Friday, October 5, 2007

Marathon only 2 days away so we took things easy this morning. Ran 1 mile in a 9:30 pace. Still feeling pretty good but the weather for Sunday is going to be hot!!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Wife was going to yoga this evening so we got up and ran a mile. Tried to take it easy and we still completed it in under 9 minutes!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

My wife was going to work out with her trainer tonight and since I just so love mornings I decided to sleep in and run after work.

After work and before I headed out to the gun club I stopped home for a quick 1 mile run which I completed in 7:58. Not a new record mind you but quite fast. Let’s just hope I keep my wits about me during the marathon.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

This morning we were up earlier than normal and got to running. With the thick fog out you couldn’t see to the end of the block…it was kinda cool! Managed a good pace for our morning mile

Monday, October 1, 2007

It was raining pretty hard this morning so my wife let us both sleep in. I’m not so sure that was the best idea since we both complained that we didn’t feel very well the rest of the day.

Once we got home we both changed and headed out for our run…we both complained about not wanting to do it but we persevered. Tried to keep the pace slow but still managed a 9:07 mile.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Marathon is only 1 week away now. Went to the YMCA and did a fast 8:28 mile on the treadmill and then walked for 15 minutes at a 14:40 pace. Did about 40 minutes of light weights and then rested in the whirlpool and sauna.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Last ‘long run’ before the marathon. I was up and out the door by 6:30 and put 3 miles in prior to meeting up with the Saturday Morning Running Group then I put 5 more on. My wife is becoming quite a strong runner…we were doing between an 8:30 and 9:00 pace in the first two miles with the group and I just couldn’t hack it so I backed off to a respectable 9:30-9:45 pace.

Finished 8 miles at a sub 10 min/mile pace!!

Friday, September 28, 2007

We got up early this morning and ran. I’m feeling really good but that might just be the anticipation of the marathon approaching. 1 mile 8:45 pace.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

This morning brought a rather cool day but not too cool not to go running. Started pretty easy and finished our run with a 9:00 mile.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A very busy day starting with a lazy morning so I didn’t run until late. I got home from a village meeting and waited for my wife. Once I heard that she had already run I told her that I’d just go…she said no she was feeling good so she would run with me.

With the moon full and bright in the sky we pounded out an 8:57 mile.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

It was not the best conditions to sleep in last night…the house was all humid and stuffy. The breeze that blew through the window was beautiful but very, very infrequent!

My wife was up and moving before I was and once I got up she told me that it was okay…I could go back to bed. That was tempting but I know that if I’m up I should actually do something, so I told her to go ahead without me. I finished getting ready and even though I considered running 2 miles I decided to stick to 1 mile and finished it in 8:15. If things had been a bit better (less humid) I could have done even better!!

Monday, September 24, 2007

My wife had to leave early this morning so we didn’t get up to run. Once we both got home from work neither of us felt like doing anything so we decided to eat dinner first and run later. Now that sounds all fine and dandy but I don’t think it was such a wise idea for me to run after eating cereal. We took it slow and did our 1 mile in 9:45.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Since neither of us really wanted to get out of bed this morning there was no rush to head to the YMCA today.

About 5:30 pm my wife came out into the living room all ready to run, so I got dressed and we ran at 6:00. I said we would take it easy and I tried to slow her down a bit but she wanted to push it so I just kept up the pace. We ran 1 mile in 8:50, so I guess that we didn’t keep it easy.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

I just love taper weeks…I only had to get up at 5 am this morning! It was still dark now that fall is descending upon us but it was 55 degrees so I was very comfortable. The route was easy enough and I got to the Saturday Morning Running Group meeting place a bit early so I was able to get in another mile before meeting the group. 7 miles and feeling pretty good.

Now that everyone was there we set off and I was determined to finish my 5 remaining miles strong. I was able to do just that. Once I was finished with the main run I ran up the hill at Colonial just as I was told I had to when we run this route.

Total mileage was 12.35 miles!!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Beautiful morning for a run…if you don’t count the humidity in the air. Feeling pretty good with 3 weeks until the marathon. Started out slow and built to a brisk pace. Completed our 1 mile loop in 8:45.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

A very foggy night for a run and of course I wear all black again. Good thing I was running with my wife and she had the foresight to wear clothing that could be seen. Ran our standard 1 mile route in 9:40.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

We were up and out the door by 6:50 today and ran a somewhat subdued pace but with how lovely it was, 70 with a light wind, it was great just to be out side. 1 mile, 9:30 pace.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

My wife was going to work out with her trainer tonight so I was left to decide if I wanted to run by myself or to wait and see if she ran while at the club. She called and informed me that she was not running at the club and if I had not run to wait for her.

