Dragons

I've never been a person who has been able to just wake up every morning and go for a run. Even in the afternoons, I need coaxing to get my body moving. Normally a series of lies (we'll go easy, we'll just go for 20 minutes...) is enough to push me on my way. Once out, usually, the story changes.

The miracle isn't that I finished...it's that I had the courage to start.

Yesterday, admittedly, I woke up, turned off my alarm, and rolled back over for another hour of sleep. That's right, so not only did I not go for the run -- but I actually ended up sleeping later than I would if I had just woken up on a non-AM run day. I'm sure glad I didn't go though. It was miserable out (by my sunny Tucson standards) all day. The wind was blowing, the chill was icy, and the sky just had that look that is totally dreary but shows no signs of actually doing anything -- as if it could just stay there and contain you in this windy little icebox town forever. Sometimes I think it is just best to write a morning like that off every now and again.

But today was different. Pissed as all hell about my decision to get out of bed (and even more irritated that the only people I could blame were myself and Logan -- who had been ripping on me for not getting out yesterday morning), I slipped on my only long-sleeve shirt (which I bought about two weeks ago) and walked to the porch to get my shoes. Stepping back in and lacing up, I had to double-check to make sure I hadn't just stepped into the freezer a moment ago because it was cold as shit out there. I went back to my room, grabbed my Pima warm-ups, hat, and gloves and lickity-split, I was out the door.

My neighbor has some sort of leak or something that runs out of her planter and all along the road. I watched the steam rising as I headed out for my run. The whole way, all I could think was, how do people do this? If I lived in a cold climate, I'd be a billiards champion or something -- but never a runner. Not even a treadmill marathon world record runner. Then on the way back, I stopped to grab a drink at the water fountain on the west end of ODC.

FROZEN!

Like, I could see the ice in the spout.

It'd really better warm-up (or at least not be windy) because I still haven't come up with this afternoon's workout but it'd really help me if it's not balls cold out when I am trying to run.

On that note, I found this picture on the SAR website (which, I think, should have a gallery where SAR members can upload/access photos from different races/events around town). The kid in the red Foot Locker shirt is, obviously, running with an iPod. Anyways, I just wanted to point out that I came up by him about half a mile into the race and I could totally hear his music from a good ways away. When I got close, I could totally tell it was just some raging speed metal. I asked him if it was Bodom but he was just all focused on the race ahead. I asked a couple more times, with no responses, before moving on. I'd have to say that wasted energy was the difference between an 18:43 and a 17:05. I won't make that mistake again.....

Training has been coming right along since last week's 27 total miles that seemed like it was half pre-race tapering and half actual 5k racing. So far we're up to 13 miles this week and I feel good heading into my first workout of sorts since the race.

I've done my last couple runs around noon because winter has finally come and I like to avoid the cold as much as possible. The midday run has also worked out well because I don't have to worry about when I can fit in a run in the evening (along with dinner and a reasonable bedtime). While I am limited to runs that generally stay off campus or don't pass through downtown (I don't like running where there are a lot of people), I never really go these routes much anyways so I don't consider it a loss.

Unfortunately, tomorrow through Friday are two run days (nothing crazy, just a few extra miles in the morning) so I will have to face the cold at least a few times this week. Train went out this morning to do a workout on ODC so I'll have to ask him if there are any polar bears out on the ODC these days. For me, today was a longer run so tomorrow will be broken into 2 sessions with the hopes of giving me a little break before Thursday's workout. I'm not entirely sure what my workout is going to entail but I am thinking some sort of long repeats or a fartlek might be in order. I'll get with Petie or Omni about this and see if we can't come up with something. Friday and Saturday will then be pretty standard days before a long Sunday. Should end up sitting somewhere around 50 for the week.

Meanwhile, Dragon Mike Salkowski is in his final days before his shot at the California International Marathon. The following week he will be running in the Tucson Marathon to round out the 2006 SAR Grand Prix Series.

While I lost to Dan at the Trot, I must say I'm happy with the team victory. For most of the run-up to this race I had assumed Omni wouldn't be there, so I was feeling the pressure of having to take out Dragonslayers #1 man. Luckily for me Jason showed up and took care of business, though when Dan slipped by me somewhere around mile two I have to admit I felt a bit dejected. As Blax explained this leaves me in a distant second place for the SAR Grand Prix, though I can take solace in the fact that I get to force the leader to take the line at the half marathon by dragging my creaky bones to the start a week after my marathon.

Hey, that gives me an idea. What's really missing from the Grand Prix is the true essence of sport. What we need is a good old fashioned bet. First SAR member across the line at the half takes all. What do you say Dan? All you need to do is beat an old, grey 35-year-old father of two who will be running on legs damaged by a marathon the week prior. How about it?

Personally, after Thursday's less-than-acceptable-but-what-are-ya-gonna-do? performance, I wasn't especially eager to think about training some more. Friday was a short and relaxed run that I needed only to work out a couple kinks from Thursday's race. Noticing how unsore I was on Friday only reaffirmed my assumption that I ran Thursday less like a race and more like a poor thresh-hold run. Thank goodness for the heart of Kyle Colavito sometimes.

