Still Healing

I am still trying to stage a recovery and make the best of this setback. Last night I tried to step out the front door and jog but to no avail. My knee is still bothering me. I am beginning to think the IT band is a factor as I feel a tight and sore sensation on the outside of my left leg. I did some stretching yesterday. Tonight I may try another jog. My Boston marathon run is at risk. I'll keep you posted. Cheers!

2009 marks the final year for Blair and Greg’s direct involvement in Team Steam

Over the course of the past 13 years, Team Steam and BlairDog Training have become the training focal point for many Illinois Valley Striders members. The success of these programs is the direct result of Blair Gorsuch and Greg White. Their loyalty and dedication to these programs, the Steamboat Classic and the Illinois Valley Striders are priceless! 2009 marks the final year for Blair and Greg’s direct involvement in Team Steam. No, they’re not retiring from supporting running in Central Illinois, and they will still be involved in many ways.
Using this year’s Team Steam program as the transition, Blair and Greg have agreed to mentor a new set of Team Steam volunteers. As such, we’re inviting anyone interested in learning about the process to become a Team Steam volunteer coach to join Blair and Greg for a volunteer meeting and program overview on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m. at Blair’s office at the Proctor Hospital Cardiac Rehab Center located in the HeartCare Midwest Building at 5401 N. Knoxville Avenue (phone: 309-692-9876). Please join us.

Delavan Wind-A-Thon

Sunday March 18, 2009

It was an incredible afternoon. There was a torrential downpour before the race and the trees were moving so vigorously they looked like monsters trying to break free. The winds were as gusting in excess of 50 mph. It was a race that not just favored those runners willing to work together. It was a requirement. The few folks who ran it alone were all but immobilized by the winds. Sub 1:20 half marathon runners were forced to walk and many abandoned the effort. I worked with John Havenga with who ever we could coolesce into the pack to work the windswept roads of the Delavan Frostbite.

Time Temp Wind Gusts
======================================
13:01 59.6 °F WSW 25.7mph 35.0mph
13:06 58.3 °F West 21.9mph 35.0mph
13:11 59.8 °F WSW 32.7mph 32.7mph
13:16 60.0 °F WSW 25.0mph 41.1mph
13:21 60.1 °F West 24.7mph 34.8mph
13:26 59.9 °F West 34.2mph 43.1mph
13:31 60.3 °F WSW 28.3mph 28.3mph
13:36 59.9 °F West 49.6mph 55.0mph
13:41 59.6 °F West 39.6mph 50.9mph
13:46 58.7 °F West 30.3mph 50.9mph
13:51 58.0 °F WNW 28.3mph 39.0mph
13:56 57.8 °F West 26.1mph 40.8mph
14:01 56.5 °F WSW 36.5mph 46.5mph
14:06 55.4 °F West 33.8mph 50.6mph
14:11 54.7 °F West 50.0mph 50.2mph
14:16 53.7 °F West 43.8mph 55.3mph
14:21 53.1 °F West 49.7mph 49.7mph
14:26 52.3 °F West 40.0mph 50.8mph
14:31 52.6 °F West 30.9mph 40.9mph

Unbelievable!!!!

The wind pressure was so extreme I could nearly put all my weight into it without falling. It was remarkable and unlike any conditions I've ever experienced. After the race however I developed a problem with my left knee. No doubt it was accumulating from all the miles and this event was enough of a stress to press me over the edge.

It's now been almost a week and I still cannot run. On Monday I was limping around like an old war vet and by wed I could walk around without any real pain. Coupled with the blisters that prevented my last weeks workouts this might be too much time off to accomplish my Boston goals but that's ok. I have a long term approach to the sport. I love to run and want to improve. Sometimes you have to give up what you love today so you can keep doing it in the future. You could say the same thing about my cholesterol and my diet.

Schroff did a fabulous job as the Race director. I appreciate how much he does for the local running community. Thanks Dave!

Americas Last Employee Not Worried About Job

U.S. News and World Report, 52 minutes ago

Losing 99.99 percent of it's total value, the DOW industrials closed at an unprecedented 9 points today.  The US Department of Labor put the countries private sector unemployment rate at effectively 100%. Yet, through it all, one man, and one man only perseveres.   Though there were more than nine documented indiscretions —including tardiness, gross incompetence, and poor hygiene—in the self-produced employment file, the King Street, St. Louis McDonalds Restaurant employee, Ronald Johnson endures. Mr Johnson is known the world around as America's last employed citizen.  "I get more than a little creeped out from all the people staring at me man," the 29-year-old told reporters Monday. "Stop it already! You know I can't be givin you out free fries!" Although he's done plenty to warrant being fired and cares little about his job Johnson believes his unique skills are critical to his stores sales in these tough economic conditions. "I've got hopes and dreams bigger than this dump," Johnson continued. "I'm only doing this because there's no way I'll ever come close to achieving them dreams. Besides, with no manager around anymore, this job ain't so bad."

