Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I Can't Read a Calender
I have a problem. The duathlon I thought was this weekend is actually next weekend. The weekend we leave on a trip to Washington D.C. That means I'm going to miss my first duathlon this year. I'm a little bummed.
How Mr. Pythagoras trains one week out from his first duathlon of the year.
The secret? Get totally smashed on wine. I mean throwing up, wish I would just die smashed. That's about how the Memorial Day weekend went this year. Well, not the entire weekend. I was actually very productive, as I had hoped to be.
Friday night was Jr. P's final soccer practice. So what the coach likes to do is have parents VS. the kids. So it was Coach and I VS. the kids. Now I run a lot. And I run far. But I don't sprint very much, and I also don't do well with stopping and starting. But all in all, I fared much better than last season. At least Jr. P wasn't literally running circles around me. Saturday morning I was a little sore. OK, a lot sore. So I cancelled my plans to run. After the soccer game in the morning, we got to work on finishing the landscaping and the garden in the back yard. That took most of the rest of the day. It went very well and looks great! I'll get some photos up at some point. Sunday morning I was even more sore, plus I was now sunburned. So I cancelled my training plans. I'll just get my brick in on Monday.
This is where things get interesting. Sunday afternoon, we head over to the Winery at Wolf Creek with the Stimies. We grabbed some Subway on the way and found a picnic table that wasn't too far out of level. We had two lovely bottles of wine, enjoyed the nice weather, amused ourselves with the goats, and generally had a good time, until the mosquitoes came out. We left and went back to the Stimies' house where we proceeded to play some Wii and put down two additional bottles of wine. I should point out that most of the wine was consumed by two people, myself being one. Mrs. P ended up getting a horrific migraine so Stimie drove us home. This is where things become a little fuzzy. I don't remember how long I was sick for, but a heck of a lot came back up. I was feeling just awful Monday until about 2 in the afternoon. Obviously I cancelled my training yet again. I ended up losing about 4 pounds overnight. So at least there was a positive, even if it was just temporary water weight loss.
But here's the real positive: I'm excited that I won't have the taste for alcohol for a while. I don't know how long it will last, but it's going to be easy for me to stay away from the empty calories heading into this summer's multi-sport events. Maybe I'll finally be able to get my body fat percentage down to where it needs to be.
Take care,
Mr. P
Friday night was Jr. P's final soccer practice. So what the coach likes to do is have parents VS. the kids. So it was Coach and I VS. the kids. Now I run a lot. And I run far. But I don't sprint very much, and I also don't do well with stopping and starting. But all in all, I fared much better than last season. At least Jr. P wasn't literally running circles around me. Saturday morning I was a little sore. OK, a lot sore. So I cancelled my plans to run. After the soccer game in the morning, we got to work on finishing the landscaping and the garden in the back yard. That took most of the rest of the day. It went very well and looks great! I'll get some photos up at some point. Sunday morning I was even more sore, plus I was now sunburned. So I cancelled my training plans. I'll just get my brick in on Monday.
This is where things get interesting. Sunday afternoon, we head over to the Winery at Wolf Creek with the Stimies. We grabbed some Subway on the way and found a picnic table that wasn't too far out of level. We had two lovely bottles of wine, enjoyed the nice weather, amused ourselves with the goats, and generally had a good time, until the mosquitoes came out. We left and went back to the Stimies' house where we proceeded to play some Wii and put down two additional bottles of wine. I should point out that most of the wine was consumed by two people, myself being one. Mrs. P ended up getting a horrific migraine so Stimie drove us home. This is where things become a little fuzzy. I don't remember how long I was sick for, but a heck of a lot came back up. I was feeling just awful Monday until about 2 in the afternoon. Obviously I cancelled my training yet again. I ended up losing about 4 pounds overnight. So at least there was a positive, even if it was just temporary water weight loss.
But here's the real positive: I'm excited that I won't have the taste for alcohol for a while. I don't know how long it will last, but it's going to be easy for me to stay away from the empty calories heading into this summer's multi-sport events. Maybe I'll finally be able to get my body fat percentage down to where it needs to be.
