Forward Progress!

Iron Horse 100K Race Report

2012-02-21T19:33:00.002-08:00

I can't believe that this race has finally come and gone. There were so many unknowns before the race, but once it started, it was time to stop worrying and just keep putting one foot in front of the other, staying hydrated, eating, and taking in the experience.

And, after 11 hours and 6 minutes I crossed the finish line.

Day Before
Got on the road and left my house just after noon and stopped at Wendy's on the way up there for a baked potato to start carbing up some more. Arrived into the nearby town of Palatka and checked into the hotel - a Quality Inn because the main host hotel was filled up. After settling in, drove out to Florahome to go look to make sure I could find the starting area.

After that, headed back to Palatka to the Holiday Inn Express where the pre-race meeting was going to be held. I felt a little bit intimidated because every seemed to look so much more "ultra-ey" to me like they had all done at least 7 or 8 100 mile races. But, once I sat down and chatted with a few people I realized it wasn't like that at all.   Yes, there were some very experienced people, but there were some newbies like myself. I chatted to a few people before the meeting, then we listened to the race briefing from Chris, the race director. It was practical and entertaining. For example, he told us about the "Bardin Booger", the local Yeti like creature, and about what to do if encountering a Florida Panther (run, of course), and about being required to walk across the old train bridge - no running allowed - because there's alligators in the water that might eat you.   At the end of the talk, as I was about to leave I saw Kim from Daily Mile. She said she'd be easy to spot as the tallest girl there, so I said hi to her and her husband before I headed out.

Went back to the hotel and had dinner at the Beef O' Brady's restaurant there. Maybe not what people think of for pre race meals, but it was close and I wasn't sure where else to go. Had a cuban sandwich and a side of rice.

Race Morning
I woke up about 5:15 and slowly got moving. I had somewhat organized my stuff but I felt completely unprepared, and slightly unmotivated.   Maybe I was just trying to get myself into the right frame of mind of starting out slowly.

Made it over to the starting area about 6:30, grabbed my drop bag and small cooler and walked over to the start.

If you want to see a breakdown by mile - Here are the (Garmnin) mile by mile splits.
Otherwise, here's what I can remember.

First 25 Miles
First 25 mile loop completed in 4:15, thinking it was a little bit fast but also wanted to take advantage of the cooler temps. I started out slowly, feeling a little bit tight since I figured that there would be plenty of time to warm up. Did my first walk break about 10 minutes after the start. It felt kind of odd, because I didn't feel like walking.   But, I was going to try and do a 9:1 run:walk strategy as suggested by my friend Claude W.,, who also recommended boiled potatoes with salt and 5 hour energy (all of which were great suggestions). However, I think I wasn't as disciplined about the walk breaks, and looking back at my splits for the first half, I seemed to take a walk break every other mile. My fastest mile was 9:15 and the slowest mile was 12:29.

The air felt cool at first (low 60s) but kind of humid. The temperature would later climb up into the 70s

The first 3.5 miles were on an out and back section heading west, then past the starting line out to the east for the longer section.

Then, just after about 6.5 miles, the paved section ended and we were on the old dirt and gravel section of trail.

I'm not remembering too much more right now about the first 25 miles, other than how fresh everyone was looking. I can't remember if it was during the first or second 25 miles that I took a picture of "M&M" hand and put it on Facebook -
I think eating M&M's is one of those little things that makes an ultra marathon special, along with Mountain Dew and other fun refreshments they don't serve in marathons.

Second 25 Miles

Second 25 mile loop in 4:28 - a bit slower, not completely by choice, but at least partially, knowing I needed to slow down if I didn't want to really crash. The temperature was climbing, but at least there was no more unknowns about what the terrain would be like. I'd been on pavement, to dirt, to gravel, and out to the train bridge for a second time -

A little ways after the train bridge was the turn around point -

On the way out towards the turn around for the second time, stopped at the aid station again, I heard a volunteer call out to one of the other runners that they had completed 41 miles and told them their time. Since I still had to get to the turn around and come back, I was at about 39 miles and couldn't wait to be at 41 miles, so I'd be in the "40's" - a new running distance for me. (although I had only just twice scratched the surface of the 30's before).

Coming back to the aid station I got to hear the same thing "ok runner 110, you are at 41 miles" (actually, at some of the stops they knew my name which was a really nice touch - all of the volunteers were awesome - especially aid station number 2 which was manned by Navy JROTC high school kids and a retired Master Chief).

The excitement of passing that milestone soon faded when I realized there was still over 20 miles to go and I was hit by the worst slump of the race. I even felt like crying, but when I opened my mouth up laughter came out (I'm really not making this up, it was like I was temporarily miswired). I was listening to "Railroad Man" by the Eels on my mp3 player - kind of a fitting song and a bit sad, but I was out of my slump after hearing it:

And i know i can walk along the tracks
It may take a little longer but i'll know
How to find my way back

No tracks anymore, they were ripped out some time in the 80's, but it was a good song to hear on a seemingly endless section.

Then, I was back on the paved section and making my way to the starting area. As I approached, I saw someone running towards me, it was my good running friend Eudair, we ran to the aid station and her husband got a few pictures of me.

So, first 50 miles in 8:43

Last 12 Miles
My math brain was working enough so that I knew 12 miles left, in 3 hours, or 15 minute miles would get me in under 12 hours. I stayed on a strategy of running part of the mile, then walking until my pace for that mile had gotten about 30 seconds slower than I wanted, then started running again until the next mile.

Got going again, and Eudair ran with me for about a mile before turning back. After about 4 miles, I started to really feel like this thing would come to an end.

I kept on my run-walk strategy, which had evolved a bit - instead of a set amount of walking, I would walk in the middle of a mile until my pace slowed to about 30 seconds slower than where I wanted to be, then start running again. It was easy to keep track of and a sort of fun mind game to play.

After the Race

I think I look a bit out of it

They handed my the finisher's medal, a belt buckle actually -

Miscellaneous
Not Knowing What I Didn't Know- The big thing that I found out was how much I didn't know but wish I had known. Fortunately, I did take advice from people who had run these before, even if the advice didn't make sense to me when I heard it.

Walking - I have a new found appreciation for walking. I think that some of the walking that I did early on really saved me at the end, maybe a little bit more might have helped. However, once I got to the point where I needed to do more walking, it really did help to recharge me and get me back running again. I was afraid I'd end up doing back to back miles of walking, but the walk breaks during each mile prevented that.

Eating - Pretty early on I started eating solid food. I think I had a Cliff bar around mile 5. I ate pretzels, m&m's, boiled potatoes, and pb&j at the aid stations, at least a little bit of solid food at each one. At the end of each 25 miles, I drank a Muscle Milk

Salt - I had grabbed salt packets at Wendy's on the drive up, but ended up not taking them with me. But, along with the potatoes, there was a bowl of salt. I felt like I couldn't get enough salt, they also had Endurolyte capsules at the aid stations.

Drinking - Made sure and tried to finish drinking my two 10 ounce bottles before I got to each aid station. I had mixed up Accelerade before the race and had some extra in my cooler at the starting area, but would refill with HEED drink that they had on the course.

TMI - To know if I was drinking enough, I had a goal to make sure to stop a few times to relieve myself and avoid getting into the dark yellow

Shoes- I was worried about what shoes to wear. I had read several race reports and everyone talked about how rough some of the gravel sections were on your feet. I don't own trail shoes, however, almost all of my trail training miles I ran in Asics Nimbus which are nice and cushioned. I did run the Croom Zoom 50K in Brooks Launch, and those felt pretty good, but my feet were a bit sore at the end. Also, since about 8 of every 25 miles was paved, the Nimbus worked out really well.

Misc
Everyone one I talked to on the course while running, walking, or at an aid station felt like family. Seeing Eudair and Franco as I approached mile 50 was a huge boost and was just about 6 miles after feeling like I totally had fallen apart. Glad I had my phone with me to text Jenny some updates and receive back words of encouragement to keep me going (she has always believed in my running ability more than me), as well as posting random pictures to facebook, gave me something to do and look forward to during the walk breaks (although it ended up jabbing into my back a bit too much, need to find a better place for it if I try this again).

Pleasantly surprised with a nice photo that Cathy B. took of me and posted to DM today. Inspired by Kimberly H. as she bravely took on 100 miles after missing a good deal of training, so very encouraging to me each time we crossed (I later found out she had to drop out after 89 miles due to some dehydration related issues, but it was definitely the smart thing to do, even more inspired by her courage to make the right call).

I'm still kind of in disbelief that I completed this - and except for the few aches and pains and the few low points, came through it ok. And as an added bonus, I'm happy with the time.

**Update - results are now posted here
I didn't realize it at the time but I came in second place overall for the 100km

Taper Time

2012-02-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

Taper Thoughts
A week before running Boston, I was swimming in the pool with the kids and screwing around with them. I went to pick up one of the kids and throw him when I could feel a sharp pain in my groin area. It felt like I had torn something. I got out of the pool and thought maybe it wasn't so bad. I could just take it easy for the next week, run Boston, and then I would be ok.

Boston went pretty well, but was one of my slowest marathons in a while, but still a very respectable time of 3:27. With my birthday coming up and going into the next age group, I had a time which was 3 minutes faster than the qualifying time. Another big accomplishment that day, was stopping the slide in my pace and hanging on when I realized I could still finish under 3:30. I realized this sometime around mile 20 or 21 and it got me through to the end without a major slow down. The new goal was what got me through.

The next month I tried to slowly build back up but the progress seemed to be going backward. I would take more and more time off but the pain was beginning to grow in intensity and spread. It was time to quit for a while.

I did a lot of walking during the week and did some longer bike rides. The dog got better about being on the leash and stopped freaking out each time he saw another dog. It wasn't so bad, although I did miss running and I felt like there was a chance I might not recover enough to ever be able to run like I did again. One possibility was that it was a tear in the hip's labrum. Unless these are very mild, they don't heal, and surgery is hit or miss. My running future was uncertain.

On August 1st, I had the kids with me to visit upstate New York for my parents 50th anniversary. I was staying with my brother and my other brother was visiting. We went for a run, they were going to do about 5 miles. I turned back a little past a mile.

I went to a doctor and a physical therapist. My symptoms were vague enough that it was hard to diagnose the problem. So, I started to run some more to try and aggravate the problems so they would become more apparent. The physical therapist was able to work with me and I started adding some more runs in. It was the usual story - weak core, lack of flexibility. It's what runners usually hear when they end up at the PT. If you have a flat stomach and even 6 pack abs, the only thing that tells you for certain is that body fat percentage is low. It does not mean a strong core. So, I had to work on getting a strong core.

Around the same time as Boston, Jenny had started teaching a boot camp style class. I would go to it twice a week. Lateral movement type exercises and certain core work exercises were very difficult. For example, I could hold a plank very well, but bicycle crunches and side plank with a leg raise were extremely difficult and painful. Between the boot camp and working with the PT, the running became pain free and I started to feel what it was like to no longer have a weak core - at least a more balanced one.

The running mileage improved as well as the speed in races. I had shifted some of my attitudes about running although outwardly it pretty much looked the same as I've always been. Running 6 days a week.

Ramping back up made running seem fresh again, it felt new.

As the weeks and months have gone by it is starting to feel like entering into a new phase. With a prescribed distance each weekend to prepare for an upcoming race you lose a bit of that feeling of running completely just for fun and by feel. In the framework of a schedule though you can still have fun. Still enjoy many things about it. But, there is that schedule in the back of your mind. I guess it is a tradeoff.

Anyway, the schedule is pretty much done now. I just need to take it easy and not get hurt and fix up any minor dings. A little bit of hip pain snuck back up after the big run on 12/24. It has gotten a little better but not gone away. I will try and make that go away in the next two weeks.

Jenny asked me yesterday if I was excited for the race. I'm not sure if I am or not. It is exciting to do something new like that, but it is a different kind of feeling than getting ready to run something like a 5K that I've trained for and have a specific time goal in mind. I'm not worried or anxious. I'm intrigued. I'm being introspective and I'm getting to the practical parts like which things to bring with me and have in my drop bag, what to wear and contingencies for things that might go wrong. Sometime around one or two days before the race I'll probably get a certain amount of race stress or anxiety which is normal.

Thursday's Tempo Run

Last Thursday I ran 7 miles, with 3 miles at a pace faster than 7:00 minutes/mile, so I had planned on doing about the same pace this week except adding another mile for 4 miles. On Wednesday night, my friend Raj texted me and asked if I'd join him on his tempo run - he wanted to do 6 miles total with 3 miles at a 6:35 pace. It was faster than I had planned and a little shorter but I thought the change of plans and running with a friend was worth it. He had forgotten is garmin, so I told him to wear mine and set the pace. It was difficult but I ended up running 6:32, 6:32 and 6:32. Actually the last mile he was at 6:21 and I guessed I was about 10 or 11 seconds behind him. I think this was the first tempo run I've done where not wearing a watch so I could check the pace frequently as well as the distance. Instead, it was just running by feel and keeping up with my partner.

Saturday's Run

18 mi, 02:40 08:52 pace

Great run overall today. Started with a small group at Longleaf. Felt sluggish and lagging behind first couple miles.

Stopped at Diane's lemonade stand, then into Starkey. Eudair and I split off and got onto trails via horse corral. Out to power lines then south for one mile. Beautiful morning as it was getting light. It felt like forever since being on this section of trails. Good to be back. Left the park then picked it up the last few miles.

