Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2.25 miles in 25:01

connect.garmin.com/activity/76240734

i ran a couple of miles tonight with my wife after work. she is on the next workout in the couch to 5K program, so she needed a 25-minute run. she did well and kept going the whole time. she hasn't run for this long in awhile. it was nice this afternoon, if just a bit windy and cold.

coon massacre

connect.garmin.com/activity/76142012

brrrrr! it was cold a cold 34 degrees out this morning when i took off on my westbound journey. the wind was fairly calm for kansas, so, thankfully, there wasn't much of a windchill. i took it pretty easy today. my legs were still a bit fried from my 10K PR yesterday afternoon. there wasn't a bit of *pop* in them. i started around 6:30 in the dark and rode until around 8:00 since school's out today and i didn't have to fix an early breakfast for the family. i turned around in danville and rode back to the top of drouhard hill, then doubled back to danville before returning home. nothing terribly exciting to report. no dogs chasing me. no close calls with cars. there was a raccoon massacre on the bridge of the chicaskia. three bloody barely recognizable heaps of fur and guts were all that was left.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

6.39 miles in 52:06

connect.garmin.com/activity/76051025 my goal this afternoon was to get back in the running for the elite eight in the march miles madness challenge. i was way behind and needed a good 10K just to get into eighth place. my daughter was going north to practice on the grand piano at the church where she will perform her senior recital this sunday, so i hitched a ride out to the six and half mile mark and ran back to town. my first mile was just under 8 minutes. the second 8:21. the third 8:24. just before three miles i squeezed some gu into my mouth and swallowed. it must've worked. my splits for the next miles just kept getting better and better. mile 4 was 8:04. mile 5 came in at 8:06. mile 6 a quick 8:02. the final 0.2 miles to a 10K were at 7:59 pace. my 10K time: 50:32! that's the fastest i've ever run one. i quietly aimed for a sub-50 10K at the beginning of the year, thinking i'd be lucky to get it. now i'm confident it will fall...if i have a course like this one - all downhill with the wind at my back. call it cheating if you want. i call it strategy! i slowed my pace after hitting the 10K mark and stopped a couple of blocks from home to walk in.

5.01 miles in 43.34

connect.garmin.com/activity/75981245 i'll spare you some of the details, but this run was not the best ever for me. i made it about a mile and a half before i started having intestinal issues. i pressed on thinking it would go away, but it just got worse. i should've turned around and headed for home, but i'm kind of stubborn. i set out to run five miles. i was going to run five miles! so i did. i even picked up the pace a bit at the end. glad all runs are not like this one!

Monday, March 28, 2011

2.10 miles in 16.02

connect.garmin.com/activity/75760835 it got cold again. the clouds came in. i felt lethargic. didn't want to run or ride. i hated that feeling so i ran anyway. pushed pretty hard. take that stupid blahs!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

10.01 miles in 1:34:03

connect.garmin.com/activity/75225239

i woke up five minutes before my alarm was set to sound reveille, got out of bed quietly and felt my way to the bedroom door. i fumbled around a bit trying to locate everything in the tight quarters which is my in-laws’ bathroom. i had to pull nearly all my gear out to find my socks and get started dressing.

once i was in my full get up, i headed to the kitchen and grabbed a banana. i snooped around a little as i enjoyed the squishy sweetness of the fruit, but couldn’t find anything else portable to eat, so i headed out the door.

all the way up to gorun, it rained. big drops. little drops. by the time i reached the dillon’s marketplace at maize and 21st, a steady, drizzly mess had settled in. i snatched some Gatorade off the shelf and a couple powerbars, then drove the remaining four or five blocks to gorun.

it was 5:55 when i pulled into the parking lot. empty! not one car was there for the 6:00 meet up. i wondered if they’d called things off due to the weather. i drove back to dillon’s to see if anyone was there. no dice. i drove back and found two cars in gorun’s lot. a short time later a couple more cars pulled in.

