Border Wars Meet - 2B/1A Wash/Idaho

As border wars go, today's version at the Lapwai track was much more amicable than say, Russia and the Ukraine. The athletes competed hard in the  races and field but, true to form for small schools, they mingled and chatted with each other in the infield between events. The annual Border Wars Track Meet drew 11 teams from Idaho and five teams from Washington. Asotin continued its strong early season form, winning both the men's and women's titles this year, though by closer margins than the last couple of meets.

For the men, that was the lone Washington entry in top five teams as Idaho schools Kamiah, Prairie, Logos, and Kendrick filled up the points totals to top the list.

For the women, it was more challenging for the Idaho teams with Prairie, Logos, TO-GP, and St. John-Endicott in the top five.

Racing started with the 3200m for both the men and women.

Thomas Weakland (Asotin), Peter Spencer (Prairie), and Brady McKay (Asotin) led the field out with the Logos team in tow and quickly separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

McKay led the first two laps before his teammate took over. Weakland ran strong for the next five laps as Spencer stayed right off his shoulder. The Logos runners, Sage Pratt and Jonny Handel, closed on, then passed, McKay on the fourth lap. An experienced junior, Spencer waited until the backstretch of the gun lap to make his move, a powerful surge to open space between him and the freshman from Asotin. Spencer won handily with a 10:05. Logos placed three runners in the top six as sophomore Josiah Anderson finished with a solid performance behind McKay.

Lucy Eggleston made short work of the women's 3200m race, carving out a large lead early and pushing hard through the finish. Heather Siegel (St. John-Endicott) took second and Katarina Stephenson (Asotin) took third.

Unlike Wednesday, I managed to catch more of the field events, including the women's pole vaulting. Megan McCain of Asotin was competing for the first time while Skylar Smith (Pomeroy) easily won the vault, clearing 8'00".

Mike Martinez (Asotin) won the men's side, hitting 11' while Trey Pfefferkorn and Clayton Stamper (both from Clearwater Valley) placed second and third. Pomeroy locked in the next two spots with solid vaults from Memo Morphin and Cole Mayfield.

Mayfield took third in the high jump as well, tied in height but not attempts, with Kristian Carpenter of Nezperce. Darcy Stamper of TO_GP won going away. Not switching to the flop until the bar got to 5'0", Stamper skipped the jump at 6'0", coming back to clear 6'2" before moving on to his other events. A well-rounded field athlete, Stamper took fifth in the discus and shot put. Olivia Pakootas continued her winning ways in the women's high jump. Pearl Blachly of Pomeroy took second and Erica Johnson of Logos, third.

The points from sprints was spread out across the field. The men's 200m had ten teams represented in the top ten positions with Lucas Arnzen (Prairie) dropping below 24 seconds for the top spot. Nearly as splintered, the 100m featured six different teams in the top ten with Arnzen winning here as well in a time of 11.74 seconds.

The women's 800m showed that history can repeat itself, only faster. The Eggleston sisters again dueled to the finish. Madeline moved to take the lead from Lucy at the 200m mark  and opened up a two step gap. Lucy covered the move though and, again on the last straightaway, eked out first place, this time by .37 seconds.

Chandler Teigen started with the rest of the field for the 800m. That was the last time anybody stayed close as he dominated the 800m with a 1:58.64. Logos continued its srong showing in the distance events by picking up second and fifth places while Nezperce picked up third and Asotin filled the gaps in the top six with Brian Strobel crossing in fourth and Spencer Williams in sixth.

The 1600m followed a similar line. Teigen ran a 4:31, 13 seconds ahead of Peter Spencer of Prairie. Thomas Weakland (Asotin) and Brian Strobel ran well and the Asotin distance crew did a significant job of helping to secure the team win.

The relays reflected the strengths of the Prairie and Logos women's teams as they split the relays. The Logos women, in particular, seemed to function well in the passing zones with crisp exchanges. They won the 4x100m and the medley. Prairie took the 4x200m and 4x400m relays.

Kamiah held the lead dog position in three of four relays. St. John-Endicott edged them in the medley but, even then, they gathered in the second place finish. If the Asotin strengths are the distance and throwing events, Kamiah counters in the sprints, relays and general competence in the field events.

Logos men grind away in the running events with solid team work. They don't win the events but they place well and accumulate points.