The last 4.5 miles were heading south along the Starkey Blvd. bike trail, back on the pavement, and in the homestretch of the last scheduled long run (last week's run was the last scheduled BIG run).

Efficient run with minimum time stopping today. So, I was able to get back home a little bit earlier than normal. Jenny had offered to take Thomas bowling and could stay there until about 9:30, so that took the pressure off me to rush my run.

So, although this was an efficient run, there was no pressure to be efficient so I enjoyed the entire run - except perhaps a little at the beginning when my ankles felt tight, especially the left one. But, I knew that feeling would pass and I would enter into the long run magic zone.

I have been getting a little bit of schedule wear lately. By that I mean the schedule has been wearing on me. I've tried to keep the schedule as loose as possible with just an approximate mileage goal for the week and a weekend long run. Now, the race is in just two weeks, so I'll just concentrate on not concentrating, cut back and run when I feel like it.

25 Miles - Last Big run before Big Race

2012-01-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday - 25 mi, 03:36 08:39 pace

Eudair was nice enough to run the whole thing with me today, she is amazing (she had been out due to injury and has only recently been back running so I was surprised she was up for 25 miles, but not too surprised). Started out with a group from Longleaf, but we fell back a bit to keep the pace easy. Ran into Starkey and then along the power line road to Serenova tract.

Saw one deer and then later saw two more - no longer living ones. Turns out there was a hunt going on which we found out on our way back (would have been nice if signs were posted). Picked it up the last couple of miles. Melanie from the Striders was nice enough to give us a lift back to Longleaf.

The weather was great, it was wonderful having someone to run the whole way and it couldn't have gone better (except for the part about running while a deer hunt was going on).

This was my last big run before the big race (although there is 18 miles next week, pretty big but less than 20). I need to concentrate on getting some spring back in my step and feeling completely fresh. Also, I think I'm going to get a new pair of Asics Nimbus. My old pair is somewhat worn out so I decided to try this long run in the Ghosts. I like those shoes but they didn't feel quite as good as the Nimbus for the extra distance. I had pretty good luck with the Brooks Launch at the 50K but the bottom of my feet were hurting and could probably use the extra cushioning that the Asics have.

When I started the training for this 100K race it seemed fairly easy in some ways, but the training is starting to catch up to me a little bit now, so good time for a taper.

Jenny is attending a Newton training class this weekend. This is the class to learn how to teach the class that she took over this past summer. Lots of good information about running form that can apply to Newton and non-Newton runners.

So, in the evening I took the boys out for dinner to Carrabas

Then, Sunday morning I decided to skip my run and make pancakes (from scratch - I used to be a boxed mix only kind of guy!) for the boys and relax as the rest would do more good at this point than another day of running.

All in all, it was a pretty big weekend.

Recovery week and 100K Goals

2012-01-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

So, here's how the days since last week's 50K have gone:

Monday - No running today, also day off from work, had a massage in the morning, then did errands and hung out at home, then went to Jenny's Boot Camp in the evening (oh, wait a second, that included a mile of running!!).
Tuesday - Started out to run and then soon realized it was a bad idea. Started to get back in bed, then Jenny suggested a walk might be good for me, so I went for a walk - 2.2 miles, and it helped
Wednesday - 6 miles at 8:49 pace First run , then bootcamp in the evening where I couldn't believe I was doing squat jumps with no problems
Thursday - 7.2 miles at 7:39 pace, ran with the Striders, although mostly by myself, ran the first mile with Mike, fastest run for the week
Friday - 6.2 miles at 9:02 pace - Easy neighborhood run -
Saturday - 16 miles at 8:35 pace - Long run into Starkey park and back - . Did not plan who I was going to run with but met up with some people starting out at 5:30 (Bob, Rachel, Kim, and Rebecca), then ran into Eudair, ran with her 2 miles before turning back for home.
Sunday - 5.4 miles at 8:43 pace, Easy run by myself, along the grassy area next to Trinity Blvd.
Monday - day off from running, but did a 1.7 mile walk in the morning and boot camp in the evening

So, about 42 miles of running for the week. A very good week coming off of the 50K as well as having also done 2 boot camps. Usually, a typical mileage week after running a marathon might be 5-10 miles. It must be a combination of having been a slower pace than a marathon, the softer surface, as well as using a bigger variety of muscles to navigate the trail terrain. It's also the feeling that I'm not done yet until the big race is over with. Although, actually, I was quite prepared to take time off if I needed it when I made the decision to put some race effort into the 50K race and not just try and run it as a training run.

Now, I'm starting to feel like I'm in the homestretch of training. I have one more big, long run coming up this weekend , 25 miles. Eudair has offered to run it with me, so the company will be very nice. This weekend will also be my last time having to do a run the day after a long run. Then the next few weeks will be cutting back in mileage for the taper.

As races get longer, the science of trying to predict the finish time based on shorter distance race times becomes less and less precise and fades out of the realm of science and into an art. I've been talking to whomever might have the answer and reading whatever I can find on the subject. Here are some numbers I came up with. Also, to start with I listed some finish times along with their paces to put things into perspective.

100K Finish Times/Paces:

Time    Pace
9:00     8:41
10:00     9:39
10:30    10:08
11:00    10:37
11:30    11:06
12:00    11:35
12:30    12:04
13:00    12:33

Predictors:

1. 2.8 times marathon
     Last marathon (Boston): 3:27 (not my best time, but reasonable)
                             *2.8
                             -----
                             9:39

2. 2.8 times marathon
     Better marathon (Deseret): 3:11 (close to my PR of 3:06)
                                              *2.8
                             -----
                            9:17

3. Based on this website (Running for Fitness)

    50Km race at 4:34:30 time for 45 year old male = 10:00:24 predicted time.

4. Number I've been spouting off to people about what I think I can do:

     "About 12 hours would be nice"

5. Time needed to qualify for Western States 100 lottery -

      Under 14 hours

So, the problem/dilemma is a pacing strategy. Do I do run/walk? Should I just go out "easy" and run by feel (that worked for the 50K, not sure how well it translates). If I go out too fast I could "blow up" somewhere between 31 and 62 miles and end up walking a lot. If I go too slow, I might end up with too much time on my feet and tire myself out that way.

It's a long, long way to go. I won't know the real answer until I just go ahead and do it!!

Croom Zoom 50K Race Report

2012-01-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

Stats: 31.19 mi 04:34 08:47 pace

SUMMARY:
My first trail race. I couldn't have asked for better weather. It was freezing at the start (literally) but it warmed up nicely but stayed cool enough to not feel hot.
The course was beautiful. I fell down once at mile 20. I ate m&m's at the aid station (twice).
Saw Jenny and Sean K. out on the course, met Cathy B. before the start of the race and ran into a lot of nice people out on the course.

Overall I kept a pretty even pace and had to fight to hang on towards the end. It was also nice to see Ash, who I ran with on my first Croom practice run, he was there volunteering today and was very encouraging each time I went past the starting area. I'm very pleased with the overall experience as well as my time which I knew could vary quite a bit. It helped a lot that Jenny encouraged me to think about some goals before the race. I also really enjoy the relaxed after the race hanging out, it feels like you are at a cook out with a bunch of good friends (even though you don't know everyone).

DETAILS:
The course consisted of an initial starter loop of just over two miles, followed by three big loops about 10 miles each.

Due to some last minute changes, the 50k race had two start times, 6:00 and 7:00. There was also a 100K race starting at 6:00 and a 25K race starting at 7:00. I started out wearing a long sleeve tech shirt (old Disney marathon shirt), sleeveless shirt, hat gloves, arm warmers and shorts. It was about 32 degrees at the start (it was 28 degrees for Jenny's 6:00 start)

I had some time goals in mind but didn't have an exact pacing strategy. As the race continued on and I became more and more acquainted with the 10 mile loop, I began to get into a rhythm, speeding up and slowing down as the terrain permitted. Since it's a relatively small race there were a good number of stretches where I was alone in the woods.

First Loop
Sometime during the first loop I caught up to a guy, chatted with him a bit and then passed him. I was going to follow him at first but he pointed out that since I had caught up to him then I should keep going at the same pace. So, I went on ahead and stayed in front of him until I had to stop for a bathroom break then he went flying by me. Got going again and caught up to him as we went through the starting area again. I ditched the gloves and arm warmers then started on the second loop.

Second Loop
During the second loop I was running behind the guy, Mike, who by this time had no shirt on (he started out with just a sleeveless shirt), so for the rest of the race until the results were up he would be known as that guy with no shirt on. He had picked up the pace and was pushing into sub 8:00 range so I backed off a bit. Still felt a little bit fast for me although it was hard to judge me speed. It feels faster when running in the woods with the trees around you, watching out for roots, and jumping over a log every now and then. About mile 20, I was going up a slight incline and my foot caught a root and I went down pretty hard. But fortunately, being on an incline I didn't fall very far and my hands landed on nothing sharp. After the initial shock, I realized I was fine and got back up again. That was my only fall. I think my landing reflexes were good due to all of the burpees I've been doing at Jenny's boot camp!

Third Loop
At the start of the third loop, I topped off my bottles with accelerade from my drop bag. Ash (who is going to be doing a 100k next week) said to me, ok Mark, just one more lap, you did this same run just a few weeks ago. It was at a slower pace then but it still gave me some confidence to hear it. I was still feeling pretty good but knew things would change over the course of the next 10 miles.

There were two aid stations on the course, one was at the starting area, and the other at the (about) halfway point on the course. When I was about a mile from the half way point aid station on the third loop. I saw Jenny and Sean who had started at 6:00. They looked pretty good and told me they doing a walk run strategy. After saying hi, picked the pace back up and made it to the aid station.

Stopped for another handful of m&m's, which tasted really dry in my mouth this time. I had been drinking pretty good although could have done a better job early on in the race, but did not since it was so cold then.
As the miles counted down, I started feeling good about staying on track and not falling apart, I had a glimmer of hope as I got to mile 27, but tried not too get too excited until mile 28. Some time after mile 29 I could see Mike up ahead (the guy with no shirt), even though I felt like I had been slowing he must have slowed down a bit more. As I got closer, he took off again and I thought I lost him. With about a half mile to go, on a section of trail going up hill and covered with roots, I saw Mike go down. I stopped and offered him my hand but he said he was ok and to go on ahead and said something like this just isn't my day. I felt bad for him that he had fallen. Got going again and before I knew it I was done.

Got some food and waited for Jenny and Sean who soon came across the line looking surprisingly strong. Hung out for a bit more and had a beer before packing up and heading home.

As we were leaving, asked someone to get a picture of the three of us:

SPLITS:

8:31 - Started off on the road with the 25k'ers
9:46 - turned onto the off road, sugary sand here
9:39 - back through starting area and ditched long sleeve shirt
8:27 - Start of first big loop
8:56
8:46
8:13
8:22
8:52
8:09
9:24 - Bathroom break took longer than expected
8:48
7:59
8:05
8:56
8:25
8:56
8:24
8:14
8:12 It was sometime around here where I fell down
8:58
10:02 Back through start area, refilled accelerade bottles
8:56
8:35
8:52
8:21
9:28 Grabbed some more m&m's at aid station
9:13
8:41 Must have been some downhill here
9:04
9:11
1:47 (0.19 @ 9:25)

Ship/Shore then ready for 50K

2012-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

The new year is flying by already. It feels like I just posted my mileage wrap up for the year just yesterday, but 10 days has gone by already.

MONDAY: 5 mi 00:43 08:30 pace

Later that same day of my last post, Monday January 2, we left on a 6 day cruise with planned port visits of Key West, Belize and Cozumel. The cruise started out of Tampa because the boys had seen the ships leave from there when we visited the aquarium, Thomas requested a cruise that stopped in Key West, Andy was ok with anything. The day started out a bit windy and cool with a smooth slow ride through the ship channel, then through Tampa Bay on the way out to the Gulf.

12th Deck of Ryndham

TUESDAY: 5.54 mi 00:46 08:18 pace

The first full day at sea was pretty rough out. I managed to get in a run on the treadmill. They had a nice track on the 6th deck outside which circled the entire ship, 4 laps to a mile, but had a sign that said "No Jogging" (although the sign on our ship did not say PLEASE, just NO JOGGING).

The treadmill wasn't too bad. The ship was rocking but I soon forgot about it.

We were supposed to spend some time in Key West, but as we were getting ready to pull in, the captain announced that due to the wind we would not be able to dock there. We were close enough to land to get cell service so I had a little bit of time to check my email while we were in sight of where we were supposed to go.

The ship continued to pitch and roll and I was mostly ok, until later that night while at dinner (which Jenny and Thomas were unable to go to due to not feeling well) it finally got to me and I had to excuses myself before the main course, although Thomas was fine and ate all of his dinner (salmon).

WEDNESDAY: no running

This day was scheduled as an at-sea day. I did not run. After breakfast at the buffet with the boys I figured I had better get signed up for our tours, especially the zip lining in Belize. I was way too late, it was all filled up and I was totally bummed out (no one else was happy either) that I had procrastinated and let everyone down. I often get away with procrastinating and in some rare circumstances it often works out for the best. Maybe not so much this time (although you never know). Jenny suggested I look for my Dad to see if he had signed us up since he talked about doing the zip line tour. I called him and left a message then went to go look for him. I wandered the ship a bit and stopped back by the tours desk to see if he had signed us up - nope. I eventually ran into my Mom in the library, then my Dad showed up, too. We stopped back by the tours desk and talked to the travel agent about some other options as well as things to do in Cozumel. I spent way too much time doing this and worrying about it. Eventually, found Jenny and the boys again. Andy said he was interested in Cave Tubing in Belize and Rock climbing/ropes course/snorkeling trip in Cozumel. So, after worrying and wracking my brain, the actual answer took all of five minutes.

