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.

So this is spring?

We got a few inches of snow on Monday, ironically the first day of spring. But Tuesday was sunny for most of the day so I took advantage of the break in the weather to do my run. Tuesday is the short run, so it was only 5 miles with 6 minutes of hill workouts. But running through the snow sure made it feel like more than that. Still, I was glad I could fit it into my day, I always feel better the afternoon after a run. Tomorrow is a seven miler, but most of the snow will have melted off the trail by then. And for a change it is supposed to be really nice for my long run (11 miles this week) on Sunday. I've noticed that I'm going to have to start putting on sunscreen soon, this is the first winter ever that I have had a tan on my legs!

I always suspected as much!

You scored as Goofy. Your alter ego is Goofy! You are fun and great to be around, and you are always willing to help others. You arn't worried about embarrassing yourself, so you are one who is more willing to try new things. Goofy 75% Ariel 69% Peter Pan 69% Donald Duck 69% The Beast 56% Cinderella 50% Sleeping Beauty 44% Snow White 38% Pinocchio 31% Cruella De Ville 25% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

Just in Time

I decided to go for my run as early as I could today as we were due to get a storm tonight. It turned out to be good timing as about 20 minute after I got back it started to rain fairly hard and now it is snowing big wet flakes. I would have got kind of wet if I had been stuck out there in that. It was a nice run though, with overcast skies I didn't get too hot. Today was 10 miles, which is kind of a milestone as it is exactly half of the longest distance in my training runs. Now on to enjoying the rest of my weekend!

Friday at last

This week has been incredibly busy for me, but really fulfilling. I've learned a ton of new things and got a lot accomplished. Hopefully though next week won't be quite as hectic. This week was the first week that I have "missed" a training run. I didn't actually miss it I guess, I just didn't do it on the day I was supposed to. I had far too many things to get done on Tuesday to get to my 4 mile hill workout, so I moved it to Wednesday. Since it's a fairly short run I figured I would recover in time for Thursday's semi-long (7 mile) run. It ended up working out pretty well, although I much prefer having them spread out in the week. Sunday is a 10 mile run which I am not really looking forward to. It seems that the past two weeks the worst weather has been saved up for my longest run. We'll see how it turns out, but if it is too nasty outside I'll have to rough it in the gym. What could be more exciting than running around an indoor track 100 times? Yuck!


I'm getting my taxes done tomorrow, so here's hoping for a refund. At least getting organized for my appointment tomorrow will be easier with the wonderful filing job that Melissa has done. Seldom does a day go by that I do not marvel at how wonderful my wife is, and that goes doubly so when I am as busy at work as I am right now. She is the glue that keeps me together and I praise the Lord for bringing her into my life.


Gotta go, I have one more experiment to start before I leave for the weekend.

9 Damp and Chilly Miles

That was today's run, it's 30 degrees here and was snowing for the whole run. With my cold weather gear though it wasn't too bad, but it still was more unpleasant than most of my runs have been. Yesterday I was baking most of the afternoon. I made banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. Good stuff! Elijah has been really grumpy most of the weekend but today he slept most of the afternoon, so perhaps he was over-tired. It would be nice to have him back to his old cheery self. This week will likely be just as busy as last week, but I should finish most of the tests if all goes well.

Crazy Busy

I started the testing for our system this week so I've been really busy at work. I've got a lot of it done though and am in good shape to finish next week I think. I managed to squeeze in my runs though, shorts and t-shirt on Tuesday and full winter gear on Thursday. It wasn't that cold really but I'd rather be too warm than too cold. This weekend I have to do 9 miles on Sunday, which will be a chore if the weather does not improve. I'm thinking about running a different route this time, but it would be uphill all the way home. We'll see how I feel I suppose. Other than that I'm just looking forward to being home this weekend. It feels like I've hardly been there at all this week.

Aurora reservoir

Today I drove up to the Aurora reservoir for my run. The perimeter trail for the reservoir is 8 miles, which was the distance I needed to cover today. I figured it would be a nice change of scenery and it was. An added bonus was the relatively flat terrain compared to what I usually run on the weekend. I kept up my 9 minute mile for the full distance, which really gives me confidence that I will be able to build my mileage and keep the pace constant. The reservoir is really nice, with lots of places to fish and even has an archery range. We'll have to take Elijah there some time. The weather was gorgeous, in the low 70s and sunny. With the view of the mountains and fighters from the air force base flying above it made for a great run.

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Spiderman!

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 80% Superman 70% Iron Man 65% Hulk 65% Green Lantern 65% The Flash 55% Robin 45% Supergirl 40% Catwoman 30% Batman 25% Wonder Woman 20%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Wile E. Coyote

Wildlife for the day was a coyote with a nice fresh prairie dog lunch. Mmmm, tasty! Today's run was a good stress relief. A little under 7 miles in gorgeous weather. Not too hot, but nice and sunny. For my run on Tuesday it was 75, but it was rushed and not as relaxing as today. Oh well, I suppose that's the way it goes sometimes. Now I have two days of recovery and 8 miles on Sunday.


Work has been good this week but busy. Tomorrow will be hectic too, so I'm taking advantage of this momentary lull to blog. It looks like next couple of weeks will be especially busy too. Yikes! Well it just goes with the territory I suppose. I'm looking forward to this weekend though. A trip to Caribou Coffee perhaps and Home Depot run. We might go swimming as well for the little tyke's B-Day. He's easy to please at this age thankfully.