Prairie, on the other hand, relies on the speed of Lucas Arnzen (100m, 200m, 400m winner), the endurance of Peter Spencer (3200m winner, 1600m second), and the jumping ability of Parker Whipple (1st triple jump, 3rd long jump.)

The TO-GP team has a pair of terrific leapers in Pakootas and Stamper and a cadre of young racers in the distance events that just need a little time and seasoning to learn how to race.

And, speaking of  athletes to watch as they learn to race, Chaye Uptmor from Prairie is a young lady who has the potential to develop into a very solid middle-distance runner. She was only three seconds behind the Egglestons in the 800m. Not shabby for a freshman.

Windy day at the District 9 Meet, Sun and Good Sportsmanship Breaks Through

I had a chance to get to the District 9 meet in Clarkston yesterday, mainly by ignoring my usual activities like work. It wasn't the best weather for a meet-the wind was definitely a factor, gusting to 20 mph-but I'm sure the athletes weren't complaining about the mid-60 temperatures. Almost any of the seniors can rattle off a list of races where the skies soaked them with 35 degree rain, pelted them with hail, or lit up the skyline with lightning. A little wind can be tolerated pretty easily, even a headwind into the home stretch.

I snuck in early, Goldfish in hand for the Asotin gang, and settled into the stands to watch Coach Sal Lopez directing the kids on getting the field events set up. He had them organized and the 'work' ended early, leading to a couple of athletes tossing a football in the infield. Turns out that the girls can throw a pretty tight spiral.

The meet started on schedule with a unique opening by Lucas Johnson, one of the English teachers at Asotin (most of the volunteers were Asotin teachers and parents since they were hosts.) I pestered him, and he agreed to let me print it, so it's below, in its entirety.

“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome this fine spring day to the district 9 1B/2B track meet. I am the illustrious and ever-humble DJ Johnson, the voice of Panther Athletics. Join me and my melodious voice as I narrate the trials and tribulations of the dozens of talented athletes you see before you today. You can expect to see running in an oval pattern, various dangerous projectiles being hurled (usually in a safe direction) and even those brave souls who hurl THEMSELVES forward in gravity-defying acts of valor. It is my hope that you will make some noise as these athletes battle gladiator-style for  honor, prestige and glory with the ferocity of warriors, but with the respect, sportsmanship, camaraderie and humility that makes the events of track and field all the more special and unique. Give these fine folks a hand!”

Probably a good time to slip in a disclaimer. I'll be doing these posts this year in preparation for setting up a website to do cross country. Essentially, these are practice posts. It took something over a nanosecond but less than ten minutes of the meet to figure out that track and field can't be covered by one person. I didn't get to all the events and, since I'm not yet very good with my new camera, I have some pictures but not many really good ones.

On to racing. The first race was the lady's 4x200m relay. Asotin won the race but the athletes battled for the remaining placements. Pictured are of TO-GP in the yellow unis, with of St. John to the right and WWVA in maroon to the left at the second exchange. It was the first of a host of solid hand-offs. No one dropped a baton or missed a handoff in the transition zone all afternoon.

Field events were going on simultaneously. I missed a lot of these, unfortunately, though I did watch some of the discus (my event in high school) while the women's 3200m race was under way.

The 3200m was a little thin on competitors with Heather Siegel of St. John winning, a result she's familiar with. Several of the Asotin runners that normally participate were spread out in other events. WWVA didn't have a runner in the 3200m, nor did Rosalia. (Rosalia, which used to be part of the TOR - Tekoa, Oakesdale, Rosalia - has formed their own team this year. Garfield and Palouse join Tekoa and Oakesdale to round out their side, hence the TO-GP.) Zoe Robertson of TO-GP took second place.

Men's and women's hurdles came next. I always considered hurdles to be the NASCAR part of a track meet. Lots of speed and grace, with a constant threat of catastrophe lingering. Part of playing around with the camera led to the discovery that head-on pictures of hurdlers  are tough to nail and a good side on picture can be pretty darned good. Even if it was a "what the heck" attempt from the far side of the track. No disasters to record. Walla Walla Valley is very strong in the hurdles with Wesley Hendrickson and Abbie Underhill winning both the high and intermediate hurdles.

Back to discus. Results were announced and Asotin dominated both the men's and women's result. Coach Sal Lopez, a former collegiate thrower proves that he has a knack for imparting the technique to his younger athletes. Dirk Whitmore won with a nice throw of 131'6", edging his teammate Jacob Swearingen. Piper Loop won the women's side with a hurl of 104'10".

