Free Range Parenting

From 1972 to 1976, my family lived in Alice Springs, Australia. At the time, it had a population of about 13,000 people, and no major grocery store, movie theatre (though it did have a drive-in), bowling alley, or mall. What it did have was abundant space for a teenage boy to get in the appropriate amount of trouble.

Sometimes inappropriate amounts, too, since teenage boys are inclined to do dumbass things like set the lawn on fire. Here on the Palouse, the adults set whole fields on fire, so I think I should get a retroactive pass on that particular infraction. Just saying . . .

My brother and I, on a regular basis, would shove a can of beans into the sleeping bag and head into the bush with our friends. When asked where, we'd kind of wave a hand in the general direction we intended to go. Parents would nod. It was understood that we should be home at a reasonable time the next morning.

Sleepovers (always outside in sleeping bags and sometimes tents) were augmented with a midnight trip downtown to the donut shop/Christian center next to the pizzeria. They had the best donuts ever, and I first started drinking coffee there.

Random Saturdays would see us climbing Mount Gillam, random granite formations, or heading off to the pool on our own. Lizard hunting was popular, too.

When we got back to the States, we wore the tread off bike tires, hiked the woods behind the house, and messed around with pellet guns. Again, general notice was required to be given and permission was pretty much assumed baring a major punishment.

When I became an adult and had kids, we encouraged them to head outside and play. Yep, needed to know roughly where they were at and with who, but the kids were relatively free to explore. My with and I used the same admonitions as our parents. Don't get into trouble. Be home by dinner/dark, whichever came first.

They have a term for such bad parenting behavior now - Free Range Parenting. In Maryland, they'd like to make it a crime. The authorities get substantial help from busybodies who apparently have no idea that the world has gotten safer, not more dangerous. In this case, CPS abducted the kids, held them for five hours, and then returned them to the parents.

Now my daughters are having kids and I am tickled that they are raising free range youngsters. I'm watching as they grow more competent and independent as they learn how to conduct themselves in a variety of environments and discover their own capabilities.

You know, the kind of things that lead to adulthood.

Pictures from the Trail, and Stories about the Three I Missed

Went running up in Field Springs today. It was snow-free all the way around my loop. On the way in, I got to see a pair of small does crossing the road. They stood watching me until it dawned on their pretty little brains that the big blue FJ might squash them. They moved before I got the camera ready. Rats.

I dressed down at the upper lot - I opted for a sleeveless shirt and shorts because the temps were in that perfect mid-50's. If it had rained, it might have been a touch uncomfortable.

The trail bore the signs of the recent rain with the occasional mud puddle, and in the soft soil, lots of animal tracks.  Lots of pine cones down. In a couple spots, the trail was blocked by dead fall. Not feeling sparkly enough to work on hurdling, so I clambered over instead.

It's too early to have the wild flowers out, but the buds were building so it won't be too long.

To match up to the deer, I saw two wild turkeys, apparently not willing to associate with each other. They were about a mile apart, running solo. Wild turkeys run pretty darned fast. Didn't get pictures of them, either.

The shot I really regret missing happened pretty late in the run. I hit the long downhill stretch toward the group cabin when I surprised a small herd of elk - or we surprised each other.

They are amazing animals, so graceful and elegant. That they can move that way in forest and disappear in five seconds astounds me. I 'wasted' a couple of minutes trying to track them to get the picture, but no dice so I just finished out the last five minutes of the run.

Despite lollygagging up the hills and diverting to try to catch up to the elk, I still finished faster than last time I was up here. The picture below is from the Puffer Butte Cabin. Hard not to feel extraordinarily lucky and blessed when I get to run here.

Long Singles

Nope, not baseball. I know it started last week but I gave up on baseball a long time ago. We're talking running. First, a recap of the week.

I ran six times last week, which will probably surprise my running coach since two of the days were supposed to be cross-training days. Yesterday, I finished with an 8.3 mile run around Troy, Idaho. The route I did I call the Orchard Loop. It's one of my favorite runs, one that I did first a dozen years ago when I moved up from SoCal. The GPS called it "Hilly Medium Long." That's about right as there's not a flat stretch on the whole run. It is a remarkably pretty run, with views of Moscow Mountain, the greening wheat fields, and open road.

