Dear Running of the Pink friends,

Written Goals with a written plan, publicly communicated, works

     Since creating my irrational 70^th birthday plan in December, I have been fairly confident that I could meet the first goal of completing 6.2 miles without stopping. Even though I have not run 6 miles in the last 20 years, I figured that I could jog at some turtle pace and claim I was running. The additional stack of goals, losing 25 pounds, running 11 minute miles, were more at risk.

    

   On Friday June 5^th I decided to jog the actual 10K course since Saturday the original race date, was going to be very windy. (Yes, through all my big talk, I am still the wimp that Ernie Gates, our famous Football coach, introduced to Meier Snell, our Cross Country coach, as a way of saving my life from all those guys that wanted to use me as a tackling dummy, even though I was uniquely qualified as the dummy part).

    

   I expected to do alright, even though I had only run one 5 mile practice, because I had run a number of four milers in the months of getting ready and as we talked you don’t have to practice the full distance if you are consistent at improving the shorter practices. I have always done better in a race, because you have the pressure of other runners and the adrenaline of a contest, so I did not expect too much in non-race conditions. My stretch goal was to run 11 minute miles and my “super secret” goal was to strive for 10s. I think having practiced on hills paid a big dividend because I finished the actual flat ROP course averaging 9:30s for a total 10K time of 59:01. Weighing myself, after the run of course for best results, I was 177, down 27 pounds. So I had my little party by my Covid safe self rather than the 700 of you I was hoping for, but think of what I saved on birthday cake.

    

   Many of you asked that we give your entry fees to the hospital. We gave our full $10,000 match so that their programs would not be shorted. I hope we can make a better plan to celebrate my 71^st birthday, but maybe we should see if we as a team can “Beat the 59:01 for 71”. Thank you for your encouragement of Running of the Pink and the JRMC Mission.

Casey Stoudt

Dear Running of the Pink friends,

    

    This week’s news is that we have moved the date to Saturday, July 11^th. We still have $5000 that has not yet been matched, so sign up to walk or run and know that we will match your registration fee and any other gift (Make it out to JRMC Running of the Pink) until the $5000 is gone.

    

    I am sincere in hoping that each of you is having success with our plan. I am fortunate to have you cheering me on and keeping me honest, other than not being willing to run against the wind. I will tell you my wind story if you stick with me for a moment.

    

   After a stubborn stretch of low self-discipline, I finally hit my base goal of 180 pounds, down 25. With all the sit ups, I can even imagine with the right light and poor glasses, that I can see the shadow of a six pack. I wish. The fun of hitting our goals is that with the momentum we have established, we can muscle on to our stretch goal, which for me is 175, a number I haven’t seen in 20 years. I also now know that I can make my base goal of doing the 10K without walking and I believe I can do my stretch goal of eleven minute miles, so I have big work to do  to see if I can push that down to 10 minute miles. We will see.

    

   Back in the Running Club days we would run off as many calories as possible so that we could put them all back on at the picnic that always followed. On a fiercely windy evening Ken Zimney and I were struggling into the gale that I have sworn to never experience again. Even with poor hearing, I finally noticed some noise behind me. When I turned I was disappointed to find that the entire girl’s cross country team was using us two fat boys as their wind screen. I long ago had visions of young women chasing me, I was humbled to finally learn why they would.

    

   Please join us for the Running of the Pink on July 11^th and cost me some money as recompense for having to read my questionable ramblings.

Thanks,

Casey

Dear Running of the Pink friends,

    We are hoping to still hold the race on June 6^th. Because we spend so much on advertising, we are waiting a little bit to make sure our JRMC and Women’s Way partners are satisfied with your safety before we go all out on spending. Regardless, there will be a run and we will keep you up to date.

    Last week, on a Sunday no less, I taught my Grandson to cheat. I was pleased that it made him uncomfortable and resistant, but I suckered him in when I divulged my plan: I am too old and have run too many miles to have to run against an 18 mph wind. Micah, age 13 has started to run to prepare for Cross Country and he wants to run with his grandpa. While I am thoroughly pleased, running with a real runner is tough. We have done two three milers and after getting a ride to the up wind end of the road, he has been (more accurately my ego has been) forcing my creaky old knees to run a 9:20 first mile. I am smart enough to release him like a bird from a cage to finish with 7:30s and better. One result is I am mad at all of you for forcing me to run a stupid 10K. My last two 5K runs have been 9:19 per mile (wind aided).

Purpose of a running watch 

    I am betting that if I asked you about the purpose of a running watch, you would reply it is to see how fast you are running so that you can speed up. I think the opposite, as usual. One of the biggest enemies you can face is a first mile that sets a new world’s record and leaves you figuratively or actually on the curb. If your goal is a 30 minute three mile, I don’t want you running a 9 minute first mile. Use that watch to slow down. If you really have it, you can gradually bring it on. I would applaud a 9 minute last mile, but I don’t want you suffering and begging the bad devil to let you stop.

