The Jazzman
There once was a trumpeter who liked to blow on his horn
He would play all night long till the break of morn
At the late night jazz club is where he spent all his time
Every note he played was just so sublime
In a black suit he stood tall, swinging his song
All his fellow cats joined in, playing along
People came from all around
To hear that smooth, grooving sound
When he stroked his last soothing riff as daytime neared
Everybody in the crowd hooted and cheered
Sun Apr 21: AM. A 30 min run on the Capital City Trail. Tired achey legs. It was sunny and 32°.
Mon Apr 22: AM. A 30 min run on the Capital City Trail. It was sunny and 35°.
Tues Apr 23: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. It was mostly cloudy and 53°.
Wed Apr 24: AM. A 45ish min pastry club run on residential streets and paths. It was sunny and 37°. PM. A 45ish min run with the Beers for Miles group on the Capital City Trail and residential streets. It was sunny and in the 50s.
Thurs Apr 25: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. It was sunny and 35°. PM. A 45 min run around Lake Wingra. It was sunny and in the mid 50s.
Fri Apr 26: AM. A 45 min run on residential streets and on the Capital City Trail. It was partly sunny and 42°.
Sat Apr 27: AM. A 60 min run on the Mendota Lakeshore Path to Picnic Pt. It was mostly cloudy and 64°. PM. A 60 min run on the Capital City Trail and on the SW Path. It was partly sunny and in the mid 70s.
Sun Apr 14: AM. A 60 min run on the Mendota Lakeshore Path to Picnic Pt. It was sunny and around 60°.
Mon Apr 15: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. It was dark and 45°. PM. A 45 min run around Lake Wingra. It was sunny and 71°.
Tues Apr 16: AM. A 78 min run on the Capital City Trail and on the Southwest Path. It was partly cloudy and 48°.
Wed Apr 17: AM. A 60ish min pastry club run on city and residential streets. It was cloudy and around 60°. PM. On the track, did 3x400m (78, 78, 76) then ran a 45 min loop around Lake Wingra. It was partly cloudy, windy and around 60°.
Thurs Apr 18: AM. A 33 min run on the Capital City Trail. It was mostly cloudy and in the mid 40s.
Fri Apr 19: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. It was sunny and 36°.
Sat Apr 20: AM. Ran the Mad City 50k in 3:27:21 (6:40/mi). The course was five 10k loops around Lake Wingra. I have run around Wingra probably hundreds of times before in training, but I have always gone clockwise around the lake. For the 50k, the course went counter-clockwise so that kinda threw me for a loop (or five). 10k splits: 42:45 (6:53), 41:32 (6:41), 40:07 (6:27), 39:30 (6:21), 43:26 (6:59). I felt strong for 26ish miles, though the last five were a little rough. Still a good training run. It was sunny early, then it clouded up and became quite windy. Temp in the 30s.
A preview of the
Mad City 50k Run
In haiku format
Today the date is
Wednesday, April 17th,
2024
You know what that means?
It’s National Haiku Day!
Let’s make some haikus
I be running mad
No, I’m not actually mad
Hope not, anyway
I will be running
The Mad City 50k
In three days from now
Let me emphasize
The word “running”, Not “racing”
It won’t be full send
Just a training run,
A nice long-run to build up
Some good endurance
I’m thinking maybe
6:40 to 6:50
Minutes per mile pace
Hoping that won’t be
Too difficult to manage
Oh but we shall see
I’ve never run more
Than thirty miles so this be
New territory
The primary aim
Is still Gramma's Marathon
In a couple months
The course— It will be
A familiar one— Five loops
Around Lake Wingra
I have run around
That lake many times before
So I shouldn’t get lost
As of this writing
The weather looks promising
Thirties to forties
Partly cloudy skies
Yes, it should be quite pleasant
If the rain holds off
Sun Apr 7: AM. A 90 min run over residential streets, the Starkweather Creek Path, and on the Capital City Trail. It was cloudy and around 40°.
Mon Apr 8: AM. A 60 min run on the Capital City Trail and on the SW Path. The sun was rising over clear skies, temp of 43°. PM. In Deerfield, A 30 min on-shift run— ambulance station loops. It was mostly sunny and around 60°.
