"The thoughts that occur to me while I’m running are like clouds in the sky. Clouds of all different sizes. They come and they go, while the sky remains the same sky always. The clouds are mere guests in the sky that pass away and vanish, leaving behind the sky." ~ Haruki Murakami

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 3.23 miles (9:51); ran in the park, sunny, 91° F, 44% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: 3.36 miles (9:19); ran in the park, partly cloudy, 87° F, 59% humidity.

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 4.31 miles (9:27); ran in the park, sunny, 76° F, 56% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 5.25 miles (9:05); ran in the park, mostly sunny, 69° F, 77% humidity.

Week Total: 16.15 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 0 miles

"If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon." ~ Katherine Switzer

I watched a movie on Hulu called Free to Run. It's a very good running history movie. The movie begins with a man talking about how few runners there were back in the sixties and how those runners were considered odd eccentrics. Back then running was considered by many to be a dangerous activity and women were not allowed to run in many of the early races. The movie tells the history of how runners like Steve Prefontaine and Kathrine Switzer made running the popular sport it is today.

“what’s past is prologue” ~ William Shakespeare in The Tempest

I started this blog one year ago today. Looking back it seems I've not gotten much faster, but I'm running longer distances. A year ago my longest race had been a 6k. Since then I've completed two 10ks and two half-marathons. I'm registered for another half-marathon, the first annual Spring Hill Turkey Burn on November 25. As far as a time goal I want to finish in under two hours. The weather should be cool enough by the 25th of November. I'll have to resume running weekly long runs on the hilly country road training route. Moving forward making progress.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion'" ~ Muhammad Ali

Running log (past week)

Sunday: no running

Monday: 7.35 miles (9:24); ran in the park, mostly cloudy, 70° F, 94% humidity.

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: 3.24 miles (8:49); ran in the park, mostly cloudy, 75° F, 83% humidity.

Thursday: 3.45 miles (9:33); ran in the park, cloudy, 74° F, 96% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 3.15 miles (8:45); ran in the park, sunny, 61° F, 88% humidity.

Week Total: 17.19 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 10.67 miles

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." ~ Lance Armstrong

Franklin Classic 10k

This was my third time running in a 10k race. I ran the Franklin Classic last year finishing in 58:31. I ran a 10k in Nashville August 19 finishing in 55:15. My goal for this race was to finish with a better than nine minute per mile pace. The weather could've been better, it was sunny about 60° F 98% humidity. That's not great but it's certainly a huge improvement from what it has been lately, and better than when I ran this race last year.

Almost every race I've been to they play the national anthem before the start. Sometimes someone sings other times they will just play a recording. This race they actually had a US Navy color guard render honors during the national anthem. I thought that was so cool.

There are no bad runs—only good running lessons. I've had several races where I've had to waste time and energy maneuvering around other people during the race. Sometimes I've even had to slow down when boxed in by a group of runners. Recalling the Nashville Rock 'n' Rock half-marathon from last April, I started that race in corral 19. The race was so crowded it was like running a 13 mile obstacle course. At several points, I had to slow to a walk because there was no path through or around the crowd. My friend G began in corral 7 and he did not have any of the crowd problems that I had to cope with. From last year's experience I knew the Franklin Classic would be fairly crowded so I got as close to the front as I could before the start. This strategy worked, I had only a few situations in this race where I had to maneuver around another runner.

Another point about starting near the front is that I was running with faster runners and that caused me to run faster. For awhile I feared I might be starting out too fast, I'd exhaust myself and finish slow. I have an app on my iPhone that reports my time and average pace every half mile, but I didn't hear it until two miles. At two miles I heard the app say average pace 8:23 and I thought whoa, I felt I had been running fast but I didn't realize how fast. I had planned on running the first half of the race at 9:00 then picking up my pace for the second half. I slowed covering the third mile in 8:56 and the fourth in 8:52. At mile four I picked up my pace again through to the end. I finished with an official chip time of 54:06 for an overall average pace of 8:42 per mile.

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going." ~ Forrest Gump

Running log (past week)

Sunday: no running

Monday: Franklin Classic 10k 6.21 miles (8:42); mostly sunny, 60° F, 98% humidity.

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: 3.57 miles (9:12); ran in the park, mostly sunny, 68° F, 45% humidity.

Thursday: no running

Friday: no running

Saturday: 3.26 miles (9:22); ran in the park, sunny, 70° F, 60% humidity.

Week Total: 13.06 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 0 miles

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 3.19 miles (9:26); ran in the park, mostly cloudy, 75° F, 48% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: 3.26 miles (8:42); ran in the park, cloudy, 63° F, 96% humidity.

