Happy Birthday...

To me! :-) Well, I made it to 35 (half way to 70...) and appear to be well. Hey, no complaints out of me as I'm probably in the 2nd healthiest state of my life thus far. First time was when I was on the football team in college, man I was ripped! Too bad I didn't realize how fleeting that was otherwise I would have enjoyed it more. If you take into consideration the time value of health (ripped off from my finance class in realtion to the time value of money....I hate finance), I may actually be in better shape, relatively speaking.

But, to quote Austin Powers "what does it all mean, Basil?". It just means I'm still thankful for the ability to be healthy/happy. Sometimes life just doesn't give us that choice, so I'm fortunate enough to have it (for now). Some family issues in regards to health recently, so it tends to make you reflect even more. So again, I say, I run because "I can" until one day when I can't....

Heavy post today, huh. Sorry bout that, just throwing down some words that come to mind. Anyhow, I'm hoping to get some sort of long run in this afternoon just to get outside. It's a lovely 33 degrees at the moment with some sleet/freezing rain on the way, so it'll be a blast for sure.

Can you believe we're only a couple of weeks away from the best weekend of the year? :-)

Oh, the weather outside is....

Mellow? I tell ya, it's true what they say about New England. "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes." We've been roller coastering through 20 degrees to 60+, tornado-like winds, downpours, snowshowers, you name it....we've had it the past couple of weeks.

Although I love Christmas-time, and yes, I'll say Christmas over "holiday"...I'm one of the growing bitter crowd who thinks Christmas is being taken from us... Not going to go down that rathole though. Anyhoo, I love this time, but I'm really looking forward to the week after (work shutdown) and then the excitement that will creep in prior to Marathon weekend. I'm a week away from being able to renew the annual pass, which is exciting in itself, and feel like my training is on track, so what's not to be excited about?

As for the "old" post...well..yeah, I realize I'm not the oldest in the group (sorry Rae :-)), or the youngest (Damn you Matt for reminding us you're 22!!! LOL), but it was more of a tounge in cheek comment than anything. I don't mind my B-days as they are typically uneventfull since it falls so close to Christmas (I'm on Dec 13th, so yes Justin, you can call me "old man"). I'm glad you guys commented though as it shows that no matter what your age, we are bound by our fondness of a mouse and maintaining a healthy (and sometimes competitive) lifestyle for the long haul!!

Oh, and my wife will laugh at this since she does read the blog occasionally... My mother in law made a comment while we were down on vacation as we were figuring out our run scheudle....You people just run to be thin..... When I heard that I was like "ummm...yeah, and that's wrong becauseee....... LOL I honestly don't think she meant it the way she said it, but it was funny none-the-less. But again, it made me think of "why" I run. Every time I think it about it, 1000 thoughts rush to mind, but the one that keeps sticking is "because I can". Honestly, I feel blessed that God has given me the ability to throw one leg in front of another and the drive to do it any time of the year in any condition. Cause then, and only then, am I able to see some of the most wonderful sights, natural sites, that you just don't take in unless you're out there on the road. Even something as simple as a tree line in the distance or clouds slowly passing by. I always get a tingly feeling when I'm out there and that perspective takes hold.

Okay, I know, I'm whacked... but figured it's a great time of year to share these kinds of thoughts. So get out there and make it a great December folks because "you can".

Getting Old

Okay, not really all that old...but with 35 looming off in the near future it's something to think about. :-) Honestly, after 30 age has been more of a frame of mind for me. 31 and 32 felt old, but since I've taken up running and such, I haven't even thought about age. It's almost a good thing as I'll now be in the 35-39 age bracket, lol! Tired of competing against those skinny 30 year olds!

Just kidding as who am I kidding, the 39 year olds will probably kick my butt.Anyhoo, primed for a good work out at the end of the work day. Running through the routine they set me up with for weight training and then will do some intervals on the mill or give the spin bike a try...either way, looking for a good sweat today as I'm feeling like I'm coming down with a cold. They are also holding a running symposium at the work gym, so I've got that going for me today as well. I think the topic is stretching techniques.

So, December goals... Not going to put up a mileage goal as I want to sprinkle in more x-training this month, but I do want to get 2 runs over 10 miles in. With school and work going full bore through the 22nd or so, I haven't been able to get too excited about January yet...pretty soon though, once I can get through some of these deliverables....

Giving Thanks

If I took the time to give thanks for everything in my life I think I'd hit the limit of this blog! So I think you guys get the drift, I'm very thankful for everything! My family, friends, this community, the ability to run, and even having a job given the state of affairs in the economy. :-)

Anyhooo, got a 6.3 mile run in this afternoon (50 degrees, light rain) as I won't have time to run tomorrow. Got my first weight training session in at Pfizer gym, a little sore today but that was expected. I feel really good about this program and getting back to strength training, so we'll see where it leads me.

Happy Thanksgiving All! Stay safe out there as I think people tend to pay a little less attention to what they are doing around holidays....

Black Tuesday...

Friday, my foot! Okay, so the smoke was due to the water heater. Oil line on it was all clogged up and would have caught fire (so sayeth the on-call emergency furnance dude). Glad our neighbor went out of her way to knock on our door!!!! Saved our house probably.... Where has our community gone when I'm actually surprised that they would stop and knock...just glad they did and I've learned a big lesson about being active in the neighborhood for sure. Wondering how many of the other neighbors just drove by wondering if the house was on fire...guessing a few.

Anyhoo, added to that on-call emergency expense I get pulled over this morning 39 in a 35...really? The officer was a super nice "kid" (probably early to mid 20's) who just gave me a ticket for failure to carry an up to date insurance card. Had to call the insurance co. on the speaker phone so he could hear that it was at least valid... You think that would be enough....but anyhoo, the "speeding" ticket would have been worse. I think it's an effort by the state/town to collect revenue since the state is in dire straights....but what can ya do.

First workout at the work gym today. I'm psyched to get back to some weight training, as I think it'll really help come January.

Another 13.1

I signed up for a 13.1 for the TV challenge and by golly, I did it. I'm whining about my knees now and think that it is getting more serious, but waah waah waah.... The knee will be fine come January as I'll give it a little extra rest going into Disney, and I'm still going to break the 1hr50min mark on this half..... The only excuse will be that I got tripped up by Donald Duck's huge flipper and broke my face or something of that nature....

13.1 in 2:03:56 (I think that's what it was give or take a second or two). I wasn't going for any kind of time here, just a good even pace to put in the mileage, but since my watch tracks it...I figured I'd state it. It was bloody cold when I left (35 degrees) and didn't warm up a heck of a lot either, but I was able to keep from getting one of those lung cramps that I've become acustomed to in the cold weather and feel pretty good overall (sans knee). Starting my gym workouts this week and will slowly creep into some more weight training through December (hoping it will help with the knee).

Other Random thoughts:
* Work is nuts, and so am I
* Start another MBA class tonight (can't wait till this is all over...6 more classes!)
* Just realized my son shares his B-day (yesterday 11/22) with Donovan McNabb...interesting...
* Is it January yet?
* No, really...How much wood COULD a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
* Black smoke from my chimney this morning (neighbor woke us up to tell us) does that mean we have a new pope or something? That or my water heater is acting up...

A Day Off

Today is our planned day off from the parks. Which gave me the opportunity to get out for a morning run. A 6.1 miler in what felt like unreal humidity. Probably not that bad, but compared to what we had back in CT, it was pretty brutal. I typically enjoy running when down here on vacation, but I really haven't during this trip (with the exception of the running I did when we were at the Beach Club last week). Not sure why, just doesn't feel all that great and it could just be the air/humidity, who knows.

We went over to Downtown Disney for the rest of the morning and did a bit of shopping. Due to the overcast and sometimes rainy skies, so did everyone else. Really packed, but we were able to get what we were looking for. Tried out the Earl of Sandwich for lunch. Can't believe I never tried this place before. Really liked their sandwich and it wasn't all that expensive in comparison to the park food (5.95 for a good sized hot sandwich). I was full after half a sandwich so I took the rest home.

Anyhoo, my favorite park (the Studios) on tap for tomorrow. I'll let y'all know how it goes. :-)

Monday, Monday, Monday...

*Spoken like a true Monster Truck Rally spokesperson*

Since we last conversed the family was going at a fast and furious pace through all parks here in Disney. We have slowed it down slightly due to taking on 10 more family members and a late night fit that grounded my daughter (and me by default) from visiting Animal Kingdom yesterday. However, we've picked it back up hitting Chef Mickey's this morning with the entire family (tables in wonderland card now has already paid for itself in two meals....) and spent the morning/early afternoon at the Magic Kingdom. The great part was when my son and I split from the brood/family to do stuff that he could do. We blasted through all of fantasy land in an hour and a half, had a nice apple for a snack and then met back up with the family (and we even rode Pooh twice, he loves it :-)). We met up with the family at the Haunted Mansion, well, sort of. They all got stuck in the middle of the ride and had to be let off the ride where they stopped. They got to see the Mansion with all the lights on, which I'm not sure how I'd feel about...probably glad that I didn't get to see it that way, kinda ruins the "magic" of it...on the flip side, they got to see how it really works... Anyhoo, they got a fast pass for any ride due to the troubles and we moved on to Toon Town. Hit the Barnstormer 2x's. My son at just under two years old measures just at the 35" mark and loves this ride so much he's rode it five times in the past couple of days. Actually, I kinda like it too. It has to be the best kid coaster I've ever seen. Most of them are pretty lame. We had a quick lunch at Cosmic Rays, rode the TTA, shopped and came back here to the condo for a quick nap. Headed back this evening for some more rides and fireworks.

