One 9-miler down, with a new personal distance record

Today, Sara, Melanie and I completed a 9-mile trek through Richmond. It was a moderately warm, rainy day, in the low 50's (F); warm for late December. At times, it rained hard - but never for long. We ran mostly on sidewalks, so were jumping left and right to avoid puddles. The best we could was to try to avoid them... our feet and clothes were soaked through early on. We got somewhat lost, but friendly neighbors pointed us to the next major street without incidence. One correcting turn and we were back on course.

While I was the slowest of the group, I kept up through the more than the first half, but took a few walking breaks in each of the following miles. After 4 miles, Sara and I ate our Gel (goo?). Mine was the slightly strange tasting PowerBar Double Latte Gel which contains 50mg of caffeine. Fortunately, I ate one yesterday before running a dozen or more miles from home, so knew it would sit well. That single bowl of oatmeal seemed a long ways off by then!

We netted out to 9.28 miles, a few feet short of a 15K. Of course, I forgot to restart my Garmin 205 for a short while after we stopped for a teammate's bathroom break. So, this was the farthest I have ever run, by 3 miles. It was hard, but know now that I can actually complete a 1/2 marathon even if I need to walk a portion of the course. That said, 9 miles is a long way!

My usual long-run encouragement, other than my new found friends, is my LiveStrong bracelet always found on my right wrist. I try to think that if Lance could do what he did, I can certainly keep myself moving. I hate to admit that I talk to it (in my head) when the going gets tough, but it is what helps when I'm by myself on a long stretch of a deserted road.

Today, my foot held out well after taking care to not lace the shoes up too tight. I apparently broke a blood vessel in my right foot, under my longest toe. It's a bit tender, but better after some drainage. I will enjoy resting tomorrow and putting it up with some ice tonight! Total distance for the week -- over 20 miles!!!

Click here for the run details...

9-mile attempt

Tomorrow morning, I will be attempting my longest distance ever. 9 miles. The distance doesn't bother me, but I am very concerned that my foot will. I have read that this may be caused by too-tight shoes, so I will not tie them so tight. Additionally, I will walk when needed if it acts up. I don't believe that if it hurts like it did Thursday that I can finish the full 9 mile course.

Therefore, I have mapped a shorter 6.4 mile course if needed. We are running downtown for the first time other than during a race, so I am also concerned about bathroom needs, carrying my accelerade, and a snack mid-course. I have packed one PowerBar gel (one with caffeine) to help cover the distance. I purchased three of them today as an experiment, but took one this afternoon to see how it reacted with my belly. I was happy to say that there were no ill side effects.

Time for bed so I can try for a new PDR (personal distance record -- but I think I made that up)!

Foot pain - again

The good thing about having a holiday week is that you sometimes get a chance to run during the week. Since this was a week where we started to get our mileage ramped up, we moved the Wednesday long mid-week run to Thursday. On Monday, we ran together for a short 3 miles. We actually had the largest mid-week group ever, with six of us. Because Tuesday was Christmas, no one ran. Wednesday, I trudged through 3 miles on the treadmill which I have grown to hate. However, it was raining (a cold rain at that), so at least I stayed dry.

Thursday, we ran 5 miles outside, again with a fairly large group. At about half way, the congestion got to me and I had to walk long enough to blow my nose. I figured out a long time ago that I cannot blow my nose and run without paying for it for at least 1/4 of a mile -- it really screws with my breathing. Anyway, just before mile 4, the bottom left of my left foot started to hurt badly. I have had this pain in the past, but it always seems to correct itself. I walked for almost a minute, then started running again. Part way through the 5th mile, it did the same thing. A brief stint walking and I was back to muscle through the final mile. We'll have to see how Saturday goes!

Doctor, Doctor, give me some news...

I've got a bad case of loving you. (Bad Case of Loving You by Robert Palmer may he RIP).

Well, I was very happy with the Doc on Wednesday. She found that there was no stress fracture, and based on the reduction in pain, no tendinitis either! I was given a few exercises to do to strengthen the muscles in the foot, then immediately cleared to run. It really was the best news she could have given me. That night, Melanie and I ran a bit less than 2 miles, just to "try out" the foot. It hurt a bit, but none the next day.

Saturday, three of us started off running. We were scheduled for 8 miles, but I knew that I would be foolish to go that far after the running break. So, I figured I would do 4 miles. Sara ran all 8, with all but the first 2 by herself. I was so proud of her effort, and she was looking good after 6 when I drove out to find her. Lori has had a cold, so stopped to have hacking attacks a few times. This gave me the chance to take a few extra loops to increase the mileage. I have also been fighting what I think is more of a cold than a sinus infection, so stopped once to cough. While I certainly didn't break any speed records, I ended up with 4.4 miles in about 43 minutes. My foot felt good after the distance, so believe that he worst of it is behind me (until next time).

Last night, we had a party at the house. I was on my feet all day and literally didn't sit down except to put shoes on from 10 AM until 12:30 this morning. Once I sat, I was asleep within minutes. My ankles are swollen today, but it is from the standing, not the running. My goal is to be back to the scheduled distance within 2 weeks, but will try to run the scheduled 9 miles on Saturday. We will need to plot out a course that is as flat as possible, since this will be my longest distance ever (6.2 was my previous record). I could have definitely gone longer yesterday, so know that I can do 6 easily (I have done this 10 or more times). So, it's really only miles 7, 8, and 9 that worry me!

A visit to the doctor

For a couple of weeks now, my left foot has given me some pain. Tuesday, I ran a quick 2 miles on the treadmill, then had to scoot since Sue had an early meeting so it was my day to get the kids out of bed and to school.

On Wednesday, the team met at a local YMCA to start a 5-mile run. My foot was hurting more than in the past, so I stopped after less than half of a mile and walked back to the car. I knew it was time to see the doctor and had the right doctor in mind. She is a sports medicine specialist and very well known by most of the people I run with. I called Thursday and was able to see her the next day. She is unsure of the exact nature of my injury but is either a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal or peroneal tendonitis. I got an anatomy lesson.

The fifth metatarsal is basically the bone that connects to the little toe on the left side of my left foot.

The peronial tendon is the tendon that wraps behind the ankle and connects to the fifth metatarsal. Peroneal tendonitis is the inflammation of that tendon.

To determine if it is a stress fracture, I am having a bone scan done on Tuesday. That is basically a reverse x-ray where trace radioactive material is injected into my body and a few hours later is read by (basically) a Geiger counter). Oh goodie -- I get to have even more radiation than I got from living almost next door to the nuke plant at Three Mile Island during the near melt-down in the 1979 accident. The good doctor is seeing me on Wednesday to review the x-rays and plot out a course of action. For the tendonitis, I can run while fixing it. For a stress fracture, I get to rest for a month and call off the half-marathon quest.

Another Saturday, another long run

Five of us ran this morning - 6 miles in a place called West Creek, just west of where we normally run. This is one of my favorite runs, not because of the flat terrain (it is NOT flat) but because of the lack of traffic, ease of getting there and back, and the options when you are there. From where you park, you can do a 2-mile loop, a 4-mile loop, or combine the two for a 6-mile loop. That is what we have done in the past and did again today.

The weather was strange - making dressing correctly very difficult. It was 42 degrees and a cold muggy (almost misty). I ended up wearing shorts and a single long sleeved shirt, along with a hat. No gloves, earmuffs, or long pants, so I was quite cool to start, then perfect as the hour wore on. When all was said and done, I had a sweat-drenched shirt, shorts with sweat spots, and a hat that I could have wrung water out of if it was flexible. A bit of stretching and rehydration later and I was heading home.

For the week, I have to figure out how to count it. 3.1 miles on Sunday (a 5K race), 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, and the 6 today for a weekly total of 16 miles. However, according to the schedule that has been provided, Sunday's 5K goes to last week's distance, so it was just 13 miles for the week where 16 was scheduled. Just under 32 miles run total out of 37 I should have run to date. I need to figure out how to get the three mid-week runs in, so will likely be a bunch of treadmill runs on Tuesday and Thursday, then team runs Wednesday and Saturdays.

On an upside, 32 miles is further than from here to Kings Dominion!