Thomas with anchovy at Lido buffet

THURSDAY: no running

This was port visit to Belize day which we would be doing the cave tubing tour. I didn't bring my camera (phone) due to too many unknowns (in hindsight a disposable waterproof camera would have been perfect).
So, I'll just post some stock pictures of Belize cave tubing

The water was cool but not cold or freezing. It was also clean and clear. Inside of the cave was dark but we each had hardhats with lights. A guide had us link up our tubes then steered us through the river as it went through. There was a nice 25-30 minute hike to the start of the tubing part which went through the rain forest.

After the tubing, was a decent lunch and then the bus trip back (about an hour and a half). The bus trip out included some commentary from the tour guide with many jokes, some of which weren't that funny, especially for a first time visitor to Belize - such as saying that we needed our passports on us, telling one passenger they weren't coming back, and the description of the Belize prison that we drove by. Ok, they weren't that bad, but also weren't the best.

FRIDAY: 7.24 mi 01:02 08:29 pace

Our excursion into Cozumel was not until 1:00 p.m. and since I was up pretty early I decided to run a little bit longer. So, this would be my long run for the week.
Today was probably the best day of the cruise. We met up on the pier with the group (our ship, the Ryndham at 55,000 tons looks tiny next to the Carnival Magic docked next to us)

and took a short, 20 minute ride to a place on the water that had rock climbing walls, rappelling, rope bridges, and then snorkeling. It was very well organized and the staff kept you moving the whole time.

After the climbing stuff there was a snorkeling portion where we saw lots of fish.

Also included, was a drink at the bar/restaurant on the beach.

Then, back to the ship.

SATURDAY: 6 mi 00:47 07:54 pace

I woke up pretty early again, or so I thought. Clocks went back to Eastern time so I started my run at 7:00 instead of 6:00. I picked up the pace a few times so the average was a little higher.

This was an at sea day. Did some swimming in the pool, watch "Return of the King" to finish up the Lord of the Ring movies, played Scrabble with Andy, Thomas, and my Mom - and Thomas won (his first time ever playing).

For dinner, we ate together in the dining room, the 4 of us and my parents at the same table. Baked Alaska for dessert (my first time ever having that).

I set an alarm to wake up the next morning at 6:00 so we could have breakfast and get off the ship at 7:45. Just one slight problem. When my alarm went off, we were not near shore at all. I thought we would be close since it takes a couple of hours to go through Tampa bay, up the ship channel and dock. Oh, well. I got into the shower, showered, then Jenny got in. I soon realized that my phone had switched to GMT (5 hours early) due to picking up the "Cellular at Sea" signal. Knocked on the bathroom door to tell Jenny the bad news. Tried to get back to sleep, but neither one of us had much luck.

SUNDAY: no running

Disembarking went smoothly because Jenny had signed us up for the express disembarking, pretty much just walk right off the ship. Customs were easy, and we got our car quickly and drove home through the very light early morning Sunday traffic.

The last and most important part of the trip: Picking up Sammy from the kennel

Back to work!

Keeping the running fairly low key this week -
Monday - 7.5 miles (7 at the Y plus another 0.5 at Jenny's boot camp)
Tuesday - 6.3 miles easy
Wednesday - 5 miles easy (just missing the rain, warm and breezy morning)
Thursday - 6 miles, a little faster (8:05 pace)

CROOM ZOOM 50K this Weekend (SUNDAY)

My first 50K race will be this Sunday and it will be my first big trail race ever. Jenny asked what my goals were and I really hadn't thought too much past wanting to run at a faster pace than my practice run up there a few weeks ago. Anyway, since I'm not used to paces vs. finish times for a 50K I wrote a few down that are within my realm:

4:15 - 8:12 (pace) - I think I'd really have to be feeling great, would need a good number of sub-8:00 miles

4:30 - 8:41 (pace) - This one is a little more attainable but still very challenging

4:45 - 9:10 (pace) - I'm pretty sure I can do this one, although on my practice run, the 9:00 miles towards the end felt challenging, but that had been a long day

5:00 - 9:39 (pace) - I should really try to break 5 hours, otherwise I'm not sure if I'd feel like I put in what I was capable of

5:15 - 10:08 (pace) - still a faster pace than what I did the training run in, I guess I'll save this one in case things aren't going well because if it turns sucky it helps to concentrate on a goal to help keep going, hopefully it won't turn sucky. I'm pretty sure it won't.

Just finish it. Hopefully it won't come to this but if it does then it does and I am going to finish it!!

The race will start at 7:00 am so I shouldn't need to wear a light. At one point, it looked like they were going to change it to 6:00, but then they decided to allow either start time - 6:00 am to start with the 100K racers, and 7:00 am to start with the 25K racers. Jenny and Sean are going to get there early and start at 6:00, and I'll get there a little bit later to start at 7:00.

I'm not too nervous about this race because I can't afford to worry, since the 100K is coming up in just one month - that's the one I'm worried about! (but not too much because it almost seems surreal - i.e. I'm not getting my head wrapped around the distance).

New Year

2012-01-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I posted a map showing where I could have run to based on the miles I ran. This past year I ran about 2016 miles, which is enough to go from Tampa to Flagstaff

2011 began shortly after driving back from a great visit to Jenny's parents in Texas. Unfortunately, as we were leaving I picked up a cold that decided to hang around for a while. So, training wise it was pretty tough to keep my miles where I wanted them to be but I somehow managed.

Training continued as the Boston marathon approached but I was wearing myself down and setting myself up for an injury, which happened one week before the marathon. I didn't think it was so bad at the time.
But, that one decided to hang around for a while, too.
I cut back in miles for May and continued cutting back more into June until I decided to basically stop running until I got better.

That didn't happen all by itself. Eventually I went to see a doctor and then started physical therapy. I was also going twice a week to Jenny's boot camp class.

Eventually I started to run again and then finally by the beginning of October the pains that had curtailed my running were pretty much gone. I ran a 10K, Komen Race for the Cure, 41:55 - faster than I had run since Boston and just two minutes away from my 10K PR.

In November, I ran the Turkey Trot 10K in Clearwater (39:55) and came within seconds of my 10K PR.

Then finally, in December ran the Pasco Sheriff 5K that Kathryn was the race director for, and to my surprise I PR'd and won the race with a time of 18:34

The miles for the year went something like this:

Jan              277

Feb              261

March            263

April            127

May              115

June              29

July              13

August            83

September        165 

October          195

November         226

December         257

So, running wise I was somewhat back to normal, and in some ways stronger, although with a much different outlook on running. From the numbers it looks like nothing has changed really, and maybe it hasn't, we'll have to see what 2012 brings, hopefully some good things. Although I have yet to come up with any resolutions.

Also, in 2011, I finally got over my fear of not running on the road or other hard surfaces. I did a couple of trail runs over the summer, then started doing them on my own and then sometimes I would also run on the grass alongside the road to simulate running on a trail.

There were many challenges in 2011 but there were good things also. Here's hoping for better things in 2012 - although there will always be challenges of course. Hope doesn't make things happen but it does keep you going. You really need both, hope and something else whether it is hard work, patience, understanding, or learning.

Damage fixed, Big Run, Christmas

2011-12-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

This post in not in any order of importance, but is just in chronological order of some recent events:

Damage Fixed
Big run on the trail at Croom
Christmas

Damage Fixed:

Finally fixed, the bathroom is put back together again, just a few days before Christmas, with one last trip from the plumber, it went from this

To this:

and this

Big Run on the trail at Croom:

Dec 24th big run. I'm signed up for the Croom Zoom 50K in January, my first 50K and first big trail run (I did a trail 5K in 2002, does that count?) -

Run stats - 32.24 mi   05:48 10:47 pace 

This particular course avoids the big hills that the fall and spring races here run on but there is some pretty good rolling stuff. Never having run up here before I wanted to get a feel for the course.

I had wanted to get in 20 miles and I was originally going to try and just follow the course as best I could. But, Sean mentioned that he saw some people from FL Ultra runner's group were meeting at 5:00 to run 3 loops on the Croom Zoom course.

So, I woke up at 3:25, left the house at 3:44, and got there about 4:40.

Starter loop and loop 1
We did the "starter loop" then one full loop (with a slight detour added),so a total of about 12.5 miles so far. There were a few spots on that first loop where I wasn't sure how well I was going to be doing for the day, going through some deep sand, having a hard time seeing and avoiding the roots while it was dark out, and I was needing a bathroom stop with about two miles left before we got back to the parking lot.
The pace was pretty easy for the first loop, about 11:35 or so which included periodic walk breaks to go up a hill or to decide whether or not we were still on the right trail.

Loop 2

Tagging along on the Croom Zoom Loop

I did a quick pit stop at the start area, then started on the next loop. Now it was light out and a picked up a few more people that wanted to run with the group but did not want to start at 5:00. On the second loop is where I pulled out my iPhone to snap a few pictures because I'm not the best writer, a few pics never hurt even though I'm not the best photographer. The pace was a little bit quicker and the running was a lot easier now that it was light out. By the end of the second loop the pace was just a little slower than 11:00 pace.

Loop 3
After the second loop I drank some muscle milk - I had planned on refilling my drink bottles with Accelerade but had left one of them at home. Oh, well - two 10 oz bottles of Accelerade and 3 gels would have to do for 30+ miles. One of the guys was heading out for the third loop so I hastily followed him back out onto the course.

Not sure if I was making a mistake or not, but after the halfway point of the last loop I felt pretty good. Picked up the pace for a few miles, then finally found my way to the end.
Couldn't believe I ran that far.

On the orange trail in Croom

The scenery was amazing (except for the first loop which was dark). Saw a pretty big deer. Andy pointed out the holes in the ground where some of the trees completely burned to the ground and then kept on burning, not even leaving a stump, just a hole in the ground. Several hunters were out so we made sure to periodically make some noise, like a "whoop whoop" or a train (whoo-whoo). Had fun running again with Andy (ran with him in Jacksonville in 2007), another Andy, Ash, Dave, Andrea, Tori, Ashley, and a couple others whose names I forget now. Some of the "rooty" sections at the beginning were a little bit tough in the dark. Couple near misses with falling and a few minor ankle rolls but nothing serious. After the run had yogurt, a cliff bar, and a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and a donut. Overall an amazing experience.

I wish I could think of more to write. Now I'm definitely ready to be back there in January for the actual race.

Ok, I can think of a little more. It was both good and bad that I ended up doing the entire race course. "They" say you shouldn't run a full marathon to train for a marathon, that 20 miles is good enough (22-24 if you really must, but not 26.2!), so I'm sure the same logic goes for 50K. So, I have taken some of the edge off of the feeling of whether or not I can complete the distance. However, I could not have allowed myself that much doubt to begin with since I'm signed up for a 100K race just a month later. But still, there was some doubt, and now that doubt is gone. Even running at a much slower pace than what I usually run it was still challenging due to the distance and that it was the distance on trails which I'm still an extreme novice.

I do have all of the pressure off of me now for training between now and the actual 50K race. I just need to keep myself from getting injured and I can do ok. But, the 100K is a different story of course. For that race, I'm pretty sure I can do the distance but I know that running it most likely will be an emotional ride and mentally challenging, perhaps more than physically. To prepare for that aspect, you need more than just running and exercise to prepare, something else is needed.

And then of course, Christmas

There was a cool new drum set for one of the kids:

And a new electric guitar for the other one:

The big huge amp can be shared between the drums and guitar (I can also sneak plugging in my bass guitar when no one is looking)

And, you can see that someone really knows me well, running gels from Hammer, PowerBar, and Gu, a Hostess Fruit Pie and Starbucks coffee!

Several pieces of running clothes including this cool shirt from Ink 'n Burn from Jenny's parents. I've been wanting one of these but didn't want to get one for myself for fear of being a copycat, but if someone else gets it for your then no worries!!

Dinner at parents house, where we exchanged gifts, enjoyed some great lobster tails for dinner that my Dad made. Andy, Jenny, and my parents enjoyed a game of scrabble.

I spent some time visiting my poor neglected boat, another big project to get done, it's going to take some work. Owning a boat, then hardly finding the time to use it and seeing it fall apart is something that should not have happened. Oh, well, just like the bathroom, time to do something about the neglect. One thing at a time.

Birthday Weekend and Stuff

2011-12-19T17:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday

So, I did not run 44km on Saturday. I did have a wonderful run though. I woke up extra early (at 4:00) but did not get started quite as early as I would have liked (4:52 or so), (but it was plenty of time to get in 19.56 miles at 8:53 pace).

I did not get lost. I stayed mainly to trails I did last week, including successfully not taking the wrong turn which sent me out of my way. I'm becoming more and more familiar each time I go.

My feet were happy in their slightly trail and road worn shoes:

Then took Thomas to bowling afterward, it was their Christmas party so no league bowling, just for fun, and parents could join, and it was "9 pin no tap", so if you got a 9 on the first ball it counted as a strike.