...see ya tomorrow :-)

Weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Meet Stephen, mac and cheese afficionado... This pic is from lunch this afternoon at the studios, he leveled his mac and cheese, and applesauce and was looking for more! LOL

Gotta love Jimmy Buffett. Anyhoo, all is good in the land of the mouse, and yes, the weather is outstanding! We just checked out of the Beach Club and over to Orange Lake where we'll be staying the next week. Good news is that we've got a two bedroom condo with tons of space and free wireless internet. Bad news is that we are not on Disney property :-( Really loved the Beach Club. We took in the beach every night and let the kids run off the s'mores they toasted up. Watched Bolt and Wall-E the past couple of nights as well. I know we have another week here, but we're already looking forward to our trip back to the Beach Club next July.


Quick highlights so far since I'm on nap duty with the little guy...

We visited Magic Kingdom on Thursday (extra magic hours morning). Got a ton of the park done by 10:30a and strolled through to lunch at Cosmic Rays (our favorite counter service). Headed back for a nap and back for some evening fun and Wishes. Only a couple of kid fits...but we got through it. Gotta love Disney where you can have a kid melting down and nobody even blinks! Not that it happened this time for us, we've got that down and know when the wall is coming... Figure, it's my 5 year old 4th time to Disney, we've learned ALOT!

Friday was Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Did all that we could at AK, but the kids really just wanted to see Animals, so a double dose of Animals is what they got...enough to the point of lunch (pretty darn crowded, more so than I ever experienced at this park). Went back to the room for a quick snooze and off to Epcot for some evening fun. Not too much my little guy can do, except Nemo, so we strolled around the park alot while my wife and daughter rode Test Track and Mission Space. Stopped in at Mexico for dinner as we just weren't in the mood for normal counter service. Sat by the water, ah the water, and then strolled through the rest of world showcase. The kids were really beat by this time, so we didn't stop anywhere else. it was insane crowded due to the food and wine fest and it was starting to look more like an adult scene with loads of intoxication. Which reminds me. After riding Nemo we went up to the observation deck to look at the fish and ran into a reeeeeeeealy drunk girl just hanging out by herself...she started to chase my son around telling him how cute he was....so I laughed with her, picked him up and said see ya later...and took off. Not that I was worried about her taking off with my kid, but it had that kinda creepy vibe to it. What the heck was this drunk girl doing just hanging out by herself? Kinda weird.

This morning we took in a charachter breakfast at Cape May Cafe (after a 5.2 mile run at 5am...awesome) and it was one of the best dining experiences I've had in Disney. Waitress was outstanding and the food was great too. I purchased the Tables in Wonderland card as we'll use it a ton this week, January, and next July, and although they add the 18% tip, we tipped her another $5 since she was so great. I've heard how some of them drop the service down when they know they'll get the 18%, but she did the opposite...Goes to show you, the smart ones know they can still get more. :-) Picked up my rental car at the Dolphin after that and hit the Studios for a couple hours, Little Mermaid, Honey I Shrunk..playground, some charachters...lunch...and here I am now at Orange Lake.

Sorry for the long post, didn't realize I had so much to say! LOL I'll try to break it down when I get back from the next week...or maybe I'll do a daily recap...we'll see.

One day

One more day to vacation! I'm feeling pretty stressed in that I've got a ton of work things to do tomorrow in order to not leave stressed Wed morning. Oh well, what can ya do. On top of that, my MBA class (currently product management/marketing) is in overload mode. Group presentation with a ton of research, multiple quizzes every week, case studies, and a final paper all while I'm away....lovely.

Hey, what am I complaining about, I'm going to Disney World!!!!

May not get a run in till Thursday or Friday, but will definitely do so while we're at the Beach Club (first 4 days, then off-site). Love running in that area of the Boardwalk.

No Pain, No Pain...

Quite the contrary actually when I went out for a run today. The goal was just a slow run of 4-6 miles and I'd judge it as I progressed since it's been a while since I've run. Well, after a mile or so I had some serious mid-section cramping and just decided to work through it. Sometimes it goes away and sometimes it don't. This time, it didn't. So I cut the run short at 4.3 and got a good .5 mile walk home. All in all, I'm just happy to get out at this point as the body has been stagnant for too long. Still have a lingering cough and some head pressure, but it's not holding me down for the most part.

Happy Halloween to everyone out there, have a great and safe night. :-) I'm going to be handing out candy while my wife totes the kids around the neighborhood. I've decided to go the "Runner" route and wear my Disney 1/2 tech shirt and some shorts for a costume. Will put a racing bib on for good measure and my gel pack holder (fanny pack for those less sophisticated ;-))

Get Naked!!!!

Is there anything better than Naked Juice? I'm still battling this cold which I thought was going away. Is it possible to have the swine flu without ever having a temp? I tell ya, my head has felt like it was in a vice the past two mornings. It clears up in the afternoon, but man are these mornings tough! So I've got a Naked juice this morning and it's totally helping me cope. Looking at it, it might actually be a great pre-race fuel after looking at what's in the thing...good mix of simple/complex carbs, pottassium and such...may start to do this as a pre-training thing to see how it works out. Natural is best, right?

Ton's of swine flu potentially in my daughters school as 150 kids stayed home yesterday with flu symptoms. Of course, there is no way to tell what exactly they have, but it's enough to scare ya if you have a vacation planned one week away...

Wish I could say that my traning is 100% up to speed post marathon, but with illness, I've only been able to muster up a couple of treadmill runs. Hoping that will change by the weekend as my body is itchin' to get outside for a nice run.

Oh, and, got lucky and cancelled for jury duty today! Woohoo! So I got to come in to work instead! Yeah! Need to tie up a ton of loose ends prior to vacation. My son keeps saying he's going to "Mic-mouse house" gotta love it. This will be his second trip and he's not even 2 yet, lol. I didn't take my first till I was ~17! My daughter is on her 5th trip in as many years I think...I'm sure some people think we're spoiling them, but little do they know it's probably more about us than it is about them! ;-)

Anyhoo, back to work now. Glad to see Deb back posting. Get over to Mike-speed's page and give some encouraging words, he's gone through so much this year with his feet, knee's, legs, etc. Can't wait till he can get back going and give it a good couple of months without issues. Justin and I are waiting for him to reset the bar so we can try to take it down.

Better?

I think I'm feeling better today, but not sure. I've still got the whole nasal congestion thing, but it's not horrible. Chest congestion is starting to clear as well. Enough to the point where I actually got a 2.5 mile light jog in on the mill last night. Planning to do 3 on the mill tonight. I'd get outside, but don't think the humidity/cold would be good for the lungs right now.

My wife, Lorraine, got a 10 miler in this morning (I'm so jealous). I told her that if she can run the 10 on the hilly course she ran that Disney will be a piece of cake.

I handed in my paperwork to start up at the gym at work but will probably be a week before I can get in. They have to do bloodwork and then the measurement stuff first (hopefully this week). The problem is that my schedule is hellish along with jury duty thrown into the middle of the week for good measure (hoping I won't have to go..need to call Tuesday night). The following week we're off to Disney, woohoo! Going to be tricky to get my running and workouts in while down at Disney, but both Lorraine and I will make sure to add this into the plan. I'm itching to get a 15+ miler in and think an early morning run down there is in the cards. The other runs will be tempo and interval. I sooooo need this vacation!!! :-) Oh yeah, and it'll be cool to be down at Disney as well...LOL

Where are you Team Voice? We're like 76 days out to the half marathon, let's see some Bloggin'!!!!

Ho-Hum...

Still sick, but improving. The nasal passages are finally starting to dry up which is good cause the outter nose hurts like heck! Dry and such... This thing is sitting in my upper respiratory track now, so there is still some coughing going on. Should be back out for a short run by the weekend though, not going to mess around with this though since vacation is only two short weeks away.... Going to see "Mick-mouse" as my son calls him :-) Just in time too cause work has been a bear lately. If you hadn't heard, Pfizer bought Wyeth pharmaceuticals and we just had our "Day 1" the other day. Loads of integration work coming in along with two large projects that I'm still working with. Better than the alternative though!

Keep warm (for those in the northern states) and keep moving! Only like 80 days out, right? Looks like we'll be eating at Teppan Edo the evening after the race, looking forward to giving it a try. Love that hibachi stuff.

Dangnabbit!

After much illness dodging (if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a cold...) I have finally succumb to a cold. The whole stuffy head thing stinks, but suppose it's better than swine flu. I'm just going to work from home the next couple of days and hope to get back to training by the end of the week.

Congrats to Justin and his wife on the marathon! Amazing amount of miles turned out by that guy this year.

Congrats to Jonathan and Amber and little Elizabeth! Let the fun begin! :-)

Talked with my new personal trainer to try and get the ball rolling there. He's a guy in my MBA class that does this for a living and is a competitve body builder in his spare time. He seems psyched about getting going and being part of my running/training goals. That's exactly the kind of trainer I need. We're going to devise a plan, meet up once so he can instruct as to how he wants me to execute the plan, and then build in checkpoints to evaluate. This will give me some flexibility as I don't live in the area where his gym is, but we see each other in class every week, so I'm fine with not having him watch every workout and such. He's also got some great tips on nutrition planning which I want to get going on asap. No, no roids, he's an all natural guy.... :-)

Anyhoo, this will get me going on my goals for the race in January as well as keep me honest through the holidays, last year I went a little nuts which I believe impacted my performance.

18 Months and Perspective...

It's been 18 months since I made the decision to start running in order to train for the 2009 Disney Half Marathon. First, it feels like it's been much longer... Second, I wanted to see where I started all the way to where I am now.

Feb 2008 - total of 19.18 miles for the 2nd half of the month. Average mile around 12 minutes per. March was more of the same, but was able to run a full 5 miles (11:45/mi) on the mill.
June 2008 - 100.18 miles, ran first half marathon at ~8:55 pace
August 2008 - Only 50 miles, but running comfortably in the 8:15/8:30 mile range
October 2008 - Ran 2nd half marathon of year (ING Hartford) under 2hr again
January 2009 - Disney half marathon, the 3rd 1:56:xx half marathon in 7 months
Feb/June 2009 - Lost months due to injury and surgery
August-September - 2 100+ mile months
October 2009 - 1st Full Marathon completed.