Solo night running

To get in the training mileage for the half-marathon training, running at night, by myself has become a necessity. I ran a bit over 3 miles last night starting at 9 PM, then a bit over 4 miles tonight starting at 7 PM. While I do not enjoy running that late without food in my belly, I felt pretty good once I was actually out there with most of a mile under my belt. That is the point where the oxygen is flowing to my muscles and I'm past the initial pain of running. Fortunately, the temps were not too cold (near 30 last night, near 37 tonight). Figuring out how to dress was challenging, but do-able with a bit of thought. Let's see. If I am to dress like it is 15 degrees warmer than it really is, how can I dress with the wind blowing?

Last night, with temps approaching 30 and the wind blowing, I wore a Nike+ body shirt and a Nike workout jacket, long workout pants, gloves, and earmuffs. Of course, my reflective vest and headlamp completed the outfit. 3 miles was about all I could do given the fact that I had no food since a late (light) lunch. When I was done, my body shirt was soaked, the jacket and pants were also wet. I ran a short 3 miles due to the time, but felt good for the duration.

Tonight, it was almost 10 degrees warmer, so I wore the Nike+ body shirt underneath of a long sleeved dry-fit shirt, shorts, and gloves. Earmuffs stayed at home, along with the jacket and long workout pants. I would have been better with the legs covered, but the top was perfect. Earmuffs would have been an overkill, and the jacket would have had me sweating still. Both shirts were wet tonight, but I felt like I had dressed appropriately given the distance and time. I pushed to 4.25 miles tonight, and could have easily gone further.

The first day

Today is the first day of the 16-week half-marathon training that I have chosen to undertake. I'm not sure where this journey will take me, but I am going to do my best to complete all of it. The mid-week runs are the hardest to complete which, by design, make the weekend runs easier. By skipping a mid-week run, I will pay dearly each Saturday. However, if I complete all of the runs, I will have run 348 miles by the time the half-marathon is done.

348 miles seems like a long way.  It is, in fact, that Google Maps says is the distance from my home in Richmond to New York City. I'm not sure where in NYC, but the point is that it's a long way away. Without traffic, that is a 6+ hour drive. In perfect weather. Certainly, we will not have perfect weather as we make this journey. This morning, for example, the temperature is 24 degrees. By the time we run, it might be up to 28 or 29. Dressing for the cold like this is always a challenge. You start off so cold you don't know if you can get started. But, a couple of miles into the run, I get hot -- since my body is apparently an incredible heat-generating machine. The oatmeal breakfast helps keep me going. Injuries have generally alluded me, after working through the shin splints and sore feet.

Today is about the willingness to push myself, to get up and run without regard to cold weather, or a sore body, or the deep desire to sleep in. Today, I start to figure out if I have the guts to continue a difficult task for more days each week than I take off. Today is the day I look at running not as a task that lasts one day, but as the start of a journey.

Today is the first day of that journey.

When time off is not a good thing

I didn't run much this week. My son created a video for use with a sponsor dinner for his robotics team. When I say he created, I meant that he organized a great deal of the material and did all of the logo creation, etc., but his Mom and I put together the final product. I am going to upload it when I finish installing the latest version of Adobe Premiere Elements software. I do believe that the final product is quite impressive and it certainly got the oohs and aahs of his peers at school (along with all of the adults). We had fun doing it, but didn't get a great deal of sleep this week.

On back to back nights, we were up until at least 1:30 AM working on content, music, etc., and burned the final copy just hours before presentation at the dinner. My son was trying to add one additional piece of animation that he was rendering at the school, but the school lost power in the middle of the day, thereby crashing the rendering process.

Getting back to the title, I didn't get to the gym at all this week, with the last visit on Saturday. Then, it was only a 3-mile treadmill run (some walking), so the mileage this week suffered. Today, I met Lori, Sara, Owen and Bob for 5-miles. We took off at 7 AM with a brisk 35 degree temperature. The other 4 had run an 8K (5 miles) last Saturday while I skipped due to my Mom visiting. The first three miles were fine, but the final 2 were painful at best. Skipping workouts (time off) is not a good thing when you finally return to running.

The official start of insanity

This week, I have begun to ponder the quest to run a half-marathon. Several of my fellow runners are ready, so we have discussed it and believe that we're actually going to start training next Saturday. The first run is just 5 miles, which we will do tomorrow outside of this 16-week prep program. Next week is another 5 miles, then it goes up from there. It's not that I can't run the 5 - 6 mile distance, I run 4 - 6 most Saturdays, but it's the 7, 8, 9, and 10 milers that have me worried. My most pressing concern is if I will actually be able to make the mid-week distances.

The mid-week runs are not long, but are very regular. The training goes like this:

Saturday - long run

Tuesday - 3 miles, later 4 miles

Wednesday - longer mid-week run (4 or 5 miles until week 9, then 6 or 7)

Thursday - match the Tuesday run

The footnote states that Sunday should be a cross-training or additional running day. That's 5 days of running each week, every week for 16 weeks. Doing the math, that is a total of 80 runs and just under 350 miles - in under 4 months.

I will start with all intention of finishing. In the back of my mind, I know it will be tough to find the time and commitment to complete the entire program. However, if I do complete the program, it will be an easy 13.1 miles in mid-March.

what you when all you have is residuals...

Today, "Slater" from Saved by the Bell was at the local mall for a charity event.

He is now apparently hosting the TV show "Dancing with the Stars" and the old ladies went ga-ga over him signing autographs.

Saturday 5 mile run

Today, Sara and I ran 5 miles. It's been a long time since I have done that distance, but felt pretty good through most of it. Here's a link to the stats and map of the run:

West Creek 5 mile run

I captured the data on my new fitness GPS / watch. It's a Garmin Forerunner 205 -- a very cool birthday gift! My family gave that to me last night, after a visit to my new favorite Mexican restaurant in town. Thursday was my actual birthday, but it was very busy for a number of reasons. KT played in All County Orchestra that day, and the concert was that night. After a long day at the office, it was just time to go to bed after getting home late.

The Forerunner 205 has a built in GPS receiver, so the link above gives you date, time, distance, pace, elevation, and a map of the run from start to finish. The unit probably gives you a whole lot more, but I am mostly looking to capture data on where and how fast I am training over a long period of time.

Here's a photo of the 205...

My career in two pages

This afternoon, I am trying to rewrite my resume. My current position is not getting any better, actually regressing to what I did several years ago. This is certainly not where I want to be in my career.

My company outsourced much of the IT department to a really big company, otherwise known as Itty Bitty Machines, but I won't mention names. Since that has been implemented, we lost all of the administrative staff that was on-site, with that now being handled by an off-shore team in Argentina. While I think that they are doing a bang up job, they simply don't have the experience to perform the same functions that the folks who left did. That lack of experience and personal accountability is showing in the fact that they have many times more people doing the same job that the three people were doing on-shore.

Well, I am not a complainer at all. At least not until lately. I have found myself complaining about the number of things that they don't know, the number of circumstances for which they simply cannot respond without my intervention. At times, I have 4 or more chat windows open with them requiring my assistance since it's a new situation or a "we don't handle this, do we" question. The down side to this is that the rest of my job doesn't stop when I am handling this other work. So, I have found myself working more and more hours, and thinking / stressing about work more. Even on the weekend, I work, and certainly don't ever clear my mind of work. I've become unable to break the barrier of work and my family is starting to pay the price.

So, it's time to look elsewhere. Putting down on paper the things at which I excel is uncomfortable. I have spent 10 years accumulating the experience at my company that is the reason why I do so well. Experience is not common in my company, sans a few key players, and allows me to see a very broad picture that a newby just doesn't. I will struggle on how to put this down in words without coming across as cocky, but enough to get my foot in the door at a new firm. If they would only talk to my references first, I don't think that I'd even need a resume. If they could talk to some of my co-workers, they would hear that I am able to and am willing to help them when no one else does.

All I really know is that 10 years in one company is now actually held against you in many cases -- not seen as a stick it out / make it better strength.

Rock climbing 101 (or is it 102?).

Jake has completed his required observed belay sessions, so is ready to take his final belay test at the local indoor climbing gym. He has really enjoyed the challenge, as he does with most outdoor activities. I will try to see if there is an outdoor club that he can join, on his own to continue the climbing. He's very athletic, and enjoys all of the time spent recreating outdoors.