It was so beautiful out that neither of us was in that big of a hurry to finish the run. We took our time and still did 1 mile in under 10 min.

Monday, September 17, 2007

My wife asked when I would rather run…and given that choice I said tonight so she rolled over and we didn’t run this morning. After work she was starving so we decided to head to dinner first and run later. By 8 PM she was ready to go and I didn’t. But I knew I had to so we went for our usual 1 mile loop and I really pushed it the last half and came in with an 8:30 mile. The cool breeze made it a lovely evening and a great run.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

After such a long day of running and drinking beer it was nice to take it rather easy today.

My wife and I headed to the YMCA and I put in 1 mile of running on the treadmill and then walked an additional half mile. I put in about 20 minutes of weight training and then decided to hit the pool.

My elbow seems to have a small pinch in the nerve that caused me some discomfort so I stopped after about 20 minutes in the pool.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

I fell asleep early last night and was able to easily get up at 3:20 AM. I remembered to lay all of my gear out so that I would be able to be as quite as possible so as to not wake up my wife. I ate my banana and granola bars, drank my water and got out of the house at 4 AM.

The sky was beautiful! There were so many stars and no moon (that will be an issue later.) It was cold…40 degrees and an 8 mph WNW wind. I started out running down N Green Bay Rd. and turned onto Rapids Dr. I am always surprised at the amount of traffic on Green Bay so early in the morning.

The run down Rapids and Mt Pleasant were very non-eventful and I picked up the Root River Bike Trail here. It is much nicer to run on the trails than the side of the roads. It was very peaceful and allowed me quite a bit of time to think.

By the time I came near Colonial Park it was around 4:30 and sunrise was still 2 hours away. I had originally thought that this part of the trail would be hard due to the tree cover but didn’t realize that there would be no moonlight. I got to the bridge to enter Colonial and realized I could not see the trail at all…all I could see was blackness. This meant that I had to change course and run back up the hill and get into Lincoln Park via the roads and connect back up with the trail there.

Once I was back on the tail there were no problems. I got a little spooked when at about 6th Street and the trail (near the Rotary Overlook) a coyote came out of the underbrush and ran across the trail…I nearly wet myself at this point!!!

I hit Main St. right on schedule and started heading south, by now you could see the sky lightening in the East.

Once I hit 14th Street I knew that I was going to end up a bit short on my mileage but things were still pretty good other that I was now running straight into the wind! I followed Washington out to Ohio and then Ohio to 21st Street. Since I was going to be a little short and I still had some time left I decided to venture toward the mall before I hit Durand. This allowed me to put an additional 1.5 miles on just to be sure I had the mileage. Durand was a straight shot to West Blvd. where I was meeting the rest of the group.

My wife stopped to check on me about 5 blocks from the group, I told her things were going well and that I’d met her at the start. I got to the start and found about 8 of our loyalist waiting for our morning run. The majority decided they were going to head south on the bike trail and I decided to run north (I didn’t feel like dealing with the gravel) so off we went. I was quite a bit slower now…I really have to learn not to hang around and chat at this point but to just move out and catch up with everyone at coffee, but I’m sure I’ll never learn.

I finished my 20 miles (actually 19.8 miles) in under 4 hours so I was overall very happy. Only 3 weeks to Chicago!!!

Friday, September 14,, 2007

This morning I was up and ready to go even though the pillow kept calling me back. It was cool out but I still flet comfortable in my short sleeved tee. Easy pace was possible this morning...9:30 mile.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

This morning I decided that I didn't want to run since we were going to go to the YMCA. Well one thing led to another and we ended up not going to the Y we did however pick up our much needed lawn mower and go out to dinner.

Once we got home I decided that 4 weeks of growing was enough and it was time to cut the grass...I did this until I could not see anymore.

I cooled down from dragging all of the lawn clippings to the back of our yard and decided it was time to go for a run. I thought that I'd take it easy but ended up putting in a 8:30 mile!

I really need to slow that pace down!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Once again my wife was up and ready to go before I even realized that it was morning. I jumped out of bed and quickly got ready. I was dressed in shorts and a long sleeve tee as I was putting on my shoes when I noticed that my wife was wearing workout pants!?! I asked why and she said that the temperature outside was in the mid 40’s…yikes!

