Cain Park Cross-Training

Steve Brodie, July 23, 1886

Met Chris at Cain Park for hill conditioning. We got caught up on things, I got to tell him about New York, his Sunday ten-mile was a trail race. Those things freak me out, I just assume I will twist and ankle.

In fact, just running out, and then running back (listening to the Bowery Boys podcast, "The Daredevil Steve Brodie, 'King of the Bowery'") my ankle was acting up. I walked a bit, stretched, rolled it around, and made it home in good shape.

Sprints: 3 miles
Run: 3 miles

Temperature: 71°→73°
Climate: partly cloudy and humid
Mood: good
Stretches: yes, but not enough
Water: yes

Baseline: 179.5 lbs.
Today: 164 lbs. (-2.0)
Goal: 160 lbs.

Four day vacation in New York City and I lose weihgt. So that worked out all right.

Cain Park Cross-Training

Lyle Lovett is coming!!

Oof. Hard to rise. Up far too late last night, performing necessary house repair, fixing a screen door, which took much more time than I had imagined. Woke sick to my stomach and sweaty.

Chose to podcast today, the Bowery Boys were covering "Secrets of Upper Manhattan" which is cool because the girl and I will be in New York in ten days and I am seeking inspiration. For the moment, we eschew beats.

Distance: 5.25 miles
Duration: 46:57
Pace: 8:56
Route: Cain Park Hills
Temperature: 73°
Climate: overcast & muggy
Mood: all right, considering
Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Snack: banana

Gods, I feel alive! It was a heavy run out to the corner of Taylor & Superior, but not unrewarding. Chris and I ran down and up the hills at Cain Park eight times, which made for about two miles. My running there and back was another three.

Tomorrow I plan to hit the gym and do upper body work, no running. On Independence Day - we race!

Baseline: 179.5 lbs.
Today: 164.5 lbs. (-0.5)
Goal: 160 lbs.

Running away will never set you free.

Numb.

Choosing to make a four mile run, I will often head around Lee Road to Cain Park. This is one of the things I love about living in Cleveland Heights, the fact that we have a public park which includes an amphitheater for live musical performances, and locally produced live theater.

Like most great endeavors, the park was conceived of by an educator, Heights High drama coach Dr. Dina Rees Evans. She started a theater company to present works in this park in the early 1930s, their inaugural effort was A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

Education, Shakespeare, Cleveland Heights. That's my life, too.

Last winter the boy was sidelined by an injury and all year (yes, even in deepest summer) how he missed out on sledding last year, at all. He's had the chance to do that twice so far this winter at the sledding hill in Cain Park, which is his favorite and always packed with sledders on snow days and even past sundown.

We shall see if he gets to do any more sledding this year. (sad trombone)

Distance: 4.05 miles
Avg Pace: 7:36
Duration: 30:52
Route: Cain Park Loop

One of the best things about Cain Park - from spring to fall - is the chance for a water break. They put away the water fountains during the winter for obvious reasons. The other great thing is that sledding hill. It makes for a steep incline to get out of the park and onto Taylor Road. Not everyone digs this, but training on it made it possible for me to crush Mile 21 in the Twin Cities last fall.

Temperature: 39°
Climate: cool and bright

Bit distressed a few weeks back to learn I had developed a new cavity. Had that filled today, feel a bit light headed, still can't feel my face. But I want OXYGEN.

Weight: 162 lbs. (-1.5)
Mood: good! woobly!

1984 Playlist
Blue Jean - David Bowie
Doctor! Doctor! - The Thompson Twins
Drive (167 bpm) - The Cars
Let's Go Crazy - Prince & The Revolution
I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man) (160 bpm) - Kenny Loggins
Dropping Bombs On The White House - The Style Council
Born To Run (160 bpm) - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Train Running Low on Soul Coal - XTC

That was a totally awesome playlist. No kidding, I was flying. However, I was also afraid I would swallow my tongue. I still cannot feel my tongue.

Sources:
City of Cleveland Heights
Cain Park website

Don't run away. It's only me.

