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!!!!

On Hold....

As in, "my running for a week is...". Went for my "procedure" this morning and the doc tells me I should hold off on working out for a week. So, in the spirit of listening to the guy who probably knows more about this stuff than I do, I'm going to listen.

Anyhoo, I attached a pic of the wall I'm working on. Looking at the picture, it doens't look like it would take that much work.... but anyone who's done one these can tell you it's really a pain in the neck. :-) More tweaking to be done prior to gluing down the coping, but it's almost there.

Best of luck to Justin and Jeff Wasowski at the "DAM" race!

Just like the Amazing Race...I got...

Road Blocked! Although I came to the realization that I wasn't going to hit 100 miles for the month, due to this coming weekends run restriction, there was still a glimmer of hope. Well, the hope is now gone, and to add injury to insult I've got a major blister on my right foot. The blister came from working all weekend on my retaining wall and adjacent landscaping in my old work boots. Needless to say they are not a pair of comfy running shoes.

So I'm limping around work today and hoping to get in at least one run prior to Friday's procedure. If not, I'm going to cut back on the eating and see if I can still elliptical or bike. The bright spot from the weekend is that my retaining wall is nearly complete and I got to use the pool for the first time this year. A chilly 78 degrees, but warming up quickly due to the crazy afternoon sun we get in our backyard.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and celebrated the freedoms we enjoy due to the heroic men and women who gave their lives defending it. We took in the local parade and had a blast. Why is it that I always come near to tears at these things when the band struts by playing whatever patriotic tune they happen to be playing. Love the bass drum beats as well... Good stuff. :-)

100 Miles and Runnin'...Still...

Got creative and took the last meeting of the day on the phone in my car. The extra hour was enough to allow a 4 mile run when I got home, so I'm still in it for the 100 miles. Going to be difficult, but I'm hoping the long weekend will afford me the time to run. Next weekend will be completely out for running as I've got a minor medical procedure thingee that will keep me away from it for a couple of days. What can do...So that will also pose a challenge. In any event, I'll have my highest mileage total for the year and pretty psyched about that. We start our half-day Friday's in June which will allow me to get a long run in nearly every week....looking forward to that.

Oh, and the 5k split yesterday was 25:50. Really not that bad for a training run with a few good sized hills. :-)

TM - Rest in Peace (or pieces..)

Sad to report that my treadmill is moving on to greener pastures and we hardly knew yee... Of course, we told the kids that we dropped it off at a farm in the country so it could hang out and play all day without anyone pounding on the track due to...I don't know....saaaaay, 100 mile Team Voice challenges and such. Yes Mike, you owe me a treadmill! LOL

This puts a serious kink in my 100 mile aspirations for the month as most days I don't have time to get a run in outdoors till the kids go to bed and then have to listen to the monitor. Thus the greatness of the treadmill. Not sure how I'm going to make up the miles yet, but will try to come up with a plan. Not totally out of it yet.... 47.86 to go, BTW.

Thanks for the nice comments on the 5k time. :-) Feels really good to hear that kind of stuff from my peers. Speed wise, I've conditioned myself enough to run that fast for the 5k, but take it down a notch for 10k or more. Hoping to improve on the longer runs as the summer goes on, but I don't really have too much of a plan of attack as of yet. As for Mike-Speed...Nooooo, I'm nowhere near that guy! He put up a 24:4x with a recovering knee.... The 24:19 I put up last year in Wethersfield was just ideal conditions, good warm-up, and energy levels were right. If I drop a couple more pounds I might be able to improve on it...