Plan the work, work the plan

I was sent an interesting New York Times story on how marathoners are running few miles now in training than they did back in the 70s and 80s. It's a plan to finish well rather than compete and run a blisteringly fast time.

I'm not definitely in the middle. I want to finish of course, but I want to do more than that.

So anyhow, here's my plan for the next few months as I get ready for Minneapolis.

During the week:
Mondays - rest
Tuesdays - hills or speedwork. - at least an hour
Wednesdays - Medium long run - at least 7 miles as many as 12.
Thursday - tempo run and/or speedwork
Friday - easy run or rest day/cross training (swimming?)
Saturday - run at Marathon pace
Sunday - Long Run.

Sunday Long Run schedule
Oct. 7 - 26.2 in Minneapolis
Sept. 30 - 8 miles
Sept. 23 - 12 miles
Sept. 16 - 20 miles
Sept. 9 - 12 miles
Sept. 2 - 20 miles
Aug. 26 - 12 miles
Aug. 19 - 20 miles
Aug. 12 - 12 miles
Aug. 5 - 18 miles
July 29 - 12 miles
July 22 - 16 miles
July 15 - 12 miles
July 8 - 14 miles
July 1 - 12 miles
June 24 - 12 miles

Well and so on. My current plan has me running 12 miles every Sunday until July 8. Maybe I should rethink that. I've run 12 miles for the last couple of Sundays already. What do you think? Do you have any other suggestions? Part of the reason I'm posting this here of course is to get your feedback.
Thanks.

Feeling the excitement

So today I found a map for the Chris Sifford 5K. So I went out to run the course, which is a 2.5 K loop.

And I tried to keep in mind Kyler's words on breathing and race pace.

One of the most important ways for me to gauge my pace, and to determine how much harder I can push myself, is to focus on my breathing. I normally have a very precise cadence: on easy runs I take 4 strides per breath, while "race pace" is a very steady 3 strides per breath. Throughout any run, I'll try to stay right on the edge, flirting with the transition from 4 to 3 or from 3 to 2 strides/breath. I'm always very aware of these transitions when I pick up the pace or when I back off, so it's a fantastic way for me to gauge how hard I'm pushing myself.

OK, the problem here is that unlike Kyler I don't have a precise cadence. Also, I'm willing to bet that Kyler is better with numbers than I am. How many strides per breath? That requires counting. Was that two strides per breath? Or one stride? Or three?
It's not always pretty between my ears, folks. It's just not.
The counting thing didn't quite work.

So, I was also trying to put in a good effort, but not go race hard all-out. How did that work? OK, I guess. I can run harder. Just how much harder. Quite simply, we'll see on Saturday morning. Hopefully it will be a good race.

It's largely a downhill race with key sections going uphill. I'm excited about the uphills and think the downhills will give me a chance to stretch out my long legs.

I'm excited.

Quote of the day

"Mostly I run because I am an animal, and a child, an artist and a saint. So too are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be." - George Sheehan.

I came across that quote in Trail Runner magazine today.

Jim Evans asked me during a 12-mile run on Sunday why I run. Because I can was my quick answer.

And I thought perhaps I should have a better more reflective answer than that. But in a sense, that sums it up. I can run so I do.

Although I wonder, do I run or do I jog? But I suppose I'm too hard on myself.

I run because I can. I love running in the woods when deer are running around me. I love running through the rain and splashing in puddles. I love it when mud is caked on my legs and on my socks. I love it when I'm sweaty and when I'm tired. I love being in the middle of a long run and my legs start to get loose. I love going faster than I think I can and finding out how long I can hold my pace.
I love it I love it I love it.

Phi Beta Pink

OK. Here's my quick gripe of the day.

It's called Phi Beta Pink, a new line of loungewear and t-shirts by Victoria's Secret.

My gripe is specifically women who wear all sorts of clothing with pink plastered across the butt. I finished another run at the Y today on the treadmill and some woman in front of me was wearing Phi Beta Pink pants with Phi Beta Pink scrawled across her butt.

Now as complaints go, there are worse things a person can do.

But I'm just saying hey, don't tell me not to stare. I don't want to stare. But I can't help but notice when the word "pink" or the words "phi beta pink" are stuck to your butt.

go fassa!!

from R

So, this started as a comment to the last post by Jim, but then it was really long, so I thought I'd just make it a post:

Do you read Runner's World? I read an article about 5K's recently where they were recommending running faster than you can maintain for the first mile--you might end up slowing down toward the end, but not enough to eat up all the time you gained at the beginning.