"I ain't worried, man," said Jonhnson, who commented when asked if his employer had perhaps forgotten he was on the payroll.  "Fuck that Shit Man!  I'm getting a full-hour lunch break and all the free soda I can carry. I got Responsibilities and a rep. You think this food just magically appears?" 

Ok.  I thought I smelled bacon buring Wed night.  Adam, his brother Ian, Joe, Jeff, Mike K., Mike Schek, and Bill all showed at the tower at 5.  The plan was to run from the tower to Edgewild and then do this 6 mile loop at about our 10k pace.  

The run went really well for me and for everone else.  However, later that night I started to really feel the blistering take effect.  I had completed 3 tough workouts in flats to include a 20 miler in 4 days and my dogs had had enough.   My foot hurts like hell.  Hope its better in a few hours.  I have a 12 miler.  It takes the joy out of my life right now. 

Peace!

Rob's Pigs Burn While Kevin Bacon's Facebook Page Brings Down Internet

*** SHAMELESSLY PROMOTING Running Central HERE ****


Saturday was the big 20 miler. Have to say I was dreading it. I am so tired of the cold weather and having to go to bed at 9 on Friday night so I can live through another zero dark thirty meat grinding long run. I was doubly depressed because I got my cholesterol checked at my doctors office and the results were not promising. Basically my blood is the consistency of peanut butter. So when I get cold I figure its twice as hard as normal people to run. I had to listen to my doctors sarcastic comments. "Wow, Rob. Do you really run marathons? You've got the blood of Orville Redenbacher and Colnel Sanders combined!" Look, I said. I don't know. I eat ok. I must come from a long line of dead cholesterol gorillas, that's all.

McGangBang

Anyway. The run was tough. Neltner and Matt Eckberg beat the living daylights out of me for 20 miles made doubly tough for me because of the Kiełbasa sausage grease masquerading as blood and not exactly coursing through oozing through my arteries. I will say that if you have to run 20 miles. The Saturday point to point from the tower to the EP admin buildign is a great route.   IVS has this route with options for 9, 12, 16 and 20 miles.  We had lots of downhill running and that definitely helped me to run a great pace. I'm wearing new shoes! Adam at Running Central sold me these SWEET kicks! Basically they are a pair of spray on thin as paint flats made by Mizuno named the Universe 2.

I am really into the less is more philosohy of shoes. So when I saw these I knew it was love! The Mizuno rep Matt, later told me the longest recorded run he ever knew of anyone logging was 13 miles. Evidently I set some kind of freak show record that should help them stem a liability issue. I am willing to testify in court Matt if you need me! I gotta get the story straight from him but he mentioned they were intended as some kind of concept shoe and were originally priced through the roof. It was basically a $150 shoe to last 150 miles kind of thing. It was supposed to only be in production for about 6 months. That was 2 years ago. The shoe's categorized by the factory as an "expert" series running shoe. My wife fell on the floor laughing about that one (thanks for all the support honey).

SO WHAT if I top out at a svelte 170! So I am not exactly what you might call thier "target" demographic, but I thought I'd try em out and go long. Game on Mizuno! I'm putting 400+ miles on these puppy's! I have to admit my feet were barkin pretty good when I reached the EP Admin building. I definitely had some skin in the game this Saturday. I don't blame the shoe but rather the fact I just haven't done much barefoot running because it's been so cold. My pigs are winter wusses!


So Sunday I spent nursing the wounds and checking the internet out. I cant think of a better way to kill a perfectly good opportunity to do something useful. I like to check out Facebook to see what everyone's doing. Guess they are all wasting their time too. Now, I've been using Facebook for only a couple of months.  Krause first told me about it.  After a few weeks hoping none of the really strange people in the world that I have wronged would find me.  I started just accepting everyone who wanted to be friends.  I think I am up to 6.  No kidding. Then my sister Karye found out about Facebook.  THen she told my sister Gayle, then my DAD! Arrrrg!  Then my mom.  Whoa! Enough is enough!  Can you hear the fun being sucked right out of the ethernet?!?  



Now, with all these people, I gotta watch what I say.  Only here in this corner of cyberspace is it safe to write my most intimate thoughts....here alone where I enjoy total and complete privacy....here where I can hatch my evil plots and not be detected.....(come back rob, you're getting distracted)

Then I started to wonder.....remember those crazy 6 degrees of separation sayings they used to talk about? You know the ones with Kevin Bacon?  It was one of those first date topics back in high school.  As the theory goes, it's said you can tie anyone to Kevin Bacon in 6 degrees of separation or less?  His facebook page would be a thing of wonder! Would it tax the limits of cyberspace?!?  Any you thought the stock market crash was big news.  Stranger things have happend.

 

Forgetting to log a workout you did is way better than logging a workout you forget to do.