Happy New Year!

Well the new year is almost here so I suppose it is time for those new year's resolutions. My biggest goal is just to stay active this year, and I am striving for some sort of activity every day, even if it is just a family walk. My running goals are a little more concrete, I am hoping to train semi-seriously for the Bolder Boulder in May, and perhaps tackle a half-marathon in the fall. But the biggest goal I have is to run 1000 miles in 2007. I am going to maintain a running total of my miles on this blog to keep me on track. While it may seem like a lot, it's not really that bad, just an average of 20 miles a week. Now all I need is for all this damn snow to melt so that I can run outside again.

Day 2

Well we made it through another day of the blizzard and it was not all that bad. We only woke up to about 3 inches, so I shoveled that in the morning. Then through the day we got about another inch so I shoveled that at 5. Still no trash pickup for us, but the mail is becoming more reliable again. On the whole this blizzard has not yet been as debilitating as the one last week. Because the storm is moving fairly slowly the city seems to be able to keep on top of things pretty well. While some flights have been cancelled the airport has stayed open, which gives me hope for Melissa's return on Sunday. Unfortunately we are due to get another bout of snow tomorrow evening into Sunday morning, so we'll see how the conditions hold up.



Elijah and I beat the cold this morning by making biscuits with my new biscuit cutters. They were really good, so I'll have to make them again when Melissa is here. Well I have to go now, I'm learning how fiberglass insulation is made and the cat wants to be fed.

Blizzard 06.2

Well with Melissa off in sunny California for a few days I suppose it's up to me to keep updates going on the second blizzard of 2006 in as many weeks. Elijah and I took a nice long walk up to Smoky Hill road this morning before it started snowing. By the time we got back at 10:30 the first flakes were starting to fall. When Elijah got up from his nap at 4 we both went out to do the first shoveling of the day. We shoveled 2 inches or so but it was really starting to come down and by the time we got our snow gear off you couldn't tell we had done anything. Elijah went to bed at 7 and I noticed that our neighbor had done a run down our sidewalk with her snowblower, so I decided to brave the elements once again so that I'm not overwhelmed tomorrow. I shoveled another 3 or 4 inches but I was encouraged by the fact that the snow had let up a little bit. If the weather is correct though I'll have another 6 inches to do tomorrow morning. The hardest part of the job is the fact that I have to shovel our driveway halfway across the street to get to the ruts. Well, to be continued...

Back to Work

Today I was finally able to venture back to work after being snowed in over the holiday. The neighborhood streets are still really bad, but everywhere else is in pretty good shape. I was able to get everything ready for my absence over the next few days. I took advantage of being out of the house finally to hit the gym and get a workout in. I threw my back out on Friday shoveling snow for a neighbor so it hasn't been too bad that I have had to take it easy. But I could not take being sedentary for much longer. I ran on the track for 10 minutes, but I found that was aggravating my back by running. So I hit the pool and did some laps for some no-impact exercise. A trip to the hot tub later and my back was feeling much better. Tomorrow we are going to try to spend some time as a family out of the house, I'm looking forward to that.

Man what a week!

Well this week has been pretty crazy so I've been keeping active where I can. We took Elijah to the pool on Sunday and I took a few minutes to do a few laps, so that was good. But then Monday and Tuesday I was slammed at work and I did not get a chance to go running. It's too bad because those were probably the only nice days of the week. Last night I decided to hit the gym after dinner just in case the weather was too bad today to run. Boy am I ever glad I did that. It is crazy snowy today and I was super bummed that I had to go into work to put a new sample in the magnet. The morning drive wasn't bad but I knew it would just get worse as the day went on so I was trying to get out of there as soon as I could. I ended up staying until 12:30 to get the experiments started, then I started the trek home. The drive was pretty bad and it took me over an hour to get home, but then I got stuck trying to pull into the driveway. Thankfully there was a guy with a big truck passing by who had just pulled someone else out of trouble up the street and he offered to pull me back out into the street. Once I had shoveled out the drive and street a bit I took a run it at it. This time I got stuck only once, for a minute or two, then I peeled up the driveway into the garage. I can do most of my work from home now, so I'll probably be taking a snow day tomorrow as well, but it will be tough to get a workout in. I guess shoveling will have to be my exercise.

Improvement

I did not do a run today, opting instead for a bit of a recovery with a trip to the pool. My swimming is showing signs of improvement and I can already do much more than I could when I first went a few weeks ago. As anyone who has ever "cross-trained" before knows, being relatively fit does not translate into being able to do any activity you want really well. So I have been taking it pretty slowly with the swim. Today was the first time that I stopped because I was a little bored rather than stopping because I am bushed. I find that much like the treadmill swimming laps is a little dull, but I love the low impact workout. I did 20 minutes today, which consisted of 2 laps each of sidestroke and breaststroke to warm up and then did a bunch of laps of front crawl (or freestyle). I lost count of how many laps of that I did, it was at least 10. Then I did 4 laps of back crawl and a cool down of 2 laps each of just kicking on my back, breaststroke and sidestroke. I don't know exactly how long each lap is, it's certainly not an olympic sized pool so it's probably 25 yards. I'm also kind of wussing out as I haven't got up the nerve to do any turns at the end of my lap, so I stand up and take a few breaths before turning around. In thinking about it it probably costs me more energy to do it that way as I have to find my rhythm all over again each time.


As a side note, I received a comment about my recent goose related blog post that I did not know whether they were in fact "Canadian" Canada geese, and not "American" Canada geese. The geese that I observed were in fact "Canadian" Canada geese as they were clearly gathering to discuss the merits of a centralized health care system before they were interrupted by my run. Just to set the record straight.

Just me and my thoughts

Today I did my 5 miles around Bluff Lake all on my own, no major epiphanies although I did have Supertramp stuck in my head for a while (I have no idea why). It was a hard effort so I'm kind of looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. If my meetings in Boulder don't go too late I may try to hit the pool on the way home. Tomorrow there is a scheduled power outage at work so I have to be there at 7 to make sure that everything works as it is supposed to. It's going to be long day!

Company

Today I had company again for my run and we went for a few loops around Bluff Lake. Ended up being around 7 miles. It was supposed to be fairly warm today, but for some reason a big cloud was stuck over the whole city which made it feel much colder. But after a few minutes I warmed up and it ended up being really nice. The deer were out again today, and one bounded across the path as we approached. It should be a good day for a run tomorrow, but Thursday may be tough with all I have to get done.

Weekend Workouts

I did my Saturday run with Elijah this weekend (and got another flat tire), and went to the Trails yesterday for a 15 minute jog and 15 minute swim. It was a nice break from the sidewalk runs I had to deal with last week. Today I felt pretty good, and I kept off the sidewalk as much as I could. Ended up going 5 miles up to Bluff Lake via a slightly different route. The trail has dried out pretty well now so it's smooth sailing.

On the psyche of geese

It was 59 degrees today, so I did 6.5 miles in shorts and a t-shirt. The Canadian geese seemed to have all decided to congregate around the trail today, so as I was running they would take off all at once and move a safe distance away. All the geese seemed to be on the north side of the trail, with the path cutting between them and the creek. As I was running back, however, the geese had made their way back to the trail, but were now on the south side. As I was running towards them I hypothesized that the geese would not fly away due to the fact that this time they had a clear escape route available to them. As I ran past the geese waddled off, but did not take flight. I was just patting myself on the back for having made such astute observations of goose behavior, when I came upon another small gaggle of geese on the north side of the path. These geese did not fly away either. I realized that I had forgotten the first rule of scientific observation: in observing any event, you fundamentally change its outcome in some way. In this case my hypothesis was proven wrong by a "control gaggle" of geese. Evidently the behavior of the geese did not have anything to do with which side of the path they were on, just the fact that they had seen me run by before and decided that I did not represent a threat.


Some may in fact question why all of these thoughts would be going through my mind at a time like that, in which case this post may be more appropriately titled "On the psyche of Geoff."

Muddy

I couldn't bear another day of running on sidewalks so I decided to venture out onto the trails. I ran around bluff lake and on the whole it wasn't too bad. But there were a few pretty muddy spots that were tough to get through. Nothing like getting hit with chunks of mud that are flying off your shoes. No deer today, I found out yesterday that they have moved up the creek a little bit as I saw them on the other side of campus. It was a nice 4.5 miles despite the mud, but I'm hoping for drier conditions tomorrow.

Slushy

Well my schedule has not been the best the last couple of days but I have managed to get out running. With the warmer temperatures though it has been hard to find routes that aren't really muddy. Yesterday I went for 6 miles or so, and today I did a faster 4 miles. They were all on sidewalks though. Ideally things will have dried out enough to hit the trail tomorrow.

Weekly Mileage

Well I woke up to light snow and cold temps so I decided to forget about running today. I'm still pretty creaky from these last few days anyway. So I imagine that will cap my weekly milage at 23.5. Maybe tomorrow I will hit the pool!

Dentist

I went to the dentist this morning. I remember the last time I went to the dentist it was a hot summer day and I was supposed to do a 10 mile run for my marathon training. I was only able to run 6 because of the heat of the afternoon! Quite a difference 6 months makes, there was still lots of snow on the ground and unfortunately today it was accompanied by a cold wind. But with the sun it wasn't too bad and I ended up doing the same 6.5 mile route as yesterday. I've got my shoes all opened up now and hopefully they will dry out by tomorrow morning. Elijah will not be coming with me as the snow is still too much to push a stroller through. Ideally it will warm up enough to melt it off next week.

Trailblazer!

Today the afternoon temps were in the mid 20s so I went outside for my run. I ran through the golf course to avoid the sidewalks then I hit the prairie dog trail. I was the first one to run on that path, I love the feeling of running on fresh snow. There was only a few inches of it, which made it a bit of a resistance workout, but didn't slow me down too much. I ran for an hour and went about 6.5 miles. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as nice.