It's probably worth a shot--even if you miscalculate and totally bonk, it's just a 5K and there'll be another one in 2 weeks.

Here's the link:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-259-11738-0,00.html
(if it doesn't work go to runnersworld.com and search "5k", it's the article called "go out fast in your next 5k")

At least it's something different. The only other idea I have is that you look over your training log and whatever it looks like, do something different. Maybe next time do a 10k instead of a 5. Maybe do more hills. Maybe run twice in one day sometimes. Maybe do sprints on a track. Maybe more Fartlek. Maybe more rest.


So, has anyone actually tried starting a 5K faster than they can run it?

My latest long run, which is very sad and small compared to BL's long runs, went really well on Saturday. It's a nice, flat course along a bay, and there were plenty of people out enjoying the weather and long weekend. For the first half of the run (away from the car), I was maintaining a pretty steady pace, somewhat faster than I could maintain. After the turnaround point, I started playing mental games, because I mainly wanted to stop. Every time I heard someone coming up behind me in a car or on a bike, I'd "race" them to the next sign or bush (the speed limit is 15 mph on that road). If there were walkers up ahead, I'd race them to something ahead of them. If someone was coming toward me, I'd race them to a point between us. Not that they knew this. And when I reached that point, I'd let myself slow down a little if I wanted to... but then there'd be someone else. So it was a very inconsistent pace on the way back, but overall it matched the pace of the first half, and it may well have been the fastest I've ever gone 7 miles.

This mental game really works best if there are plenty of other people around. My dad, who used to run all the time around our little town back in the midwest, would play a different game: he usually pushed himself hard enough pace-wise, but then the main trick was to keep going. So he'd run as long as anyone could see him. That meant, as long as he was even in sight of a car or house, whether or not he could see a person.

What does this mean?

I have run six 5K races since April 7th. Even though the courses and conditions have varied considerably my times have remained constant within a 15 second range. On four of the six I got 22:42. I start every race with an “I’m going to do better this time” attitude, but then the same old time.

Does anybody have a suggestion on how I can break the spell?

Fast Times at Marshfield High

RS. New 5k PR today at Webster County 5K in course around Marshfield High School. 24:44. Trophy for age group. Nuff said.

The Penguin and the Hills

This was a significant week for me, RS, because it was week 1 of my 20-week training for my first marathon, the Chicago Marathon.
A local veteran Springfield marathoner assures me Chicago is "flat as a pancake." How much hill training should I do? Or, my real question, should I do any real hill training?

I had the pleasure to see John "The Penguin" Bingham and coach Jenny Hadfield discuss hills at a running clinic they hosted just before the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. The Penguin (it says that on his nametag) is a slower runner who encourages people to run regardless of speed. He comes across as a jokester, an ordinary guy. Jenny is the more serious coach with technical information. They make a cute, hilarious couple.

Three questions into the clinic, it was obvious people were nervous about Nashville hills. The Penguin said no one should worry. Nashville is filled with "gentle," rolling hills you can see over, he said. Everyone laughed as Jenny shook her head in disagreement behind his back.

Jenny made RS and others raise a hand and repeat an oath: "I will make friends with hills." She stressed that you must work with the shape of a hill, and not fight against it. You should "let the hill pull you down" on the descent, she said.

Disturbing Penguin comment: The Penguin said hills can be good because they work various muscle groups ... "unlike Chicago where you pound the same muscle group over and over."

Avoiding the battle

This lady asked me this morning: Are you going to be jogging here long. We're about to have a battle.

She was sitting in a lawn chair by a lake in a local park. I was finishing my morning loop and headed back to the car. Still, notice how this is different from yesterday's sidewalk commenter. He said, keep on running. She asked about my jogging.

Perhaps there was a difference in my pace. Yesterday I ran. Today I jogged. Perhaps. But it also spoke to the small amount of danger you sometimes feel when out in a public park in rural America. I wonder what war games these folks were about to play. Were they using big water guns? Beebee guns? What? I'll never know. I had to keep on running, regardless of what they were doing.

Still, it's kind of crazy.