I can say that after a couple days though I am actually feeling quite optimistic about training. I don't have another race until January's Sun Run for Pima Community College Cross Country and Track & Field 5k/10k and this is good because I really need some straight up training time (I'd like to improve on my 17:34 from last time). Also, I look forward to the Sun Run because it gives me an excuse to think about Rage's hit People of the Sun.

So in all honesty, I hadn't adequately prepared myself to run any sort of respectable time at the Turkey Trot (I can't imagine many factors on Thursday that would have allowed me to run more than maybe like 20 seconds faster than I did) but now I feel like I can hit a decent training period in which I, frankly, won't have to worry about racing or, my bigger stress, being a limiting factor in Dragons' team performances. As far as Dragons issues go, I really only feel the need to worry about uniform shit and what size tees we're all gonna need.

Oh -- and what to order for free at Old Chicago. That's right Grinders!! I was never on your side!!

That was cold -- I'm sure Grinders is some nice dudes. They have that masters guy who wears those glasses and looks like Agent Smith from the Matrix movies -- and that is badass.

Maybe we should try to pick him up and start a Dragons Masters team for 40+ competitors.

I know J will be glad to be finished racing until January as well.

Alright, this all isn't even the point of this post. What I originally sat down to write about was the updated Grand Prix Standings. With only one event remaining (December's Tucson Marathon/Half-Marathon), Dragons Mike Salkowski, Lucas Tyler, and Jason Colavito are holding second through fourth place (I think fifth is the Agent Smith guy from Grinders) standings in the overall GP point totals (behind former Running Shop employee and Arizona Daily Star running clothing model, Dan Maher). Given Maher's 279 point total is 31 points ahead of Salkowski, the individual crown seems Maher's to win so long as he shows for the Tucson Marathon or half-marathon. If he does not, however, it is possible that Salkowski could hobble to an overall victory if he runs the half-marathon only 1 short week after completing the California International Marathon.

Alright, that's all I really wanted to get out there. Solid Dragon representation, if you ask me.


Sun Run -- Grand Prix Standings -- Sun Run 2006 Race Recap

As I sat down to write this up, I pulled up all necessary links -- including the official race results -- on my computer. It was in the official team results that I found out I had been placed on Team Grinders (as their #1 finisher, might I add) in the official race results. It was really the perfect ending to such a race.

Having not ran a race since my total meltown at the Spring Cross Country Classic, I felt surprisingly calm as I rode my bike to Reid Park yesterday morning. Unfortunately, the iBlax was again acting up so I could only access my Wesley Willis collection. Listening to Willis hits, "Taste a Panda's Ass", "Rock'n'Roll McDonalds", and "Fuck you" I began visualizing my race. Once to the course, I met up with Omni, Mike, Lucas, and Petie. It was here that I learned a few interesting points.

1. The Workout Group team (with whom we had teammed up with last year to win the Turkey Trot over Legends TC) had chosen the name WOGDragonSlayers. Obviously, a message was being sent. Later in the morning, WOG Mike would verbalize that message to me in a statement that sounded very much like, "You are an asshole."

1a. WOGDragonSlayers had recruited Olympian Abdi Abdirahman to ringer their squad. Given that race results would be based on accumulated time (as opposed to points), we were looking pretty foolish for not pushing harder to recruit one Bernard Lagat (or even a Robert Cheseret) for this race.

2. In response to WOG's addition, Dragons added Omni's older brother, Kyle Colavito, to the Dragons roster.

3. Abdirahman would not be showing for the race.

It was during warmups that I made my biggest mistake of the day -- changing my race strategy. I decided that a conservative start would be best in what looked like a deep field. You see, the first half-mile or so offers little open passing area and I thought it was best for me to not get caught up in the wave of high schoolers that would be going out in 5:10 before settling in to their 7:25 race pace. I was honestly fearful that I might end up over 19-minutes for this race if I went out too hard and failed to hold on.

I figured my best bet would be to go out and just try to keep WOG's #4 guy in sight. After the first half mile of the race, I could see that I was sitting in around 65th place but was not far behind WOG 4-man Randy Acceta. I just hoped our front three were pushing to give me a decent cushion. I spent the remainder of the first mile picking off wheezing high schoolers and underperforming guys from Mexico. Petie and I came through 1 mile in 5:40.

By the end of the first lap, I knew that I was damned if I did and I was damned if I didn't. I was stuck in a pace and, worse than that, I was alone. Petie was already making a respectable team move by at least going after Acceta. I just floated along as a couple dudes passed me somewhere around the 2 mile mark. I could not answer.

As I crossed the water again, I could hear everyone cheering for the winners coming through and I hoped that too much wouldn't be resting on my shoulders. I ended up finishing with Petie and worried that my 18:43 (over ten seconds slower than last year's race) would be Dragons' nail in the coffin.

After catching my breath I headed over to the scorers area and found my old teammate Manny Thomas. Understanding my worry, Manny told me that he'd let me know as soon as the team results were figured. I walked back towards the finish where I was blindsided by Kyle Colavito who told me that he had finished ahead of me by some 2 places, thus making my time irrelevant in team judging. Boy was I relieved to find out that if we lost it would all be Kyle's fault!