Snow and Ice

Today was snowy with icy roads and sidewalks, so I elected to do my running at the Trails instead of outside. It ended up being pretty good, I did three miles at about a 7 minute mile and another mile or so at a little over 8. So for a half hour workout it was pretty good. The roads here suck so driving anywhere takes forever and even with leaving work a little early it still took me almost an hour to get there. Tonight is supposed to get down to 0 so it will be a chilly one. Hopefully I won't get called in to a cold magnet!

Back to Work

The holiday was great and I am really looking forward to enjoying the Christmas season. Today though it was back to business as usual. I did have a great run, 6.5 miles or so (3 times around Bluff Lake), and I had some company for a change. The weather was quite a bit cooler than it was a little while ago, but it was still nice. This week is going to be challenging with the cold temperatures that are due to hit us. I'm not looking forward to that.

Turkey Trot!

Well I finished the Mile High United Way Turkey Trot this morning, and had a blast. It is a 4 mile course and I finished (according to my watch) in 30:34. We'll see what the chip time turns out to be, as that is what I am hoping to use as my entry time for the Bolder Boulder in the spring. It was not my best run as I certainly went out too fast in the beginning, but it is easily my best time so I'm quite happy with the result. My mile splits were as follows: 7:11 (Yikes!), 14:48 (Still Yikes!), 22:30 (But I'm dying!), and 30:34 (Crikey!). I swear the first two miles did not feel that fast, but the last two certainly felt slower than they actually were. Ideally the spilts should have been the other way around, but I still feel like that was the first race where I have really been able to race up to my ability. It sure as hell wasn't easy, but I made it!

Pseudo Taper

As part of my scaling back my mileage to prepare for the race on Thursday I only went running on Saturday and today for only about 3 miles each. My legs are feeling much better and I hope to be able to push the pace up a little on Thursday. As usual though I will take advantage of the crowding at the beginning of the race to make sure I don't go out too fast from the start. My goal is to run under 36 minutes for the 4 miles. More than likely I will not run tomorrow and try to get out of work early instead. I remember last year trying to drive home the day before Thanksgiving and it was painful. Check here for an update on Thursday with my race time!

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

I thought it was going to be a great day for a run today. It's 65 degrees out there and I was able to go out with just shorts and a T-shirt. But not two minutes after I left, the wind started blowing like crazy and quashed any aspirations I might have had about a nice long run today. But I decided to roll with it and fought the headwind all the way to Bluff Lake before turning around and taking advantage of the tailwind to do some aerobic intervals. Ended up being only about 3.5 miles, but with the speedwork it was still a good workout. It's probably good to have a week with less mileage, it seems like I've been pretty sore this week. But when I run it works out all the kinks and I feel great, although a trip to the hot tub would be nice...

Perfect Day

It was a picture perfect day for running today, clear, sunny, no wind and nice and cool (45 F). I put in a couple of loops around Bluff Lake for about 5.5 miles. I tried to push the pace a little as well which made it a hard workout. This week I have been doing most of my runs around 1, and eating my lunch at 12 to give me a good energy base. I think it has worked out well, much better than what I was doing before which was having a piece of fruit around 11 and going for a run at 12. I should probably work a small taper into my training next week to get ready for the turkey trot. I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

Blustery 7 miles

It's pretty windy here today but I was keeping an eye on it before I left for my run and it didn't get too much over 10 mph. So I decided to go out for my run anyway. It wasn't too bad, the wind was at my back on the way out, but the way back was a little tougher. When I got back I checked the weather and the wind was up to 20 mph! Still, I got through it and it ended up being a pretty good run. Shoes are still working out great, although it takes some getting used to when your old ones were worn down to almost nothing. Tonight Elijah and I are going to hang out while mommy goes to the gym, I'm looking forward to it.

My Worst Nightmare

The Boy Who Ran Like a Deer


No deer today thankfully after reading this story. I did a nice 4.5 miles around Bluff Lake in my new shoes. They were very comfy and I am looking forward to putting in some serious miles in them. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go running today as the weather was supposed to get pretty nasty this afternoon, but so far it has held off.


Yesterday I took a rest from running but I stayed active by going to the Trails to swim a few laps. I ended up swimming for about 15 minutes before my form started going downhill fast and I took that as my limit. It wasn't too bad actually considering the last time I tried to swim I went out far too hard and had problems even finishing a few laps. I really like swimming, so I hope it is something I can consistently add to my weekly activity. Having the membership to the Trails will really help in that I think.

New Shoes

This morning was pretty busy for us. I drove Melissa to the Trails for her workout and then ran up to the Piney Creek trailhead to meet Shaun for our run. Put in a good 4.5 miles or so for a total this week of 32 miles. It is windy today, but warmer than I thought it would be. I had a quick shower at the Trails and then we were all off to Runner's Roost to buy my new shoes. It's amazing how much better they feel than my old worn out ones, I can't wait to put a few miles on them. I'm making banana bread now, and after lunch we are off to the pediatricians for Elijah's flu shot. I'm sure we'll have to comfort him afterwards with a trip to Peet's.

Big Deer!

The big buck was out today, and he was huge! Also one tried to run by me without being seen, they look kind of funny when they are bounding from their back legs to their front legs. I did just 4.5 miles today to take it easy, but I was feeling really good at the end. I don't want to risk injury though especially with my old shoes. I'm going to try to buy new ones this weekend so that I can break them in before the turkey trot. TGIF, this week seems like it's gone on forever. Tomorrow I get to have my run with Elijah, I love Saturdays!

Happy Gary

Gary now has a new battery, a new alternator and a new serpentine belt! He's a happy car. We didn't make it to Melissa's appointment this morning, but they were all done with the repairs by 9:30, which isn't too bad. They had a copy of Runner's World there so I was all set.


I went out for a 7 mile run at noon today and really enjoyed the cooler weather. It was 80 yesterday and 46 today so it was quite a front that moved in. No major precipitation though and we are not supposed to dip below freezing so I doubt we'll get any snow out of it. It was perfect weather for running although the view of the mountains was obscured by clouds. I'm definitely a cold weather runner, I feel like my strength is sapped when it's hot out and the sun is beating down. Give me cloudy and cool any day! I'm glad to have the right gear for it too, my jacket and pants keep me nice and toasty warm even when the temps get pretty cold. I just need a shell now to keep the rain and wind out. But with the car repairs that will just have to wait.

Cue the Stripper Music

It was so hot for my run today that I actually took my shirt off for part of it. That does not happen very often. I took it pretty easy after yesterday and only did 4.5 miles around Bluff Lake. It was a good break in the day and nice to take advantage of the great weather we have right now. I think a front is supposed to move in tomorrow night so it may not be as nice for the weekend as this, but for November I can't really complain.


Tonight I am going to make enchiladas for dinner (thanks Cate and Kaisara!) which I love so I'm looking forward to that. That's assuming I can start the car to get home. Yesterday the battery light came on while I was driving home, which usually indicates that there is something wrong with the alternator. It started fine this morning so I suspect that the alternator is just on its last legs and not completely dead. So tomorrow Melissa will have to take it in to Sears to get that replaced. I really can't complain when anything goes wrong with Gary, he has been such a reliable car and with more than 120k miles to his credit it's not so surprising when a part wears out.


[UPDATE]: Well the alternator is dead, I barely made it into a shop before the car conked out on my way home. They sold me a new battery to get me home and I'll head back there in the morning to get the alternator replaced. Hopefully it won't take too long as Melissa has a doctor appointment to get to. Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it now.

Oops

You'd think I would know my body better by now. Today I didn't leave Boulder until quarter to one so I ate an apple before the drive home so that I would have some energy for a run. I ended up crashing pretty hard towards the end and regretted not eating more. When I got back I downed my sandwich and felt much better afterwards. It seems like I really need a pretty good energy store to do my runs and breakfast just doesn't hold on that late.


I got home early enough to take Elijah swimming at the pool. He had fun I think but was still pretty cold as he doesn't like to move around much in the water. We swam for about 20 minutes then had a nice warm shower. Since I had such a late lunch we just had dinner after we got back. Spaghetti, tasty!

Getting away from it all

I did a nice 6 miles today which was a great break from work. The only problem was that we've had some water quality issues at work and I had to walk to a whole other building to fill up my bottle. It was great weather, and I almost had to go shirtless I was so hot. No deer today, I must have gone too early.


I watched the highlights of the NYC marathon yesterday and was pretty surprised by the outcome. I ended up feeling pretty unhappy about the coverage that such an event received from the media, and I boycotted football for the rest of the day. It's not like there was anything on that early on a Sunday morning that couldn't have been preempted for live coverage.

All on our own!

It was just Elijah and I for our run this morning. It was warm, even though it was still fairly early. We went for 3 miles as I didn't want to push too hard having run 34 miles this week total. That brings my total mileage right around where I want it to be. Tomorrow will be a nice day off to recover. Today we went to Cherry Creek to get the oil changed. Melissa and I were lamenting the fact that Cherry Creek just doesn't offer what it used to. There's no real bookstore there now and Harry and David is gone too. The only reason we go is to go to Sears usually as we can always go to Peet's in better locations. Southlands is so much better for our shopping needs now.

Gotta love Denver

Today it is beautiful outside. Perfect temperature in the mid 60s and sun, sun, sun! I went out for 5 miles around Bluff Lake and saw the deer again. This time I caught sight of the buck too, just a young-un, only a few points. I think I'm pretty well recovered from my blood donation now, so I'm thinking about signing up for the Denver Turkey Trot at Washington Park. It might be nice to kick off the T-Day with a little run. I can't believe that thanksgiving is so close, Christmas is just around the corner. I'm surprised Melissa hasn't started playing Christmas music already, usually she breaks it out Nov. 1. I bet it will be playing this weekend for sure.