Keep on running

Today was kind of a long, strange day at work. I can encapsulate my day in one sentence. I worked more than 8 hours and I got so busy I forgot to eat lunch. I could have left at any time to eat lunch, but it was more important to stay at my desk and get stuff done or run errands and get stuff done. Somehow food feel by the wayside.

So anyway, after work I'm going for a short 3 mile run. Before I've even finished the first half mile I see a guy walking down the street. I say hey how are you doing. He says good, how are you? And I reply great.

Then as I pass him, in a slightly stronger voice, he says, "Keep on running."

Keep on running.

Well, seeing as I hadn't gone a half-mile yet, I definitely planned to. What did he mean, keep on running? Did he think I was about to quit? I was barely getting started. I can't look that bad. Nice encouragement though. Maybe he sees me running quite a bit. Maybe it occurred to him that sometimes the going gets rough. Keep on running. Maybe he remembers when he was young and exercised often. Maybe he remembers the day he stopped running. He wishes he hadn't stopped. Biggest mistake he ever made. He didn't have to stop. He doesn't want me to make the same mistake.

Keep on running.

I think I will.

The fastest man on no legs

I just read an Ellen Goodman column about Oscar Pistorius, who calls himself "the fastest man on no legs."

Here's an excerpt:

This racing phenom recently won the 100- and 200-meter races in an international competition for disabled athletes. He won on a pair of J-shaped carbon fiber blades known as Cheetahs.

Pistorius calls himself "the fastest man on no legs." He was born with defects in his feet and his lower legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. Nevertheless, he says, "I don't see myself as disabled." He wants to be allowed to race for the Olympic gold on his own two Cheetahs.

This is one of those stories tailor-made for the Olympic coverage: A great athlete overcomes enormous adversity to pursue his dream. But it's also one of the other stories now stalking sports: Exactly what kind of technology, training or performance enhancements should we applaud? And what kind should we reject?

...Those who oppose Pistorius compare his Cheetahs to "techno-doping." But it is also true that technology has been used to enhance performance since the first runner put on a shoe...

It's an interesting column on ethics. Goodman talks about how some athletes choose to go train at high altitudes and that's fair. But then some cry foul when other athletes sleep in special tents simulating high altitude conditions.

She also talks about Barry Bonds and the Tour de France. Personally, I have trouble imagining Bonds riding a bicycle through the Alps.

Anyway, that's the trivia for today. South African runner Oscar Pistorius is the fastest man on no legs. Impress someone at a party this weekend and debate whether or not he should get to run in the Olympics.

Long run question

Registration for the Twin Cities marathon is now closed. And I'm one of the lucky few.

The race will be on the first Sunday of October at 8 a.m. Which brings me to my question. If I'm running a race that starts at 8 in the morning, wouldn't it make sense for me to do my long runs early in the morning as well?

I think that will be part of my plan.

Anyhow, this will be a good race. I'm one of the lucky few and I'm excited.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that runs this race with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That ran with us....

Things that make you go hmmm or the poetic feet post with comments about actual poetic feet

Just a quick thought - Is Poetic Meter the way they measure poetic rhythm and timing in the metric system and Poetic Feet refers to the way we do it in the United States?

I wish I could give my readers more concrete info about poetic feet and what they actually are.

Run easy. Run smooth. That's what I say. Sometimes the best slam poems come to me when I'm running, but then once I've showered and cooled down I can't quite remember them.

Isn't that always the way?

a thought for my next 5K

"To appreciate heaven well 'tis good for a man to have some fifteen minutes of hell." - Will Carleton

Now that's something to think about for when I run my next 5K race.

What a headache

I had a good 12 mile run today as I look forward to starting to train hard and train in earnest for the Twin Cities marathon.
I did, however, make one big mistake. I didn't drink enough. I need a fuel belt or something to aid in hyrdration. After the run I didn't feel too bad, but I've got a pretty bad headache right now. It serves me as a reminder. Don't wait until I'm thirsty to drink. The temperature wasn't even that hot today, but it apparently was hot enough.
Next time, I'll do a better job of getting fluids.

Boston or bust

I just read a a quaint story about a runner who qualified for Boston, but has no desire to run the fabled race. His talk of preferring to run in a small hometown race reminded me of my first race with about 650 marathoners total.
It was small, but my mom was on the side of the road to cheer me on. Here's an excerpt from the story:

If I run a spring marathon any time soon, and in all likelihood that won't be next spring, it'll be the Run for the Red Marathon, or some other small town marathon with a big-race feel.