In the afternoon, went out to Barnes + Noble so kids could use up some gift cards.

Early in the evening, took a drive through Starkey Park where they have Christmas lights and displays, Jenny, the boys, Sammy, and I enjoyed the scene (I should have taken a lot more pictures!) - only $2 admission.

Starkey Park Christmas

Christmas party at Chris and Elizabeth's house was a lot of fun with plenty of friends and some great live Christmas music from these two wonderful singers.

Sunday

Slept in a little on Sunday as Jenny was quiet as a mouse waking up and getting ready for her run. Opened up my first gift. Jenny said to be sure and open it first thing in the morning - a gift card to Ihop. But, before I opened the card with the gift card, I saw this note which really made my day:

Took the boys to Ihop for breakfast with the gift card.

In the afternoon, a quick trip to Costco to restock the stuff we usually get from there and just for fun.

Followed by another run, ending at Jenny's gym, where Elizabeth was training and Chris was hanging out there. (A total of 7.12 miles at 8:20 pace) Finished up running and did a few sets of weights.

Then to Tijuana Flats for a beer.

Opened birthday gift from Jenny, a new pair of Brooks Launch, my most successful marathon shoes so far, thanks Jenny!

Dinner at Carabba's with the parents. All year long I kind of think of restaurants that would be fun to go to if I could pick anything. But, when the time comes to pick I draw a blank so end up going to the same places. But, I won't complain because I haven't regretted going there yet. Also, Scott, Tracy and the Suncoast running store staff were there and they bought me a glass of wine for my birthday!

And of course, in the age of Facebook, tons of birthday wishes from old friends and new friends, thank you all.

Almost Another Year/Birthday

2011-12-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

Running so far this week -

Mon - 5.93 miles at 9:15 avg, evening boot camp with Jenny

Tuesday - 10.16 miles at 8:32 avg solo run

Wednesday - no running, but evening boot camp with Jenny

Thursday - 8.09 miles, 8:05 avg with Raj and Craig

Friday - 4.14 miles, 9:06 avg with Jenny, Lisa, and Kathryn

Time sure does fly especially as the year is running out.

Sunday is the end of my 44th year and the start of my 45th year, and 1 week later...
Another Christmas is just around the corner, and 1 week later...
The celebration of 17 years of marriage and the start of an 18th year just after that
As well as the end of and start of a new calendar year at the same time

There are plans and promises and hopes and reflections on the past year. The good and the bad. There are the big things you wished you had done and then the little things you were glad you did.

It's a good time to really consider what it means to live in the present and not take things for granted that you have. The clock ticks away and the moments become days and the days add up to a year.

Here is a little thing I did, at the end of November, planted a tomato plant in the upside down planter that Jenny's Dad gave her one year.

Kind of late in the year, but I figured that there were already a few tomatoes on it and some blossoms that have since turned. With some care and some luck, the plant will survive through the one or two frosts we might get and will keep growing into the spring, just like last year's early girl I planted.

And the bigger project, which began right after Thanksgiving but should have been done about a year ago, that's coming along also and should be completely finished, finished on Wednesday after the cabinet is put back in, sink and toilet connected, and some baseboard/trim put back in place. It already smells like new construction!

And the bigger project, which began right after Thanksgiving but should have been done about a year ago, that's coming along also and should be completely finished, finished on Wednesday after the cabinet is put back in, sink and toilet connected, and some baseboard/trim put back in place. It already

smells like new construction (which is much better than what it was smelling like when it was moldy and rotting!)

Birthday wishes/hopes - With so many things in the world more important than how some 44 year old guy feels on his birthday, it seems kind of petty to worry about it. But, every year I'm always wondering the best way to celebrate, and usually I end up doing something that I might have done on any other occasion during the year like having dinner out at Carraba's with the family. But, that's ok. It doesn't have to be anything big. It's what is inside that counts, and spending time with the people that mean a lot to you. And if you can remember to live your life like every day is the start of a new year and if having a birthday is what it takes to remind you of that, then that is a wish come true and a celebration right there!

For my pre-birthday celebration, or in other words, celebration of the end of another year of living I'm going to , you guessed it, go for a run. I would like to do one of those runs where you run a mile for each year, but not this year, I'll start smaller and see if I can do 1km for each year. And, since this is for completed years, that cuts one off of the total, so only 44km to run, instead of 45.

Or maybe I'll just run 14 to 18 miles, not sure yet.

If I was going to wait until Sunday, then I would have to run 45km, and probably run it looping around the neighborhood since Jenny will be on her long run. Sunday is Jenny's long run day, and I wouldn't want it any other way, not even on my birthday. Because, on Sundays, I am the "Sunday Morning Master" as Thomas calls me, where I get out of bed (ok, I have been sneaking in a shorter run recently, but no one seems to notice too much) and make cinnamon rolls, or take the kids for doughnuts, or maybe choose your own destiny/adventure (I mean food) at Panera.

A Bird Told Me to Run

2011-12-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning - I was lying in bed just after 7:00 am. The night before I had pretty much made up my mind I was not going to run this morning. I had been up a few times earlier already and was about to fall back asleep. Jenny had left early that morning for her race where she would meet up with a bunch of friends for the Gulf Beaches Holiday Halfathon, so it would have been very easy just to stay in bed for a while longer. But then I heard something coming from one of these guys:

Sandhill Crane

They are one of my favorite Florida birds, more often than flying I usually see them rooting around on yards and golf courses like this:

But one kind of strange thing, is that for some reason these birds remind me of an episode from Bugs Bunny where he encounters Marvin the Martian who sets after him with "instant Martians" like these:

The run went pretty well. I ran on the pavement and on the grass along the road which always is a good recovery medium. I said hi to a woman putting gas in her car trying to cheer her up as I'm sure there are better ways to start a Sunday than running out of gas, having to get home somehow and come back with a gas can.

I got back home and it was a pretty quiet morning, with one boy at a friends house and the older one sleeping in. Time for some reading and a cup of coffee. Made a good dent at finishing Catching Fire , and chipped away at Lord of the Rings, which makes me keep thinking about Led Zeppelin songs ("Gollum, the evil one" - from Ramble On and "The Ringwraiths ride in black" - The Battle of Evermore).

Jenny texted me after she finished her race, a time of 1:46, but more importantly felt great after having a number of not so great feeling runs. The finisher's medal was super cool this year:

Saturday - Woke up at 4:40 with a goal of doing 18 miles and finishing by 8:00 (8:15 at the latest) so I could take Thomas to bowling. I had no one lined up to run with but I was optimistic that things would work out and I might have some adventures along the way.

2-ish mile warmup in Longleaf, coming back to my car right about 5:30 where I saw a small group getting ready for a run. Ran with Keith, Victoria, Greg, and two Jamie's. They were just going to do 6 or 7 miles then head over to Panera for breakfast and discuss the plans for their race next week in Jacksonville for the marathon there. It sounded very tempting, but I decided to stick with running this time around.

Ran to Craig and Dianes house for fluids top off. This is where I split off from the original group. Craig was going to run to Starkey park, so we decided to run there together.

Arrived at the gate of Starkey Park right at 6:27, as the park ranger was unlocking the gate to the running path. I don't think I've ever had such perfect timing (official opening time is 6:30). We ran together until I turned towards the horse corral, where there is an entrance to the off road trails.

Ran into a girl named Madeline home on break. Ran to the power lines and then south for a bit with her, before I had to turn around. Said goodbye and headed back, hoping I'd find my way back ok to get home on time. But, this is how I learn things, get a little help from someone else then try it out on my own and make a few mistakes. I think this next picture probably looks about the same as several others, but here is the spot where I was heading back by myself:

Took a couple wrong turns on the way back, corrected it but was going to be a little long. Just as I was heading back up toward the trail I needed to be on I saw someone walking towards me, it was Craig who was short cutting home, so I turned back with him and ran out of the park and into his neighborhood. He offered to let me top up my water at his house but I still had plenty so I kept on going. Headed north a little once back on Starkey Blvd then turned around for home stretch back. No plans run turned into lucky adventure.

Trying to figure out where I'm going with my running right now, had a few good unexpected races and some random runs, maybe I should set some goals. Ok, maybe I have some goals but just need to solidify them :)
running stats/summary for the week:

Monday - day off
Tuesday - 7.3 miles, 8:54 average pace, ran with Chris and Lisa
Wednesday - 6.14 miles, 9:02 avg, started with Jenny and Lisa
Thursday - 7.3 miles, 8:54 avg, cold and windy early run, ran some with Amye
Friday - 3.12 miles, 9:25 avg, solo run
Saturday - 18.05 miles, 8:34 avg, Starkey Blvd, Starkey Park, on road, off road, Keith, Jamie, Jammie, Victoria, Greg, Craig, Madeline and Craig
Sunday - 4.85 miles, 8:57 avg, sandhill crane

Jingle Bell 5K and Long Run

2011-12-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

The RACE

Pasco Sheriff Jingle Bell 5K - 18:34, new PR and 1st overall.

Was not expecting to win or PR today. In fact, I had kind of given up on running this race.

When the race was announced (the race director was our good friend Ms. Kathryn who has run with Jenny for years and has always been a huge supporter of my running as well), I clicked the "attending" button on Facebook. Then as the race approached and Jenny asked if I was going to run it and said yes, she reminded me I was planning on running 24 miles on Saturday. Yes, that's true I thought, and I probably shouldn't try and do both, maybe not the wise thing.

But, Kathryn came over for a short run with Jenny and I on Friday morning where I told her I was not going to do the race. Then I thought better of it and thought maybe I could do the race (this change of opinion had something to do with the fact that she was joking around with her kids that they should just go ahead and engrave my name on the trophy ahead of time!!).

So, whether or not it was the wise thing to do or not, I decided I would do both, run a 5K race as well as get in a total of 24 miles.

Trailed very fast high school cross country teenager for 2 miles then gradually caught up to him. There was also another guy ahead of me for the first mile, a few years older than me but pretty tough looking (he's done some Iron Mans). We were spread out 1 - 2 -3 for a while with the same sized gap between each of us. Also, there were some smaller kids who I almost tripped over at the start who passed me and were out in front for about the first quarter of a mile.

I caught up to second place guy and slowly closed the gap on the teenager. Ran next to him for a bit then started to pull away. The course was a little bit hillier than expected (as there aren't that many hills around here), but I think I used them to my advantage to recharge my speed on the downhills if I started to slip a bit.
There was one final hill right before turning into the parking lot of the New Port Richey Aquatic center, where the finish line was. I turned the corner and saw the clock which read something like 18:22, that really got me going and I pushed as hard as I could, crossed the finish line and couldn't quite believe that I had PR'd and one the race.

Thank you Kathryn L. for putting on such an awesome race and encouraging me to run it. Did some warm up before the race (jogged the course), then some strides, then did a little over a mile before awards.

Race shirt with race bib

Finish line

Gift Certificate and Trophy

Had a plate of pancakes, stuck around for the awards then headed over to Starkey Park to do the rest of my miles out on the trail.

LONG RUN

I arrived there about 10:00, it was still cool out (high 60's) but the sun was up. Did another 16.64 miles on trails (longest all trail run so far - well, almost all trail, ran about a 1/2 mile on the bike path to top off water bottles). I parked at the horse corral and ran towards the 3 mile loop,

then out past it over to the power lines where I headed North.

I came to the water crossing where Sean had seen an alligator the day we ran together back in August and I was still recovering and rebuilding (I just did 6 that day so turned back early and did not see the gator). But, with the dryness, there was only a very small water crossing (short enough to jump over), but with the size of the swamp and ponds on either side of the trail I could see how much of an obstacle this could turn into when it is the rainy part of the year.

Kept going north and got to the paved bike trail. Took a slight detour onto it to top off my water before continuing north some more along the power lines. Enters into a new park at some point. I turned onto one of the marked trails and ran on it for a while until I came to a bridge over a creek,

crossed it and the trail started to get overgrown until it disappeared.

Made my way back through some tall grass to the main power line trail which I stayed on until taking another chance on a side trail. The second one worked out better.

Ran until I had gone a little over 8 miles total then headed back the way I came (minus the first disappearing trail!).

The total distance for the day was just a little more than I did two weeks ago but I felt a bit more wiped out due to the race and the timespan. Had been on my feet and on the go since 6:45, and now it was 12:45.

I had a bottle of chocolate milk (still cold) and a Power Bar waiting at my truck along with some more water which I quickly drank and ate before heading home.

Recovered pretty well and enjoyed another bass guitar lesson where I learned a few new things (like how to tune using harmonics), but also learned about how much I have to learn. Hope I can get better at it someday!!

Also, got out the ladders and climbed up into the garage attic to get down the Christmas lights and other decorations. Brought our artificial tree inside, and in the evening Andy helped me put it up. I would leave hanging the outside lights for tomorrow as the daylight was running out.

Also, one of the toilets wouldn't stop running so I had to shut off the water and would have to head out to Home Depot to get a replacement part.

SUNDAY RECOVERY RUN
Felt pretty well ready to run again on Sunday. This was the test to see if I did too much yesterday. Wanted to just get in 5 miles. I ran along the grassy shoulder of Trinity Blvd which felt good on my legs.
5.5 miles at about a 9:02 pace.