Not bad for a kid with asthma who had never run more than a mile (in one session) prior to Feb 2008. So, who cares, right? Well, I just had to put some of this on paper after I was getting down on myself about the full marathon time.... Like a "Look stupid, see what you have accomplished in a short timeframe" kind of thing to myself.

The one thing I can honestly say..... I'm a runner.... I wasn't convinced of it till now. :-)

Next steps - Well, I'm going to start a more rigorous strength training program (operation "hit the gym") and nutrition program (with some help from a trainner from my MBA program). Lean and strong in order to finally break my streak of 1:56:xx half marathon times this coming January. Or as I like to say "I've got a date with some roasted duck".... The goal being sub 1:50:xx (in the vicinity of Mike-Speed (Mike made me remove the "Bryan" from this speed option under threat of legal action...Of course he's bitter...must be those long cold winters up there in Buffalo wing land....)

1st Marathon - Done

Place: 1111 out of 2287
Age Group: 97 out of 167
10 Mile: 1:29:27 8:57
13.1 Mile: 1:56:32 8:54
20 Mile: 3:02:45 9:09
26.2 Mile: 4:17:43 (clock) 4:13:14(chip) 9:40

Okay, so I'll start off by saying that I really am happy with the race overall. The weather turned out great, the event was very organized, loved the course and most importantly...I finished! (apologies up front for the monsterous post, had to get it all out).

However, I'm a little dissapointed as well.

Got a ride into Hartford from my father in-law as my wife and the kids were going to come down later on so I didn't want to have two cars downtown. Some people like malls for people watching, but I'm guessing they have never been to a race with 30k people. Some very interesting characters and routines happening for sure. I walked around for a bit looking for my friend Chris (who ran the Disney half with me, some of you met him), but think he showed up a little later than he wanted and I had to start warming up.

7:30 - Checked my bag, and took a 10 minute light jog before stretching.

7:45 - 15 minutes to go, took a GU gel with some water and headed for the start. They changed up where the full/half marathon started this year due to crowd control (I think). I liked it better this year actually, as we lined up right in front of the capital building, very scenic from that spot.

7:55 - A quick race blessing, the Star Spangled Banner, and we're ready to roll.

8:00 - Go time, well, sort of. I was hanging out by the 4:05 pace guide area so it took a while to actually get across the start (think it was around 4min). They announced that there were over 1300 first time marathoners for this race. I'm not sure if they ment full marathoners or combined with the half...either way, maybe people are starting to realize that their health and welbeing is going to fall on their own shoulders as the years go on. :-)

Mile 1 - Ahhh, just kidding, not going to go mile for mile, that would be brutal for me too! Here are the highlights though. With the 4 days of rest I got prior I felt as strong as ever for an event and for the majority of the race it showed. We saw the leader pass us on the loop back, and man, I felt the breeze and he ran by! Smokin' fast. I noted the body types of the leaders passing and as more and more ran by on the other side the type started to change...LOL

Felt like I was keeping good pace and perhaps a little faster than I had planned. At the 10 mile check point I was just under the 9min average, about 5-10 seconds faster than I targeted, but I just felt so darn good... As I passed through the 10 mile mark, the 13.1 checkpoint was just after it on the other side. With flat road ahead, cheering crowds, and the leaders smokin by my body naturally kicked it up a little.

13.1 - I have no idea how or why, but apparently I'm the model of consistency for a half-marathon with three of them at 1:56:xx in the past year, so why should this split be any different, right? Sure enough, my split for this 13.1, 1:56:3x. If I were just running the half I would have smoked this time I think as I was pacing for the 26.2. Granted, every run is different, so who knows. Post 13.1 checkpoint I realized that I was going a little faster than I wanted, so I slowed it up a bit.

Mile 18 - Things were going well to this point, but I started to feel spasms in my left calf. It went away, so I shrugged it off. Around mile 19.2 they came back and even locked up my leg at one point. Had to stop and stretch it out which worked for another half mile, then came back... Not going to recap the rest, but lets just say that I went through the stop, stretch, walk, jog/shuffle, stop, stretch, walk, jog/shuffle, for the next 6 miles. The frustrating part was that I had as much energy and drive as when I started the race. Still, I chugged on as fast as I could only walking as much as needed to loosen up the leg.

Half Mile to the finish. I started to jog lightly after a brief walk but was able to keep the jog up all the way through the finish. Not sure if it was the crowd or the chant in my head of (no pain, no pain...little Rocky IV for ya), but the leg didn't freeze up as long as I kept the slow pace. I think it was obvious that I was in trouble as the people lining the streets seem to cheer a little harder for me, huge help! Turned the corner for the final .1 and jog/shuffled as fast as I could. My wife and the kids were there cheering for me at the finish, although I missed them at first as I thought they were on the other side and I was focusing on not falling over....but caught up with them just after the finish line.

Bottom line is that I gave it all I could given the circumstances, didn't give up for one second, and feel extremely proud of the effort! The dissapointing thing is taht I was holding a sub 4hr pace for 20 miles, had the energy and will, but fell short due to whatever was going on in my calf. I've got to figure out how to correct that for the next one, but will make whatever adjustment and will get that sub 4hr marathon!

Special shout out to a couple of folks who really made a difference in my training and prep. Of course, my wife who encouraged and supported me to this goal. Wasn't always easy due to the hectic schedule and conflicting with her own training as well, but she did it with a smile. Justin, who had loads of great experience and advice to give. Mike F., Jeff W., Rae, and all the other Team Voicers who've always been there with kind words and support. Not a mile goes by where I don't think of you guys and turn that into fuel!! I call you guys my X-factor. Yeah I could do it and all, but I do it better knowing the team is behind me. Wow, it sounds like an academy award speech or something...Maybe more like a Nobel Peace Prize...they give those out to anybody these days. :-b

Mike G had to get that headphone comment in there I see, ha! Yeah, I know.... Actually, I didn't use them for half the race, but after a while it just got boring out there....They say they have all kinds of music, but it really didn't feel like it. Shut them off at the end there so I could really take in the crowd.

One more thing, Team Voice shirts rock! Kept me cool and comfortable, gotta get me another one. Oh, and gentleman, band aid the nips! Worked like a charm.

17hrs 50min

Probably not going to post again till after the race, so I thought I'd get a quick one in now.

First of all, thanks to all you Team Voicers for the support and advice over the past month or so. With the work I've put in and tips/strategies I've planned, I'm ready to go for this thing. Although it's funny cause this is the first race where I actually have some nerves going...weird...

Second, why would anyone really want to run for over 4hrs straight? Honestly! I think us runners have a screw loose somewhere!

Last, I just wanted to say good luck, we're all counting on you...no wait...that was Leslie Neilson in Airplane.... Oh well, I don't have a "last" then... See y'all on the flip side.

1.5 Days...

Picked up my race packet this evening, and hit the very small expo. Think I'm ready for Saturday morning, but we'll find out soon enough. Forcast has pulled a John Kerry and flip-flopped on me again...Now it looks like showers in the AM Saturday clearing at noon. Lovely, just in time for me to finish. LOL I'm sure it'll be fine though, a light rain would keep us nice and cool. Will make sure to body glide and band-aid though. :-)

Runner Tracking for ING Hartford Marathon

Nothing special like with Disney, but it's better than last year!

Go to www.comfortinc.com/liveresults on race day, and type in my last name (Cullen) or type in the bib # 520 and you should be able to see how I'm doing, or how I did. The SMS alerts are available, but with a $5 charge...maybe they'll be free next year, who knows.

Frankie Say's (or Justin Say's).....

RELAX!!! Ha! Oh, really, you mean it? Of course, he's right... I feel ready to roll, which is good, now to try and take that advice and give the ol' body a rest in prep for the main event. Ya know, I didn't think I'd anticipate the race this much, after all, it's not like it's for a Mickey medal. Just a long run through Hartford (and ajoining towns) on brisk fall morning. Foliage is great this time of year here in CT, so I'll have that going for me.

I'm going to put in a short jog tonight just to keep the muscles moving a little bit, but it will be brief, and slow. After that, I'm giving my body a couple of days off from workouts. Just stretching and PU/SU till Saturday. Packet pick-up for me is this Thursday where I'm going to meet up with my buddy (the guy who came down with me this past January) for the pickup and then some carb loading at a local restaurant. :-) We did the same thing last year when we both ran the half in Hartford. Going to make a tradition of it I suppose. He's running the half again and will be my ride that morning. One change from last year is that we're going to get there much earlier. Had to make a mad dash to the starting line last year due to traffic in the area....not fun...

Anyhoo, hope everyone else is doing well. Been kinda quiet out there in TeamVoice land... I'll post the tracking information later on in case anyone is interested in getting alerts on my race. Frankly, I'm interested! :-)

6 Days to Go Time...

Well, next Saturday at this time I'll be sitting back and enjoying a nice meal of my choice at, well, wherever we end up deciding on. Call me lame, but I love Chili's and will probably end up there for a burger and a tall beer.

Got the last of my real running done today for rest up to marathon day. A nice 10.41 miler averaging 8:56/mile. Wasn't looking for any kind of speed, just to keep the pace I plan to run the marathon at, which I did for the most part. Most of the miles were around 9:00, but had a couple that were 8:30'ish (on the flat areas of the run) that skewed the numbers. My left knee is a little sore. Same one that gave me trouble on the 20 mile attempt, but nothing major and think it'll be fine for the marathon with a little extra rest and stretching.

100 miles and running...