Take care,
Mr. P
Sunday, May 18, 2008
2008 Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon
... And then the half marathon PR was 43 seconds faster. And once again, I wasn't expecting it. It was so wet this morning, I just wanted to finish without getting sick. My shoes and socks were nearly soaked just standing around waiting for the start. Wet socks are just miserable. But fortunately, I've discovered the most comfortable socks in the world, made by Balega. They're wonderful. No discomfort or blisters today. Unlike my friend Stimie who returned home with some serious battle scars.I kept no splits today. I wasn't concerned with my time from mile to mile. The time on the course for mile one was 8:40. That was due to congestion at the start. I knew I would be going faster than that once the crowd spread out. I ended up averaging 7:27 miles, so I was definitely cranking them out. Even with the rain, which stopped eventually, I felt pretty good. So I just pushed as hard as I could, while still maintaining a certain comfort level. My finish time was 1:37:45. That's 43 seconds faster than the Capital City Half Marathon last month. That also put me at finishing 31 out of 581 for my age group and 150 out of 8,007 overall. Not too shabby. I'm really starting to enjoy unexpected pleasant surprises.
But my morning wasn't done when I crossed the finish line. I made my way back to the car, stashed some gear I didn't need anymore, had a few swigs of chocolate milk, and began working my way back down the course to meet up with the walkers. Mrs. P, Stimie, and The Wife were out there walking the half marathon. So I began jogging back down the course looking for them. I made it another 3 miles before our paths converged. They were a motley trio. Stimie was delirious from the pain of the massive blisters on his feet, shouting "It's Good to be Alive!" along the course from time to time. He also managed to bum a cigarette off of a fellow walker and make chit chat with the sorriest looking prostitute my eyes have ever had the misfortune to fall upon. (I'll never look at the colors red and black the same way again.) The Wife was nursing a sore ankle, but she powered through it with furious and amazing gusto. Mrs. P seemed to be just fine. She must have really been cracking the whip before I showed up, to inflict such pain upon her companions. (Just kidding Mrs. P) We made our way back into downtown and finished along with the 3:20 to 3:30 marathoners. A job well done.
I'm proud of Mrs. P for maintaining such an interest in participating in these events. She is even thinking of switching from the walking division to the running division for Columbus in the fall. I'm really proud of Stimie and The Wife for completing an event that's much farther than anything they've done so far. Even though they're a little worse for the wear, I think that signing up and committing to the distance was probably harder than actually finishing. I hope the experience was a good one and that they continue to pursue events like this.
I estimate I covered nearly 20 miles today between the running and walking. That's about 6.9 miles more than I was expecting. That got me excited, thinking ahead to Columbus in October. But I'm not going to think too much about it yet. There's plenty of training and racing to be done between now and then.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Waiting For the Sun
Hoping for the sun is more like it. After a cold, crappy, rainy morning, the sun is now out and the skies are blue. I have a sinking feeling that Sunday morning is going to resemble the former unfortunately.
Last night was the Medina Heart Walk. I normally stick with officially sanctioned races and don't partake in charity events such as this. But I must say, that we had a decent time walking the 3 mile course. It was a bit chilly. And the sidewalks a bit uneven. And the intersections a bit busy without police direction. But all in all, it was an enjoyable time. And the money went to a very good cause. I must say that after the walk is what I'm going to remember. We were going to go to BW3's and get some burgers, but as luck would have it, they were packed as usual. So we went across the street to the Brown Derby Roadhouse. I had a nice 12 oz. steak which was dwarfed by the absolute largest sweet potato I have ever seen. It was the BIGGEST potato of any kind I have ever seen. I couldn't have eaten all of just the potato if I tried. Of course I finished my steak. To not do so would have been wasteful. And I washed it all down with a mug of Dortmunder Gold that must have been 32 oz. That's the most food and beer I've gotten for the least amount of money in a long time. I was able to eat guilt free too because I did half an hour on the elliptical in the morning, walked 2.3 miles at lunch, and finished the day with the 3 mile walk.
So Sunday is looking to be less than ideal running weather. If that is indeed the case, I'm not going to worry myself to beat 1:38:28. I'll be satisfied with a solid run and finishing with no aches or pains.
As for tomorrow. Good luck Jr. P in getting the soccer game in without getting soaked as well. Then we're off to race expo in Cleveland to pick up race packets and browse. After that, we'll be dropping Jr. off for the night with his aunt and uncle. Then it's back to Medina. I'm so excited to burn off all the $4.03 per gallon gas I put in the car yesterday! That's right. I can finally say that I've spent over 4 bucks a gallon. I thought it would feel like I was having my blood sucked from my body paying that much. It didn't though. Maybe because I was keeping one eye on a pair of vagabonds at the next pump. With their beater van and 1960's looking torn jeans. And I'm not talking stylishly torn jeans. I'm talking "Dude get some new jeans," jeans. But that's a story for another time.