After spending more than a month over the past two years outside, he's anxious to spend more time outside. I do believe that he needs someone to push him to continue to stretch his climbing, camping, and hiking. While you believe that your children can do whatever they want when they grow up, I can firmly believe that Jake will be happiest outside. He is not driven by money, so being a park ranger is certainly not out of the question - even if not directly after college (or high school). At least I know he'll have a job to fall back on if he wants!

Atlanta public transportation rocks

heading back to the airport on Marta...

Atlanta sunrise

This was taken from my 15th story hotel room in Atlanta this morning - obviously facing east! That bright blue rectangle on the left is the sign from the Lenox Square mall.

My missing snooze button (why I'm awake at 5 AM)

I have always had an internal alarm clock, and I think the snooze button is broken.

I'm not sure when it started. Likely, it was not when I was young - and I'm fairly certain that my parents would concur. But sometime in the last 20 years or so, the alarm has gotten set, never requiring a backup battery, so to speak.

The alarm clock is pretty regular - around 5 AM every day, seven days a week. On most alarm clocks, there is a snooze button that allows an extra 10 minutes or so of extra sleep. I know of co-workers who hit the real snooze button several times each day, then rush to get ready to leave. My alarm is different. It has no snooze button, no need for one.

When my internal alarm goes off, my brain knows that there is no snooze button. My mind starts racing at what needs done, and the race continues until I'm up - about 10 minutes later at the most. I have done my best to convince myself to sleep in - to wait until the real alarm goes off (set "just in case"), but that is never the case. Once my body's alarm goes off, I'm up for the day.

While this internal alarm clock is all well and good, I cannot reset based on when I go to bed. If I go to bed at midnight, I'm up at 5. If I go to bed at 11, I'm up at 5. If I am exhausted from a long day and happen to drop at 9 (maybe twice in a year), I'm up before 5, but never after. I think that the most sleep I have gotten in the past year was 7 hours once or twice, most of the time it's around 5 - 5 1/2 hours. Once I hit that mark, the internal alarm goes off. And, as I said before, there is no need for a snooze button.

So, it's 5:15 AM and I'm awake. Maybe I'll go back to sleep - yeah, right...

Atlanta airport

On the MARTA platform just outside of the Hartsfield airport in Atlanta. I'm going to try to navigate the MARTA system up to the Buckhead area to my hotel.

Atlanta

I'm sitting in the airport, waiting for the inbound AirTran plane to arrive so I can leave on time. I'm not sure what the time to turn a flight is with AirTran, but it used to be really fast with Southwest.

This is one of the first times I have flown for business since 9/11. What a total pain. While I realize that this is all in the name of safety, there is no doubt that the cost to fly has increased dramatically mostly due to the increased security. Removing the shoes is probably the biggest pain, and the fact that I had to check my luggage because I had liquids that couldn't to into a carry 0n bag because of the size. So, I checked the bag through. I really hope that it makes it since I have everything there other than my laptop and items that I carry back and forth to work daily.

Of course, the flight is overbooked (are there any other kinds?), and they are looking for volunteers. If I didn't have a meeting tonight, I'd take them up on it!

More from Atlanta.

Motivation and the 3 W's

I have not been motivated to run lately. I'm trying to figure out why... it might have something to do with the 3 W's.

Work - I've spent way too many hours at work lately. When I finally leave, it's hard to find the time to relax. Sleep doesn't come easily these days, but when I finally fall asleep, I sleep hard and sleep deep, making the 5:15 AM gym time easy to avoid.

Weather - the weather is starting to cool down (it's in the low 60s at 5:30 am now). The heat of the summer just beat me up and sent me indoors.

Weight - my weight is hovering... I have been unable to drop further than the 15 original pounds from last year. While I attribute some of it to muscle conversion, I attribute the rest to the fact that I like to eat.

Truth be told, there are 4 W's that I cannot stand - only three listed here. The other W is the one I helped put into office (only the first time), but I digress.

I think I need to move a bit further up the alphabet.

a picture a day...

I took this after taking a 1-day photography class put on by Sony. "Take at least 1 picture everyday..."

Living a normal life on 9/11

While we will never forget the lives lost on 9/11, today was a normal day. Here is the sunset as we left the mall near our home after shopping for our wife's / mom's birthday. I think this is God's way of reminding us that everything is alright...

Indoor climbing

Jake and I went climbing for the second time today. We climbed at an indoor gym called Peak Experiences. They advertise themselves as one of the East Coast's largest indoor rock climbing centers. They have many walls to climb, equipment to rent, classes and so on. It's not been that crowded when we have gone (twice now), so it's been low key and somewhat relaxing.

Both Jake and I took our belay test this week, after attending out introduction class last weekend. We both passed with flying colors. This translates into me being belay certified and Jake (being under 16) has to have 15 observed belays, but no more than 5 in any day. Of course, this meant that I climbed 5 times today so will likely be sore tomorrow. I fell once (he caught me), and skinned my arm against the rock. No big deal, just a small scrape. Jake climbed to the top of their 50-foot wall, their biggest climb (although not too challenging other than the height). While I don't need to have a back up belayer, Jake still requires someone to back him up until he's completed the 15 belays.

We received a 2-week trial membership with the class, so got in for just the rental today. Once again, this was a great bonding opportunity for us - and one that we will continue as time and money permits.

Back to running on the street

The forecast for Saturday (yesterday) was to be a cool morning, so Sara and I decided to start running on the street again. Both of us have been running on treadmills during the heat of the summer, but it was September, so cooler weather was around the corner. We ran three miles, certainly not the distance we used to run, but enough to get our feet wet, so to speak, with the streets. She'll be out of town the next two weekends, so I will need to find another partner or two, or hit the streets solo. My goal is to run a 10K on October 13^th – now less than six weeks away. Now where is my training book from the 10K in April? I guess I need between 3 – 4 miles every Monday and Wednesday, plus cross training (elliptical) on Thursday, and a long run on Saturday. Either that or suffer through the 10K on the 13^th!

Today, Jake and I are going to an indoor climbing gym (http://www.peakexperiences.com/climbing-center/About-us.htm). While I used to climb in college, I haven't been for years. Climbing is a very humbling experience as I remember, but once you let go of your fear of falling, you can enjoy the fact that you have no strength in your fingers to keep your old, fat body from falling when you make the next move. Of course, my legs are stronger now than they have been ever, I presume, and that won't hurt. Jake is like a monkey, however – tall and lean, and getting stronger every day.

Tomorrow morning (Labor Day), I'm planning on hitting the local industrial park for a long solo run. Of course, that is dependent on not killing myself at the climbing gym today!

Storm Brewing?

crazy clouds -- photo taken with my cell phone on the way to work this morning.

Air Hogs Acro-Jet

I got this cool little $30 remote control airplane from Target today. Somebody at this weekend's rocket launch had one (or a similar model). For $30, I was going to track one down and play. So far, so good. There are apparently many "mods" for the plane, none of which I am willing to try on the first day. After all, I don't want to throw $30 down the drain since I simply don't see the mods the same way others do. Perhaps I'll let my son at it, after a week or two of flying in the purchased format! After a quick test on my street (and being berated by my 11 year old twin neighbors), I took it to my pool which is virtually empty this time of the year. We have an empty field - perfect to test. The three kids there all thought it was cool and wanted to fly it. Maybe next time, after the mods!

Metropolitan Police Call Box rocket

jake pic, originally uploaded by sealexander2010.

Here is my son's metropolitan police call box rocket - before having a pseudo successful flight. There was a bit of damage after yesterday's flight due to a shock cord that burned through (so the parachute and top landed safely but the bottom didn't). With some loving care, it will fly again! You can graciously ignore my thumb in the bottom right - I'm still not used to my phone's camera capabilities!

The 4 month dishwasher saga

Nice dishwasher to the left, huh? Well, here's my story about how long this took to get. It's installed now, but that's just the end of the story. It begins like this...

Back in April, we received a recall notice from our dishwasher manufacturer (Maytag). It seems that the JetDry reservoir was leaking on many of those (or other brand) dishwashers. It would leak onto the wiring harness, causing fires in many cases. Of course, we should stop using it immediately and contact them for both replacement parts and recommended dealers. We have been using this every day since I installed it long ago, not long before my employer stopped selling appliances. It was dependable, quiet, and certainly not dangerous -- not until the reservoir started leaking on the wiring. We contacted Maytag, received the new part (inner door and new wiring harness), then contacted the dealers listed who was closest to our home out of the three possibilities.

