TheRunningRev.Com

181 Days To Comrades - Treadmills are sinful!

After over a week of running on the treadmill it was a delight to find weather warm enough to head outside for an easy ten-miler with my wife, Jenny. 

I realized it was going to be a long winter (it always is in MN) and that I didn't have any desire to spend much time running outside this winter. Thankfully we have a treadmill at home, Sole F80, and that is a great blessing. We gave up our health club membership about 10 years ago and bought some equipment for the house, we have saved a great deal of time and money over the years.

The problem is I hate the treadmill. Now, I know, as a Rev., that I'm not supposed to hate anything other than sin, but let me state quite clearly that running and going nowhere should be a sin, and therefore something to be hated. God never intended us to run in one place, just read your bible and you'll see that Jesus call over and over again is to follow him, and you can't follow anyone on a treadmill!

So how do you make treadmill running not a sin? Answer: You buy a TV so you can watch educational, uplifting material while you run. I hear you say that surely this is sinful, spending money on a TV so you can run nowhere while there is great need and poverty in the world.

Not so, the TV is an investment in the war against extreme poverty! How so?

I'm training for Comrades, and will need to survive the MN winter, which will require treadmill running. I'll be travelling to South Africa with Team World Vision and I am committing to finding sponsors for at least 56 children in South Africa (I'll have details on the kids in January). My $300 TV is part of a commitment to raise between $75,000 and $125,000 for World Vision (based on sponsorship of $35 per month with the average sponsor supporting their child for 3-5 years).

See how easy it is to turn the sin of treadmill running into the purchase of a new TV for the sake of fighting poverty!

Happy Winter Running Everyone. 

Already Tired of the Cold Weather Running!

Winter arrived last Saturday as eight inches of wet snow fell on the ground. I didn't get out for a run but reluctantly climbed onto the treadmill and after three miserable miles I climbed off shaking my fist at old man winter.

Unlike last winter, our first back in Minnesota, when I considered it a challenge to run through the cold weather I have no such desire this year. After running outside yesterday in 34 degree weather with a windchill in the mid-20's and feeling cold I can honestly say I have had it with winter running. It's not even that cold yet by Minnesota standards.

This is going to be a long winter for me.

The problem is that I've signed up for Comrades in May and my training program is calling for long runs of 20, 23, 24, 25, 26 & 20 miles from mid-January through the end of February.  

The Joy of Running at Night

It was a beautiful evening, the sky was clear, the stars were shining bright in the night sky and the roads were quiet.

Dressed in my Brooks nightlife gear and headlamp on my head I headed out for a five mile run. After a quarter mile I left our neighborhood and was running along country roads. Everything looks and sounds different at night. 

Very quickly I found myself in a near hypnotic state as I was sucked into the bubble of the light in front of me, but just as quickly as I was sucked in I was shaken from my state of hypnosis as the light reflected in the eyes of a raccoon several yards away. I became acutely aware that out there in the dark were a myriad of animals just out of sight. As I ran by a field I paused as a dozen glowing green eyes stared back at me. 

Turning into the darkest part of my run I was shocked to see a large black mass near the edge of the road. It turned out to be several black garbage bags filled with leaves but in the dark of night I couldn't be sure from a distance.

It's runs like this that remind me how much fun running can be. I felt like a little kid on a great adventure, it doesn't get much better than this.

TWV Running Comrades

Perhaps you've heard of the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, with the first run being held in 1921 it is the longest running ultramarathon in the world. With some 15,000 runners it is also the largest ultra in the world.

This year a group from Team World Vision (I want to join the team next year) will be flying out to compete in this fabulous race. Each member of the team has a goal of finding sponsors for 150 children, they are running to save lives!

We are also hoping that the first member of Team World Vision to finish the race will also be the winner of race. Josh Cox (US 50k record holder) is currently training hard in the hopes of becoming only the second American winner of Comrades. Among those joining Josh will Michael Chitwood who leads Team World Vision, Bart Yasso (Runner's World) and Andy Baldwin (The Bachelor).

If you don't currently sponsor a child now might be (is) a good time to start!

Running Update

I've been busy training for the Trail Mix 50k coming up on April 17th. I'm looking forward to this ultra-marathon race of four 7.75 mile loops, running on the trails will be a pleasant change from the road and soft shoulder of the roads around our home.

My training's been going well finishing up March with 201 miles run, the highest monthly mileage I've ever recorded. I've managed to get two 20 mile runs in with 10 miles on the day after and have felt strong each time. I finished up March with a great 9 mile run at a 7:36 pace around Bald Eagle Lake. The sun wasPublish shining and it was a comfortable 75 degrees out. The ice is out of the lake so I think it means spring has officially arrived.

