Just call me Ice Man....

and over there is Maverick and Goose....

Seriously though, I have been holding off on my last long run due to housely duties and had it on the schedule for today. Couldn't have done it the other day when it was 34 and sunny...NOoooooo, I had to wait till today. 18 degrees when I left with winds gusting to 40mph. Yeah, fun stuff. Needless to say I went back and forth on this one and nearly attempted it on the treadmill. I have no idea how Justin and his wife can do that many miles on a treadmill, I get to 6 or 7 and want to shoot myself! Anyhoo, I decided that it couldn't be that bad out there as long as I bundled up.... That worked for about 8 miles. Everything was freezing up on my, stomach (or "insulation" as I call it..), contacts, and eventually hands and arms. Was lovely when I'd turn and get the wind at my back, but of course, I knew it was going to be a bear when I returned that same road on the way back....and it was....at times my legs would get blown into the other one while striding, nearly knocked me over. Add insult to injury (or the other way around), my left knee tendon started to act up again making for a pretty painful final couple of miles. Was more numb than pain, until I got home and thawed out (literally....started to shake about 20 minutes after entering the door).

Sooo, no fallen power lines or branches on my head (bonus!) and I'm icing the heck out of my knee area right now while watching UP (on blu-ray, got Monsters Inc. and UP blu-ray packs for 30 shipped...had to have 'em even thought I already own the regular DVD). I'm sure this knee thing will wake me up tonight, but it should clear by end of day tomorrow.

End result of the run was 13.1 miles at 2hrs flat. Not bad considering I walked the last .45 miles as I wanted to let up on the knee. Also not bad considering I had a constant head wind for 3/4 of a mile in there as well... Hey, I'm ready for this Disney half, no worries at all, but will be going for some physical therapy on the knee post race. Gotta start right away on the training for the 2011 Goof and don't want this knee thing to hold me back.

Wow, long post, sorry folks but had to share my frozen adventure with ya. It was fun to watch drivers shaking their head in disbelief that I was out there running, let alone a half marathon distance. LOL

Mike-speed, if don't converse prior to you leaving next week, have a safe trip (don't go Mike-speed till you get there ;-)) and a great B-day! We'll see ya when we get down there (flying in Thursday...I'm practicing not going to the bathroom for an hour in preparation..ya know....cause that will keep us all safe....wet...but safe....LOL)

Wait for it...wait for it....

Kinda getting a little antsy, anyone else? Ton of stuff to do this week to prepare for my next class on Monday(yeah, we have a paper due the first class..what the...), work stuff even though I'm off this week, and of course, training. One more long run planned for tomorrow as I'll be kid-less for a couple of hours and plan to take full advantage. Not sure on the overall distance, was thinking about 15, but anything over 13 will be just fine. Checked the forcast and it's going to be 24 degrees and very windy at times (yeah!).

As for Christmas, we had a great time and of course lots of food and gifts. Need to work a little of that food off, but I didn't totally overdo it so I'm not concerned. One of the best gifts was a subscription to Running World magazine. I got the January edition to read and was able to get through most of it the other day. I highly recommend it to all you runners out there. It's full of great advice, articles, and witty runner humor. Kinda have to have a sense of humor to put yourself through what we do on a regular basis! One funny quote was "If you have to ask yourself whether your shorts are too short, then they probably are" Had to laugh as many of you know, I own a pair like that. LOL They were the shorts from the Pfizer running team uniform, not something I would purchase normally and don't run in them any more. Anyhoo, Christmas was good, but now I'm ready for Jan 7th when we fly down for the race.

Side note, I'm a fantasy football champion, woohoo! I play in two "money" leagues and won one last year (which paid for our race entry for 2010) and then the other this year. The great part is that the winnings should cover my race entry for the Goofy in 2011!! Yep, I'm already saving money for that trip.... Want to have it all paid for early in 2010 so I can focus on a new charity fundraising endevour. I'll talk more about that later though.

Stay safe out there folks, we're in the home stretch where most of you are probably tapering down your workouts...just don't let your head drift too far into the clouds dreaming about Disney... Lots of bad drivers out there that forget about people running during the winter...

11 Miles and 8 inches

In a last minute decision to get outside for a run last Saturday I ended up going a whole heck of a lot further than planned and just in time as the snow began to fall not too long after. I tell ya, after looking at my weather station reading 22 degrees outside I nearly headed down to the basement for a treadmill run. However, I've got all the winter running gear so I figured why not give it a go. The plan was to start off extremely slow to let my lungs acclimate (couldn't run in cold last year, got lung freeze every darn time) and then figure out how long I wanted to go....maybe 5 or 6 miles.... Well, the first mile felt so good that I decided to do my long loop and nearly decided to run the 13.1 mile loop....the only thing that stopped me from extending the run was the thought that my wife would send out a search part since I didn't say I'd be out that long.

I wasn't fast, but I wasn't slow, just right for this one as I intended it to be. Averaged right at 9min miles which is ahead of my normal pace due to the hills and such. I would have easily finished the 13.1 under 2hrs, very comfortably mind you as I didn't feel like I pushed it at all during the run. Again, this is more proof that the strength training is paying off as I guaged the run based on my breathing rate and not speed. Kept the breathing rate slow as I normally do for a longer training run.

The funny thing is that the more my training takes shape, the closer to easily achieving my goal, I'm more and more nervous about it. It's like I'm waiting for something bad to happen...weird... Anyhoo, time permitting, I may actually get a 13.1 in prior to the new year and then shut it down. I won't be upset if I don't as I know I'm ready, but still would like to...it's so peaceful out there...hardly any runners, walkers, kids playing, etc.... Just you and the road (and the cold).

Oh yeah, and the snow did fall right after the run to the tune of 8 inches locally, more like a foot down the shoreline. Crazy nor'easter apparently... No more need to dream of a White Christmas, it's already here and will surely stick around for the week. :-)

Visions of Mike-Speed Danced in My Head...

Ya know, like the theoretical "speed of Mike" not actually visions of Mike running around in my head, what kind of sicko do you think I am, yeesh!?!!?? ;-)

Put in a 5.5 miler yesterday as the temps were in the mid 40's and I didn't want to waste it with arctic cold on the way for today and the rest of the week. This was my tempo run and I was able to keep every mile under 8min (like just under...7:57, 7:56, etc.). Man, I was pretty psyched aobut that. Apparently the weight/strength training is starting to pay off, who knew!?!? I'm not saying that I'll average under 8/min miles down at Disney, but I'm encouraged by the progress that I've made towards my goal of a sub 1hr 50min half marathon. So the strength training continues and I'm still putting in the miles for January. Very un-like last December where I had a strong November and cruised through December....wasn't exactly helpful for my Jan run...

Hope everyone is happy and healthy!! and Thanks for the B-day wishes! and what is this Club 8 thing? I'm still behind on the podcast thing....did I miss something?

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....)