Back when I live in Troy, I ran a minimum of six days a week and averaged upwards of 300 miles per month. Needless to say, I went through a lot of shoes. I was also as fast as I had ever been. I only did one run a day with speed work on Tuesdays and a long run on Sunday. Most of the advice seems to suggest that once you cross the fifty mile a week barrier, you should consider switching to two-a-day runs. The thought has been that fitness is driven by the frequency of exercise bouts so a runner completing two workouts a day will develop more fitness than one doing the same mileage in a single bout.

I never switched. I hate morning runs and thought my regimen was working quite well. Now comes an article from RunnersWorld about Yuki Kawauchi, the Japanese runner who shocked the world in 2011, about his training philosophy. One run a day, one speed session, one long run, one trail run. The other three were longer runs between 70 and 100 minutes.

Sounds awfully familiar.

There are considerable advantages for the long distance runner to the single workout schedule at the physiological level. From the article, Hudson notes that studies have shown that the differences of enzymatic production from 60 to 80 minutes are enormous. The muscles and connective tissues also adapt, getting stronger to handle the increased load. On a personal note, when I was running like this, my legs and feet felt indestructible. (Question - do you consider your feet when training? Would love to hear comments.)

An important consideration is the pace of that single run. Most people are going to run them too fast, especially if they're used to doing doubles. The inclination is to run at the high end of the aerobic range, burning more glycogen than fat. The long singles are fat-burners for people looking to cover ground, a lot of it. Trying to tackle a 10-miler in the same way that you would try to handle a 10K is going to leave your fuel tank empty and increase the risk of injury. Psychologically, it can be hard to watch everyone fly past you as you grind out miles. The trick is to stay focused on what you plan to accomplish on the run.

Since I brought up fueling, if you decide that long singles are your ticket to the start line of a marathon or ultra, don't forget to refuel after every run. Your body will need it. The runs will deplete you and if you screw up the refueling it will bite you the next day.  

Hopefully I'll see you out there.

Run gently, friends.
 

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder - Book Review

Venturing into the world of bodybuilding with Samuel Wilson Fussell takes the reader on a surreal trip filled with primal screams, shots of human growth hormone in the ass, and lumbering lifters. Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder, Fussell’s memoir, follows the progression of an erudite young man into an Arnold-wannabe.  From the nearly paralyzing fear brought on by living in the violence that was New York City in the early 1980’s to Southern California, where he competed, Fussell delves into what could be legitimately called his confused years.  As with any activity that becomes a compulsion, Fussell overreaches in search of his personal nirvana.
Fussell’s early training in literature shows through in his memoir. Rather than the heavy prose of an iron-head lifter, you get solid description and characterizations of the wacky—and sometimes wacked-out—personalities that populated the lifting and bodybuilding scene. Those that look to this as a training manual will be disappointed as it clearly was not intended to be a “how-to” manual; instead, you get a close look into the mindset of a totally dedicated group of bodybuilders. Fussell writes so seamlessly that we, the readers, get drawn into his world without hesitation, accepting a bewildering world that would have, at first glance, appeared insane.
The power of the book, apart from the skillful writing, is the blatant honesty. That honesty is the source of the humor that permeates the book, and, ultimately, the compassion that builds for the author.

Like the Wind Magazine

Like the Wind Cover, Volume 4

Several months ago, I ordered a shirt with my middle daughter's favorite Pre quote. The only one that I found that looked as though it was of decent quality shipped from the UK, so I ponied up the money via Paypal. Not long after, the shirt arrived, along with a hand-written note of thanks.

Hand-written. I was surprised and pleased. The card was crafted from one of the Like the Wind magazine covers - another surprise as I didn't realize that they were publishing a magazine, too. Junkie that I am, I ordered a slew of their back copies, which sat on my table begging me to clear time to read them.

Yesterday, my first day off in three weeks, I read Volume 3.

First, it's not a slick, glossy magazine along the lines of Running Times or Runner's World. Using sustainable materials, Like the Wind delivers a beautiful journal with original artwork and stunning photography. The pages have weight to them and each edition a sense of heft.

Where Like the Wind also diverges is that the articles inside are not written in the usual bombastic "5 Tips to Improve Your 5K" format so familiar to us. Instead, each is a thoughtful drop into the running experience, some from the perspectives of incredible runners like Jillian Kornet or Lizzy Hawker, but there are articles by more mortal types, charity runners explaining why they run in 'fancy dress' (British for costumes) or the pleasant surprise one runner encounters in a 15K she had planned as a time trial before discovering that it was an old-fashioned trail run with a couple of hundred runners and no marching bands to generate the excitement.