    In that same vein, I see a lot of beginning runners looking over their shoulders to see if they are being caught. What is that all about? If you have given the race all that you have there is nothing you can do about it. If you are looking because you can run faster, then run faster; don’t be looking for someone beyond yourself to push you. You are in charge, run your own race and don’t be leaving something in the tank. Sure you shouldn’t start too early, but with a half or quarter mile to go burn it up. You are racing against your bad devil, not some other runner.

Thank you

    I have run a 5, a couple of 4’s and a couple of 3’s in the last couple of weeks. Against my advice, I have started some too fast. With a mile to go I started listening to the bad devil, “you can walk, you have earned it, you weren’t planning on a 5 miler anyway”. I then thought of each of you who are trusting my advice as we get into shape and I pushed through each time. As we have discussed, this isn’t especially about being ready physically, it is putting in the work so that you can achieve your goals mentally.

Bragging Time

    I told you about my idea of deskside Olympics, where I do sit-ups and pushups in small sets beside my desk without having to get sweaty and needing a shower (or so I claim). This is working startlingly better that I imagined. I have slowly grown my push-ups to 200 every other day in sets of 35 and am up to 350 sit-ups in sets of 70 on the alternate days. Considering I started at 3 push-ups and 20 sit-ups total, if an old man like me can slowly grow the numbers, so can you. I will recognize you from your smiles and the extra foot of belt flopping from your waist. Keep it up.

Dear Running of the Pink friends,

    I have heard from several people, including a couple of runners coming out of long retirement. They have been following my suggestions, which causes me to wonder:  Didn’t your mother ever teach you anything when you were growing up? Like don’t jump off a cliff because that dummy does.

    Safety

        I promise to tell you the toilet paper story if you take these safety tips to heart.

1.      Always run facing traffic. This gives you time to react to bad drivers, drunks and people who are mad at you for not answering their Facebook messages. When I cross an intersection I always make eye contact with the drivers. You can never assume that you are seen.

2.      Wear a reflective vest if it is even a little dark. Even as a perceptive runner, I am startled by runners wearing dark cloths thinking that because they can see you, you can see them.

3.      I have begun to carry my driver’s license with me. While I am likely to perish of old age on my runs, you certainly want an emergency responder to be able to identify you. They make neat ID’s that go on your shoelaces, but I like the license idea.

4.      I love the headband headlight solution. I have fallen many times through the years and the headlight would have solved that while making me visible to cars during my upright moments.

Toilet Paper

    I lived in Valley City for a number of years and one foggy New Year’s Eve a number of us fat boys decided that we were going to run the Grand Forks Half Marathon. We met at the golf course the next day and couldn’t jog the 350 yards to the first hole. We used the steps I have been suggesting in this blog and they worked. I was lucky that two of my running mates were Earl and Glen Pomeroy. Even then, they were such politicians that they stopped at every old lady’s garden and complimented Mabel or Sadie on the glory of their produce, while I got to walk and recover for the run until they spotted the next likely voter. We never ran more than eight miles, but eight, thirteen, what’s the difference? I have found that if you prep well you will have what it takes to run faster and further on race day, although eight may have been a little weak and I would practice ten or eleven as I have gained experience.

    

    We stayed in Grand Forks the night before the race and I ran into some NDSU elite runners who were going to do the marathon. Being accustomed to the old bland spaghetti dinner the night before the race, I was shocked at the new rules that allowed them to suggest we meet for pizza. In a lifetime first for the Pomeroys, we got there early and in the spirit of this new dietary guidance we ordered pepperoni and sausage pizza and beer. When the elites arrived they ordered cheese pizza and water. Hoo Boy.

    

    At the seven mile mark, I was well on my way to win the $75 bet we had ginned up when the Shakey’s Supreme began to speak to me and it wasn’t saying see you in six more miles. As a modest North Dakotan, I realized my only hope was an upcoming shelterbelt. I left the road, seeking inner peace at a discrete distance, finding my solace was only a one row belt. Either my front or my back was going to become famous. Shakey’s said “It’s now or never” so step one was solved. Now in a rational mind I concentrated on step two, I tried every reasonable tactic, I tried to tear the bottom half off my shirt, no go. I tried to tear the tops off my socks, no go. I contemplated running the next six miles with one sock, no go. As a good Altar boy, I was finally struck with an epiphany; I would use a leaf from the tree I was standing under. Turns out that God does know if you are paying attention at Church, the tree was a Russian Olive with leaves the size of my fingernail. I finally bunny hop with my shorts around my ankles to an Elm, not contemplating for a moment the chances of Dutch Elm disease being transferred in the fashion I intended. 