A few days later, a technician from the dealer came to make this simple swap of door and harness, but ended up shorting out the main circuit board and apparently the heating element. Of course, he indicated that we would be the recipients of new components to get it working, after he tried once to tell me that I would have to pay for the heating element. Of course, I reminded him that it was working when he walked in the door, and certainly expected that it would be working at no additional charge when he completed his work. After speaking with his company, they ordered the part and a new technician showed up to replace the part. He refused to actually install the part until we paid for it (which I had zero intent of doing), so drove off in a huff. Okay, now we were getting PO'd.

After multiple calls to the service company (they knew our phone number by now), we finally talked to the owner who assured us that this type of rude behavior would be dealt with in the strictest of manners. Yeah, right. She also assured us that she would have the parts replaced at their cost. Maytag sent us several other parts, and their technician came back to install them. No good. Another round of calls to the service dealer left my poor wife just fit to be tied. At this point, she initiated calls to Maytag. Now, let me assure you that if you can ever get through the phone tree at Maytag, you are a better person than I.

The trick, it seems, is to just never press anything. The phone system then presumes that you don't have touch tone service so will finally let you talk to someone. We finally spoke to someone in their executive response center who was somewhat sympathetic after we explained that we had been without a dishwasher for over two months due to the incompetence of a representative service company. They came to the determination that they needed to review the situation and get back to us. After no call backs, we tracked down the same person at Maytag and she determined that the only solution was to provide us with a replacement dishwasher (cheaper for them). She would call us back with details... and the saga continues...

Many voicemails later (another month had gone by), we finally spoke to another human being. It seems that Maytag Executive Response person #1 had left for maternity leave. No one was picking up her voicemails -- it was just allowed to collect without review. This person actually provided her extension so we could reach her directly. She provided us with a model number for our review (to ensure that it would be acceptable as a replacement), and told us that if we agreed, it would be 3 - 4 weeks until our replacement would be able to be installed. Of course, it would be installed by the same company that fried the original dishwasher...

Earlier this week, we received two boxes from Maytag containing parts (a pump and logic board). This after they had the new dishwasher order in process. After calling Maytag again, they sent us one return label for one of the two parts. My wife determined that she was holding those parts hostage until the new dishwasher was actually installed. This was the only thing she could do to provide some sense of power in this whole fiasco. We also had a voicemail that the new dishwasher had arrived at the dealer.

When she called the dealer to arrange installation, the dispatcher told her that they didn't install the dishwasher. She about came through the phone. The dispatcher put the phone aside to talk to the owner who told her that they would do whatever the customer wanted. Zero cost, all parts and labor included to get this done. I finally think that they wanted to be done with this mess as much as we did. Of course they hadn't been doing the freeking dishes by hand for the past 4 1/2 months!

Yesterday, they were to show up between 1 and 4 to install. Of course, 4:00 came and went as you would expect. Finally, at 5:00 they called and said they were on their way. They remove the old dishwasher and found that the hose would not work (the old hose, not the new one), so had to head to Home Depot to get parts. When I got home from work, the old dishwasher was sitting in the front yard (very attractive), and the new dishwasher was unboxed and in the middle of my kitchen. To make a long story even longer, they finally finished their installation at 7:00 last night.

Ocracoke Island

We headed south to Ocracoke Island yesterday to visit with two families that are friends of ours. The word “friends” is an understatement – they are part of our extended family. We have five other couples that we have intertwined our families with – and spend a great bit of time with either as a whole or with the women, the men, or just the kids. The women are my daughter’s “other mothers” – met through girls scouts, school, and the neighborhood. Our lives have been part of each other’s lives ever since. One of the couples moved to Pennsylvania two years ago, but remain an integral part of our circle. The men all get together to fish once each year in the Chesapeake Bay; the women have an “off-site” get together, usually at the beach. The women and boys even took a road trip to PA for last New Years Eve since it was their PA friend’s birthday and a great excuse for the boys to visit their friend and missing comrade.

At dinner last evening, we were sitting on the porch of their Ocracoke rental. We were talking about being family – all of us together. It is a chosen family, rather than a birth family. None of us are close to all members of our birth families – we don’t even live close to many of them. Our group knows that these friends are the ones that we can call, without reservation, to help in any crisis. It’s a great support structure that we have built, and is one that will truly last a lifetime. In most cases, it took a while for everyone to gain the trust in each other, to understand how much they can count on each other. That trust is now in place and won’t easily be broken. These friends are the reason we won’t likely leave the area – they would be the one thing that we simply couldn’t replace.

Oppressive heat...

The oppressive heat wave continues… time to spend on the beach or inside.

Kayaks and fishing

We rented the kayaks yesterday from Kitty Hawk Kites. The rental side of their business is apparently not big, but they are competitively priced and don’t nickel and dime you to death with charges for paddles, PFDs or back rests. We rented one shorter open, sit-on kayak and a longer, sit-in one. The girls and I took them onto the sound at a public access area to get a feel for how they worked (both the kayak and the girls). After about 30 minutes of using the kayaks, the girls were bored and just wanted to go swimming. They swam and I farted around with each of the kayaks for about 15 minutes before deciding that I needed to put a shirt on before I got any more burned. The girls are obviously having a great time together – Kara was a good addition to our trip.

Sue and the boys were successful in their half-day fishing trip. Our son caught the first fish for the boat and Sue caught two more. The friend caught tons of sharks, most biting through the lines just before being brought on board. A bit of sea sickness for our son, but he was a trouper like always.

Later in the afternoon, Sue and the boys took the kayaks into the sound from a private dock to which we apparently have access (it’s a resident/renter thing). They were out for a long time, including when Sue went way out / down the shoreline. Our son was very impressed that she was able to go that far and make it back. The water is about 2 – 3 feet deep until you go something like one-half mile out, so if you get stuck, you can just get out and walk back. The footing, however, is filled with oyster shells, so will cut your feet if you don’t have proper waterproof shoes on. Today, we’re heading back to Cape Hatteras to hit the beach. We’re going early because of the heat, and will head back in for a late lunch or a bit of air conditioned shopping.

Avon, NC

Overlooking the sound in Avon, NC.

Cape Hatteras extended family photo

Cape Hatteras extended family photo

Here is a photo minus yours truly of our extended family on vacation this summer. Taken in Buxton, NC - right in front of the Cape Hatteras Light Station sign. The lighthouse was just behind them.

Cape Hatteras lighthouse

lighthouse, originally uploaded by sealexander2010.

Taken with my eNV phone, here's a look at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse on Monday, August 6th, 2007. It was over 90 with high humidity -- one of the hottest days of the year. The windows were open which helped a great deal. Later in the afternoon, we went swimming in the Atlantic with this wonderful image in our background. That would have made for an interesting photo if I had a waterproof camera!

Lighthouses and waves

Avon, North Carolina

Today, we climbed what is inevitably the most famous lighthouse in the US – certainly the most recognizable. The Hatteras Light House is actually the tallest – 267 feet in height if I remember correctly, equivalent to a 12 story building. It was a long climb, but made easier by the strong breeze blowing through the open windows. I took a few pictures and hope to have some of them made into a vertical panorama. I was meticulous to take all of the pictures for each panorama with the same focus, shutter speed, white balance, etc. I set the white balance with my white balance Expo Filter which does a great job of managing the balance. I have looked at the photos on my low-res laptop, but want to probably take another set or two if time and weather allows just to be sure I have one to remember the vacation by.

It has been as hot as ever here thus far with little relief in sight. You know it’s a warm week when the weather forecast includes the words “near record heat all week.” The kids each have a friend with them – both very good friends from school and other social circles. Our son’s friend spends a great deal of time at our home so we know him very well. Our daughter’s friend we only really know from school (they play strings together), but is a really nice young lady who is finally coming out of her shell with us. We have some lively dinner conversations on a regular basis, so have included her and gotten a few laughs.