Well I decided not to change, I mean it is only a mile it can’t be that bad. I struggled a bit but managed a respectable 9:00 minute mile.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Wife heard that the wind was going to pick up during the day so she got up to run. I jumped out of bed and got ready. It was still cool and reminded me just of what the rest of fall is going to be like. Ran the 1 mile loop in 8:40…boy did we pick up the pace on the second half of that mile. After the marathon in a few weeks we are going to increase our daily run to 2 miles since we are starting to treat this as nearly a sprint!

Monday, September 10, 2007

We decided that it would be best if we ran before dinner since I didn’t think the burger and fries would sit real well. It was raining so there was a little whining involved but we got out anyway. It was the best time that my wife had run a mile in around 8:40! I ran the mile in 8:36.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

This evening we went for a nice run. My wife was still recovering from her 5.5 miler yesterday so she said I should run ahead. 1 mile at a 8:35 pace!

Saturday, September 08, 2007

After the mess last week with me shin and the blisters I was a little leery as to how well this week would be. I got up at 5 AM and was out the door by 5:30. Got 7.3 miles in before meeting the running group. Completed another 4.7 miles for a total of 12 miles. it was simply perfect weather to be out running.

Friday, September 07, 2007

My wife realized that it was raining this morning so we didn’t run in the AM. We decided to go to dinner right after work and let our dinner settle. Ran a little later and completed the mile at a good pace.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Didn’t get up so I decided to wait and run with my wife after her hair appointment. Easy miler around the neighborhood.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

With my wife going to the gym this evening we had decided not to run in the morning…I’m not so sure that was such a great idea since by 6 pm when I went running it was hot and humid!

I decided that I’d run a bit longer tonight since I wasn’t able to get the miles in that I’d hoped to on Saturday and chose what I thought was an 7.5 – 8 mile loop. I’m glad I brought my water bottle because it was needed to cool me off a number of times during this run. I continued with my 2 mile run with a ¼ recovery and it seemed to work pretty well. By the time I hit 4 miles though my heel, which I blistered on Sunday, had torn open again and my sock and shoe were bloodied again.

I got into the neighborhood to notice that the run was not 7.5 miles but only 6.5!! Well 6.5 miles is better than no miles!

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

This morning was like most weekday mornings…my wife rolls out of bed and I wake up as she comes back in with her running clothes. That would be my queue to get up and get ready for our run. I got up, none to happy to be awake, but I got up and went running.

It was still rather cool outside but you could feel the dampness in the air. My wife tells me that today is supposed to be “hot and humid today.” “Great!” is my only reply.

The run goes well 1 mile at a 9:04 pace but I will have to put my new shoes back on this week and see if my blister has healed.

Monday, September 03, 2007

Got up this morning after sleeping in and we went out running. It was humid and we decided to cut back on the mileage. My wife turned around sooner than I was expecting…when I turned around with her she told me to continue. So I did another about face and ran 2 miles in just under 20 min. Heel wasn’t much of a problem today.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Today, as most Sundays, we decided to head to the YMCA. I managed to put 2.3 miles on the feet before I realized that a blister on my heel had burst and I was bleeding.

So with my heel out of commission I decided to spend the next 30-40 minutes lifting weights.

Later in the day we played tennis…my wife beat me of course but it was fun and sweaty!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Since I just ran a marathon last weekend I was not ready to do another 20 miler just yet so I decided that I would only run 12-13. After donning my running gear and setting out before the sun had risen I would easily get in 7 miles before meeting the running group.

What I had not planned on however is that my left shin would start to hurt again. It seemed to hurt running down hill. I decided that I was fine with the 7 miles and only walked the next 3 miles for a total of 10 miles on the day.

Friday, August 31, 2007

I was lazy and didn’t want to run in the morning…thankfully my wife agreed but she said we had to run right after work. So when we both got home we changed and went for our 1 mile run.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

We had planned to go to the YMCA but since we needed to get the lawn mower fixed we changed plans and just ran late. We took it easy since neither of us really wanted to do this. We go it done though and stared at the stars…1 mile at a 9:24 pace

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

I had to get my run in before heading out to the trap range. With family issues getting to me I could have easily run for mile but due to the time issue I ran 1 mile in 8:31.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Tonight was very humid but we managed to do a great job. My left shin is still hurting a bit but the running helped to ease the pain. We got 1 mile in at a 9:40 pace. The full moon was beautiful!