The range of voices are diverse, some of the articles written by professional scribes, while others rely on the emotion running, and their individual reasons for running, evoke on the page.

The magazine first published in 2014 and clearly stands as a work of devotion, not just to the running community as a whole, but to the idea that there is more to running than a PB. By approaching the sport as a way of life rather than simply a competition, they give credit to the vast majority of runners that seek a voice that talks to them.

If you would like to contribute to Like the Wind, here's the page to their information. If you want to subscribe, here that link. If you live nearby and would like to borrow a copy to read, let me know. I do want it back, however. These are keepers, to be kept on the shelf next to my favorite running books.

Surviving the Home Inspection Hit #1 last weekend

Very pleased that Surviving the Home Inspection hit #1 in it's primary Kindle category and #2 and #3 in a couple of others. Considering the print copy is not out yet (but getting close), that's an excellent start.

I always expected that this book would be one that I market differently as the target audience isn't necessarily the reader but someone with a vested interest - their agent - in educating the home seller. True to form, I'm getting a pretty goodly number of pre-orders directly for the book, in bulk, for real estate offices.

Unlike my other books, this is one that I will do an offset print run. I haven't determined the size of the run yet (or where I'm going to store that many books - negotiations with my sweetie are ongoing) but expect that it will drive the cost to about a dollar and a half per copy, delivered.

Definitely need to take a class on organizing all this and I've got an idea on who to go to.

That won't keep me at the top of the Kindle lists, but should make the book profitable in the next two months.

On to the next projects - still have two novels in the works, one short story begging to be written, and the next non-fiction to research. Plus, of course, inspect houses, attend board meetings where I get volunteered to do, yep, more writing, and get my lazy butt into shape to go mountain running this summer.

I really kind of stink at taking down-time. On the plus side, writing and running count in my book as fun and relaxing.

Are You Competitive?

Runners get asked all sorts of personal questions, starting usually with a query about basic sanity. Wait, that's not quite it . . . usually it starts with a statement, not a question.

"You're crazy!"

"Nope," I reply, "except without a run, then I'm a crazy sonofagun. If I run, all the little floaty bits inside my head settle down instead of playing bumper cars with, you know, thoughts. Makes everything better."

This elicits one of those looks, with the more easily frightened sidling back a step, just in case. You can read their thoughts in the wide eyes. He's a runner. What other crazy crap is he into?

"How far do you run?"

"Not too far, usually. Maybe 3-4 miles some days, or 15 on trails if I'm out playing."

"Oh." Always a pause. "I could never do that." That's the typical comment. They're wrong, even if they don't know it. They could do it. Human beings are capable of so many great things and running is both the best and the least of them.

The other response I get is "I only run if I'm being chased by a bear" which really isn't at all sensible since a bear can sprint in excess of 30 mph. Not even Usain Bolt can out-sprint a bear. You're better off relying on a gun. Or, in my case, a pleasant disposition, and a squadron of harried-looking guardian angels desperate to find a better gig.

"So do you do marathons?"

This is were I get in trouble.

"Some, but I actually prefer longer stuff and smaller crowds."

Longer stuff takes a second to process. To most reasonable folks, a marathon is an already unreasonable distance to run. I mean, there are reasons why wheels, and bikes, and cars were invented and it wasn't to create full employment for union workers named Bubba or Ski. (If I were a politician, I just lost the Pennsylvania and Ohio votes. Fortunately, I have higher standards for myself.)

"So, what's the farthest you've run?"

"101.43 miles in 22 and three-quarter hours." My turn to pause. "It was a track race in San Diego."

Truth. My longest run ever took me 400-plus laps around the same track and deposited me exactly where I started, with tired legs and one small blister. I didn't say I was sensible.

Now it's back to them. They still are puzzling out which made less sense, running for nearly 24 hours or doing it on a track. The skittish ones will quiet down at this point, and try to avoid eye contact. That's what they do with the buzz-cut crazy man on the corner of Thain and G streets who pummels the air with his hands as he shouts at the passing cars. The brave ones have to know.

"Why?"

"Damned if I know."

"Are you competitive?" This one gets delivered with a frank look of confusion. There's got to be a reason.

"Absolutely."

The look on their faces is pure relief and a smidge of faith in the universe is restored.

"I guess it makes sense to run if you're good at it." They don't really mean it, but it at least fits. Running isn't a practical activity, leads to sweat and getting teased by shouts of "Run, Forest, Run!"

"Oh, I pretty much stink at running."

Eyes spring wide and stare. I continue, hoping to clarify.