Today we found a protected beach, right by the Hatteras Light House. This includes a lifeguard, as well as parking and great sand. The water was warm (although not at first), and the waves were manageable. We left our dog here in the crate, so he was happy to see us after a couple of hours. We even saw our son get into the (ocean) water for the first time in years. One thing about Asperger’s is that the huge influx of unknowns that are present in the ocean can be somewhat overwhelming. Last time we were at the beach was before he was diagnosed, so I was far less accepting what I thought was an irrational fear of the ocean. This time, I just sat back and watched him take the whole situation in, and processed it in his own time. I must say, this works much better.

Tomorrow, his mom and friend are going fishing with him – a half day trip into the ocean. I hate to go on boats such as that one, and will need to stay behind with the girls in any case. We are renting kayaks, so will try to not drown for the entire day!

Cool shadows

Cool angles, originally uploaded by sealexander2010.

I love having a camera with me all of the time - even if it's my phone! The fact that my phone has a built in 2MP camera is great...

Note the shadows on the right as well - I almost missed them when I spotted this shot. They are caused by the convex design and curvature of the windows.

Relatively simple...

Last night, we had dinner with my brother-in-law (wife’s brother or B-I-L) and his wife. That is always an experience. My B-I-L is fine. He’s fairly laid back, although he’s retired and opinionated at times. I guess when you get to be his age, you can be. His wife, on the other hand, is oblivious to her surroundings. She apparently needs to talk non-stop. We vacationed with them last year and planned a good bit of time apart – there is only so much I can stand and stay relaxed on vacation. My relaxed state changes completely when she enters a room. Therefore, my understanding wife keeps us apart as often as possible during the few and far between vacations.

What I really just don’t understand is that my B-I-L and his wife really don’t seem to get along that well. Okay, I understand that… However, they are going away in a 5th-wheel trailer for several months, including a few months working in a western national park. I personally think that they will drive each other nuts when they are spending that much time in such close quarters. In their current home, they each have their own areas where they can separate from the other one. In a 5th-wheel, they cannot do the same. I believe that the individual spaces that they have carved out in the in their home has allowed each to keep their sanity. It will be interesting to see how this extended vacation works out for them. My B-I-L will be taking lots of nature photographs and documenting their travel. I’m not sure what wifey will be doing during that time in such close quarters.

A stronger son...

We are currently in northern Georgia, visiting my mother-in-law. We picked up our son just after 1 PM on Tuesday, after an 8+ hour trip earlier in the day. The camp he was at for the second time was SOAR (http://www.soarnc.org). This camp specializes in ADD and ADHD kids, and offers all sorts programs. The program he attended this year was the same as last year – North Carolina Expedition II. This is for a small group (7 campers plus two counselors. They hike, camp, white water raft, rock climb, cave, mountain bike, and a few additional things.

One of the things I really like about this camp is that our son always comes back a stronger, more confident person. He’s really growing up, and I feel better about this after sending him to camp in the woods for almost three weeks. His leaders were so impressed with him and his confidence and his skills. They have recommended that he attend the ILS (intensive leadership session). This would prep him for actually being a counselor during the summer sessions. He would love doing that – as he excels in the outdoors. His near-photographic memory comes in very handy with both skills and new activities that he has only read about. For example, he was “the” go-to person for this experience. One of his counselors indicated that at times, she needed to push the other campers to actually figure it out, rather than just ask our son. We received a call about a week before picking him up and the other counselor said the same thing – great kid, the strongest one in their session. There are times like this that I realize just what a great kid we have – and that maybe his mom and I haven’t completely failed!

Traveling...

This blog has been quiet for a while. There has been too much going on, with not enough time for sitting at the computer. We have pulled all of the wallpaper from the kitchen (one of our largest, but poorly laid out rooms). Then, retaped and mudded the corners, primed, and painted with multiple coats of latex paint. We still need to add the border and put the outlet covers back on, but it’s mostly done. We still have the ceiling to do, but need to get a professional to tape and mud them. The downside of replacing our windows and heat pump is that we now have a much drier house. The dry air has dried out the seams and the drywall enough that the seam paper is pulling away from the drywall. It is just part of the joy of owning a 25 year old house. The one thing that I have learned from this experience is that I hate to fix drywall seams and am glad for my white collar job!

I have continued to run a couple of days each week, although not as consistently as previously. My excuse? The heat… I hate to run when it is so hot, so have rescheduled the runs for early in the morning or on the treadmill. I have not been good about going to the gym over the past few weeks. I really need to get back into the weight lifting I had started last year. My upper body strength has started to wane, and good upper body strength actually helps you run better according to a couple of articles I have read. I have a series of exercises I can do, but the sheet is sitting in my truck… great place, huh?

I ran the first of a series of races (the cul-de-sac series) last Monday. This is a series of 5K (3.1 miles) races that goes in and out of neighborhood cul-de-sacs. When we took off at 7 PM, it was still 97 degrees and approaching 90% humidity. It about killed me. This was definitely not about fun, but survival. I thought, only 3 miles, no need to bring fluids – but I should have. I don’t think I have perspired that much in many years. This week, I missed the race in prep for my trip to pick up my son (we were leaving at 4 AM). I could have run it, but with the heat and humidity, it would have been a very difficult recovery enough to get any sleep that night. I choose sleep (sort of – in bed at 11:30 PM and back up at 3:50 AM). I wonder how my friends did!

Busch Gardens outing

Today, approximately half of the IT group of my company visited Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. There were no kids in our group, just a bunch of adults anxious to ride "adult" rides.

The newest coaster is awesome - the Griffon Coaster takes you up to 205 feet, and then drops you 90 degrees straight down, reaching a speed of 75 MPH. Here is a link to a photo of what going down at 75 MPH looks like! Very cool.

I spent the day with one old friend from the company, and a couple of new ones. It was great spending time with AM - lots of family stories. We've worked together for the better part of 10 years now, but never have spent any time outside of work. She's just a great all-around person!

Asia in concert

Asia, originally uploaded by sealexander2010.

This is a non-zoomed photo taken last night at the Asia concert in Innsbrook (Glen Allen, VA). My son and I had great seats to this sparsely attended event. Where else can you be sitting less than 40 feet from Steve Howe (in my son's words, one of the world's greatest guitar players)?

Oh yes, the tickets were $13 each including the handling charge!

Random photo taken by me!

taken by me!, originally uploaded by sealexander2010.

I took this interesting angle photo after taking a photo class put on by Sony. Their advice - take at least one photograph every single day... I'm not sure I do that, but have been trying. My new phone (the one responsible for the running shots) is a 2MP camera which takes great shots (for a phone, anyway). Since I have like a billion messages I can send every month (500 per month, actually), I will do my best to send them as often as I can and TRY to send them daily!

My 6:30 appointment on Saturday

My 6:30 AM appointment on Saturday, originally uploaded by sealexander2010.

This was at the start of my 6 mile solo run on Saturday... waiting for Sara to join me...

Solo 6 mile run

Solo 6 miler... it was interesting doing this alone! Activity Route: West Creek Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Goochland, VA Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 06/23/07 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 06:30 AM Difficulty: 0 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 60F temp; 69% humidity 60F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 6.12 miles Time: 1:00:00 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 48 /mi Calories: 1080 Notes Solo 6 miler Map Elevation (ft.)

Posted from runtracker.runnersworld.com

Saturday sunrise

Original photo - S E Alexander

Cool shot of the sunrise and the clouds that were moving out after a Friday night rain... West Creek in Goochland County, VA

Continued effort

I have been continuing to trog through my weekly runs... Monday / Tuesday runs are the hardest since they are on my own. For example, I ran 3 1/2 miles this morning on the treadmill. Since school is now out, I got to sleep in a bit - and the gym was still crowded at 6 AM... Wednesday / Thursday runs have gotten better. While it is harder to run at night due to the summer heat, we've pushed the time back to 7 pm when it's a bit cooler. We ran 5+ each of the past two weeks on Wednesday. While it's a smaller group, it is definitely better than running on the treadmill solo.

On Saturday, we moved the run to an industrial park in the next county west of us. It is really close (< 3 miles from my house), but I'd never spent much time there other than just driving through. The park has a four lane divided highway that has almost no weekend traffic. There are many more bikes and runners than there are cars. It is quite rural and a very quiet place to run. I met Sara and Heidi, along with a group of others. Most that were there are in the half-marathon training program. Sara ran with a couple of other gals that she knew. Heidi had completed three miles before I arrived at 7, but then ran six miles with me. We had a great conversation - meaning that our pace was good. We just clicked through the miles with little effort.