Monday, August 27, 2007

I was hoping to have the grass cut before running tonight but seeing as the mower did not want to cooperate I gave up and had dinner. We went running at 8:30 this evening. I’m still nursing a sore left shin so I let my wife run out ahead. That only means that she just became a rabbit! I tried to keep up with her and struggled. By the half mile mark my shin had loosened up enough that I was able to gain some ground…not a lot mind you but a little…I think the hill slowing her down helped too. I finished the mile with a 8:40 pace (she finished with a 8:30 pace!)

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Today we flew home from Utah and then drove the long way home. Started to wash clothes and then decided we had better get out and do our run. Seeing how yesterday I ran a marathon I was not sure how well I’d fair. The humidity was up (54%) from Utah but down from last week. The temp was just right, 76 degrees. I told my wife to run ahead since I was not going to be busting any great numbers today. 1 mile at 9:26 pace.

Race Report - Park City, Utah

This all begins 3 months ago when out of the blue I find out that the late summer marathon I was going to run (Bangor, Maine) had been canceled due to an illness. This sent me into a tizzy looking for a new run so that I could have three marathons in this year.

Along comes Park City, Utah. The date for the race was ideal, 6 weeks prior to Chicago and far enough out so that I could adequately train.

Thursday’s flight out was eventful since we were ultimately delayed about an hour due to storms in the area and then due to the delay we were stuck on the tarmac waiting for takeoff. Once we got under way our pilot came on to tell us that only 2 planes were able to takeoff after us due to another storm that blew through Chicago!

We arrived in Salt Lake City and drove to Park City. The drive was rather uneventful but driving into the mountains with semis on the road can be rather nerve-racking when you are not used to it.

We spent most of Friday driving around town and the surrounding area just getting used to the altitude. Since I have never been at this altitude I was not sure what to expect. I found out that my muscles were tingling most of the night Thursday and by Friday they were feeling good but tired. I had trouble sleeping at this altitude, or maybe it was the humidity which was very low (10%) compared to home, and didn’t get sleep that I am used to.

Saturday morning came and I was up and ready to go at 5:30 am. I had half a banana and about a third of a breakfast bar. I drank about 20 oz of water and took 2 electrolyte pills. Got dressed and started to bitch about my shoes not fitting properly…at this point my wife jumped in and told me to knock of the negative talk, I was just making excuses and that everything would be fine if I just kept a positive attitude. She was right of course but at five in the morning I didn’t really care because I was nervous and worried about what the day had in store for me.

The temperature outside was 48 degrees…which for me is not a big deal but with 10% humidity it was COLD!!! The “gun” went off at 6:30 am on the dot and approximately 400 marathoners hit the road before the sun had risen above the surrounding mountain tops.

Miles 1-6: From the starting line we head east along a frontage road and we encounter our first hill of the day. It wasn’t that big of a hill but it was steep and all I could think of is “why did I chose this race?!?” The frontage road gave us some great views of the nearby nature preserve that we would get to see up close at the end of the race. We entered a residential area with some very impressive homes (we later found out that the cheapest one in that neighborhood was $950,000!!) and got a wonderful tour of the trails around the community. We encountered our first bit of gravel trails here. This section of the course, with the rolling hills, was the closest to what we would get in Wisconsin.

Miles 6-13: This was a long stretch. The course was an old rail line that had been converted to a multi-use trail. The grade was slightly upward and as the miles added up you could also feel the toll of the incline in your legs. The sights were awe inspiring. Upon turning onto the trail we could see 4 hot air balloons rising in the nearby mountains. We continued to watch them dance in the sky until about mile 10 when they were behind us. This section of the course we have mountains to both sides and straight in front of us so you know what is coming! The land on both sides of the trail were open for grazing and we got to see a number of cows grazing away…in fact at mile 10 there were two on the trail! As we got closer they moved just off to the side of the trail and kept eating. At 10.5 I saw my wife and introduced her to the people I was running with.

She was a champ…she made sure that I was in the right frame of mind, asked me what I needed and what I would need at the next stop. I told her that I’d like a few Jelly Belly’s the next time I saw her because I could really use some food. I was still progressing at a good pace and was confident at this point that I would be able to hit my goal of 5 ½ hours but the hills were still to come. By 13 miles I was doing great with a 2:35 half!