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 7.76 miles (9:13); ran about three miles on the hilly country road training route and the remainder in the park, cloudy, 64° F, 98% humidity. This was the first time I've set out on my hilly training route since May. I got to the end of the first road and where I would ordinarily turn to the left was a barricade with signs marking the road closed. The signs didn't explain why, probably construction or possibly flooding. Also it appears the GPS on my iPhone malfunctioned on this run so the distance and pace are inaccurate. The distance could be off by as much as a quarter mile.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 3.25 miles (9:09); ran in the park, sunny, 78° F, 69% humidity.

Week Total: 17.46 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 0 miles

"When you arrive at fork in the road, take it." ~ Yogi Berra

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 4.09 miles (9:18); ran in the park, sunny, 82° F, 65% humidity.

Monday: 3.46 miles (9:08); ran in the park, sunny, 78° F, 76% humidity.

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 3.45 miles (9:12); ran in the park, clear, 74° F, 89% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 4.65 miles (9:34); ran the hilly country road training route, sunny, 79° F, 84% humidity. The road is still closed. A construction crew is replacing a large box culvert where the road crosses a creek.

Week Total: 15.65 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 0 miles

"In life, the idea is to be happy. So, I believe in calm, simple, low-profile life. You live simple, you train hard and live an honest life. Then you are free." ~ Eliud Kipchoge

I watched a documentary on YouTube called Breaking2. It’s about determining if a human can run a marathon in under two hours. They took several of the top marathon athletes, went through months of training with scientific methodology, and ran the marathon distance at optimum conditions. To run a marathon at a 4:34 pace seems impossible, but Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya finished very close with an official time of 2:00:25. It’s an incredible achievement.

"For me, as for so many runners, there really are no finish lines. Runs end; running doesn't." ~ Dean Karnazes

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 4.74 miles (9:34); ran in the park, clear, 76° F, 72% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: 4.88 miles (9:27); ran the hilly country road training route, sunny, 79° F, 68% humidity.

Thursday: 6.74 miles (9:36); ran the hilly country road training route, sunny, 67° F, 88% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 4.18 miles (9:15); ran in the park, sunny, 64° F, 69% humidity.

Week Total: 20.54 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 0 miles

"You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, drift off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free” ~ Tom Petty

Running log (past week)

Sunday: no running

Monday: 7.75 miles (9:07); ran in the park, mostly cloudy, 53° F, 84% humidity.

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: 5.10 miles (9:24); ran the hilly country road training route, sunny, 59° F, 93% humidity.

Thursday: no running

Friday: 3.26 miles (8:46); ran in the park, partly cloudy, 82° F, 43% humidity.

Saturday: 5.33 miles (9:26); ran in the park, mostly cloudy, 68° F, 95% humidity.

Week Total: 21.44 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 0 miles

"When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting." ~ Doris Brown Heritage

Usually when I enter a race I have to drive out of town to some place where I’ve never ran, and the only knowledge I have of the race route is what is published on the race website. I’ve been looking at the details for the Spring Hill Turkey Burn half-marathon and discovered that about six miles of the route is in the area I’ve been referring to here as the hilly country road training route. At its closest the race route is within a mile of my home. Cool, I’ve been training in the very same area where about half the race will be run.

Now if they’ll just finish construction on that box culvert and reopen the road.

Great blog! When is the half marathon? Any plans on increasing your mileage during your prep for it?

Thanks FL Pkrdlr. The Spring Hill Turkey Burn half-marathon is on November 25, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I do plan to increase my mileage by increasing my longest weekly run by five minutes each week. Last week my long run was approximately 70 minutes, this week it will be 75, the next 80, and so on.

May you live long and run faster.

Nice, good luck! I'll be following your progress.

Thanks FL Pkrdlr. Good luck to you as well.

"God put me on this earth to run and that’s what I’m going to do." ~ Usain Bolt

I watched a documentary on Netflix called I Am Bolt. It’s a biography of the life and career of Usain Bolt. He holds world record titles in the 100 and the 200 meter dash. The documentary has footage showing many of Bolt’s races and training. It’s amazing to see how much training is involved in preparing for the 100 and 200 meter dash at the world championship level. The documentary has many interviews with his friends, family, trainers, and other athletes. I'm sure this documentary will be interesting to anyone who likes Usain Bolt, and track and field. The documentary is inspiring, entertaining and informative.

"I was excited to be hurting, and just embracing the pain, embracing the challenge, and just staying calm." ~ Jordan Hasay

Running log (past week)

Sunday: no running

Monday: 8.22 miles (9:23); ran the hilly country road training route, cloudy, 71° F, 100% humidity.

Tuesday: 3.24 miles (8:49); ran in the park, mostly cloudy, 77° F, 91% humidity.

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 3.26 miles (8:16); ran in the park, mostly clear, 61° F, 80% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 4.05 miles (9:15); ran in the park, partly cloudy, 75° F, 80% humidity.

Week Total: 18.77 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 10.37 miles

Like the quote from Jordan Hasay it's a sentiment I experience on long bike rides. Glad to see you putting some miles on the stationary, ever think about getting on a "rolling" bicycle?.