    

    Back on the street with renewed vigor, I passed the Pomeroy boys going into the chute, won the $75 and was forced to use my $75 to buy them a $100 lunch. 

    

    Carry a little toilet paper on a longer run.

    See you soon,

    Casey

Dear Running of the Pink friends,

    

    While it is uncertain if we will be able to hold The Running of the Pink, it makes sense that we all get in shape as though it is going to be held on June 6^th.  I have tried to keep this blog about how you can start running even with little prior experience, but today I would like to give a surprisingly good report on my progress using the tips we have been sharing.

    

  On Thursday I jogged three miles on the treadmill and was slower than last week at 11 minutes per mile. A little disappointing to have slowed down, but our point has been to do the miles and not worry about the time, which WILL solve itself. On Friday, at 50 degrees, I jogged a somewhat hilly three miles and scored 10:30 per mile with no walking. I was encouraged enough that I went out on Saturday and finally tried four miles. I scared myself with four 9:59’s. Mixing the treadmill with the elliptical has worked. The extra miles also helped my weight, which had stalled at 187. I am now down 19 at 186, with a base goal of 180 and a stretch goal of 175. My original goal for the 10 K was to make it without walking. I have toughened this up a little looking for 11 minute miles with a stretch goal of 10’s

Equipment

    I am a minimalist on equipment. As a fat boy, I wear shoes with lots of heel cushion (I will tell you a story about these in a moment). I strongly recommend a light wind shell with a front zipper because you can adjust your inner temperature as you warm up or get cold turning into the wind, by zipping up and down.

   

   I was visiting with a new runner who asked me how much water she should take along on her runs. She was hauling along a quart container, which must have been a pain, and then was throwing up two miles in. I have had great success drinking 3 or 4 ounces of water before I run, which have carried me easily through 6 plus miles. I would recommend a little toilet paper (a good story about that in another week).

    

   My shoe story is that I have always purchased my shoes from Gun and Reel, too often for their bottom line, from their half price rack at Crazy Days. I was out of town and had forgotten my shoes, saw a store where they video you running, measure the hot spots on your feet and match you to the exact shoe you should wear. I am all excited about becoming a movie star until the “consultant” turned out to be an 18 year old kid, working on a stringy goatee, who watched my wonderful running video and looked at my foot hot spots and said “you need XYZ”, and I speculate, runs to his half price bin, tears off the sale label and charges me full boat, because I was in his video. What I did learn was to buy a shoe ½ size bigger than normal so that the shoe fits during and after your runs. The best ending is that I just bought a pair of Asics Kayanos from my Gun and Reel friends and they are great.

    

   Keep up your workouts and your attitude. This is a great time to run, mentally and physically.

Casey

Treadmill advice

    Dear Running of the Pink friends,

   

     I hope you are making good running progress as we get closer to the Running of the Pink. Being a wimp, I am still doing my workouts indoors and because of my advanced age, I am doing the elliptical four days and running just one or two. We talked earlier that we don’t have to get there all at once. Making progress step by step is great. I was able to do three miles on the treadmill yesterday at an average of eleven minutes. Again, the time doesn’t matter, slowly adding distance is what counts.

    

    Several years ago I was all ego tripping about how well I was doing on the treadmill. I was far and fast and easily convinced myself that I was a stud. Finally on a beautiful February day I took my new found speed outside and bombed completely. I learned that I was practicing at dead level and that doesn’t match outside conditions. I now jog at a two percent grade and while my ego is bruised, I now match my treadmill times when I am on the street.

  

    My other finding is that all elliptical doesn’t convert to running. I may be in overall good shape after a winter of elliptical, but I can’t run a step. The two muscle sets don’t cross over well. I am very pleased with my results when I substitute a couple days of treadmill for the elliptical every week.

    See you June 6th.

    Casey

Mind Games

     I am fortunate that I have run for 60 years. I only have to defeat one devil on my shoulder. There are two, constantly whispering defeat messages. One says my body can’t make it. That one can be right and needs to be slowly defeated every day as I add miles or speed. The other devil whispers that I am not capable of doing this. My 60 years allow me to know that is bull. If I put in the miles and slowly and not even purposely increase my speed, I will succeed.

    

     Like the trick of getting dressed even when I don’t want to go, I am also able to fool myself by negotiating. When the mind devil whispers that I am too tired and I need to walk, I negotiate with him and change the big picture of not being able to make the whole run, into a small picture: I am tough enough to run 200, or 300, or 400 more steps. Because I can’t multitask, I start counting steps and a couple of hundred in, all I am thinking about is the count. All whining about not being able to make it is gone and even if I do give in, I made 400 extra steps, so the next time the negotiation is for 500 steps because I now know that I can do 400. Wasn’t it Abe Lincoln who said “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time”, but you can fool yourself every time?

    See you on June 6^th.

Casey