Over the 100 mile mark for 2 consecutive months. Final run miles for September was 100.56 with 1500 PU and SU's. Was at an all day off-site meeting yesterday and didn't get a chance to post it.

8 days to the marathon. Going to get a couple of runs in this weekend and perhaps one more on Tuesday, then I'm going to rest up the shins for Saturday's main event. Will probably get some elliptical or bike in there though, just to keep the blood flowing. This will be the first race where I really don't know what to expect. Even the first half marathon June of last year I had a good idea I could make it with a slower pace. With this one I'm just hoping my body will hold up. With the knee issue and shin issue experienced on the 20 miler it's all a crapshoot at this point. Pretty sure it had more to do with the extreme route and not something physically wrong since I recovered quickly. Who knows...

93.2 - Almost there

7 wet miles last evening. I don't mind running in the light rain, but the issue is with the feet. The shoes are so "venty" that they also allow alot of moisture in, at least I think that was the issue. Have the start of a blister under one of my toes as a result, but it's not a major problem and won't hamper my efforts. The one note I took here is how consistent I was in time on this one. With the hills on my runs I typically vary in mile times up to 30 seconds. I was between 8:55 and 9:05 every mile. Just the way it worked out I suppose. Anyhow, it was a very comfortable run and probably not too far off the pace I plan to run the marathon at (12 days). Looking somewhere in the vicinity of a 9:15 average for the marathon, but will judge it as I run it. On that note, I took the kids for a ride over the weekend to checkout the marathon course. It's nearly as flat as it is described to be, which is great! Some slow incline/declines, but should be very condusive to keeping a good pace. There is one large hill, at mile 22 which could be trouble, but it's still not half of pretty much any hill where I run now... Of course, after 22 miles of running it will look like Everest I'm sure. LOL

Update: Added a couple more on the treadmill to bring me to 95.25 and have some time blocked tomorrow afternoon to finish off another 100+ mile month, woohoo. I'm also going to finish my PU/SU challenge of 1500 just over my goal for each.

15 Days - Marathon Cometh

Quick post to update the status. Another 4.3 yesterday, kind of an interval run. Splits were 8:32, 7:55, 9:00, 8:16, and a light .3 to finish it off.

September run miles: 86.2
PU - 1190
SU - 1040

Will get a "long" run in over the weekend hopefully; weather isn't looking to promising... Maybe 7 or 8 miles, we'll see.

Question was asked about the "gel pack" and it's the Nathan brand "gel pack". That's about it...I think it'll work really well on the marathon course. I'm going to have to look into Rae's suggestions though, sounds nice and potent! :-)

16..16...16...16 days gotta get it done..

For all you High School Musical fans, the whole “Now or Never” song which I felt was appropriate for my mood counting down to the Hartford marathon.  So, 16 more days to my first marathon attempt and I’m calm but the excitement is building for sure.  Added to that, I just received my new gel pack holder for the run.  It’s really just a glorified fanny pack (man I hate that word) that holds your race day gels, powerbars, etc.  It also has a neat little pocket that holds the sticky empty packs as well.

4.3 miles at a faster pace yesterday (8:23 average) and the knee continued to feel better as well as the shin splints feeling bearable and no need for extra icing or pain reliever.  Slow paced medium length run on tap for the weekend at some point (probably Sunday), I’m thinking about 8-10 miles.  My running during the week will alternate between quicker tempo runs, medium interval runs, and slower recovery type runs.  I should still hit the 100 mile mark for Sept without pressing it and I’m close to my SU/PU goal of 1500 each.

 

Run Miles for Sept: 81.9

PU: 1010

SU: 910

Day 17 - Hartford Marathon Countdown

“Weeeeee’ve traveled back in time…..so-far, we haven’t found any signs of life…..but if I have to tear this universe a new black hole, I will…cause I’ve GOT TOOOO MISTERRRR”.  For no other reason than I love that scene in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective…..

17 days to go till 26.2.  Since this one is my first run of that distance I’m not going to say that I’m ready cause I just don’t know till I give it a go.  Do I believe that I put in the work in order to succeed? Yes, I can honestly say that I don’t think I really could have trained all that much more to prepare myself for this.  Although I didn’t follow a formal marathon plan, I had taken what I’ve read about a number of them and incorporated them into my own philosophy matched with the time I had available to train.  Feel like that was the best of both worlds and something I could be happy with going into race day. 

The knee is okay, although I do still feel it the slightest bit when walking up a long flight of stairs.  Bottom line, it’ll be all set come Oct.10 as I’m not going to push the speed or distance all that much in the coming days.  My focus is to keep a certain rhythm going, and to slim down a little more.  In the slim down category I’d like to lose 3-4 lbs and think it’s very doable while still keeping my “fuel” levels high.  Basically, time to cut out the late night snacking on fatty stuff.  I’ve realized that this has been keeping where I am, on the scale, but haven’t really cared all that much till now.

With that, are there any other big events coming up for Team Voicers in October?  I know it’s typically a big race month around the country, so I was curious.  I know Justin is gearing up for the Lincoln Marathon but not sure when that is, or if that’s the right one. J  Any others?

Testing 1,2,3...

First, thanks for all that commented on my last post. I was a little down after missing the mileage mark, but felt good to hear the encouragement. :-)

Just a quick reply so we're on the same page. I think I left the impression that I was going all out on that run and worried about my time and such. Although the time was actually decent, on second glance, I was just trying to find a comfortable zone for the long haul. I think what did me in where the knee is concerned was the hills. I decided to double loop an area that is up then down, up then down...not really condusive to long distance running I guess. The tough part is getting 20 miles of anything that is flat where I live (short of circling a track for 20 miles...which I might do next time....holy repetitious Batman!). After seeing a short video of the Hartford marathon course (http://www.hartfordmarathon.com/marathonnew.htm#Video) mostly flat...phew.

Anyhoo, my knee appears to be okay. Tested it last night on a 4.37 miler (with some hills, of course) and it appeared to be okay, a little pressure but it's still recovering so no worries. I've been dealing with shin splints in my right leg for a while now, but it doesn't really impact my running, just tight for the first couple of miles and it loosens up. Mostly due to the mileage I've been putting in. I'll give it a rest post marathon and pre-gear up for Disney.

My wife has shown interest in joining us team voicers, what do ya think? Should we let her in? ;-) I tell ya, if anyone has had ANY problems running, she's a great resource as she's been through it all in the past year. She started training when I did last year, but always had the 2010 half-marathon as a goal (I just got antsy and had to do 2009). She's battled knee problems, plantar facitis problems...physical therapy, cortizone injections....major blisters, etc. All to complete this darn thing in January. Going to be a great weekend for sure.

Side note- Disney's Earth Blu-Ray was great. Video was amazing, music was also great. The only wish I had would be for more footage. It only ran 1hr 30min, so by the time you got into it, it was over. Definitely one to add to the collection though as it even kept the kids interested for a while.

1st Failed Run....

I suppose it was just a matter of time, but today was the first run where I set out to do a certain distance and came up short. :-( Before I get into excuses, here's the data.

Target - 20 miles
Actual - 19.37 miles
Time - 3:10:87
13.1 Split - 2:04:xx
Mileage Total for Sept - 73.22

Things just didn't line up that well today. Temps at 49 when left, no issues there, actually it felt good! Carried two 20oz bottles and one 22oz on my back for the first 2 mi and then dropped the 2 in the park. Instead of watching the Heart Rate and keeping in a zone, I decided to just get into a good breathing rythm and go with that At mile 3 I felt a small rock rolling around in my shoe and just decided to keep going. Mile 3.5 was stopped dead at a light for like a minute, crazy morning traffic, and then again by a lost motorist a half mile later...One of my pet peeves!!! Can't you see I'm running here!!!! After that things were going well, but felt just blah...not stiff or in pain, but just never got into a rythm as I typically do. I did a double loop in a pretty hilly area and headed back towards where my water bottles are. Somehow I miscalculated the mileage and was behind by around a mile or so. So I had to loop this downtown area like 3 times which is another annoyance of mine...I just get bored and lose all motivation. At mile 16ish I started to feel pain in the tendon behind my knee, but kept plugging along. My calves were burning, but I expected that at this mileage. So at this point I'm unmotivated by having to cratively make up mileage and headed towards home thinking I would just make my 20. Turns out I have to wog the last mile in this run (another first) as my tendon wouldn't hold up on the hills and I couldn't even take a corner without it feeling like it would give out. So I ran the straightaways and walked the corners/hills.

I was contemplating another long one prior to the marthon, but I'm only 21 days out and don't think I could get another one in with enough time to recoup. So I'm going to keep them under 10 the rest of the way and hope for the best. The good news is that the marathon course is pretty darn flat, although, anything is flat in comparison to what I've been running lately. Also, I won't have to carry water with me!

Side note - Got Disney's Earth Blu-Ray in the mail from Blockbuster and will watch over the weekend. I'll let y'all know how it is. :-)

Back to School and the Triple Lindy

The summer is officially over for me today as I get back to it and head into the final stretch of my MBA program. Somehow I knew going into June that the summer would fly by leaving me to say only this "wow, summer really flew by". Very profound... :-) and No, I didn't even get to try a triple lindy off my roof and into the pool....how disapointing.

In any event, I'm at 53.85 run miles for September and plan to take a couple of days off prior to the big 20 miler on Friday (I'm targeting Friday at the moment, but subject to change). This is going to sound strange, but the upper part of my lower legs is aching and feels like it needs some rest and perhaps ice. From everything I've read I should be taking it down a notch prior to a long run like that anyhow. If I get home from school early enough, I may do 2-3 on the treadmill, but will take the next couple of days off.

How's Team Voice feeling out there? Some are in recovery from the DL half and the others are gearing up for WDW half/full/Goof.... I know I'm starting to feel more and more anxious/excited about Jan now that the temps are slowly dropping here in New England. Going to creep up on us fast folks, so start hitting those training plans and working more consistently toward your core and strength training! I'm back to SU's and PU's everyday again and it feels good.