Just kidding, I was still pretty disappointed with my race but no one wants to see you sulking around or making excuses or being a little bitch after any race. You ran, you got a place and a time -- now it was time to chill, so I did and it was nice.

Manny then came over and told me that, even without Kyle's time being yet figured in, we had taken the team championship. It made me feel all warm inside. I am currently holding on to the gift-card we won (as I am, apparently, Dragons' player-manager) and look forward to chowing down with my teammates.


Dragon Mike Salkowski's Race Recap -- Official Results (Men) (Team) -- Omni's Race Report -- Another Race Recap -- Last Year's Race Recap

After completing the last step of the 66,000 meters of cross country running I raced this season on Monday, I was more than happy to shut it down for a bit. However, with the Thanksgiving Cross Country Classic looming just 3 days later, I knew I had to find an external motivator to finish the season. After running through a catalog of reasons to run, I settled on just one:

A Dragon never abandons another Dragon. We are a team, goddammit!

So, yesterday morning, I tried valiantly to win the race for the team but failed. Although, our collective team performance led to complete dominance of WOG Dragonslayers and an all expenses paid dinner to a local pizza franchise.

For me, the race did not go as planned as I felt absolutely horrible while struggling to a 15:51 5K. The rest of the guys helped cement the victory with a times of 16:38, 17:21, and 18:39 for a cumulative team time of 68:30:00.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

I usually write race recaps on this thing but, needless to say, my performance at Nationals does not require too much explanation. I guess I am just burnt out or something because, after Pac 10's, I was sick often and quality training was sporadic contributing to my poor race performances at Regionals and Nationals. Although, at Nationals, I straight up wasn't ready for the mud on the course.

Looking at our performance as a team, it appeared that we collectively needed to do more strength training (i.e. longer intervals on the golf course and more long runs). The volume was there for the most part as I averaged right around 70 miles for the season but must of that mileage was achieved through two-a-days which, in my opinion, are absolutely necessary for success as a distance runner but should not be an aid to boost your mileage. Many coaches and athletes are proponents of a 12 mile day consisting of 6 and 6 or 8 and 4 but I believe it should be something like 10-12 and 4 in the afternoon. In this respect, I think we missed out on a lot of aerobic opportunities which may have been key for the 10k's at the end of the season.

Anyways, despite the minimal low moments in the season, I am quite happy how I personally did throughout the long cross season. Coach Ryan told me after the race that he was worried that I was going to be out for the season after the Dave Murray Invite (the second race of the season) as I couldn't even walk after the race and could hardly run the day after.

"This shit is tenuous, sometimes" he told me.

I can only agree.

I really have no idea how I went from being unable to put pressure on my right foot to running 24:48. I guess ibuprofen really is a miracle drug. Also, I slipped Spenco Arch Cushion insoles in the Marathoners and taped my foot every run which may have also helped. Looking back, though, I think I was just determined to finish the season and really didn't give a shit that I could barely walk as I could run with a great real of pain and that is all that mattered. The strategy paid off as I am healthy once again and can walk and run pain free. Also, despite the setback, I managed to PR every 8K I ran this season. Here is the progression:

George Kyte Invitational, Flagstaff, AZ: 26:31 (previous course PR: 27:15)
Roy Griak Invitational, Minneapolis, MN: 26:30
ASU Invitational, Tempe, AZ: 25:27 (previous course PR: 26:40)
Pre-Nationals, Terre Haute, IN: 25:19
Pac 10 Championships, Palo Alto, CA: 24:48

My breakthrough came at both the ASU Invite and Pac 10's where I didn't let up once the whole race and felt confident the whole time.

Hopefully, I can exhume some of the magic I found up in Tempe and Palo Alto for the Trot. The Dragons will really need to execute to take down Dragon Slayers.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Check it.

Dragons will be on display tomorrow at the Thanksgiving Cross Country Classic. Race time is 9:15 at Reid Park. Obviously it won't be 78 degrees or above -- so it'll still be cold, but at least it shouldn't be 'ball-freezing cold' (I'll share that story some other time). You can track the changes in the phases of ice as the race goes on with the phase diagram provided in this post.

Goodness, I really hope there are no major changes in the Tucson's atmospheric pressure during our 5k or I may end up DNFing because I will be a frozen man a la James Taylor.

So if you come -- might wanna wear a jacket. And maybe some mittens.

My cat's name is Mittens.

Alright, sorry, I'm waiting for Omni to call me. Apparently, I forgot to register for the race so I'm gonna roll with him to the Running Shop so I can get my shit squared away.

So anyways, I'm excited for the race here. Petie got in last night so our whole squad is now in town. That's always a start. We're meeting this afternoon for a little 'team run' at Reid Park. Just a little stretching, handing out the interim uniforms (Nike sucks -- I think we should be an RBK squad), and whatnot. I feel like I have a winning (not in the literal sense of the word) strategy with my 'Go out hard and hang on for dear life' approach and I am especially relieved to have a reliable group of guys leading us in the race (literally).