Over in the long jump pit, Nate Prior won both the long jump and triple jump on the men's side. The women were split, with Abbie Underhill winning the long jump to complete a trio of first place finishes while Olivia Pakootas of TO-GP edged her out in the triple jump.

TO-GP women javelin throwers came close to matching the standard set by the Asotin discus throwers. Annie Bailey of St. John-Endicott won but the next five placements were all TO-GP. The Asotin men toss javelins nearly as well they do the disc with Dirk Whitmore winning with a throw of 145'3" and the Asotin men taking the top three slots.

The most competitive race of the day took place in the women's 800m. The two young ladies paced each other around the track and jockeyed for the lead coming out of the final turn with Madeline Eggleston swinging wide to pass her sister, Lucy Eggleston. Lucy matched the kick, though and won by a half second. The next finisher, Katarina Stephenson of Asotin, was 17 seconds back of the Eggleston sisters, holding off Katie Holbrook of TO-GP.

The duel between Katarina and Katie was a repeat of the 1600m. Both of these runners are underclassmen so we should have a lot more to look forward to over the next couple of years.  Lucy Eggleston won the 1600m in a time of 5:42.

The men's side was far less competitive with Chandler Teigen winning handily in both the mile and 800m. Asotin  took the top three spots in the 800m and the top four in the  1600m with Thomas Weakland placing second 800m, and Brian Strobel and Spencer Williams taking second and third respectively in the 1600m.

The top three finishers in the 100m, 200m, and 400m for the men followed the same pattern. Eli Richardson of Rosalia won all three, closely followed by Caleb Atkins of Walla Walla Valley. Chasing them in all three races was Jacob Koerperich of Asotin.

The women's races were a little more diverse. Julia Ristau won the 100m while Rebecca Reyes of WWVA took second, beating out her teammate, Rachel Thiel. Sarah Nicholas from Asotin won both the 200m and 400m with Reyes pulling another second in the 200m and Megan McCain from Asotin taking third. Second place in the 400m went to Maddie Bogenrief from TO-GP. Alyssa Hendrickson was third.

The wind made for a tough day high jumping but Olivia Pakootas, state runner-up last season, seemed to be the only one unaffected and slightly limited by gravity as she easily won the high jump to add to her win in the triple jump. Jessica Ford of Rosalia and Rose Debruin (Asotin), competing in the event this year for the first time, rounded out the field.

I somehow managed to miss the men jumping but Connor Madden (Asotin) won with two TO-GP jumpers, Tanner Dingman and Tristan Smith, pulling second and third.

The highlight of the meet, though, didn't occur in any single event. Brady McKay of Asotin raced and won the 3200 meters in 10:46. I checked with him after the race as he was grabbing his knees but he said he was just "a little tired." Understandable. What he did next was more impressive than his race.

He started cheering for his competitors, not just his teammate Brady Mulikin, but all the other athletes in the 3200m. He was loud and enthusiastic, drifting down the track to meet them as they finished. It reminded me of a small snippet from Born to Run by Christopher McDougall who tells the story of Scott Jurek, one of the truly great ultrarunners. Jurek won almost every ultra he ran but would wait at the finish line, wrapped in a sleeping bag in cold weather, to cheer every one of the competitors to the finish. He'd be out there hours after his race ended. It also reminded me of the Asotin coach, Tim Gundy, who I've had the pleasure of joining on a couple of relays teams.

Brady McKay was, whether he knew it or not-and I think not because he looked surprised when I high-fived him for being so classy-was exemplifying sportsmanship. I don't think it crossed his mind to behave any differently.

And he wasn't the only one. I saw a couple of the WWVA ladies doing the same thing. Ditto for a TO-GP runner.

And those were the ones that I saw or heard. I'm betting that others, our of my earshot, acted just as openly, honestly,  and enthusiastically in supporting their fellow athletes.

This is my first effort at writing up a track meet. The plan is to build a website for cross country that will give race reports, course information, and a little bit of recognition for these young athletes throughout the Inland NW. If you like what you see, or have suggestions for making it better, please let me know. Leave a comment or send me an email at thatguy at paulduffau dot com. Just insert the appropriate symbols - many, many thanks. Paul Duffau

First Draft, Trail of Second Chances Done.

Done. First draft 65,056 words. Lots to fix, especially in the early chapters but Trail of Second Chances is a book. In a month, out to beta readers.

