Saturday, April 28, 2007

Long Run, Unremarkable; How cool.

ORN: 16.1 miles, 2:42:38, R5/W1, 10:06/mile

It is really cool to turn in a 16 mile run and really not have much to say about it. It was a beautiful day, the run went well, the splits were steady. The only really annoying thing was a dumb song I got in my head towards the end. It was the old kiddies’ song “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout.” If that’s the worst part of a run, I’m in good shape. .

Remarkably, this run also knocked off Part A of my first
Goal for 2007. I just read that January 1 post and when I set the target of running the half-marathon distance on two consecutive weekends, I could not imagine how it would happen. Amazingly, it will likely happen when I do the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon next Saturday. I’m incredibly thankful for the ability to run. It is a simple thing, so many cannot or will not. I can and do…it is a gift, daily.

I fiddled with a new hydration system today as well. A year or so ago, I got a Camelback fanny pack. It was OK, but seemed to put a strain on my lower back and just felt awkward while running (though it works great when hiking). So, for long runs, I just reverted to driving the course ahead of time and stashing a couple of old soda bottles with Gatorade in the bushes. With the new run/walk routine, though, those spots always hit at an awkward spot, it seemed, messing up the rhythm. So, on Friday, I picked up this
Thunderbolt belt with 30 oz capacity at a local sports shop. My objective was to have a way to take a small sip during every walk break and keep it moving. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this worked, though it took me a couple of miles to get the belt tight enough. I’m going to sew more Velcro on it to give it more room to cinch up. I also found 30oz was not quite enough for 16 miles. But the pattern worked well.

My wife laughed at my new toy. I pointed out it was merely “Continuous Improvement.” She laughed harder; “I’m sure it is, dear, and I’m also not surprised you call it that!” She loves me anyway.

Persevere. And be grateful for spouses that understand!!

6 comments:

Wes said...

I like my Camelbak fanny pack. I hardly even know its there. Dee Dee's backpack is nice too, but the straps can sure wear out your shoulders. Those belts look really nice and distribute the refreshments over a bigger area. Nice run! Woo hoo for the upcoming mini-marathon!!

Anonymous said...

So you are now going to take up sewing, Joe!! This will be a nice addition to you set of "marketable" skills!!

We love you anyway.... Karen (your sister!!)

Anne K. said...

Hey, Joe, Karen picked up on the same phrase I did -- "I'm going to sew..." -- words not commonly uttered by our brother!!!! But, way to go!

The belt looks cool, but how come one of the bottles is upside down?

Love you -

Anne

Sarah said...

So true! ---- after working through an injury it's so nice to have an "unremarkable" long run! : ) Enjoy.

IronWaddler said...

Good run and good Luck at Indy. It's alot of fun with alot of people! Enjoy.

Darrell said...

Glad to see that you covered more than the 1/2 marathon distance this weekend. I realized after talking to you that I had forgotten to ask how it went.

You gotta love the name of your hydration belt - Thunderbolt!

Enjoy the Mini.