May 31: long travel day

Running. Again nothing. We got to San Antonio late in tne evening, and impending rainstorms ruined my running plans. My weekly plan is now totally shot--no way I can do the 60. First time in a very long while that I've gone 2 days straight with no running.

Kendo: ditto on the kendo; just impossible.

May 30: hotel treadmills...

Running. Nothing. On the road to Texas, and we stopped at a Comfort Inn which normally has a good fitness center. But their treadmill was broken, and...

Kendo; ...they had no place at all for a good kendo practice routine.

May 29: last good run in Indiana

Running: 9 miles, 1.21.08. Got one last run in at Potter's Bridge before heading off to Texas tomorrow. Pretty good run, with time about the same as in past 9 milers.

Kendo: no time to do anything tonight; packing for the trip, etc.

Weekly plan, May 29-June 4

Going to be a difficult week, fitness-wise, as I travel to Texas, with the attendant scheduling problems. Still want to take aim at 60 (I'd like to have a nice 60 mile base to build on when I begin serious training for Chicago), but I think for now I'll work on it in terms of progressively longe base runs, and forego long distance runs (14+ miles), since I'm not sure what my schedule or other circumstances will allow.

I'm actually not at all sure if 60 is realistic this week. In addition to the 2-day road trip, I'm going to have to acclimate myself to running in San Antonio--a hot proposition, no matter how early in the morning one starts. Still, I'll set the goal, and see what happens.

As for kendo--well, I did find a dojo in San Antonio, which I'll check out when I get there. I have no idea, though, how I'll do my daily practice routine.

Monday: base run (9), kendo practice
Tuesday: light run (5) kendo practice ? on the road (work on training program)
Wednesday: light run (6), kendo practice? on the road (kendo terminology)
Thursday: base run (10), kendo practice
Friday: base run (10), kendo practice
Saturday: base run (10), kendo practice
Sunday: base run (10), kendo class

Run goal: 60

End of week assesment: May-22-28

Running: 52 miles (missed by 8). Actually not a bad running week at all, Sunday excepted. Still can't quite make that elusive goal of 60, however.

Kendo: spotty, at best. Missed a couple of practices, and of course my last classes for a while, what with the upcoming Texas hiatus. I'll need to figure out ways to keep this going, and it won't be easy.

May 28: race day, bust day

Running: nothing at all today. Went to the Indianapolis 500 and had a great time, but by the time I finished with that, taking the kids to the pool, etc., it was nearly midnight. So in one day I blew my running streak (which stood at around 60 days), and what had been a great running week.

Kendo: of course, I got nothing done here, either.

May 27: Saturday slog

Running: 9 miles, 1.21.10. Hard 9 miler at Potter's Bridge this morning (though in the end I was only a bit slower than usual). Stayed out late last night, and the lack of sleep was a killer. I did discover when all the runner's cme out at Potter's Bridge: must've been fifty fellow runners out there this morning.

May 26: Summer kendo

Running: 9 miles, 1.19.55. pretty much carbon copy of yesterday's time, except from the Potter's Bridge end of the run. Kind of stiff, but a good run, nonetheless.

Kendo: very good class tonight, but man was it hot. Park-Sensei informed us that we are now beginning "summer kendo," which is a good thing, actually, because we are able to sweat the bad chemicals from our bodies as we practice. I'll say.

Good to go. I registered for Chicago yesterday. 

Dad and Rachel waiting patiently for mom and I to finish our run this morning 

The Forest Hill end of my usual Potter's Bridge run 

May 25: change of pace

Running: 9 miles, 1.20.18. Mom talked me into starting my Potter's Bridge run at the other end, in Forrest Hill Park. Made for a nice little change of pace. Still a bit slow; I'm piling up a lot of miles in a hurry this week.

Kendo: pretty good practice session at the fitness center. I think the various pieces of my men strikes are coming together; I'm focusing (as I have all week) on footspeed.

