Reasons to vote for McCain or Obama

Last night I finished writing a blog entry at the Albert Lea Tribune about McCain and Obama. I emphasized the importance of replacing personal attacks with policy insights. One really fun thing about writing a blog at the Tribune is that the comments people leave are so colorful.

I would say that about 50% or more of the comments people leave are insults. Not a lot of thought goes into them and folks don’t use their real name in order to remain anonymous. I just finished responding to a comment and attempted to take it at face value even though the tone of this person’s writing made them sound as though they were angry.

Even if a person leaves an angry comment or tries to rifle off a string of insults, I’m usually happy to know that they’ve read what I written. What I often find rather funny and sometimes frustrating is that I am simply a blogger at the Tribune, and am in no way part of the Tribune’s reporting staff. I’m not paid, just a member of the public who has a blog. Some people assume that because I have a blog, I’m a Tribune writer and, therefore, when I share my opinion, I am contributing to the Tribune’s liberal bias. It’s hard for people to understand that the blogosphere is all about sharing one’s opinions with the world. Occasionally bloggers do reporting, but most of their writing is done with a known and acknowledged bias.

Racing for a new pair of shoes

I wrote a blog entry at the Albert Lea Tribune about my latest race in Austin, Minnesota. Check it out. And check out the website for my hometown newspaper while you’re at it!

Rochester Half Marathon 2008

Last Saturday I ran the Rochester Half Marathon.
Temperatures in the upper 50’s made for perfect running weather. Not unlike last year’s race which also benefited from similarly cool temperatures. My time this year: 1:28:54. My goal was to break 1:30:00. Wahoo! Goal accomplished.

My pace turned out to be 6:47 per mile, which is great considering I ran the first six miles around 7:00 pace. In fact, my first mile was 7:08. But that was my plan; to start slow and gradually run faster until I hit 10k race tempo around mile 6 or 7.

In fact, the last half of the race I ran at about 6:30 pace, which is my 10k pace…possibly even a 10k PR. Wow, that tells me that I probably should have gone out a little faster than I did. That kind of a negative split isn’t terribly efficient. Ideally, my first mile should have been a 6:50 rather than a 7:08.

I think nailing the correct pace is the single most effective way to run a successful race. At the beginning of a long race, however, it is remarkably hard for me to gauge how fast I’m going because I’m surrounded by people who are all running faster than they should. I’m looking at various runners and saying to myself, “There’s no way that person can stay at 7:00 pace for the rest of this race.” Turns out I’m usually right. Many a marathon or half marathon is ruined in the first three miles for that reason. Most racers start faster than they should.

I got 40th out of 327 males and 6th out of 24 in my age division. Last year I ran about a 1:33…starting even slower than I did this year. I figure I’ll start just a little faster next year and hit it just right.

Elvelopet 15k - Decorah, Iowa

Last Saturday I ran the Elvelopet 15k in Decorah with my friend Brian. The last time I’d been to Decorah was to see Greg Brown and Iris Dement play at a Seed Savers, which was several years ago.

It’s always fun to go back to Decorah, and even more fun to be back there to take in Nordic Fest. One summer, while working as a DJ at KWLC, the Luther College radio station, I announced the Nordic Fest parade live from the balcony of one of the buildings downtown.

This year, however, I was there to run the Elvelopet 15k. For those of you who don’t do well will km to mile conversions, is about 9.32 miles. The course proved to be remarkably hilly with two rather profound changes in elevation — one in the first half of the course and the second in the later half.

As an example of how steep the first climb was, I ran the entire race at about 6:51 pace, but the mile that encompassed that hill I ran at 9:10. Needless to say, I had to run consistently fast for the rest of the race in order to make up for that rather slow section.

My overall time, 1:03:53, put me at third in my age division. The guy who got second only beat me by 3 seconds. Had I known the finish was as close as it was after the 9.0 mile marker, I might have tried to stay with him as he passed me rather than just letting him go.

I considered it a successful race, especially given the terrain and the fact that I hadn’t run a 15k since high school when I ran the Steamboat Classic in Peoria, Illinois at about 6:24 pace. Needless to say, that was a much faster course…and I was in a bit better shape then than I am now.

I’m slowly starting to increase my mileage a bit, including one or two double sessions each week. Ideally, to run a fast 15k or half-marathon, I think I need to run at least 45 or 50 miles a week. I’m also working on making my running form more efficient, getting my cadence up to about 180 steps a minute. As a result, I’m finding, for some reason, that my hamstrings are getting a bit more of a workout. I spend more time stretching than I ever remember having to do in high school or college, but do feel that my form is getting better.

What has been truly helpful as I’ve trained over the last couple years is a book recommended to me by several coaches I know: Daniels’ Running Formula. His “VDOT” system is an outstanding way to make the most of every workout, scientifically. According to Daniels, it is very important to know why you’re doing the kind of workout you’re doing rather than indiscriminately running to “get in more mileage.”