at just after 6:00, a two or three car caravan left for the fabled kingman hills. i’d read posts about this route, but never had the chance to run it. i sat excited and nervous in the back seat of Fernando and Karlee M.'s honda as the miles fell behind us.

we turned off on ks-17 and headed south a few miles, then turned west on se 10th avenue. we followed the sandy thoroughfare until we reached the rural water tower at the top of a hill, our start/finish line. fernando pulled to the side of the road and, after gathering all my stuff, i jumped out.

there were seven or eight of us all together when we started running, a small crowd for a saturday i was told. two strong runners shot of the front immediately while the rest of us gave our legs a chance to get used to the terrain. the pace was conversational. i talked with tom s. without too much heavy breathing. then the climbs began. the hills, small rollers, came one after another after another in rapid succession. after two and a half miles, i fell off the pace, my belly doing strange and wondrous things I did not know it could do. no nausea, just weirdness. Marcello, an argentinian by birth, dropped back with me and we talked about this and that until, at around three and a half miles out, marcello sped up to catch the others who were going for ten miles.

when kevin s’s turnaround and the four-mile mark met up, i decided i’d had enough. rather than continue on, i decided to finish out eight and call it a day. i just felt too lousy to keep on trudging along. kevin held back and talked with me for a mile or so, making sure i knew how to get back to the cars, then he was off to the races. he had to get back to gorun to open at 10:00.

i ran on alone, feeling icky. i downed a tri berry gu and drank some gatorade. i somehow kept moving. less than a mile later, i downed a blueberry pomegranate roctane and drank some more. in a little bit, everything changed. my legs and lungs perked up and i was able to pick up my pace again. kevin was still in sight, so i locked my eyes on his back and let him pull me home.

when i made it up the final hill, i was feeling strong, so i decided to turn around and run back toward the ten-milers, thinking i might be able to get in ten after all. i ran down the first hill and up the next and just before my garmin read nine miles, i passed the remaining threesome. i ran on down the hill and turned around. less than a mile to go!

the last mile was up, then down, then up and i ran with all the power i could muster. i ran clear up to the water tower where the others were stretching and talking. i ran passed them and then passed fernando resting in the car. i didn’t stop until i heard the ten mile alarm. I hit stop and slowed to a walk. i walked up to the intersection, then turned back toward the impromptu parking lot. my legs carried my wearied body back to the others. i stopped and talked with tom and gene and karlee while I downed the rest of my gatorade while i cooled down. it didn’t take long. in fact, with temps in the mid 30s, i shot right passed cooled down to chilled.

back at the car, fernando took a quick shot of karlee and me with my camera, then we piled in for the trip back to gorun.

1.91 miles in 18:30

connect.garmin.com/activity/74506585

walked over to the eudora high school track for a run with my wife and youngest daughter. i ran a lap while they stretched and then ran a mile with them. i must say, looping around and around the same quarter mile is not all that exciting.

my daughter finished her mile and i ran a bit more while my wife walked a bit. then my wife started running again, but gave up less than a quarter mile into it. the wind was just too crazy to run south on the straightaways. we walked a lap or so and then walked back to my parents' house.

Friday, March 25, 2011

7.10 miles in 1:02:40

connect.garmin.com/activity/74980017

i slept in again this morning. ain't it great to be on vacation? my legs felt pretty good, so i decided to run my 5K for the "round of 32" challenge. to make sure i did my very best, i went out for a little 2 mile warm up to get the lead out. ran slow and easy at first and pushed a bit more here and there. finished up the 2 miles dripping with sweat, feeling good.

connect.garmin.com/activity/74980011

i worked hard last week to put in enough miles to make it to the second round of dailymile's "march miles madness!" having made it in, the real challenge for me was to put in a fast enough 5K time to make it to the "sweet sixteen" challenge. this run was my first attempt at that and i finished pleased with my effort and my time. i blasted through my first mile in 7:10, slowed a little on each of the other miles and finished strong, pulling off a 7:38 average pace over the 3.1 mile course i took. that pace made this one of my fastest 5Ks ever! now i just have to rest overnight and maybe put in a second try tomorrow sometime.