Warmer weather

Today was quite a bit nicer than yesterday and I went out running in my shorts. I still had my jacket on, but I could have almost taken that off towards the end. Did a nice 7 miles or so at a good pace. It was tiring but rewarding. So far I have run everyday this week to a total of 24 miles, I can feel the cumulative mileage in my legs, but other than that I feel pretty good. I think I'll do a shorter run tomorrow and then Saturday will be a pretty easy run. I don't know when it happened, but at some point I transitioned from "someone who occasionally runs to keep fit" to a full on "runner." Some people may see me as a nut for that, but I think Melissa understands. I'm lucky to have such a caring and understanding family!

Deer!

Today I was solo for my run, but I got to see some deer up close as I was running through Bluff Lake. I think I surprised one deer as I didn't even see her until I was right next to her. She couldn't have been more than 6 feet away, I was actually a little scared. It was nice to see them again. Bluff Lake is looking pretty good too, there is actually water in the lake for the first time that I have ever seen. According to the Bluff Lake guy I spoke to there is 4.5 feet of water! Hopefully that will bring some waterfowl to the area. I just went for 4.5 miles or so due to my long run yesterday. I'm on my own for the next couple of days too, but I think the kick start I've had will give me enough momentum to get out. The only problem is that we have to do laundry every two days since I only have two sets of running clothes. I should get another set from Target now that I am running more often. That and a new set of running shoes. I can't complain about that I suppose, they have carried me over 600 miles this year.

Cold But Sunny

Today was colder than yesterday, but sunny and no wind. So I went for a little longer today, probably 7 miles or so. It was a hard run but it felt good to get away from it all for a while. I miss running with Elijah though. Oh well, it would be too dark to go with him after work now anyway. We'll always have Saturday I suppose.

Denver Weather

Today I checked the temperature before I went out for my run and it was 63 degrees out. So I went out with just a T-shirt and shorts and I froze due to the 30 mph winds! But after getting my workout going it was not that bad, especially when the wind was with my back. It was good to get out for a run as I was not sure it was going to happen with all that I had to do today. Tomorrow should be a little less hectic.

Snow and Joggy Strollers Do Not Mix

I did go out for my Saturday run today, but met up with a lot of resistance with sidewalks that have not been cleared. It was pretty icy in spots too. So it was short, maybe a mile or two, but I ran a little faster on the dry parts to get a sweat up. That made it 5 days that I ran this week, so my total mileage is right where I want to be. The weather sure was nice, by noon I was walking around Southlands in a T-shirt. Elijah is having a nap now, so I took the opportunity to make peanut brittle. That will be a nice halloween treat for all of us. This afternoon we are carving our pumpkin.

One Gallon!

Well I hit the gallon mark for blood donation today (that's 4 liters for all you Canadians). I got a little pin which was cool. I didn't even know I was that close to the mark.


I did go for about 5 miles today, although it was pretty slow and soupy. I must have been covered with dirt by the time I got back. Hopefully the path will be in good enough shape to go tomorrow with Elijah. No plans for the weekend really, I'm sure we'll come up with something fun to do though. Maybe another trip to Southlands. It's supposed to be really nice this weekend so we'll have to have some outside time as a family.

Snow Day

Today I did not run due to the blizzard outside. I did go yesterday though for 5 miles and tomorrow I will definitely get out as it is supposed to be in the 50s and sunny. The snow won't last long with that kind of weather!


Yesterday and this morning were really busy dealing with a major air compressor problem. We did get it fixed though so tomorrow should be a little more laid back. One more day to the weekend!

Better today

Did another 6 miles or so today, and with it a little cooler and spending most of the time on a gravel path it was a little easier. It was nice to get out though as today was pretty busy. We had a minor issue with a compressor today, so we were fortunate to have a backup compressor on hand. We were able to get the problem fixed with only minor down time.

The Pool

Went for a good 6 miles today at lunch, and went by the Fitzsimmons Pool to see what facilities are there. I'm trying to get a good replacement for my gym membership that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg. Unfortunately the Fitzsimmons pool is not that, as it costs almost as much as my gym membership, but almost nothing there other than a pool. They did say if we wanted to use the shower after a run that we could do that for free though, bonus! Looks like the Trails is the best bet for us as Melissa can get in on the membership for a similar price.


These longer runs at lunchtime are really helping me to get back into it. I'm going to try to get out most weekdays, but probably one day a week I will have to go to Boulder instead, so five or six days a week total. It's a lot easier motivating myself to go when there is someone else going too. All in all it will be great getting back in distance shape and it will help me prepare for the races I'm planning next year.

I love my Saturdays!

Yesterday was another busy day, but I love weekends when I get to do my little fix-it jobs. It did snow Friday night and we awoke to a few inches on the ground, but it was not too cold so Elijah and I went for our run anyway. By the time we got to running the sun had come out and it was gorgeous. After we got home, Elijah went down for a nap and I started on my task for the day which was to fix the garage entry door. After several "quick-fixes" over the past year I wanted to fix it so it would last. A couple of hours and a trip to Home Depot later I had fixed the door and improved things a bit by installing the strike-box with 3-inch screws. Since I was on a roll I took a look at the upstairs bathtub, which had caused a minor flood the night before. It turned out that the genius that had installed the tub had not installed the overflow gasket, allowing water to flow right down into the laundry room below when the tub was filled up to the overflow drain. Melissa and I headed off to Southlands to check out the opening festivities there and have some coffee. On the way back we picked up a gasket at Home Depot. 5 minutes and $2 later the tub was fixed, although we will eventually have to replace a piece of drywall in the laundry room.


Today we will be relaxing at home, and then having a night out for the two of us tonight. We're going to see the Lion King musical at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It will be nice to have a date night, we haven't had one since our dinner at PF Chang's in June.

Thar be squalls ahead...

Went for a lunchtime run again today. It was windy but sunny and warm. By the time we had finished though the clouds were starting to move in for our next storm front. We are supposed to get snow tonight, but it won't get as cold as the last front. I still have to get my sprinklers blown out, so I hope we haven't had anything freeze with all this cold weather. We'll see I guess.

Back to work

I went back to running at work now that it is getting cool in the evenings. I'll still take Elijah on the weekends, but it's just easier for me to get out at lunchtime than it is to get home before it gets dark. Anyway I went out for about 50 minutes with a new guy at work who is also a runner. It was nice to have someone to chat with while I was out, and we went further than I would have if it had been just me. Other than that and putting out little spot fires it was a pretty laid back day.

Greatest Sentence Ever!

"The bears bear hard hard yarn yarns."

-- L. Snicket

Make hay while the sun shines

Yesterday was a beautiful day and it was still really warm when I came home from work so I took advantage of the weather while I could. It is supposed to turn nasty today, so I thought I might as well get the runs in while I could when it's not cold and windy. Elijah and I had a good time, and I was trying to make sure that I did not push down too hard on the stroller as I ran. It's probably better for my posture that way, and maybe I'll be less likely to get thorns in my tires. I must have pulled some weird muscle doing that though as my back was in pain all last night. Despite that I still slept well.


Today is a little less hectic at work so that is good, hopefully I'll have time to get some of my little administrative things done. These things always seem to pile up until you make a conscious effort to finish them. I guess it's a part of life though.

All on our own

Elijah and I went out for a run this morning at the Cherry Creek Park, but it was just us today. We went for about 5 miles and kicked it up at the end of the run. It was a beautiful day here and I took advantage of the weather to do all my yard-winter preparations. I raked and mowed the lawn for the last time and in the next couple of weeks we will have the sprinkler system blown out. At some point I will have to do lawn mower maintenance this winter. I also had a chance to fix our toilet, which I think was costing us a fortune in water. It took a bid of fiddling and a couple of trips to Home Depot, but in the end it was worth it to have a working toilet again. Now if only I could do something about our stupid door.

Getting over myself

Elijah and I had a great run today, it was perfect temperature outside and the mountains were misty in the sunset. It was cool. Elijah finally waved at the firefighters, but it looked like they were out fighting a fire. Oh well.


I signed up to audition for our worship team at church next week, so it looks like I'll have to get over myself and just play. I really dig our worship leader's attitude towards worship, so I wanted to chip in to support him. Should be interesting.

Homemade Peas in a Can Pie

We went to Jim and Nick's for dinner tonight, which was excellent! I had the brisket sandwich and cheese biscuits which were both great, but for dessert I had the pecan pie which was transcendental. They make them there fresh and it shows, the crust is flaky and tender, and there were tons of pecans in the filling. The best thing is you can go there and buy the whole pie if you want to! I know what I want for my birthday. Grampy is going to have to make a trip down here just for that.

Afternoon Run

I had to take care of Elijah this afternoon so when we got home we went out for a little run. The rain has stopped and the sun is out so it's quite nice. The temperature is in the low 50s so there is a chill in the air and I needed my jacket, but it felt like a fall run for sure. Elijah was all bundled up and had a blanket so we were both happy. It was just a 3 mile run though, I didn't feel up to going too much farther.

Race for the Cure

Well the race is over and we all had fun. There were a lot of people there! Apparently the Denver race is the largest in the country, although this year apparently St. Louis had topped us. They were hoping the on-site registration would push us over the top again. Our team ended up being the largest team from a College with over 60 members. We raised over $3300! A big thanks to all of you who donated. It was a chilly morning, but not too bad. Elijah wouldn't wear his hood, so we don't know if he was cold or not. That boy seems to be made of different stuff than the rest of us. I was always joking with Melissa when Elijah was first born that we didn't want any loafer babies, I certainly can't claim to have any. They are both having a nap right now after having got up at at 6 am this morning. As for running, this race was very difficult to run and we were basically walking for the first mile or so, but we were able to pick it up in the end for a total time of 31 minutes. Now I have to figure out what my next race will be.