Is your measuring stick too tall? or are you just using the wrong one?

I introduced my granddaughter (one of them, at least) to Lindsay Stirling and Pentatonix a little bit ago. At 18 months, she's a little young to find the music or videos herself, but that's what grandpa is around for - that, and engaging a little brain with occasional weirdness. She gets that both acts are very cool and dances that little toddler dance, bopping up and down when I put them on. My daughter hadn't heard of Pentatonix yet so she looked them up on Wikipedia from her phone.

And went into a minor case of shock.

They are younger than she is. Not by much but they are and, as she read about how they got started, she kept marveling at how young they were to have already become so accomplished. The core of the group (Kristi, Mitch, and Scott) started together in high school. After two of three graduated, they split, Kristi for Oklahoma and the Musical Theater program, Scott for USC and the Popular Music program.

Then life took an odd a cappella turn that ended up with the trio getting back together to win The Sing-off, a show that I had never heard of, dedicated to a cappella singing. By rule, competitors had to have at least four singers. The call went out to Mitch, who skipped his high school graduation to make the first addition. Avi, the bass, was recruited from the local scene in L.A. and Kevin was spotted on YouTube when a cellobxxing video of his went viral.

They ended up winning season three of The Sing-Off, a contract from Sony, and set a goal of a goal of the group becoming the first mainstream a cappella group in recent times.

Pentatonix is well on their way.

Back to my daughter and the psychic jolt from discovering that these already accomplished musicians are younger than she is. I'm pretty sure that she was measuring herself to them and feeling a tad discouraged.

She shouldn't but she's making a pretty common mistake. Young people often do. Old people like me make different mistakes. Welcome to being human.

Her mistake? She's using the wrong measuring stick.

Her accomplishments won't land her a recording contract but they are still accomplishments.

She's in school, working on a degree in Electrical Engineering. She worked at an ammunition manufacturer until her hubby got his degree. She stopped working when they discovered that birth control is 99.999 percent effective.

She went back to school anyway (she hadn't really left, part-time in school while working full-time) and changed majors to the EE. Dug in and started to do the hard work of becoming an engineer while raising a daughter. She has an advisor who is terrific (though the institution is NOT very family friendly!) who understands that this life will be balanced.

Which is good, because she's growing another human. If everything runs to plan, the next baby will arrive right before the fall semester but after summer school (yep, she's taking extra classes - and thinking double major.)

She a determined young lady, and stubborn. All my girls have some moxie, each in their own way.

Sometimes they get a little sideways though, and pick up the wrong measuring stick. They have to chart their own courses. Each is on a different path. One is a stay-at-home mom for now, until the kids are grown. One is pursuing a difficult degree - there are darn few women engineers. One is already on working to be an independent business woman.

Separate paths, just as Kristi and Scott choose when they dropped out of school to chase a dream. By a conventional measuring stick, the two Pentatonix singers were taking an enormous gamble because performing is such an uncertain venture.

Sometimes my girls need a reminder, but they get to choose their own lives, to define their own successes, and live with their mistakes. It all goes together.

And when you take measure of your life so far - make sure the measuring stick is the right size and shape. I have no illusions that my writing will ever be mentioned in the same breath as Hemingway or Fitzgerald or Vonnegut. It won't be a remunerative as Lee Childs or Grisham. But I have a few people that I want to write for, even if I don't make money from it.

Likewise, I won't ever be an electrical engineer. That daughter has already surpassed me in mathematics. The youngest is likely to be very, very good at her ventures because she's smart, and caring, and tough as heck when she needs to be. The eldest? Different dreams. She's already a great mom with great kids. When the kids are bigger, she'll probably return to school and work on becoming a great teacher, her early dream. Or she may choose a different path, now.

For each path, I have one piece of advice.

Make sure your measuring stick fits you.

Madeline Eggleston, Prep Athlete of the Week

Congratulations to Madeline Eggleston, named the P1FCU Prep Athlete of the Week on KLEW-TV! Great young lady.

Here is the piece that KLEW-TV did on Madeline.

KLEW-TV also has a piece on the first District 9 1b/2b meet of the season. Kudos to both the men's and women's teams for a terrific meet. Pretty dominating performances.

I'm planning on being at a couple meets this year, plus one for the junior high. I'll try to get some more details of the athletes and their performances when I do. Plus pictures.