May 24: slowing it down

Running: 9 miles, 1.19.35. Did a somewhat slow 9 miler at Potter's Bridge. I've been doing such fast 8 milers recently, but today I felt the need to throttle back a bit. The more experience as a runner I get, the more I learn to trust my instincts on such matters. I'm piling on a lot of miles without my usual midweek light day (had to put that in the schedule for Sunday, given how this week is shaking out). And it was a decent run, slow or not.

Kendo. Solid practice session tonight. Concentrated on left hand/left foot coordination in men strikes, still working on speeding up my footwork, as Park-Sensei suggests.

May 23: a little faster

Running: 8 miles, 1.02.57. Best 8 miler yet. I'm getting better length on my stride, and I think this is giving me a bit better time. Beautiful day at Potter's Bridge, too; the weather finally feels like May again.

Kendo: good class tonight, with nice mix of kids and older guys like me. My mom came with me, too, which was fun. Got some good keiko in, though Doc tells me--quite correctly--that I'm flailing too much. Need to work on discipline, what kendo master's call the "calm spirit." Difficult thing, because of the adrenaline pump.

Also, I managed finally to locate a dojo in San Antonio (where i'll be spending the month of June) that does kendo, so I can keep up my skills.

May 22: on the Monon

Running: 8 miles, 1.06.22. Needed a change of pace, so did 8 miles at the Monon Greenway this morning. With the detour around the new park they're building, an accurate distance was difficult to come by, since the folks who maintain the Monon haven't put markers up on the detour route. Still, I think I got it about right, and the run itself felt pretty good.

Kendo. Some evening scheduling issues killed my kendo practice this evening.

Weekly plan, May 22-29

Making great progress in my running; need to keep it up, build on a strong running base. Should be a good week--warm weather, not much in the way of scheduling issues, except the Indy 500 on Sunday--need to work around this. For kendo, I need to settle on a place to practice during my upcoming month-long stay in Texas. I also need to start working on my kata.

Monday: base run (8), kendo practice
Tuesday: base run (8), kendo class
Wednesday: base run (9), kendo practice
Thursday: base run (9), kendo practice
Friday: base run (8), kendo class
Saturday: distance run (14), kendo reading
Sunday: light run (4), kendo practice

Run goal: 60 miles

End of week assessment: May 15-21

Running: 56 miles (exceeded goal by 2 miles). Now, that's what I'm talking about; a great running week. Pace getting better, and endurance. Couldn't be happier.

Kendo: not bad, I suppose. Good classes, though I'm not happy with some issues in the Friday class (need to work on how I receive strikes in kirikaeshi). I think I'm going to pick up some stuff on zen meditation techniques; I need to do better preparing my mind for more focus during makuso.

May 21: mind lapse

Running: 8 miles, 1.06.39. Another solid run out at Potter's Bridge this morning. Not quite as fast as my 8 milers earlier in the week, but pretty good, nonetheless.

Kendo: so-so practice tonight at the fitness center. Focused a lot of effort on speeding up my footwork, trying to bring the left foot forward as quickly as possible as my left hand begins the strike. Generally not happy with my concentration, which I admit can be spotty at times. I need to work on focus.

May 20: not a cloud in the sky

Running: 13 miles, 1.59.13 (day 55). Wonderful day for a long run, just what Indiana in May is supposed to be like. I did my Potter's Bridge/Forrest Hill Park route, with a long detour to Morse Lake--you can squeeze in 13 miles here, if you work at it. A good run.

Kendo: I gave myself the day off from practicing today, and it's just as well, given that my left foot's callous is still pretty sore. I did manage some reading on the kata, it's history and forms.

May 19: feeling forty

Running: 8 miles, 1.03.31 (day 54). another good run at Potter's Bridge. getting better times more by lengthening my stride than anything else.

Kendo: pretty good class tonight, though I messed up on kirakaeshi, on the receiving end; need to work on my stance when receiving the men strikes. Sensei also wants me to work on speeding up my footwork, especially my left foot on men strikes--I think I'm getting better at it (and in fact Sensei said as much at the end of class), but I've got a lot of work to do here. Also bought a bokken from Sensei; need to start working on my kata.

