a broken up tempo … 3 and quarter down to the lake looking for the eagles (met the family down there and spotted one way off at the nest but beyond where we were at) and then back up and around under the highway for another 3 and 3/4s back. 

Not a great tempo, but getting the breathing going.  I felt some mild soreness in my quads from the 100s I did.  I’ll take that as a positive – meaning I did something that created some soreness, and that must mean I did something the body construed as effort. 

 

I switched into an old pair of Stinsons to see if that would help wit the plantar thing (or whatever it really is).  We’ll see.

It was a great Christmas of course. 

Christmas Eve 2018

Busy day so only a short one.  Did a warm up and ran into Steve G on the ditch.  We talked work, guitars, and band dreams.  I hit the track for some strider 100s to get a bit of turn over work.  The plantar is pretty pissed but the Bondi’s seem to protect it enough that it is okay.  Hundreds started at 18 and I got them down to 16 at the end.  I need to probably do this sort of thing once or twice a week to keep at the wheels a bit. 

Saw a few of the crew when walking the dogs.

Week ending 23DEC2018

Caught Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers at the Gothic last night.  I think it is the fifth or sixth time I have seen them – so it is definitely the band I have seen the most shows from. 


Just old fashioned Americana rock and roll … the Railbenders were an opening act, as was Johnny Hickman (of Cracker fame) (which is a bit more of an aggro country sort of thing).

Fun show.
Got out with Jen and Greg this AM.  Ian joined us for a bit too.  Did 11 and change.  I thought I’d do a workout but it just didn’t play out that way.  I have recently shared with TZ and separately Greg, that I need to make 2019 a year where I “bifurcate” my training more – meaning make the easy days super easy, or even off or cross training and concentrate on making the quality days a way higher quality. 

78 plus mile week with only one workout … I felt like I was trying to get the handle on myself post the Singapore week for most of the week, but I definitely skimped a bit on harder stuff.  I also got a bit soft with doing it as the right foot was getting pretty angry – that is something I am chalking up to plantar fasciitis at current.
I was recently asked if I listen to any music from artists that came to be in this decade.  I think so … mostly KZ keeps me informed on such matters and periodically feeds me stuff.  JZ does way too much hip hop for my liking but I can bear some of it.  KZ recently turned me onto this.

A co-worker got me on this.

First day of winter resolutions

cookie decorating last night:


I am not one for New Year’s resolutions, with the primary reason being that I see no need to wait – resolve to do it now and get on it.  That said, I find this time of year tends to drive a level of self review and contemplation that comes with the business down time of the holidays.  That “quiet” and the arbitrary nature of it being a year end and year beginning seem to drive a bit of “resolution making” – even if that is a set of race goals or business goals or some other project (like 50 burgers in 50 different burger joints).

I have few projects I have been considering for a bit and I am not sure if I will do them or not.  In part I am not sure if I will do them because there is a cost in terms of actual dollars and actual effort to make them happen – and frankly I am not sure if I will be willing to unravel enough to do that.  But probably the bigger issue is that they scare me a bit – which is also part of the draw.

One is to get a few songs under my belt that I’d have confidence enough to perform at an open mic.  I have little concern about the guitar part – but a voice thing is likely to not be pretty. 

Another is to try BJJ.  This gets expensive quick, but the issue of having my face mashed into a mat as I pass out from getting choked out ain’t real attractive, but I can see the process of learning through that (so that I eventually don’t get choked out and maybe I can get someone else to tap out) as valuable.  It is also about 150 bucks a month – a dollar amount I have yet to put out for a running coach so it is hard to get my head around that.  And I have had other near quinquagenarians telling me I am out of my effing mind and I’d get hurt. 

Maybe just the 20 pages a day and the race schedule is the way to go.

More on this sort of thing in upcoming posts (and probably related to a reboot of my perceived character as a curmudgeon). 

3250 plus miles on the year. 

Solstice 2019

Caught David and Megan at Inmotion Running last night in a talk regarding their recently released book – The Happy Runner.

While I think JZ enjoyed the talk, there is no doubt he enjoyed meeting Addie more.

It is good to see David and Megan having success in something they love.  And it was good to see them have a solid turnout in their first book talk, and the first for the shop.  I intend to read their book once I get through my re-reading of “The Toyota Way.” 

I have loosely committed to what I am calling 20PAD – or 20 pages a day.  Meaning I am obliged to read 20 pages a day of something in print.  I tend to read a lot of other crap in blogs and articles on-line so this is more a commitment to read something that is a part of a bigger piece of work.  So, yeah, like a book.

Windy day here on the Front Range but still a fine day for a run. 

