year end
i wrapped up 2009 this afternoon with an 8 mile effort along university avenue. temps were in the mid-teens and the wind was up from the WNW which made it feel pretty cold, even with the sunshine. looking back, i mustered the following over the past few days…
12/26 – 7.25 miles (de pere, wi – early evening run, flurries, Christmas lights, got slightly turned around before regaining my bearings and pointing myself back to my in-laws house)
12/27 – off
12/28 – 6.75 miles (de pere, wi – late morning run, sunny, gusty wind from the NE)
12/29 – off
12/30 – 6 miles (early evening run, extended “city” loop to the hospital and back)
MTD – 101 miles
YTD – 1400.3 miles
Odometer – 29,508 miles
my mileage total for the year (1400 miles) is the least i’ve run in a year since 1998. admittedly, my right foot & achilles is much improved versus a year ago but the lack of miles really showed in my racing and waistline.
looking forward to 2010, i’m less than 500 miles away from the 30,000 miles milestone which should be passed by spring. i’m not sure what i’ll aim at for goal races in the coming year but am currently thinking of the following…
- Indoor Half Marathon (January)
- Trailbreaker Half or Full Marathon (March)
- Ice Age Trail 50K or Green Bay Marathon (May)
- North Face Endurance Challenge (September)
- Al’s Run (October)
- Chicago 50K (Oct/Nov)
…but it’s all dependent on getting in some decent miles. we’ll see what 2010 brings.
Christmas Surprise
i’ve recently been sidelined by an upper respiratory infection and haven’t ran in almost a week. even though the temps were in the upper thirties and it was steadily raining, i geared up and headed out for a short afternoon run. with about a mile to go, i spotted Santa & Mrs. Claus walking to a SUV. they climbed in and as i approached, Santa rolled down his drivers side door and said to me…”Ho Ho Ho”…and handed me a candy cane. my outstretched hand grasped the treat and he went on to say “Keep running. Ho Ho Ho”. i continued on my way and as they drove past me, he waved exclaiming “Ho Ho Ho”. the chance encounter answered an age old question…Santa drives a Chevy.
(true story)
north & south
when the temps are lower, i consciously choose routes that initially head into the wind so that the return route gives me a tailwind. for that reason, much of my winter running is along university avenue which runs essentially north and south. overall, my afternoon constitutional was rather uneventful. overall, i mustered ten miles at an easy pace and hit the shower.
eight was enough
it is funny how warm temperatures in the low 30’s feels after a snap of single digit temps. regardless, i got a late afternoon start on my constitutional and rolled down hill towards the glacial drumlin trail. to my dismay, the city hasn’t plowed out the trail and with the recent snow it was un-run-able in my esteemed opinion. therefore, i opted to improvise a bit and wind my way around the western side of waukesha. while i had my ipod powered tunes playing in my nike winter hat (with speakers in the liner of the hat), i was a bit startled by a passing car whose driver had the window down and was howling at me like i was a chippendale dancer.
seriously? yes, i know…hard to believe.
regardless, i made it back to my house with eight miles recorded on the GPS watch and hit the shower.
three rounds
what follows was pieced together from a series of status updates on Facebook on what was – – by media accounts – – a winter storm of epic proportions. comments by Facebook Friends have been omitted to protect their identities as they may no longer wish to be associated with me. for other quixotic postings, i’ll direct your attention to nah nah boo boo, racing a train or the very seasonal chicken anyone?
enjoy!
Jerry “the Champ” Cameron just completed Round #2 with the challenger “Ole’ Man Winter”. For those just joining the action, the Champ started Round 1 with a flurry of deft moves with his trusted snow shovel making his driveway and sidewalk clear as a summer’s day. As the bell rang to end Round 1, a massive pile of heavy/wet snow was dumped at the foot of the Champ’s driveway.
Undeterred, the champ bolted from his corner during Round #2 with a flurry of quick jabs with his snow shovel, making quick work of the wall of snow at the foot of his driveway. clearly, the Champ is hitting his stride as he’s showboating a bit by waving to the snowplow driver and the postman. The Champ’s gotta be on guard for the third and final round as “Ole’ Man Winter” is known for kicking up the wind and dropping the mercury.
The champ emerged from his corner to begin the third and final round with “Ole’ Man Winter” decked out in enough Cool-Max, Omni-Tech and spandex to make any endurance athlete green with envy. Standing at the foot of the drive, the champ patiently awaited his GPS to sync. Stepping foot beyond the friendly confines of his driveway, the scene was reminisce of the movie Rocky V with the fight spilling onto the city streets.
Ole’ Man Winter brought along a bit more wind than had been seen in the early rounds but neglected to drop the mercury enough to discourage the Champ. The Champ wound his way through the darkened city street dodging poorly driven SUVs and even a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver. A group of poorly insulated teens posed the only real challenge to the champ. As he neared the group they had the bright idea to have an impromptu race with the Champ as he rolled down a long hill.
Always up for a challenge, the Champ playfully toyed with the teens – one of whom held a lit cigarette in hand – with a friendly wave and shouted “c’mon” as he slowly pulled away from the poorly prepared youth. Making one last turn up the last hill the champ turned his attention back to Ole’ Man Winter and adeptly picked his way up the icy, snow covered roadway and made his way back to his homestead.
While heading back indoors for a hot shower, the Champ could faintly hear the announcer stating “by unanimous decision and still champion…” before the wind drowned out the remainder into an inaudible roar of approval.