300 Oaks

I can't believe it's been a year since I last ran and wrote about Greenwood's famous 10K, the 300 Oaks. Last year, after several consecutive years of declining performance, I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with myself. For the second year in a row.

My wife and I before walking
to the start.

The prospects of me declining again were irritating, annoying, terrifying. I came up with a game plan (again) and vowed to turn my fortunes around or shuffle off into the sunset of ultra-marathons never more to be spotted on the starting lines of any race shorter than 26.2.

Did it work?

Last year, I ran a disappointing 57:08 for a 9:15 per mile average pace. Finishing 2nd in my age group was little consolation. Am I really that old? I asked myself over and over. Is it all down hill from here? Can a return to better runner happen if I train hard, train long, train smart?

I had a year to work on it, a year to answer that question.

My son and I just before the start.

To make a short story long, yes, and no. I ran a 54:11 this morning, an almost three minute improvement over last year. That was nice, but not all I wanted. I ran 315 more miles in 2015 than before the 2014 race. I did more tempo training, mutli-paced efforts, more long runs over the summer. I committed to strength work (a bit late). I did everything right. Almost.

What I did not do was lose weight. The scales said I weighed 169.8 this morning. What!?!?!?!?

I have no excuse other than my wife (I think she was bribed by my son) has been force feeding me ice-cream every night for the last few weeks. I worked and he won the battle for the family championship. I am disappointed, but I am proud of him. Next year, I'll lose the weight and kick his butt. Wait for it.

300 Hoax

Saturday, September 20th, was the 33rd running of Greenwood's 300 Oaks road race. The run was a fun event since I had my son, daughter, granddaughter, wife, and sister-in-law there. All of us were involved in some way. My son, daughter, and sister-in-law, and I ran the 10K while my wife and granddaughter did the 5K walk. The weather was nice and as usual the free food afterwards was excellent. A live band played on Front Street while the runners straggled in and found a place to crash and eat. What's not to like?

My finishing time. That's what's not to like.

I was three minutes slower than last year at 57:08, a 9:13 pace. I can remember when a 9:13 cuased me to blush effusively. Those were the days. As slow as that was, it was good enough for second place in my age group. But I am in a very old group of geezer jocks who still run hard but get there slow. Having outlived and outlasted much of my competition, now I can usually place just by shuffling across the finish line. The three minute slow down, however, has me worried, frustrating, wondering. And to make matters worse, that has been my pattern for a few years in a row now.


The family, minus wife, at the Oaks.

It can't be my age.

It can't be.

That's what I've been telling myself for several years. But slowly I am starting to soften on that position. Maybe it is my age. I'm sure getting older has something to do with it. But I keep coming up with reasons for my decline that have nothing to do with my mounting years. Listen to a few:

•    I got a stress fracture in December and couldn't run for over two months.

•    I gained a bunch of weight while I was hobbled on crutches, and some of that adipose tissue still adorns my body.

•    My real focus for the last few years has been swimming not running.

•    This year I gained four pounds during race week. WHAT!?!?! Who does that?

Last year after the Oaks, I sat down and wrote out a plan for getting my running back on track. Somewhere along the way, I forgot about the plan and, consequently, I had a slower than expected race. See what I did there? I found a reason for my decline not connected to my birthdays. This year after the Oaks, I once more sat down and wrote out a plan to get my running back where I think it should be, to get me out of second place and into first among the geezers.

Am I hoaxing myself? hoping against hope to regain my lost youthful vigor? Or am I just too divided as an athlete, pulled in too many directions, diluting my energies and progress? I'm not sure I know the answer to that question or if I really want to know. Ignorance is bliss as they say. At least it can be.

Only time will tell if I stick to the plan this go round and at least get some of that performance back. In fact, I think I wrote something like this last year after the Oaks although I did not do a back search through EndangeredSwimmer to find that post. I think I may have said something to the effect that if I failed this year to lower my time I would give up on speed and just fade away into marathons and ultra-marathons.

Now there's an option.

The Week of 9/16 to 9/22

It was a pretty light week, overall, and besides tapering off for the Oaks, mostly I've been sitting by the phone waiting on a call from Big ASS Endurance over the complaint I filed concerning Beets' height. Monday I ran 4.22 miles and didn't even go to the pool. Tuesday I ran 3.81 then met my buddy, Big John, at Twin Rivers. We had agreed ahead of time to go for three hours. He's been wanting to do that, and I needed a long swim. In that length of time, I swan

3,000
10 X 50 @ 1:15
2 X 200 large paddles
400 for time (7:06)
2 X 250 medium paddles
400 for time (7:06)
2 X 300 small paddles
400 for time (7:16)
500 finger paddles
10 X 100 pull @ 2:00 with small paddles
800
Total: 8,500 meters.


My wife and I at the Oaks. She walked the 5K.

Wednesday I ran 3.01 miles, mowed the front lawn, and was too tired to even think about swimming. Thursday I shuffled 2.52, and I did actually get my body into the water at Twin Rivers. But once there, I was listless and struggled through a slow 3,000. Friday I ran 2.03 then spent the afternoon working on the pontoon. I plan a separate post on that as well as the Oaks which I ran Saturday. I wrote earlier that if I couldn't get back under 50:00, then I would know I'm getting old and move on to more ultra type events which is what old runners often do. I'm really struggling over the results. I did get second place in my age group, but that was only partial consolation. In the afternoon, I ran another four miles.

Oh, by the way, Randy Beets and I were to race the Oaks for the Association of Sports Shufflers World Championship 10K. That rascal claimed he had to work. Still, I ate ice-cream and cake to celebrate winning another ASS world title.

For the week, I
ran 26.05 miles
swam 11,500 meters, and
walked 4.36 miles.

Thursday through Saturday

Like last week, I stayed home instead of going to DSU to save time and energy for my Friday swim. I did an easy 2.12 mile shuffle and then went to Twin Rivers where I swam

1,200
10 X 100 @ 2:00
400 easy
8 X 100 @ 1:59
400 easy
Total: 3,800 meters

Friday I went to the pond and shuffled a super easy 1.5 between laps. I totaled 6.23 miles for my 16th 10K + of the year.

Randy towers above the crowd before the start of the Oaks.

Saturday was the 300 Oaks 10K and since it is in my hometown, I always try to run it. I was a little disappointed in my time which was 52:28. Last year I was about forty seconds faster. That time did, however, earn me 2nd place in my age group. Randy was about a minute ahead of me and he placed also. In addition to the 10K, we shuffled through the Fun Run giving us 7.2 miles of running for the day.

After the awards ceremony, Randy, Robin, and I went to Twin Rivers. Robin swam about an hour. Randy and I did 8 X 1500 (the eight was 1600) for 12,100 meters. So all in all it was a pretty heavy training day. This was my first time to run and swim a 10K in one day. For Randy, it was his third.