Getting back to Boston

After getting pummeled the last four days at work, have not felt like running at any time -- morning, midnight, didn't matter. Woke up in the morning and felt just as tired as when I went to bed the night before. Maybe I can get some good runs in during my off week because...

After 30 minutes of frustration with the BAA website, and clicking "submit" infinitely, it seemed, it finally accepted my registration for the 2011 Boston Marathon this morning. And put two charges on my debit card statement; let's hope they're not gonna charge me $260 to run. Fortunately, dcv2002 on the RWOL Boston forum posted a link that got me around the "submit" endless loop, and I got in on the first try through that link. Thanks, man.

But now I'm committed. Which seems to be what it takes to get me off my, uh, couch and going. I have exactly six months to get ready. (Also have to get plane tickets and a place to stay, which I'll hold off on until I find out that my entry has been officially accepted).

Need to go to NLR/Bryant today to take care of some things, mostly financial, but hope to get a run in tonight after I return.

Update, two days later: I did get in that run after I got back from Centark, 4.5 around the Ben Geren loop at sub-9:30 pace. I was sore afterward, but that's what I'm doing for the next six weeks, getting the legs back in the swing.

Turns out that Boston filled up in EIGHT HOURS. Filled up. Last year, nine weeks. Year before, five months. Year before, it didn't fill at all. EIGHT HOURS. Many many people POd/shocked that they're shut out. If you paid any attention at all since last November, you saw this coming. People got shut out last year and freaked; they weren't gonna get caught again. I didn't get shut out, but I knew going to Memphis that I couldn't get in for 2010. Once I qualified, I was NOT going to get shut out for 2011.

Had a nice pre-birthday dinner with the folks while I was in Centark.

Tried out a new course tonight -- down Duncan, around the mall, up Waldron to Park, out Park across the freeway to 66th, down to Free Ferry, and back home. I think it's 3.90, although the Garmin did not cooperate entirely. One thing I don't need the Garmin to tell me -- that puppy is HILLY. I was pretty stiff from last night, so not very fast, but all in all, the run went well. Temps in the 60s helped.

Went looking for places to buy running shoes. You'd think there would be a running store in the commercial center of a metro area of 165,000, but there isn't (maybe this is a hint for my entrepreneurial future). Shoe Carnival and Academy carry the discount lines of Nike and Saucony and adidas and NB and so on; you can't buy a pair of Lunarglide, but you can buy a pair of Lunarrun. Foot Locker? Forget it. I'm not gonna pay mall prices to buy a pair of shoes from someone who doesn't know fartlek from Pampers. Anyway, didn't buy anything, but may go back later in the week. The current pairs of training shoes are both completely worn out.

In one week, I'll be 50. It's funny. By anyone's definition, I'm middle-aged, if not completely over the hill, but I still don't think of myself as Mr. Necessary. I hear that, I still mentally look around for my dad. Even my patients who don't understand that I'm not a physician generally call me Dr. Jeff. Yet I'm unquestionably in the second half of my life. Hey, I was only young once, but I can be immature all my life...

Intervals this evening -- 5 X 400 at Ben Geren, with 400 jog intervals, one lap warmup, about 1.2 cooldown. Total 5.00. Warmer than I would have liked, and the glare was brutal even with my sunglasses, but managed not to run over anyone, trip on the rocks in the trail, or get heat-stressed. Paces were wide ranging, from 7:24 to 7:55, but at least they were all sub-MP. Point was to get my legs to go semi-fast, and I guess I semi-succeeded.

Ten laps plus around the lake at Cross Park tonight. Once I loosened up, it wasn't too bad. Even considered going farther, but no, restraint is the key. An extra lap that keeps me from running tomorrow defeats the plan. Pretty steady around 9:50 pace. A few joggers out there, including one rather shapely brunette. Wish I were up for the chase... Continuing the plan to get to 100 miles by the end of the month. I'm pretty sure that will require me to run every day for the rest of the month, unless I can bump up the daily average a bit.

In Fayetteville with Tyler tonight. Dinner at OG, a little shopping, went to the Red-White hoops, then four miles in the vicinity of his apartment. Up to MLK on Razorback, down Razorback past 15th, double back to 15th, back past his complex, full length of the little trail behind the complex and back, then a lap around the complex itself. Total 4.11. Warmer than I'd like, but nice and breezy. It's supposed to rain tonight. Hopefully the rain will be over before the game starts at 11:21. Then maybe get in a dreadmill run in his fitness center before the drive back to FS.

Interesting day, not including any running. T and I went to the Hog game, which took nearly five hours thanks to not one, but two prolonged weather delays. We finally on, then the rain really settled in. Decided not to try to run in it; dribing back to Fort Smith in it was bad enough. I'll plan on doing a double tomorrow, maybe 4 and 6 or something.