Red Dirt Harriers

I figured since I have a day off I would go ahead and make up for 5 weeks of inadequacy by posting twice, maybe even more, today. So, I thought it might be time to give notice of some distressing issues going on in these parts. As a side effect of increased runner traffic, Edmond has decided to enforce ticketing of runners who don't stay on the sidewalk . I, myself, was stopped last spring on a run heading east on Lindsey, not more than a 1/4 mile from where the sidewalk ends on a section of street that has been widened to four lanes, but with no shoulders added. I would imagine it is but a matter of time before we see much the same tactic used in Norman. Now, while I'm not totally a fan of running on sidewalks in general, I can understand the need to underscore the importance of runner safety in the darker months. However, there seems to be little building code or consistency with creating sidewalks or lighting. Seeing as it is now dark as soon as one is getting off work, peop...

To close out the fall racing season, I decided to just go race everything in site and see what results followed. I had done little preparation at all for this as I have just tried to get my miles in and the workouts have been scattered. In a 10 day period, I raced 5 times. 3 of these races were 5k's and despite running over everything from a flat to a very rolling course in cold, windy conditions to warm and still, I ran within like 3 seconds each time. The other race was a warm and windy Route 66 1/2 where I sustained 5:30 pace feeling pretty comfortable in effort but with legs that felt leaden. I proceeded to hop in to the marathon after my race and pace store associate Pyle through his sub3 hour quest which unfortunately was a bust and then I paced a long string of folks into a nasty headwind before booking it roudabout to the finish for an impromptu marathon. Three days later, I ran our OKC turkey trot on a frigid blustery day trying to run away from a college kid, only to get...

Over a month ago, I ventured to Denver for the Great American Beer Fest. It was awesome, despite falling on the same day that Jenny and I ran over 2 1/2 hours at altitude. To say that the offerings at this thing is vast does it no justice. It's a festive event that I hope to attend again down the road. Beer unites and it was fun to see just who turned out for the event, the who's who of brewmaster rockstars, the costumes, the bearded and bellied old-timers, and of course the raucous frat dude types that try to swat your beer glass out of hand and yell "oooohhhhh." We paced ourselves and enjoyed some street vendor donuts and light beers when we needed a break. I think some of my favorites were of course the more beastly IPAs, the sour beers, and then some of the cask aged beers. I did really enjoy an orange blossom ale at the end of the day which pretty dry and just had a really fragrant and light-handed citrus aroma. The evening is a blur, but suffice it to say that i...

I had no intentions of taking this much time away from blogland, but it happened though I remain committed to this endeavor. Summer was tough here, but fall has arrived and the weather is sweet. I had a lot of trouble getting the sessions in this summer and so my performance at the Chicago Marathon was about what I expected, given a less than immaculate race day. I really had not done a lot of long runs and so I questioned how the last miles of the race would play out. It really felt about the same to my previous marathons and despite warmer weather I felt fairly well hydrated until late in the race which may have contributed to some asthma-like symptoms which actually were far worse at Boston. I remain optimistic that I can run much faster given further training and a little luck. I enjoyed the trip overall and walked a lot of the city following the race, which may have contributed to a little niggle in my foot which is still lingering. I don't know weather drinking tons of beer, ...

Where to start on the report? In glancing across the intertubes it's always tough to feel like when people are running really fast, I'm at my slowest, but that could probably change if we had some weather where I wasn't pooring sweat within minutes of starting. It's an interesting case study seeing who seems to manage training in the heat and who doesn't. Take the interesting case of Jerry's kids, who is well on his way to running a 2:19, I believe. The workouts are there, if he would only concern himself with some specific fuel depletion runs I think he has it, despite training through an Oklahoma summer. For me, I'm going to bide my time and see what happens when I feel capable to sustain a steady pace for more than 20 minutes. With any luck, it will be the first summer I've completed in quite some time where I haven't sustained a significant injury. I would post some workouts to keep myself accountable, but they've been lacking or omitted e...

Fuck my legs- particularly my left one, interpret that however you please. In a perturbed haze, I sought out some political insight into this months various state elections. I'm intrigued by the fact that I know 2 of the candidates for the district 44 race in the state house, Emily Virgin and Isiah McCaslin. Most of the candidates are running with a surprisingly liberal slant, for Oklahoma, of course. Education is mentioned heavily along with personal freedoms, this of course gets pretty murky because one persons "freedom" is another's "protection of personal freedoms." Interestingly, as stated by the incumbent, Oklahoma is "#1 in the world in female incarceration," a noteworthy stat, if true. Also remarkable (if not fictional), is the idea that significant funding can be recouped by pulling state National Guard troops off the trail of pot growers. While I agree it's an unnecessary exercise, I think that I heard some of the most ridiculous idea...