Odds and Ends
Headed out to Home Depot and took Thomas with me. He didn't want to go but would have been way too bored to stay at home especially since his brother had gone to a friend's house for a few hours.
Bought the part for the toilet, along with a lighted Reindeer for the front yard, and some palm fertilizer for the yellowing palm tree next to the driveway.

Quick stop at Publix to get some things for dinner and the back home.

Put up the lights outside while Jenny and Andy worked on decorating the inside.

Cooked dinner (I need to do this more often!! at least once a week - I would also like to learn how to bake bread, I'm trying to expand my skill set beyond working and running).

Then, finally fixed the toilet in the evening!!

Long Run Dread, Deadlines, Neglect, Decay, and Redemption!!

2011-11-30T18:20:00.000-08:00

Friday night, looking at 14 miles the next morning. Skipped run on Friday morning, hit with long run dread. Had not had that at all since before Boston. Worried that it was a bad sign, but you can't overly worry about feelings that arrive unexpected. You just deal with them and take the best actions.

Re-potted the cutting from the rubber tree plant (which is now much taller than the original plant)

Plant from Cutting (note original plant in background)

Original Plant

I bought the original plant shortly after moving to Dallas and before getting married. It is a special plant to me.
The cutting has gotten huge. Jenny's dad bought this nice big new pot for me. I also took another cutting and started it growing:

I need to spend some time working on the original plant.

Saturday (16.62 mi 02:21 08:28 pace)
morning - the run went great. I did 16.6 miles. I figured out the problem. It wasn't long run dread but "medium long run dread" - it's a feeling where you've been climbing up and each run is getting better, faster, or farther. Then all of the sudden you have to do a run , which is still pretty long but seemingly nothing special. That was today's run. But, it did turn out special. There are no ordinary moments and no ordinary runs. It all adds up and everything has meaning.

I spent some time looking for the bathroom leak, that had been very slowly happening, just enough to ruin the tile grout, cause some mildew on the moulding and drywall, and ruin part of the vanity. The original problem leak was thought to have been plugged over a year ago. So, I fixed some drywall (my first ever attempt at that, replaced the mildewed molding, and repainted the bathroom. But the leak was still there and the mildew came back and I could feel the moisture. I talked to the plumber that was out to fix the shower and he gave me some ideas but basically told me that plumbers fix leaks, they don't find leaks. So, I looked and looked, and ripped out some rotting stuff.

I tore out the ruined section of drywall:

Then ripped out the ruined section of the vanity so I could peak underneath for signs of a leak:

I became overwhelmed and stopped and thought about what to do over a beer before I cut open the drywall from the garage side.

But, this problem had gone on too long, neglect which led to decay and would only get worse. Sometimes problems go away on their own. This one wasn't one of them. It was time to stop being overwhelmed and just fix the problem. There are people who can do this I thought, I just need to find one.

I called the plumber's office who gave me the number of a guy that specializes in finding leaks, Dave from "iFindLeaks".

So, he narrowed it down using infrared camera, a pressure gauge, and some intuitive problem solving - it reminded me of the process I go through at work to find bugs which are hiding somewhere between the hardware and software, could be either place.

So, next, made an appointment to have a contractor come out to write up an estimate to put the bathroom back in shape. Get it done and taken care of.

Sunday - (7.46 mi 01:05 08:41 pace)
did my follow up run from Saturday's long run. A little bit over 7 miles along Trinity Blvd on the grassy portion which I used to avoid, but now makes somewhat of an "off road" trail. It actually feels pretty good. Maybe feels a little slow at first but then I forget about it and the pace gets easy and feels natural.

When Jenny was at work, ran out to Home Depot and bought some outdoor plants and some new mulch to fix up some spots in the backyard, a tomato plant for the upside down pot, and a Poinsettia for the outdoor table to make it look nicer. I bribed the boys to help me carry stuff out back, weed, and plant. Oh, and also bought a replacement stone for one missing from one of the small retaining walls.

Monday morning no running. Did boot camp with some awesome sprints in the evening.

Tuesday - (7.57 mi 01:05 08:32 pace)
ran with Jenny, Lisa, and Chris. Kind of disjointed 400m repeats because we were all sort of doing our own pace. I ended up doing 7 due to miscounting. Here's the splits for the all over the place intervals:

6:31
6:35
6:40
6:54
7:05
5:20
5:47

Wednesday - (7.62 miles, 1:05:24, 8:35 average)
Met Raj at the track. I declined on the 4th mile repeat, realizing that the 400m repeats weren't nothing yesterday, especially with a couple of them being all out.
Paces for the three, 1600m repeats that I did do:

6:22
6:18
6:14

Nov 30th has been looming over my head with another work deadline. Sort of hanging over my head since just before Thanksgiving when I could feel the pressure building. But I worked at it, little by little which made me more productive and I delegated out some of the work which really made a huge difference.

Well, things don't always work out in the end, but it sure helps when we spend less time worrying and more time doing, even if just a little bit at a time. So, maybe at the end of all of this there is redemption. The long run dread becomes just a memory, the damage gets fixed, the decay cleaned up and hopefully we learn to not neglect the things that need attention.

And to make sure I end this entry on a positive note, here is Sammy enjoying a good dog's life (also, there's a little bit of Barbie in the background if you look closely)
:

Sammy Enjoying the Day

Thanks Giving Week

2011-11-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Great week and lots to be thankful for! There was family, friends, good times and of course lots of running and exercising. There is even more than that to be thankful for but I could spend forever on that, so I hope everyone knows what I mean.

Sunday - cheered on Jenny and her Mom at the St. Pete Women's Half Marathon. Drove down there with Jenny's dad, the boys, and Allie. We some how missed them at the start of the race. We saw the 2:30 pace group all the way to the tail end of the group.

Eventually saw them just after mile 7 -

I tried to chase after them for a picture of the back of their shirts (very cool shirts!)

Here's a great close up of Jenny smiling (always makes me smile when I see her smiling!)

Just up the street from this spot is a big tree great for climbing. I always stop by there with the kids. I thought maybe they were getting too old, but Thomas asked if we could go. Here he is :

Here I am with Allie

Andy in front of the tree

And a picture which looks like one very tall kid!!

I decided, that since the kids might not ever want to come back to this tree (who knows maybe they will), I decided to take my turn in it:

After the tree fun, we headed over to intercept them on the home stretch

They stuck together the whole time and neither one was wearing a watch, just wanted to enjoy the half marathon.

Monday morning, about 5 miles at 9:06 pace. Had lots of work to do, but made sure to leave in time to make it to the evening boot camp at Flex One.

Tuesday - Chris came over to run as well as Lisa, we did 6.2 miles at about the same pace (9:08 this time).

Wednesday - ran another 6.3 miles, started out with Jenny, Kathryn and Lisa for about the first mile and a half, then did the rest by myself. Then, Wednesday evening, after finishing enough of my project at work to let me know I could make the end of the month deadline, made it to Jenny's boot camp where we had extra people. It was a very demanding fitness test. I had to hold back just a little bit (especially the walking lunges), since I was going to race the next morning. Still, a little worried about whether or not I had fried my legs.

So, Thursday morning, Jenny got up early to run with some friends nearby.

I had decided to try the St. Pete Times Turkey Trot 10K, which I had never done before. Some sort of miracle happened and I did much better than expected. All I wanted was this mug, which they give to the top 125 men and women.

I wore my green silence shoes which I love for racing and often get comments about (usually good comments!)

Here's me with a group of people, some of which I kind of know. The guy with the tatoos, Mike, had a lot to do with my better than expected time. I could see him and followed him in, slowly closing the gap but never quite catching up, today was a big PR for him and his first time under 40 minutes, his goal was to just break 41 minutes. So, when I followed him to the finish line I was surprised when the clock still had a 39 on it with enough seconds to make it in time.

Race report:

Weaved through the first mile but manged 6:24 pace, 2nd mile was 6:10 and felt great. Hung on after that until I could see tattoo Mike, closed the gap a little but didn't catch him.
Mile splits:

6:24
6:10
6:28
6:35
6:31
6:23
1:24 (0.23 @ 6:00 pace)

Got out-kicked at the very end by my sports doctor (Dr. Bill Cottrell). I got a mug with 44th place. I wasn't expecting to do so well after Jenny 's hard core boot camp last night - or maybe that is why I did well, along with the shock top with my father-in-law after the boot camp!

2,729 people ran in the 10K this year.

In the evening had a nice (but not over the top) dinner, with a surprise dinner guest (ok, not that much of a surprise, but still nice!!)

Here is my mom and Jenny's dad catching up

And finally for after dinner, Thomas enjoying a cup of decaf coffee

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Friday - I did not run. Jenny did a short run on trails and her knee finally seems to be getting almost back to normal, combined with running on the softer trail surface instead of the roads.

So, I'm thinking that my running feels different these days. I can't quite explain it.

New Trails

2011-11-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

Woke up at 4:40 a.m. on Saturday, let Sammy out and noticed that it was raining, but fortunately it stopped the by the next time I was outside.

Met Keith and Greg at Longleaf and we headed up Starkey Blvd, then we ran to Diane's house for a quick stop before continuing into Starkey Park. We planned to keep a pace around 8:45, but it ended up being 9:10. At one point I asked if it was too slow for them, but they said no. It was fine with me since I was planning on trying for 22-24 miles today.

We got into the park and ran on the paved bike trail for a bit. Not long before we split up, Keith had turned back and said, "hey, look a rainbow!" (looked much nicer, but it's the best I could do with an iPhone)

Just before the power lines I stopped to top off my water, then was on my own. Turned left at the power lines and headed north.

It was a beautiful run, nice weather, peaceful, new scenery and lots of wildlife (but nothing dangerous).
I soon found a nice shaded dirt road which I was pretty sure headed to the park I was trying to get to

Got to SR 52 and the official park entrance.

Also, across the road, there was a Publix which could come in handy if I'm ever low on gatorade or something:

ran through the park up, stopping briefly to look at a map

there before heading back. The trail signs I had seen on the way up now made sense to me. It's funny how things are like that, how the details don't make as much sense until you've seen the big picture

The run back was just as good as the run up. Better in some ways since I knew exactly where I was going so I could better take in the scenery around me. I saw more birds, and more deer and was also grateful that it was a north/south route, so the trees to the left of me made a nice block to the rising morning sun.

So, I ended up with a little extra, beyond the 22-24 miles that I had hoped for, but with the slower paced 9 miles at the start figured I should be ok. But, it was all worth it since I was able to see some place new. It was almost like being in another world for the 12 miles on the trail north and then back to the usual and familiar paved bike path.

After the run, stopped by the Striders area where Karen and David offered me a muscle milk (thanks!) and was able to get a ride back to Longleaf (thanks Denise!). Also, thanks go to Jenny 's parents for taking Thomas to bowling so I could go a little extra this morning. I'll find out tomorrow if I ran this too fast or too far, hopefully not!
(I'm going to cut back a bit on miles next week)

Oh, and here is a very shaky video I took while running on the way back:

Unplanned Tempo

2011-11-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the best things are not planned!!

This morning I did a tempo run which I hadn't planned on, but the opportunity came up to run with someone else who was doing a pace and distance that worked for me and another guy joined us, someone who was in town on business. He didn't speak any English but understood a little. Viviano was very fast but also had a humility about him that made you instantly like him. One of the other runners in the group spoke Spanish so could translate a little for us.

My mom had her procedure on Tuesday which went well, so that is one less thing to worry about for now. She was in good spirits afterward.

Jenny's parents are on their way out for Thanksgiving and for the Women's Half Marathon in St. Pete this Sunday. It will be great to see everyone and I can't wait to cheer them on this Sunday. Being a runner myself gives me extra appreciation when I cheer people on and makes it as rewarding as running the race itself in some ways.

Wednesday

(10.07 mi, 01:25:14, 08:27 pace, plus 1 mile at boot camp in the PM)

Started with Jenny and Lisa R. out to the water stop, then said bye and headed out for some more miles.
This was a much better run for Jenny than the last time we ran together. Lisa's knee has been a bit bothersome also so she kept it short also. But it felt like summer when it seemed like we all ran together every day.

I did some of the run along the grassy part along Trinity Blvd again. I'm starting to really appreciate it.

I only had time for some really quick stretching and mobility exercises, no weights or pull-ups or stuff like that. Was ready and out the door in less than half an hour to drop Andy off at his bus stop. I did forget my workout clothes for boot camp tonight but Jenny is good about bringing them if I've forgotten.
Received the extension bar I ordered for the pull-up bar I got for my office. I had bought it because it was half off and it does not need to screw in to the frame. Still came out ahead even with the extra cost of ordering the bar (Iron Gym). It's also good to hang from for a good stretch. Sitting for most of the day is not a good way to improve athleticism!!

Went out about lunch time to meet Jenny and Thomas for a doctor appointment for Thomas which he was not happy about. Although I'm glad I went because when I asked him the night before if he wanted me to go he said he did - oftentimes he is very non-committal (e.g. "I don't know", "maybe"), but this time it was a definite yes.

PM - went to boot camp which was about 1 hour and included about 1 mile of running.
Thursday

(7.23 mi 00:53:00, 07:19 pace)

Originally I was planning on just doing an easy 6 mile run from home, but one the people I was going to run with had to cancel and I knew the other person was probably iffy so I cancelled on her and took up Raj on a late invite for tempo run starting out at Longleaf.