Miles 13-17.5: This is the hill climb. At this point we turn into Park City and start to progress up to the highest point on the course. The trail was impressive running right next to a major road and under many of the intersections into the city. From this vantage point we were able to see the many parks and shops of Park City up to mile 14. At mile 14 we take a turn and head for the “resort.” The “resort” in question is one of the most expensive in the area. The views here are spectacular! We ran into the resort and circled the lake. We were surrounded on all sides by the most fantastic mountain views I have ever seen. I was still feeling good but took my time and enjoyed the sights. The lake had people fishing in it and there were all kinds of people biking and hiking in the area. I continued on knowing that it was truly “all down hill” from here. My lovely wife was there to greet me at mile 14 and remained there until I returned from the resort at mile 17 at which point she gave me the beans I had asked for and we chatted a bit as she walked me down the trail I had just ran up not too long ago. I was still on pace and now I was headed down hill so all I had to do was run more that walk…sounds easy right?

Mile 17.5-18.5: This mile gets its own remarks because it was just mean. I’m telling you the person that placed this 3 block 16% grade hill at this point of the race should be shot! It was just plain wrong! We cross over a few walking bridges in town and then have to go up this ugly incline. There were people there to cheer us on and I was very grateful the guys at the top of the hill with the water.

Miles 18.5 to 20: This is the section that I though I would have the least trouble with it was down hill at a moderate grade and should be a fast section…well it was and it wasn’t. As I stated earlier Thursday my muscles were tingling from the lack of oxygen and up until this point in the race I had not felt any ill effects of the altitude but running down hill I was starting to pick up speed and my body was not getting enough oxygen to remain happy. My entire body tingled and not in a good way. I never felt like I was going to pass out but all of my muscles felt drained not tired. I know that sounds odd but I was feeling rather good but my body wasn’t sure how to handle what was going on. This section of the course we headed back into a residential area. We ran around a beautiful golf course at the foot of some impressive ski slopes and saw very little in the way of people.

Miles 20 to 26.2: We are back on the trails mostly gravel but there were some improved paved trails. Most of this section I spent walking. The sun was beating down and the temperature had risen to the low 80’s and there was literally no shade to be had. From 20 to 22 we followed a major highway and rounded a farm house where the aid station had bananas…now in the past I have had a bad reaction to bananas on the course but today I was craving them so I gulped a quarter of one down…boy did that taste good! The trail headed under the highway and made its way around a rather big hill and into the nature preserve. This was a beautiful section with a babbling brook to the side of the trail and a number of small bridges to cross. I tried to run a number of times but I felt like jelly and could not maintain any pace for more than a tenth of a mile. So with that I found a few people to chat with on the course and just admired the scenery. Rounding 25.5 mile mark I saw my wife in the distance and she had the camera in hand…I told her to take the picture as I was since I was not about to try running until I could see the finish line.

Well with a tenth of a mile to go I ran the rest of the way in. My official time was 5:46:42.

The rest: After the race I picked up my finishers shirt and sun catcher medal then stretched. The race had worked out an arrangement with the facility to allow runners to use the showers which was a great idea. I took a shower and was relaxing when we spotted someone with a Racine Half Marathon shirt on. It turns out that this couple was from Kenosha!! What are the chances? We chatted with them for quite a while.

The race was fantastic. I would recommend this marathon to everyone. The hills are, for the most part, easy enough. The views are beyond anything I could ever try to explain. The aid stations were well stocked with water, Gatorade, and fantastic crews.

We are ready to move…If we had a reason to move to Park City we would. The people are great.

I could not have completed this race without my wife. She keeps me level headed, she keeps me motivated, and she keeps me running. I can only hope that she realizes just how grateful I am to have her not only by my side but to have her course side. I’ve told her plenty of times that all I really need is to see her at the end of the race but she knows that her presence, expectedly or unexpectedly, on the course helps to move me along. Thanks babe…I love you.

Onward to Chicago.

Friday, August 24, 2007

First full day in Park City and we wanted to be sure that the streak did not end. We found a neighborhood nearby and set out to run our mile. We ran out .4 miles and came back to the park. Ran around the park to complete 1 mile. The altitude was much harder than either of us had expected, but it was worth the experience.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Got up this morning and my wife and I debated waiting until we were in Utah to run. It was decided that we had better do things now since it will be late when we get in. So we were out the door by 6:50 am. By the time we hit the end of the road it was starting to rain. By the half way point it was pouring. Finished the 1 mile in a great pace.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

You see sometimes it pays to procrastinate. Woke up this morning and didn’t feel like running and since my wife had the club tonight I decided to wait and run later. Tonight I was raining badly. So I didn’t head out until around 7:30 pm. When I got outside the rain had stopped and a new front was moving in so I stayed dry (except for the sweat) and got to see an amazing light show coming into the area. 1 mile at 8:20 pace.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Met my wife right after work and we ran our usual loop at a decent pace. 1 mile. Off to shoot trap!!

