Workouts - Week of November 12, 2007

Settling into the new house, the Higdon-inspired white board is now up in the mud room. Each day has a bright red number, XT or off written on it, and it gets a check mark at the end of the week. It's always most satisfying to check it off before breakfast, but with the cold and darkness having arrived, the daily schedule may change a bit.

I should note that yesterday was my running club's first post-season group run. We had over 20 folk show up for runs of 5, 7.5 or 11 miles, with the courses ranging from hilly, to hillier, to bring-your-ropes-and-crampons. I went in the slower of the two 11-miler groups, and we went up a treacherous stretch, steep and covered with 6 inches of fallen leaves. Good sense won out and we walked a stretch, mostly out of concern for our ankles. I had the pleasure of running with two of the areas top Master's runners, a woman who wins a lot of 40+ races (until she turns 50 next year and will take that division by storm), and a New England running legend, a 50-something fellow with a 2:22 marathon PR (which he ran in 1991 when he needed 2:20 to get to the Olympic trials). It was a joy and a privilege to run with them, chat and just soak in all their passion and experience. It's nice to be looking out as my 40th birthday inches closer and closer, and realize that I've chosen a sport - unlike my old one - which holds a future for as long as its faithful disciples wish to participate.

Monday - Off due to work and Y closure

Tuesday - 5 miles at lunchtime

Wednesday - 6 miles in the mountains (will be traveling overnight for work)

Thursday - 5 miles easy in the woods

Friday - Elliptical and XT

Saturday - 6 miles easy

Sunday - 13 miles easy, maybe with some company during the first half and some good music during the second

I'm looking forward to a colleague's run in Philadelphia on Sunday. He's looking to go under 3:00, which is nearly incomprehensible to me. Granted, he was a high school and college standout who's thus been running seriously and regularly for more than half of his 30 years. I was a semi-competitive (i.e., mediocre) soccer player who just started running last year. Baby steps . . . baby steps.