1.5 mile warm up then 5 miles between 6:38 and 6:51.
splits: 6:48, 6:50, 6:51, 6:39, 6:38

Also ran with Viviano from Puerto Rico. He had no problem keeping up - it was a medium pace run for him. On the fourth mile I felt really strong, but felt a little bit lagging on the last mile and the other two guys were picking it up. I didn't want to make it a race so I dropped back just slightly but not far at all.
Cool down about .7 miles. A bit warm for a tempo run, but you get what you get.

Once I got home, as I got out of the car, the sky was a very brilliant pink. In fact, it wasn't just the sky, it seemed to be the air itself, but it must have really just been the sky. I couldn't quite capture what I saw with my iPhone camera, it was a bit lighter than what the pictures show below:

A little bit after that a heavy rain came rolling in.

Big weekend and big week ahead! Lots of challenges, lots of fun things, work family, life, it's all good. Once again - looking forward to watching Jenny and her mom at the Women's Half!! And then joining in all of the post race festivities and enjoying the family time together going into Thanksgiving Day when we'll have everyone over to all give thanks.

Monday/Tuesday Runs

2011-11-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

We've been going between cool, almost cold and then back to warm and humid. The humidity in the air made me think of science fair project and clouds - although those were clouds in a bottle like this -

MONDAY RUN

6.65 miles, 55:04, 8:16 pace

Ran by myself this morning. I made two attempts to get people to run with me. Jenny says I should do a better job about getting people to run with. It is sometimes nice to run by yourself to enjoy the solitude. I wasn't entirely motivated to run this morning but was glad once I was outside with the almost full moon and stars which would soon fade and be replaced with a clear morning sky.

I ran out and back to Trinity Blvd and then continued on the grass next to the shoulder. I realized on Friday that this was actually a great place to run because it is kind of like running on a trail. It varies between flat and grassy, to gravelly, sometimes very flat and sometimes uneven. The trails in Starkey Park are very nice but it doesn't open til 6:30 so I can't always get there, just on the weekends if scheduling permits.

After my run I did some of the usual post run stretching/mobility exercises along with some push-ups, weighted pull-ups, presses, curls, and walking up and down the stairs 5 times carrying the 25 lb dumbbells. Oh, and then some step ups on and off the bed. That is all.

TUESDAY RUN

6.02 mi 00:58 09:40 pace

Nice relaxed run with Chris H. in the neighborhood using the classic t-route. Humid out but it actually felt kind of nice. Made the morning extra dewy, kind of misty out.

We had a slight chance of Lisa joining us. Jenny is thinking of running tomorrow and Friday since she'll be up early anyway. Hope she has some good runs this week. We haven't had very many for a while although her Sunday runs usually turn out well - except for the one a week before her marathon.

It was a good opportunity to slow things down today. My easy run paces have been getting faster but that can be kind of dangerous and sometimes meaningless. I'm happy that my runs have been feeling good. I've been keeping the pressure off of myself. But eventually I need to do some races to see where I'm at.
Going to go a bit longer tomorrow and try to get in some good miles for the week.

This morning's run didn't look like this but somewhere on the inside it felt like this and I think that's what counts more, right?

A Nice Fall Weekend

2011-11-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

Friday

(Pretty much just a repaste from Daily Mile entry)
5.42 mi, 00:44, 08:08 pace
Ran alone in the neighborhood. I went outside this morning, then right back inside to get some gloves because I didn't want to change into long sleeves. Very nice once warmed up. Enjoyed seeing the sky lighten as the sun came up. Savor these moments

Saturday

On Saturday I ran 17.58 miles in 2:25 for a pace of 8:14

I started out at Longleaf not knowing if anyone else would be there. There were a few people including two that I know, Mike and Renee. We ran together about 3.5 miles to get to Craig and Diane's house who put out drinks for runners which everyone calls "the lemonade stand". After that, continued on by myself into Starkey Park and headed towards the horse corral and beyond that to the off road trails.

Feeling more familiar, but at the same time wanting to be careful not to accidentally extend my run, I took note of which trails I turned on and the landmarks I passed. I made it out to the power lines and thought how if I had more time I could turn left (head north) and keep running and running. It was such a nice morning. Although I had started out feeling chilly (low 40's) I was soon quite comfortable. Running through Starkey park, I often feel "cold patches" where the temperature seems to drop by about 10 degrees. I saw on the ground what looked like patches of frost. Thought maybe it was just the sun's reflection off the dew, so I reached down and found actual frost, kind of weird because I didn't think it had gotten quite that cold even with the "cold patches".

Before I knew it I had gone 10 miles, it was a bit after 7:00 and I had to be back by about 8:00 in order to get Thomas to bowling at 9:00. Jenny had some early morning clients so I said I could take Thomas bowling. I don't want to stand in the way of Jenny's success at work and although she's doing awesome she is still in the building up stage. So, I didn't have to say yes but I wanted to say yes, and therefore I had to be back on time which meant I'd have to pick up the pace.

So, I turned back and kept up a decent pace but was also a bit careful since I'm still very much a newbie when it comes to off road. Made it back to the horse corral and then was able to pick up the pace a bit more.

Here's a picture of the horse corral. I didn't take this picture, but Chris H. did the next day when he ran with Jenny and Sean, but it's pretty much exactly what I saw, with the sun coming from the east lighting up the morning sky as you look back from where you just came.

So, made it back just a bit after 8:00 and rushed back home.

Took Thomas bowling.

Later in the afternoon took my first bass guitar lesson while Thomas did his drum lesson. Learning something brand new always feels a bit intimidating in some ways, when you are totally clueless about it. But, that's part of the learning and growing. The instructor, Joe, spent some time getting it tuned up including adjusting the truss bar, then went onto show me some basics and the chords from Black Magic Woman by Santana.

I've liked Santana for a long time ( I saw them once about 1987, and they were one of my first CD's I ever bought). So, it was a good song for me.

There was a bit more science fair work to do as I had kind of messed up on some of the tests. Redid them in a more methodical manner than when we worked on it last week.

Sunday

I did not run on Sunday. I had planned to but decided against it for a number of reasons:

Jenny said not to do back to back weekend runs every week, so I listened to that
My pace for Saturday's run was a little faster than it should have been.
I had 47 miles for the week already
Sammy was being snugly after Jenny left for her run with Sean and Chris.

Jenny's run went pretty well considering how she was feeling on her last run. I was glad when she didn't come home early. She was hoping for 8-10 miles, but was worried she wouldn't come close. Her knee was bothering her but it would let up at times. She kept the pace slow and easy. When she walked back in the door I could tell the run had not been a disaster since she was much happier.

There was a little more science fair stuff left for me to do, then I turned over the data, the printouts, and some pictures to Jenny and she somehow miraculously got it put all together into something pretty amazing!!

Forward Progress? - no, I don't think there was, I could be wrong though, but at least it was a nice weekend and Science Fair is over with!

Week So Far

2011-11-10T16:36:00.000-08:00

Here's how the week has gone so far -

Monday - When I woke up, my back was sore in one spot. I've had this before. It usually goes away. I decided I'd try and go to the Y and lift some weights, taking the day off from running. I warmed up on the bike once I got there, did one set of lat pull-downs and quickly realized it was not going to work very well, so I headed home.

That night, after work, I headed to boot camp and was feeling much better by then. The naproxen, and then another dose of Advil while at work helped and it was back to somewhat normal. We did about a mile of running during class, doing "Indian drills" where you run in a line and the last person in the line sprints to the front of the line. It was a lot of fun. This was the first class where it was completely dark at the start.

Tuesday - ran a "new" route (9.5 miles, 8:29 pace), from my house to the Y and back. Actually not really new, but it had been so long since I did this run it felt like new. My back was pretty much back to normal and it was a nice morning out for a run. When I got home I thought to myself "Happy to be alive" today.

Wednesday -(6.48 miles, 8:26 pace) - I was surprised when Jenny said she was going to run with Kathryn for a few slow miles. I was going to start out with them and run maybe a mile or so since I often start out my runs pretty slow and it doesn't bother me. We headed towards Kathryn's house and Jenny quickly realized it wasn't going to work out. I ran towards Kathryn's house, saw her, then we headed back towards Jenny. I said goodbye then kept on going by myself.

After the run, I did a few weights around the house including some weighted pull-ups with a 25 lb. dumbbell. I also tried one rep with Thomas hanging from my back. I almost made it but not quite.

I downloaded and then watched a live version of this song I had heard and thought was really great called "Keeping Warm" by We Were Promised Jetpacks, it's a pretty powerful song, but it is also long and takes about halfway through to get to the words. The premise of the song is that the odds of any of us ever being born are so slim we should take heart at being born. And for some reason, thinking about keeping warm and being born reminded me of when each of the boys was born, and how they put little hats on babies to keep them warm and their whole life is ahead of them. It kind of brought a tear or two to my eye. I was also captivated by the bass guitar line. The sound quality is kind of poor in this video but there are better ones out there.

In the evening after work, I headed over to Jenny's boot camp again. Great class as usual and a great way to end the day.

Thursday - 7.2 miles at 7:21 average pace, tempo run (I just remembered how hard those are, how discouraging mile 2 or some other mid mile can feel, but that's what it's there for right?) at Striders group run. I did 4 miles at a tempo pace - splits of 6:48, 6:52, 6:45, 6:36

Short cool down after that to put the total at just over 7 miles.
It was nice to see a few friends after - Mike, Raj, Diane, Barb, Melanie, Rudy and Randy (the PTs) and many more.

Got home fairly early and saw Dave out front - he was putting in a tree in our front yard to replace a bush I planted a while ago. Went over where it was going to go. I went back inside and then Andy asked from the bathroom "Hey Dad, why is the water off?"

I went outside and saw water bubbling up from the ground. Dave shut off the water, finished extricating the bush and said he'd be able to fix it all. Someone (me) had planted that bush too close to the water main, d'oh.
Andy finished his shower by rinsing off in the pool. Fortunately, Jenny did not have any morning clients. Thomas and I took a dip in the chilly pool to wash up.

Later in the morning, Dave had finished putting in the tree, hauled off the old bush, and had the water fixed, yay!

It's life.

Weekend Plans:
Friday - short easy run, in to work early, home early
Saturday - I'm going to do a long run from 5:30 to 8:00, I'll run on paved road/trail and then some inside Starkey park, however many off road miles I can fit in there. Have to get back in time to take Thomas bowling. Then, in the afternoon I go for my first bass guitar lesson, right before Andy does his guitar lesson. I hope I can get the hang of it this time. I love hanging out at the music lesson place - Ramblin' Roades, and the instructor is great, always enjoy listening to him play when I'm waiting for the boys.

Sunday - short easy run around the neighborhood.

Question I hear, "Are you back to where you used to be?" I'd say yes and no. I think physically I'm close but at the same time I don't want to be exactly where I was before I had to take some time off. I want to be better than that. A little bit stronger and more well-rounded. One problem I had identified, something that is common that happens to many runners, they lose their athleticism - in my mind, the ability to jump, and move on different planes, to feel strong and capable, to feel agile and quick. The image in my mind when I think of an athlete is a pole vaulter. I'm not planning on doing any pole vaulting anytime soon, but it's that concept and image and everything involved with that.

Inspiration - Walter is a runner I've know of, although I don't really know him. I've always known he is fast, but just recently found out his story. He is a friend I know from Daily Mile. He has run a PR marathon of 2:31 and is competing in the masters national championship. What I didn't know was about the terrible car accident he had been involved in during the early 90's. He broke his pelvis in 32 places after being hit by a drunk driver. He was paralyzed for a while and doctors never thought he would be able to recover fully. Here is his story:

Forward progress? - not sure, but I know I need a vision and plan, but there certainly is inspiration all around!!

BIG WEEKEND

2011-11-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

BIG WEEKEND O' STUFF

Lots of stuff went on between Thursday night and this morning. I could never do justice to everything that happened but at least if I put down a few notes it will be enough to help remember some of the details in between. After all, it's sometimes more important about all the little stuff in between.