I just ran across (pun intentional) an article from a runner's world blog. Since several of us have discussed this, I thought it was worth sharing. It discusses how to determine and change your running cadence which will decrease your chance of injury while increasing your speed -- a really good combination!

http://rodale.typepad.com/coachjenny/2007/05/run_faster_easi.html

Today, I checked my cadence at 6.1 MPH - 182 (91 left steps in 1 minute)... now to go back and read what that means! I'll try to do the same tomorrow when we run outside.

5K Run for Autism

Yesterday was my first 5K - a short 3.1 miles... The run was to raise money for autism research.

I wasn't sure how to pace myself since it was only 3 miles. The weather started off only a little warm, but the temperature soared quickly. By the end it was in the 80s, way too hot to be running. The course was fairly flat - a long winding downhill meaning it was a slow uphill climb at the end. The first mile was way too fast... I ended up walking for two small sections in mile 2 and 3, each for less than a minute. However, I ended up at 30:46 officially, which equates to a 9:54 pace. While a bit slower than I hoped, it was still a good pace (it would be a 1:01:30 10K at that pace). It would have taken a 9:39 pace to end up at 30 minutes... and I think I can do that by the end of the summer.

I really need to get my act together and start to drop my times for my weekday runs, but won't do that if I only run 2 - 3 days each week. I think I will attempt to hit the treadmill hard, then the elliptical two days a week as well. The elliptical is easier on my knees, so I should do that more. It also helps the muscles in the legs, just not the breathing part...

Carytown 10K

This was not a particularly difficult race -- just heading out, a few turns, and heading back on a different street. My watch time (which was very accurate to real time) showed 1:04:01 - a little over a minute better than my previous best 10K. I love new personal records (PR).

The official time shown for me was 1:04:51 - a full 50 seconds from gun until I shuffled my way to the starting line. The start was not very organized, and the mile signs were not well marked either. A few of our gang did better than I (under an hour for two of them), and the rest were a bit behind me. In the middle is fine... I even ran into a friend / neighbor midway on the course. We ran together for a bit until I realized that his pace would kill me so I wisely slowed down.

Heading out, the road was one really long, slow uphill climb. A right turn changed that and quickly headed down hill to make up for all of the elevation in a couple of hundred yards. The remaining course was fairly flat. I only found that the fifth and early sixth mile were difficult, then I regained my legs to finish strong.

I have been very conscientious of my pace lately (thanks to the pace alarm on my watch), and know that if I hit a mile marker well under my time that I'm pretty much screwed until I can slow down and recover. During one weekday run, we ran 3 miles. My normal pace is between 10:30 and 10:45 for the first mile, then closer to 10 for the second. We hit one mile at 9:30 and finished in about 28 minutes (9:20 pace). I was dead for the next two days... I think I'll keep to my 10 - 10:30 pace for a while!

Another weekend, another 10K

Well, I am running another 10K today (Sunday). I'm not at all sure how I'll do but as usual, will give it my best shot. It's only an hour or so - longer with the drive, warm up, cool down and drive home, but only an hour of pain...

The "team" of folks I have been running with have continued the Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday runs. The team is fairly fluid, but I know I will always have someone to run with when I show. I have run on the treadmill a few times, even gone a round or two with the elliptical, but for the most part have just been running 3 - 5 miles with the team. I've been struggling lately with the longer distances, but think that if I get my act together and start eating right, it will help me remove that barrier.

Today's 10K is the Carytown 10K. It's a basic out and back course, but through a great little shopping district that is a favorite of mine. I've not run this race before, but am looking forward to the challenge.

Lately, I have been so busy with the pool. We have been trying to get it ready to open (next weekend), and finishing up with the projects we started this fall. I continue to be amazed that out of the 220 member families, about 20 individuals have spent any time at all volunteering to get the pool ready. We've built a pavilion, torn up and replaced 1800 sq. ft. of decking, torn up 600 sq. ft. of concrete (jackhammer, etc.), all ready for opening. 20 people helping at all - about 10 with serious effort put forth. I only know it's worth it due to the comments. But, I'm tired... too much time spent there and not enough on the things around my home. Good thing this is the last year on the board (and I will not continue on the board). Now, if I could only find the time to manage the website for the pool as well!

Memorial to the victims at Virginia Tech

Get your tissues out:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=28e879982f4cfb4b908a98

Ashland Railroad Run 10K

So it's been a while since I posted, but fully recovered from the Monument Avenue 10K and have run a few times since. I ran a brief two miles on the treadmill on the Monday following the 10K, then with the group for 3 miles on Wednesday, then again on Saturday for another 4 miles. One week until Ashland.

This week, I again ran on the treadmill on Monday -- for my 3 mile recovery run. Wednesday was a short 2 miler with just Bob. We kept up a faster pace than normal, but knowing it was only two miles made it go by very quickly. Later on Wednesday, I picked up my race packet for Ashland along with a great tee shirt. The Monument Ave. 10K could learn from Ashland in this one aspect - not the boring white shirt you see everywhere.

Yesterday, I set a new PB with the 10K. Not much of an improvement, but chipping it off a bit at a time. This was not a chip race, so everyone was presumed to start at the same time. It was actually about 5 seconds until I crossed the start line, so my reported time of 1:05:22 was probably 5 seconds slow (presume 1:05:17). Not much of a difference, but some. Anyway, at 1:05:22, it was a 10:31 pace for the race. At the actual time, it was a 10:30 pace exactly - my goal.

Bob took off faster than the rest, and ended really strong based on where I saw him on the final turnaround. I ran mostly with Sarah and Qiana - and we ended within one second of each other (Qiana and I crossed the finish line together).

Did you learn from this?
1. Started slower -- good thing
2. Ate a bagel with PB -- good thing - had no empty stomach...
3. Watched the watch -- but only because of the fact that there weren't markings that I saw for the mileage. I was right on time for 10:30 miles at the 5 mile mark.
4. Mile 6 is the hardest -- find a way to do better here... maybe longer runs ahead of time - more than one 6 miler in the preceding weeks.
5. Running with someone helps -- I was ready to give up (walk) earlier but didn't.

Things to do different next time:
1. Don't spend the entire day beforehand spreading mulch -- my legs were definitely not at their best because of that, and my arms were stiff as anything.
2. Leave earlier -- while I knew I was on time, I was unsure of parking and how long it would take.

All in all, a PR is a PR. Just keep the numbers heading down!

Monument Avenue 10K - post race report

Well, the race went fairly well. My 5K split time was 31:57, which should equate to a total of 1:03:54 (10:17 pace). I slowed a bit during the second 5K and ended at 1:05:37. That was still a 10:33 mile pace, not far behind my normal pace of 10:30. I was out of energy during the 5th mile, and the 6th was no picnic, either. So, I've decided to capture some lessons learned and things to try next time.

Lessons learned:
1. Eat more -- I had a bowl of cereal at 6:30, and our wave started at 9:05. By 9:30, I had no energy in reserve.
2. Start slower -- I should have paced myself in the first mile or two slower. I was feeling good, so let my legs get ahead of my head.
3. 6.2 miles is a long time to not have someone to help you keep an even pace or to keep your straight.

Things to try:
1. Eat a bagel with peanut butter -- carbs and protein, a great combination. Maybe a whole wheat bagel to make it a bit healthier.
2. Watch the watch -- keep at the correct pace starting at mile 2. Expect that the first mile will be slower than the expected / average pace, and that you will make it up slowly as the race progresses.
3. Find someone to run with. 6.2 miles is a long time to be running without a partner to slow you down, speed you up, keep you going.

Next, the Ashland Railroad Run 10K in just two weeks.

Monument Avenue 10K - RACE DAY!!!

Saturday March 31st, 2007

Today is the Monument Avenue 10K. All the prep work is behind me, only the race ahead. Of course, this is not a big deal to anyone but me. The fact that I have 60 minutes of work over the next couple of hours is nothing I haven't done already. My clothes are laid out, my number pinned to my shirt, and the schedule set. I have friends that are also running that will be here at 7:30, swapping their daughter and I. Their daughter will be walking with my wife and kids, along with others from our group. The best part for me is that I do not need to drive, park, etc.