connect.garmin.com/activity/74980006

after running one of my best 5Ks ever for the "round of 32" challenge, i had to cool down a bit. so i ran a nice and easy 2 miles around my scotty dog route. don't know how it happened, but the dog appears to be panting with his tongue sticking out. must've felt like i did after my hard effort.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

2.28 in 25:21

connect.garmin.com/activity/74903428

enjoyed a nice run with my wife this afternoon before supper. ran a mile, walked for 4:30 and then ran another mile. the wind was crazy out of the southeast! almost stopped us in our tracks when we were facing it.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

9.58 miles in 1:32:02

connect.garmin.com/activity/74489245

i didn't wake up until around 7:00 this morning. ah, vacation is great! i got out of bed, dressed, checked the "march miles madness" challenge to see what i needed to do to get into the top 20 and headed out on the streets of my parents' housing development. my plan from the get go was to run every section of street at least once.

it was a muggy 63 degrees out and the wind was crazy! it took me awhile to warm up, but i kept going. i ran a little over two miles to begin with, covering less than half the streets, when i had an urgent need to see a man about a horse. i ran back to my parents' house and took care of business, then headed out again.

my second outing was much more pleasant. i finished off all the remaining streets and circled around to my starting point. i stopped my garmin at 8.08 miles and went inside. breakfast wasn't quite ready and my wife wasn't prepared to run, so i went back out and ran a loop around the perimeter of the development, adding 1.5 miles.

the waffles were ready when i got back, so i stuffed my face with peanut-buttery and syrupy goodness. now i'm waiting for my wife to get dressed to run. we're going to put in a couple of miles and then clean up and leave for home where we're planning to spend the rest of our week off.

Monday, March 21, 2011

6.50 miles in 1:01:29

connect.garmin.com/activity/74305966

i didn't sleep all that well the night after my half marathon. i just couldn't get my muscles to behave. they were sore and crampy. it was awful. then all day yesterday, i had to rub them to work out the lactic acid. i tried jogging just a little. couldn't do it. i could just walk, so i did. went out with my family for a slow walk in the evening before the ku game. came back and watched the jayhawks win against illinois. went to bed happy and slept the whole night through.

when i woke up, i got around slowly. i pulled on my running gear one piece at a time, snooping around facebook and dailymile as i did so. i'd taken the whole day off the internet yesterday, so i had a little catching up to do. two new friend requests, twenty notifications here, fourteen there. i took a lazy hour gearing up.

when i was finally ready, i headed out from my parents house, intending to run around three or four miles. i ran through their housing development and then out into the country. there are tons of hills here, rolling up and then down in rapid succession. gave me a good workout before i'd even run two miles.

when i reached the intersection before the bridge over highway 10, i made a quick decision to run into eudora rather than turn and make a short loop. as i made my way north into town, i was passed by dozens of cars driven by teens on their way back to school after spring break. the road i was on is the back way to the high school.

once i was in town, i ran here and there until i was back on church street headed south. i ran along the sidewalk as long as it was there and then ran the soft gravel shoulder when cars were headed toward me. that was a lot more often than a car would've come by in argonia.

as i approached the first entrance to my parents' housing development, i glanced at my garmin and decided i needed to go on south to the next turn to get in a 10K. i did that and then turned west and north to finish out my run. i made it back to the corner i'd started from and spotted my mom just leaving for her morning walk. i pushed on to 6.5 miles and then stopped to walk with her for my cool down. we walked around the development talking about life and moving and stuff. it was nice.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

12.79 miles in 2:04:15

connect.garmin.com/activity/73851505

i had a great first half marathon today. woke up way too early, but knew i couldn't go back to sleep, so i got out of bed. made it to lawrence with about an hour to spare. plenty of time to pick up my packet and debate, music or no music. i chose music. good thing too. trail running isn't very social.