For me, the race was much more than testing myself for 26.2 miles. It was a community and family event.

At Boston, I'd be a number. The thought of getting to the starting line, finding my family after the race and waiting in line to get my bag of sweats gives me nightmares. And considering the weather conditions of this year's race, a nor'easter, I can't imagine doing all that in horrible conditions.

The two things I liked most about the Run for the Red Marathon were having people call out my name along the course and then having family, friends and well-wishers join in the celebration afterward.

And I noticed it wasn't just me. Most of the runners had someone, and in some cases a lot of someones, they could share their experience with....

The Run for the Red has a hometown feel that makes spectators get excited. In all likelihood their neighbor, cousin or co-worker is in the event.

Asics powered

Hurray. I, RS, set a new 5K PR of 25:18 this morning at the Asics Ridge Runner Sports 5K in Springfield. That replaces my old, pitiful PR of 25:21. 25:17 here I come.

I recalled someone said something to bl at a recent race about breathing hard. I decided at the start line that I would breathe hard. That's it. That was the strategy. Just breathe hard. A real flat course also helped.

The awesome thing about this PR is that the old one set in March at the Frisco Trail Run never felt legitimate. There was a spot in that one where a Boy Scout seemed to let us cheat a bit by cutting through a parking lot.

Interesting sidenote: I was in close competition with a girl with pigtails during the whole race, and she pulled away in the last seconds. I discovered later she was from Australia. I recalled that an Australian woman was the top lady at this year's Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth (the site of my first half-marathon). There's no insightful comment here, just a goofy question: What's up with female Australian runners?

Until my next post ... breathe hard, people.

Fill the unforgiving minute

I'm linking to this story about 60-second repeats so I can find it again later.

Today's Tempo Run

I sometimes struggle with running as hard as I want to. Today was supposed to be a tempo run, running so hard that my body adjusts to the pain that it should feel in a race. Initally I planned to go about six miles total including four miles on minimally trafficked stretches of Holland. But part of that plan would have involved crossing Sunshine at rush hour, a feat not for the faint of heart. Crossing Grand was a nightmare today. So I ran four miles total on the roads and got back to the Y, wonderfully positioned right next to my house and ran the final mile at my 5K pace or slightly faster, a little faster than an 8 minute mile. (Is it really my 5K pace or is my 5K pace faster than that?) Also, it was supposed to be my final two miles but I felt like I should get to work sooner rather than later. Why I thought that, I don't know, but that's what was on my mind.
Anyways, what I learned is the treadmill offers a great way to push the pace at the end of a run. Just when you think you're tired, the treadmill offers a way to make sure that you don't slow down and slack off at the crucial last moments of a workout.
All in all, it was a good run, a good start to a good day.

Sing a song of Whitman

Maybe I've got spring fever. I'm at work, almost finished with something I've been working on. But my mind keeps wandering. I just wandered over to the blog of r, the other contributor here at Poetic Feet. And I liked what I read so much that I thought it belonged here.
And so, I'm lifting it for your reading pleasure:

Well, it's been an exciting week all around: Wednesday was a marathon Whitman reading, and while we signed up by time slot rather than section, I got to read one of my favorite parts of Leaves of Grass, "Song of Myself":

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

[...]

Have you reckon'd a thousand acres much? have you reckon'd the earth much?
Have you practis'd so long to learn to read?
Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems?

Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems,
You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,)
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books.
You shall not look through my eyes either, not take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.

[...]
Trippers and askers surround me,
People I meet, the effect upon me of my early life or the ward and city I live in, or the nation,
The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors old and new,
My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, dues,
The real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love,
The sickness of one of my folks or myself, or ill-doing or loss or lack of money, or depressions and exaltations,
Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events,
These come to me days and nights and go from me again,
But they are not the Me myself.

[...]
Backward I see in my own days when I sweated through fog with linguists and contenders,
I have no mockings or arguments, I witness and wait.

***
I love Whitman, for better or for worse: the ebullience, inclusiveness, and contradictions (do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes). Perhaps more on this later.

Welcome

We've got a new contributor here at the Poetic Feet blog.
It's rslight. Welcome.
We mainly write about running here. Except when we write about slam poetry or random ramblings or inspirational quotes or life in general. All that sort of thing. The blog continues.