Thanks HankTheBank. I’m glad that you like the Jordan Hasay quote. Hasay was referring to her recent victory in the Chicago Marathon.

I used to have a “rolling” bicycle back in the ‘90s. I rode an organized century bike ride in 1994. My stationary bike was a gift; it’s a Stamina Fusion 7250. I’ll need to begin using it more now that I’m training for a half-marathon. I use cycling as a relatively low resistance, high cadence, recovery exercise.

Sometimes I watch Danny MacAskill videos while peddling my stationary bike. MacAskill seems to defy gravity at times, but at the end they show the out takes and failed attempts.

"I have to be 100% clear that I’m going to do the trick I’m going to do. I never think that I’m going to crash, otherwise I wouldn’t ride the bike the way I do." ~ Danny MacAskill

"If it hurts, make it hurt more." ~ Percy Cerutty

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 8.40 miles (9:32); ran the hilly country road training route, cloudy, rained for about 15 minutes and I got soaked, 77° F, 77% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 3.27 miles (8:17); ran in the park, clear, 59° F, 68% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 3.10 miles (8:36); Rock & Road 5k, partly cloudy, 60° F, 86% humidity. The Rock & Road 5k at Percy Warner Park in Nashville is different from what I’m used to running. Usually I run on smooth pavement. This race was mainly run on grass fields with a few challenging hills.

Week Total: 14.77 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 20.99 miles

"When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time." ~ Haile Gebrselassie

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 9.39 miles (9:57); ran the hilly country road training route, mostly cloudy, 77° F, 57% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: 3.18 miles (8:46); ran in the park, partly cloudy, 46° F, 79% humidity.

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 3.26 miles (8:19); ran in the park, clear, 65° F, 45% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: no running

Week Total: 15.83 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 42.78 miles

I’m registered for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon April 28, 2018. This will be my first marathon. I hope the weather will be better than last year’s record high heat and humidity.

To qualify for Boston, a man my age needs to run a marathon in 3 hours 40 minutes or faster. How hard can that be? That’s just an 8:23 per mile pace.

An 8:23 pace works out to:
5k ~ 26 minutes
10k ~ 52 minutes
12k ~ 1 hour 2 minutes 24 seconds
15k ~ 1 hour 18 minutes
Half-marathon ~ 1 hour 50 minutes
Marathon ~ 3 hours 40 minutes

Once I turn sixty the Boston qualifying time increases to 3 hours 55 minutes. To finish a marathon in 3:55:00 would require an ~8:58 average pace. That’s a considerably more realistic goal and that gives me a few years to train. For my first marathon though, I believe I should just focus on finishing and not worry about setting a time goal. The Nashville marathon is six months away; let’s see how my training progresses.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 8.54 miles (9:36); ran the hilly country road training route, cloudy, 44° F, 55% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 4.05 miles (8:58); ran in the park, cloudy, 68° F, 90% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: 10.84 miles (9:37); ran the hilly country road training route, fog, 63° F, 96% humidity. I often see animals while I’m running in the country. Usually dogs, cattle, occasionally squirrels, wild turkeys, opossums, armadillos. Sometimes I’ll run across a carcass and a wake of turkey vultures feeding on it. I wonder if that could be my ultimate fate. Yep, I’ll just drop dead on the side of road and vultures will eat my remains. Anyway, today I was running along and up the road I could see two whitetail deer. They were standing off to the side of the road, I assume looking for food. I thought, well either they’re not concerned about my approach or they just haven’t noticed me. I got to within twenty feet when they went into this panicked prancing, then they scampered across the road right in front of me and bolted off into the woods. That was so cool.

Week Total: 23.43 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 41.95 miles

"A lifetime of work for this moment. It was worth it. Be relentless." ~ Shalane Flanagan

Running log (past week)

Sunday: no running

Monday: 7.92 miles (9:26); ran the hilly country road training route, cloudy, 62° F, 91% humidity.

Tuesday: no running

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: 3.26 miles (8:07); ran in the park, clear, 55° F, 45% humidity.

Friday: no running

Saturday: no running

Week Total: 11.18 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 41.62 miles

“We all have good days and bad days, and as we get older it takes a while to get going, If you’re forty, or fifty, or sixty-five, the hardest thing is just to get out the door, and then to do it again.” ~ Meb Keflezighi

Running log (past week)

Sunday: 4.10 miles (8:47); ran in the park, cloudy, 55° F, 80% humidity.

Monday: no running

Tuesday: 3.35 miles (8:39); ran in the park, clear, 47° F, 71% humidity.

Wednesday: no running

Thursday: no running

Friday: 8.69 miles (9:28); ran the hilly country road training route, sunny, 64° F, 30% humidity.

Saturday: no running

Week Total: 16.14 miles.

Week total stationary bicycle virtual mileage: 31.68 miles