So, I hope we get some decent dry weather for Sunday. I wish Mrs. P, Stimie, and The Wife the best of luck as they are walking the half marathon. They're going to be out in the elements a bit longer than I will. I wish luck to everyone else running, walking, and wheeling Sunday as well. And I'll let you know how things fared a little later.
Mr. P
Last night was the Medina Heart Walk. I normally stick with officially sanctioned races and don't partake in charity events such as this. But I must say, that we had a decent time walking the 3 mile course. It was a bit chilly. And the sidewalks a bit uneven. And the intersections a bit busy without police direction. But all in all, it was an enjoyable time. And the money went to a very good cause. I must say that after the walk is what I'm going to remember. We were going to go to BW3's and get some burgers, but as luck would have it, they were packed as usual. So we went across the street to the Brown Derby Roadhouse. I had a nice 12 oz. steak which was dwarfed by the absolute largest sweet potato I have ever seen. It was the BIGGEST potato of any kind I have ever seen. I couldn't have eaten all of just the potato if I tried. Of course I finished my steak. To not do so would have been wasteful. And I washed it all down with a mug of Dortmunder Gold that must have been 32 oz. That's the most food and beer I've gotten for the least amount of money in a long time. I was able to eat guilt free too because I did half an hour on the elliptical in the morning, walked 2.3 miles at lunch, and finished the day with the 3 mile walk.
So Sunday is looking to be less than ideal running weather. If that is indeed the case, I'm not going to worry myself to beat 1:38:28. I'll be satisfied with a solid run and finishing with no aches or pains.
As for tomorrow. Good luck Jr. P in getting the soccer game in without getting soaked as well. Then we're off to race expo in Cleveland to pick up race packets and browse. After that, we'll be dropping Jr. off for the night with his aunt and uncle. Then it's back to Medina. I'm so excited to burn off all the $4.03 per gallon gas I put in the car yesterday! That's right. I can finally say that I've spent over 4 bucks a gallon. I thought it would feel like I was having my blood sucked from my body paying that much. It didn't though. Maybe because I was keeping one eye on a pair of vagabonds at the next pump. With their beater van and 1960's looking torn jeans. And I'm not talking stylishly torn jeans. I'm talking "Dude get some new jeans," jeans. But that's a story for another time.
So, I hope we get some decent dry weather for Sunday. I wish Mrs. P, Stimie, and The Wife the best of luck as they are walking the half marathon. They're going to be out in the elements a bit longer than I will. I wish luck to everyone else running, walking, and wheeling Sunday as well. And I'll let you know how things fared a little later.
Mr. P
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
T - Minus 4 Days and Counting
When I put it like that, it makes it sound like I'm hoping to do really well Sunday. The whole countdown thing automatically puts the pressure on to perform. Maybe I should stop doing that. I'm not expecting to break my half marathon PR, which I just set last month, already. The weather looks to be just as crappy, if not crappier, than in Columbus. We're looking at rain and 40's to 50's during the race. I'll take the 50's and wind, but dry weather from Capital City, thank you. Oh well, everyone has to run in the same weather. If it's crap, everyone gets a little bit.
I did my last training run last night while the weather was still nice. Another 9 miler out and back on the Lester Rail Trail. Going out was nice, although a bit warm, with the wind at my back. Coming back was a head wind, which made it tougher, but more comfortable. Splits from both directions were within seconds of each other, which is perfect. I didn't want to push too hard. I just wanted to go out and log some miles. With the last run in the books, the rest of the week will consist of cross training, which I do a lot of anyway, since I can't run everyday. We are going to be walking tomorrow night for heart disease awareness, so I hope the rain we're having today, works it's way through. I would prefer not to get soaked twice within the same week. Now that I think about it, we need to make it through Jr. P's soccer game on Saturday too. I think I'll buy a bigger umbrella.
Mr. P
I did my last training run last night while the weather was still nice. Another 9 miler out and back on the Lester Rail Trail. Going out was nice, although a bit warm, with the wind at my back. Coming back was a head wind, which made it tougher, but more comfortable. Splits from both directions were within seconds of each other, which is perfect. I didn't want to push too hard. I just wanted to go out and log some miles. With the last run in the books, the rest of the week will consist of cross training, which I do a lot of anyway, since I can't run everyday. We are going to be walking tomorrow night for heart disease awareness, so I hope the rain we're having today, works it's way through. I would prefer not to get soaked twice within the same week. Now that I think about it, we need to make it through Jr. P's soccer game on Saturday too. I think I'll buy a bigger umbrella.