Productive Saturday Morning

It's noon on Saturday and already I have had a nice run in Cherry Creek State park, had a shower and baked banana bread. Elijah and mommy are napping now, so I'll probably just make myself some lunch while I'm waiting for them to get up. We have to do some grocery shopping this afternoon but other than that we have no specific plans. Tomorrow it is an early start for the race and we may see if we can check out the Downtown Peet's location. That or we'll go to the Harvest festival at Four Mile Historic Park, and go to the Cherry Creek Peet's. Next weekend is the grand opening of the Boulder Peet's so we'll have to head up there for that. Man, what did we ever do for that two month period that we had no Peet's in Colorado!?

Ugghh

What a day, this was a long week. I was hoping to get a run in after work but I didn't get home until late. Tomorrow morning will be a nice way to start the weekend!

Puppy Love

A few runs ago Elijah and I were running by a house when we had the bejezes scared out of us when a dog pushed its head through a broken board in the fence right next to the joggy stroller. The whole event made me feel pretty unsettled, but I was happy to see today that the fence has been mended.


My day was really hectic today so it was nice to get out for a run. It felt pretty hard though as it has been a while since I took the stroller. I thought I was going to grind to a halt on the hills. I picked up my race number today though, so I'm all set for Sunday. It's going to be fun to get back into a race setting.

I'll get you a satanic mechanic

Elijah and I went out for our run today and didn't even get out of the garage. Stupid tire on the joggy stroller was flat. After a quick look at the tire I found a giant thorn to be the culprit. So we had to hang out until Melissa got back from the library, and I went out by myself. It felt weird to run without the stroller, but I got into a good pace and had a great workout. Melissa was nice enough to go to Target and pick up a patch kit for me. So we should be back up and running (no pun intended) for our next outing.

Today was a busy day at work, but I got through everything I needed to do. I have some writing left to do though which I always put off. Tomorrow I'll have to take care of that, I'll just blast some tunes and get through it.

Saturday Morning

Elijah, Shaun and I went out for our Saturday morning run yesterday and it was a postcard fall Colorado day. The leaves in the park are all starting to turn and the mountains were capped with snow. Gorgeous. We had a great day yesterday and Elijah napped most of the afternoon. Today we bought a rake and Elijah and I spent an hour and a half raking the lawn. You sure work up an appetite doing yardwork! I was thinking about going for a run again today, but with all the raking I'm pooped now. We'll probably spend the afternoon relaxing or doing work around the house. All in all it's been a great weekend.

Chilly Wind

There was a chilly wind blowing from the East today so I had Elijah put on a jacket for our 3 miles today. I should have brought one for myself. I guess it's not summer anymore, but that is good as during the summer I had a hard time finding time to run that wasn't either sweltering hot or fixing for a thunderstorm. We still enjoyed it despite the chill and we had worked up an appetite by the time we returned. Tonight we're just relaxing. I've got a lecture to give tomorrow so I'm a little nervous, but I'll settle in once I get going I think.

Before Dinner

Went for a quick 3 mile run before dinner tonight, it was a really good workout. Elijah enjoyed it and was yelling "Go!" as we ran down the hill. It was good he had that time to relax because he was a real pill the whole rest of the night. Oh well, we all have our moments. Just a little less than two weeks to my next race, I'm really looking forward to it!

Saturday in the Park

It sure didn't feel like the fourth of July. It was a brisk run this morning, but I had company. Elijah was bundled up in the Joggy stroller and Shaun went with me. We took a little jog into the Cherry Creek State Park and had a nice view of the snowcapped mountains. I much prefer running in the cool fall and winter than the hot summer months. It was a good way to start a Saturday, and something we plan to do regularly. I've been thinking about heading up a group that goes out weekly for a year or so now and I've finally decided to pull the trigger. We'll see how much interest I get, but even if no one shows up I can still go out on my own. Depending on how things go I may go out again tomorrow. Well gotta get ready for grab-ass (UFC 63) tonight!

Just like new

After barely getting out the door with the joggy stroller on Saturday I wanted to fix it once and for all. So I stopped off at University Bicycles while I was in Boulder this afternoon and got three new inner tubes. It's a really nice store and it had a great feel to it. There were lots of people there to help and there did not seem to be any elitist attitudes like I've experienced in other bike stores. If I do eventually buy a bike I think I will go there. Anyway, I got the tubes changed on all three tires and after dinner Elijah and I took it out for a test spin. I hope I will not have to fill the tires every time I go out now. We are starting to lose our light now pretty quickly, so I'm not sure how we are going to work our runs in. I know that I want to though as I really cherish our runs together. I'm really a pretty sappy dad at heart.

Longer Run

This morning Elijah and I went out for a good 5 mile run. It's a little longer than we've been doing lately, but I seemed to handle the distance well. I guess some things don't leave you as quickly as others. There are a few big hills on the way, so I took them slow with the joggy stroller. On Wednesday I went a little too fast on the first hill and I regretted it for the whole run. We had a little walk up to Caribou coffee as well, so it's been a good day for exercise. Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight. For those who are interested here is the route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=439614.

Pooped

I managed to temporarily resurrect the joggy stroller for a run tonight with Elijah. I went out before dinner though, and discovered that I did not have enough energy to get through the hills. I guess I should have eaten something in the afternoon. Elijah had a good time though and I was glad I was able to fix the stroller. He can now climb into the joggy stroller by himself, which is pretty cute. He crawls up into the seat and turns himself around, waiting for me to strap him in. He likes going out with me so much now that when I tried to go without him today he started to cry. I couldn't leave him there like that. Poor little guy.

Visitors!

Cate and Kaisara are here visiting us and we are having a blast. We walked up to Southlands today to check out the farmers market and have coffee at Caribou. It was just cool enough to be able to enjoy the weather and not get too hot walking. So EJ and I decided to head out for a 3 mile run. We were thinking about going for longer but I think our front tire is toast so we decided to cut it short so that we wouldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire. We'll have to figure out something before we go out to the race in October. My fundraising is going really well, thanks so much to my present and future donors! Apparently a mammogram costs $100, so I've raised enough to get one. Woo hoo!

More Daddy and Elijah time

Elijah and I had some time to hang out last night while Mommy was off babysitting for a friend. We had hotdogs for dinner (Elijah polished off a whole hot dog and bun himself) and then Elijah helped me set up the sprinkler to water the lawn. Then we went out for our run, and were able to get back just before the sun set. It was a beautiful evening, and I really enjoyed the quality time with the boy.


Speaking of running, I have signed up for another race this year. I am going to run in the Run for the Cure on October 8th, and I need help raising funds for my goal. Anything any of you can give will be much appreciated. Go to my pledge page to see how far I have to go and to donate! http://www.raceforthecure-denver.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1020&px=1262164

Reditt reditt

One book that changed your life: The Outsider (Albert Camus) -- This one would probably seem like an odd choice to a lot of people, but I learned a lot about my life and the bleakness of the atheistic viewpoint by reading this book.



One book that you've read more than once: The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) -- I suppose the Lord of the Rings could be included with this.



One book that made you laugh: Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis)



One book that made you cry: I think I might have almost cried reading Perelandra (C.S. Lewis)



One book that you wish had been written: Everything you ever wanted to know about NMR but were afraid to ask



One book that you wish had never been written: I'd rather not list it here



One book you are currently reading: The Theory of Poker (David Sklansky)

Getting back in the game

Went for a quick 3 miles before dinner with Elijah tonight. He seemed to enjoy it, even though I wasn't able to go as fast as he would have liked. It seems like every time we hit an uphill stretch he's looking back at me as if to say "Daddy, why are we slowing down?" We came back home and sat down to a yummy meatloaf dinner. Very tasty!

Monkey on my back

We're back from Vegas, and we had a blast! Luck did not seem to be with me though, no matter how many trips to Caeser's nose we made. BJ cleaned me out, and I had no real luck at video poker even though everyone else in the family did. But I was able to cash in on other's luck at the craps tables, even though I couldn't roll a point for myself to save my life. We had a lot of fun, and considering how much we did we didn't end up spending all that much. Now we just need to let our lungs clear out all that second hand smoke with some fresh mountain air. I was amazed at how fresh and clean our house smelled when we returned after spending all that time in airports and casinos.


Today we are going to catch up on our shopping, and then we are going to watch the UFC championship on PPV with some friends. Hopefully it will be a good show.

Yesterday's run

I did get out for a nice 3 miles with Elijah yesterday, although with a headwind on the uphills it was a little difficult. I do like getting back into the routine though, I'll have to make sure to get out for a run this weekend. I did want to briefly post about our trip to Sonic earlier this week. We went to the drive-in there! Not a drive-thru, but a drive-in. It was pretty cool being able to experience something like that, especially as they are few and far between nowadays. It was really nice to be able to sit there and decide what we wanted without any pressure, then pushing the button and having out order at our car in a few minutes. The food there is not bad for fast food, and there is a lot of variety on the menu. It was pretty cool and Elijah enjoyed it as well.


No specific plans for this weekend, we are just going to take it as we go. We've got some ideas though. We might try to watch some Vegas related movies to get ready for our trip next week! Vegas Baby!

Just like warm milk

We put Elijah to bed early tonight because he was being a bit of a pill and he just fussed in his crib instead of going to sleep. So I suggested I take him out with me for my run as I was already heading out. We went for a good three miles at a quick pace. When we got home Elijah had a cool down (he drank most of my water) and then he went off to bed. This time he fell right asleep. I guess the fresh air knocked him out.