"I'm way too tall, way too broad for a runner. Plus, I don't breathe to well." I say all this with a rueful smile. It's all true, every word. I'm 6'3" and 180 pounds. Too big. The good runners are 5'8" and 135 and don't use an inhaler."

By now, they've resigned themselves to the idea that for the foreseeable future, be it 10 minutes or 2 hours, they're stuck with a loon. Still, there's one more stab at getting to the heart of the crazy that is me.

"So why do you do it?"

"It's fun."

Fun, in this case, might be a relative term, kind of like-and maybe related to-crazy.

Kendall Cares

Paul Farrally, general manager of Kendall Subaru, cutting the tape.

Yesterday evening, Kendall Motors held their grand opening for their newest venture in town, the Subaru dealership on Thain Road. The ribbon cutting came first, though the early crowd was already inside, snacking. They were coaxed outside for the ceremony.

Paul Farrally, who just moved to the valley in December, did the honors with the traditional over-sized scissors and a bright red ribbon while the crowd cheered and applauded. Then everyone back inside, some for more snacks, some for a beer or glass of wine. 

The Lewis-Clark Animal Shelter attended - more later - with the whole staff and several members of the board. Representing the board was the ever-personable veterinarian John Hoch of Lewiston Veterinary Clinic; the president, Lonnie Ells, taking time off from his busy accounting practice to attend; and Joyce Keefer, who seems indefatigable as she works as one of the valley's best Realtors and serves (and works) on community boards. 

Aaron Jollymore, making sure the food was just perfect.

Jollymore's, a restaurant who seems always to be assisting the Shelter, provided the catering. Aaron Jollymore, the executive chef, and I chatted about the spread, which included bite-sized steak, and a tasty spinach-sun-dried tomatoes spread was a hit with the folks that attended. Like the rube I sometimes am, I had eaten the spinach spread as a standalone dish. The second time through the line (as always, Jollymore's had more than enough food for everyone,) I tried it as intended. Delicious both ways and hats off to Aaron, a wonderful chef.

The main presentation came at 5:45, when Paul Farrally presented a pair of checks to the Lewis-Clark Animal Shelter as part of the Kendall Cares and Subaru Share the Love programs for supporting worthy causes in the community. Lonnie Ells and John Hoch accepted the checks on behalf of the Shelter. The total contribution was a staggering $11,300 - much more than the Animal Shelter expected and thoroughly welcome.

I had a chance to chat afterward with both Paul Farrally and Megan Dooley, the community relations specialist who traveled up from Boise for the event. Very open and hospitable individuals, both, and a pleasure to talk to. It seemed a trend with the Kendall staff. 

John Hoch, Lonnie Ells, and Paul Farrally

Track is Starting . . .

So I plan on picking up on race coverage pretty soon. First race will be on April 1st, in Lapwai, Idaho.

Unrelated to track coverage, but affecting runners, I came across an article on plyometrics specific to distance running with - tada - a downloadable chart to guide you on a 12-16 week program. The whole site is filled with interesting stuff about running.

Texas is dumping its anti-doping program for high schoolers. Bad program design (deliberate?) and low detection rates are to blame. Just for good measure, the WSJ weighs in on drugs and the NCAA, just in time for March Madness.

With the steady drip of bad news for the sport coming out, I'm excited to go watch the kids run. I've already set aside the time and I'm making arrangements to catch a couple of meets in the Spokane area. Mostly though, I'm going to stick with the small schools around here.

Myth Always Overruns Reality

I did the workout the coach prescribed yesterday, an easy run. I've been having trouble slowing myself down on the easy days, usually running a minute per mile faster than I am supposed to, so I slipped on my barefoot shoes.

I got an earlier version of these Osma's about the time that Born to Run came out. That was when the barefoot craze cranked up and everyone seemed to want some, usually the Vibram's because of the coolness factor. A few people, like my youngest daughter, went truly barefoot for some of her runs. Drove her coach nuts when she did.

I was thinking about barefoot running and barefoot shoes after reading an article about the cancellation of the Ultra Caballo Blanco. The Tarahumara live in the cartel infested badlands of the Copper Canyons and live with the violence year-round. The race organizers decided that the level of violence was too high and cancelled the race at the last minute.

Some runners completed the race anyway, in a tribute to their hosts. Kudos to them.

The author of the article, Justin Mock, got one thing wrong though, and it would have annoyed the heck out of Micah True, aka Caballo Blanco.