I was especially delighted when a woman riding her bike told me I looked fast as she passed me in the opposite direction for the second time. I guess looks can be deceiving but it was a nice compliment.

Today we are about 25 degrees above normal, I pray we don't see average temperatures again any time soon, gotta love this weather for running.

13.1 Minneapolis and Team World Vision

Yesterday I attended a fabulous breakfast with Team World Vision. World Vision will be the primary charity at the 13.1 series of races this year and that includes the Minneapolis race on August 22. All the funds raised by runners will go to digging wells in Kenya to provide life saving clean water to villages.

Jenny and I are planning to lead a team for this race as we both believe in the work that World Vision is doing and have a passion for the poor of the world. If you are in the Twin Cities area and would like to run with us go to the Team World Vision website and follow the three steps to sign up.

Yeah, I know for some of you 13.1 isn't far so lets do it together, have fun and support a great cause while doing so.

Running in Shorts Again!

The last time I ran outside in a pair of shorts was Thanksgiving morning, it was a cold morning but since I was racing a 5k I opted for shorts instead of tights. Since then it has been tights all winter, that is until two days ago when the temperature here in MN hit a balmy 35 degrees and I was once again wearing shorts!

I don't like wearing tights but they do keep me warm in the winter. They feel restrictive as they cling to my body accentuating how truly skinny my legs are! Give me my shorts back.

I had grown tired of winter. Bundling up to run in temperatures hovering in the low teens with the windchill below zero gets old very quickly. Let's be honest, it's no fun when your face goes numb, your fingers start to hurt and even though you're wearing a hat your ears still feel like ice cubes! Many resort to the treadmill during the cold winter months and I have to confess that I ran on the treadmill more this winter than I have ever done, but due to my high hatred of the treadmill, I'm a runner, I like to go places when I run, I persisted in running outside as much as I could bring myself to.

But winter will soon be over (hopefully by mid-March!) and running will once again be a pleasure. I can hardly wait for some warm, even hot summer days to run around Bald Eagle lake with sweat running from every pour in my body reminding me that I am doing something that is good for me and is thoroughly enjoyable!

Why I Love To Run

I slipped out the door around 7:30. It was cold and dark as I headed out onto the country roads near our home. Wearing a Brooks Nightlife jacket and donning a Black Diamond headlamp I lit up the road with my presence rather than my speed.

As the light of the headlamp lit my path it was hypnotic with every step I thought I might catch up to the light in front of me but never did. It was still, it was quiet and I felt very much at peace with the world. I felt like I could run forever but I was only going four miles. It was a simple out and back, I've run it dozens of times but tonight I had to stop and check my bearings, such was the hypnotic impact of the run.

On the final stretch I was focused on the way my breath drifted across the beam of light and disappeared into the dark. It was a thing of beauty a great momentary piece of art that can never be reproduced.

This is why I love to run... although I'm looking forward to spring!

Running Year in Review...

I just finished my last run of the year, it was a balmy 10 degrees out with a -5 windchill, as I arrived back at our house after six miles just as the sun was dropping below the horizon for the last time in 2009.

Over the course of the year I put in 1,450 miles of running and completed six organized races.

I never thought that this might be the year of the 5k but I set a PR in June and then took 2nd place in my age group at the local Thanksgiving Day run. My one marathon of the year, Twin Cities, was a little disappointing but I wasn't that surprised as I spent a few days in Virginia the week before and stayed up later than I should have but I couldn't pass up on the U2 concert.

My favorite running moment of the year was once again the track workouts at Gainesville Middle School with the folks from The Running Store. They will be sorely missed as we have now moved to Minnesota.

After eight months in MN I'm still trying to find a good trail (with 10-20 miles of trail) to run on that's close to home. The Manassas Battlefield was so convenient, I drove past it every day to and from work.

2010 will hopefully be a great year with at least one marathon and a couple of ultra's thrown in for good measure!

Prefered Temperatures for Running

As I was running in 20 degree weather today I found myself daydreaming of summer track workouts with Ian Connor and the The Running Store folks. Running intervals in 90 degree temperatures sounds like the greatest thing in the world right now,  and to think that Minnesota normally sees only a handful of 90 degree days in the summer.

So here's my list from best to worst of temps to run in...

1. 40-65
2. 65-80
3. 32-40
4. 80+
5. 20-32
6. below 20

You may disagree and that's fine, but when you haven't had cold temps like this for five years they most certainly hit the bottom of the barrel.