Dave

You need a new hobby.😁

San Francisco 2017. Concentrating on the east coast right now, in case my plan to move west comes sooner rather than later.

Those years just keep piling up. Congrats on not going quietly. I may need to take up golf again someday. Maybe when I retire, if I can afford it. Dad always wants me to play with him when I'm in Idaho and I keep making excuses not to, probably because even at 87 he still beats me.

Sort of like many of my marathons - I just keep fumblin', rumblin', stumblin' along. Most of the writing isn't any good, but I'll keep putting it here. I'm still bummed the company cancelled my last NYC trip and you didn't get to pose as Mrs. Dave for the Hilton Vacation presentation. Promise you'll come see me when I do NJ or CT?

I started keeping a journal when I was 19. I wrote almost every day for the two years of my LDS mission, and about every week or so for several years after that. Sort of like my running, there were some pretty significant gaps from then until ten years ago when I started this marathon thing and found the Loop. Since then I substituted my bloops for most of what I would have written in the journal. The vast majority of that writing is about running, and not so much about the rest of my life. But the point of journal writing is to leave a record of yourself, and that's a big part of me, even in this, my advanced stage of life. One of the things that drove me to be so prolific (I went months of writing every single day of marathon training) was the positive response from the Loop for it. Sharing my new experience of running and racing marathons with a supportive community was exciting and validating. I'd spend a good portion of my runs thinking about what I was going to post. It made for a heightened awareness of my efforts in training as well as the sights and sounds of the world around me. I have a fair level of (although not professionally diagnosed, Dr. Google seems pretty clear) ADHD, and knowing I was about to "report" on those miles helped me stay much more focused. No lament here about the death of the Loop as it was, or nostalgia about the way it used to be. But there's no doubt that seeing just a few posts here and there besides my own has reduced the incentive to put it all out there, as it were. If no one but me is interested, why go to the effort? A big part of the fun was the post-posting interaction. Did I write something funny? Who laughed? Was I going through a tough stretch and got some much needed encouragement from runners who were going through the same or had gone through it? Did a workout or a race go especially well and dozens of comrades gave me kudos? And that's just about the running. The good will, condolences, virtual hugs, tension-relieving jokes, cheers and advice extend to whatever part of my life I cared to share. Those are all still there and appreciated just as much, just from a much, much smaller group of friends on this forum nowadays. But, it's been ten years since I started here. Since I'm old already, things don't change for me as quickly any more. And I no longer have things like searching for romance, expecting and raising children, buying that first home, new jobs, finishing my education, and all those other things that shift our circle of acquaintance and the activities that fill the days of a lot of my old friends from the Loop. It's been joyful to watch your lives unfold. Great memories for me. My rotating desktop picture right now is a shot of ten people, most of whom had never met before the day it was taken. But you'd never know it looking at the smiles, shoulders leaning into one another with familiarity, arms congenially on shoulders, a few glasses raised in a spontaneous toast to friendship. A couple of them I've never physically seen again, but count each one as a warm and good friend. I've seen them gain friends, spouses, children, grandchildren. I've shared joy and heartache, triumph and defeat. We created something very special on the Loop. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Since most of them (unlike myself) have moved on to Crossfit and/or babies and/or world traveling, or just receded away from online blogging, our little corner of the internet has gone kind of quiet. I'm not complaining (OK, maybe a little). Nor am I announcing my own departure from the Loop. Just reminiscing. The point is, if there is one, I'm still here. I plan to keep writing here and leaving this bit of myself as a record that, "Hey, world, I existed." Thanks for reading. I'm enjoying a well-deserved break from marathon training at the moment. Still need to decide on a spring race. Still thinking about Atlanta since there will be Loopsters there. And the Olympic Trials. But it's March 1, which makes for a tough training environment here in the frozen tundra. Not that Michigan is the worst place in the country to run in the winter, but it can be messy. Of course, I have a treadmill in the house now, so ... Anyway, then next fall will be another BQ attempt. I'll try to pick an easier course next time. Think I mentioned the local 5K that I often run in November. I have a string of AG wins there and it supports the school where the boys ran. Then Connor got this new job and he starts in a week and a half and I'm helping him move 1600 miles to Tacoma, WA. Leaving on Friday to load the truck and drive it west. That's the day before the 5K, so I'm a scratch for 2019. Now I'm thinking about finding a race in the PNW while I'm there, because running.