Mr. P
Monday, May 12, 2008
Time Flies
That's one thing I can say with absolute certainty about life. Time flies. Even when you encounter boring stretches, when you look back afterward, time is still just zipping by. And there's nothing we can do about it.
I can remember back in January and February, I couldn't wait for the racing season to begin. And now here I am, in the week leading up to the Rite Aid Half Marathon, and about three weeks to my first duathlon. I'm ready, there's no doubt about that this year. I would like to get in some more miles on the bike, but I think this year's increased fitness will help me transition a little easier than last year. It's amazing what two fall marathons, and all the training, will do to your body.
So, I have a half marathon this Sunday. If it stays dry, it's looking like primo weather for the run. I modified my workout plans a little this past weekend. Instead of trying to squeeze a long run into a busy Saturday, I just did it Friday afternoon after work and before my son's soccer practice. I wanted to get some good hill work in before Rite Aid, so I headed over to the Hinckley Reservation, where I did a few laps on the 3 mile trail. Three laps to be exact. Three laps, negatively splitting each lap. I didn't expect to do that. I completed lap 1 in 25:12, lap 2 in 25:06, and lap 3 in 24:55. My total time for the nine miles was 1:15.15. And I probably could have gone for a fourth lap too. I was just feeling good. I was also burning off some frustration from work. Being pissed at your boss is always a good fuel source. I need to look back at some past lap splits from Hinckley to see how I've improved over time. I believe I ran a few minutes faster per lap than I did last fall.
Our busy Saturday included watching the niece and nephew. I was fortunate to be able to get in over an hour with the weights while they were over. Mrs. P and Jr. did a wonderful job keeping everyone out of trouble. I guess the Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs helped a bit too. Saturday night was a nice post-vacation slide show extravaganza. Lots of fun. The Malibu Rum was flowing like water. Which means I didn't do anything yesterday. We all need a day off from time to time.
That's about it for now. I'm just counting down the days until Rite Aid. I really have to make an effort to say Rite Aid too. Growing up it was the Revco Cleveland Marathon, and that's how I will always remember it.
Mr. P
P.S. I just checked to see if the results were up yet for the Run 4 Fun, and guess who ended up taking 1st place in his age group? That's right, me! Too bad it doesn't count, due to the course error. Oh well, someday I hope to be competitive in my age group. I guess if I can just keep going, as guys stop running due to old age, I'll move up by process of elimination.
I can remember back in January and February, I couldn't wait for the racing season to begin. And now here I am, in the week leading up to the Rite Aid Half Marathon, and about three weeks to my first duathlon. I'm ready, there's no doubt about that this year. I would like to get in some more miles on the bike, but I think this year's increased fitness will help me transition a little easier than last year. It's amazing what two fall marathons, and all the training, will do to your body.
So, I have a half marathon this Sunday. If it stays dry, it's looking like primo weather for the run. I modified my workout plans a little this past weekend. Instead of trying to squeeze a long run into a busy Saturday, I just did it Friday afternoon after work and before my son's soccer practice. I wanted to get some good hill work in before Rite Aid, so I headed over to the Hinckley Reservation, where I did a few laps on the 3 mile trail. Three laps to be exact. Three laps, negatively splitting each lap. I didn't expect to do that. I completed lap 1 in 25:12, lap 2 in 25:06, and lap 3 in 24:55. My total time for the nine miles was 1:15.15. And I probably could have gone for a fourth lap too. I was just feeling good. I was also burning off some frustration from work. Being pissed at your boss is always a good fuel source. I need to look back at some past lap splits from Hinckley to see how I've improved over time. I believe I ran a few minutes faster per lap than I did last fall.
Our busy Saturday included watching the niece and nephew. I was fortunate to be able to get in over an hour with the weights while they were over. Mrs. P and Jr. did a wonderful job keeping everyone out of trouble. I guess the Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs helped a bit too. Saturday night was a nice post-vacation slide show extravaganza. Lots of fun. The Malibu Rum was flowing like water. Which means I didn't do anything yesterday. We all need a day off from time to time.