It is supposed to be 50 degrees at 9am, but is only a few degrees cooler than that now. The only question now is how to stay warm prior to my 9:05 start. Once running, my body will be plenty warm enough. I will likely wear a jacket out today, but leave it in the car when we park.

So, more after the race.

10K Team in Training - week 10

Today was a bit warmer for our final Saturday team run. It was close to 60 this morning early, and has hovered at that until after our run. A bit of sun but mostly overcast. Still, it was a bit warmer than I'd like but close to what is expected for the 10K next week.

We had the same 'ol 4 mile course to run today, and I was determined to make it faster than I had previously. I set the pace timer / alarm on my watch to 10:45 for each mile. I was much slower that that on my first mile, but apparently picked the pace back up. The mile markers weren't in place today, but I thought I was ahead after 3 miles. For some reason, the final hill was a killer today. I was struggling with the hill, but finally conquered it. I must have been pushing during the second and third miles, slow during the first and last miles. Final time was 41:46 - about 1:14 better than the 10:45 pace I had marked. Today's pace computes to a 1:04:41 pace. With no hills, it should be faster.

One exciting note is that the team coaches selected one person who showed more guts and effort than everyone else. That was Pat - my (new) next door neighbor. She always has a smile on her face even though this is very hard for her -- and has two young children at home that keep her up nights and prevents her from working out as much as she would like. I didn't see anyone else more deserving over the past 10 weeks!

10K Team in Training - week 10 - mid week runs

Well, here it is on my first week of tapering... That's what the head coach for the program calls it (and it's probably some real technical running thing). We ran the long 6 miles on Saturday, and then only put in 11 total miles this week. We ran 3 on Monday, and was one of the first Mondays that I was able to join the team running. My friend Jeff ran with me, and the two of us led the pack. I did make one wrong turn on this new course, so actually turned it into a 3 1/4 mile trip. No biggie, other than the fact that the wrong turn put that extra 1/4 mile into a long hill. We finished strong, making it back up "the hill that never ends." It's a hill that is much more pleasant to run down than up. It's not really steep, but long and constant. The first time I ran it, I walked most of the entire hill. The last few times, I ran it all -- but it still isn't pleasant!

Today, Wednesday, has a 4 mile distance listed. Since it is now daylight until after we run, we ran the same 'ol 4 mile course we have run a number of times. We know the course, know the hills, and know where the miles tick off. The first mile is tough, but very doable. The second mile has three killer hills - only one long one. The third mile is everyone's favorite since we get a slow downhill run and get to recoup our energy for the final mile. The last hill has been walked by many people, but not today. We all ran strong enough to get up the hill and onto the flat end of course run. It would have been very easy to walk today, but we kept chugging up the hill.

The time today was our best 4-mile course yet. 42:40. That is 10:40 miles with hills. We started slow (good strategy), ran miles 2 - 4 strong, and ended sprinting to the finish. That's a 1:06 10K if we had the same hills. I am expecting to drop minutes off my time and fully expect a new personal best. Whatever I run, I am in better aerobic shape than I have been since I was in my early 20s - 1/2 my life ago... not bad for an old man. We have decided that we will continue to run Monday and Wednesday evenings, and on Saturday mornings for as often as we can. We think we will try to make at least 2x per week each, so will always have someone to run with. It's a fun group that will keep me growing in my ability to run into the summer.

Saturday brings our last pre-10K 4 miler. I should better today's time since it's early. Finally, 3 miles on Monday and 2 miles on Wednesday. Then the 10K.

10K Team in Training - week 9

Monday was a quick 3 1/2 miles on the treadmill. Not bad -- boring but not bad. My legs were still a bit sore from the long weekend run so I didn't want to push it too much. Wednesday was 5 1/2 miler... run with the group, outside. All I can say is that it was long and hot - over 80 degrees. There was no water stop, and there were periods of walking. A few of the group took shortcuts or walked more than I, but some ran the entire way. I just couldn't do it. I have definitely decided that I like morning runs much more than late afternoon / evening runs, especially after a hectic day.

Today was an ominous 6 miles. I don't think I have ever run that far non-stop, until today. The weather cooperated - after a pouring rain all day yesterday, it cleared up overnight and was a cold 33 degrees when we started. Not as cold as some previous Saturdays, but cold enough that figuring out how to dress was challenging. Top consisted of two wicking layers plus a shell, and wicking pants on the bottom. I could have worn shorts but thought I would be colder to start. The advantage of the wicking pants is that they are very comfortable and don't allow my legs to get cold at all. I also used ben-gay on my left shin -- the one that has had shin splints for the past month or so. Today, my leg did not bother me at all for the first time. It was a bit sore last night, so I did the same prior to hitting the sack. That helped and will definitely be repeated!

Granted, today was not a record pace, but I clocked myself at 1:03:46. I started off a bit faster than I had planned on, so was feeling the strain by about mile 2 (not good) but was feeling much better at the water stop at mile 3. Mile 4 came and went without incident (I actually cannot believe I just wrote that). By mile 5, I slowed my pace a bit - allowing my new friend Jennifer to go ahead a little. We finished almost together, so apparently picked my pace back up towards the end since I have witnessed her pace to be very consistent. Another new friend Michelle and I ran the last hill together again as we did two weeks ago, but it was actually easier this week to not even think about walking this close to the end.

One other prep note -- I planned today as if it was the actual 10K, as recommended by my coaches. I sat down and got off my feet last night, went to bed early, and did my best to hydrate myself all day yesterday and first thing this morning. I ate a small bowl of Mueslix cereal at 6:30, drank 1/2 a cup of coffee, took my allegra and drank a small glass of OJ. That worked well. I was not hungry at all - but suspect that I will be starving later!

So, the distances go down from here - something like 3 miles Monday, 4 on Wednesday, and 3 or so on Saturday. The distance prep is done - and the next time we run any distance is during the actual 10K. I know I can run that distance -- today was 6 miles with hills. That is 6.2 flat miles, with water stops at miles 2, 3, 4 and 5. Even with heat, it will be easier than today -- and I survived that easily!

As I said last week, I am physically ready to run this race. Mental prep will come in the days leading up to the race, but the stress of physical prep is done. This team prep thing works well, and will be part of my prep next year as well! I just have to see if my wife can put up with this another year. Maybe the intermediate team next year.... food for thought!

10K Team in Training - week 8

The run this morning was a five miler. Long, but I have done this before so knew I was up to the challenge. I ran with my friend and neighbor Debby for a few miles, until she decided to slow up while I pulled ahead. It was nice to catch up with her since we rarely see each other outside of the summer pool season. The run was very flat other than a few small hills - a slow downhill course. Of course, what goes down eventually comes back to haunt you as an uphill run. We ran on a path through an elementary school, then back through a series of other neighborhoods. It seemed strange since a good bit of today's run was the reverse of the route that we have been running.

The final hill was a killer. On the two-mile Saturday run a month ago, I walked most of the hill. Today, although at a slow pace, I ran the entire thing. Before the hill, I was running about the same pace as a fellow runner, Jennifer, so we decided to run together for the last mile and a half or so. We kept each other running - just like with Melissa last week. I really wanted to walk up the last hill, but knew if I started to walk I would not be able to restart. So, I kept running.

I actually felt good about 30 seconds beyond the top of the hill, so picked the pace back up to sprint the last couple of hundred yards. Jennifer and I finished strong, keeping with each other pace for pace. I really like having someone to run with that matches my pace on a given day - it keeps me going at a steady pace which I believe is the key to a successful run. We finished in 52:30 - a 1:05 pace for the 10K. Without hills, perhaps sub 1-hour, my goal.

This week, we have 3 1/2 miles on Monday and 5 1/2 miles on Wednesday. Monday will be a treadmill run and Wednesday, I will meet up with the team for the longest run yet. We have just three long runs left. 5 1/2 on Wednesday, 6 on Saturday, then the 10K (6.2 miles) on the 31st.

At this point, I'm feeling ready for the 10K - feeling strong and capable for the first time in decades.

10K Team in Training - week 8 midweek

This started as an easy week. After 5 miles on the road on Saturday and a well deserved break on Sunday, it was 3 miles on the treadmill on Monday. Boring, yes. but it wasn't bad distance-wise. Today, we had a team 4-miler. While I don't want to sound like I'm bragging (and am certainly not from most runner's perspectives), the 4-miles went by quickly. We had seven of us run today and I led the pack for the first 2 1/2 miles. Then, as we entered into pseudo-darkness, I let the gals with the reflective vests take the lead.