A good exercise day, but I'm feeling forty this evening. I've developed quite a callous on my left foot from the kendo footwork, and it's awfully sore.

May 18: dodging golf carts

Running: 8 miles, 1.11.22 (day 53). Kind of a slow run at Potter's Bridge, with a fair amount of frustration because of the mayor's golf tournament going on at Forrest Hill Park's golf course (my Potter's Bridge route carries me through Forrest Hill, as well). There were people and golf carts everywhere, and a few were a bit on the obnoxious side. The weather was weird, too; bright sunshine one minute, pouring rain the next. I've had better runs.

Kendo: so-so practice this evening. Fatigue dogged me all day, for some reason, and I didn't have quite the level of concentration I needed. Still, I got a full session in. Also did a bit of reading on the katas this evening; we're going to start working on this at the dojo, so I need to get up to speed on what a kata is, it's component parts, and most importantly the mental preparations, which seem especially important.

May 17: recovery day

Running: 3 miles, 27.17 (day 52). Late night treadmill run at the fitness center, necessary because of a busy schedule (no complaints, here; a wonderful afternoon with my sweetie) and funky spring weather. Not bad as far as treadmill runs go, and I intended this to be a bit of a recovery and rest day, anyway.

Kendo: solid practice tonight; toe doesn't seem to be an issue, except that it made seiza very difficult during makuso. Otherwise, a good session. I feel like I'm finally getting a nice reach with my men strikes.

May 16: spring crawling its way back

Running: 8 miles, 1.05.46 (day 51). Another solid run at Potter's Bridge, made more enjoyable by the slowly warming weather. It was the first run in a while that didn't have me wearing multiple layers to keep warm, or my slicker to keep dry. In the middle of May, no less.

Kendo. Interesting class tonight; a larger one than has been the case recently. We had eight people, including Doc (back from a variety of travels abroad) and a new guy named Tom who's trying to get back into the discipline after having been out of touch for several years. As usual, my men came loose; wish I could figure out what I'm doing wrong there.

Highlight (or perhaps lowlight) of the evening came when Doc and I did keiko. We both really went at it--two professors doing kendo like there was no tomorrow. Scary stuff. He broke his shinai, and at one point I seem to have knocked some pieces of the dojo wall loose (not sure how that happened). Doc also came down on my foot and mashed my big toe. I had no idea I was injured until someone pointed out the blood on the floor. No biggie, though it did spell an early end to my evening, and kept me from practicing kata after class (I didn't want to start the thing bleeding again).

May 15: getting better

Running: 8 miles, 1.08.37 (day 50). Good, solid run at Potter's Bridge. Weather is still very snarky, but rain held off during most of the afternoon, and the temperature actually felt just about perfect. I can feel myself getting stronger and faster as my weekly mileage increases, and my stride feels longer, as well. A good run.

Kendo: very good practice session this evening. I experimented with keeping my left knee straight, advice I ran across recently which suggests that keeping this knee straight helps one to face one's opponent with more aggression and forthrightness. Also worked on a new kamae I discovered called hasso, the "position of wood" because it resembles the trunk of a tree. A variant of jodan, it has an interesting feel to it that I like. I'm also trying to sharpen my meditation skills during makuso, working on focus and discipline.

Weekly plan, May 15-22

Should be a good week. I'm officially on summer vacation (whoopeee!), mom is staying with us which makes scheduling issues go much more smoothly, and I've had no injuries. Things are just humming right along, though I do need to do some non-exercise fitness work.

First, I need to start nailing down my marathon training program for the summer. I need to decide once and for all what my speedwork will be, what to do about distance runs, and whether to pursue an online training program.

Second, I need to do some work on my vocabulary for kendo. I need to work on learning proper terminology for various actions and equipment.

