It is Sunday in the San Francisco Bay area, end of October. We are in the middle of a huge rain storm, which Northern California, which has been my home, off an on for 48 years.
I live in Wisconsin and have since 1996. My farmhouse, in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, is my home, and in California, I stay at my parents’ home. The rain reminds me of running up on Summit road during college and post college. The 18, 20 and 22 mile runs that we would vary during the year would change with all of the season colors. We ran 80-120 miles a week, about 40 weeks of the year, cutting back during racing, and a week off at the end of each season. During this time, all long runs were done on the adidas Marathon trainer. I learned about them from Gary Goettlemann, at Ryan’s Sports.
I remember a very cool run, about 15-18 miles, in the rain. The rain came down when the foliage was not protecting me on the small roads off Summit road, and our company was the constant tapping of the rain, and the sound of our footsteps. On a typical Sunday, Paul Gyorey and I, or perhaps Gerhard, would get off on a good pace and just enjoy the silence. The footstep sounds and rain would be broken when Paul would tell a joke that made me laugh, or Gerhard would bring up a subject.
The rain is strong today, 43 years later, and I go back to those runs, over six to seven years, that have given me solace since then. Dan Durante, our coach, a man of some eccentricity, who we dearly loved, open us up to new training methods and opened our minds up to new ideas and new people. LIke my history teacher, Mr. Grawer, and my coaches, from Ralph Passerelli, S.J., Jim Marheinecke, Steve Pensinger, Steve Polley, and Terry Ward, they changed my life.
Long runs can change your life, but only if you stay open to the voices in the cool, tapping rain.
Enjoy the run.
1939 marathon shoe, cobbled by Adi Dassler, the co-founder of adidas, photo by adidas Communication
Sunday: Long run, 75-90 minutes, at a conversational pace
2021 RunBlogRun, week # 5, Fall Cross Country Racing Season, Day 7
Monday: AM for advanced: 30-minute run
Main workout: light run, 45 minutes easy pace, stretch, 4 x 150 m stride-outs, light cooldown.
Tuesday: warm-up, 3 x 1000m, 3k pace, 30 minute run, moderate pace, 6 x 200m stride outs, cooldown
Wednesday: AM for advanced: 30-minute run.
Main workout: light run, 45 minutes easy pace, stretch, 4 x 150 m light cooldown.
Thursday: warm-up, Hill repeats, 300 meter long hills, jog back to start, repeat 4 times , then, 20 minute run, moderate pace, 1 x mile, 5k race pace, 800m jog, go to flat surface, 2 x 200m, 20 minute cooldown
Friday: Advanced athletes, take light AM 30 minute run.
Main workout: light run, 45 minutes easy pace, stretch, 4 x 150 m stride-outs, light cooldown.
Saturday: warm-up, Race 5k, 30 minutes, plus 6 x 250m stride outs, cooldown
Sunday: Long run, 75-90 minutes, at a conversational pace
