Martian 10 K in Dearborn

Me n the Purple Alien after I got my race packet.





This is the second mile of the Dearborn Martian 10K and I'm in the left corner with the white TNT hat on trying to hug the curb so I can get the the finish line faster-- I always have these little tricks-- like thinking if I run on the inside of any turn I'm going to shave off at least five minutes from my finish.

I had another running angel that day and he was in his mid seventies with a wrap around his knee doing a walk/run. He forced me, like my zoo angel, to turn off my I-Pod and talked to him/pick up my pace with him and he told me stories the whole way to keep my mind off any pain.

Race was last Saturday and I finish in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Last year finished 1 hour 20 minutes. So I am improving a teeny bit. This guy had some great stories-- he met Bill Rogers--who used to smoke up a storm! and someone asked him why he didn't try out for track in high school and I guess Bill said, "I'm too slow". The guy, even though he was a crazy chain smoker, ran a 5.4 minute mile around the track and he thought that was "too slow"!! So these were some of the tales this wonderful man told me while we ran, "our foot race" as he called it.

Told me that I should enjoy my foot races while I can cause it gets really hard when you get old like him. Yeah, this guy could walk circles around me while I try to run. Really, you can see in the photos that when my feet are about a foot or two in the air and arms pumping he seems to be taking a brisk walk. Okay, some of that does have to do with my short legs and his long ones. But seriously, the following is probably one of the more embarassing race photos to date:



I think I am a little faster already since the Martian. Ran 8 miles tonight and only stopped twice-- stretched after a mile and stopped to talk to friends on Main near Lincoln at about 4.5 miles. Could have gone a few miles longer but wanted to get some grading done. Felt really awesome and ran faster than last run. averaged 13 minute miles even with the stops--felt faster than that though.
Robbie seriously needs to get shape. Here's his usual daily activity:

It's weird but he's alot like me-- first two or three miles I have to cajole and drag him to keep up with me and sometimes when I don't feel that tug and I am running free as free can be I realize I am running with a leash and no dog cause he has figured out how to slip the thing from his neck to off his nose. But the last three or so miles he was kickin butt! He ran with or ahead of me and man was that easier than dragging him--it really inspired me and is maybe why I felt like I could go a few more miles.

Okay so, now, well now the knees are killing me. I stretched alot after the run but just too lazy at that point to put ice on. Up and down stairs hurts the most.