My schedule:

Monday: base run (8), kendo practice
Tuesday: base run (8), kendo class
Wednesday: light base run (3), kendo practice, training research
Thursday: base run (8), kendo practice
Friday: base run (7), kendo class
Saturday: distance run (13), kendo study (terminology)
Sunday: base run (7), kendo class

Run goal: 54 miles

End of week assessment: May 8-14

Running: 51 miles (exceeded goal by 1 mile). Another good week. I've had to fight some weather issues (Indiana seems to have taken a time machine back to late February), but otherwise my running program is getting better all the time. I'm seeing some signs of increased speed, but right now I'm not worried about that--what I want is a good, solid base to begin serious marathon training during the summer

Kendo: also a very good week. Good classes, and only missed one practice session this week. I'm starting to feel the muscle memory kick in when doing my men strikes; if I'm not thinking, they come much more smoothly. Still need to work on a lot, of course, but on the whole life is good.

Soaking wet in Broad Ripple 

May 14: quality time on Mother's Day

Running: 7 miles, time n/a (day 49). So what is quality time on Mother's Day with a mother and son who run? A rainsoaked run on the Central Canal Towpath in Indy. Mom had never been on the towpath before (and I had only run it once, about a year ago), so I stuck with her, and didn't worry much about the pace. The weather being what it is, lately, we thought we'd be fine but the skies opened up on us along about mile 4. Still, we had fun.

Kendo: another good practice session in the fitness center. Put a little extra work into haya-suburi; I've felt a bit off when doing that, lately. I'm also concentrating on putting the force of my strikes into my left hand rather than my right. I find I'm prone to over-use the right hand, especially in kote strikes.

I also put a bit of work into my bogu this evening, cleaning up some things and practicing putting on my men properly. I'm rather tired of it coming loose during keiko.

Mom coming back after our Monon run, both of us tired and soggy. Happy Mother's Day, Mom! 

May 13: mini-marathon, the sequel

Running: 13 miles, 1.57.28 (day 48). Mom and I did what amounted to another mini-marathon at the Monon Greenway this afternoon. The cold and wet turn Indiana weather has taken lately really limited the amount of traffic on the Monon--hardly a biker to be found, and only a few runners and walkers.

A slow run, but on distance days I don't worry about it so much. The point is to finish the run, and get my head back into long runs again. That, and a steady, disciplined pace.

Kendo: solid practice session at fitness center tonight. I can feel the fluidity returning to my men strikes, and I think I'm getting my footspeed up to where it should be. Callous on my left foot is bothering me a bit; hurts from being dragged back and forth across wooden floors for months on end.

wet, cold and very green at my favorite running trail these days 

May 12: yuch

Running: 7 miles, 1.00.55 (day 47); terrible weather again today; cold, wet and blustery. I dressed like it was February and ran at Potter's Bridge, but it was a rather unhappy slog. Where did spring go?

Kendo: good class tonight, except that my men came unlaced twice. I really need to work on some bogu issues, maybe practice this weekend tying and untying the thing. Otherwise, a very good class.

May 11: lucky break

Running: 9 miles, 1.23.39 (day 46). Mom and I had pretty much resigned ourselves to a treadmill slog today, since the weather turned colder, rainy and very windy. But we caught a break and managed to get in a run out at Potter's Bridge while the weather was reasonably bearable. Still, I've certainly had better runs, comfort and timewise.

I also found a tiny robin's egg along the trail at the 1 1/4 mile marker. I carried it back, and the kids and I are trying to see if it'll hatch. We rigged up a little incubator with my desk lamp, so we'll see.

Kendo: solid practice session tonight; the stiffness that had crept into my men strikes is starting to disappear, and I don't feel as unbalanced as I have in the last few days. Still working on more rapid foot strides.

May 10: mid-week rest day?

Running: 1 mile, 8:22 (day 45). Late night junk mile on the treadmill. Notionally this was due to issues ranging from bad weather to my 8 year old's illness. Actually, though, I was awfully sore all day today. I've had several days of great but hard runs, starting with the mini last Saturday. As I'm ramping up my runs for summer training, I probably need to build-in a light day to let muscles heal.