I'm about to head over to The Abner to watch the culmination of a beautiful futbolistas and fervent fans with all manner of noise making equipment. I don't really find said eguipment to be "annoying" or "distracting." In fact I think it's an indication of the level of enthusiasm for the game that the fans can drink beer, wave flags, yell/spit/whistle at players/refs without a break. The sports animal WWLS is broadcasting from the bar which I also believe illustrates the fact that soccer is an unyielding force that should be more than just lightly accepted by Americans. It also illustrates the fact that sports is a sellout scenario and Jim Traber, ESPN, they can all be bought. Suck it! I'm going to eat sweet potato planks and drink quality beer to toast an epic event.

So since I last reported, I was in the thick of things in New Mexico grilling red meat every night and consuming bacon and beer for breakfast. The training camp had to end, of course, and now I'm back in muggy Oklahoma. I hesitate to really complain because the weather has actually been a lot cooler than it was while I was away and some people had to train right through the worst of it. In any case, I feel like I've re-acclimated to the summer conditions here and returned to my sleep deprived self. Mileage is still up but I'm sort of taking it a little more easily with the long tempo runs as those are more difficult in these conditions than anything. We headed to Ada, OK for the 43rd annual Fireball Classic and came away with mostly positive experiences. Jenny got a course record, C-top got his first quality race effort in, and I ran a decent time over a very rugged course. The guy's record is held by Conor Holt from '96 when he was evidently coming off the Big 8 10...

There are a lot of things that pass through my head on any given run, in fact scenarios probably get more bizarre the more miles I'm doped up on. This little voyage to the desert has been a really enjoyable time, made better by the number of friends who have passed through, were already posted up here, or who are in the process of getting things set up here. There's a definite attraction to the "altitude effect" which I'm going to suggest is both real and percieved. We've done a pretty good job, Jerry and I, of setting ourselves up for the best training we can manage for three weeks and having that little glimmer of belief that the altitude will help play a roll. I really am pretty over the fact that THIS is an altitude destination, I think it's a great place to train because of the venues available, the low humidity, and the availibility of quality beer in a 5 block radius. There's also an appropriate level of eccentric behavior and other recreationa...

The work continues to be done around these parts- and others. We're still feeling better by the day, with the help of some clutch nap sessions. I expected to feel really rough yesterday, but it really wasn't the case and by the time we doubled back for yesterday's pm session in the foothills, I was feeling pretty good. These trails are amazing, for anybody uninitiated, we ran 80 minutes out on a single trail just covering territory, being entertained with epic vistas and the occassional wildlife or biker. I will note that I find it surprising how many women run out on the trails by themselves with headphones and without a dog. I will say we see more ladies than dudes working out, period, but I just found it to be an odd decision to be out there solo and then setting a barrier between yourself and what's going on around you. I mean, if you want to race you need to at least hear me coming up behind you so I don't get the jump. But seriously, there are enough bikers ou...

What a week. There's alot of ways to induce self-loathing and I've selected a more scenic way to do so. We've been secluded all week, surrounded by mountains and premium cable. What's not to like? Well there is a certain sacrifice I'm feeling being out here, which is tough and my blackened soul will be tested. I do feel the transition beginning for me and as long as I perform in a couple key workouts per week, I think by this time next week I will be able to tell if I'm benefitting from this little endeavor and workload. I have had to be creative with calories, trying to get the nutrition needed while staying fueled for my workouts. I was kind of concerned at the end of yesterday's run when I felt utterly depleted and knew that I was running 21 miles this morning, but we made it through and now my body will hopefully allot a bit more glycogen for future use. The food has been good, as have the beers and I think we will take a few road trips to look a little ...

Jerry and I got cracking early this morning for a uptempo session on the river, no thanks to Rookie the cat who was walking all over me throughout the night. It was still pretty cool and I didn't feel like the temps were an issue whatsoever, I even warmed up in a long sleeve and tights. However, it was dry enough that the exertion elicited a little workout stomach. All that means is that I had to have a beer with my breakfast tacos, post-run, and while tuning into the 2nd half of the WC opener. I think things are going swimmingly and despite running some of the more undulating foothill trails last night, my glutes and climbing muscles were only mildly sore and didn't limit my acceleration over the last mile of this mornings run. We'll return to the river for the 19 miler on Sunday as we think the odds of us getting out over our heads will be less but we're going to try to go run up on the top of Sandia peak tomorrow. Since everyone and their dog (hopefully) are heading ...