Friday -

Morning - up early, saw Jenny off on her trip, thought about scratching my run due to rain, then went out for a short and fast run. I ended up doing an impromptu 5K in just under 20 minutes, with the last .11 kind of jogged. I was kind of spent afterward so I didn't do any weights at home like I sometimes do on Fridays.
Later morning - saw the kids off to school and headed to work
Afternoon - left work to go pick up Thomas, got home just in time as Andy was coming home
We headed back to work, I did some work, then we had dinner at Wendy's. There was a hearing impaired couple in front of us and due to miscommunications between them and the worker it took about 20 minutes before we could order. The husband and wife both had special orders and the workers kept on messing it up. The husband was getting angry, the wife was getting frustrated, and the worker at the counter was getting scared and exasperated. I could see the couple angrily signing towards each other. I thought the whole place was just going to explode. Finally it was over and we were next. Andy forgot to mention no mayonnaise on his burger, so when he got it he just wiped it off with a napkin, he did not want to say anything after what we just saw.
Headed back home to hang out for a bit. Ran out to Target because I wanted an armband so I could run with my iPhone. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any race updates.
I felt really wiped for a bit and just kind of collapsed on the floor. Then I got a second wind and joined the boys upstairs for video games. I was finally starting to understand Andy's new game Portal which he got for his birthday. It is a maze/problem solving game.
There was a message from my mom on the answering machine so I called her back, she said she had some "news"
She had been to the dermatologist, needed a biopsy and was hoping to have everything all cleared up by today but things were a little more complicated than that and still had some more to go through. Hopefully it will all turn out ok. She had gone there on sort of a spur of the moment since she doesn't usually go, but my dad does. I'm glad that she went.
I had texted Jenny a few times throughout the day as she was driving to Savannah with her friends, busy with the driving, the race expo and then getting checked into the hotel room. I wished I was with her. She called in the evening and talked for a bit which was nice to hear her voice. Wished her good luck once again. From what I could see, her running has been feeling very flat since the 50K, along with work stress and the loss of Barbie, and much, much more. Wasn't sure what was going to happen. Would race day magic be on her side? We are all stronger than we think we are and are capable of much more than we know. I would have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

Saturday -

Woke up about 4:30, wanted to start running by 5:00, spent way too much time screwing around with the iPhone armband, before I gave up on it and just put my phone in the water belt pouch.
Headed out for the run, then texted Jenny about 5:45, didn't want to wake her but didn't want to miss her. Here she is getting ready to start the race, the outfit captures her essence! -
I kept a nice, easy pace. I saw a few runners I knew and was also looking out for my friend Raj who was a possibility to run with (but it turns out he didn't run).
I stopped by "Craig and Diane's lemonade stand" I was just in time before it closed. I had missed Diane, but Craig was still there about to leave for his bike ride. They put out stuff every Saturday for the runners who want to stop by, so nice of them!
I made it into the park just a little bit after it opened and then headed to an off road trail loop course, doing about three miles. I did not get lost. The off road felt great but I had to slow down quite a bit since it was so dark and I didn't want to go screaming through the trails, and then either fall down or get lost, I couldn't afford to do either one.
Got back on the road and headed home as it was getting light. My pace picked up but I was able to keep it feeling light and easy. With a few miles left, started to receive text updates from Jenny's race. She was on her way!
Home in time, took the kids to bowling. Glued to my phone, waiting on updates. She kept on nailing her splits. She was hanging with the 3:40 pace group. I was so happy that she was going for it.
Stopped by Walmart to return something and pick up a few things and Andy found a new game to buy with his own money. Finally, Jenny's final time came in - 3:48!
As the splits between 5K and 20 miles arrived, and she hit each one perfectly, I knew that I would have no idea on how things would turn out. 20 miles to 26.2 to a spectator just tracking numbers is a big black hole. It's the critical part of the race, some people say it's the "real" race and the first 20 miles is a warm up. I didn't now how she was feeling or holding up or what the conditions felt like. Here's a picture a friend took in the finish chute -
So, the race was over, she had held down and stayed in the 3:40's. It can be so discouraging to have to slow down, but can also feel good to know that you fought through it and did not give up. So proud of her. Couldn't wait to see how she felt. After a while, exchanged a few texts for some updates, she had some troubling finding her friends but she did get to see Melinda and was able to see Elizabeth cross the finish line.
Took the boys to music lessons, and after the lessons were done I talked to Andy's teacher and asked about bass guitar lessons for me. Felt kind of awkward asking but was glad I did. Andy and his teacher are both excited about it because then we can work on the same songs, that would be really cool especially if I get to play in one of the monthly contests. Jenny bought be the bass years ago for Christmas. I was so excited to get it and tried to play it but couldn't get the hang of it and unfortunately did not persist through the feeling dumb stage, so I gave up and it sat collecting dust. I've always wanted to get back to it "someday" which I am told is not actually a day of the week.
As I was leaving a got a text from Jenny and then the phone rang. She had been trying to call me for half an hour but the phone reception for me in the music lesson place is terrible I get either one bar or "no service". Talked to Jenny for a bit but I had a hard time hearing her and kept on having to ask her to repeat things. I must have sounded like a terrible listener but I was glad she called and we were able to chat a bit.
Took the boys out to Brick Oven Pizza.
Worked on Tom's science fair project. Finally was able to get a good seal using a grape juice bottle (64 oz), a sports ball needle, and a hot glue gun for cloud in a bottle:
Last week I was going to run with Sean on Sunday and do 16 miles, then decided to do my long run on Saturday so I could keep Sunday open. The boys wanted to go to Universal for one last trip before the passes expire. Planned to leave the house at 8:00. Was going to run about 6 miles on Sunday morning from home and then decided I could run the trails at Starkey with Sean for some miles and still get back home in time to leave at 8:15.
Weeded the square foot gardens, trimmed the robelini palm (ouch!), and took down Halloween decorations.
Texted Jenny a few more times in the evening.
Just before going to bed noticed that it was time to change the clocks, grateful for the extra hour of sleep.

Sunday

Up nice and early and arrived at Starkey park gates about 6:15, but they were not open yet. Waited until almost 6:30 when they opened, Sean had pulled up behind me so we arrived at the parking lot together.
There was a possibility of one more person showing up so we waited just a few minutes then got going.
Sean was going to be doing a big run and I was just looking for about 6 miles. Parts of the trail had been tilled so it was very loose and deep in those sections and a little bit slow going but not terrible since most of the trail was pretty nice.
We ran 4.5 miles together, then he pointed me towards the way back with some landmarks to look for. It worked almost perfectly. I made a wrong turn toward the very end and ended up with just over 7 miles.
Got home a little bit later than planned but the boys were all ready so we ended up hitting the road at 8:33 instead of the planned 8:15.
Stopped at McDonald's for a second breakfast, then onto Universal!!

The boys on the way into Universal

I don't know how I managed it but I caught them both smiling while waiting in line for the Harry Potter ride.

I'm trying to look like something is hanging over my head so to speak. Didn't quite achieve the look I wanted, just look a little angry instead :(

We were pretty much done with what we wanted to do and the boys didn't want to get home late so we got going about 2:00

Stopped at the store on the way home. Jenny had said she was good with eating at home, so I got some steaks and things.
Dinner was sirloin, asparagus, grilled portabellos, and roasted potatoes and salad.
Nice way to end the weekend, sitting down for a nice dinner and hearing more about Jenny's marathon in Savannah!

So, what does it all mean? Lots of little things and big things going on. It went by so quickly, there was a lot to do and a lot to think about. Definitely no time to be bored. No big plans for me other than to enjoy the weekend doing things with family and friends. Doing my best and hoping it's all worthwhile. I guess it is what life is all about.

Mid Week Reflections

2011-11-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

RUNNING

This morning I ran a little bit over 9 miles. I did not run yesterday, had an early morning flight to catch for a 1 day business trip. I thought about waking up at 4:30 instead of 5:00 and getting in at least a short run, but thought better of it. I'm still in the building stage.

I did weights at the Y on Monday instead of running. I haven't been there in such a long time and we were thinking of cancelling the membership there. The kids barely go especially now that Tae Kwon Do has moved from being held in the Y. Jenny works out at Flex One (when she has a chance to). I have some weights at home but like to lift heavy sometimes. The heaviest we have at home is 25 lb dumbbells.

Tuesday I ran a little over 10 miles by myself. Running weather has been incredible.

Adjusting

This has been a week of adjusting. Our remaining dog, Sammy, for the first time in his life does not have other dogs around. He was fostered on a farm which took care of something like 25 dogs or so. He didn't have the best care there, but was around a lot of dogs. When we got him, he was very hot from infections including a couple different kinds of worms.   Since then, he has lived with his two "sisters". He had one dog to push around (Chelsea), but for whom he also looked out for. Kind of an odd relationship from a human perspective.

We lost Chelsea toward the end of September. Now, Barbie has passed also. Monday was his first day "alone".   No dogs around, Andy off to school, Jenny off to work, then Thomas and I off to school and work until Jenny is able to come home again. Repeat Tue, Wed, Thu.

One of the few certainties in life is that things will change, we can either adjust and move forward or do nothing and see how that works out for us (probably not very good).

Jenny's advice to help Sammy move forward - lots of walks! I think I will definitely listen to that one.

GOOD LUCK JENNY

At the Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon!! Her sixth marathon unless you count the 50K that she did (not sure what the "rules" are on that one, certainly counts to me).

No time goal for this race, but a lot of good things can happen over the course of 26.2 miles.

I'll be running Saturday morning at some of the same times while she is running and will have my phone with me eagerly awaiting text alert updates.    I remember doing this for her first half marathon in Disney, it's exciting when you hear the text sound, stop look and see where she's at.

Letting Go

2011-10-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY EVENING

After I got home from work and had dinner, went out to the store to buy a new light to wear while running and a few other things and a small package of smoked salmon. Barbie had been refusing to eat almost anything. She started out the week being able to eat a half a can of dog food but then ate less and less each day. Salmon is one of her favorite foods. She ate a couple small pieces.

SATURDAY MORNING

Ran up Starkey Blvd to the park and back with Raj. I forgot to set my alarm but woke up when Raj texted me to say that he was running late. Started at 6:00 instead of 5:45, so not too bad. Light rain most of the run but pleasant. We ran a little over 14 miles together.
Then, I had to hurry off to take Thomas bowling. We were going to head to Tae Kwon Do directly from there for his belt ceremony but decided to head home instead.

LETTING GO

In the afternoon we took turns spending time with Barbie. She was not able to walk, so Jenny carried her out in the backyard. It was a nice day out. I brought her out some of the smoked salmon and to my surprise she ate all that I brought out with me, then I went back and brought some more to her which she ate, and finally had enough. (Sammy got a few bites but his favorite food is chicken, so I just took some "no thank you" bites).

I sat down with her for about an hour or so. We were laying on a beach towel below and oak tree. I petted her and listened to the rustle of leaves. I thought about how hard it is to let go. But as I listened to the wind and lay next to Barbie I thought about it.

Let go of your fear,

Let go of your worry,

Let go of the sadness,

Let go of the doubt,

Just let go,

Let go of the pain,

Let go of the anger,

Let go of the "coulda, shoulda, woulda's"

That time is past

Now just lay here, next to your old loyal brown sweet dog.

Keep the memories and the lessons, remember the richness,

Remember the love,

Appreciate the chance to say goodbye - you don't always get that,

But, just let go

Even on your last day with us Barbie, you still taught me something.

Jenny sat with Barbie, and then I took the boys to their music lessons. After the music lessons, we gathered the kids together and said it was time. So, we all went to the weekend vet together to say goodbye to Barbie. It was a sad and tough time for everyone. It's time to remember the good things, let go and move on. She will be missed. It's times like these to remind yourself to appreciate what you have before it's gone.

One of my favorite Barbie Pictures (we have a blown up black and white version of this)

Barbie and Sammy when Sammy was a puppy

Barbie almost 12 years ago around Andy's birthday - she always looked out for the kids

Sometimes You Just Need to Run

2011-10-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

BARBIE

Barbie from about a year ago, she's doing this now but does not look as good, I'd rather remember her this way.

Barbie is not doing well, she is eating less and less and her legs are getting thin. But she is still a sweet dog and interested in what is going on. I tried to get her to eat a little before I left for work this morning and to try and sneak in a pain pill. She wouldn't take the food. She doesn't outwardly act like she is in pain, but dogs are not very good at complaining, they can't tell you where it hurts. We are waiting now.

Today's Run

10.46 in 1:30:55 , average pace 8:42

Light ran this morning, actually alternating between light rain and no rain. Headed out just after 6:00 with Jenny and a group of her friends. We ran into a couple more people that we know. But shortly after that, everyone decided to turn back early because it looked like there was some heavy stuff on the radar. I was going to turn back, too. Jenny said "why? you usually don't mind running in the rain." I usually don't but there have been a few times when I wished I hadn't but if it stays nice and light.

But, almost always I need to listen to Jenny since she usually has good advice.

So, when we got to where everyone else was splitting off to go home, I kept on going and decided I'd turn back (or seek shelter) if it got really bad.

It never did get bad.

I headed a couple neighborhoods over, where I don't run much anymore. I saw my friend Raj out running. He was out doing a quick loop from the Y before lifting weights. I talked him into joining me. We talked and caught up on things. It was a bit of luck to run into him like that.

Kept the pace easy and relaxed. I had only been planning on about 6 or 7 miles this morning but ended up with a little over 10. So, take it when you can get it. It's nice when you run and it feels good, feels so good that you run more than you planned to run just because.

After the Run
Did the usual morning stuff, post-run exercises, shower, helped Thomas with a little bit of homework which he had "forgotten" about. Did a quick weight circuit. Went through three times doing:

20 "perfect" push-ups
5 weighted pull-ups with 25 lb weight
10 clean and press with 2 25 lb dumbbells

Did 7 pull-ups on the last round before it got hard. The regular pull-ups feel much easier.
Cleaned up a little bit (made bed and started a laundry load) before heading off to work.

Any forward progress yet? Maybe, it will be easier when I can look back on this to see where I've been to know where I'm going.

The 100K is now just 16 weeks out. The training is similar mileage to what I have done before but is distributed differently. I also know I have some more work to do on staying on top of the rehab strengthening to make sure I don't fall apart before, during, or after the race.

I Did Not Run Yesterday But I did Today

2011-10-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Monday morning I slept in (until just before 7:00). I woke up and took Sammy for a walk.

I did some weights at home (with the dumbbells we have laying around the house). I did something like this:

2 sets of shoulder presses 10x25lbs, super-setted with,
2 sets of bicep curls
3 sets by 25 "perfect" push-ups, with 1 set with my feet elevated, super-setted with:
3 set by 5 pull-ups with 25lb dumbbell
1 more set of pull-ups with 20 lb dumbbell
Walked up and down the stairs twice holding the two 25 lb dumbbells
1 set of 10 reps, side raises with 20 lb dumbbells

In the evening I went to Jenny's boot camp. I partnered up with a new guy which was fun to help him out a little bit since I was the "veteran".

