For Whom the Dogs Bark

April 28, 2024

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Location:

Cypress,TX,

Member Since:

Oct 10, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K: 24:22 (March 2010); 22:33 (October 2010); 20:47 (May 2011); 21:05 (May 2012); 21:33 (September 2012); 21:23 (November, 2013); 22:31 (September 2014)

5M: 39:22 (November, 2012); 35:54 (November, 2013); 36:03 (March, 2015)

10K: 44:08 (November, 2010); 49:20 (July, 2013); 44:07 (April, 2015)

12K: 56:03 (December, 2013); 58:58 (December, 2014)

10M: 1:11:58 (October, 2012); 1:15:24 (October, 2014)

Half Marathon: 1:53:xx (London's Run 2010); 2:05:21 (Cowtown 2010); 1:37:04 (Gusher 2011); 1:42:19 (Huntsville 2011); 1:33:47 (Baytown Jailbreak 2012); 1:33:50 (The Woodlands 2012); 1:42:52 (Texas 2015); 1:49:17 (Jailbreak 2015); 1:38:34 (The Woodlands 2015)

25K: 2:01:47 (Fifth Third River Bank, May 2014)

Marathon: 5:51:35 (Texas Marathon 2009); 6:21:36 (Ogden 2009); 4:58:29 (St. George 2009); 4:13:45 (Texas Marathon 2010); 4:04:12 (Utah Valley Marathon, 2010); 5:11:14 (Hartford ING, 2010); 3:41:43 (Richmond SunTrust, 2010); 3:39:27 (Texas Marathon 2011); 3:41:46 (Utah Valley Marathon, 2011); 3:30:35 (St. George 2011); 3:41:51 (Richmond 2012); 3:49:15 (Texas 2013); 3:46:59 (Paavo Nurmi, 2013); 3:34:04 (St. George 2013); 3:49:51 (Texas 2014); 3:31:59 (Richmond 2014); 3:28:34 (Boston 2015)

Short-Term Running Goals:

3:20, 1:30, 0:20

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'm 60, there is no long term.

Personal:

I live, work and run in Houston, Texas. I have run 17 marathons, some good ones and some others. I prefer straight, flat, cold, sea-level marathons, still waiting for my first one. I feel like there are more PRs out there. When I have them, I am told it is time to dial it back, run for healthy reasons. I'm sure that's right, and I'm sure it won't happen.

My wife and I are from the mountains of the west. We have five kids, three granddaughters and three grandsons. The kids and grandkids are native Texans but we are not -- you have to be born here.

As for my blog title: I run most of my miles before sunrise, sometimes hours before. On the back road of my neighborhood two hours before daylight, I can depend on a pack of mutts behind the boundary fence lighting up when they hear my footsteps. I have wondered what they wanted; but according to Hemingway I needn't ask.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Wed, Jun 09, 2010

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
3.08	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.08

78F, humidity 94%, wind calm. Nice peaceful, stifling morning out there. Ran 3.08 in 33:30, 10:53 per mile, low heart rate and flat shoes. Speed was a little faster than yesterday but not by much. This is the most attention I have paid to a taper for any race. I hope it works. If not I'll try something else next time.

There were several new runners out this morning, all working hard in the heat. I was not working hard and it was interesting to reflect how much progress I have made. Even though I still run dog slow it has made such a difference for me. In fact, I now get a lot of worried comments that I am losing too much weight. I am about 170 now, down 30 pounds from two years ago. Other than trying to be a little more careful about second servings and trying to cut back on red meat, I haven't really changed my diet, it just happens naturally with this much running. I pulled out a photo of me running in high school to show my wife and kids. Same height, 135 pounds. I look perfectly healthy with my '70s locks flowing in the wind at 12 mph, and I was. (Form wasn't too bad either, if I'm allowed to say that.) Weight increases naturally with age, I suppose, but I think people's perception of a healthy weight is skewed by all of the overweightness out there.

UPDATE: In response to popular demand (OK, maybe only one request, but it was from KP, so it is important), here is the photo:

Comments

From KP on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 at 09:52:26 from 65.208.22.26

you need to post the 70's pic!

From Burt on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 at 11:18:07 from 206.19.214.144

I think your form is great. Uh huh.

From SlowJoe on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 at 23:56:55 from 204.133.180.90

Is that a dirt track? I think I see why I'm slow -- it takes a long stride to go 12 mph! It is cool how you found running again after a few decades.

From flatlander on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 07:58:07 from 76.31.26.153

KP, apologies, even though you asked for it, I know you didn't expect anything like this.

Burt, now what do you think about my form?

Joe, yeah, I hadn't thought about it but I ran every single race in high school on a dirt track. I should take another 10 seconds off my mile PR! I feel like that old guy in Napoleon Dynamite throwing the football ("we coulda took state").

From Burt on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 12:07:22 from 206.19.214.144

Holy smokes! You look like you broke the world record, which way back then was probably a 5:32 miles. :)

I see you still hold your arms the same way. The only difference is you don't open your stride up as much.

From Smooth on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 12:17:46 from 174.23.172.155

That hair alone would have shave seconds, let alone the dirt track. Yep, you most likely broke the world record back then.

135 lbs?!!! WOW! what a stud...the long slim speedy stud!

From KP on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 18:52:04 from 198.200.158.140

i'm just now seeing this pic. oh my!

AWESOME!

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