2019 Race Plans

I got out with Shad and Bob last night.

It was a rare “3-fer” day … meaning I ran three times in the day.  It felt fine but that right foot is still feeling like I stepped on a rock hard on its bottom and bruised it (even though I did not step on a rock and bruise it).

We later connected up with Donnie and Neeraj for some catching up.  It was a blast.  Anyone who watched us probably thought we ready to break into a fight while also watching the best comedy we had ever seen – just a bunch of brothers giving each other well positioned crap while supporting each other.  I love it. 

Of course, we also discussed what potential plans there were for 2019 … there was a broad swath from almost declaring nothing to putting up that line of fourteen 14ers in about a 100 mile line. 

For me, and I recognize it might be just December arm chair quarterbacking … it seems like I’d play it like this:

- various mile and 5k efforts
- potentially the Leadville Trail Marathon
- potentially the Barr Trail Mountain Race
- Fairplay Pack Burro Race World Championship
- Pikes Peak Marathon
- California International Marathon

The thinking on this is that I would use the shorter stuff as part of overall development and bridge to the longer stuff in the summer.  Leadville Trail Marathon was not on the list before last night but then became an agreed upon possible show down between the old dogs who still think they have it.  I also have never done that one so it is interesting.  The Barr Trail Mountain Race is a good run as prep for Pikes.  Pikes is of course the bomb, and then there is CIM.  The draw there is I’d be 50, it would serve as my first official road marathon (that’s right – I have never done one but I did bandit Boston back in the 90s before it was considered some sort of mortal sin to do so) and I’d take a crack at breaking 3 – a time goal that has a window that seems to be closing on me quickly. 

Of course the World Championship of Pack Burro Racing in Fairplay is in there too.  I feel that is a race that I might just do for the rest of my life – but such things are easily said.  The trick with this race is that is could lead to a bunch of other races if you get on the “Triple Crown” train. 

I may also do some pacing at Leadville, which is now a week before Pikes, but that is tentative. 

I have a couple of weeks here to contemplate this further but I need to get on the mouse click trigger soon as registrations are coming up.

The Board

About 15 years ago (or 10 or 20, I don’t really know on these time things any more it seems), I was on a run with a friend of mine – David.  David shared a concept with me that I have come to make part of my thinking – the idea of your own personal board of directors. 

A company has a board of directors to – well – to do that:  set direction.  By way of this, the resolve issues at the highest level and thus, optimally, make the company better.  In the concept that David described to me, an individual’s personal board of directors were those people they could go to for important input to their life … work, family, personal, physical, emotional and spiritual growth.  Different people could serve different purposes on the board, and the board could change quickly of course – but the concept was pretty clear to me:  a set of voices that set the direction for you, the people you could count on when considering a weighty choice or dilemma, and people who could be your friend but also would not just feed you happy day horse dung all the time but would call BS on you when they saw it.

I believe the Japanese word for this is kenjinkai which I believe roughly translates to “committee of wise men” (which I don’t believe has to be specific to a single gender). 

I have a kenjinkai or a board.  It’s membership has changed slightly over the years, as people come into my life and fade away.  I have made a task of late to share the concept of the board to those people who are members.  I have some I still need to reveal this to them.   I feel there is some degree of importance in sharing this with them because it reveals to them how much I value their presence in my life, their feedback, and how I think they make me a better person. 

My board members are diverse in age, gender and their input to my life.  Some are related to work.  Some are related to running.  Or how to be a better father or husband.  Some are related to some other aspect of my life.  All are inputs to my character – or what I strive to be. 

As I consider it, there are members of my board that could be considered emeritus members.  They have left my life, but their voice still sings loudly somewhere in my consciousness.  I have been lucky to have had so many wonderful people in my life in this way. 

Tuesday 18DEC2018

Did 90 second pickups on the track with the coach crew this AM.  Just great to be out with this crew. 

5S Your Life or at least try to …

I have been trying to take small steps to get rid of the extra crap that I have accumulated in five decades of life – most of that being in the last 2 decades.  One of the things I have committed to is to toss out 10 things every trash day.  The current focus of that effort is in my closet.  There are just lots of t-shirts, extra shoes, and unnecessary junk. 

As I was getting rid of this Monday’s haul, I came across a shoe box.  I thought it was just another old shoe box and went to grab it – but felt it heavy with shoes in it.  Found a brand new pair of these boys.

Nice to start the days with a brand new pair of kicks. 

The effort is part of a broader set of thinking I have … which includes “5S your life.”  5S is a tool that is originally a part of the Toyota production method – and used in manufacturing everywhere. 