Daddy and Elijah's Day of Fun!

Mommy took some time to go to the museum with her friend today, which left Elijah and I to fend for ourselves. We had a blast. EJ got into the joggy stroller and we ran up to the farmer's market to get some fresh ground peanut butter. We also stopped in at one booth that was offering all that you could fit into a bag for $8. So we got corn, green and yellow zucchini, red potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, and a cantaloupe all for $8. Nice. We popped into Caribou for a smoothie, and walked home. It wasn't a long run but it was all uphill, and at this point I'm just happy to get out at all. After we unloaded everything from the stroller, we settled down to some cantaloupe for lunch. Elijah ate two whole slices. Then we went upstairs to play guitar. Unfortunately one of the strings was broken on my acoustic, so I opted to dust off my amp and play the electric guitar instead. I ended up really enjoying that, and Elijah sat by the amp bopping as I played. I had to make banana bread for church tomorrow, so I started that, and Elijah decided to go down for a nap while I did that. By the time he got up there were two slices of banana bread waiting for him, that he polished off in no time. Mommy was home by that time so we managed to squeeze in some family play time before dinner, and even sat out in the lawn for a little while while the BBQ warmed up. What a day!

What a difference

I did 3 miles tonight without the joggy stroller. It was like night and day. That boy weighs a nut! He was supposed to go to bed early which is why he couldn't come with me, but when I got back he was still lying in his crib playing with his rattle. I feel kinda bad for him as he has a gigantic molar coming in. I also feel really bad for Melissa, who has to spend all day with him.

Too long

Man I feel out of shape now. After a long time with no running 3 miles seemed hard. But I feel like I've had a solid recovery and now I have to look to the future instead of the past. Elijah went with me tonight and we both enjoyed the fresh air. I brought along Elijah's juice so that when I stopped to cool down and drink my water he had his juice. It was very cute. He must have worked up a thirst while we ran because he downed it!

A little cooler

Our temps have still been in the triple digits these past couple of days, but there has been enough moisture around to send some storms through in the evening to cool things off. I was able to get out tonight for a 3 mile run with Elijah which we both enjoyed thoroughly. It was a little windy, but Elijah likes the wind in his hair. Following up on an article I read in my Runner's World magazine I found a site today that lets me track my route, and gives me mileage and elevation. Here is today's run, apparently it is only 2.85 miles but I did it in 23:30: www.gmap-pedometer.com

Catching up

This week there are experiments running all week so I have an opportunity to catch up on little things that have been piling up. This morning I was so busy with things that I lost track of time and didn't get to eat lunch until 2. Normally I'm so hungry that I can barely get to lunch time, let alone miss it. Hopefully I'll be able to finish on time this week and get out running more frequently. Tonight I went out for a couple of miles with Elijah. It was a little cooler today than it was on the weekend thankfully, and a little storm going through has cooled it off even more. Last night it was 95 when we went to bed. Yikes! It makes me really appreciative of our A/C.

I had better start saving

I'm going to need one of these:



While I don't normally close with a quote I've found this one to be quite appropriate:

Daniel Ocean: How's your wife?

Bruiser: Pregnant again.

Daniel Ocean: Well, that happens.

This is why I started a training plan!

What with wet weather last week and late nights at work this week, tonight was my first run in a week and a half. Without the structure of a training plan, and with the daytime hours being too hot, I've been slacking. Tonight was great though! I took Elijah out in the joggy stroller for 5 miles. I think that's the farthest I've been with the stroller, and it's certainly been the most hills. I felt like I was slowing to a standstill sometimes, but I must have been going faster than I thought because I made good time. Elijah and I both had fun, but I think I was more tired than he was when we got back.

Wet Weather

We've had rain pretty much every night this last week, it's been good for the lawn but it seems to put a damper on my running. I just can't seem to get motivated to go in the morning so the evening is pretty much the only time I can convince myself to go. A little thunder and lightning will throw me off though, so this week has been a wash running wise. Today Melissa, Elijah and I all went out for a long walk to Southlands, which was really nice. We checked out the farmer's market there, which seemed to be much better than the one at cherry creek. We'll have to go sometime when we have money to spend. Right now we're trying to save up for our Vegas trip. I've got Vegas fever bad, I'm probably going to drive Melissa nuts. Well tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get a nice run in. If it stays cool like today I should be able to do it in the early afternoon.

Sunday Morning

I did a pleasant Sunday morning run today, seven miles at a decent pace. I didn't bring my watch for a change but it took me about an hour to finish the circuit. There are a lot of hills too, so it was a great workout. I feel like I'm getting back into it pretty quickly. The first week was tough but ever since then things have been a little easier. My goal is to get in five miles on Tuesday and Thursday, with easier 3 mile days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. With a 10 mile run on Saturday or Sunday that would put me at 35 miles a week, which is where I want to be. With this week past I think I can get pretty close to that goal in the next few weeks, and this would be a great way to keep in shape for distance.


The arts festival yesterday was pretty fun, and we got to have Peet's. I also got to get some yummy vegetables at the farmer's Market. I picked up a nice zucchini, some radishes and mixed greens. I grilled the zucchini last night and Elijah and I really enjoyed it. I also made a nice salad from the greens and radishes, which I topped with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. With the pizza we made (see Melissa's blog) it made for a great dinner and a nice change of pace. It seemed all we had last week was meat and carbs for dinner, so I told Melissa that I was meated-out. I must have recovered from it now because we got some nice thick pork chops for dinner. Mmmm! With the cinnamon apple raisin sauce I make with them tonight will be some good eating. Tomorrow I am back to work, but I have Tuesday off. I put up the flags that we got at the Bolder Boulder on our patio, so we are ready for the fourth! Our neighbor across the street put up a beautiful flag on her patio. Nice and crisp and bright, it is the way the Stars and Stripes should be displayed. I want one just like it, but I'll probably wait and get one as a celebration when we finally get to become citizens. Gotta get that green card first though!

Communism was just a red herring...

So it does get easier

Last night I went for a 3 mile run with Elijah. I was going at an 8 min/mile pace, and I had no problems with the terrain. I commented to Elijah that I was feeling so good we should have gone 5 (I was considering it at the start, but it was still pretty warm so I opted to do the shorter distance). Running in the evening is great, a lot of sprinklers were on so Elijah and I got to run through a few on our way. He really enjoys getting out and will hold his hands up in the air, or reach out to bushes on the side of the sidewalk. Last night I was almost not going to go running, I felt like falling asleep at 6! But I knew that if I went out, I would feel better when I returned. I ended the day relaxing with a mango and some cherries that Melissa had picked up for me. Now Friday has finally come and I can't wait for the weekend. We hope to check out the Cherry Creek arts festival, and I'll try to get in a long run either in the morning or evening to keep cool. I bought buttermilk too, so that means pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!

Active evenings

I've been making sure to get out and about this week, Monday was an easy couple of miles, and I did some 800 meter repeats at the local track yesterday. Today the whole family walked up to Southlands for ice cream/coffee. I've been trying to get out more nights this week to start getting my milage up. Yesterday's speedwork was really hard, and the hills back home made it worse, but hopefully it will pay off in an improvement in my running. No pain, no gain!

A mid-day five

I did a five mile run today without the joggy stroller as Elijah was napping. I didn't get a chance to go until 11:30, so it was warm, but not too hot. It was a good thing I didn't take the stroller as the run kicked my butt without it. Man, I can't remember the last time it was that hard to finish such a short run. It was a great workout though and I'll be stronger as a result of it. I'm really enjoying getting back into it, even though it is hard. I really miss the mental aspect of running when I am not doing it.



It was a weird Saturday, but good nonetheless. Elijah was really tired and grumpy and that weighed heavily on us when we were out, so we elected to spend most of the day at home with Elijah napping. I napped as at 4 I was really tired, and we spent some time out on the patio grilling burgers on the charcoal grill and playing cribbage. It was almost like camping! I beat Melissa for what I think is the first time ever, so Cate and Jen, it can be done!



We will probably watch a movie tonight, last night we watched "Chariots of Fire" which I had asked Melissa to get out of the library. I was looking for the motivational running in the movie, but I ended up really enjoying the whole thing. It sure is funny to see the way these athletes trained then versus now. It's no wonder that the times that are being put up these days far surpass what was done in the 20s. Our knowledge of sports medicine has come a long way, but I still can't help but wondering what we do now that they will look at in 80 years and shake their heads.

M-O-O-N, that spells golf!

Had a good tournament today, the scramble format sure made it more fun for a duffer like me. I hit some great shots and by the end I was crushing some of my drives, and they were all in the middle of the fairway. Okay, so they weren't in the middle of my fairway. I was playing with an $800 set of "rental" clubs and I have to admit even my game was improved by them. I had a great time, and played not badly considering the last time I golfed was in California.

Run before dinner

I took Elijah out for a 3 mile run tonight before dinner. I felt pretty good after Monday so I ran it at about an 8 min/mile pace. With all the hills and the joggy stroller it kicked my butt. It's hard getting back into it, I think my time at sea level and my blood donation made it hard to keep up with the altitude.


I'm golfing tomorrow in a church tournament. I haven't golfed in forever! I rented a great set of clubs for a good price though, so if I suck tomorrow I can only blame myself. Well you can't lose any balls you don't hit!

