With that last 2 week travel stint behind me, I’m ready to kick the training schedule back into gear- the long travel (one day as 27 hours of transit, sigh), jet lag, miscellaneous excuses, the training graph got a big valley in its curve.

It’s a glorious sunny warm day in Strawberry, Arizona (in the 70s, up from 31 degrees in the morning), and I had a steady solid run; looping around to AZ87 and then baclk down Fossil Creek Road out to past the paved the segment and back. Since the longer runs are supposed to be at a slower than race pace, I kept it easy at a little under 11 minutes per mile, and the best part was going the whole way non-stop. I miscalculated turn around point, so went a bit farther then the 6 miles scheduled for today.

In past years, I find November training one that takes a dip; sometimes it is the work travel, in 2007 it was the shin splints, and maybe it is just a tinge of boredom. But I’m kicking the throttle back to get this thing back on the road.

Did you know... Former professional ballet dancer Zippora Karz was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 21 (from The Diabetic Athlete)
See more diabetic facts...

Have I written enough/too much of my disgust for running on treadmills? Here’s another one…

I’m currently in Doha, Qatar (find it on the map) for the World Innovation Summit for Education. This place of something like 1000 skyscrapers being constructed in the sand next to the sea is unlike any other place I’ve been too.

But that’s another topic.

The customs here seem to make it not a place to go outside for a run, plus it is humid AND hot.

The long plane ride and the ensuing jet lag have dented the training schedule but nabbed an hour to hit the gym at the Sheraton- one of the biggest and equipped hotel gyms I’ve seen anywhere. I managed to get a 40 minute slow run in, and not go too loony trying not to look at the readout (actually I liked this treadmill since the tv screen wipes out the digital read out).

But a treadmill is a treadmill is a treadmill- it goes round and round and round.

1. Running in a new city, state, or just a new route.
2. Snarling dogs not constrained by a fence or leash.
3. Not reaching the turn around point before sun down.
4. Running on a windy country road with almost no shoulder and on-coming traffic.
5. Seeing the finish line.
6. Seeing the cold beer sitting behind the finish line.
7. Having to pee.
8. Getting passed by a wheezing 80 year old using a walker.
9. Getting just a whiff of runner’s high.
10. An attractive runner with a nice smile.

I have to say today that I hit numbers (1), (3), and (4) — hitting for the first time a sub 10:00 minute per mile pace, and getting a chipper boost from Tiger Woods letting me know he was timing me and his stopwatch had my fastest mile time yet (that comes from the Nike+ iPod).

Things that don’t make me run faster include

• Treadmills
• Smiling runners going fast who look like they are having fun, and smell like soap
• Gel, goo, or other potions
• Expensive shoes
• Moisture wicking material (but you look cooler)
• My nike power song
• Images of myself qualifying for Boston
• Self delusions that I enjoy running.
• Hallucinations of running another full marathon

The next week is going to be challenging in terms of keeping to schedule- on Saturday I leave on a trip that will take me to Doha, Qatar for a week, so while I maye get the new scenery boost, the 20+ hours of plane travel and accompanying jet lag will be looming out there.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

Today, the Team D run in Phoenix is the New Times 10k, but being here in Oregon, I had to arrange my own. The weather today was relatively clear (meaning it was cloudy, but not raining), and by 2pm there was actually some blue-ish sky. I did a trail along the trail system on the Willamette River that runs past downtown Eugene, a great, wide trail, that winds along the banks of this big river, under canopies of trees just past their autumn prime season.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

I felt mostly good on the way some bursts of faster pace, some slower, trying to keep it an easy run. I feel sure if I was in the competitive mode at the New Times run, I might have had enough juice to bring my time under an hour, but as I was not really racing, I kept the pace easy.

There are tons, tons of trails of all kinds in this area, a lifetime of ones to explore, and since my lifetime here is only 2 days this time, I’ve got some good sampling done.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

I’m in Oregon on the first leg of a multi-faceted 2 week trip. I arrived last night into Portland, picked up a rental car and headed to Eugene to visit my friend Tim. He said the weather was perfect… last weekend.