Dream Darfur

What do the Olympics have to do with the genocide in Darfur?
I'm so glad you asked.
Thanks to legendary writer Nat Hentoff, I'm starting to formulate an answer to that question.
Quite simply, the 2008 Olympics are in China. And China is the largest investor and protector of Sudan, the country that is massacring the people who live in Darfur.
There is a campaign called Dream Darfur and there is a website connected to the campaign that hopes to bring attention to China's shameful role in this whole situation.
What does Olympic Dream for Darfur want? Again, I'm so glad you asked.
This is what they say on their website:

Olympic Dream for Darfur wants to see a positive 2008 summer Olympics with China as the host. We wholeheartedly believe in the notion of an international sporting event that represents world peace, and appreciate the role China is playing in organizing for the Games.

Unfortunately, if nothing is done immediately, the carnage in Darfur will be far beyond the catastrophe it is now when the Games begin. It will be unsettling for the global community to see images of horrific suffering and death next to images of the Olympic Games sponsored by a government that is in a strong position to act.

China needs to use its influence with the government in Sudan before the Olympics start so that there will not be this brutal juxtaposition. In fact, it will take many months to mobilize a well-equipped, highly mobile protection force with a strong mandate for Western Sudan. And yet, for there to be a positive Olympics, protection forces must be on the ground in Darfur.

We are urging China to use its influence with Sudan in advance of the Games. We do not approve of any calls for an Olympic boycott.

Unfolding

I've been thinking a bit lately about my recent post on a striking passage from the book The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears. A former university professor reflects on why she quit her job. Saying the same things over and over to kids who aren't really paying attention anyway.

Then today I read a fascinating post over at a blog called Waiter Rant. It's a bit long but I'll share a couple of excerpts that I liked:

It’s the tail end of the lunch shift. I pretend to watch the office girls walking past the front window as I eavesdrop on two of my customers. I know that’s not very polite but it’s an interesting conversation. Besides, I’m bored.

“I don’t know,” the younger of the two men says. “I thought I’d be happier at this stage in my life.”....

As I’m listening a quote from Sun Tzu floats into my head. “Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends, hit him where he does not expect you.”....

The two men finish their coffees, pay the check, and leave. I go outside to catch a breath of fresh air. I watch the younger man climb into an Aston Martin and drive away. As I stand on the sidewalk I think about what makes people happy. Kids? Money? Sex? Power? The right job? A nice address? Many people looking at my life would say I’ve made all the wrong choices. Sometimes I think they’re right. The demons of loneliness and failure are never far from me. But, in my less anxious moments, I realize my life is probably unfolding as it should."

Relax

Here's a link to an active.com story about relaxation. It's not very in depth but it's a reminder that if I relaxed more, I'd probably run better.

Usually the answer is yes

I had a good six mile run today. I used to run six miles around town almost every morning. Somehow I've gotten away from that running different routes, running loops, running on the treadmill, running at night. Last night I talked about the hills of Fasnight Park and this morning I got out and did it.
During the last two miles of my run, I had a quote from Paul Tergat rolling through my head: "Ask yourself if you can give more. Usually the answer is yes."

Straightforward attainable goals

Since I've signed up for a marathon that's getting closer everyday, I need good goals.
It's one thing to have a list of time goals and I have those. But that's only going to be the product of work, hard work.
And so I've got goals to do something I didn't achieve before my last marathon in January. Specifically, I want to average at least 40 miles a week starting four months before the marathon. October is the 10th month, 10 minues 4 is 6, that's June. That's starting next month. Pardon my math.
So anyhow, the goal setting starts now. This week I will run 30 miles. Next week 33. The week after 36. And the following week, I'll be back up to 40 miles. It's simple as that.
I also plan to work in some proper speedwork over the summer in addition to hills.
It all starts with self-discipline.