Return to running

On Monday night I couldn't wait any longer. Two weeks was too long without any running, but I feel like it was a good recovery from the marathon. I went for an easy paced three miles with Elijah, man pushing that joggy stroller is hard! I'll probably go again tonight to get back in to some sort of training plan. It's nice to not have a specific workout that I have to run though. I'm going to try to get into running a variety of workouts 5 or 6 times a week. A mix of easy runs and hard runs should get things to where I want them to be while still keeping my weekly mileage fairly high. During the marathon training I came to love the 10 mile long run, it was long enough to feel long, but short enough that I wasn't bored or over tired at the end. I'll probably incorporate that into my workouts to stay on top of things.

Race Report

I've been swamped with work this past week so I haven't really had any time to write my race report. The Boy is sleeping in this morning though so I'll take advantage of it.


I woke up at 4am and went down to the lobby to grab my complimentary breakfast. They say not to change what you eat before a marathon, but they did not have any granola. Next time I'll bring some. I ate a bagel with cream cheese and two bananas, which I hoped would give me enough energy and not upset my stomache. I also had a cup of tea, which was gross, but I wanted a bit of caffeine. After breakfast I went about my preparing to run routine. I had to do most of it in the dark as Melissa and Elijah were still sleeping. I had to put sunscreen on, and I was thorough as I did not know if I was going to have to run without my shirt or not. I applied my protective nipple bandages, and smeared some vaseline on some chafey parts. After some stretching I headed back downstairs to catch the shuttle to the start line. The shuttle was small so we crammed as many people into it as we could and headed off, it dropped us off a few blocks from the start and we walked the rest of the way. By this time the water that I had been drinking had made its way south and I wanted to stop at the port-o-potties. Unfortunately so did everyone else. After a few minutes in line I realized that if I waited I would miss the start of the race. I dropped off my gear bag and headed to my corral for the start, resigning myself to the fact that I would have to find a port-o-pottie on the course. At 6:30 the gun went off, and 2 minutes later I crossed the start line and had officially started.


I settled into a pretty easy pace at the beginning, and was pleased that after mile 1 I was right on my 9:00 pace. It was cool and running felt really good so I was enjoying myself. Unfortunately every port-o-pottie I passed seemed to have a line. We looped around Balboa park and headed into downtown. I started keeping an eye out for Melissa, Elijah, Sean, and Jen cheering from the sidelines. I had passed a few water/powerade stations and had been having a small drink of water at each but dumping most of it over my head to keep my core temperature down. I had been skipping the powerade though, which turned out to be a mistake. At mile 5 I finally spotted a port-o-pottie that only had one person waiting in line, so I took advantage of it. This took two minutes off my time though, and it was the last time I was able to see the 4:00 pace balloon. The course continued through the gaslamp area, and out toward the waterfront. I caught sight of Sean as I was running and was able to get his attention. He ran up to where Melissa, Elijah and Jen were cheering so I was able to wave for a picture. We made our way out of downtown, and onto highway 168 which runs right through Balboa park. This was a lonely section of the course, and it was uphill for 4 miles on nasty freeway cement. When we finally left the 168 I was happy to see some people cheering again as we ran past the Fashion Valley mall. Sean picked me out of the crowd just before mile 13 and I was able to see everyone cheering me on for the last time before the finish line. I was starting to get tired as the miles took their toll, but I still crossed the halfway mark at pretty close to 2 hours. I passed a group of people handing out watermelon and I decided not to eat any as I was not sure what it would do to my tummy, but I regretted that decision almost immediately. I was beginning to feel like I had no energy, and the water I had been drinking was just sitting like a lump in my stomache. I started drinking powerade any chance I could, and when I passed the girl with the orange segments I did not hesitate. At mile 15 we started heading around mission bay. It was here that cramps stopped my running for the first time and I had to walk them out for a while. I was desperately trying to get to mile 17 where I knew that there was a Clif Shot station waiting for me. I felt like I had no energy left in my legs at all and it seemed to me that every mile took an eternity. I finally got to 17 and took my energy gel, hoping this would give me a bit of a kick. The miles were going by slower than ever now and I found myself having to stop to stretch my calves out a bit, and walking some of the time. I also had to search out a port-o-pottie as the extra water I had been drinking was weighing heavily on me. I found one just before mile 19. Soon after as the course turned around the outside of mission bay we started going over some pretty hefty overpasses. On one of these I had to stop running as my calves started to seize up. I tried to stretch them out, but when I got up, my quad had a massive charley horse and I could barely move. I didn't panic though and I kept limping along, hoping it would work its way out. Eventually it did and I was able to continue running. Every medical tent I passed seemed to be calling to me to not finish the race. I realized though that they would probably not drive me to the finish line where everyone was waiting, so I decided to push on through the pain. At mile 20 the water station was set up by a huge mural of a brick wall. I passed through the hole in the wall and while I didn't realize it at the time I had broken through my wall as well. I was able to run more of the time, and the powerade I had been drinking was starting to restore my electrolytes. I was able to limit my walking to just the uphill stretches and to short walks after each water station where I was getting cramps. As the miles started getting fewer and fewer I was able to break the distance remaining into shorter stretches that I knew were manageable. I kept plodding away and they seemed to come more quickly, 22, 23, 24. We finally started running alongside the Marine Corps recruitment depot and I knew the end was near. We turned into the depot and I could hear the band playing, then at mile 26 I could see the finish line. It looked like it was so far away! I heard Sean shout from the side of the course and I followed him to where Melissa was waiting. I couldn't believe that I was finally seeing them after all the miles that I had been waiting for that moment. I could barely muster a smile and a wave as I was almost completely focussed on making across the finish line. It seemed like the longest .2 miles I had ever run but soon I was there. As soon as I crossed the finish line I felt a wave of elation wash over me. I couldn't believe that I had finished it. I kept walking through the various stations in the finish area and I grabbed some food along with my medal, free sandals and mylar blanket. I picked up my gear bag and met up with everyone outside. It was over!


We had a long walk to the car which was nice to keep moving, and I tried to do that the rest of the day. By the evening I was even up for a walk along the waterfront with Melissa. It was a great race, I finished it, and I did not get injured. I learned a lot from it and the next one I will run much better.

Results and Pics

The results are in, my official chip time was 4:44:21. Pics of me are available here, search for bib number 5361. I'm the guy in the blue hat.

Rock 'n' Roll!

Well it's done. I finished it! It wasn't pretty, and I wasn't the fastest but I finished and that's the point. The official results aren't up yet, but I came in around 4:45. It was a little longer than I had hoped, but I had some issues around mile 17 and in the end I can't believe that I did the whole thing.


What did I learn? For starters I learned that the beginner training plan I did is really just that. It's designed to get you across the line without collapsing and that it accomplished. But if I ever want to break 4 hours, I'm going to need to step up the plan and get my weekly mileage higher. The second thing I learned is that 26.2 miles is a distance that can only be experienced. You can prepare yourself mentally all you want, but when the sole hits the road it's just an astounding distance and you never know what your body is going to do to you while you are running it. Would I do it again? Yes, but probably not next year. We'll see I guess.


Stars of the show: seeing Melissa and Elijah, and Sean and Jen at mile 6 and 12 was wonderful, and the thought of seeing them again at the finish got me through some tough miles. The guy who held up the sign at mile 19 that said "Hell, you've come this far, you might as well finish." The little girl at mile 13.5 with the orange segments. All the guys with the hoses at the water stations who would hose us off. And finally, the marine boundary layer which stuck around until just after I crossed the finish line!


Successes: Finishing! Having put band-aids on my nipples, which seems silly when you put them on but after you've seen 3 or 4 guys with blood down the front of their shirts doesn't seem so crazy. Vaseline (I won't go any further into detail).


It was a long build up to the day, but I feel that today I have completed a significant accomplishment in my life. One that no one can take away from me. In the words of John "The Penguin" Bingham "Waddle on, friends."

San Diego!

Well we arrived safe and sound and are enjoying the amenities that our hotel has to offer. We're driving a big pimpin' Tiger Woodsy Buick Rendezvous. This morning I have to do a quick couple of miles along the waterfront and then we are taking the trolley to the convention center to get my bib and chip. It's funny to see all the people staying at the hotel, with the exception of a few they all look like runners. Speaking of the hotel, they are rolling out the red carpet for us runners. Tomorrow they are starting breakfast early, at 4 am, and are running shuttles to the start line starting at 4 too. I can't wait for tomorrow!

3 relaxing miles

A nice easy jog this morning, although it's still a hilly route. I sure have noticed a difference in my appetite since I started scaling back my miles. Twice this week I have had problems finishing my dinner portion that only a few weeks ago would have left me looking for more. That and my lunch is starting to almost get me through to dinner even without the extra banana I was taking on run days. I'm surprised the difference is that noticeable.

Total Mileage

I went back over my posts for the past 16 weeks and reminisced a little about how far I've come. At the beginning 4 miles with only 4 minutes of hills was kicking my butt, now 10 miles seems comfortable to me. From Day 1 of my training program I have run 384 miles in preparation for this race. Now there's a number to think about!

Early to bed, early to rise

We were in bed at 9 last night after having to get up at 5:30 for the Bolder Boulder, but I still didn't manage to sleep past 6:15. Oh well, I was able to get up and have some breakfast, then go out for 3 miles with 3 x 2 minute aerobic intervals. I finished in 22:30, so my speed seems to have come up a bit. All that's left now is a 3 mile jog on Thursday, and a 2 mile jog in San Diego on Saturday. I feel good, I feel strong and I'm looking forward to the challenge that awaits on Sunday. If anything the Bolder Boulder yesterday revealed to me just how much I enjoy the camaraderie that goes along with a big race. I was wishing it was me running out there!

Spectators

I did my 5 miles this morning, it was beautiful outside, with a fair breeze blowing. It's nice to have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy a day off. Tomorrow we will be spectators at the Bolder Boulder, cheering on our friends. I really would love to be running in it, but with the marathon a week away it's just not in the cards. I think I'll train for it next year. It should be fun to be there as race support, even though I can't run.