Monday, August 20, 2007

I was really hoping that my wife was not going to make me get up this morning but alas she did. I got up, reluctantly, and got ready to run. The ground was still wet from all the rain the previous night and while the temperature was pretty cool there was a note of humidity in the air. We started strong and by ¾ of a mile I was done I told my wife to keep up her pace and I’d see here at the end. Finished my 1 mile run at a 9 min pace.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Only 1 mile in the rain at night but it was worth it. All the gloom was starting to get to me and running cures quite a bit! Thanks to my wife I am a new man!!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Well it is the last weekend before the Utah Marathon, only 8 miles today!! I only had to start running at 6:30!! This was great but I didn’t want to get out of bed…I’m starting to think that running real early is great since I do not remember getting up!!

First 3 miles was pretty hard…the last 5 miles went well running with my wife! :)

Total of 8 miles at a 10:21 pace.

Friday, August 17, 2007

This morning was hard to get out of bed. The weather was perfect for a run though: mid 50’s with a light wind from the west and humidity that was very low!

Ran 1 mile in 9:15.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

YMCA day...did 30 min. on the treadmill only 2 miles out of the 2.8 were running though. The running was all at a 2% grade the walking was upto 4%.

Did about 40 min. of weights as well.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Ran with my wife tonight and had decided to forgo the 1 mile route and do 2 miles. Didn’t go out until late due to a show being on. 9 PM we were heading out the door both with GPSr’s on our wrists. We were flying…so much so that my wife asked if my pacer alarm was turned off. I told her no that we were just running faster than the alarm…I’m not sure that made her very happy. By 1.5 miles she was getting a stitch so she let me run ahead. I kept a great pace and finished my 2 miles in 17:53. I’m getting there…I just have to remember not to try that during my marathon!!!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

It was raining in this morning so we decided to hold off and run later. Unfortunately as the day went on the humidity started to go up! I thought of running during lunch but decided against it…big mistake!

Got home from work around 5:30 and had to get ready for trap that night but thought I had better get my run in now since I did not know when I’d be home later.

Hit the ground running…the humidity was bad and the sweat started pouring. I had a rough day so my mind just kept churning which is why I ended up running 1 mile in 7:57 for me a new PR.

Monday, August 13, 2007

We got up at 6:30 and were ready to go! The temp was the same as on Sat. but the humidity was half!!! I was in heaven. We ran 1 mile in 9:09 and felt like we still had gas in the tank. I hope this weather lasts!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

After a long day of caching we still managed to head out and do a mile. Thought we were running much faster but only put in a 9:45 pace for 1 mile.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Glad it is taper time because this way I don’t have to get up so early!! Out the door at 5:45 is much nicer. 6.5 miles before meeting with the group but at 90%+ humidity I was glad to be there in one piece. Managed another 5 miles…a lot of it walking and poured myself into the car and headed to coffee with 11.5 miles in the bag.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Another morning another mile…quite humid but managed a 10 min. mile pace for 1 mile.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

We are going to the State Fair tonight so we had to get our run in this morning. 1 mile at about a 10:00 pace.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Didn’t run in the morning since I knew my wife would be going to the club this evening. I decided to do a few extra miles and see how the virtual partner works on the GPS…It’s Cool! Put in 3.25 miles and beat the virtual partner!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

This will teach me to not write these things on time…I don’t remember if I ran in the morning or in the evening. I only know that it was only 1 mile.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Got up at 6:30 this morning and found out that the humidity was horrible. Ran a mile in 9:40 but was sucking wind at the end!!

Sunday, August 5, 2007

With the pain gone from the prior day I was ready to run around 7pm. We only did a mile but I felt great when it was over!

Saturday, August 4, 2007

When I have to get up early to run I dread the thought of being late…I slept right through the first alarm and luckily the second one woke me up! I hit the road at 4am when the moon was still high in the sky. I enjoyed the silence of the early morning but still have trouble remembering parts of the run.

The weather had gotten notably better than it had been earlier in the week but was still a little more humid than I like.

The miles went by pretty quickly and the wheels started to come off at about 12-13 miles. I struggled to get the 15 in before the Saturday Morning Running Group but I got them in. The next 5 miles were pretty bad…I walked most of it and it took me over an hour for 5 miles! I pulled my left shin pretty bad and the pain was horrible.

