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            Regular followers of this space (and I can only think of one) know that I am not running very much these days. I am sorting out other mental and professional things. Running can be hard, and in ways that aren’t always physical. I read a lot about how physical exercise is the one thing you should do for yourself and how important it is to make time for it.

          If it were only that simple. But I have gotten out there a few times...

Pair of old Ravenna 5 shoes from Brooks. Put 'em on and
got in a quick three-miler

            Midwest weather has been largely what you’d expect for January, at least for the last few days. Last Saturday I ran to the Missouri border and back to the house, a little over three miles, and with some undulating terrain that included a 6% grade that reminded me of how out of shape I am. It was 60 degrees that Saturday afternoon, so there wasn’t really a choice involved. When it’s that nice go outside for your run, regardless of whether you have a treadmill in the basement.

            Earlier in the week, New Year’s afternoon, it was 20-something outside. Another great opportunity to put on my Mizuno Wave Inspire 14 shoes and crank out a few miles. I’ve always loved running in the cold—there’s nobody else out there and it just feels quieter even running on the sidewalk of a main throroughfare. I feed off the energy of thinking that passersby in cars are seeing me and thinking I’m crazy or dedicated. Or certifiable, you can be the judge. Regardless it was a good run that had another rise at the end, and also some of the best black-eyed peas and cornbread you’ll ever have when I came back inside.

            After that I didn’t run for a week, even with Astro waiting patiently in the basement. Until yesterday, that is, when I slid on (got them when I was still in my bungee lace phase) my royal blue Pearl Izumi N2 shoes and knocked out a quick three. The pacing is slower, since my weight is up. I’ve read and seen that each pound of weight you carry adds about two or three seconds per mile. Starting to believe it.

        Postscript: this unposted stuff is from two weeks ago.

Shoe Dog

Most of us know of Nike as this big, giant shoe behemoth that has tentacles stretching in seemingly every direction. But in reading Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s memoir we learn that was not always the case.

            It’s hard to see the Swoosh as representing an underdog. Knight had a crazy idea and was in the right place at the right time and it took a lot of sweat equity to make it go.

            There’s a part of me that likes understanding how the machine works and how the hamburger is made, so I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the genesis of what has become one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Knight ran track at Oregon under Bill Bowerman and eventually formed Blue Ribbon Sports and sold Tiger shoes he imported from Japan.

            So often in those early years things ran on a shoestring budget (get it? shoestring budget?) even though he couldn’t get shoes in fast enough to replace the ones they sold. It was impressive to see all the work that went into making the organization successful, and for Knight to get the level of buy in that he did from his staff. Remember these are the early days of Nike, when the outcome was still very much in doubt and success seemed so far away.

            Of course, things worked themselves out and Nike overtook Adidas in the shoe wars (though I still love my Energy Boost shoes) and basically conquered the world. 

            Part of Mark Twain’s famous quote states that travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. It was insightful to see how Knight’s trip around the world as a twenty-something informed his thinking for the rest of his life. Plus it was fun to read that even the CEO of Nike threw caution to the wind and chose to see what else is out there, perhaps going against his better judgment. 

            So think what you will of Nike. It was fascinating to hear the other side of the story, learning how the foundation was laid, brick by brick, and how the company is making an effort to be a responsible corporate citizen. This was a great read and I had trouble putting it down.

Welcome Back, Astro!

            So we’ve been living in our new home in Overland Park, Kansas for two weeks now. Our friend Astro the treadmill got reassembled last week after having a tough go of it during the move, and I took him for his first spin as a Kansan last Sunday. Feels good to be getting back after it and to have my days approaching normal again, although there are still a lot of boxes to unpack and lots of work for me to do.

            I ran outside a few times in my Hoka Mach pillows/shoes while we were shacking it at the Residence Inn, but I haven’t run outside since we moved into the house. I should, since there are a few challenging hills near us. In Athens I would make it a goal to run outside at least once a week, so I think that’s what I’ll aim for. What’s the point of having rain jackets, tights, and arm warmers if you’re not stepping into the great outdoors?

HELP! JANE! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!

            One realization I’ve made… A reason made a concerted effort to run outside was to keep my fitness level (such as it was) up by hitting the ups and downs of our old neighborhood. Running on the treadmill meant my legs didn’t have that energized feeling that you get by running outside. But I’ve learned that by setting the incline to 1.5% (up from the 1.0% I used to set it at) I get a decent workout in and my legs feel like they ran that day. It’s not as bad as it seems, especially since I have a cord that connects my iphone to the treadmill. Podcasts for everyone!

            As you can see Astro sits alone in our nice, cool basement. It’s easy enough to get a good sweat in down there and not overheat. And he’s not underfoot like he was in our old place where he took up virtually half the room. Here he’s got plenty of space and I’ve got a nice place to get back on schedule and go for my run regardless of the Kansas City weather.

            I’m sitting on 10 miles this week after this three-mile jaunt yesterday. Highest mileage week in a month or so.

            And the Athens Half Marathon is this weekend, with cool temperatures expected. A lot of my Athens friends are running that race.