It was cold and at times, breezy. Once we were in the neighborhoods, the breeze wasn't bad. On the final hill, it was blowing hard and cold. We were all warm by then, and decided to stick together. Until we passed the Wendy's and made the final turn into Ukrops, the wind was not bad as we were all clumped together. A few of us broke away for the last 200 years, but we all finished within a few seconds of each other. 42:50 for the 4 miles -- about 10:42 per mile with hills, and in the cold. Not bad at all... That translates to a straight 1:06 in the 10K, but without hills, I'd say it was closer to a 1:02 10K, maybe a bit under an hour when all is said and done.

Later this evening, a couple of us were in the grocery store and saw one of our coaches, Kristen. She was really surprised that we had run, but was quite pleased that we had done so together.

Running together is much better than alone or on a treadmill!

10K Team in Training - week 7

This was the longest week yet, both in terms of the distances and in terms of recovery. Monday was a 3 1/2 mile day, all on the treadmill. Even I will admit that this is boring... Good thing I have my music! Wednesday, I needed to run 4 1/2 miles -- and I had to do it before the team ran due to evening commitments. So, at close to 5:00 PM, I took off by myself. That is a really long distance to run yourself. No music (too much of a distraction) and no one to talk to. So, it was a tough 4.5 miles... But, I completed the distance and surprised even myself. There were a few periods of walking but never less than a minute and never more than two.

Saturday, we took off in a very mild day to run five miles. The distance seemed much longer than the previous week's four miles, but with the same hills. Other than stopping to get water about 1/2 way, I ran the entire thing. I cannot drink and run at the same time. My time was not accurately recorded, but was very respectable. I had a great deal of difficulty climbing the final hill so made a deal with a fellow runner that I wouldn't stop unless she did and she made the same deal with me. So, we kept going and going (lumbering along?) without stopping. All in all, I was very pleased with the effort put out to run the entire distance!

Next week is a simple 3 miles on Monday and we return to four on Wednesday. I will run Monday on the treadmill but will try to hit the pavement on Wednesday with the group. They push me to finish non-stop and it's the same four miles I have run with them previously.

10K Team in Training - week 6

Man am I tired of running in the cold...

It was in the low 20s when we took off this morning, so layers was again key. I stayed up way too late last night and didn't have enough water late yesterday to make today fun. While I did complete the four miles ahead of most, I ended up walking on probably 4 separate occasions. The sinuses run when it's cold, so I have to stop and blow my nose! I tried doing that running a few times but practically keeled over since you cannot blow your nose and breathe at the same time!

One purchase I made this week was a new watch. I paid about $35 at Costco for a Nike watch that is specifically for runners. It has a pace alarm (so you can set, say, a 10 minute pace) and a lap timer. I may use that on the local track when the weather warms up a bit, rather than on the treadmill.

I've now completed the four mile course three times - only one was what I could consider moderate to easy (Wednesday night). This week calls for 3.5 miles easy on Monday, 4.5 miles mixed on Wednesday, then 5 miles on Saturday. Considering the 10K is just 5 weeks from today, that should put me in good shape to make the 10K a very "do-able" run! I will do my best to meet the group on Wednesday - since that seemed to be the best run yet and the motivation to keep going was there.

10K Team in Training - week 6 - mid week runs

Well, I have the chance so want to document my workouts this week. Monday was done on the treadmill. After 1.6 miles of running (mostly), the machine quit. I had to start over which was a total distraction. So, all in all a 3.1 mile day. I walked for probably 3 - 4 minutes total, but felt pretty good about the run. Tuesday was a scheduled rest day and this morning, I planned on hitting the weights but the sleep was needed - and was much better for my body than lifting was. Today, the schedule calls for a 4 mile easy run (easy -- yeah right). I didn't want to do it on my own, so decided to join a few others who have been running outside Monday and Wednesday nights. We discussed it on week 4's Saturday run, and they have been doing it since.

The weather was great tonight -- upper 50s with a slight breeze. We met at about 5:55 and waited until after 6:05 to see if others would join us. There were 3 women, another man and myself. I wish I were better with names than I am -- but will certainly recognize all to say hello to on Saturdays. One woman was close to my age, and the others were all in their 20's. I felt that I was in for the run of my life just to keep up. We finally took off and ran the same course as on Saturday -- hills and all.

Apparently, doing my "homework" has paid off. I think that I was either feeling much better or was doing better because of the warmer weather. I kept up the entire time (granted it was at a slower pace), but no walking at all. I even led at part of the run, but everyone kept close. No walking, not even up the hills -- ZERO Walking!!

The four miles went by quickly, keeping up a conversation along most of the route with these really nice folks (runners). I was tired at the end because I pushed myself harder than previously, but have recovered quickly. Saturday, it's another 4 miles -- but I have full confidence I can do it now. I think our time was 45 minutes - about 11+ minutes per mile, but non-stop and with hills! Remove the hills and I know I can drop several minutes from my time.

For the first time, I am actually looking forward to the rest of the training and running in the 10K!

10K Team in Training - week 5

Four miles! It's hard to believe but it wasn't that bad. It was just over 20 degrees this morning when we started, almost 30 when we finished, so the temp wasn't much of a big deal. There were more people out this week than last, and I talked to some new folks that I had seen but not talked to previously. It's just after 9 AM and I'm already home and cooling off.

We started with a long downhill run -- more than a mile. After a long flat stretch, a few small hills then another small downhill as we backtracked over the small hills. One long uphill stretch and we were half way. There was a water stop at the halfway point - a good break from running. Then, a sloping downhill / flat section for the next full mile. That mile was the best yet. I ran and talked to Jeff, the beau of a co-worker (but I just met him today). We chatted during the entire mile (and during most of mile 2). It was the furthest each of us had run previously. and the mile felt good. A few short walking periods during the final mile (like up the last hill) allowed a strong finish.

Prep today included eating a few slices of hearty bread, one with strawberry jelly. That worked well for me -- I'm not starving and the water I drank beforehand was a huge help.

All in all, I felt good about the run today (especially the 3rd mile). I am getting stronger with each run and recovering faster. I'm encourage since I have the same distance to run next Saturday - and I have proven that I can cover that mileage!

10K Team in Training - week 5 pre-run

This was a good week. After recovering on Sunday, Monday's 3-miles was do-able. I walked some, but mostly changed the treadmill to stay at .5% grade and kept my speed under 6MPH. I'm trying to keep at 5.8 or 5.9 during the runs, knowing that if I do, I must push myself to keep running and not walk. I actually ran about 3.25 miles on Monday - figuring the 1/4 mile was my total walking.

Wednesday, I didn't make the mistake of running outside at night like the previous week. I have kept up with the training schedule about 95% -- just the one day of outside running that was a shorter distance than anticipated. I am still nursing shin splints on my left leg -- trying to figure out how to let that heal. From talking to several experts, they think that as I tire, I tend to pronate (my foot tends to turn in / become flatter). Well since I have been increasing my distance, I am tired and can buy that. I need to purchase a set of cheap arch supports for my left shoe before Monday to see if that will help.

Today is four miles... it's a warm 20 degrees currently -- so will be similar to last week. I do need to add a hat (I forgot it last week), just to help keep the sweat out of the eyes. It's really hard to believe how much you can sweat at 20 degrees, but the body is an incredible engine -- warming quickly then moderating it's own temperature by the above mentioned sweat. Thank God for the shower afterwards!

Gotta run and figure out how to dress! Another experimental week...

10K Team in Training - week 4

Tough run -- a few periods of walking but I made the three miles. I'm still fighting the sinus thing but it seems better when I run. Everyone was COLD today, so starting slowly was the best plan. I did eat before running (a bagel), about an hour before taking off. That was a huge help. So, going forward, I will do the same when I run outside.

I have noticed the number of runners has decreased since the 2nd week. I think that many people are finding that this is tougher than they thought it would be -- probably due to the quick ramp up of distance. 1,2,3,3,4,4,5 miles in the first 7 weeks. Today was the last of the 3-milers -- up to four next week. God help me...