However, this just brings back bad memories my Pima days when I finished as our 5 guy and we lost the conference championship by 3 points. Trust me -- it was on me. Our top guys were like way up front...and then there was me -- couldn't even pick off two guys -- couldn't even knock 30 seconds off a dismal 29 min 8k performance. Not this time though! No siree...cuz we also got Petie and they only score the top 4!

Dude -- I have a video from a high school track race where our team took 1st, 3rd, and 4th places and then some dude from another school (probably cheering for the 2nd place guy) is heard saying, "Yeah! Top 4 baby!" I mean, what the hell is that?


The many phases of water -- Mike took a day off!! -- Turkey Trot

Yesterday was a half-time trot down to Reid Park during the Cardinals half-time show. I ended up missing part of the third quarter because of this but when I got back I was glad to see CardsQBMattyL got his first win as a starter and I'm glad to see James rushing for 96 yards (he coulda gone over 100 but Arizona kneeled the clock away on their last posession) -- but Denny Green has got to go.

I suggest we bring in Jim Mora.

And on non-Sundays, he can coach Dragons.

Marathon? MARATHON!!?? Don't talk about a marathon. I just hope we can win a 5k!!

Then I didn't get out this morning because I found a website late last night that has all the episodes of The Office on it so I got all caught up but opted to sleep in 'til class this morning. I'll do some miles this afternoon. Frankly, my legs are still pretty tired and now I am just focusing on tuning them up as best as possible before Thursday's race.

Also, Omni is running at NCAA XC Nationals right about now. We'll see how that goes.

Well, Friday pm's workout didn't go as well as hoped. I'm not sure if it was most affected by Tuesday's lingering effort, my Friday morning mileage that may have been ran harder than I suspected, or just my general lack of conditioning. A combination of all three seems most logical. Regardless, it has helped bring me to some conclusions. With Friday's embarrassment still on my brain, I started my run yesterday morning with a goal to figure out some sort of strategy for the Turkey Trot. The whole process alone has committed me to staying on top of my training just so I don't end up doing this 'cram session' ever again.

I don't think it has been very efficient.

As I cruised to Silverlake park, I really tried to tune in on what my body had been saying these past couple weeks. Aside of the cries of agony and screams of 'No!', I see now that Thursday is going to be little more than an exhibition -- a low-standard setter, if you will, so that in a year I can say, "Wow. I dropped nine minutes off my 5k in only one year!"

Last year I ran 18:31, one second behind 16 year old John Leavitt. It means little outside of this story, but I coulda outkicked him. It just doesn't seem right to have that much left that late in a race though. Well, John, I don't suspect that will a problem this year. If there is one thing I can be sure of right here, right now -- it's that I will not have a kick on Thursday.

That's right, from the man who produced what could only be described as, "a rocket-like kick", there will be no propelling myself from last to first this year. Thursday's strategy sounds more like something that Petie's coach would have come up with.

Get out there and try to hang on.

It worked pretty well at the 88-Crime 8k last March, but that course was quite flat and asphaulty. Now we're talking the Turkey Trot course. Now we're talking a field that consists of probably 60 people who go out under 6-flat for the first mile and don't finish under 20 minutes. Now we're talking hay bales, water pits, and a 17 year old John Leavitt who probably had a growth spurt and is really out to stick to Old Man Blax.

I don't like it, but there is nothing I can do about it at this point. This won't be like last year, John, as I slowly reeled you in over the final section of the course after the river crossing. No, this year, it will have to be I who is leading as we take it to the final hill and the subsequent hay bail jumps. And this year. on 11/23/06 John Leavitt, should you be the one coming for me as I am totally falling apart in the final 80 or so meters, I only hope that you will return the compassion that I showed you last year, and not blow past this humbled, accepting, and broken old man.

On the other hand, John, if you've got me by even an inch when we hit the 2.5 mile mark, you can just rest easy because I will surely be done moving up at that point.

2005 Results -- 2006 Sign Up

The calves still aren't recovered from Tuesday's little track session. I blame it more on the spikes than on the workout -- but, regardless, the results are the same. Yesterday's run was an am hobble down ODC parkway that never really got started. Yeah it was cold. Yeah I was sore. But mainly, I just couldn't stay focused after seeing UA harrier and All-West Region Team member, Obed Mutanya, running on our blessed ODC for the second time this fall!

Obed looked pretty relaxed with his long-sleeves and Arizona beanie as he headed west on the parkway. I figured his run must have started some time around 6am. As we came up on each other, we exchanged headnods and continued. I wanted to tell him nice job at Regionals (where he was the top Wildcat finisher, I believe). I wanted to wish him luck at Nationals -- both for his own psyche as well as letting him know that I wasn't just some dude out running who didn't appreciate Tucson's running representatives and was only out doing 8:15 miles on ODC because I had a rough flag-football game the night before and I needed to 'get loose' for tonight's match. Unfortunately, I had my music on pretty loud and I didn't want to be getting all Ron Burgundy on him at 6:45 in the morning, out on ODC parkway where there isn't another running sould for miles...

GOOD LUCK AT NATIONALS!! MAYBE WE CAN GET DRINKS AND MAYBE I COULD SHOW YOU AROUND TOWN!!!