it was a chilly 39 degrees when we started, but as soon as we dropped into the trees, i warmed up nicely. by the end of the first five miles, i ditched my coat at the aid station.

since this was an out and back, reverse directions out and back, reverse directions out and back course, i got to see almost everyone on the course two or three times. that was fun. cheered on the faster and slower runners.

there were a few other dailymilers in the pack, but we didn't figure out who each other were until we reconnected online. kind of bummed about that. i did get to say hi to Laurie E. since she was the race organizer. we got a picture taken together. i'll post it.

more report later. this is all i have time for now.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

2.05 miles in 18:07

connect.garmin.com/activity/73473855

my legs were lead this morning. sluggish. no spring. i plodded around town turning this way and that. i wasn't trying to push it, but this was ridiculous. i was going slow without trying overly hard to do it. what's up with that? hope i feel better saturday morning or it's going to be a long half marathon.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

3.13 miles in 37:23

connect.garmin.com/activity/73421961

enjoyed a little jaunt with my wife tonight. she wanted to get in a run since she missed her time yesterday, so we headed south into the wind. we walked toward the railroad tracks and then started running when we heard a train coming. we beat it and kept running. we walked a couple of times on the way to the river, so my wife could catch her breath. she was pretty tired and just couldn't keep going.

when we reached the river park, we circled around through the woods and then started running back toward town. with the wind at our backs, we were able to run a little easier. we walked a few times, but ran most of the time.

3.75 miles in 32:27

connect.garmin.com/activity/73354008

i went in early to work this morning, so i'd have time to run a bit further at lunch time. i decided to try to simulate trail running as much as i could since this saturday's pi-day river rotation half marathon will be a trail race. i ran on gravel and grass as much as i could, running along the edges of the streets and the highway. i also tried to stay well beneath my redline and felt pretty good most of the time. i just need to run about nine miles more now and i'll make it to the finish line.

a quick out and back

connect.garmin.com/activity/73309322

it was a full ten degrees warmer today than yesterday. my fingers were grateful for the warm up, as was my face. well, actually, i suppose my whole body was happy about the rise in temperature. between that and the drop in wind speed, the conditions this morning were just about perfect for riding.

i left the house around 5:30 and headed east on the highway. it seemed darker than usual, but i'm not sure it was. i heard a dog barking a couple of times before i passed the two-mile mark, but wasn't too concerned. i know the dog and all he was doing was saying, "what's that light?" or "hello!" another dog barked out, "i want to eat you," at the six-mile mark, but he was behind a fence and could do nothting to back up his threats.

i made it out to osborne road and turned around there close to 6:00. from there i sped back up black dog hill and made my way back home. it was during the stretch between antichrist hill and cemetery hill that i discovered my cyclocomputer was working properly. i'd taken time to scraped off the corrosion i'd seen on the contacts yesterday. must've done the trick. all the measurements - time, distance, speed - were basically the same as my garmin's readout when i got back home.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

2.00 miles in 16:14

connect.garmin.com/activity/73220642

at noon i decided to go out and run and try to do so slowly. i have to figure out how to be a bit more pokey at the beginning of my run or i'm going to burn all my energy in the first three miles of saturday's half marathon. as hard as i tried, i could only manage to hold my pace down to 8:06. i was not working hard, i promise. i felt good the whole time, but if i feel like that and run like that on the trails in lawrence this weekend, won't i bonk later in the race? i am so afraid of mis-running this thing and killing my chances at my 2:00 goal. i only need 9:09 pace for that. i guess we'll see.

will winter ever end?

connect.garmin.com/activity/73193565

brrrrrrr! i thought i was done with cold riding. i was wrong. it was a chilly 28F this morning when i got up to ride at o'dark hundred hours. i had to layer up and i still lost two digits to frostbite. if spring doesn't arrive soon, my summer gloves won't be the only thing that's fingerless around here. i rode a little over 14 miles before breakfast and then followed up my english muffins and milk with another 8+ miles. i'm hoping to get in a couple miles on foot at noon. it all depends on whether or not i can find someone to cover for me on ems. here's hoping!