Let's give some love to Bryan out there as he very quietly trains for the WDW full marathon in Jan! He can hide, but can he run? ha! Also to Justin who I believe is going to Goof it up in Jan. When does this guy have time to do that lawyering thing....jeeez! :-)

Sloshy Six

53min for 6 miles today in the rain. No, I didn't melt, but it's not exactly a load of fun either. In any event, I'm just shy of 50 miles for the month (48.2) and eyeing my 20+ miler for some time later next week. Still trying to figure out how I'm going pull 20 miles out of my area without having to run on the highway, or do too many of the same loops (almost as much fun as running on a treadmill).

Got my new marathon shoes the other day and started to break them in. Just another pair of Asics GT-2130's. I think Amazon has fully run out of my size at this point and I'll have to head back to the shoe shoppe for zomething different. Probably a treat for the feet come WDW Marathon weekend, timing seems right.

Trip planning chatter is starting heat up around my house. We've got those 10 days in November and the Marathon trip not too long after. I tell ya, it really keeps us going!

Tarzan - Okay, I'll admit it...I'm lame...I watched Tarzan for the first time yesterday morning. Wow, what a great job Disney did on this! Is it me, or do they really try to make you cry in all these movies! Maybe it's me...it's like the older I get, the more emotional I get...What a softie! LOL
Back to school Monday night, boooo, International Business. Think I might have already griped about this one.... Thankfully I'll have internet access via computer or at the very least, the blackberry.

Take care of yourself out there during you training! We'll chat with ya soon. :-)

9 on 9/9/09

Didn't actually plan it this way, but laughed when I realized it. Just ran 9 miles this afternoon on a beautiful afternoon here in CT. Mid-70's, breezy, and then there was my lead legs. The first four miles were extremely difficult for me due to two things 1) I took the mondo-hill route and 2) My legs were so stiff it felt like I was running with lead pipes attached to them. Knew I'd loosen up at some point and finally did around 4.5 miles into it. After that, everything was grand. Averaged 9:26 right in the heart rate range I wanted to. This is where I want to be for the marathon run and think it'll be very easily possible given that the course won't be as brutal (hardly any elevation minus one large hill at mile 22) and it's an 8am start time in October which should be optimal weather-wise.

NFL football tomorrow night, I know at least one other Team Voicer that is as psyched as I am!!! That's right, give me some love Mike-Speed!!! :-) Steelers/Titans I believe, should be a great defensive match-up.

Status
Run Miles for Sept = 42.6
PU's = 400
SU's = 380

26.2

Not sure why I was waiting, but I finally registered for the Full Hartford Marathon on Oct. 10th. I knew it wasn't going to fill up to capacity (3500 for the full, 3500 for the half), but my neighbor just missed out on registering for a triathalon that she'd been training months for....so I thought I'd get off my rear end and make sure I'm in for this.

Weird how I actually feel different now that I'm registered. Must be the financial commitment (90 bucks in this case) that makes the brain go "holy cats....I've actually got to do this now".

I've read some articles on Active today about Marathon prep and such. They talk about winding down the the miles one month out. Much quicker than anything else I've seen. Interesting. I'm still planning on a 20 mile training run by 9/19 at the latest, so I think that should give me enough time to recoup for the race on 10/10. The article said it takes 4 weeks to get over a training run like that. Again, interesting... I'm going to use the iPod for this race even though they recommend that you don't (noticed they changed their language from last years race, from prohibited to recommend against it). I'll try not to use it for the most part and keep the volume down when I do use it. I have never had an issue with other runners as I'm pretty aware of my surroundings when I run. God bless those runners that can do without, and I hope to do another in the future without, but we'll see.

Back to the MBA program next Monday night. At least it's one step closer to finishing next June. International business is the next class, and should prove interesting given the times we're in economically. Of course, my training will take a hit as it's now a day that I won't be able to sneak in a run.

The "Wishing I Were Running in Disneyland" Half Marathon

Only one entrant for this years "Wishing I were running in Disneyland" event, but a determined entrant at that! This years race start time was 12:44p, under sunny skies and 80+ degree heat (ick). Below are the results for our runner. He finished 1 out of 1, 1st in his age group, and 1st overall!! Way to go!

Chris Cullen (34M) 2:02:10

________________________________

So I decided this morning to run the half marathon distance that our Team Voice folks would be running this weekend. The issue is that I should have run it in the morning... Would have, but had two meetings on the calendar (of which one of them blew me off...). Heat/sun made for tough sledding this time out and about 80% of the course is wide open in the sun (ugh). Granted, I ran 3 half's faster than this, but they were also run very early in the morning in 50-60 degree temps. Ran about 7-8 miles in my heart rate range, but my body wasn't comfortable (probably due to the extra time in the sun), so I picked up the pace a little till I felt a comfortable pace. Run the long one's in the morning..lesson learned. I think the next long run will be in 2 weeks and will be a 20 miler (probably a 7am start). 9:21 average mile, Below are the splits.

Mile 1 - 8:48
Mile 2 - 9:01
Mile 3 - 9:21
Mile 4 - 9:15
Mile 5 - 9:28
Mile 6 - 9:37
Mile 7 - 9:36
Mile 8 - 9:51 (Long winding hill)
Mile 9 - 9:18
Mile 10 - 9:32
Mile 11 - 9:28
Mile 12 - 9:05
Mile 13 - 9:12
Mile .1 - :01

Walked a mile home from the "finish" (in the sun the whole way...now I'm all sunburt! :-))

GO T.V. in DL!!

Best of luck to all the Team Voicers this weekend in Disneyland!! From the training I've ready about, you all will do great. :-) Just wish I was going out there as well, but what can ya do. I wouldn't have been able to go no matter what as it's my daughters 5th b-day and there's a whole of party festivities to be had.

Side note - We are booked into the Beach Club Villas for next July, kinda psyched about that. My in-laws do the timeshare thing and are now able to trade for DVC properties. They have been gracious enough to give us one of their weeks for quite some time now. We've been checking the DVC availability, not expecting much, and this one popped up so we snagged it right away. Now that my daughter is in school it looks like the summer and break vacations will be the norm. Not loving how hot it's going to be, but hey, it's still Disney!

Training - Kicked off well this month, up to 17 miles for the week and planning a longer run today. Might go for the 13.1 again and save the loooong run till next week, but I'll decide this morning based on how much time I have. I've been puttinging in SU/PU's every day as promised too. :-)

August Review - Best Mileage Month Yet

August turned out to be exactly what I needed in order to prep for the Hartford Marathon. I was able to get two 13+ mile runs in and exceed my best mileage month from 2008. Not bad at all… September is going to be key as my one and only goal is to feel that I can complete the 26.2 miles without injury, death, ya know, that kind of stuff. J I’m pretty confident right now, but feel I need to get at least one 20+ mile run in and then I’ll declare myself ready. Thus far, the 15 miler is my longest to date, but I tell ya, I felt like I could have gone another 5 no sweat at all….well…of course there would be sweat, but you know what I mean.

I had hit over 100 miles Sunday evening with a 3 mile treadmill interval session (100.58 to be exact) and exceeded my June 2008 total of 100.17. These are all run miles, I do keep track of the walking/warm-up-down miles separately. Happy to have exceeded it, but yesterday was an outstanding weather day so I put in a lunch run of 8 miles really boosting the total over my previous best. The 8.23 miler was incredibly easy and felt great, the only reason I stopped was time, had to get back to work (this put me at 108.81 total for Aug). As I had mentioned previously, I’m tracking my average heart rate trying to slow things down in order to maximize speed at a given HR. Well, I compared my 8 miler to a run last week that was similar in every way (except it was warmer last week) and I reduced my HR by 3 (149 to 146) and was nearly 20 seconds faster per mile…go figure… It’s a challenge to keep in the HR zone when I was feeling really good, but I did and feel like it’s paying off. I’m going to keep this up through September as it really should help me in the marathon (hopefully).

In any event, probably not going to get a long run of more than 9-10 miles in this week with two b-day parties for my daughter Saturday and Sunday, but I’m going to keep up the frequency best I can prior to school starting back up Monday evening (the 14^th).

One more note, yes Mike, I use the caffeinated gels infrequently. Pretty much the first one for a morning run and then switch over to the non-caffeinated ones. I drink enough coffee as it is! Used the shot blocks yesterday and I like them a lot, so much easier to stomach, but not as easy to “take” while running. I’m used to the gel packs, so I’ll probably keep going with those (perhaps try some of the other brands that y’all have been mentioning..hammer and whatnot). Oh, and I’m slacking on the push-up/sit-ups and have put a 1500 goal on each for this month. Only finished with 600/800 last month L Core, Core, Core!!!

15 Miler...Done..Whew!

Left at 8am, overcast with temps at 62. Have a water bottle holder dealie that straps around the waist, but also brought another bottle to drop in a park I run by (smartest decision of the day!). Took a strawberry Clif shot (has the 1/2 shot of caffiene in it) and brought 3 GU gels along. This is probably the most prepared for a run I have EVER been, lol!

Overall, 2:26:15 for 15.05 miles. 13.1 split was 2:08:00, two minutes better than last week and I really didn't do anything different, which, I guess is good? Took the gels at the recommended 45 minute intervals and they worked great as many of you have said. Fee asked about the difference in the blocks versus the gels I think. The gels being like a packet of goo that you squeeze into your mouth and wash down with some water. The blocks are like more solid jello that you chew a bit and wash down with water. I did pick up some blocks, but didn't use them on this run. Starting to really get used to the gels now and since they work I'm pretty psyched! Wore the heart rate monitor again and noticed that I was able to keep the heart rate down, on average, better than last weeks long run. I'm guessing this is partly due to the lower temps, and man was I happy about that! I think I'd love running if every run were in 60 degree temps... Still, I'd like to bring the HR down a little more at the same pace for the longer runs. I'm around 77-80% of max HR on average and would like to be closer to 75%. Any heart rate experts out there?

