ALL SIGNS POINT

Dang, lots to get to today, but not a lot of time. First off, all signs are pointing to making this a cutback week. Those signs include;

Mileage: After taking 5 days off after Chicago, my weekly mileage has been 40, 57, 66, 80, 81, and 82.

Lack of sleep 2 nights in-a-row: Saturday night I partied like a rock star. Okay, not really but I was up till 1 AM. I did get to “sleep in” ‘till 6:30. So let me publicly thank my kids and dog. Sunday night my daughter Katie got up a few times due to monsters in her room. As a result, I was tossing and turning for an hour or two.

Sore calf: Nothing major, but my left calf has bothered me a little during the last two runs.

Cold season: ‘Tis the season and while I don’t have a cold, there have been a few mornings where I’ve felt some symptoms.

So while I give him all the credit in the world, these are the feelings I’m trying to avoid. I’m not to the “jump in the water (i.e. 100 mpw training) is fine” point – yet.

Usually, the thing I hate most about cutback weeks or days off is that they always seem to occur when the weather is perfect for running. While this morning’s 38 and rain may not sound perfect, it sure is unseasonably warm. Anyway, I took yesterday off and ran an easy 5 miles this morning.

The time off allowed me to post this interview. I love the photo that goes with the interview. It's cool how the kids are craning their necks to watch for as long as possible before he fades out of site. After checking it out, be sure to read Jason Lehmkule’s journal entry where he talks about his performance at TCM. It’s a great read. Finally, if you’re interested in a local ultra-marathoner who’s 67 years old, check out this article.

Finally, there seems to be no middle ground when it comes to Dean Karnazes. Runners seem to either love him or hate him. Frankly, I’m not a big fan, but it has more to do with the marketing machine that surrounds him. All the hype surrounding the 50-50-50 and he wasn’t even the first person to accomplish it – this year – let alone ever. Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because of the latest cover of Outside magazine. It has a photo of Dean along with the phrase; “America’s Greatest Runner.” Can they use a broader brush stroke? I guess I’d rather place my vote on the fastest runner in the U.S. – or at the very least, with Sam Thompson.

Quote of the day;

“I just want to be recognized as a great runner. What I like about the marathon is the old school training and racing mentality one must possess to conquer it. I love the age of Beardsley, Hodge, Rodgers, Meyer, Bjorklund, et al. Going out and pounding out 140 mile weeks and just trying to hammer yourself into the ground then getting up the next day and doing it all over again is an awesome feeling.” - Matt Gabrielson