Recruit - Join Up

Greeting from Auburn, AL, the lovliest village on the plains! I flew out this morning for four days of recruiting, two days in Skipperville, five more days of recruiting, and then the Chicago Marathon; obviously, I'm loaded down with luggage. The trip is a bit of a boondoggle in that we don't have enough activity to consume all those days, but with Career Fair and interviews so close together, it's better to just stay here and work when not recruiting. Or just sleep in!

At the end of last week I was battling away with my Plantar thanks to softball and a day of caring for the kids of Conroe via the United Way. I decided though that I should run Saturday morning as it would be my last Chicago HoustonFIT group run and if I'm destined to hurt during Chicago, I should get used to it now!

Saturday morning's weather was nothing short of wonderful; cool and low humidity. Our eleven mile route was an out and back to Coach Patty's rest stop (the Patty Wagon) in the scenic Rose Garden area of River Oaks. I have come to judge my speed by how how long I stay up with Larry, who usually runs these things a bit faster than me. By the time we came to the Wagon, he was only about 50 yards ahead, so I felt like I was making good time; the weather certainly helped. Interestingly, my heart rate, despite this seeming increase in speed, hung out in the high 150s and low 160s, which is a bit low for most Saturday runs. My pace to the Wagon was 10:17/mile.

I didn't stop while going to the Wagon, and only planned to stay there for a couple of minutes. However, a certina captivating canine prevented that. An escaped Jack Russel Terrier had taken a liking to the Wagon and its food (ummmm, peanut butter!), and there was consensus to hold the little pooch and give it's owner a call. There was much milling about of runners in an effort to offer help to Patty; much dog was being talked (oogggy, booggy, booo; that's a gooooood lil' doggy, yezzz it izzzz!). There were getting to be too many cooks in the kitchen, so after a total stop time of about six minutes, off I went. Turns out the dog's owner showed up, but apparently wasn't too happy about being roused at 6:30AM.

On the return trip my heart rate monitor strap came off (user error), so I don't know how high the ticker got. As with last week, I decided to step up the last bit, and ended up running in with an older fellow who introduced himself as Maurice (I'm not sure, but let's assume he's Italian, it will help your inner voice speak the next bit). After cursory discussions of running, Maurice and I did what men do in such lulls in conversation, we discussed the weather. I commented how it was "about time" we had some good weather. Maurice countered with "No my friend, the hot weather makes us stronger and makes us better appreciate days like today." I suppose "about time" is a past looking statement, somewhat pessimistic maybe, while Maurice was simply letting the hot days drift away while welcoming the coming cool. I think Maurice was right and had a healthy perspective; you've got to let past injuries, hot days, and other such maladies pass, and enjoy what's to come. If you stop doing that, then you'll probably stop running.

Days like Saturday, where you feel good, the weather is good, and the group dynamic is good, serve as a kind of vindication of sorts; it really makes it worth it. Actually, on the run back from the Wagon, I thought to myself that the day was so good that those people unwilling to give up a little bit of Friday and Saturday, and who miss runs like this, they are really missing out. A good group run on the weekend is honest exercise; simple, effective, and fun. It was a great way to wrap up the training season, and begin my taper.

This is getting long, and I suspect I'll have time to blog daily over the next couple of weeks, so bye for now. Next time -> What does Hags bring with him to kill down time while recruiting!