Toe Hold

When I was in my 20's I had a go at technical rock climbing. I never did anything at any serious altitude. Mostly some friends and I would head out to an old quarried wall maybe 50-60 feet tall and do some top roping and repelling. While the pitch was short the climbing was quite difficult as there was little purchase for hands or feet. I remember thinking I will never summit this wall. And I never did. There were two reasons I failed in those attempts at climbing that wall.


First, I psyched myself out. I let every little fear and concern stop me. Would I fall? Would I get hurt? Would I embarrass myself? This is the mind game every athlete, especially extreme or endurance athletes, face. The battle of the mind. You might enjoy some short term successes without control over your mind but if you can't manage those demons, find a still steady place, and believe you will succeed you will never get to the top of whatever wall you are trying to climb.

The second reason I failed was that I didn't train to win. Sure, I did some yoga and read books about climbing, but did I strength train? Did I do cardio? Did I manage my diet and rest appropriately? No. No. And No. Small wonder then that all those Saturdays ended in disappointment and several conciliatory beers at the bar up the trail. We had a lot of fun, but in the end, my competitive spirit became frustrated with my la ti da approach and I walked away from the sport altogether. Worse, it took me 10 years before I re engaged in my own health and started running marathons.

So now, after not doing any serious training for the last 2 years I am trying to get back in the game. I have managed to run each of the last 3 weeks and I am restructuring my schedule where I can to get more road time in. I feel like I am back on that rock wall with my harness on, a few feet off the ground, and groping with my feet for a toe hold. Just to get that leg up and to the next level. I know I won't make it without attitude and training. One day at a time.

My Shoes are a Year Old

So it has been a year since I bought my current pair of running shoes.Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that since they are still in "like new" condition not much has happened on the running front in the past 12 months. Seems like I have been stuck in the start-stop mode in my running all year. Granted I have taken on some big projects at work, traveled all over the world (still haven't made it to the far east yet), and added two grandchildren to the family.

But still, a year old and no tread wear.

So I ran yesterday and it felt OK. I ran again today and it felt better. I restructured my department at work in the hopes that I can get down to 60 hours a week and have better control over my travel. AND I have been scouting runs around the area that look like a lot of fun...they just get interesting at 5+ miles so I will have to train up to them. I even bought a copy of Runner's World yesterday. That always inspires me.

I haven't canceled this blog yet. Maybe that's a good sign. At any rate only time will tell if I am headed to the shoe store in 2 months or if these guys will last 2 years. I have hopes of running 1200 miles this year but am already around 200 miles in the hole. You will know how it turns out shortly after I find the wherewithal to share.

Focus

It would seem the theme of this blog could be best characterized as "focus"; or better still lack of same.

Run. Do not Run. There is no try. (I am paraphrasing Yoda here but you get the idea). If I was Luke Skywalker the X Wing would definitely still be in the swamp. I managed an not so pretty three on Friday morning and made it out again today for a 4 miler. It is hot and cruddy here but I always feel good after beating the heat and finishing. The trouble is I could very well wake up tomorrow and bale on the workout with some excuse about getting to work early (or on time) etc.

The thing about focus is that you can't focus on everything at once. Everything cannot be important or else nothing is. And I have been working on some other stuff pretty hard lately. Work is one. Quality time with the wife. Reading a lot of books. All good stuff. However running and yoga go together for me and I think I am better when I am running than when I am not. It decompresses me, gives me time to think, and it is something I am proud to do. I like to compete even if it is only to finish.

So at the risk of sounding like a broken record I will regain focus (there is no try). I need to pick an event to work toward and probably need to return to my diet and workout log. Michelle asked about that the other day and was surprised I had stopped keeping the journal. That surprised me back so maybe I need to pick it up again.

At any rate you will know shortly after I do whether or not I succeed.

How could you not run in Salt Lake City?

So I travel A LOT for work. During said travel I see a lot of airports, rental cars, hotels, meeting spaces, restaurants, stop-pivot-reverse.

