a good week for me--and i’ll go on the record again for praising john parker’s “calf heart attacks” article from 1996--as i start again on the comeback trail (which i’m beginning to realize may be the only trail i know for the remainder of my running career)...
monday: am: 4 miles easy; pm: 45 minute elliptigo ride
tuesday: am: 30 minute elliptigo ride; pm: 4 miles at 7 minute pace--felt like a 75-80% effort…
wednesday: am: 4 miles easy; pm: 45 minute elliptigo ride
thursday: am: 5 miles easy; pm: 3 miles easy
friday: am: 4 miles easy; pm: 45 minute elliptigo ride (in 110 degree temps)
saturday: am: 4 miles easy/12 mile elliptigo ride
sunday: am: 8 miles medium effort, untimed
great to see igy’s continuing progress--i’m getting really fired up to run hard when i see some of the workouts all of you are posting, especially KP's. i will be testing some of the webb workouts hopefully as next track season kicks off...
a busy weekend as well with running related social events: saturday was an event called runners reunited, with runners going as far back as the 50s, mostly californians, from high school legends like ralph serna to world class legends like steve scott and ruth and tom wysocki, to legendary coaches like bob larsen, ron allice and others. in years past i got to meet don bowden, the first american to break 4, and craig virgin last year (whom i’d actually met at the 2016 trials the year before). a whole lotta fun for me and my wife (who went with me for the first time), with college teammates, santa monica track club teammates, and calcoast masters teammates like pete magill and steve brumwell.
the following day there was some overlapping of guests as we celebrated the life of laszlo tabori--ron allice em-ceed, with luminaries like marathon pioneer jacqui hansen and kiwi rod dixon speaking. mihaly igloii’s son was even there. igy, who ran for laszlo back in the 70s, would have enjoyed seeing old friends and teammates. i bought my first pair of running shoes in 1981 at the store he owned in the san fernando valley. i remember his thick accent and his funny yet authoritarian tone while i made my purchase--almost as intimidating as the small, grainy, black and white photo on the wall with a caption "3rd man to break 4 minutes in the mile" or something like that. that seemed otherworldly, impossible, but it planted the seed of a dream in this 13 year old kid who had yet to break 6 minutes in the mile. around 10 years later i got to join this fairly exclusive club. he was a fixture in the southern california running scene, though i didn't see him much at track meets this season. i saw him last year at the usc-ucla dual meet, and he still had this habit of smacking me on the back of my leg with his cane, telling me "get off of your toes" because i'm such a supinator. i always wondered if he was too…
i exchanged messages with laszlo at the passing of roger bannister, me thanking him for his inspiration, and he telling me to keep on dreaming and striving. what a cool dude...i'd say rest in peace, but he's probably just finishing a set of 6x200, good-speed, with many more to go…
carpe crepusculem,
cush