The "I'm not dead!" Update

Sorry about a lack of blogging lately but I've managed to contract a sinus infection from a flu bug. So, from March 3rd until I broke down and went to the doc on the 20th, I've been slowed a touch. Now that the meds are kicking in and I'm feeling better, I thought I'd do a little housekeeping. First, to the kids who want to know if I'll be showing up to their track meets - yes. It's already baked into my schedule. Can I be at every one? No. The dog likes to eat and I'm partial to red wine so I should work at least a bit. That said, I've raised my rates because working six and seven days a week is not part of the life plan I have going forward. My problem, no worries, it's fixable. I'll see you guys at the meets.

Second, marathon training. Losing nearly three weeks of training when you're already under-trained is a prescription for a tough marathon. Meh. It'll hurt - or Adric and I can drop at the half, give each other a high five, and drink a beer while planning next year's assault. Still planning on being in Pagosa Springs in June.

On the writing front, I've submitted Finishing Kick to the Washington State Book Awards. It is highly unlikely that I'll win. The book can have wide appeal but is pretty narrowly targeted. The folks that I wrote it for have already read it, loved it, and pestered me for more. From here everything is gravy.

The new novel, Trail of Second Chances, is getting close to done on the first draft. I'll need to blow some stuff up in the beginning as the story changed a bit while I was writing but I'm getting excited. Also figured out the opening scene for the next book, The Lonesome Mile. Still looking at an August release date for Trail and hoping for a February release on Lonesome Mile. I'll have a better idea on that one once I get busy writing it.

I also have some plans on for a non-running series - three actually. Two action/adventure and one sci-fi. (See why I need to stop working so much - I have too much other 'work' to do!)

By the way, Hugh Howey has a great post on how to make it big as a writer - or most other things. In another post, he links to a NPR article on what makes great 'art'. The answer might depress you - luck. Not great writing or painting or virtuoso technique. Luck.

I like to make my own luck. Will I create a blockbuster? Unlikely. Can I sell enough to eventually do this full time? Probably. It'll take a lot of hard work, putting in the time to write, and to write better. Luck doesn't count if you don't show up. Many people who count themselves unlucky aren't unlucky - they've tried to find a shortcut to hard work, sacrifice, and, most importantly, caring.

John Denver, in a concert in L.A. back in the seventies, talked about his old guitar, about how he'd go to the beach at night and practice his songs, and long for an audience to sing to.

If you don't care about something, want it so bad you'll run through walls, ache to put your work in front of people, to put up with the laughter of your friends who tell you to be reasonable, if you don't pour all your heart into it, you probably won't get 'lucky'.

That much - and only that much - you have control of.  It's up to you to seize it.

The Sun is Shining!

The sun is shining. It's been ages since it came out. . . And I am supposed to work? When I have new trail shoes and can run under pristine skies?

One of the bummers about becoming an adult is we're suddenly supposed to develop 'responsibility' which usually means doing things far less pleasant than blowing off a day of work or school to go for a run. These less pleasant things tend to grow in number until they take over every waking minute.

Some of them are absolutely necessary. I need to make enough money to support a family and feed the dog. I need enough money to buy the books I want, new or used. I could use the library but I prefer not to warehouse friends and I do think of many of my books as friends.

And I have an obligation to my clients. I work hard to make sure that they get everything they need to when they're buying a home - that can't be done in twenty minutes. Usually it takes hour for each one, with additional hours of follow-up. It would be easier if I were less successful at building a clientele. I've been trying to shrink the business for a couple of years as I move onto new projects - writing books for runners, designing a website for small town xc where the teams can get the coverage that the local paper will never give them. I'm better a growing things than pruning them.

As my wife put it, I'm never at a loss for ideas. It's time and money that act as limiting factors, mostly time.

So, the sun is shining. I'm going for a run, just not right now. I've checked the weather - it'll be sunny all day, supposedly. I've got the run gear packed next to my work gear and swapped out time on the schedule from report writing to running.

I'll work late tonight if I need to get caught up but the afternoon after my inspections is mine.

And sun is shining, the trails are calling, and my inner child wants to play in the dirt.

Finishing Kick Featured on EBookSoda, Mar. 11

Very cool deal. My book, Finishing Kick, was accepted by EBookSoda. It's a neat company that curates e-books, looking for quality and value. They spend the time to find a great read in the mountain of new books that comes out every day and send you the best. Better yet, all the books are discounted. For this promotion, I have the price reduced more than 75 percent from the printed copy.