One week

One week to the big day!

Alumni Affairs

I had to go to work this morning for a couple of hours to give tours of the NMR facility to groups of alumni. It kind of sucked to have to go in on Saturday, but it's worth it as some of the alumni are pretty big donors to the university. I did manage to get my 3 mile run in before breakfast though, which is good as it is really hot today. It would feel a lot worse, but there is quite a wind out there and that makes it feel cooler than it is. It sucks the moisture right out of your skin though. Tomorrow morning I will do my five miles in the morning before church, and then we have our couples group over after that. I'm probably going to make pancakes for everyone. Mmmm, pancakes. It is technically a holiday on Monday for us, but I have to do a nitrogen fill, so I'll have to go in for a few hours to get that done. We may go to Boulder in the morning to cheer on some friends who are running in the Bolder Boulder. It will be a busy weekend, but it's all worth it knowing that next weekend we'll be on holiday!

No Pain!

Man it's nice to have a week where my legs aren't aching for half of it. Two short runs this weekend, tomorrow 3 miles with 3 x 2 minute aerobic intervals and 5 miles on Sunday. I'm definitely feeling rested up.

5 Miles before breakfast

I got up today at 6 again to do my 5 mile run. It was beautiful weather for a run, nice and cool, and sunny and clear. It's supposed to get up to 86 today, so it was probably the only part of the day that will be that nice. I went a little faster than I should have probably and it ended up being a really good workout, especially with all the hills. It only took me 43 minutes to finish. When I got home though I was feeling the effects of not having breakfast before I went and I made sure to eat right away. Sunday I will have to make sure to eat something before I go out. I definitely miss running on the days that I don't go out, I'm pretty sure that whatever my training consists of after the marathon I will be running more days of the week.

3 miles!

This morning I got up early and did a quick 3 miles before breakfast. I had to do 3 x 3 minute aerobic intervals, so it was over really quickly (23 minutes), but it was a really good workout. I can't remember the last time I ran such a short distance. A quick shower and I was still able to get out the door in time for work. The early mornings are not so bad because I'm usually awake anyway, but lately it seems like I'm ready for bed at 9. It's a good start to the day though.

Worth it

Well it was an early start today, but it was definitely worth it for the run I had. I went down to the Cherry Creek reservoir and did my 10 miles there at 7:00 this morning. It was cool, and while there were a lot of mosquitoes, it was perfect for running. I was happy to be feeling pretty strong, and I was able to push my pace up a little. Even with that I still ran my split even. Over the next two weeks I do a lot of speed work at short distances to get my legs a little better at running fast while giving them a break from the long runs. I'm going to keep running in the morning to stay cool, and to get myself used to the early start (the marathon starts at 6:30). This afternoon I'm relaxing a little, trying not to do too much and stay cool.

6:00 on a Sunday...

Everyone sleeping, so early...

I'm melting!

Man I thought this week was going to be easier. But with my miles this week being the same as last week I guess my taper doesn't officially start until tomorrow. Thursday was the worst though. I had a dentist appointment in the morning, so I couldn't go early and I had work obligations, so I couldn't get out until 3. I was hoping it would have cooled off a little by then, but no luck. I ended up having to turn back early because it was so hot, then as I was heading back the sun went behind a cloud for a little while and I got a second wind. I was all set to keep going when the sun came out again and almost instantly my energy was drained. So was my water bottle. I took my big bottle which normally lasts me well over 10 miles and it was gone in 6. At any rate it ended up being pretty disappointing, so this weekend I'm making sure to do my runs in the morning when it is still cool. This morning I did my 4 miles and was back home before 7:30. I forgot how much I liked running at dawn. Looks like we'll be shopping for some new jeans for me today. In the last few weeks they have gone from little fluffies on the knees to full on holes. Oh well if it means I have to go to Peet's I'll just have to make that sacrifice.

Busy day

I had a meeting in Boulder this afternoon so I had to squeeze my run in this morning. It was a good five miles, and I felt pretty strong so I was glad that my recovery from Sunday was pretty quick. That's the biggest indication I have that my training has prepared me for the marathon, if I even thought about running 20 miles a few months ago I would have felt like I got run over by a truck. It was pretty warm out today though, so I'm going to have to find a better time to do my runs I guess. It seems like it's getting harder to sleep past 6 so the mornings may be the best time. I'll have to see how things work out after my marathon training is over.

Brutal

That's the only way to describe my run today. I hurt all over, but I seem to be recovering a bit now. The total mileage for the week really took its toll on me, and I had to run/walk the last 4 miles. But now that it's over I can enjoy my taper and get ready for the big day. I suppose it says something about my willpower to have got through this training alone, but I don't really feel like that. It's a battle every time it seems, today I was miserable 6 miles away from the car getting pestered by mosquitoes and no one around for miles. It was very difficult to get through. 3 weeks to go!

Father-son time

Today was only a 4 mile run so I took Elijah with me in the joggy stroller. Unfortunately, I have a lot of hills on that route and with the added weight of the stroller and Elijah it slowed me down a little. But it was nice to get out of the house with him, and he had fun looking at all of the sites whizzing by. I think mommy appreciated it too. I hope that earned us some brownie points because Elijah and I woke up mommy from her nap this afternoon rocking out to Metallica.


I'm getting geared up for my run tomorrow, I've decided to go to the Aurora reservoir again as it will be easier to get the distance in there, two laps around and two miles out and back. Plus I can stash some powerade in the car and pick it up on my way past. I still haven't figured out the best time to go, but I'm thinking later in the afternoon again. I ran at 11 today and it felt really hot. Motivation wise it's pretty easy to get psyched up for this run as it is the last long one before the marathon. After tomorrow 10 miles is as long as they get. It's still really amazing to me that 10 miles is now a reasonable distance to me, I guess that means I'm ready for the big race. Apparently the best way to deal with the marathon is to break it into manageable chunks. So the marathon is a 10-10-10K race: 10 miles, 10 miles and then a 10K (6.2 miles). I'll deal with the 20 miles tomorrow in the same way (8-8-4). That helps you deal with the mental roadblock of the distance of the race. I've also found that now that my pace is pretty well set it helps to just shut down while I'm running. If I'm not thinking about the running, the miles just seem to pass.


It's been a really good Saturday today. We went out to Caribou for coffee, and then got our groceries. When we got back Elijah and I went for our run, and then I mowed the lawn. All of that before lunch! This afternoon I made banana bread, and we are hoping to go out for Mother's day ice cream once Elijah gets up from his nap!

Almost there

Had some great weather today for my 10 mile run. Low 70s and sunny. I really enjoy running that route as it is mostly crushed gravel and so is pretty easy on my legs. That's essential as my long runs are all on cement now which is the hardest surface to run on. As a result I've had sore legs pretty much all week. But it's almost over. Saturday it's only 4 miles and then Sunday the big two-oh! Next week I do the same 5 and 10 on Tuesday/Thursday but Sunday is down to 10 miles.


I got my final confirmation for the marathon the other day and it's been kind of exciting looking at all the information. I have my corral assignment and my race number, I just have to pick up my bib and chip when I get to San Diego. I can't wait, we are going to have a blast!

Pics

I'm taking advantage of a free moment to blog. It's tough to find time to do it when there aren't little fingers trying to "help" me type. We're getting ready to watch House! This weekend up in the mountains was good, although I didn't sleep as much as I would have liked. I got back on Sunday just in time to grab lunch, mow the lawn and go for my 18 mile run. It went better than I was expecting, so that gave me a little boost in confidence. The weekend felt rushed though, and I feel like I didn't get nearly enough family time. Today was 5 miles again, with 9 minutes of hills. I haven't run that route in 4 weeks so it was nice to see my deer friend again.



By the way, pics are up of the Cherry Creek Sneak. I probably won't buy any of me as I am grimacing in all of the shots (I do enjoy running in case it is not obvious from the pictures). But if you want to check them out go to myraceday.com and search for bib number 4201 (mine) and 4202 (Melissa).

Minor Setback

Well it was inevitable I suppose. I got a cold. I've been pretty lucky with no sick days at all over the past 12 weeks of training. The timing was as good as it could get really. It hit Sunday night, and has pretty much cleared up now. So I ended up skipping my Tuesday 5 mile run so I could take it easy and recover. But I was back out today for 9 miles. Unfortunately the weather was not great, with cool temperatures and gusty winds. My nose was running too much which made things difficult, but other than that I was able to keep on pace for the full distance. I was glad as I was worried the cold had taken more out of me. Since Tuesday was my shortest run of the week I'm not too upset about missing it, but I may try to make it up with a short run on Saturday. I'll see what my schedule allows. Sunday I will be doing 18 miles, and it is supposed to be warm again so I bought a water bottle carrier with an extra bottle to get me through.

Sneaky Creeky!

Today the Armstrong family participated in the 2006 Cherry Creek Sneak. A great time was had by all as you can read on Melissa's blog, and we both improved our times from last year. Melissa walked the 5K in 46:31, and I ran the 5 mile in 40:30. Last year I ran the same in 42:38, so I improved my pace by almost 30 seconds per mile. It was a good race and it will build my speed for the marathon that is just over a month away. This week has been a bit of a break for me with only 20 total miles, this should give me enough of a rest to push through the next two weeks with 32 and 39 total miles to go. After that I start my taper before the race. It's been a long road, but I'm going to make it!