For better or worse our presence has been noted by some of the locals in town and so now we're hoping to get linked up with the group for some long run action on Sunday. Jerry and I felt pretty good this evening, which is a beautiful thing considering the amount of work we've put in the last few days. The weather is sooo much more tolerable than in Norman and so like this evening for instance despite having moved pretty well through a 90 minute run this morning, I wanted to add miles tonight, but alas we opted for some photo journalism. Today was an 18 mile day for me and I think I can keep it going this week and maybe build on these numbers before I have to head back to the swamp. Not to be left out of the tales tonight, we had a little New Mexico surf and turf tonight and it was solid alongside a salad straight from the backyard. I'm worried my beard is going to be no match for Jerry's and this is kind of demoralizing but I will run him harder to try to deplete him or...

Broadcasting from the Duke City, aka Albuquerque. Jerry and I have made a pact to do what we can to up the training stimulus by training here and at a few choice alpine destinations in hopes of reaching beyond our existing bipedal powers. Henceforth we will refer to this training stint as the Barbaric Chamber, which involves a very specific manifesto and schematic. The plan is certainly not without sacrifice in many ways, but in the wake of suffering shall come greater passion, I hope and believe. The highly thought out and scrutinized ruleset goes something like this (taking into account it was jotted out on a bar napkin last night): 1. No shaving/personal grooming. No exceptions! 2. Minimum of 10 miles/ day 3. At least 1 beer/ evening (NO AFD's!) 4. All meat products should tend towards the red varietal 5. If significant predatory animal is encountered it must be subdued in 6. Grilling multiple times/ day intended 7. Drinking beer in the shower encouraged 8. Green chile pre& ...

Long week and I seem to have come down with an allergy-induced cold or something. When it feels like you are sleeping in a swamp, it's hard to really get great, restful sleep so I think the weather is out to foil my life again. I did have the pleasure of good company at this weeks' $3 burger session and again the prompting for an Abner's sponsored race was felt. I'm thinking of a race, a club points series, and then a combined score from perhaps the whole thing, which will be offset by probably something like the pub run where beer drinking is mandatory or at least aids your time in some way if you choose to indulge. Until then, rest assured I'm training hard again and doing my damnedest to improve the state of Norman running and I'm not the only one. KEXP 90.3 FM - Live Performance: Beach House on 04/12/2010

I'm not going to try to defend the quality of my apartment, but I like to think there's a quiet dignity to living in Essex. That was the case until a bum came in and tried to help himself to one of my beers as Skolnick just informed me. I like the location of this joint, SOME of the neighbors and the price and yet there are a few obvious issues at hand, not the least of which is my next door neighbor who has woken me up multiple times with his middle of the night cussing sprees and general creepiness. All this goes to say that I won't be renewing the lease and shall most likely be setting up camp in a Lindsey St. abode in the coming month. More importantly, I have made it through another week without much issue, and will hope to race in the next few weeks. I did hit the T-bird trails for in informal race in honor of Gustavo continuing to feel pretty good and cancer free. I haven't heard the full report of the longer ventures, 25k and 50k, but I did run a quick 10k and p...

Good week, much less busy at the shop than last week and accordingly I had a little more pep in my step. At this point, I should note that I'm spending a lot more time warming up and stretching than I ever have on a consistent basis. I'm feeling pretty good on the run but I'm just hoping to keep the running streak alive at this point, run a few summer races and then get into some higher level stuff this fall. I logged about 85 miles this week, doubled on 5 days, and had a couple good long runs. Topped things off this morning with 95 minutes finishing strong and immediately proceeding to omelets, bloody marys, and the football. Thinking of trips this summer and though I'm not leaving the states, Phillip enviously did , I'm not sure why no Tour of the Gila for those guys but who can complain about Belgian beer, chocolate, and women?