He lived in the remote area of the Copper Canyons to be close to the Tarahumara (also known as Raramuri) people, the barefoot Native Americans known for their long-distance running prowess, whom the race benefitted by providing vouchers for corn, beans, rice, and flour.

Micah True made a visit, not long before he keeled over dead in the New Mexico desert, in Moscow, Idaho. He talked about why he started the ultra (which wasn't named after him at the time) and his love of the Tarahumara. In his voice, you could hear the pride he felt at being accepted into their community, a man who finally found his home.

He also talked about his disappointment with Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run. Two points in particular upset him. The first was a breakdown of trust, of confidences shared in private that reached the pages of the book in overly dramatic prose. The hurt was palpable.

It was the barefooting craze, though, that annoyed him. For a fee, True would guide Americans around the Copper Canyons, promising them that "he would run them 'til they broke if they wanted." It seemed that some of them felt gypped because he ran in shoes. They'd accuse him of being a fraud when in fact, they were the victims of their own poor comprehension.

Justin Mock either didn't read Born to Run, or needs a refresher. Barefoot Ted ran without shoes. The Stanford track team would run without shoes. The Tarahumara, as recounted in the book, ran in huaraches, thick soles from reclaimed tires, tied together with string. Caballo Blanco ran in whatever he happened to have.

We unfortunately live in an age where people expect miracle cures (why do my feet hurt?) and latch onto the next, greatest thing - or The 10 Things You Must Do To PR Your Next Race hype. (I made up that title, but you get the idea.) When Born to Run came out and clobbered Nike, a lot of people cheered, convinced that their running problems were someone else's fault and that barefoot running was the new miracle pill.

I am not sure that Micah True got this part. All he knew is that he presented himself honestly and, because someone didn't read a book accurately, he got accused to misleading people. It didn't help that he thought barefoot running was a stupid idea. He was right, as a cure-all, but it has its place.

All this rattled through my head yesterday, a result of my run. In the middle of the night, a small regret re-emerged, the same one that I had the day I heard he'd died a runner's death outside of Albuquerque,  that I didn't find the wherewithal to head to the Copper Canyons before Micah True passed. I didn't need him to run me to death, or challenge me. What I lost was the opportunity to see the Tarahumara through his eyes, and to see him from their's.

I'm not big on miracle cures, but the magic that happens between people - that I find awe-inspiring. That was the big point that Micah True thought everyone missed in Born to Run.

Running and Meeting Strange Dogs

Want to start a fight? Let your dog off leash in a public area frequented by runners. Northwest Runner had a screed a while back about dogs, with the runner fairly vociferous in his complaining about them. I couldn't find the article online or I'd have linked over. Suffice to say that the author on that piece wanted all dogs on leashes as a minimum and, from the tone, would have preferred that dogs never be allowed near runners and their trails.

I tend to fall in the opposite camp regarding dogs. I like seeing them out there cavorting.

Yesterday, the two came together, dogs off leash and cavorting. I did my workout on the Colfax rail trail, logging the assigned time that the coach prescribed and not being in too big a hurry. Given the mushiness spots, speed wouldn't have been easy anyway. I ran out to the turnaround and got there a little early so I traipsed part way up the hill before starting the return trip.

I met the dog and her owner about a half mile from the end. I saw the owner first, a lady out for a gentle hike in the slow misting rain. I did my usual move to the side, make eye contact, smile routine as I approached. I've figured out that a 6'3" runner closing at even modest speeds can be a touch intimidating. It's the same reason I call out when passing from behind, especially in the dark.

The dog, a black lab with some grey on the muzzle, was in the tules at the edge of the river. It didn't know I was there until after I said howdy. When she did realize it, she came bombing out of the reeds, barking.

Note, barking not growling.

One advantage of being married to my sweetie is that she's the Director of the local Humane Society. I'm well-trained on meeting strange dogs.

Step one was to check ears, eyes, tail as she came charging up. Tail was flat, eyes normal, ears normal. Probably not an aggressive dog under normal circumstances. Still, the dog was doing her job of protecting "mom" and letting me know in very certain tones that she was on alert.

The walker heard the dog barking over whatever was playing from her ipod and stopped to call her dog. (Why do you go on a trail that has deer, a rushing river, soaring bald eagles and wear an ipod? Don't get it. . . .)

I stopped running. This is usually the second thing that pisses runners off, the first being the initial adrenaline shot of a dog running at them. The simple act of stopping does more to prevent bites than any other single action.