That's about it for now. I'm just counting down the days until Rite Aid. I really have to make an effort to say Rite Aid too. Growing up it was the Revco Cleveland Marathon, and that's how I will always remember it.
Mr. P
P.S. I just checked to see if the results were up yet for the Run 4 Fun, and guess who ended up taking 1st place in his age group? That's right, me! Too bad it doesn't count, due to the course error. Oh well, someday I hope to be competitive in my age group. I guess if I can just keep going, as guys stop running due to old age, I'll move up by process of elimination.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Quick Training Update
Just a quick note here. Sunday's brick workout went very well. I cut the bike leg short by a few miles, just because I was slightly under dressed and was cold. But I felt I made up for that by doing the second run about 30 seconds faster than the first run. I was feeling pretty good for the second set of 3 miles, and just pushed it. I've been cross training all week so far. Elliptical, walking, weights, the usual cross training stuff. I've really gotten used to walking at lunch. I'm lucky to have two courses to choose from, both of which are fairly removed from the hustle and bustle that is Medina. Also this week, I dropped another body fat percentage. According to my scale at least. Down to 16% body fat according to the Tanita scale. And I'm finally starting to see it in the mirror. Also, my pants don't fit too well anymore. My jeans are all baggy and require a belt, which has now seen use in the smallest hole. It's taken a few years to get to this point, and I don't plan on EVER going back to 200 lbs.
As for the weekend, I'm hoping to get a 9 mile run in at Hinkley on Saturday morning. I don't know if events will permit me to do it, but I'd like to try. That would leave Sunday open for some riding. I'm not sure what the weather is planning on doing this weekend either. Plus we're having a party Saturday night, so Sunday morning might be a little rough. Just over a week till Rite Aid. I'm excited for it. I'm not going to pressure myself to PR there. I just want to run a good race, have fun, and come out of it without any problems or issues. Duathlon season is less than a month away, and I need to be ready for it.
Mr. P
As for the weekend, I'm hoping to get a 9 mile run in at Hinkley on Saturday morning. I don't know if events will permit me to do it, but I'd like to try. That would leave Sunday open for some riding. I'm not sure what the weather is planning on doing this weekend either. Plus we're having a party Saturday night, so Sunday morning might be a little rough. Just over a week till Rite Aid. I'm excited for it. I'm not going to pressure myself to PR there. I just want to run a good race, have fun, and come out of it without any problems or issues. Duathlon season is less than a month away, and I need to be ready for it.
Mr. P
Sunday, May 4, 2008
2008 Schoolhouse Run-4-Fun, or I Must Have Made a Wrong Turn in Albuquerque
What else can I say? We made a left when we should have gone right. What makes running in the rain even better? That's right, going the wrong way! Because everyone knows that it's better to go further than necessary when wet. It's an unwritten rule.
Seriously though, I had a decent run none the less. After all, it's not called the Schoolhouse Run-4-Fun for nothing. It's a fun way to raise money for the schools. Yes, I was hoping for a 5K PR Friday night. But I'm not upset over what happened. I'll just have to plan another 5K into the schedule in order to make another attempt.
Official results have yet to be posted, but I do have my own mile splits. I did Mile 1, which was blessed with the wrong turn, in a blistering 8:40.85. I'm not exactly sure how far I went before turning around, but it was a fast start. Based upon my mile 2 split of 7:06.46, I would put mile one below 7 minute pace. Mile 3.1 was 7:46.45. I neglected to split at the 3 mile mark, and therefore have a longer time. But based upon previous splits for the last tenth of a mile, that puts mile three just over 7 minutes. So, had I not gone wrong, I would have posted a new PR. That's why I'm not getting upset about it. Another chance will come along, I just need to be ready when it presents itself.
And special congratulations to Jr. P, Mrs. P, and The Wife for walking/jogging the 5K in the rain. Especially The Wife, as she was pushing a stroller the entire time. I was able to run with Jr. P as he finished strong over the last 2 tenths of a mile. And he saved enough to sprint down the track to the finish. He'll be whooping my behind in a few years.
And now I'm soon to be off. The rain has cleared out, and we have partly sunny skies. I'm going to get a brick in this morning. Probably a 3 mile / 12 mile / 3 mile. Just running around the neighborhood and taking the mountain bike out the rail trail. About a month till my first duathlon and I need to be ready. I want to kick ass and take names this season.
That's all Folks!
Mr. P
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