For cardio, we did one of my favorites, which is 1 lap around the parking lot (about 1/4 mile) followed by 50 jump ropes, repeated 3 times. Another guy at boot camp, Ralph, who has been going there since before Jenny took over is in awesome shape, but very low key. He kicks my butt totally on the jumping rope. I get ahead of him a little on the running but not enough.

Today, I woke up about two minutes before the alarm went off. I ran with Jenny and two others. It was the best run that I've had with Jenny since her 50K, it was good to see her in better spirits for running, she had been suffering from dead legs or something.

Last week, I think I ran a few more miles than planned, but that's ok. That's part of the reason why I took off yesterday. I might run on Sunday after doing a long run on Saturday, then take off on Monday. I want to mix it up.

Last night I slept pretty good. Since the end of September I started sleeping horribly more often than not and I started to relish the nights when I'd go to bed feeling tired and sleep through the night. There were several stressful things going such as Chelsea (our oldest dog that we had for 17 years), a stressful deadline at work, as well as a general feeling that hit me that part of me has been asleep for a long time. It was a wake up call and I hope I don't fall asleep again.

Anyway, as far as last night goes, I think the trick was to realize that sleep time is a time of rejuvenation, a time to let cares slip away and a time to heal. It's a leap of faith but oh, so important.

Forward Progress Yet?

So, am I moving forward? Not sure yet, however, whenever it has come to losing weight, gaining muscle, gaining endurance, remembering your dreams - all those things can be improved by writing down whatever it is you are trying to do by writing it down.

A Run in the Woods

2011-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday Morning Run

Saturday is usually my long run day, and I usually run someplace along a road or a bike path, sometimes with friends and sometimes by myself. Sometimes I'm on a training plan and have committed to a schedule and sometimes I'm just running because I love to run. My mind opens up, I get into a rhythm and thoughts flow especially if there is no time or pace goal and especially if there is some new scenery. I often start early. In the summer months it is to beat the heat or at least stay out of the direct sun as much as possible.

I had a lot to think about on this morning's run, the most recent crisis is:

Barbie

On Friday morning, Jenny texted me that she was going to be taking Barbie into the vet at 4:00 that afternoon. She had not been eating very much food at all, had been throwing up a lot more and had been looking more and more thin. A year and a half ago she had a cancerous spleen removed. The surgery went well but the long term outlook was very uncertain since it was an aggressive cancer. But, she came home from that surgery and seemed so much younger. I think that surgery was the best money we have ever spent. I've appreciated every day we've had with her since then, but know it's not forever.

I finished work early and thought maybe I would stop in at the vet's office if Jenny and Barbie were still there, about 4:30 and, yes, still there, so I went in. We waited together for a while, then finally about 5:00 the vet came in to tell us about the ultra sound. It didn't look good, they said. Perhaps it could be due to an infection, however it was more likely cancer. They wanted to do an x-ray also, but it would be about 5:30 before they could. I left the vet's office so I could order some pizza for dinner and have it home so maybe we could eat a a little after 6:00??

The wait went on and on, and Jenny was not home until after 7:00. No good news, just sad news. They gave Barbie some medicine to help her feel better.

Later, that evening I took Barbie and Sammy for a slow "sniff and walk". She seemed to be feeling a little bit better. It was a nice quiet time under the stars, letting the dogs do what dogs like to do on a walk.

The Actual Run

If a run can be boiled down to some statistics, here they are: 11.42 miles in 1:38:45, average pace: 8:38, slowest mile 10:15, fastest mile 8:06. Start temperature, about 50 degrees.

But,it can't be, at least this one can't. I'm often told that I'm a numbers guy. I do work well with numbers, but they are not my passion, they are a tool. It's too easy to rely upon them, there's so much more.

So, I started out at the "horse corral" in Starkey park because that is where I have started before. I had an idea of which path to take. It was cold enough to see my breath and a little too cold at the start to be wearing just a short sleeve shirt, but I knew I'd warm up soon. I also had a hat with a small led light on it which gave me a little bit of light but not very much. There was a pretty bright moon out, not full, but still bright.

Eventually, I could see hints of light up in the sky off in one direction.
As I ran through the dark on the trail, I thought about the time I was running with my brother at the Thousand Islands. It was a cool and foggy night and we had launched the boat and were driving it to my parents cottage. As we crossed the channel, a heavy fog came in and we could barely see where we were going. There was a large freighter coming close that we could hear, and when it did pass us, it was maybe less than 50 feet from us, we got caught in the bow wake and rode it up and down. So, we stopped and tied up at the Coast Guard station and then ran to the cottage from there, about two miles. Some of it was on a gravelly road and it reminded me of the trail section I was on that was kind of like a packed dirt road.

I stopped and texted Jenny to let her know I had my phone with me, just in case (either something with Barbie or if I got lost). She asked how my run was going, how far and if it was going to be all trails. Yes, all trails, today is the day.

I made some wrong turns while running in the dark, almost ended up going back to where I had started from and almost ended up on the bike path at one point, but eventually it became lighter out and I could see the trail marked better. There were still decisions to make. I had a map with me but could not quite sync up with where I'm at vs. what the map was saying. Looking at the sign below made me think about choices in life, go left go right, or maybe turn around? For now I'll just go. Back in May I was going to go on a trail run with a small group. I was still at the beginning of my long drawn out Boston recovery and there was a foot ball game that the kids needed to go to, so that day, instead of the trail I ran up and down Starkey Blvd. for 11 miles, pushed the pace at the end and started making things worse. I think the trail might have been a good choice for me that day! But, anyway, I made it out eventually. A little later, but better late than never. Just a different route to get there.

The sign made a good spot to rest my iPhone and get a quick picture of myself. I had headphones with me just in case I felt like music, but there was too much to enjoy and explore today, so I forgot about the music.

I crossed past the big power lines, made a couple small wrong turns, and finally decided to just try and basically run east towards the sun. That started to work out pretty well, and I also started to recognize some landmarks that I had passed by before when running here with Sean.

The last wrong turn I made led me to a section of the trail that stopped at the Anclote river. I had been here before and don't think I could have found it if I had been trying to navigate to it.

After the wrong turn that led me to the river, I backed up a little bit and came to a wide grassy intersection. A stopped there for a second wondering which way to go. It looked familiar and I knew I was close to where the 4 mile bike trail water stop was. Then, I could hear some people talking. I ran in that direction, emerging from the trail. I saw Chris A. and some ladies he was running with. They asked if I had been running on the trail - yes, and if I was running with Sean, no just me today. Someone was asking about the trails and what they were like, if they were well kept or if you were just scrambling through brush. I told them how nice the trails are and how most of it is pretty easy with just some mud or water here and there. I used to have different images of what the trail might be like. So far, everyone I've talked to who has tried the trail has liked the trail.

I turned back towards where I was parked. If it took me the same mileage to get back, then I'd have over 13 miles. I was only planning on doing 10 miles originally. But, the path back seemed much clearer, and I was able to just go. I didn't push the pace, but it was definitely faster than on the way out. It felt effortless and enjoyable. One of those special runs you wish could be repeated.

After the Run
When I got to my truck there was a text from Jenny to please put out the old kitchen table we were trying to sell, since it was a nice day out and several houses in the neighborhood were having garage sales. I put out the table once I got home, then went out about a 1/2 hour later to put my cell phone number on the sign in case I wasn't around. A lady was walking her dog and wanted to buy the table. Wow, that was easy.

Thomas's belt test went well and we celebrated that night with a trip to BD's Mongolian Grill.

It was a good day, a day to reflect, a day to get things done, a day to celebrate and a day to be thankful.

FRIDAY!!

2011-10-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY!!!

The end of the work week is finally here! It's an important day to think about that. If you don't then the weeks blend together. Some people aren't so lucky and the weekends are also for working, and some people are lucky but don't know it and forget to do something special. It's easy to lose sight and forget what matters, to not take the opportunities when you have them, later wishing that you did.

So, I shaved, put on a button down shirt, attempted to set up eating out tonight (dinner already planned, so maybe next week), and headed into work early so I can be home early.

Try and make it special....

Today's Run

About 7 miles, just slower than a 9:00 pace, ran with Jenny (for first 2 miles) and Kathryn, there was a 40% chance of Jamie also.

I was considering not running today, but decided to take a chance and see what happens. I thought about not running just to take off a random day. I'll save those random days off for rainy days, blah days, days when no one else is running.

Listened to this song on Pandora this morning:

Going Live?

2011-10-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

This blog was kind of a crazy idea. What difference could it make? I've been blogging for years now, and I wanted this to be a different kind of blog.

I've taken down my automatic posting of my FRB blog as I felt it was coming across as very repetitive, and put up a link to this blog on Facebook.

As for today's run, basically it was a good decent run with much to be thankful for. Running with Jenny and Chris is always an interesting experience. Jenny is still kind of in recovery mode from the 50K and is on the verge of tapering for her marathon. Chris is in good spirits and is feeling ready for his marathon which he'll probably run some or all with Jenny.

I wasn't sure what I felt like running today, probably something around 6 miles? But, when Chris wanted to do more, I was more than happy to go along. I like being able to go along for the ride. It's a good and a bad quality. Sometimes you've got to be the driver, but when someone needs a passenger I'm more than happy to fulfill that role!

Another way of looking at it is thinking about Dumbledore in Chamber of Secrets when he said, "Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it" - just substitute "at Hogwarts" with "to runners". Kind of dorky to quote Dumbledore, but it just popped into my mind.

So, I am thankful for my wife who understands running and runners because she is one, for friends who show up and help pull you along, for the cooler weather we had today, for health and the ability to run, and much, much more!

So, I guess I should "Go Live" and share this blog with everyone who might be interested, before it becomes a big deal that I haven't told anyone about this blog.

I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it!

Second Entry (I won't make this a habit)

2011-10-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was not going to post here everyday but I felt like it today. I had more imagined posting about weekend long runs or races, or any other sort of momentous occasions or maybe a week in review type post.

But, anyway, ran with a good sized group starting out this morning - Jenny, Lisa, Kathryn, and Jamie. It was a bit humid and a lot of people were feeling kind of bleh. I was feeling pretty good and but was very happy to be running with such a nice group.

We did the usual route, but Jenny, Lisa, and Kathryn turned back after the water stop. I was going to go farther by myself but Jamie said she wasn't going to cut her run short since she was out here. So, we ran together to the light and did the last gated neighborhood by the light, headed back to the neighborhood. Chatted a bit while heading back around the neighborhood loop and ended up with just over 8 miles. Not feeling beaten up at all.

I want to "focus", or rather try not to focus on always enjoying the run, but run easy and shorter on a lot of days and when the opportunity to run with others who are running far, take that opportunity. There will be some days when I want to do a "hard" run, but if I've run the easy runs truly easy and fun and for the love of running, then the "hard" days will be more productive and satisfying.

Jenny had a short slot of time open this morning, so, if I really needed her to take Thomas to school she could have. But, I didn't have anything at work that couldn't wait so I biked him today. Before that we worked on some homework and hung out a bit. I also got in some upper body weights:

3 x 25 push-ups w/ perfect push-up*, suppersetted with:
3 x 6 pull-ups with 20 lb dumbbell between my knees for extra weight
3 x10 shoulder presses w/ 25 lb dumbbells, supersetted with:
3 x10 bicep curls
1 x 10 single leg squats w/ 25 lb dumbbells, each side

There were so many mornings when I could have been more efficient and gotten into work early when I had a chance but was slow going and not motivated to move. Now, that I don't always have the ability to get in early it makes all those times in the past seem like a big waste. Water under the bridge and all that, but learn something and try not to forget the lesson!

Right now, listening to "Dope Nose" by Weezer - aka, the falling down the stairs song

First Entry

2011-10-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

FORWARD PROGRESS!

It's time to take one step forward. I've blogged at Fast Running Blog for over four years and have found wonderful support there, however things got a little bit stuck. Ruts happen, so sometimes you have to do one thing different, or maybe two or three, but you have to do at least one thing different! Run-run-run and nothing else. It's a recipe for disaster. It turns something healthy and good into something stale that can control you. Define your running, don't let your running define you. Define yourself, make yourself the person you want to be and love the ones close to you, enjoy life and value it.

Also, this is part of a book title I'm reading called Relentless Forward Progress, I thought about the title and how it applies to a lot of things, although I wasn't sure about "relentless" because sometimes you need to take one step back and look around to get to where you are going.

I'm going to be logging the basic stuff over at Daily Mile but wanted a place to write a little bit more about key runs and key thoughts and maybe an epiphany or two. It's also a lot easier to post pictures here and comments from everywhere are accepted and always appreciated.

Today's run with a little bit of background:

This morning I ran with Jenny, our first time running together, just us, since back in September on a Friday. She had just gotten back from work and it was just us, she picked up the pace a little faster than what we usually ran, and then a little bit faster. She was tough to keep up with as I had not been running fast for some time due to my injury. I felt so proud about how strong she had become vs. where we were when we would occasionally run together and our paces were farther apart. She's the one that got me into running because she believed that I could be a better runner. I believed in her and she became a better runner and we have often carried each other since then.