That'd probably scare him.

YOU CAN USE MY OFFICE 'TIL YOUR DESK WILL BE READY!!!

And so I said nothing. A giddy fan, I let my heart get to my head and I blew the moment, yet again. Which brings us to this mornings run (Friday's are great because I don't have my 8am class so I can sleep in a little). A casual 5 miler, it took a bit for the blood to get to my legs butI was happy by the end. The calves are still pretty sore but there is no more time to be babying them. I have tapering-workout II this afternoon after my chemical engineering test and I already know that the spikes will be staying in the closet for this one. This time, more and shorter reps at a bit faster pace are the prescription.

I'm hoping to get in a couple mile warm-up, the workout, a cool-down and be at Bumsteads, pounding my Guiness before the thirst even sets in.


Obed -- Cats are off to Nationals

We're a little over a week out from the Turkey Trot and our team still isn't registered. After Sunday's run on ODC (where I saw the lil' taggers) I caught Omni on IM and expressed my concern about our registration information. He assured me that there were no worries (I trust him when he says to relax) and we moved on to more important topics, one of which is that Nike likely won't have us our uniforms on time so, just for the Trot, we may be looking more like the District 5 ducks with the come-and-go coaches and ragtag outfits than the sleek, Gordon Bombay coached Mighty Ducks who got all their shit from Hans' store before the old bastard croaked.

Perhaps, in due time, we will make it on to be representatives of the United States in the Junior World Hockey Championships (defeating Iceland in penalty shots) and subsequently move on to some college where we will be the JV team that has all kinds of issues with the varsity team -- but I never saw the ending of D3: The Mighty Ducks, so I can't tell you how it all ends for Dragons.

After covering uniforms, the shitty conditions of his regional championship race, and talk of how much more I like Kyle Colavito than Jon Colavito (though both are Facebook friends with me), Omni asked some more about my training. I expressed to him, in the most honest terms I know how, that I felt like I was improving but I defintely wasn't where I wanted to be. Especially in terms of speed. I (like most people, I think) don't like the opening phases of speedwork. It hurts, your times are unimpressive, and, especially when you are alone, it's hard on the psyche. Add to it that 5k training requires long-interval sets -- something I hate -- and it's easy to see why I've managed to neglect this part of my training in recent weeks.

Okay...months.

Alright, look, I haven't stepped on a track without the intention of drinking before, during, and after the run in about 3 years.

This reminds me -- apparently Beer Mile '06 is in the works. J'll probably cover that more though.

Now, all of you in SAR will tell me, that's why there is WOG. And I'm gonna say, Bro, I'm not gonna argue with you, alright? And that'll be that.

Anyways, after a bit of whining on my part, Omni was helpful and laid it all out:

Man, you gotta go all anerobic 'til the race.

Ain't that the truth. But what workout could I actually be able to complete, benefit from, and not be wrecked until race day from doing? He sent me a complete workout -- distances, paces, and recoveries (because that is what I need, to be frank) -- and told me to get back to him.

So yesterday I looked at my little notecard that I had scribbled his suggestions onto. I knew damn well that I couldn't be trusted to not make up excuses to cut this one short, extend my recovery, and allow substantially slower splits. So when I wasn't looking, I knocked on Train's door and asked that he come out to the brand new track at Tucson High School in about 15 minutes to time me. He agreed and I took off.

The paces, as I went over them in my head, sounded blazing compared to the base-training-style runs I had been doing. To date, my fastest mile came at the end of a run on ODC where I dropped it down and kicked it in...and was still well-over 6 minutes.

I met Train at the track where I switched over to my spikes -- not because I thought they would offer any substantial help, but because my shoes just felt akward and tight so I hoped this would offer me some relief. The Tucson High marching band was practicing on the field so I was glad that I had worn my Pima Cross Country shirt for street cred. After a couple strides, Train offered me some words of encouragement and I was off.

Running to the new sounds of the THS band playing Radiohead combined with the fresh new track under my feet and my speedless condition really made me feel new to the sport all over again. I would have liked it if my junk woulda stayed inside my shorts better (I don't know what the deal with my shorts are lately but I'm gonna be sure to put a sticker on my blue adidas ones so I never wear them to a workout around minors again, less I end up on Dateline with all those child predators) and, honestly, I did end up having to do the last repeat in two parts but I would chalk it up as a worthwhile workout and a worthwhile day.

We went and got sushi afterwards and it was really good.

Today the calves are quite sore so I'll try to make it out to the track again either tomorrow or Friday; and probably on Monday should everything hold up alright.

We'll just call this the shortest, worst, most unneccessary taper ever.

So far this week (starting Monday): 8 miles with one track session.

Last week of real work before the taper is done, here's how it went down-
M: 14 easy
Tu: 10 w/3x1 mile in 5:16, 5:15, 5:11 (2-2:30 recovery, 2x800 in 2:30, 2:27
We: 12, moderate progression run
We: 5 very slow
Th: 10 miles w/6x1 minute hill charges
F: 8 miles easy
Sa: 6 miles easy
Su: 18 miles w/15 at 5:54 pace
Total: 83

This whole week was about two things: keeping our two kids alive while my wife was on vacation and surviving the 15 mile marathon pace time trial. I did a better job with the latter. As for the marathon pace run, it's given me the confidence to proclaim I can hold at least 5:54 pace for the Turkey Trot next week.