Kendo: usual practice at the fitness center. I worked on quickening my footwork, as Park-Sensei suggests; it's harder than it sounds.

Tuesday, May 9: almost as good

Running: 7 miles, 56.04 (day 44). Had a run very nearly as fast as yesterday's out at Potter's Bridge. It was another picture-perfect spring day, and I was a bit pressed for time, which always helps me run a bit faster.

Kendo: good class tonight, though I was more fatigued than usual. I normally try to only do lighter runs on class days, but pushing it in my run this afternoon meant I was a bit short on stamina at the dojo this evening. Still, it was a good class. Park-Sensei tells me I need to work on more rapidly striding with my left foot on my strikes; I'm a bit too slow.

Monday, May 8: hammer down

Running: 7 miles, 56.22 (day 43). Great Potter's Bridge run, which I did as fast I currently can, just to see where I'd end up. Slow compared to where I was at doing the same run a year or so ago, but definite improvement.

Kendo: grading final exams put kendo practice out of bounds this evening.

Weekly plan, May 8-15

Hopefully, I can build on the momentum of what was a very good previous week. For all the positives I can take away from the mini, etc., there is this: I'm far too slow, especially compared to last year and compared to where I need to be to someday qualify for Boston. I'm researching speedwork, but for now I think the thing to do is start building my mileage base, the idea being that, the more one runs, the more one's running efficency increases:

Monday: base run (7), kendo practice
Tuesday: light run (5), kendo class
Wednesday: base run (8), kendo practice
Thursday: base run (7), kendo practice
Friday: light base run (5), kendo class
Saturday: distance run (13), kendo class
Sunday: light base run (5), kendo practice

Run: 50 miles
Kendo: focus on balance and reach, and getting a smooth single motion; also, plan to increase men strikes in practice sessions to 150.

End of week assessment: May 1-7

Running: 47 miles (exceeded goal by 4 miles). Couldn't be happier. A good mini this year, some strong miles, feeling my spring running mojo. I'm ready to go and get started training for Chicago.

Kendo: also a good week. Only missed one practice, and had two solid classes. Need to work on fluidity of motion and reach more than anything else.

Sunday, May 7: surprised myself

Running: 7 miles, 59.03.44 (day 42). Good strong run out at a very crowded Potter's Bridge. I planned originally to run only 3 miles--and this was all I needed to make my goal--but felt good enough to keep going. I was rather surprised to have felt this fresh and run this well the day after the mini.

Kendo: on the other hand, my kendo practice was rather flat and uninspired, because 1) I finally started to feel sore and tight later in the evening, and 2) I had to practice later in the evening, at around 10:00pm. I need to work on balance in my men strikes--I'm falling off towards my right foot as I stride. My strikes also felt too choppy.

Me, dad, Nathan, mom and Rachel after the mini 

Saturday, May 6: Mini-Marathon Day

Running: 13.1 miles, 2.16 (day 41). Ran the Indianapolis mini-marathon with mom this morning, and had our usual wonderful time. The weather was perfect, the ambience first-rate as always, and just a general good time had by all. My time was slow, but I didn't much care, as I was sticking with mom the whole way.

1. personal highlight of the day. One of my students, Jeremiah Maxwell, put a big "Run. Dr. Dirck. Run" sign up near the place where he and his band were playing. Made my day.

2. Weirdest sight of the day. That strange obese guy with the ukulele and his equally hefty friend with the cello, playing "Another One Bites the Dust" as we ran by. Geez.

3. Best t-shirts I saw. "Run Slowly, then Taper Off," and "We're the Fast Girls Your Mother Warned You About."


Kendo: what with the mini and afternoon graduation festivities at AU (not to mention spending the evening with my sweetie), I had no time at all for kendo practice.

Friday, May 5: tune up for mini

Running: 3 miles, 29.04 (day 40). Did a nice little light run at Potter's Bridge with mom. I'm going to keep her pace at Mini-Marathon tomorrow, so I might as well get used to it now.

