Just for the Record

Saturday’s Bix 7 was one for the record books. I’m not talking about time or number of runners. Bix 39 was the coldest Bix yet, The temperature at start time was 57 degrees, trouncing the record 61 set in 2004. Let me tell you, it was chilly.

Amanda and I at the start.

OK, look, I’ve run in near-zero temps. I did a 5K on New Year’s Day with snow and ice on the course and the thermometer hugging 20. I’m no pussy. But this weather in July is downright odd and it’s a middle-temp that’s hard to dress for. Here’s why: While shorts and a T-shirt will be comfy once you get your blood up, you’re literally chillin’ before the race begins. And afterwards, when you’ve worked up a sweat and are suddenly stationary, swilling water, soda, coconut water (kinda ick) and scarfin’ down fruit and snacks, the wind off the river sucks the sweat away and cools like a natural air conditioner.

I had it easy in a T-shirt and shorts. Amanda, D2 as you may know her, was in shorts and a sports bra. I saw girls in micro shorts and skimpy sports bras and shirtless guys parading around like it was a normal Bix year with temps in the upper 80s to low 90s. Brrrrrrrrr!

Ponytail at Mile 5

Well, we survived the chill and had a great time, if not scoring great times. Plenty of friends figured I’d be on track for a PR (that’s personal record for those of you not familiar with running shorthand) thanks to the ideal conditions. Alas, Mother Nature is only part of the equation. I clocked my slowest time in three goes. I’m not really bothered by that, though I am thinking of putting some serious effort into Bix 40 next year. Amanda, too, was 5 minutes off her time last year. Maybe cold air slows you down?

If that’s the case, I have a feeling I’ll be faster next year. Surely we can’t have two in a row with fall temps in July? Cross your fingers that my knees still work by then.

Today's Stats

Temp: 57 degrees F

Distance: 7 miles

Weekly Total: 7 miles

Treasure: Passed three dropped headbands - hard to stop and not cause a pile-up.

Race Stats

Time: 1:15:47

Split: 38:19

Top of Brady Street on the way down.

Split Pace: 10:57

Pace: 10:50

Overall: 6,902 of 10,677

Male: 4,166 of 5,405

M45-49: 322 of 436

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Somebody’s Coming – Todd Snider

The Difficult Kind – Sheryl Crow

Missing You – John Waite

Max’s Theorem – James McMurtry

Live Like You Were Dying – Kris Allen

Cold Roses – Ryan Adams

Red Dress – James McMurtry

Safe –

Baby Is A Sociopath – Jonny Burke

New Moon On Monday – Duran Duran

Brain Damage – Pink Floyd

Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band

Saint Mary Of The Woods – James McMurtry

Wish You Were Here – Avril Lavigne

Indian Reservation – Paul Revere & The Raiders

I Was In The House When The House Burned Down – Warren Zevon

I Just Want To See His Face – The Rolling Stones

Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley

Reality – Newsboys

Have A Cigar – Pink Floyd

My Hometown – Bruce Springsteen

Remembered to pick up my 2-year pin; forgot last year.

Highway Robbery

Today I was robbed. And I didn’t put up a fight. Nary a protest.

“You can just throw that in the back. I work for the recycle anyway,” said the young man in the white truck, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

I’d just picked up a 24-ounce AriZona Tea can and was shaking out any remaining drops of beverage when the truck pulled out of the drive across the street at Waste Management. The driver, wearing his official neon safety vest, figured he was doing me a favor and was appreciative of my effort, too.

“It’s good to see people who’ll do that,” he called as he pulled away.

Not from my morning run. This is Saturday's sunset.

If I’d been thinking I would have told him I was collecting. He would have been happy about that. And I would have had one more can. But it was pretty nice of him to stop and pitch in with the effort. I ended with quite a haul anyway. And there’s always more out there – sadly. Illinois really needs to enact a deposit on aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. It would reduce litter for a start, and picking up those cans and bottles that still found their way into the gutters and ditches and fields would be more lucrative.

In preparation for the Bix 7 next weekend I again did the double bridge route: W.C. Jackson west to Louisville Road, southwest to Henderson Street, south to County 10 bridge, east to Old Thirlwell Road, north on Saluda Road, east on Davis Street to Day and back to Seminary Street via Fifth. I didn’t even look at the dog that charged me, barking loudly, near Fifth and Seminary. Since one of the girls sitting out with him got after him, I figured I’d only exacerbate the potential for an encounter by making eye contact. Glad that worked out like I thought.

Today's Stats

Temp: 81-84 degrees F

Distance: 5.51 miles

Weekly Total: 8.87 miles

Treasure: 33 cans (and the one that got away)

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

American Pie – Don McLean

Say Goodbye To Hollywood – Billy Joel

That Thing You Do! – The Wonders

Monster – Lady Gaga

Safe – Phil Wickham

Don’t Let Me Go – Billy Squier

Expecting – The Call

Toes – Zac Brown Band

Take Me To The River – Talking Heads

She’s So Mean – Matchbox Twenty

On Broadway – George Benson

Busted – Matchbox Twenty

Tell Her About It – Billy Joel

Bad Woman Blues – Trampled Under Foot

O Mary Don’t You Weep – Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band

Tender Is The Night – Jackson Browne

Outstanding In A Field

To be clear, I do not mean to say I am outstanding in my field. Rather, today I found myself out standing in a field. In my exploration of new roads I wandered west and out Accommodation Street, which sort of parallels a line of BNSF tracks for a way off of South Henderson Street. 