Three weeks of tapering has begun, and since I'm easing off more than usual I expect all the people who complain I don't taper enough to cry foul and say I'm now taking it too easy. The coach who has been helping me along really seems to know what he's doing though, so I have quite a bit of faith in his system. Going easy now fits in well with my job, as I'm working extra hours these days for an art show and will be without any weekend to speak of.

Sadly, it's time for me to start my fad diet in order to lose what baggage I can around the hips before the big day. Here it is-
No fried food
No soda
Easy on the cheese big boy
No beer

That's it. I can usually drop two pounds a week for thee weeks or so with this. I can't forego the wife's baked goods as they make life worth living.

I don't really feel like I have much to say about my recent runs. They've been very uninspiring and, naturally, this hasn't inspired me to write anything. Make sense? I thought so. Still, I wish I was Mike -- that is, I wish I had scones, kids, or art to go off on tangents about because that would allow me more to write about than the fact that most of training is just boring-ass miles at boring-ass paces. This all, of course, is in addition to running broing-ass routes boring-ass alone in the midst of cold-ass bordom.

Last night on my return trip down ODC I came across a strong smell of spray paint. This was as I was just past that park at about the 2k mark (where there are always guys playing basketball), heading West. I didn't really think about the smell because, with Aviation Parkway and the trains both right there, industrial smells aren't unusal. However, as I came up to a point where there was a break in the wall next to the running path (and the place where this smell was most definitely coming from), two teenagers casually stepped out from the side and began walking. One even had his cell phone to his ear.

How could these two young men be responsible for this late-night, still wet, tagging when they are just talking on their cell phones and walking like their dicks are about 40 pounds and stuck in their right pant legs? Needless to say, there is a ghost on ODC somewhere. And it's a criminal!


10 on ODC in 70.

This week of training, by my mangled standards, was spectacular. Enjoyable, ego-boosting, and, I delude myself, very productive.

SUNDAY: Listening to TV on the Radio's new one on the drive out to my Northeast side training base at the Walgreens and then doing a quality moonlit set of Snyder repeats was the perfect way to make myself feel manly/bohemian/romantic. Such feelings are like candy to me, and I'm really indulgent, so this is what I did Sunday. I still only did 4x30 seconds, but they were classic: good knee drive, arm drive, leaning into it, and intense right to the finish. I count this as two and a half miles.

TUESDAY: I ran a really sublime 30 minutes taking the 5th Avenue route at night. It was really enjoyable, and made for some good sweaty election returns watching. Wolf blitzed her, alright.

THURSDAY: The first vestiges of speed work came like the dawning of a new day. They also came at the dawning of a new day, which meant I could enjoy the craftiness of warming up in my warmups, then stashing them under a bush, then running back with them around my waist, and my shirt in my hand. I like the crafty aspects of running. I ran 15 minutes out, and then did three minutes at 5:40 pace, two minutes at 6:30 pace, and one minute at 7:00 pace. The idea wasn't to run those last two sections quite that slow, but that's what happened. I was going to go with more of a traditional fartlek, but then this idea hit me, and I thought it was ingenius. If you disagree, I will not be your friend.

SATURDAY: Saturday night my liver and an agave plant lined up for what would be a stirring race. It was a gutty affair, but the liv eventually came out on top--nice try Yaquis. The only injury was maybe a slight dignity bruise that has already been shaken off. It was a phone-throwing good time. The Adidas Rotterdam is an excellent shoe for these races, where the footing can be slippery with attention paid to sartorial signifiers.

WEEKLY TOTALS: 11.5

I just got back from the wet, muddy, rainy, overcast, not sunny environs of Portland, Oregon. Needless to say, I was not impressed with the weather conditions of the region and the overly excessive amount of mud found on the West Region cross country course.

You see, I am used to running cross country on golf courses that are dry with a few west spots and not 10 kilometers of deep, slippery mud. Plus, I am used to running cross country wearing my trusty pair of Nike Vents with a not so aggressive spike plate with spikes that are the perfect length for such terrain I am used to running on.

Anyways, yesterday, I decided that it would be best to wear the trusty Ventulus again neglecting the fact that the mud just may be super deep and slippery and my Kennedy XC's, with much, much longer spikes would be more practical. I immediately regretted my decision 200 meters into the race as I was already slipping.

Basically, the whole race I was struggling to maintain a pace due to the fact with every step I had no traction. I made it through the first lap OK but then hit the deck on the second lap. For the rest of the race, I was just concentrating on not falling. It got so bad that on the final 200 meters I was unable to kick as I knew that I would just slip and fall. It was the most frustrating race I have ever done.

Although, looking on the bright side of things, I was sick coming into the race and had to drop out of two workouts the preceding week due to shortness of breath. Now, I feel confident about running another 10k if we make it to Nationals (we finished 5th in the most competitive region in the country).