Monday, March 14, 2011

2.90 miles in 23:23

connect.garmin.com/activity/73071470

my dailymile friend, Laurie E., reminded me today that march 14 (3/14) is pi day and that i needed to run my pi route, so i did. take a look at the map and you'll see it i think. 3.1415...

Saturday, March 12, 2011

invisible hills

connect.garmin.com/activity/72566557

i got in late after last night's state semi-final basketball game, so i didn't get out of bed very early. i woke up at 5:00, but fell right back to sleep and didn't stir again until 7:00. crazy! i got up and got dressed and headed out on the highway. it was WINDY! i could barely hang onto a 12.5mph average over the first half of my loop to, through and back from conway springs. even when i was on the flats, pushing hard, i could only eke out a an occasion burst of 14.0mph "speed"! the first 15.14 miles took me 1:12:53. when i turned back west, the change was almost immediate. i was on the "downhill" side of the invisible hills, wind at my back. i "rested" my legs for a few miles, recovering from the nastiness of the first half of the ride, then put the hammer to it, hitting 30mph on one downhill. when i turned south onto argonia road, i cranked it up over 20mph and kept it up there for most of the rest of the trip home. i completed the second half, a 15.39-mile wind assisted speed fest, in 0:47:59. that's a 19.2mph average! love it. for those who are wondering, our girls pulled out an overtime win over a very tough wilson county squad. at one point, we were behind by seven points, the biggest deficit we've faced all year. we haven't been behind by even one point very often. this afternoon at 4:00, we play for the championship against hutchinson's central christian. go, lady raiders! (30.53 miles @ 15.2mph)

Friday, March 11, 2011

a longish ride

connect.garmin.com/activity/72387769

i actually set an alarm clock so i wouldn't miss my chance to ride today. really! it's true! so at 4:45, the beep, beep, beep woke me up and got me going. i got dressed slowly and messed around on dailymile for a little while and then hit the road at around 5:20. i had just over two hours before i had to cover for a friend on ems.

since a SSE wind was blowing, i decided to take a completely different route than my usual east or westbound track. i rode up to the highway, pedaled over to main street and then headed south through town and out into the country.

as i passed the city limits of argonia, i set my mind on accomplishing one thing: riding fast enough on the way out that i'd have time to cover 30 or more miles. my largest mileage day thus far in 2011 was the 30.18 miles i did a week ago and it was done in two separate workouts. that's just not acceptable!

the ride through the dark was pretty enjoyable. it was a brisk 35F out, so my double tights and multiple layers up top were put to good use. my toes got a bit chilled, but there wasn't any pain, so it's all good. i wore my headlamp today so i could occasionally check my speed or mileage or the time. my black thermal gloves just aren't reflective enough to reflect light back from my bike headlight over my cyclocomputer and it's a pain to lean forward to put my garmin in front of it. the headlamp works like a charm.

when i reached highway 44, i turned east and picked up some speed. not a lot, but enough that you'd notice it. then the hills began. rolling hills! up and down, up and down for miles. this stretch of road is among my favorites. i just wish it was closer to argonia, so i'd have time to ride it more often. when i only have an hour, i get to it right about the time i need to turn around. glad i had time today.

as i headed east along highway 44, the sun's light started painting the horizon orange and yellow. the night turned from black to dark blue. you should've seen it. it was a truly beautiful sight. there's nothing like the wide kansas sunrises and sunsets.

i hit my turn around point just before mr. sun actually peeked over the horizon, so the glare of his fiery face didn't blind me as i rode back for home. i peeked over my shoulder once in awhile. the brush strokes and hues God chose this morning were perfect. wow!

i rode back to argonia road and headed north again. the wind at my back helped me up and over the incline that rises from highway 44 and i was soon back in argonia. i rode up to the highway and then back home, finishing my 31.14 miles in just over two hours. not fast miles, but enjoyable ones. only seven cars passed me, three on the way out and four on the way back, giving me lots of thinking and praying time. i'm thankful. (31.14 miles @ 15.2mph)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