River Run 2007

Today I ran a 10K in Wichita. My time was about 56 minutes. I'd had a goal of 50 minutes. Sigh. It didn't happen. I didn't even get a PR.
My 10K PR is 54:37. I did, however, get a PR for this race. Last year I finished in 56:37.
Still, I was a bit disappointed in myself after the race. I so much thought I could run faster. But it was the hottest day I've gone running all year. Not only that, I've struggled with allergies this week. And I just couldn't mentally push myself into another gear.
Doing the math, I'd say the heat probably slowed me down a total of 3 minutes. The allergies probably slowed me down by about two minutes. And my mental weakness had to slow me down at least two minutes. That's seven minutes off a 56 minute 10K.
This isn't anything to be proud about. It just gives me cause to work harder and set a more ambitious goal. For my next 10K, I will attempt to run a sub-49 minute race.
And I will work much harder in preparation. Now, I've just got to figure out what the next 10K will be. It's also about time for me to shift into training for the Twin Cities Marathon that I've registered for.

The next marathon

I have just registered for my next marathon.

What am I crazy? Yes, perhaps.

Anyhow, my friend Mark recommended this race and said it would be cool to run a race where he knew someone . So, Oct. 7, 2007 in Minneapolis. Twin Cities Marathon. Here I come.

This time, I will definitely break four hours. You can take that to the bank.

The dream of Notre Dame

Obviously Notre Dame means something to me. My first marathon finished on the 50 yard line of that hallowed Notre Dame stadium.
There's just something about Notre Dame.
Last week, I was at the university for the Alumni Senate and the kickoff of the university's $1.5 billion fund-raising campaign.
Man, it was awesome.
And it was funny to be around people who had fun referring to themselves as obnoxious.
Saying things like, "We can be obnoxious. We say we didn't just go to college. We went to Notre Dame."
I love the way sometimes I say the name Notre Dame and my voice gets deeper.

What is it about Notre Dame? I can tell you the story I've been thinking about a lot since the weekend. The fundraising campaign is called The Spirit of Notre Dame and this really captures it for me.

Father Edward Sorin founded the university. In 1879, a fire destroyed the main building. It destroyed the spirits of so many people on campus. Sorin was away, about to go on a fundraising trip. He learned of the fire and returned.
And then he gave a speech in the basilica that included this awesome passage:

"The fire has been my fault. I came here with a vision of a great university and named it after the mother of Jesus. Then we built a large university, or so I thought. But she had to burn it to the ground to show me that my vision was too narrow and that I had dreamed too small a dream.
Tomorrow when the bricks are cooled, we will clean them and begin again. This time we will build a really large building and when it is built, we will put a gold dome on the top and we will crown it with a golden statue of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that everyone will know to whom we owe whatever great future God has planned for this university of ours. Even if it were all destroyed again, I shall never give up. "

So I've been thinking about that a lot. Have my dreams been too small? How can I live with myself, if the answer to that question is yes? The answer, quite simply, is that I can't.

I didn't know quite what to expect out of this trip to Notre Dame last weekend. But it turned out far better than I expected.

Congrats to the tool

Congratulations to my friend, Middle Class Tool, who recently ran his second half-marathon.

I think reading his most recent post may have motivated me to sign up for the St. Jude Half-Marathon again. And then if my training goes well, I may be able to sign up for the whole marathon. And if not, I'll relive the joy of my first half-marathon ever in the wonderful city of Memphis.

Also, Mr. Tool's post made me laugh because his running strategy mirrored one I used back when I first ran my first half-marathon.

Story of the day

I don't have much commentary on this short story but I thought my small band of loyal readers would enjoy it.

Here's the lead:

A shoplifter would have to run pretty far to get away from this 70-year-old state liquor store clerk.

Judy Brenner of Brookfield was working at the liquor store in Wolfeboro on Thursday when she thought a customer was trying to lift some liquor.

Brenner, who ran the Boston Marathon this month, went after the teen, discovered he had a half-gallon of whiskey under his jacket and helped detain him until the police arrived, she said.

Tougher than the NFL

I love it. I just got a boost of energy and joy from reading what former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George had to say about running his first half-marathon.

George said running the half-marathon was more difficult than playing an NFL game, and he expects the recovery to be just as intense.

Before Saturday, George said his goal was to run the full marathon next year. He changed his mind after completing the half-marathon.

"I think I'll be looking to run the half again next year, and we'll see what happens after that," George said. "This was really difficult."

Yeah. Tougher than the NFL. Reminds you a bit of Lance Armstrong saying that the marathon was tougher than the Tour de France.

I'm not training for any specific marathon right now, just trying to increase speed in my quest for a 21 minute 5K. But reading a story like that sure makes me want to register for another 26.2 miler.