Anyway, getting back to my thoughts about the Elvelopet 15k. If you’re in the area, check out this race. It’s tough, but beautiful. And if you’re not a runner, check out Nordic Fest…especially if you’re a Norwegian, but even if you’re not, you’ll still have fun.

Freedom Fun Run 8K - St. Peter

On July 4, my dad and I ran the Freedom Fun Run 8k in St. Peter. My goal was to get my time under 22:30, which is 6:30 per mile pace. I crossed the finish in 21:50; about 6:24 pace.

My dad wanted to run faster than 9:30 per mile. He finished with a pace right around 9:04 per mile. We were both pleased with our accomplishments.

To top it off I received a nice medal for placing second in my 30-39 age division. Honestly, for the last few races I’ve run, my age division hasn’t been particularly fast. I find my self finishing behind at least three or four runners in the 40-49 age division.

It seems men in the 40-49 division wake up and realize they’re not going to be young forever so they get out an run races. The men in the 30-39 age division don’t quite have that sense of urgency yet. I’m guessing it won’t be as easy for me to place when I turn forty.

My splits for this race were as follows: 1st Mile - 6:18.8, 2nd Mile - 6:37.7, 3rd Mile 6:32.4, 4th Mile - 6:36.1, and 5th Mile - 5:45.7. They’re all over the place, but I attribute that to the fact that the course was not flat. Instead, there was a steady incline throughout with a steep drop at the end.

I’d love to run this race again next year and see how I do. Maybe I can get closer to 6:15 pace through a consistent combination of longer endurance runs and shorter speed workouts. Yesterday I ran a very slow 9 miles just to get my mind prepared for a little more mileage. I’ll be running a couple half-marathons later in the summer.

Saint Thomas Avenue

I’ve started another blog. I’ll be keeping “and no one heard a word,” but will also write a blog at the Albert Lea Tribune. It’s called Saint Thomas Avenue.

As for workouts, here’s what I did last week:

After my race on Monday, I took Tuesday off. Then, on Wednesday, I ran about 60 minutes easy. On Thursday, I ran 30 minutes easy with some striders. Friday, I ran one of my more favorite workouts which was 6×800 meters at threshold pace, which for me when like this: 3:21, 3:24, 3:22, 3:20, 3:23, and 3:20. It was not a particularly hard work out, but it wasn’t easy either. I took about a minute rest between each 800. The work-out included a 10 minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down.

I took Saturday off. On Sunday night I ran 20 minutes at threshold pace through the county fairgrounds. Actually, it was probably less than threshold pace, but fun to run through the fairgrounds. On Monday I played 18 holes of golf with no cart, so that was some good walking. No run that day. I didn’t run today. Tomorrow, we’ll see, but I’m thinking another 60 minute run would be appropriate. I have a sore hamstring so I’m not hesitating to let off on the mileage a little. I’m aiming for a hard work-out on Thursday of this week, something easy on Friday and possibly something hard on Saturday, but it will be hard to get in since I’ll be in Rochester all day for the state DFL convention. My guess is that I’ll have to do something hard on Sunday instead. I’m gearing up for a race in Janesville on the 14th.

On the whole, I’m not doing a ton of mileage. Maybe after Janesville I’ll take fewer days off and see if I can get some solid training in before another race in St. Peter on the 4th of July.

Race Day: 10 Kato

This morning I rand the 10 Kato with my dad, Joel Erickson, and my wife, Jen Vogt-Erickson. The night before the three of us with my mom, Pembie Erickson, got into my parents’ minivan and drove the course…or at least an approximation of what we thought was the course based on the course description at www.raceberryjam.com.

Anyone familiar with the Mankato area knows it is, like, way hilly. The 10 kato isn’t extremely hilly, but the later part of the course contains a steep decline followed by a less steep and more gradual incline. Good thing we drove the course before we ran it otherwise I would have run the first half much faster than I did. This way I was able to save a little energy for the incline portion. On the whole, after seeing the course, I knew my time would probably be slower than it usually is.

As it turned out, I ran a fairly solid pace, slightly faster than I ran a couple races last year. My first two miles came in at 13:32, the next two 13:12, the next two 13:39, and the last 2 tenths were at 1:13. My total time was 41:36, with an average mile pace of 6:43 per mile. The reason my middle two miles were faster than my last two miles was obviously the sudden change of terrain, which makes for measurably less efficient running.

The 10 Kato was a well-organized race. And everyone who registered early got a sweet t-shirt and a nice pair of running socks…along with a bag of miscellaneous goodies. My only suggestions for next year is that they make their first mile marker more accurate. Nearly every runner I talked to thought they were doggin’ the first mile. Luckily someone told me about the poorly measured first mile before the race and I wasn’t shocked when I came it at 7:19 for the first mile and then 6:12 for the second mile. I guarantee 100% that those two splits are not accurate. If you add them together, they are, which means the first mile is wrong and the second mile is right because there is no way on earth I ran a 7:19 first mile.

Finally, I hope they publish an accurate map of the course for next year. This link will take you to a map that I drew at USTAF.org. I drew it from memory, the course description, and the map on the back of the t-shirt.