As unglamorous as it sounds (because it is not glamorous) there are occasional bright spots along the way. The greatest of which is usually the people I meet. This picture shows my West Region sales team at the dinner we hosted for them last Wednesday. Salt Lake City was beautiful, the weather was great, and while the food at this brew pub was less than hoped for the libations exceeded the diners expectations!

I really enjoyed every one's company and we talked about everything from grand kids to international business opportunities. My kind of dinner chat. So I guess this is a long way of saying that days that start at Oh Dark Thirty getting to the airport and ends with a dinner with colleagues doesn't always allow for getting a run in...even in a great training location like SLC, Utah. But, not to worry, I got back on the road this past weekend. More on that little adventure in my next posting.

Vector Analysis

Three days out from my Denver run and no roadwork. I am a little disappointed that I couldn't get out the door in the mornings to pick up at least 3 or 4 miles. But the truth is that the 12 hour days at the office, the intense heat and humidity, and the "stuff" that eats up my morning (yoga, dogs, surfing the web, some writing) get me to 6:30 or 7:00AM before I know it. In fact, as I write this it is 6:26 and I still need to grab a shower and dress for work.

OK so I admit this doesn't show much commitment to my running. That's what's so disappointing I guess. But, on the other hand, the things I am doing instead are pretty positive (maybe a little less web surfing). It almost seems that business travel offers fewer distractions than being at home in the morning. At this point in my life I have a pretty good sense of what my interests are (they are broad) and how I want to spend my time. The trick is to find balance between those two powerful vectors. At this point that challenge remains.

I will try and get on the road tomorrow (Saturday) when I have don't have to go into the office early. Maybe the best I can hope for is Sat/Sun/and one day TBD each week. That won't get me back to marathoning though and that's the goal. Need to find one more day.

So right now most of my week is spent looking for balance. I am the "resultant" of my two power vectors. My head is on the road but my butt is not. Time is a thief and life is a pageant.

Denver

Traveled to Denver on business this week and got a 3 miler in this morning. Urban running is a mixed bag for me. I love the scenery and the people but the "stop and go" is a real pain. I was expecting to feel the effects of the thinner air but I took it easy and it wasn't too bad at all. It didn't hurt that the weather was just about perfect; sunny and temps in the 70's with no humidity.

Ran in my Vibrams because they are so easy to pack. I thought there would be issues running on the paved surfaces. Fortunately Denver takes great care of its sidewalks and I had no problems. In fact it felt pretty good.

The only negative is that my back was a little sore from the hotel bed and I had to mind my gait until things loosened up. I wasn't able to yoga first as I was committed to some morning meetings.

As I write this I am looking out my 19th story hotel window at the snow capped Rockies. Maybe on my next trip out here I can arrange a run up there. I can only imagine right now what it would be like on the steep terrain and thin air. There are glaciers and right now is the beginning of the "melt" so it probably looks incredible. Michelle has inspired me to start bringing my camera on these trips again. I misplaced my charger so I don't have it for this one. Maybe in the future I will be able to include some pics of my runs.

Denver was great and I would enjoy a return.

Back to Houston this afternoon. Can't wait to get home!

Humidity

Hit the road around 8:30AM today and stretched to about 4 1/2 miles. The air was "close" which is to say brutally humid. My shirt was soaked in the first 10 minutes and it was pretty much a steady dehydrate from there. At the suggestion of a neighbor I changed up my route a little and headed out past several lakes in the community before heading for home on the nature trail.

Skipped the Yoga this morning but will get it in this afternoon. I have a short road trip up to Denver tomorrow early returning late Tuesday so Monday will be a "rest/recover day". I am hoping to get a little roadwork in Tuesday morning at altitude and see how it feels and am bringing my Vibrams so that will add to the "experience". I love wearing them but running comfort is very dependent on the road surface.

Weight was down to 155.4 today which is a recent low. Staying off the meat and alcohol but carb loaded today after only having a danish and some fruit yesterday.