Generally, the basics of 5S are this …

Sort – Clear out rarely used items
Straighten – Organize and label a place for everything
Shine – Clean it
Standardize – Create rules to sustain the first 3 of the 5S
Sustain – use regular audits to stay disciplined

Are there areas in your life where you could apply 5S?

Week ending 16DEC2018

43.2 miles on the week, with nearly half of that coming this weekend – just the function of travel.  It is the lowest week on the year by a hair to a couple of other weeks – those weeks also being pretty busy travel weeks. 

Ran into Scott Jaime while down south today.  Dude looks fit.  Should be interesting to see what he does at ATY in the 48 hour affair.  He is just such a good guy – really, just inspirational.  Don’t tell him I told you that though.

There won’t be an official Solstice Slog this year and that is good.  It was a thing that had to end because in its own way it was getting a bit out of hand.  It was fun while it lasted and there might be some other shenanigans like it in the future, but it is right for it to be tabled for a bit.

Back in CO

It is a very long flight back. 

Actually it takes less time than going there because of tail wind.  The trip map in front of my nose on the plane said the tail wind was in excess of 200 mph at times.  We got back in 12 hours versus the 17 it took us to get there (and this is all just the SFO-SIN leg).  Nonetheless, the return trip just feels longer because it just always feels that way. 

It was a good week.  A really good week for work actually.  The travel their makes it a bit more challenging but even with that it was a good week.

It was not a good week for running though.  I was challenged with the jet lag, the long work days, the humidity and the heat and being at an airport hotel that running directly from was not really possible.  When I ran I felt heavy, stiff, and swollen.  I figured that something was probably a little better than nothing and so I just rolled with it. 

Got back today and the run was one to just unravel.  All sore and stiff even though I have not done anything but sit on a plane for a day … so just a run to open up, stretch things out. 

Singapore Day 6

Got out and walked around downtown Singapore last night.  It was pretty spectacular.

Was out late though so I did the treadmill this AM.  Right foot is sort of angry about something.  Might be an issue brewing there. 

We finished up here mid afternoon and had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport. 

Singapore Day 5

Work work work.

Sweaty AM with some accelerations on the track.  The air is heavy …

Singapore Day 4

AM jogging.  Sweaty.  I might be getting a little used to it.

There are not a lot of people out at this hour for a city.  The train system seems to be the hub of waking up the town – there are fewer cars here (that is a significant thing here driven by government regulations on vehicles).

Singapore Day 3

As I suspected when we got here on the weekend, the ability to get out on the “work” days is a challenge.  I can get out in the AM, but at the price of getting up pretty early.  The thought of the treadmill again was not desirable so I took the train into town and started jogging around.  I eventually stumbled into a relatively familiar setting.

‘

While it was dark, it was still 90 percent humidity and 85 degrees.  So, it looked like I had gone for a swim rather than a run when I was done.  Folks on the train just kept their distance from the wet old hairy gorilla on the ride back to the airport hotel.

Singapore Day 2

I slept pretty hard and got a good chunk of sleep despite being upside down on the time.  I had already decided not to run outdoors, because I can’t really run directly from the hotel (it is in the middle of the airport and all the roads from here are highways) and we were going to be pressed for time this AM to get to the site.  I headed to the treadmill, and I was sort of thankful not be outside because as I left my hotel room, I hit the outdoor humidity … so rich my glasses fogged immediately.  I got 10k on the mill, and even though it was cooler in there, I made it look like I had hit it with a fire hose of sweat.

Singapore Day 1

My flight from Denver to San Francisco was delayed enough that I had to hop a different bird to make the San Francisco to Singapore connection.  The connection in SFO was tight, but my experience is that international flights are even more sluggish in pushing off than domestic ones – and so we were fine. 

17 hours on a bird is a long time.  I tried to stay up late, catching some movies, but then succumbed to some sleep.  At some point I figured no matter what I did, I am likely to feel upside on the lag over the next couple of days.  I did try to get up every couple of hours and move.  Being in an exit row helped. 

Customs was super easy and we are staying at a hotel right at the airport.  After getting settled I headed into town on the train to get some running in. 

It was about as humid and hot here as anywhere I have been.  Except maybe that time in Dubuque.  That might still take the cake.  I couldn’t feel bad about the humidity though – there were folks doing the Singapore Marathon in this stuff.  And apparently everyone wears the shirt they give out with the race.

I had a lot of choices for lunch but I went with a bit of a more conservative offering to start.





I really do want to encounter an otter.

The humidity is a bit of kryptonite for me, but that ain’t surprising given I have been training in 40 and dry conditions versus 85 and 90 percent humidity.  It zapped me today, and I had a bit of a double effect with feeling a bit stumpy from the long haul over the Pacific.