Anyhoo, I'm really happy with this run and will have to plan hard for the next long run as next weekend is my daughter's 5th b-day. I'm going to be busy with two parties and such...fun fun... If you haven't done so already, get over to Mike-Speeds blog and check out his trivia! Tough stuff for the novice like me. :-)

A little nervous..

Big run coming up tomorrow.... I've decided on at least a 15 mile run, but not on the location yet. I may work from home and run it in the early morning, or head out of work at noonish and run it down here in New London.... Topography is more favorable at work as there are little to no hills, just slight inclines. However, I'd rather run it in the morning as it's going to be like 60 degrees and nice out, but the hills in my area can be killer on a run that long (at first attempt anyhow). Either way, I'll let ya all know how it turns out.

Did make a trip out to Dick's Sporting Goods and picked up a number of Clif Shots and Blocks to use for the run. How did I not try this stuff sooner! Criag W. introduced me to the blocks at the WDW Half and I was amazed at how well even one "dose" worked. Would love to hear your learnings about the useage of these products. I know some of you have already commented a little bit on the topic, but it's intriguing to me. :-)

Closing in on 100

Got another run in prior to lunch and had none of the dizzyness issues I felt yesterday (thankfully). Kept the pace slow again and only watched my heart rate zone. Oddly enough I was faster than I had been the past couple of runs, but kept my heart rate the same or lower for the most part. The article I posted the other day seemed very logical, but I didn't really expect to see results this quickly. Of course, I'm tempering my expectations as 3 runs is not exactly conclusive data. :-)

So I ended up with 5.25 miles bringing me up to 82.53 for the month. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I'm thinking about a 15 mile goal for my long run and trying to get it in after work on Friday. The weather here is great and getting better (sunny and cooler) as the week goes on. Looking like high 60's/low 70's for Friday down by the CT shoreline, perfect!

Still thinking about my plan for January and potential ADR's.... I'm thinking Mama Melrose for Friday early evening as we're planning on spending most of the day at DHS, any reviews from T.V. out there? Still not sure about the ADR for post race....probably in Epcot though as the plan is to spend whatever is left of the day there. Perhaps give Le Cellier another try. I wasn't overly impressed with the prime rib, but everything else was great (including the company...Heath, Bill, and my buddy Chris). Ahh, the memories ;-)

Update

Mike (the other intro guy) asked if we were going to get hit by remnants of Hurricane Bill. The answer is, I have no clue! Guessing we would have already seen it if it were to get us, right? The other Chris (who ran the Disney half with me in Jan.) was on a cruise to Bermuda last week for his honeymoon.....I haven't had a chance to talk with him yet, but I'm guessing that one didn't go according to the planned itinerary...

Went out for a planned 6 miler this afternoon only to cut it short at 4.5 miles. I've been feeling lightheaded all morning, but figured it was just sitting in front of the computer too much and a need for some sun. The weather is fantastic here today, mid 80's but lower humidty than in days passed. My legs and breathing were great, but about mile 3 the dizzyness creeped back in. I walked for a tenth, drank the water I brought, and cut the route for home. I'm guessing it's just some kind of allergy thing or needed to eat (blood sugar thing perhaps), we'll see.

Anyhoo, I'm up to 77.28 miles for the month and have recently picked the situp/pushup thing again. Working from home again tomorrow and will try to get back out for that 6 miler.

Half Marathon Fully Run...

The plan was to get out for my long run early this morning. Woke up at 6am to thunderstorms and heavy rain, went back to sleep. Woke up at 7am and it appears that the storm passed and I could get ready to roll. By the time I got out of bed, ready, stretched it was closer to 8am. Still, not bad timing as I beat the heat that was to come this afternoon. The run was good, I slowed the pace down based on the article read the other day and I tell ya what, it sure felt like more of a workout. So I did two other things different on this run as well 1) Used two gel packs, and 2) brought water along. The water obviously was a huge help as even at 8-9 am it was humid and I was sweating like crazy. I purchased one of those belt dealies that has a water bottle holder that sits right up against your lower back (needed to make sure it was tight, but worked fine otherwise). The weight from the water was a little different for me, but I knew it was necessary. By mid-run it was half gone and I didn't even notice it after that. The gels were different for me as I typically don't use anything. They felt like they really gave me an energy boost where I don't typically have one, so I might give them another go on the next long run.

Overall, I put in 13.1 with a .6 mile warm down. 2:10:xx for the 13.1 and just in time as the sun was starting to come out of the clouds making it pretty unbearable. So, overall, I'm on track for my 17 miler by early Sept. although, I might try to plan out a flatter course for my first attempt at that one. :-)

Half Marathon Fully Booked!

The final piece outstanding for our January trip was booking a hotel. I really wanted to rent DVC points again for a stay at the Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas, but there just wasn't availability at either place. Definitely not a lack of people who were willing to rent points. Really love that option as it's a huge savings over rack rates at some of the best Disney properties. I paid 180 a night for a "studio" at the Beach Club for the Half this past January. The rack rate for a similar room was over 300/nt.

Anyhoo, I have been checking the Swan/Dolphin rates for a couple of months now and found my buying point last night. The rates were holding steady around 260/nt for the past couple of months, but dropped pretty dramatically at the Dolphin. 142/nt (plus tax and such)....SOLD! I realize there are better deals out there (Pop-X resorts), but we really wanted to stay in the Boardwalk area. Just love the location (not to mention my love for the Studios :-)).

Looking forward to making ADR's for this trip now.

Training: Long run still planned for this weekend (perhaps tomorrow morning if I can get myself out of bed....), but planning a nice easy. low paced, run this afternoon. I've put in around 12 miles so far this week and should finish in the 24-26 mile range depending on the long run distance (minimum 10 miles).

RUNNING 101 - Running in Heat & Humidity

If you haven't read this one yet, it's totally worth the read!

http://knol.google.com/k/amy-halleran/running-101-running-in-heat-humidity/yk2yn42l1nhl/2#

And subsequently, an article on slowing down to get faster? This one blew my mind! I was like huh? what? http://www.counterpartcoaching.com/articles/slowdown.php

I tell ya what, I'm going to pay much more attention to my HR by wearing my monitor on these crazy/super hot and humid runs I've been doing lately. I think I may have been putting myself at more risk for trouble than I realize.... I'm also going to try the slowing down thing as well...

Sweating Buckets

Another hot day, another 5 mile run.  Speed was okay, averaging 8:53 and there was little variance.  Slowest mile was 8:57 and quickest was 8:41 (I’m pretty sure), so consistency was the key.  This close to the Hartford marathon I’m not really concerned with time, but I think it helps to push it on the shorter runs to help build strength for the longer ones.  I’ll let you know how that works out. The toughest thing for me on the marathon is going to be dropping my pace dramatically in order to “Go The Distance”…. I’m going to work on that this weekend with my long run, trying to run it much slower than I’d like to on purpose…  Open to suggestions on the strategy as this will be my first race/run over the 13.1. 

Up to 56 run miles for the month.  Still targeting 90-100 total which will give me my best month of the year. J

Disney stuff….  Sooo, Heath mentioned a dress code at the Yatchsman, and I would have thought it was the case anyhow.  However, after looking on-line for a menu I noticed a blurb about dress code (below taken straight from the website)…  Not really all that much of a dress code if you ask me… No hats and tank tops isn’t all that restrictive, but I’m guessing there are plenty of people out there that would be bummed by this….who knows….  As for the Sci-Fi Drive in..  Justin is going to provide us his take, but even though I haven’t been there in years I do recall the milkshakes were really good…and I love the cheesy movies (big Mystery Science Theatre 3k fan!)  The question I raised was to Jeff W’s report about the cost….I’m thinking that we might skip it on the cost/benefit for our family with young kids.  Let’s face it, they will be all over the place and I’ll be chasing them causing no one to really enjoy the novelty that this place is.  Perhaps the 50’s Prime Time would be more suited…let someone else yell at our kids about their behavior at the dinner table, ha!

• Dress Code Guidelines:
  Men: Khakis, slacks, jeans, dress shorts, collared shirts.  Sport coats are optional.
  Ladies:  Capris, skirts, dresses, jeans, dress shorts.  (Not permitted in dining room: Tank tops, swimwear, hats for gentleman, cut offs, or torn clothing. While T-shirts are now allowed, the policy remains that T-shirts with offensive language or graphics are not acceptable.)

 

Run like your house is on fire....

You've heard the phrase 'Run like you stole something", well, I had an interesting twist on that yesterday. Left for my 5 mile run and also left a pot with boiling water (or at least it WOULD be boiling soon) on the stove. Had set it up so when my wife got back from the store it would be set to get some macaroni boiling for a picnic we were going to (time was running short, thus the pre-boiling). So I left for the run and didn't turn it down a little like I had planned...not knowing how long she was going to take at the store, crazy thoughts started to enter my mind at about mile 1. So, I started to pick up the pace as I had the house on fire (in my mind) by mile 2. Needless to say I only put in 3.3 miles, but did average a pace in the 7:50 range. Hmmmmm, maybe I'm on to something here.... LOL

Anyhoo, the house was fine (huge pot filled 3/4 of the way so it probably could have boiled for an hour without issue) and I was bummed that I didn't get my full run in. I'm technically off today, but think I might get a treadmill run in this evening. The one issue I'm having is in my right leg. Had this same issue when I cranked up the miles last year in June. Painful, yes, but something I worked through then and will continue to work through now. With the full marathon coming pretty quickly (Oct 10) I've got to add some miles to that long run and plan to this week. 10-12 is the goal, and then 13.1 the following week. 15-17 once I hit Sept. I'm not looking for speed at all in my first full marathon, just looking to finish (and would love to actually run the whole thing).