Finishing Kick is being featured on Tuesday March 11th 2014 at eBookSoda, a new readers' site where they'll send you e-book recommendations tailored to your taste. www.ebooksoda.com.

If you're a runner looking for a fun read about cross country teams and racing, check out the special.

Poppa needs new shoes for mud.

I have a date in REI with a shoe professional later today so I can figure out which trail shoes to try out. I'm thinking of the Inov8 245's . Excited.

Now I need enough time to run.

I haven't had a 'favorite' trail shoe since my Montrail Vitasse from a decade ago.

Snake River Canyon Half Marathon

Working an aid station at the Snake River Canyon Half Marathon in March has become enshrined as a ritual for Asotin Cross Country. Normally it's a warmer ritual, not 29 degrees with a stiff wind. Tough day for the runners and workers alike. The kids at my station - Jessica, Megan, Kyle and Nate - worked hard and were awesomely upbeat with the runners. It was cold enough that ice was freezing back in the cups. Gatorade, too. By the time the first rush was over, our hands were resembling the ice, so I fired up the FJ, turned up the heat, and rotated kids into it. My youngest daughter fired up the iPod and speakers to treat the runners to some classic rock as they came back with the wind.

The runners were wonderfully appreciative and sported great attitudes. The leaders didn't slow down long enough to do more than grab water but the middle and trailing packs freely indulged. Many of them probably pushed too hard into the wind and were a bit worn by the time they made it back on the return trip.

I grabbed some pictures of the leaders but after that, it got too busy to pull someone out of the line. I'll post them when I get a chance. In the meantime, I'm awfully proud of the kids for helping out and giving back to their sport.

A side note: great job by Morgan Willson taking second overall in the women's division. It was just a couple of years ago I watched and cheered for her as she won the 2B State Championship. Nicely done, Morgan.

GECKO Turkey Trail Marathon Training Update

Training was been. . . inconsistent, mostly because I'm a weenie in winter. When the weather gets cold and damp, my motivation drops through the floor. I've started compensating for this by mixing things up a bit. First, I'm making more of an effort to get the run done in daylight. That seems to be a big component. The other thing I've done is to hit the gym more. Instead of running on a treadmill, which I truly hate and occasionally do at the house (my treadmill is primarily a walking desk), I mix it up with cycling and stairclimbing. Throw in upper body work and I am getting stronger. I finally have my weight below 180. Starting to add leg lifts now that some of the systems are coming back. Ran in Hells Gate yesterday and, for the first time in a few years, powered up a hill instead of grinding. I had forgotten what that can be like. Exhilarating. I was cooking right along until some knucklehead put up a sign in the middle of the trail - Dog Trial. Shooting in Progress. That torqued me off a bit. Not that they were having a Trial but for putting the sign in the middle of the trail instead of at the junction. Let me know early and I'll grab another route. It would have been a quarter mile of extra walking for the guy. In the meantime, I went off-trail and explored. I didn't realize that Hells Gate was using old Christmas trees for wind-breaks. Should be spectacular the next time there's a fire over there. I'll watch from the porch. .

Lungs still need a lot of work but that always trailed legs so I'm following a pattern I know. Perpetual forward progress

Also had one of those random occurrences that brighten a day. A puppy was running around Hells Gate. His owner, an older dude, was keeping a pretty good eye on him and tried to call him over when they both saw me. The puppy ignored him - he had a new friend that he could run with. Sammy - that was what the owner was calling - leapt and cavorted and stopped for a pet so I grabbed his collar for the guy. He was apologetic and I told him "No worries." What I should have said was, "I'm out here to have fun. So is this little guy and he brings a big smile to my face, so no worries. Maybe even, hey, thanks!" But I tend towards slow-witted some days and I just kept running. I got to keep the smile, though

To counter the Sunday long run blahs, I've moved them to Wednesday afternoon, into a better energy time for me. This week it means an inspection, long run of 10 miles, and then another inspection. Work is busy as heck and I don't know quite why.

In a week, I'll be in Seattle and planning to hit REI for trail shoes. We'll see how that turns out. Open to advice. .

Run  gently, friends.

Setting up a schedule

People like routine. They also like adventure, rainbows, and cute puppies. And cats. People really seem to like cats. So here's a cute cat picture, courtesy of FunnyCatPix. I'm not sure I get the attraction but that might because I've cleaned up one too many hairballs. Plus, the last cat we had was named Bearacuda. She lived up to both parts of the name.

