Grasshoppers and August It’s late, dry, hot August. And that means one thing: Grasshoppers. The trails are loaded with the little buggers. Hop, Flap, Buzz, Ick, that’s what they do. It is, in fact, the only time of the year when I am tempted to shave or at least clip, my leg hairs. It is constant: they hop to get out of the way; flap their little wings in the air; buzz my… Read More »Hop, Flap, Buzz, Ick: Run Log Week of August 24
Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga The past two weeks have been busy: teaching, travel, nights away from home. In the past, these are the weeks that tend to kill any hope for mileage. This time, however, it’s been different. I guess my newfound motivation is real as in every city, on every trip, I have been able to run and keep the mileage up. I’m pretty excited about that. My mileage presently… Read More »Destination: All Over. Run Log August 10-23
Pikes Peak lurks over the hill The question tonight is How do you like your ass? The context for the question is that in the last four + months, I have lost a LOT of weight, I’m consistently running 70-80 miles a week and tonight, on a simple 9 mile run: I got my ass handed to me! The Barr Trail, Manitou Springs: 4 1/2 miles up, 4 1/2 down.… Read More »How Do You Like Your Ass Served?
49 Years and “miles of trials” I know my birthday. I know my wife’s birthday, my sons’ birthdays, my step daughter’s. I know my wedding anniversary (the first one and the present one). I’m a guy who knows his dates. I also know that on this day forty-nine years ago, I became a runner. Forty-nine years is longer, by the way, than I have done anything in my life with the exception… Read More »49 Years Running: It’s Who I Am
The highlight of this week was my sixth running of the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. Two things: the last time I ran it was twenty years ago. That seems like a LOOOONG time ago. The first time I ran it was thirty years ago. My time this year was 1:56:20 and while I am not displeased with that, it is BY FAR, my slowest ever. Race Report here: http://runspittle.blogspot.com/2015/08/its-been-twenty-years.htmlIn… Read More »Georgetown Rules: Run Log Week of August 3rd
Wow, I knew it had been a long time. The last time I ran the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon was twenty years ago. It was August 12, 1995 and I scalded my young friend Geoff Lawton in the process. 1:29:24 for me; way behind for him (yeah, I’m still rubbing that one in, Geoff).Today, adding twenty years added 57 minutes. Yikes (and by the way, “you’ve come a… Read More »It’s Been Twenty Years: Georgetown to Idaho Springs Report
Well, the “racing” season begins Saturday at the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. I carefully place the word racing in quotes as, while I’ll will be at a race Saturday, I don’t really think we’ll do much racing. Packet pickup was actually a week ahead of time (I REALLY liked that). It was held at the Runner’s Roost in Denver and was as easy as it could possibly be. As… Read More »GTIS: Ready or Not! Run Log Week of July 27
It’s been one of those weird weeks. Torn. That’s what I’ve been. Torn. Yes/No, Too Old/Just Right. Shoulda/Coulda/Woulda. What’s he talking about?I’ve been doing two things this week: booking classes for the rest of 2015 and trail running lots of miles while focusing on getting extremely fit. Outside of those things and my wonderful evenings hanging out with my wife, Linda, not much else is happening. In a lot of… Read More »George/Mary Ann Was Right!
Actually, don’t stop me.After another great week of running, I’ll have to stop myself. After one more. I promise.At least this week I didn’t try to kid myself. I’ve been working on a backing off a week for a few weeks. Unfortunately, I get to the middle of the week and change my mind. This week I held no such illusions. I planned on running 80 miles from the get-go… Read More »Somebody stop me!
Last nine weeks since hammy recovery. As a youngster, I learned how to do math by calculating batting averages, earned run averages and other extremely important baseball statistics. “Baseball is a game of numbers,” they said. And I suppose they’re right. But running, obsessive running, is as much so or more. Mileage, PRs, heart rates, all a part of the daily running routine. In honor of the numbers, I submit 70,… Read More »Five in a Row, but Who’s Counting? Run Log Week of July 13 “O” Week (no not you Oprah)