Crazy week with the OKC marathon back and bigger than ever. I hope for great things from all of those folks with whom I've communicated. I have had very few good races at OKC, myself, but I've seen some great performances from other folks out there and it truly is an amazing event for OKlahoma. I had a great topper of a week out in Taos last week but unfortunately I guess after a long drive, 9 hour day at the shop, and the emotional fervor that the Boston Marathon created left me with my nagging hamstring flared up and me pretty frustrated at the precipitate from a single ill conceived day. Anyway, I'll be bringing the OKRunner relay home and hoping that we can run 2:25 or better and win the thing, which really shouldn't be tough but can prove to be so. So to up our chances and pay homage to those before us, I felt like a significant volume of beer needed to be consumed at Chelino's and beyond. The reps were good enough to buy a few for me under the guise of what I ...

I'm taking a little down time from the shop that will include a visit to Taos, NM for the rest of the week. Today I was feeling a bit tired after a solid morning run, 10 hour day at the shop, and the yog home. Today Skolnick and I jogged a bit over to the track so he could time trial a 200. He didn't quite do his best but a 27 second split after just jogging over to the line literally and hitting a sprint is fine. Then I baked some cinnamon rolls and dropped our neighbor and buddy, Dalton, at work. Next was a nice jaunt on the bike. I needed to see what Lago di T-bird was looking like and since the wind was wailing out of the south, I really just had a crosswind that wasn't too obtrusive. Finally after finalizing my taxes, some reading, and a nap, I was readying myself for a second run when I noticed the Indian guys living in our apartment were up to there standard bimonthly parking lot cricket game and, shit, my car was right next to the "batters box" for lack of...

I ventured over to Redbud for my annual non-paying entrant position. This year proved to again be warm like many years, but unlike last, and a lot of people paid the piper. I think most people just chalk their slow times to the course and heat but they don't ave the doubly frustrating side effect of nausea. I, being an apparent "uber-Anglo" with slim to no pigment in my skin seem to suffer heavily, either that or I suffer from a vit. D overdose on these occasions. I also tore my heal up running without socks so hopefully that amounts to naught. Anyway, alot of people were doing the skeleton dance out there so the fact that I was running in a progressive fashion made me feel for the people I went by late in the race. I ran like a 18:15/17:15 split which was fine by me considering the ridiculous continuation of an overlap of the 5 and 10k courses that completely stagnates the 10k course and if you're racing it's one of the more demoralizing scenarios I can imagine w...

I'll try a simplistic format for this one so myself and everyone else can get on to their Dia de la Conejo or moveable feast festivities. points worth mention for the week: 1. logged decent mileage through the Oklahoma spring gales and in spite of my own severe pedestrian deficiency thus far, this year. 2. survived a remarkably severe, yet short, weather phenomenon that I maintain marked its epicenter at the very site I call home, Essex Square Apartments. I'm talking downed power lines, uprooted Bartlett pear trees, and significant on site structural and auto damage. 3. Attempted a "pint night" unsuccessfully, but capably handled the $3 Wednesday burger. 4. Fended off an advance from middle-aged woman while dropping off recyclables in short shorts. mentionable on this day: 1. 90 minute run in high wind and humidity, perhaps my least favorite climactic scenario. 2. lost consecutive Foosball matches to decidedly weaker opponents 3. cut weight with first hair cut in l...

All right here I am. I'll lay it all out for you. I've been lax, I've been busy, I've been angry. I've biked alot of miles instead of run them, I've drank a lot of beer without having run to and from the bar, and I've set not a one race goal for the future whilst listening to and watching those around me tear up the scene. But on this day, I have bucked that trend, I've run to a bar and quaffed one beer and then another. I timed this so as to ensue with a certain cold front that was blowing through town so that I was particularly chilled whilst sitting on the patio at the Library but perfectly acclimated while running home, dare I say outstanding. I am really glad to see my friends around me feeling good and running well and I will ride the upswell of energy that I pulled from this weekend to get my own ass in gear.

Those were the words uttered, or shouted, over and over at me through the phone as Skolnick and I headed out of the apartment to see what manner of road kill awaited. As we headed down Buchanan St. to try to corral a one Spenis Hunt, we started peaking in to several bars to see where this hooligan was lurking. Our phone convo circuitously proceeded something like Me: All right man we're looking for you, so you're in Joe's? Spenis: Yeah Joe's and Othello's. Where you at? Me: I coming from just up the street at Essex, stay where you are we're coming for you. Spenis: Where you at? La Luna? I'm at White St. and Boomer. Me: Fuck me. How the hell did you get over there so fast? Now where are you, we're on White St. and I don't see you. Spenis: Where the fuck you at? So as you can see, we were in a bind. Spencer was clearly obliterated, PD were out and about, and I couldn't seem to find the asshole, considering I'm walking down the street, which are...