Moving on, routines.

Most people like to have a routine as they go through the day. Have a few events disrupt the routine and crankiness ensures. I'm no different. I like routines. I just don't have any. My schedule for work is dictated by the demands of the marketplace. As a Realtor friend once put it, being in business for yourself means setting your own schedule, so when the client asks to get together at 5AM, you can't say "Sorry, the office doesn't open until 9AM."

You say, "Sure, no problem." Because the client is the BOSS. He or she is paying you and, if you want a paycheck, you'll be there at 5AM.

All good until you want to do something on a personal level, like saying hello to the kids while they're awake. Or, in my case, prepping to run a marathon.

I just got done filling up the next two weeks with work. It's gone slightly crazy in the real estate market for whatever reason and I'm not going to complain.

What I am going to do is pare down my list of activities to those that are essential to getting what I want. Yep, my focus is on me. Yours should be on you - unless you have a saint in the family or are a child, odds are nobody else cares as much about you as you do.

So I spent time paring, trimming, and snipping at things.

And guess what? Getting the garden ready for spring didn't make the cut. I'll cheat on the vegetable garden and not start from seeds this year.

TV time? Gone except for basketball. Reading fills into the gap. Which I need because I just started two new books. Plus the three I'm already reading.

Reading blogs? No time, so uh-buh-bye.

The gym? I can fit it in by shifting appointments slightly and going in between inspections. Might be able to sub in a run instead if I don't have clients attending. Not an option if the client is attending; nobody needs to have an inspector that sweaty. Or potential odiferous.

Running? Change the day of the long run to Wednesday. Work longer on the weekend to make up the time. Speed work on Sunday so I don't overburden family with help crewing.

Writing? Early mornings, when I'm most productive (and when I wrote this.)

How long will the new routine last? Probably a month or two. The change in seasons will help by giving me warm weather and more daylight to work with. Since I'm already at record levels on the business side, I don't see room to ramp that up. I might have to increase prices and drive some clients to competitors (and cherry-pick the best.)

The key to my routine is simple. Be flexible and ready for change. My routine is to plan for change. Or, as the military maxim goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Or, as the General said, "Strategy is a system of expedients."

Build change into your routine, folks. It'll make it easier when everything heads sideways.

Jump rope training

"Jump rope training," I told one of the girls that I help coach during the cross country season. She's in junior high, so there's plenty of time for big miles and all the other components that go into developing as a runner. The young lady is already a good runner and was competitive against competition a year or two older than she was. At this age level, a year of development is simply huge and she was frustrated that she was getting out-kicked at end of the race. She wanted to develop a better kick.

So I told her to do jump rope training.

And she went, "Hunh?" Not a fan, at least at first.

Like many young runners, she wants to be good now. No-can-do. You have to build to peak performance. One problem that I see on a frequent basis is a young athlete trying to improve too quickly by increasing the miles too fast, or adding extra speed work.

They'd be better off building the foundation first, especially the at the junior high level.

Jumping rope will develop the systems that will deliver that faster kick. The feet will become much more responsive and quicker off the ground, the calves will strengthen, posture improves, and so does balance.

Along the way, there's less impact and potential for joint damage when done correctly.

Buddy Lee has a great book on jump rope training that can lead you through a program. I had my runner focus on the workout for 200/400 meter runners even though she's destined to be a distance girl.

In a cross country race, the last 200 meters are the kick. I've also encouraged her to run some shorter distances during the track season to understand that level of effort better.

I think the young lady is going to surprise herself. Jumping rope is for kids - and runners.

Starting a new Pacific NW Cross Country News Network?

I was contemplating trying to build a website around Cross Country news in the Pacific Northwest – kind of a one stop, here’s what happened this week at the meets and maybe the occasional feature on a runner. The question is (well, one of the questions, anyhow) would runners and their parents be interested?

The easiest option is just to run it through my author blog but I could create a site dedicated to the idea.

Anybody that has some ideas is free to comment. Share the idea around with runners you know and see what they think.

If you prefer, you can send me an email at that guy at paulduffau.com. Just combine it all, swap the @ into it. You get the idea.

Eventually, I’d like to cover the whole region which means building a network of volunteers to help with the reportage but in the meantime, we could at least spotlight our little corner.

Run gently, friends,

Paul

PS. Somewhere in the midst of all these plans, I need to figure out how to keep making a living.