Below is an elevation profile based on the map I drew at USTAF.org.

Anyway, great race! Certainly one I’ll put on my calendar for next summer!

Workout: 5.25.2008

I’ve decided to log this summer’s workouts and races on my blog. It’s a great way for me to keep track of my efforts and for others to read if they have any interest in such things.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be racing the “10 Kato” in Mankato, Minnesota, tomorrow morning at 9am. I’ve been running fairly consistently since earlier this spring when I started by training for the “Fountain Lake Five” here in Albert Lea. The weather has become considerably more runner-friendly since then. The “Fountain Lake Five” was cold, windy, and parts of the route were slightly iced over. The first mile and a half was something of a balancing act.

For tomorrow’s race, I hope to have a reprieve from treacherous racing conditions. Not having run the “10 Kato” before, the only obstacle I’m aware of is a long gradual hill in the second half of the course. This tells me I should make sure not to take out the first two miles too fast. I’m aiming for a 13:20 at the two-mile mark. My ultimate goal, however, is to run fairly even splits. The majority of my races last summer were simply too fast at the start, which resulted in my holding on for dear life in the last two or three miles of the race, whether it be an 8k or a 10k.

This morning I ran a short and sweet workout in preparation for tomorrow. After a five minute warm-up, I ran two 800’s at 10k race pace, just to get a sense of how I should feel in the first 800 Meters of my race tomorrow. Of course, all gets distorted with a little adrenalin thrown into the mix, but at least I now have a rough approximation of how I should feel.

In all, I’m feeling quite good. This week I got some great workouts in, with slightly reduced mileage overall. My favorite workout was earlier in the week when I ran 6 800’s at about 3:12 pace (6:24 mile pace, of course). After I got done with the sixth I felt just fine, which tells me I’m actually getting into shape. I’ll be able to tell where I’m really at tomorrow after my race.

“Deliver Us From Evil”

Upon seeing the cover of “Deliver Us From Evil” and reading the back of the DVD case, I thought to myself, “Oh, not another piece about abuse in the Catholic Church. Isn’t that whole controversy over and done? Didn’t all the victims get their money and the Catholic Church do an overhaul of their treatment of abuse allegations?”

After seeing this movie, I conclude the following: the Catholic Church, as an institution, is still very much involved with the cover-up of sexual abuse perpetuated by clergymen. Here’s what’s missing: transparency. Piles of documents, paperwork, letters, and testimonies have been made inaccessible to the criminal justice system in this country. When allegations of abuse surface, it is the responsibility of bishops and hierarchy within the church to respond by reporting these allegations to the proper authorities. Instead, allegations are handled in-house and dismissed. The public has been fooled into thinking that this problem is solved. It is not.

Case in point: Father Oliver O’Grady. Admittedly, he is an extreme case. His abuse of hundreds of young children, as was described throughout “Deliver Us From Evil,” is a rare and tragic characterization. But what is most tragic, is that at the time of this movie, he was living in Ireland…even living with a family at the time. And they new nothing of his past. And it was the Catholic Church who put him in Ireland in exchange for not testifying against the hierarchy of the church.

Do I think it is a good thing to dwell on a person’s evil past? Not necessarily, but when the safety of children is at stake, their knowledge of his past is of the utmost importance. He was compelled to abuse in the past and he will be compelled to abuse in the future; he’s sick. Not because he’s chosen to be an evil man, but because he was abused as a child…because he continued to abuse even after allegations of his abusing children continued to come forward. And the church did nothing.

This movie does not rail against Catholics, rather it empowers them to take back their church. And all of us, Catholic and non-Catholic, must celebrate the Mother Theresa’s, Oscar Romero’s, and Dorothea Day’s of this world. They are witnesses to God’s love on Earth. And it is our love for the church that should propel us to seek the truth…and the utmost transparency about what has yet been uncovered concerning sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Here are positive reviews of “Deliver Us From Evil. And here are negative reviews of “Deliver Us From Evil.” Read both…they are very interesting.

The High Price of American Inequality

Here’s the first paragraph of an article by David Hilfiker: The High Price of American Inequality. It is an excellent analysis of growing income inequalities in the United States…and what these inequalities mean the future of our society.

The High Price of American Inequality
And What Might Be Done About It

In the March 17, 2008, Washington Post were two articles on toll roads. The first concerned the ongoing attempt by the current US Department of Transportation to get the federal government out of the business of funding road building, thereby “encouraging” states to move toward toll roads where the users pay for construction and maintenance. And the second article was about a report from a Metropolitan Washington regionwide council that in order to relieve the disabling traffic congestion in the area such toll roads are now an absolute necessity precisely because both state and federal governments are pulling back from the costs of roads. The council is recommending that most of the existing area highways, the bridges into the District and even major District thoroughfares be at least partially converted to toll roads. Those able and willing to pay would zip by on their toll roads while the rest would stay stuck in traffic. The impact of toll roads will be to give the affluent a further advantage over others. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. (more)