Mississippi, She's Calling My Name
So here we go, first big thing, I'm entered in the Mississippi Blues marathon on January 4th in Jackson, Mississippi. I am going to take it nice and easy and just enjoy the day. Hopefully we have decent weather. I don't have a time goal, I just want to get the state done and have a good time doing it. I have a reservation for 2 nights at the Marriott and used credit card miles to pay for my plane ticket. Still trying to decide if I need to rent a car. I don't think I really need one unless I want to do some sightseeing on Saturday after the race.It sounds like a nice race. I am expecting it to be similar to Little Rock and the Flying Pig. Hilly course, mid-sized race, good support and organization.
Boston or Bust
More long term, I'm training again for the ORRRC marathon in Xenia. I'm going to try, once again, to get a Boston qualifier. I know that I did not have an especially good race there last year but now I know better what to expect and also I have a less ambitious time goal than I did last year. I went out too fast then, plus I had been sick the week before. Assuming I don't get sick and I start at a more reasonable pace, I think it is possible. I only have to get a 4:10 now. All my shorter race times indicate that I am more than capable of this.I'm all registered for it already and everything. At $25, it is a ridiculous value. And let's face it, a really nice race.
For my training program, this time I'm using the Hanson's method. The Hanson's method differs from other schedules in that the longest run is a 16-miler, but you do things like 8-16-8, and overall the mileage gets higher than what I am used to on a weekly basis. I'm actually going to follow their "beginner" program because my mileage has been so low traditionally. The "advanced" program is too advanced for me. This should end up being more miles per week than I have run in 10-15 years.
The first few weeks of the program, however, are actually too easy for me. So I'm going to just run the schedule for week 5 of their program over and over again until the week after Mississippi, which will be week 6.
Streak? What Streak?
I was trying to streak, and doing well but once again I simply forgot to hop on the treadmill one night to get the mile in to keep it going. I started on Nov. 9, and then it ended on Dec. 1 when I forgot. Had been at a CPE trial with the dogs that day, then was harrassed by Tom when I got home and so I forgot. Started up again on Sunday, Dec. 2. Maybe I'll just keep starting over again and again. It's not a bad thing to try to get a mile in every day even if you don't have a long streak going.Running in General and Shoes in Particular
Has been going pretty well. Haven't gone very far. Well, an 8 miler on Nov. 16, and a couple of 6 milers since. Now I don't think I'll go over 6 until after Mississippi. Stopped wearing the Pegasus 29s and actually returned them to RRS. I think they were causing pain on the top of my right foot. The 29s have a smooth upper without a lot of leather overlay, and I think maybe I need a little bit of that overlay for structure. Anyway, I went back to rotating my two old pairs of 28s and the foot pain went away.But you can't find those 28s anywhere now, and the two pair I own are getting very stinky. I could actually keep wearing them longer but they smell so bad I can't stand it. Never had shoes before that got so smelly. I don't know what it is about the Pegasus but they do acquire a stink.
Well, anyway, after searching in vain for old versions of the Pegasus, I hit upon a new idea. It seems it is still possible to find the "kids" version of the Pegasus 28 and even the 27s. Through a bit of trial and error, I have discovered that a "youth" size 5 1/2 is the same as a woman's size 7. So today I received in the mail a pair of 27s (for $31!!!! such a deal!) and 28s. The biggest difference between these shoes and the adult version seems to be the insoles. The adult shoes have a more high-tech, molded insole, whereas the kids' shoe just has a cheap slab of foam. But hey, I can just replace that with my old insoles from my old shoes!
The 27s do look like something a six year old would wear, though:
The materials used in the upper are also slightly different. The adult shoe has a more open mesh. The kids shoe reminds me of old-school Saucony 6000s. That might not be so bad. The kids' shoe also seems to have a bit more plastic overlay on the upper, which might or might not be a problem. I did, after all, go back to these versions because I knew they would have some overlay. The question is whether or not it will be too much.
The 28s are a little closer to the adult shoe in appearance. Mostly because the 28 adult version looked like a kids shoe! I would take a picture of my old shoes to compare but they are just too disgusting. You might get sick.
Tomorrow I will take the 27s for a spin.
Here is a comparison of the insoles. Old 27 insole is on the right. Note the heel cup. It is also more contoured in the arch and the fabric is more high-tech, wicking. I guess you should expect a difference between shoes that retail for $100 vs. $55.
So, I didn't get to the Indy report last night. I didn't even finish this up. Maybe later today.
Ashenfelter 8k
This was the race we ran on Thanksgiving in Glen Ridge, NJ. I guess I can write a race report about it after I finish up Indy.
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