Kendo: small class tonight, but special in its way, because my son Nathan and my dad came to the dojo to see me. We had a good session, and afterwards Nathan was all fired up about doing kendo someday. He's a little young (eight) but maybe in a couple of years...

Thursday, May 4: last base run

Running: 7 miles, 59.04 (day 39). Did my last base run before the mini-marathon at Potter's Bridge this morning. Felt pretty good. Tomorrow I'll do a bit of a taper with a small 3 miler, then on to the mini Saturday.

Kendo: good practice session this evening. Focused on reach, and posture. I've had a tendency to lean too far forward on my strikes.

Article on distance running

My hometown paper, the Indianapolis Star, carried a nice article on distance running this morning. The overall gist of the article suggests distance running is making a big comeback for American athletes.

Wednesday, May 3: another fine spring day

Running: 3 miles, 24:50.02 (day 38). An early morning short run at Potter's Bridge. I probably could have gone a bit further, but I'm trying to go with the easy/hard principle, especially leading up to the Mini-Marathon this Saturday. A good run, too, and decent pace. I'm still working on lengthening my stride and trying to "run tall," as they say--one of the spillover effects between running and kendo. Park-Sensei spoke a lot about maintaining an erect posture in class last night, and the same holds true for running.

Kendo: good practice session at the fitness center today. I worked on eliminating the hesitation in my large men, kote and do swings. As a beginner, I've had a tendency to think of a strike in a three-step process, with a full stop at "step two," with the shinai overhead. Now I need to work on eliminating this, and making one smooth, fluid motion.

Tuesday, May 2: good day

Running: 7 miles, 1:01.09 (day 37). Good run at Potter's Bridge; perfect spring day. I felt good enough that I ran four miles more than what I had scheduled for today.

Kendo: great class tonight. Park-Sensei was back, and the class was tight, focused and disciplined. Got in some good keiko, and felt generally quite good, even about the little things. Heck, I even managed to get my bogu on properly.

Monday, May 1: running with mom

Running: 7 miles, 58.14.46 (day 36). Ran with mom out at Potter's Bridge this afternoon. I think she's gotten faster, and I know I've gotten slower--I had a harder time catching her than I usually do. She always gets a head start, because she never does any stretching; she just jumps out of the car and gets trucking. I don't know how she does that. Anyway, I normally pass her pretty quickly once I get going, but it took me a much longer time. I really need to get a good speed program going this summer.

Kendo: normal practice session at the fitness center. Men strikes again feeling pretty good.

Weekly plan, May 1-7

Mini-marathon time! I actually haven't done much training specifically for the race. I'll be running with my mom, so speed isn't an issue, and the distance shouldn't be a problem. I'll just treat it as my distance day, and go from there.

Monday: base run (7), kendo practice
Tuesday: light run (3), kendo class
Wednesday: base run (7), kendo practice
Thursday: base run (7), kendo practice
Friday: light run (3), kendo class
Saturday: Mini-marathon (13), kendo practice
Sunday: light run (3), kendo practice

Run goal: 43 miles
kendo: more of the same

End of week assessment: April 24-30

Running: 35 miles (missed by 9). Chalk it up to snarky April weather, especially on the weekend--that, and a tighter-than-expected schedule. Actually feel lucky to have gotten this close to my goal.

Kendo; not bad. Park Sensei was absent from class this week. We had some good sessions taught by Doc and Nikolai, but still, I'll be glad to see Sensei back on Tuesday. Meantime, I missed two practice days--nit good, but couldn't be helped.

Sunday, April 30: carbon copy

Running: 6 miles, 54.37.29 (day 35) Practically a carbon copy of yesterday. Did 6 miles at Potter's Bridge before rain shut me down, and I was never able to get a second run in to make up the difference.

Kendo: got in a good practice session, unencumbered by raquetball players and such. Men strikes felt really good and smooth.