Tues Apr 9: AM. A 45 min run on residential streets. It was sunny and around 40°. PM. In Deerfield, A 30 min on-shift run— ambulance station loops. It was mostly sunny and 57°.
Wed Apr 10: AM. A 50ish min pastry club run on residential and city streets. It was sunny and in the upper 40s. PM. On the track, ran 20,000m in 1:17:58 (6:18, 6:20, 6:16, 6:17, 6:17, 6:16, 6:12, 6:15, 6:05, 6:11, 6:11, 6:11, 3:03). It was partly cloudy and 65°.
Thurs Apr 11: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. It was mostly cloudy and 43°. PM. A 45 min run around Lake Wingra. It was partly cloudy and in the mid 50s.
Fri Apr 12: AM. A 30 min run on the Capital City Trail. It was dark and 47°. PM. A 45 min run around Lake Wingra. It was mostly sunny and around 60°.
Sat Apr 13: AM. On the track, ran 3200m in 10:49 (5:29, 5:20). It was sunny and around 50°.
I think I've mentioned before that I like running. However, I don't think I've ever said anything about the game that I play while I run. Wherever I go, I almost always kick a rock in front of me. The goal is to see how far I can go before losing the rock. By losing a rock, I mean accidentally kicking it into a sewer drain or off the road into somebody’s yard.
I am probably the best rock-kicker in town. Today I kicked a rock for over eleven miles. That might be a new record. I have been rock-kicking for years and I've gotten quite good at it. Kicking a rock while running involves a combination of skill and luck. It is easiest to do when there isn't much traffic in the streets and it helps when the roads are smooth and even. I live in the Midwest, where all the roads are full of potholes so this makes it a bit more challenging.
It also helps to find a good rock. A good rock is one that is round, but not too round. If the rock is too round, it will roll away from you. The size of the rock also plays a factor. I think the best rocks are about the size of an egg, just not as round. If the rock is too big, it won't travel very far and you might hurt your toe. If it's too small, you'll likely lose it or whiff at it. I am always sure to keep at least a couple back-up rocks in my pocket, in case I lose one.
The next time you head out for a run, try kicking a rock. I think you might like it.
Sun Mar 31: AM. Ran two loops around Lake Monona in 2 hours 50 mins. My legs were getting tired and hands were getting cold toward the end of the 2nd loop. It was cloudy and in the 30s.
Mon Apr 1: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. The sun was rising over mostly clear skies, temp of 36°. PM. In Middleton, A 45 min run on the South Fork Path. It was lightly raining and in the 30s.
Tues Apr 2: AM. A 60 min run on the Capital City Trail and on the SW Path. It was 38° and drizzling. PM. A 30 min run on the Capital City Trail. It was dark and in the 30s.
Wed Apr 3: AM. A 78 min run on the Capital City Trail and on the SW Path. It was snowing and 34°. PM. A 60 min run on the Capital City Trail and on the Wingra Creek Path. It was cloudy, windy, and 34°.
Thurs Apr 4: AM. A 60 min run on the Mendota Lakeshore Path to Picnic Pt. It was cloudy and 33°. PM. In Middleton, A 30 min run on the South Fork Trail. It was dark and in the upper 30s.
Fri Apr 5: AM. A 45 min run on the Capital City Trail and around Monona Bay. It was sunny and around 30°. PM. A 45 min run around Lake Wingra. The sun was setting over clear skies with a temp in the mid 40s.
Sat Apr 6: AM. A 60 min run on the Mendota Lakeshore Path to Picnic Pt. It was sunny and in the mid 30s. PM. On the track, did 6x800m (2:43, 2:43, 2:40, 2:41, 2:41, 2:40). It was sunny and around 50°.
You are a mean one
You give us hope of warmth and sun
But then you turn your back and run
The way you shun, you’re just no fun
You throw down cold, and sleet and snow
What can I do? Where can I go?
How can those poor flowers grow?
When you make the nasty wind blow and leave me low
You’re very cruel
The way you fool
It’s just not cool
You piece of rusty garden tool
Is there really any hope?
When you leave me to cry and mope
Can I really even cope?
Gee, I would have to say “nope”
I guess I’ll just have to wait till May
That month when spring decides to stay
It’s only one more month away
I think I can make it if I pray