Anyways, this next week should be a solid taper with a few quick workouts and a few moderate paced training runs. I think it should be the perfect recipe for a rested team ready to compete in Terre Haute come next Monday.

Oh, I ran a slow 33:02 for the 10K and was not happy with my place or time at all.

I just wanted to throw out a quick thanks for those of you who wrote in Sebastian Blax for Arizona State Mine Inspector yesterday. I'm pretty sure I didn't win but I hope some sort of message was sent to those fat cats up at the state capitol.

"I write in when the only candidate is Republican" - Jason Colavito.

I ran the race of politcal life there yesterday and I think it's safe to say that I could use a few more political hill workouts. Regardless, I'm still happy with getting at least a couple votes this election cycle. Now, with the elections over, it's just a matter of time until the entire SAR Grand Prix is cancelled because we won't be able to leave our homes because the LIBERALS are going to let the TERRORISTS bring the war to our tracks and xc courses. This kinda bums me as I had high hopes for the 2007 GP.

That's what my mystery coach has been calling the past week. I'm four weeks out from the marathon and three from the Turkey Trot, so the hard work is now. Here's how the week went down.

M: 10 easy
Tu: 10, goofy intervals with Lucas of 2K, 800, 2K, 800 with big recoveries. 6:43, 2:34, 6:37, 2:30
We: 11 easy with Lucas
We: 7.5 w/Lucas and a short stint with Randy. Ran up a parking garage
Th: 10 miles with 7 at 5:59 pace
F: 25 with last 5 at 6:14 pace
Sa: 10 miles super easy
Su: 10 w/5x800 in 2:32, 2:34, 2:31, 2:32, 2:33. Skipped the 6th one
Total: 93 miles

The 25 miler on the heels of 7 miles of marathon pace was a big boost for me, and I'm at that annoying point in my training (for others, that is) when I'm really starting to roll. The big hitch this week is my wife is out of town, so I'm left to fend for our young with only my wife's mother-in-law to help while I'm at work. I'm realizing just how little I do around here as a result, which I suppose is a good lesson.

By the time the Trot comes around things should be looking good. Intervals with Lucas have been going well, and a mean 12-15 mile marathon time trial on Sunday will really show me where I'm at.

Have a good week.

I don't know how many readers here are familiar with the Southern Arizona Roadrunners Desert Grand Prix Series so I'll start with the quick rundown. Basically, SAR picks 10 local races that count towards the Desert Grand Prix. SAR members are automatically entered into Grand Prix standings and, at the end of the year, winners are based on accumlated points from these races. I believe last year's winner was Dragon Mike Salkowski.

With the recent 10-Miler being finished, SAR has updated the standings with only 2 races left. I understand how the battle for top 3 placing is definitely peaking many folks' interests. Leader Dan Maher is holding a 26 point lead over Salkowski with the Thanksgiving 5k (a race that, frankly, I think these two will be close in) and the Tucson Marathon/Half-Marathon (an event that, if the both race -- I haven't heard either say they will be running it -- would likely see Salkowski finish first). It's all very exciting really. I forsee lots of jockeying for position in the final month or so of the Grand Prix here. Afterall when there is, whatever you get for first place, on the line it's no wonder people race as hard as they do.

I think the award for the Grand Prix winner should include rights to wear the Michelob Ultra 1 Bib through 2007. Maybe it could be yellow or something so that individual stands out as the defending champion. Just a thought.

Anyways, while I was checking out the Dragons Facebook page the other day, I saw that we had a new member join the group, Michael Levario. Levario, according to his Facebook page, is a LIBERAL -- which means he probably SUPPORTS AMNESTY!! Also, Levario is a member of both Crotch Mesh Athletics and Cutters TC. So what does this have to do with the Grand Prix standings? Well, check this, Hannity...

Levario, until the 10 miler a couple weeks ago, had been holding 2nd place in the 20-29 age group division. With only two events (The Fine Valentine 5 miler -- a race I think should be removed from the GP -- and the Cinco de Mayo 10k) under his velt, Levario had racked up 74 points -- 46 points less than age group leader, Dan Welsh.

Who is Dan Welsh then? You got me. Based on his appearances this year, I wouldn't surprised if the dude had moved to Alaska. He has been a sitting duck since the summer but, with Levario running no races, Welsh has continued to hold the age group throne.

Now given that the age group winner gets 40 points per race, Levario was definitely within striking distance. Just finishing the 10 miler, Turkey Trot, and Tucson Marathon would have no doubt given Levario group honors. Instead, with his most recent no-show at the 10 miler, a three event competitor, James Billington, has emerged as the new #2 20-29 year old! Bringing his 87 points to the table, Billington is looking like the most likely suspect to knock Welsh off.

It would seem that the best 20 to 29 year old runner in Tucson is being springboarded by a 1:17-flat, 167th place Get Moving Tucson 10-miler performace. So, while everyone else is watching the leaders battle for overall points champions, I will be watching the studs of the 10 to 29 year old age group pound it out for relative dominance.


