Dr Martin Luther King Jr

First, I'd like to pay homage to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of 2 true heroes that drive me to continue;the one that precedes him is Jesus Christ. Although pegged as a black holiday, it really is a day to remember someone who fought for civil rights. He did not struggle just for African-Americans but for all people who were repressed & mistreated. He dreamt of an America, or better, a world whereas all people would treat & interact with each other as such, people. It's senseless for the United States to declare itself as a great superpower & yet disobey &/or ignore its own constitution which clearly stated that "all men (this is a general term that includes women) are created equal". I cringe when I see much of today's youth seem completely ignorant of all we people went through as a whole & are virtually erasing much of the progress gained. I hate to see those who refuse to vote when many died for this right. I abhor those who think it's cool to be stupid when so many were denied their opportunity to learn, particularly at decent educational institutions. So many weren't allowed their "pursuit of happiness" as in our country's laws, especially when denied normal access to buildings, pay in employment or even decent facilities;things were separate but never equal. I hope all acknowledge all he has accomplished & recognize that he has shaped a better U.S.A., one of true opportunity.

Weekend agenda

This weekend was spent largely on recovery efforts from last week.

Saturday: I opted out of a race, a rare occurrence. Instead, I did a 2 mile run to reestablish speed, followed by a 6 mile skate (crosstraining), then capped off with a 1 mile racewalk to prepare for today. I took long transitions in between, unlike my normal procedure, which simulates a triathlon.

Sunday: I couldn't find a race so I met up with some friends from Niketown & we rode our bikes. Since I was with Fred, the training became a bit more intense than originally planned. Although the wind was near category 1 going towards Biscayne par, upon our return, we latched on to a bike pack (sometimes I get sucked into running packs) & were able to ride faster with less effort, the main reason why drafting is forbidden by the USAT in most sanctioned events.

Today's agenda-Dr Martin Luther King Jr 5k run & walk

I chose the latter due to the strength of my schedule. I am between 4 distance events (I did the goofy & have Naples half & Miami marathon remaining for this month) & it is wise to taper but since I don't have that luxury, racewalking will suffice. I surmised that this would be no 'walk in the park', so I stepped up my training in that discipline to prepare for today & it was certainly required. This event was put on by Footworks & they debuted the new DAG timing system. The positive is that the monitor was built onto the number tag, therefore no chip was necessary on the shoe. The negative is that one must surrender the number, like the chip, & I am one who likes to keep the number & record data on it. Also, it will eventually wear out from use & I have never knowingly used a number someone else wore; considering they are being recycled, this may happen at their next event. The guy who beat me at the twilight run/walk showed up & kept pace & form for 2.5 miles. After that, he began to struggle. I was fortunate to place overall, despite witnesses accounts of the other competitor cheating (trotting) to keep up with my pace. He was a good sport in that he came back to congratulate me & give me a bottle of water, but not with the trotting in a desperate effort to defeat me. I sense this is just the beginning of more to come. Today was especially satisfying because I had to outwalk someone who didn't walk all the way & got a PB (personal best) to boot, beating last year's time by 17 secs!

Honorable mention

Today is Silvia Weiner's birthday & she has done all 24 of the MLK 5ks. This year was my 1st time beating her while walking.
Tomorrow is coach Kelvin Love's birthday. He was a major nemesis during a race but a friend otherwise. He pulled out of racing after a major injury but never left the racing scene since he now contributes by coaching kids with his running program called the Miami milers.