Someone asked about the ADR's we made for Nov. One is for Chef Mickey's with the whole family (like 12 of us I think). Another is for the couple of days we have prior to the extended family arriving (Cape May Café since we’re staying at the Beach Club). I’m looking to add a couple of more, one for the studios…Mulling over Sci-Fi or not since Jeff W. was less than impressed when he just went. Any experience’s at Mama Melrose with younger kids (2, 5)? Want to try it, but wasn’t sure if it’s the best choice at the studios with the kids. Another one I’m thinking about is a “guy’s night out” at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. Would like to take my father/brother in-law out for a nice steak and this seems like the place to do it (without having to go into a park). Yeah, I know it’s pricey…

More hot sun, more run..

Took Wed/Thurs off as the legs needed it. Got out yesterday in the afternoon sun for my long(er) run. Goal was 7 miles, ended up with 8.4 and pretty darn exhausted at the end. The watch says 8:50 average, but it felt alot faster (maybe the heat was messing with my mind). It was my "hill" route, so that might have messed with my numbers as well. Either way, it felt good after a jump in the pool to cool off :-)

Up to 45.6 miles for month thus far (best miles pace yet this year). Time to finish the month strong.

Rest Day

Today is a rest day as my legs have asked for it off. :-) After taking Saturday off I ran Sunday (as previously mentioned) and put in 3.1 Monday and another 5 yesterday in what has to be the hottest day of the year thus far. The heat didn't really bother me till after mile 4, so I take that as a good sign of endurance (or just plain craziness..). it's possible that I'll take Thursday off as well and go for my long run on Friday, but will have to play it by ear as I've got a wedding to go to Friday night. The friend of mine that came down and ran with me for the 2009 Disney Half is getting married, for those of you who met him while we were down.

We made some of our ADR's for the Nov. trip yesterday, always an exciting event. :-) With the kids being pretty young still I think we'll do alot of counter service, but had to at least setup a couple of sit downs with some charachters thrown in for good measure.

Congrats to Rae on signing up for the Ironman! We'll be here cheering you on the whole way!

Weekend Run

I was indeed able to get the long run in on Friday. 9 miles averaging 9:05/mile. Tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, still ended up with a little sunburn on the stretch by the beach. Followed that up with a day of rest on Saturday from five consecutive days running (24.1 miles), then 5 miles today (8:45/mi average).

Time to break out the new shoes as the old ones have about 450 miles.... I would have shelved them sooner, but they have still shown a good deal of bounce, but it's time for them to hit the trail.

Another day, another run..

For the 4th consecutive day I got out and ran. A light 4 miler yesterday with no watch, so I don't know what the pace was (guessing around 9/min miles). Felt good, just a good paced jog to log the mileage. I'm going for my first "long" run since May this afternoon. The plan is for at least 9 miles and the weather appears to be outstanding. The only question is how my legs will handle it since I've run the past 4 days. However, I don't think it'll be an issue, a little sore, but not an issue. The extra 9 would put me at 24 miles for the week which is where I've been trying to get back to in the first place. Between 20-25 is the weekly goal from now on, or at least till school kicks back in mid-September (may have to lower the goal to 15-20 at that point due to time).

Yes Mike, football is indeed in the air :-) Mike Vick starter for more than one game this season? I'll take the over, PUT IT ON THE BOARRRRD!!!! The way the Red Sox have been playing and getting hurt, I'm thinking that football is coming just in time! Eagles camp appears to be going well, lots of good young talent as well....I think they'll miss Jim Johnson alot this year both physically and his crazy defensive schemes....This is where losing Steve Spagnola and Jim Harghbaugh is so huge.... but they are doing just fine on their own....What's all this talk about how Bilichick produces all these great coaches...they have done squat!!! Spangnola basically won the Super Bowl for the G-men with Jim Johnson's defensive scheme...and Harbaugh is doing something similar in Baltimore.... Of course...then there's Brad Childress....although he at least still has a job and had a winning record.... LOL

Got a copy of Race to Witch Mountain yesterday and plan to watch it over the weekend...stay tuned and I'll let you know what I thought. We'll see what "the Rock" says.... Watched Mary Poppins last weekend for the first time in a long time....outstanding! and the kids loved the music too.

More run in the hot sun...

Worked from home again today and decided to get out for a noon run. Well, weather.com says it "feels like 91", whatever that means... I've heard of dressing as if it's 20 degree's warmer for running during cold weather, so what does that mean for this stuff? Run nude? Oh yeah, that would go over well with the neighbors.... :-)

Anyhoo, figured I'd do a quick 5k since it was supposed to be a day off. Ended up being a really quick 5k, 24:45 to be exact. Wow, I felt like I was moving pretty fast, but didn't realize how fast. Quickest 5k of the year for me so far. Like with the 5 miler yesterday, my lungs were a little fatigued by the end of the run, but my legs and core felt great. I'm thinking the speed thing is coming down with the shrinking of my mid-section, as I'm shedding the weight I gained during June and early July. Apparently I thought Juneathon was an eating contest....

Side note - I'm really not sure where to book accomodation-wise for marathon weekend. Since it's kind of a 10th anniversary trip for the wife and I (one and a half year late...) we really want to stay on the boardwalk (or vicinity). The DVC point rental thing doesn't look good as there is no "studio" availability during that time with the exception of Saratoga Springs and we don't really want to go there this trip. So it appears I'm stuck with the rack rate thing. The most inexpensive I can find in the area is the Swan/Dolphin for 261/night. Not overally horrible, but not exactly the deal I got last year when we had a Beach Club Villa studio for 180/night.... I'm guessing more people are catching on to the DVC rental thing.... Where is everyone else staying? Is there any reason I should hold out on booking the 261/nt rate at the Swan or Dolphin? Any inside information on hotel deals coming up? I'm figuring that since it's marathon weekend that the specials will be limited...

I run for fun in the hot hot sun...

oh me, oh my, what a lot of funny things go by....

Yeah, I've been reading Dr. Suess to the kids too much lately. But seriously, I took a run at noon today since I'm working from home and really underestimated the heat. I'm not one to take water with me on my runs (even the longer ones) as I try to camel up all morning so I'll be ready, but today really tested that theory. The first 3 miles felt great, but started to wear on my by 4...4.5...on to 5. Still, the run was a good one, averaging 8:42 a mile on my hill route (2 very large and long hills and 2 medium sized hills). High of 8:53 and a low of 8:17 (on the flat) so it was encouraging.

I've still yet to get my 9-10 miler in since mid-May, perhaps this weekend as I think I'm ready to start stretching it out again. Just in time as well since I've really got to get on that marathon training....

Side note - I've finally started to catch up on pod casts! Listed to AATM's last show, DisUnplugged, and a couple of WDW Today (easier to catch up on since they are so short). I really miss the Disney conversation. Since the trip in Nov. is fast approaching it's a good time to catch up.

Oh the humidity

I knew it was just a matter of time before the humidity kicked in. Targeted 5 miles for today, but thought better of it and cut it down to 4. Without hydration stops I might have been in bad shape for the 5. The first two miles were quicker (8:21 and 8:30) then I slowed it down a bit (8:50, 8:53) to make sure I didn't overdo it. Felt good overall, thinner, which helps. Not quite to the 8 min miles that I was doing back in early may, but I'll get there. :-)

Started to look into hotel accomodations for the Jan trip, still nothing solid yet. Wanted to rent DVC points again, but it seems like the only studio availability is over at Saratoga. We really want to stay in the boardwalk area, but we'll see.

Update

Another 5.3 miles yesterday and the confidence is building. Phew. Speed-wise, pretty much the same as the other day 8:50 average. Hill-work is a natural part of running in my neighborhood, so that felt good as well. Thanks God for the pool! I dove in and cooled off after the past couple of runs and it felt great. :-)

Thursday Run - "Runnnnnnnin' in the Rain..."

Odd how things work out sometimes. I blocked my calendar in the afternoon so I could get a run in after work, so far so good. So, typically my day gets overbooked and I run out the door late and squeak in whatever I can, but for some reason the scheduled lined up perfectly and I got out exactly when I wanted to. Of course, it was raining and looked like it was going to get worse, but hey, I'm no wicked witch of the west.....so I got my read end out there and started running. The rain helped to keep me cool, which was nice, and in the end helped me go two miles longer than the planned 4 miles to finish up just before it really started to downpour. What timing. The funny thing is that I forgot my iPod and had to run sans-tunes. Because I'm still kinda recovering the tunes really help cover up the loud breathing...but I went without and felt fine. No mile over 8:56 either, which is another sign that my running is coming back to me. All in all I had a 8:50 average for the 6 miles.

The only lesson learned was that one should use body glide, no matter what the distance is, when it's raining....think I ruined one of my shirts, along with other body parts......oh well. :-) I'm feeling it now and will probably supplement the mileage with a 2-3 miler on the mill tonight after the kids go to bed, and will look for a "longer" run Saturday or Sunday (time permitting).

Da Mill

I tell ya, treadmills have changed in the past 10 years... LOL So I got a run in on the new treadmill the other night (3 miler) and was amazed how quiet and smooth it was. This also has an incline mode, so much that I felt like Drago on the mill in Rocky IV. Yeesh, who runs at that incline? I know, I know, it's really for cross training and such.... I'm just not at that advanced level where I do much more than vary my speed. I'm strictly interested in doing a distance at a constant speed at this point. And yes, I'm aware that some of that additional training will help with the distance.... will just need to work that in slowly due to my diminished mental capacity (ha!).

BTW - The new treadmill is a SOLE f63 (A consumer reports best buy a while back).