Homeward bound

Well the conference is drawing to a close and I'm looking forward to heading home today. This has been by far the best ENC I have been to. I really enjoy meeting new people when I come to these meetings and reconnecting with old friends. It's great to see how far some of the people I've met in the past have gone, and I guess I should really count myself among them when I see where I am today. I've learned a lot, and I have a lot that I can bring back to my job. As we are ending the testing phase soon, I am really getting excited about firing up some new pulse sequences and seeing what contributions I can make. It has made me appreciate my job even more.



This morning I'm not going to be able to see any of the talks I wanted to, so I'm going to head down to the ocean for a little walk before heading up to San Jose. It's a nice drive, but with the drive and sitting in the airport/plane it will be nice to stretch my legs a little. I don't think I would have been able to stay awake in the talks anyway. This meeting has a cumulative effect on me, even though I did not drink much at all. It's the "up until 1 and awake at 7" every day that takes it's toll. Tonight I'll be able to sleep in my own bed, and see Elijah and Melissa. I really have been missing them, and I can't wait to see them tonight.

Worthwhile to note

I thought I'd post a brief reflection that I had today on my run. It was actually 2 years ago at this very same site that I started running. Kind of historic. It was a very pleasant 4 miles with that on my mind, I've come a long way.

Asilomar

Well I blew off the breakfast coffee in favor of a latte and email session at the lodge, so I have a few free minutes to blog. It's been a great meeting here, although the cold damp weather is getting to some people. I don't mind that much, especially when it comes to my runs. Sunday was a great run! 16 miles and 4 of those on the beach. At the end of it my legs were tired and sore, but I felt like I could probably pulled out another 10 if I had been running the marathon. The biggest effect of my training has been my body's ability to bounce back. After a shower I felt almost no pain, and I was still able to wander around the vendor suites at night. Tuesday was also great, although at 5 miles I barely felt like I had worked the kinks out. It was aerobic interval training though, so it was kind of fun being able to run fast as part of the workout. Today I will squeeze in a 4 mile run between my morning session and lunch. This week has been really rejuvenating, and with only 20 miles total it is just the little break I need before plowing into the last 3 big weeks of training. At least I feel like I will be able to handle the race when it comes.


This conference has been a breath of fresh air, and I have a lot of ideas that I want to try when I get back. I'm always glad to meet people here, and sometimes I am surprised by where my past work has had an impact. It just reminds me of how lucky I am to have a job that I enjoy as much as I do and to be surrounded by people who are so supportive of me.

Into the teens!

Well sortof. Today was supposed to be 14 miles, and it was, but I was not able to run all of it. I ran for 1:55 before I had to stop because I was out of water. The heat of the sun was just too much and I did not want to push myself through the last couple of miles without anything to drink so I walked from there. That's been two weeks now that I haven't been able to finish my long run and it's beginning to erode my confidence level. I'm hoping next week's run at sea level will give me a better idea of how I will be able to perform for the actual race. I'm going to have to start running earlier in the morning though so that my strength is not being sapped by the afternoon sun. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however. This month is the biggest month with 16 miles next week, a race the week after, and 18 and 20 miles for the two weeks after that. But after that my taper starts and my mileage scales way back to allow me to recover for the race. It's that thought that keeps me running now.

Trying to beat the heat

It's warm again today, and is supposed to be windy this afternoon, so I decided to go on my run earlier in the morning to beat the heat. It sort of worked, by the end of my run it was 79. But I guess that's better than going at high noon. My winter training made me pretty good at running in the cold so now it is tough to start getting my body to deal with heat better. I've been taking a water bottle with me, but sometimes with that sun beating down on you there is not enough water in the world. Still I did today's 8 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes, pretty close to on pace. It was a good workout, and when there is not a cloud in the sky the vast blue of it is even more striking. With only 7 weeks to go before the big day I'm starting to get excited. Just a few more really long runs to go.

Sunny Days

We've had quite a nice string of weather since the snowstorm on Friday. It really feels like spring out there. I took the opportunity in the weather to start my sprinkler system back up this weekend so that I can start greening up my lawn. My runs have been really nice as well and it is a welcome change from all the wind I was battling there for a while. Sunday was 12 miles again and after 6 of those miles I felt strong enough to pick up the pace a little. Unfortunately my legs ran out of gas around mile nine and I had to walk/run for the last few miles. That'll teach me to listen to my body. I think it was likely related to how long it had been since breakfast and how hot it was outside. Next week I'll have to be more careful not to overdo it. Today's run was much better, and I felt really strong. I threw in an extra minute of hills for my workout, and was able to pick it up to about an 8 minute per mile pace at the end. I think that will be my goal pace for the Cherry Creek Sneak at the end of the month.


Tonight we are off to a little pub up the street from us to celebrate my birthday with my parents. I will probably have shepherd's pie, and maybe a wee dram of scotch to cap off the night. How can you go wrong with a birthday dinner like that?

This week's runs

I caught a break in the weather this week, and had two good runs. Tuesday it was 79 degrees and beautiful out. But it was so hot that my run ended up being really difficult, especially with the 7 minutes of hills. I realized that I need to start bringing a water bottle with me as I couldn't get to the water fountain fast enough on my return. Today's run was much better, we were supposed to have rain and high winds today, which I was not looking forward to, but most of that weather seems to have given us a miss this time. Most of my run was sunny and in the low 60s, which was perfect, and it was only right at the end that an approaching storm dropped a few drops on me. Needless to say, I haven't had a long run where I haven't been fighting a headwind in so long I had forgotten how great they are. I had no problem covering the 8 miles I had to do today, and was able to run a negative split for the first time in weeks. It felt really good and has given me a boost of confidence right when I needed it most. There was one fly in the ointment though, which was the swarms of mosquitoes I battled for some parts of the run, but this small nuisance did not overshadow the positive aspects. It struck me as well that the distance for today's "semi-long" run was the same as my long run from a couple of weeks back at the Aurora reservoir. It's nice to be able to see my improvement like that.

Oops

I tried to calculate how far I had to go today while I was running and I ended up running a mile farther than I was supposed to. I guess that means I should lay out my plan before I go so that I don't make any more mistakes. It was a nice realization though as I was feeling a little down about my pace. I ran 13 miles and it took me 2:05 so that puts me almost on pace for the marathon. I was a little slow because of the wind unfortunately, but it wasn't as bad as last week. I think that I have to start cutting the hilly portion of my run out of the long day as it is getting really difficult to make it up the last 3.5 mile push after running almost 10 before that.


The party was a great success yesterday, which made it especially difficult for all of us to make the "spring forward" time change. But we made it through and with an early-ish night tonight we'll be back on track. This week I'm hoping to finish up all of the tests I'm running at work, which will leave us ready to start getting users in. It's an exciting time for everyone. Well, gotta go enjoy some leftover ice cream cake!

More wind

Today it is windy again, but at least it was only 7 miles. Unfortunately, the wind was at my back on the way out and in my face on the way back. So I tried to take it fairly easy on the first half, and made it to the turn around point in 32 minutes, but the return trip was still brutal. On the final little hill I felt like my legs had nothing left in them, but as soon as I turned around I had no problems. It took 34:30 to get back, almost a full minute per mile slower than my normal pace.


Still, it was nice to get away from work for a little while. And the sun felt really nice even though I had to wear my jacket with the wind chill. I'm looking forward to my run on Sunday though, they are still predicting high 60s and no mention of wind. I'll get to go a little farther into Cherry Creek state park so that will be scenic. I've got a BBQ this weekend too so I've got a lot to look forward to.

National Atheists Day!

April 1st is National Atheists Day


The fool says in his heart,

"There is no God."

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no one who does good.

Psalm 14:1

Still kicking my butt

Today's run was only 5 miles with 6 minutes of hill workouts but it still kicked my butt. I guess it's not really training if you aren't working hard. I think it's mostly the additive toll on my system, which is why in the weeks before the marathon the training is really scaled back considerably. I should be in good shape and fresh by then.

Must be my scottish roots showing through...

From Melissa's Blog:

You scored as William Wallace. The great Scottish warrior William Wallace led his people against their English oppressors in a campaign that won independence for Scotland and immortalized him in the hearts of his countrymen. With his warrior's heart, tactician's mind, and poet's soul, Wallace was a brilliant leader. He just wanted to live a simple life on his farm, but he gave it up to help his country in its time of need. William Wallace 75% Indiana Jones 67% Maximus 63% Lara Croft 54% Neo, the "One" 50% The Terminator 50% The Amazing Spider-Man 46% James Bond, Agent 007 46% Batman, the Dark Knight 42% Captain Jack Sparrow 38% El Zorro 33% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Wind Blows

Yup, my run was crappy today because the wind was really blowing today. I'd take damp and cold and below zero weather any day over the 30 mph wind gusts in my face that I had today. The only thing that got me through it was knowing that as the wind was directly against me the whole way out, that it would be at my back on the way back for the hills I had to face. It was very unpleasant, but I made it. Now that I am up over 10 miles every week the long runs are starting to feel long, and my legs are letting me know that afterwards. I must admit that the training is tough, and it is made even tougher by the fact that I am my only motivation. It is one thing to commit to running 26.2 miles on one day, but that commitment also means that you have to run long runs every week before that. It wouldn't be so bad if the weather was nice everyday, but I've had a string of bad luck and the weather has been nasty for the last 3 of my long runs. Today was the worst of all and has left me feeling rather disenchanted. Well 6 weeks of training down, 10 to go.

I was dying out there

Man my run kicked my butt today. It was probably the most difficult run I have had to date. I think the combination of a fair headwind on my way out and the increase in distance I had on Tuesday contributed to the difficulty. You wouldn't think that a single mile would make a big difference, but when you are boosting your mileage every week it takes its toll. This training plan has been a very challenging experience, but rewarding as well. I can't wait for the accomplishment waiting for me at the end! To join the ranks of those who have finished those 26.2 miles will be an honor.