 

While I suspected the road might be a dead end, especially once the pavement gave way to gravel and dirt, there was no sign declaring it, so I was hopeful it might intersect with a north-south street and take me back to a residential area. No such luck. The road petered out and there was, surrounded by a field of beans or something and a couple pieces of heavy equipment. Huh.

I suppose I could have cut across the field and eventually found a road, but this ain’t Sweden, where everyone has the right to traipse across all land so long as you’re not creating a ruckus. I backtracked rather than risk the ire of some farmer or other landowner (pretty sure it’s not BNSF property there, but that would be trouble). 

The upside is that when I returned to Henderson Street I discovered a broken brick at the junction and the partial words on it made it interesting. Hey, I’ve never picked up a brick on a run before. Not likely I’ll do it again. Tell you what, I discovered a new training regimen for NFL ball-carriers. Give those guys a football-sized/shaped brick to run around with – great way to build muscle in defense of forced fumbles!

Today's Stats

Temp: 79-83 degrees F

Distance: 3.36 miles

Weekly Total: 3.36 miles

Treasure: 9 cans; 1 penny; 1 purple worm lure; 1 partial brick with letters; 1 Tony Hawk Skateboarding T-shirt (left it on the road); and I’ll add the 7 cans I brought home from Lake Argyle.

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Our Song – Yes

Mr. Roboto - Styx

In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel

Heartbeat-It’s A Lovebeat – The DeFranco Family

Let It Ride – Ryan Adams

Stickshifts And Safetybelts – Cake

The Lie – Matthew West

Somebody’s Baby – Jackson Browne

We Will Not Be Lovers – The Waterboys

The Camera Eye – Rush

Awareness

OK, I’m not so sure I have much to say, er, write. My awareness this morning was rather limited, but notable. It was about hydration. Yeah, that’s pretty important.

Thought it was discrimination, but must be a late arrival
or something. Other bikes are lined up at a rack at right.

I headed out late again – 10 a.m. – by which time it was already 81 degrees. And humid like some Lovecraftian netherworld that birthed the most wicked beast you could imagine. Alas, I was not that beast. I suffered, but not terribly.

As usual, I set out not knowing for sure just where I would run. As I trotted, huffing and puffing immediately out of the gate, up the bridge outside my driveway, I thought I might just go back and forth across it several times. That seems boring, though not easy. So I thought to head back the way I’d run Saturday, southwest out Louisville Road. Then we’d see.

Well, as I approached Henderson Street, I decided I should turn south this time and traverse the County Highway 10 bridge across the southern end of the railyards. In mapping the route afterward I was astonished (there’s a word you don’t often see) to note it was nearly a mile from one end to the other. Cripes! That’s one long bridge. 

Yeah, no ice today.

 Once on the eastern edge of the bridge I decided against heading to Seminary Street and backtracked a bit (finishing that mile distance) along Old Thirlwell Road to Saluda Road, which parallels the yards and leads to the BNSF Classification Yard Headquarters. Less traffic than Seminary Street. A little more shaded, though the sun was still to the east and the trees there are on the western edge of the road. But it was more new territory.

Look, new and different isn’t always better. But it is new and different, and it’s worth exploring places you haven’t been, eh? What’s the old saying? “Familiarity breeds contempt.” I’m not exactly contemptuous of my regular routes, which must by necessity change now anyway, but I tire of routine.

Anyway, let me tell you that long-ass bridge is one hot piece of concrete. Last time I crossed it I was wearing my hydration belt, mostly as a course of training for the half marathon and getting used to carrying a waist pack. I used it, even though it wasn’t terribly hot. And I realized during the half marathon that I didn’t really need the water bottle on my waist because there were plenty of water stops along the route. So it should be reserved for long training runs where water isn’t available.

Not so. Even shorter runs – like today’s 4.5 miles – deserve some hydration along the path – when it’s a blazin’ 81-85 degrees and equal humidity (no, I did not check the actual humidity). At least that’s what I realized today. Thus my awareness.

Note: I was not in danger of another E.R. visit. But the weather has turned unruly and I note that I must heed the forecast more carefully. So let me conclude that awareness is best observed beforehand. Epiphany can be amazing, but it could quite possibly come too late to be of use.  

Looking north from the County 10 bridge.

Today's Stats

Temp: 81-85 degrees F

Distance: 4.6 miles

Weekly Total: 4.6 miles

Treasure: 1 penny; 27 cans.

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Kuschty Rye(Alternate Version) – Ronnie Lane

Hold My Hand – Hootie & the Blowfish

Red Dress (live) – James McMurtry

The Entertainer – Billy Joel

The Wanton Song – Led Zeppelin

Leave It – Yes

It Can Happen – Yes

Bad Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce

Rhinestone Cowboy – Glen Campbell

Stay The Night – Chicago

The Lazarus Heart – Sting

One Of These Things First – Nick Drake

I’ll Be Back – The Beatles

Bullet The Blue Sky – U2

Eclipse – Pink Floyd

All She Wants Is – Duran Duran