Best of luck in Indy. Looks like the weather's going to be perfect!

Probably not on the way, but I'm thinking about looking for something while I'm in Tacoma. Saturday is free.

I don't do hats, either, unless it's really cold. Good thing I don't run in the dark much any more.

I hate headlamps! I'm looking for something that will go at my waist.

After NH, I planned to hold my base and gear up for a 5K on the 9th next month. Then Connor got a job. It's with a small, non-profit in Tacoma, WA. This gives us two children in the PNW, so my secret plan to retire out that way is slowly coming together. Anyway, he starts on the 18th, and dear old Dad is helping to get him and his stuff out there, which involves me being in Louisville on the 9th. So, there went my plans for a fast 5K on the back of all that hard fought for summer training. I also have to sacrifice my string of AG wins for this race. But that's what Dad's do, right? And I love road trips, even if I don't get to stop and take in all the sights, and even if it's in the middle of November with the possibility of nasty weather looming. We do have plans to see my Dad and T-Rex on the way through ID, plus Big Mac is in Seattle, so I'll be able to see her as well. It'll be fun. Ten runs since New Hampshire. The first one was the Wednesday after. An easy three that wasn't very easy, telling me that I needed a few more days of rest. Then there were a few 4 milers that went better, with more rest and better (cooler) fall weather. I was planning 6-7 for the Saturday after that, but talking to a friend (yes, I have real life friends, too) we decided to run together and he was going 10, so we did 10. And he wanted to go early in the morning, so we started about 6:00 in the dark. I like to see where I'm going nowadays, but it was fine. I took him over the Power Road Footbridge, which has a fair amount of street lights on the way. By the time we finished, the sun was up, it was a beautiful fall morning and 10 miles of fun were behind us. Last Monday it was cold and wet, so I dreadmilled it for 4. Will I ever not hate it? On Tuesday I was still sort of hoping that Connor's schedule would let me run that 5K before driving down, so I ran 6-1/2 miles with 5 x 800 @ 7:00 pace. Felt like I was close to fitness for a 5K at that pace. Another couple of weeks and it would have been a good morning. Skipped Wednesday to help Mrs. Dave get ready for dinner guests, then did another 6-1/2 the next day. This is longer than I'd typically run on a weekday so soon after a marathon, but I don't feel like wasting the gorgeous fall weather we've been having around here. Four easy ones on Friday and then skipped Saturday because I spent most of the day getting the lawn ready for winter. By the time I was done, I didn't feel like doing anything except lay on the couch, so that's what I did for a couple of hours until the church Halloween party. This was more interesting than usual because there was a new guy who wanted to talk about running. He's got some PF and had no clue what it was. If there's one thing I know about, it's PF. Celebrated my ten year Marathon-iversary on the 16th. Ten years, twenty marathons, and one Boston. What a ride. I only wish I'd started sooner.

Philly is certainly a good one (depending, of course, on the weather). That marathon can be such a merciless beast, and you never really know until it's over. Even the good ones hurt. We must be some special kind of crazy to do this time after time.

Way to rock the AC, OCRG. Just imagine if you actually trained. Now, based on the weather history, I take it you're not recommending this as a good fall marathon?

The century is a very cool milestone. I've tried for 100 once - in high school. A few of us had a plan. I pulled up with some tendonitis about Thursday and couldn't finish.

I always run alone. I like it that way. I'm weird.

That almost sounds like a lot of fun. Almost.