Ended the day with 19.91 miles.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Didn’t want to get up this morning…I hope this is not a harbinger of what is in store for tomorrow…but ended up running at 7am…wife stayed in bed! Tried to keep it slow since tomorrow is a long day but still ended with a 9:10 mile.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

WOW! I got up this morning thanks to my wife! She was up and getting ready at 6:30 so I figured I should too. We got outside and realized that it is still quite humid…I’m hoping it breaks before Saturday’s long run!! 1 mile in 9:40.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Well once again I didn’t get up to run in the morning so my wife recommended that we head to the YMCA after work. I hate the treadmill!! Put in 3 miles and work the pace for the 1st mile and the hills for the last mile. Utah is going to be fun!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Didn’t manage to get up this morning which meant that I was going to have to run after work. Since I had trap this evening I run at 5:30 and boy was it still hot out. I did push myself a bit though and put in a 7:59 mile!!

Monday, July 30, 2007

We were actually up and out the door by 6:50 this morning! We had trouble getting moving and the sun was so bright but we managed to put in 1 mile in 9:22.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

We had today planned already so it was no real surprise. Headed out the door at 10:50am and rode our bikes for about 8 miles.

Went out in the afternoon and played 9 holes of golf. (carried our bags…you walk 9 holes!)

At about 6:40pm we went out and did our mile…pretty slow at 10:14 pace for 1 mile but the day was busy so it needed to be easy.

Footnote: I am now signed up for the Park City Marathon. Airfare and hotels are now booked…no getting out of it now!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Thank god this was a step down week! I was really getting tired of those 4am starts.

I was up at 4:50 and listening to the weather when I heard that it was 68 degrees out (beautiful!) and that the humidity was 95% (what? Did I hear that right?). I waited for the local weather to come back on and sure enough 95% humidity…this wasn’t going to be very fun.

Hit the road at 5:30 and got about 1.5 miles away before I was completely dripping with sweat. Managed to get 7.25 miles in before meeting the Saturday Morning Running Group but I looked like I just got out of a pool! The cemetery run is always pleasant and easy to run. Humidity had dropped to 80% by the time I had finished 11.5 miles, .5 miles short of my expected mileage for the day.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Talk about walking into a greenhouse! I got up this morning and the wife wasn’t feeling the best so I decided to put the morning run in by myself. I stepped outside and felt like I just walked into Steins’ greenhouse. It smelled of freshly moistened soil and the humidity was off the charts.

I settled in for a steady pace and ended with a 8:50 pace for 1 mile.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The dreaded YMCA treadmill…managed to put in 3 miles of running/walking on a progressively faster and steeper course. Boy was it hot in there!!!

After my run I did about 2 miles of walking at a brisk pace and a steep incline.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Once again a beautiful morning to be running. 1 mile about a 9:30 pace.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Didn’t get up as early as we hopped but still got up and ran 1 mile at 9:25 pace.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Hard to get out of bed this morning but finally managed to do so. Wife and I headed out and I started complaining right away…”BOY AM I SORE!”

I put my head into it and we pounded out 1 mile at a 9:35 pace.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Back to the YMCA and the dreaded treadmill. 1 mile at 10:00 pace. Lifted weights and went for a swim.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

I doubt I will ever get used to these early morning runs but I am getting better at just doing it and not questioning the sanity of the idea.

4:00 AM out the door and headed for a nice long run. I knew I was going to have to keep a better pace than I did last week or I’d miss the running group. I managed to put 15.5 miles on before meeting the group just before 7 AM. I don’t think I could have asked for better conditions. The temp was right, the humidity was right, and there was only a gentle breeze to keep me cool.

I finished my remaining 4.5 miles well behind the small group of runners we had this week. A bit of the way was walking…I should never have stopped for as long as I had waiting for the group, I’ll do better next time.