When I was running, I was a threat - or prey, depending on the mentality of the dog. Either way, stopping forces the dog to reorganize it's thoughts.

The next step was to talk calmly at the dog. This works with bears, too. "Hi there, puppy, how are you? Want to be friends?" It doesn't have to make sense, but you have to be calm. Cheerful is better. Avoid angry. the dog will read the aggression in your voice and react to it.

I offered my fingers (left hand, palm down, fingers curled, thumb tucked) for her to sniff. If the dog had been growling, I probably would have skipped this step. A barking dog is issuing a warning. A growling dog is issuing a promise. Big difference.

The dog had time to sniff my fingers before her owner snagged the collar. She gave me one more solid woof to make sure I understood not to mess with mom.

The walker looked terribly apologetic. I waved, said "I'm fine" - hopefully she could lip-read since the buds were still in her ears - and eased out on my way, starting slowly. In total, the exchange cost me less than 15 seconds.

Hopefully, from now on, that dog owner will realize she has an over-protective dog and will maintain tighter control over her, even if it means leashing her. Certainly, she should be more aware on the trail, and call her dog earlier to establish control. If her dog had bitten a runner, me or someone else, it would be headed for doggie jail, something none of us really want.

Linkfest

Mary Cain turned pro coming out of high school and everyone wondered how she would do. In some circles, she's been considered a disappointment, placing 5th in the 800m at the Armory and 8th in the mile at the Wanamaker. Mind you, this is a young runner competing against the best women in the country. Methinks some people have unrealistic expectations - give her four years and we'll chat. In the meantime, here's a great article that ran in the NY Times on Cain.

While Mary Cain trails for gold, are you getting enough iron? If you're female, possible not. What about that old canard about cooking in a cast iron pan to get extra iron? Does it work? The folks at RunnersConnect tracked down the answers to those questions. No, I'm not giving away the answer - head over and read Do You Absorb More Iron Cooking in a Cast Iron Pan?

According to the news blitz, done with Apple's usual sense of restraint and hype, the Apple Watch has arrived. Life will never be the same. Or something like that. Can you run with it? Running Times looked into it and here's their opinion - 8 Things Runners Need to Know about Apple Watch As for me, I'll pass. Sometimes a watch is too much and I hate the inaccuracy of my GPS. 

Update on training. Ran a timed mile for Coach Fishman. It was slow, but better than I expected. The fun part? I picked out my pace ahead of time, based on my usual SWAG methodology. Plan was to hit the first lap on the money, accelerate for laps 2 & 3, and hold on to Lap 4 until I broke. So how close was I on the first lap? How about .3 of a second off pace. The clock in my head still works fine. Now to get the lungs back into shape. 

With the mostly snow-free winter, I wondering how soon the Seven Devils will open up. Looking forward to a jaunt around them this summer. 

A Run in the Washington Arboretum

In between bouts of work, I took some time today to visit the Mt. Baker area where my next book is being set. Beautiful area, and yes, I could see Rainier rising majestically over Seward Park.

I also found the Washington Arboretum in the process. Since a run was penciled in, I headed there. The dogwoods were blooming, along with trees that I didn't identify. Nicely maintained trails and occasional single track for the adventurous.

Pretty enough to slow me down to take a picture

When in doubt, grab the single track.  . .

Flowers floating in the upper canopy . . .

While roses grow gracefully below.

Not al the single track was easy . . .

What's Up, Coach?

My running has been slightly (radically) on the inconsistent side for the last year, so I've decided that I should take some steps to correct that.

My first inclination was to chuck the paying job as it interfered with all the other things I prefer to do. Since I still like to eat and the books are selling at a steady, predictable, and slow pace, that isn't really a good solution.

So, I sought help. I contacted a couple of coaches online to see if they would be willing to work with me. The two I singled out were Jeff Gaudette and Scott Fishman. Jeff I've brought up before on the blog as he puts out some articles that I really like.

He's also quite honest - I wasn't his type of athlete. My ultimate goals are beyond his programs and the goals themselves more gossamer than iron law.

I think Scott had some similar reservations - he wanted to make sure that he could help so we had about a twenty minute conversation to make sure that this was a good fit.

We decided that this could work (I think Scott will do fine on his end - if there's a breakdown, it will be me becoming overwhelmed with too many projects again,) so we're moving forward. I should be starting a new training program this week.

For the first time since high school, I have a coach. In fact, it's the first time I've ever had a running coach.

Should be fun.