In first light, it was a promising day; we relaxed and took it casual. I went downtown to meet a colleague I knew from Maricopa who retired up here a few years ago; John and I enjoyed coffee, but before we were done, the skies had rolled gray and rain was gushing down. That scuttle my plans to go running by the river.

So I had to relent on running today, instead using an elliptical trainer in Tim’s basement for a 50 minute workout (followed by 30 minutes in the outdoor hot tub!)

Tomorow should be “less rainy”…. we’ll see.

Before the recap of today’s run, first some good news!

Since my laser surgery back in 1993-1994 for diabetic retinopathy, I have seen a specialist on a yearly basis from the same office (Retinal Consultants of Arizona). I may be now on my 6th doctor, having outlasted the other 5 (and sadly outlived- the first was a very young doctor who died in a car accident; but 1 retired, 1 moved out of state, and one… not sure what happened to him). Anyhow, until August, my yearly visits have been routine– get dilated, wait in the office for 1-3 hours, get a 5 minute exam, and “looks good, come back next year”.

I thought the last checkup might not be good since I had started seeing a few more floaters, and sure enough, they said there was some small bleeding in my left eye, and they wanted me to try and do better with the glucose control and return in 3 months.

Today was three months and… Great news! The bleeding had cleared up. They still want to check again in 3 months, but… it might mean that running has been good for my sugar levels. I may hate running, but I like what it is doing for my health.

By late afternoon, the dilation had worn off, and since it is still unseasonably warm, it was time to RUN.

I decided to do my regular 40 minute loop through the neighborhood, but reversed the direction. This made it interesting, because since the placement of hills was different, my 5 minute markers were different. I did feel ahead of the pace, but expected the last stretch from “Al’s Barber Shop” up sharp hill, then up a hill on 87, then up a hill on Louthian– and still I got back to my start point 45 seconds earlier then going in the other direction.

And I cannot explain how one direction could be different, but oh well, that’s how the run bounces.

Today was first run since Saturday’s 7+ miler. I skipped Sunday’s recovery run in lieu of doing a full afternoon of yard word (raking, cutting tree limbs, turning dirt, moving rock…).

It was a splendid morning; weather here on the Mogollon Rim has ben mild, short sleeves in the day (I hear Phoenix may hit 95 today, yikes!). I’ve been thinking as the light and temperatures drop I will have to move my runs to the afternoon, but its still reasonable to get outside at 6:30 … 7:00… 7:30.

I have tuned a good loop in the neighborhood for a 40 minute run, so I get back right about that time mark. It’s got a few short hills, both up and down. It’s getting so when the Nike+ iPod coach lady chimes in the 5 minute marks, I know whether I am sligthyl ahead or behind the usual spots. I have it in shuffle mode, but it seems that it always starts with the same song before shuffling- AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top — yeah, my high brow culturally relevant music selection — but I like it since it is just about a 5 minute song, and I get to the same spot usually as the bagpipe/guitar solos at the end are fading out.

Well unless today, like when about 3 minutes in I already had an untied lace, and for some reason I fumbled around getting it tied – it felt like 2 minutes, I am sure it was only 20 seconds.

Not much of a big obstacle, especially since I am not racing anyone, but it generally place me 150 feet behind the usual spots.

The next 25 minutes went good, smooth, well, ok, until I got that nagging feeling.

Damn.

I have to go………

Not like “go” run, but Get My Arse to a Toilet ASAP “go”. Although I am in a forested area, its all homes, with fenced yards, barking dogs, people armed with guns looking out their windows with binoculars (I exaggerate, a little), but I cant just pull off behind a tree and let loose.

Maybe it will go away.

Right.

Isn’t this the kind of expository writing you like to read?

To cut a not so good story short, I stopped at a spot I could walk a short cut home, so was a little less run time/mileage than schedule.

But I was out there, running. I had to go (running).