Finished 19.9 miles in 4:01:10…Could have been faster if those last 4 miles weren’t so bad!!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Wife and I were up and running this morning. She was feeling good and so was I so we managed to get 1 mile at a 9:25 pace!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The cold front moved in finally so this mornings run was not too bad. Decent weather but still recovering from previous day. 1 mile at 8:50 pace.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

With the wife at the club I thought I’d be able to put a few extra miles on the legs. Well I felt good up to about 2.5 miles and then things got iffy. By 3.5 miles I was not feeling well. By 4 miles I was done! It was so humid that I was dripping…I felt as though I had sat in a steam room for 3 hours. I continued home at a walk and managed 5.25 miles on the feet but only 4 of them did I try to run.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Early morning…wife didn’t sleep well so I’m on my own. 1 mile in 8:50.
Too humid to even try to explain!!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Nice evening run right after work. Took our time and just did our mile circuit. 1 mile in 10:06.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Today was a YMCA day. Did 1 mile on the treadmill at a 2.5% grade then hit the weights and the pool.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

4AM is not my friend! But somehow I managed to get my but out of bed and hit the road by 4:05. Took a scenic route down to Parkside to meet up with Racine’s Saturday Morning Running Group by 7AM and was glad to hear that everyone was interested in running the road route rather than the X-country course!

Put 18 miles on the feet and was feeling pretty good.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Early morning run with the wife managed to put 1 mile in at a 10 min/mile pace. Beautiful day!!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

After work, meet the wife at the YMCA…she was late so I got a few miles in before she got there. Managed to put in 4 miles on the treadmill….boy was it hot in there!!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

It was such a beautiful day out I just had to go for a run. The only problem is that once I got ready to head out I didn’t want to do it anymore…funny how that works!

I did manage to get off my but and head out for a run. Very light breeze and a clear night. Managed 4 miles with a few walk breaks and still averaged 9:31 pace.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The wife decided not to run this morning due to an appointment with the trainer this evening so I got to sleep in a little before heading out for this 1 mile ritual.

It was much cooler today than in the past week so it was very welcoming. I tried to keep an even pace today but still found myself moving faster than I should be going.

1 mile at a 8:28 pace.

I have to put some distance in tonight…maybe 4-6 miles.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

This morning was easier to get up but not easier to run…just didn’t feel like it. We hit the road and even though I felt that we were much slower than yesterday still put in 1 mile at the same pace as yesterday!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Back to the morning grind…I really hate getting up this early but I know that I need to.

1 mile at a 9:54 pace

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Headed down to the YMCA and ran 1 mile on the treadmill, did some weightlifting, and then went and did a few laps in the pool…I really need to do that a little more often!

Saturday, July 7, 2007

The plan was to get up and be out the door by 4 AM…run 14.5 miles before meeting everyone and then finishing up with 18 miles…well a few things didn’t happen.

First I am in desperate need of new shoes…they were ordered but still haven’t received them. Second I was up on time but did not actually get up. Some how I talked myself into resetting the alarm and I got up at 5 AM instead.

I was out the door by around 5:35. I managed to get in right around 7.75 miles before meeting the Saturday Morning Running Group. Ran with my wife and a few others through the 1st cemetery but then we parted company while I finished the remaining two in a different order than they wanted to do.

In the end I was short 6 miles but managed to put in 12 miles so in all not a bad day.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Didn't sleep very well but was ready for a run. Wife came along for the 1 mile run and we completed it in 9:47.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

After work headed over to the YMCA for a little workout...2 miles on the treadmill at2 and 3% grades and 1/2 hour of weights....overall a pretty good workout.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

We got up late so wife was not able to join me for this mornings run. The weather was perfect with just a light NE wind. 1 mile at 8:20 pace…I think I’ll be able to run faster once my lung capacity increases. I’m still spending too much time wheezing.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

After spending a few hours in the sun walking in the Franklin and Sommers Parades’ for Paul Ryan I convinced my wife that in stead of running the simple mile we had been trying to do every day that we should run 2. She reluctantly agreed.

We headed out for our 2 miler at 5:30 and it was still HOT!!! Ran the 1st mile and only walked twice for the second mile. Glad we did it in the end but wife realized that I would be making her get up tomorrow and run again!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Day 3 and still sticking with the mile a day routine…I just hope I can stick it out the whole month!!!

VERY SORE still but the run helped to loosen things up. 1 mile at 9:30 pace.

Monday, July 2, 2007

I am sore from working out with weights at the YMCA yesterday but I know that I have to get a few miles on me just to feel normal soon.

The rain had stopped by the time my shoes hit the road at 9:30PM but you could still smell the moisture in the air. The first 1.5 miles was cake the last 1.25 not so much.

Finished 2.77 miles at a 10:15 pace but felt only so-so. Spent a great deal of time stretching when I got home just so I’d feel good in the morning.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Got up this morning and went out and did a mile run.

1 mile 9:55...I'm sure I can do better but this is only day 2.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Turning over a new leaf for July and ran a mile at the YMCA then lifted weights for about an hour.

1 mile at 10:10 pace.