"How come my foot hurts?" - Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

The past several days I chose not to run. Rest is good. However, so is seeing a doctor and getting the right shoes. But I digress. I chose not to run. In fact, if you had looked through the window of my front room* on Thursday evening, for example, just after dinner, you would have seen a nine year-old in a chair, an almost-seven year-old kneeling over the couch next to his mother, and I in another chair, reading. All of us, quietly reading. And that was better than running, by far.

However, Friday was also prohibitive, as was Saturday. Randy M. did an assessment of my foot. His girlfriend has been suffering from Plantar fasciitis, and though my pain has been on the top of my feet, there has developed associative pain beneath. This is not good. He recommended ice and elevation, which I have entirely failed to do, but who cares, Randy's not some fucking doctor, screw him.

A few weeks ago, the ex-wife asked if I had read Christopher McDougall's Born to Run. I had to admit that not only hadn't I read it, but that I have a copy that was given to me one or two Christmases ago, staring me from the bookshelf.

In the past several days I have 1. finished the first draft of a new play for Great Lakes and 2. completed editing Henry VIII for Cleve Shakes. Right now I am in the fourth of five weekends of performances at Beck Center, I am not in the process of memorizing anything at all. For the first time in a very long time, I have leisure time to read. And so I am reading Born To Run.

I am looking forward to where it goes, though it begins with a demoralizing premise -- runners don't become stronger, running a lot does not make you more resistant to damage. Running a lot is damaging. It's like assuming that since you are hitting yourself in the head with a bat, one day getting hit in the head with a bat will not harm you.

My left foot hurts. I believe I have damaged it. I have two choices, the only two choices a runner has in these situations: Stop running. Run anyway.

Week 14 Total: 19 miles
Training to Date: 372 miles

Distance: 6 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Temperature: 28º
Climate: light rain & chilly ... then sun
Weight: 167 lbs.
Snack: chewy granola bar
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

I am tired of cold. Still, felt good to get out. The Cain Park Neighborhood Association was out in force, picking up trash. Saw a few familiar faces (Hi, Kari!) The foot hurts. Not any more than usual. I have it elevated and iced (Thanks, Randy!)

155-159 BPM Playlist
Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
Hey Ya - Outkast
Synchronicity II - The Police
Pretty Boys - Joe Jckson
Jaded - Green Day
Whammy Kiss - The B-52's
Mike Mills - AIR
Whip It - Devo
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
Puzzlin' Evidence - Talking Heads
The Long Hair of Death - Stereolab

Cooldown:
Driven To Tears - The Police

* Don't ever do this.

Velocity.

The Velocity of Autumn by Eric Coble
Beck Center through April 29
Starring Dorothy Silver
Photo: Kathy Sandham
Ennui sets in. Almost eight weeks to go, feeling not just tired but disinterested. I am sure this is a direct result of post-opening night let-down. Yay, I did something big ... now what?

Well. Train for a freaking marathon, I guess.

Distance: 12 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop 2x

And then we run, and I feel much, much better. Next week, according to my schedule, I am supposed to run 20 miles. The first of three twenty-mile runs prior to the event. This is a good idea, for my last training session, six years ago, I ran one 20-miler and it was like summiting Everest to me. Last week I ran 18 miles, and thought, eh. Hurt a little for a day. Not much. Still got on with life just fine.

So, the question is, I guess, do I depart before dawn and try and reach my parents' house by breakfast? Got a week to figure that out.

1. Wishing a "chappy chello" to smiling Orthodox families taking a walk through Cain Park.

2. Hey, Erin! It's Spring! Turn the water fountain on!

3. Passed Karl, driving by on Euclid Hts. Blvd. on my second lap. Yes, sir. It was a good run.

Temperature: 63º
Climate: cool & overcast. sweet.
Weight: 163.5 lbs.
Snack: banana + sunbutter & fruit yogurt smoothie
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

Podrunner:
Furioso (167 BPM)
Mustapha Dance * - The Clash (128 BPM)
Overground (165 BPM)

* Just a note, including a down-beat songs in the midst of long, bpm-orietned playlists doesn't really do anything for me.