7 miles total for this week thus far. Planning a 4 or 5 miler tomorrow and another of the same for Friday or Saturday.

Turing it around, slowly..

I'm around 15 miles for the past week and starting to gain a little steam again (finally!). Went out last night for a 4 mile run at dusk. Speed-wise, coming in somewhere in the sub 9 minute mile area, maybe 8:50'ish (35:11 total)? Anyhow, the tough part being that I'd only had around an hour and a half since eating dinner, but I'll take the runs when I can get them.

New treadmill arrived last week and I got it setup over the weekend, woohoo! That will be huge with filling the gap in outdoor runs and will help to keep me in overall shape.

Taking tomorrow off from work to get some stuff done around the house. The problem is that the "want to do" list is over 24 hrs of stuff at the moment.... Will need to scale down so I can relax for at least an hour! A long run would be nice as well, but I might only have time for a 3-4 miler.

One more note - Only a week away from making ADR's for the November trip :-) heading down for the better part of early November, can't wait! Looks like I'm going to be heading home just as Deb heads in. We'll, I'm hoping to meet up with y'all again in January regardless.

Slowly..

Put in another 3.1 mile run yesterday (27min) after work. Felt like my lungs are rebounding, still a little *stuff* in there...but I won't gross you out. Would get out there again today, but I'm going to be slammed all day with work so I'll shoot for tomorrow. Treadmill is being delivered tomorrow as well, so if I can't get outside then I should be able to get it done inside. :-)

Not much else going on...feels like this summer is just going to blow by...

Cautiously Optimistic

Went for a 2.5 mile run today at the local HS track. Lungs are still a bit on the congested side, but no worse for the wear. Going to plan a couple more light runs for the week and see how things go. Sometimes these things take a couple of weeks when they get into my lungs. Took my daughter (4 year old) with me to the track as well. She ran a half lap with me and then got sidetracked by the long jump pit (too funny). She said she'd go a full lap next time. :-)

Totally fried from the weekend. Digging a drainage ditch on the side of my yard to port the water from these crazy thunderstorms away from the pool area. I can't wait till there is a weekend this summer where I can just hang out....ugh.

Smile of the day. My wife was asking about the Disney half marathon course this morning, which got me a little jazzed up about going back for 2010. Glad it was such a good memory and that I can share it with her next time. Good stuff.

Car...Game Off...

Dude, that's right, I called you dude... :-) So I get in that good run the other day only to be sick the past couple of days. I wouldn't mind running with a head cold, but this thing is in my lungs and I really don't want to make it worse or it'll take forever to get rid of. Anyway, I'm feeling better today, but still coughing up some nasty stuff, so the run is off today :-( I'm going to give the elliptical a go tonight though as it's much less lung intensive.

Simply frustrating....UGH

Turn It Up, Game On!

I did indeed get out for a run yesterday, just prior to the crazy thunderstorms that nearly washed away hours of landscaping work I did last weekend....but that's another story/frustration. Got in 4.61 averaging just under 9 minute miles. Time to build on that and as Amanda so eloquently put it "get my head in the game"!

Got the run in just prior to the storm as well as some kind of cold that had me up all night. Still here with me today and not going away. Anyhoo, I'm sure it'll be a one day thing and I'll be out there for another run tomorrow afternoon/evening. If not, then Friday is a mandatory run day which I've put on the calendar and no doubt have the time for.

Based on the comments, it seems like we have a lot of treadmill haters out there! :-) I totally understand the points as they make sense. I'm not a lover of it either, but it's a necessary evil and I'm glad to be getting a new one. It'll never replace outdoor miles, but keep me in good enough shape to make the most out of them when I can get 'em.

What team?

This team... Okay, too much HSMIII played in my house, but what can ya do...the kids love the music. Of course, I don't mind it either but don't tell anyone ;-)

Working from home today and plan to run around lunch time, barring a crazy thunderstorm of course. The weather here has been ridonculous! With the exception of the last 2-3 days weather would indicate the need to build an Arc, with more on tap for today/tomorrow.

So my issue lately is building a consistent run pattern. It's been one or two here and there, but nothing sustained. Justin asked what training plan I was using for the Hartford marathon (3 months out) and I've got to say, nothing. No plan as of yet and behind schedule to boot. I've got a ton of excuses why I'm not on track, but the bottom line is that I'm not and need to do something about it. Two positive things going for me though, 1) summer hours at work. We flex hours in the summer and take a half day on Friday which allowed me to get a long run in every Friday without messing up my home schedule. Planning on taking more advantage of that now that I'm almost fully recovered. 2) New treadmill is on it's way to my house as I type and should be here early next week at the latest. I know y'all hate the treadmill, but when the only options I have at times are the treadmill or nothing...I'll take the treadmill.

Anyone going to MJ's services? 4 million dollars for security paid for by the LA taxpayers....yikes!

Happy July!

With Juneathon a total bust for me, I'm focused on what I can do in July to make up for lost time. June wasn't a totaly loss though as I was able to close it out yesterday with a 4 mile run after work. The first two miles being fairly uncomfortable, but caught a groove and finished the last two stronger with times under 9 minutes per mile (8:45's). Still a little rust and a couple of weeks away from a really long run, but feeling relieved. :-)

Sounds like there are a bunch of you that have Disney trips planned this summer, totally jealous BTW, so what are the plans? I'm looking forward to reading about anything new at the world as I'm not heading down till November. I feel a little disconnected from the DW community as of late due to a hiatus on podcast listening.... Part of the problem now is that I can't find my download cable and am too cheap to shell out 30 bucks for a new one! LOL I'm sure it'll turn up. Will have to try and catch-up on the laptop in the meantime.

Oh, and due to Mike's prodding, I went on-line last night and bought another pair of Asics GT-2130's (Amazon.com from Foot Locker). Of course, there was little to no color choice left as they are discontinued in favor of the 2140's, but I didn't mind as they were only $59! Lucky they had my size I suppose (flipper size). The rationale is that I really like my 2130's and have heard all kinds of horror stories on the 2140's. So I figure these will get me through the summer and can go with something else for the Hartford Marathon in the fall.

Runnin' Right Along...again...sort of...

The recovery is on, and boy am I feeling it. I was able to get a 3 mile run in on Sunday, but it was just brutal. After 2 miles I reallllly wanted to give up as my energy was gone, legs were like rubber..... You know how it goes. However, Jonathan came to mind. His perserverence through all of the stuff that's going on in his life and he still got out there and finished the Seattle half marathon. That really set my mind straight and carried me the extra mile. I tell ya, I don't know of one person on this team that hasn't had that kind of inspiring effect on one of my runs (multiple runs in some cases). I'm going to get back out there today after work and put in another 3 at the very least on my way back to running form. Thanks to all of you :-)

Side note, completed my final class in the MBA program prior to summer break. Start up again next Sept and done June 2010! Woohoo! I need the break, I'm fried!

Rehab Run

1 mile on Friday and 2 miles on Saturday to be exact. No ill effects on the body (other than the flab flapping in the wind...). So I'm pretty psyched that I can get back out there and get my run on! The plan is to take two weeks for rehap runs, nothing longer than 3-4 miles, and then try to stretch it out a bit for a 5 or 6 miler. Knowing myself, I won't last a week before trying to put in a 9 miler, ha!

Is it me or does it feel like the intesity isn't as high this year? How the heck to we get it back!?! I know I've got a ton of work to do in order to regain that marathon form, but with the past three weeks off, I'm itching to do it.

You guys have been great as usual in posting on the blog, encouraging my recovery and I totally appreciate it. :-)

Close, very close...

After 600mg of ibuprofin 3/x's daily for the last week I think I'm close to ready for running again. Tried out the elliptical for 20 minutes last night and I'm no worse for the wear, so it looks like all systems go for a 1 mile light run next. Hoping to get that in tomorrow or Friday, but may push it to the weekend. The important thing being that I'm almost back after a 3 week hiatus! You have no idea how relieved I am.....

So, I'm still way behind on blogs but promise to catch up! REALLY, I PROMISE!!!! I know I keep saying it, but without Team Voice I'm not sure I'd still be running, or wanting to get back to running so much after the past three weeks. :-)

Side note - So I mentioned that I gave a presentation on Disney in my Financial Accounting class a couple of months back...Apparently it stuck as a number of people in my class have mentioned how my prediction of how "Up" would do (despite the criticism at the time) was right on! Pixar, or their advertisers, are genius in how they deliver content so timely. The early ad's are always short in content and look pretty dull, which is why the market seems to respond negatively at first. Then they trickle more and more out just in time for the opening and make a killing (as usual). The constant in the equation is outstandingly creative movies that will never dissapoint. Gotta love it. I also have turned into "The Disney Guy" in class, apparently. We're in a Human Resources class now and someone brought up how Disney bucked southern popularity by giving medical benefits to same sex partners of their employees. Of course, they all turn around and look at me for the rest of the story.... Just so happened that I recall numerous conversations on the DisUnplugged on this very topic and was able to give a bit more information. Too funny...

Ugh....

Nearly two weeks since my last run and it doesn't appear that I'm any closer to getting back on track. Still recovering and not able to run (or even walk fast....).

I'm extremely bummed about this and hoping my condition improves pronto! Sorry to be the downer for Juneathon. :-( Of course, I've gained a couple of pounds in the process as well, but have headed that off with my self created weight watchers tracking sheets.

That's all for now...Hope y'all are in better spirits :-)

Still Hurtin' a bit

Yeah, my layoff from working out might last a tiny bit longer than originally thought. Just not there with the recovery and need to ensure this deal is taken care of (without going into too much detail....poor Rae had to ask ;-)).

Anyhoo, I'm behind on blogs and podcasts once again, but rest assured I'll get back out there! You guys rock and I want to keep supporting that!

Hoping to ditch the ice pack and figure out what my personal Juneathon is going to be realllly soon!!!!