Dragons Facebook -- Grand Prix Standings -- Salkowski's Blog

Before I get to doing this -- if anyone wants to cut a Dragon a break and score me a way into Saturday's Everybody Runs Carondolet Half-Marathon and 5k (the 5k section) I would be uber-appreciative.

That said, yesterday was the final scheduling straw and, come this weekend, I'll be happy to get back in a classic training rhythm. Due to the efforts of Wednesday ending at about 11:30 at night, I wasn't one to get up and yog in the morning. Instead, I planned my run for the afternoon before the Clinton-Pederson rally. Unfortunately, my lack of sleep along with the labor of clearing out the shed and moving my old swamp cooler down to the yard pretty much left me in the zone to just pass out until we left for a meal at Let's Go Tortas en route to the rally at Reid Park.

The rally was supposed to begin at 6:30 but the three main dudes that would be speaking -- Clinton, Pederson, and Napalatono -- didn't arrive from Phoenix until 7:30 to get this party started. For their entrance song, I was disappointed to hear them play U2's 'Beautiful Day'. I think the Republican's should have U2 play at their rallies as well. A little "Stuck in a Moment" seems perfect. On the other hand though, I think the Dems should be rocking some Three-Six Mafia, "Let's Plan a Robbery."

Anyways, after 3 hours of standing I felt pretty tired and unexcited about the idea of going running. Fortunately, my training partner and fellow Dragon, Train, coaxed me out the door where we headed north-east. His cruise-control-like pace brought us through the second mile of the five mile loop in 14:02. I was optimistic to see this time as I really expected my legs to just be useless for this run. Here we split as he had to turn his run into an out-and-back to pick up his shirt that was resting on one of those electric boxes on Campbell while I continued down 3rd to Country Club.

After Train left me, I could feel my legs starting to complain about me not getting off them for much of the afternoon. I decided that if I could just keep it under 7:10 pace for the last 3 miles, we'd call it a success. I hit mile three at 20:38 (6:36 mile) and decided to try to just keep it under 7:00 for the last couple miles. My legs felt tired but mile 4 was generally sloped downhill and 5 was basically flat. Shooting for something like 6:59 miles, I hit those in 6:47 and 6:27. The final mile surprised me very much as I suspected that I was really easing up in that section. Maybe it's a sign that my legs are started to get used to turning over and absorbing some shock.

While I fear I may not be scoring for Dragons at the Turkey Trot, I'm beginning to believe that I may actually improve on my less-than-winning 18:31 performance from last year. And I would consider that a step in the right direction.

Yesterday became a two-run day as soon as we got out the door. My morning run with Train started a bit slow and, after a mile and a half, I realized that I wouldn't be able to get in as many miles as I had hoped before my 8am class. My pace was simply awkward. After opening with a 7:30 mile, I felt like my form could be best described as a 'slow man's flail.' It was no surprise to me that Logan decided to go a separate way from me less than half a mile later.

Realizing that this run could best be salvaged as a morning yog, I just sat back and took it easy as my body jerked me around UA's Rincon Vista Sports Complex and back home. Like a newborn goat, I muscled my way past any sort of fluidity and, against all odds, managed to go the entire distance without falling into any sort of rythm. I've never really believed in junk miles but I definitely believe in quality miles and I think it's just bad practice to force on crappy miles when you can just do quality miles later. It's like any other sport you practice at -- you reinforce the right way to do things. If you are doing something wrong then you try to tweak it. If you can't tweak it, well, pull up some pine -- you can try again another day.

So after classes went by for the day, I saw that Bill Clinton would be speaking today at 6:30pm at Reid Park. WOG session be damned, I went ahead and got me a ticket. For those of you who do go to WOG this afternoon, it'll probably be the safest workout you'll ever run.

Getting the ticket along with getting my homework done, I did not get out the front door until 10:30pm. I figured 5 miles would be fine so I threw on the iBlax, some gloves, and a beanie and headed south.

It's nice to be a guy sometimes.

I was immediately hit by the cold of the night. It's been a long time since my lungs have breathed cold air and it reminded me of why they call cold air "nature's anthrax" (And it ain't because cold air rocks). About two blocks from my house I saw a dog running around in the middle of the street. It growled at me as I ran past. No doubt it was frozen to death as I am pretty sure that no mammal could possibly survive in these nighttime winter temperatures. A couple cop cars then pulled up to the corner. 'Probably here to clean up that dogsicle,' I thought as I gave 'em the ol' stink eye.

My run on ODC went much better than the Rincon Vista run from that morning. Out I hit 7:20 and 7:10. On the way back I thought I'd to go like 7:00 and 6:40 but, unfortunately, a near confrontation with a group of hooligans tagging the walls along ODC under 22nd St caused me to pick up my first mile pace (6:37) which led to a harder than desired second mile (6:19).

Whatever, I figure this all can't hurt me though.

I jogged in the last half-mile to my neighborhood where those cops were still sitting in their cruisers while that frozen dead dog was still running around the street. I considered telling them about the tagging going on -- but then I figured they'd probably just try to fine me somehow and make me stand in the cold while they took a report that does nothing. Instead I just ran past, came inside, ate a banana and went to sleep.

It's so awesome having heat in the house now.