5.42 miles in 50:48

connect.garmin.com/activity/72325321

after work it was 58 degrees outside. i had to run. i called my wife to see if she'd like to run. she said, "give me 30 minutes," so i decided to run a bit before she got home. i ran a little hard at first and so slowed down in the middle of the run. i have yet to master the art of negative splits. drives me crazy! anyway, i ran around town, taking sidewalks and running on the grass in places, creating a brand new route as i went. my overall pace was 8:14.

connect.garmin.com/activity/72329410

i rested for just a bit after my solo run and then headed out with my wife. we warmed up with a 5-minute run and then hit the gas. since my wife is working on week five of the couch to 5K program, we ran 5 minutes, walked 3, ran 8, walked 3 and ran 5. at one point, we were running at 8:38 pace, quite a feat for my wife who used to only run at around 10:00 pace. our average, with the walking, was a decent 11:04 pace. really enjoyed the company!

snooping around danville

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/72253347

i overslept this morning. not too surprising since i was up past midnight coming home from the girls state basketball tournament in hays, kansas. our first-seed lady raiders won convincingly against eighth-seed bern. it was awesome!

when i finally got up, i dressed for cold-weather riding (it was 27F and windy) and headed out on the highway. really didn't feel like pushing it much today, so i put it in cruise mode and rode out to danville.

i was planning to ride out 10 miles, but, believe it or not, i saw travis, my dog enemy, and decided not to go play "see if i can keep from getting knocked over by this crazy beast" with him. instead i turned into danville on a street i'd never attempted on my road bike. why, you ask, have i never attempted said road? simple. it's covered in sand and 700x23 tires don't like sand. thankfully, the surface beneath the sand was solid enough and i only had one slide out along the way. since i was in new territory, i went ahead and circled around danville several times before heading back toward argonia.

at the bottom of l'alpe d'anville, the railroad overpass, i decided to see how fast i could sprint up the hill. i jumped out of the saddle and rocked it up the hill. it was insanely fun!

when i'd gone about two miles back to the east, i realized i had enough time for a few more miles, so i rode back to danville, rocketing up and over l'alpe d'anville again. that brought a smile to my face...or was that a grimace. it was a bit painful, but not too bad. i rode a loop through danville again and then headed back home for good, taking it easy most of the way, but cranking up the power over the final pass of l'alpe d'anville and on the straightaway between curves close to home. i hit my max speed of 26.9mph on that stretch. (22.15 miles @ 15.5mph)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

4.04 miles in 32:35

connect.garmin.com/activity/72104435

i enjoyed two really good runs this morning. the first was my pre-breakfast run. after mixing up some baked oatmeal and setting it in the oven, i took off for a quick two miles (2.01 to be exact) around the north side of town. since everything is kind of wet after yesterday's rain storm, i decided to stay on paved streets and avoid the gravel on the far eastern edge of town. i cruised right along, feeling good up until the very end where i got just a hint of nausea. i finished these miles in 15:55, giving me a decent 7:55 pace.

after breakfast, i took another run. i was planning to do the same route in reverse, but messed up on one of the turns and ended up running out on the gravel i had avoided earlier. since i was off course, i decided to take the loop further out and took in the new housing division north of the highway. i was going to swing around the high school, but when i turned onto the street that runs in front of it, i figured i'd hit the two-mile mark near my house if i just went straight, so straight i went. i pressed stop just beyond the 4-mile (total) mark and got myself inside out of the cold wind. the second 2.03 miles was done in 16:40. that's an 8:12 pace for the second loop. final overall pace, 8:03. not bad.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

2.01 miles in 15:11

connect.garmin.com/activity/71984387

i got so much grief on dailymile from Karlee M. and Karla G. over staying indoors this morning, that i had to get out and run over my lunch break. i pushed the pace a little (for me) and came back with a pace i'm pretty pleased with. almost a minute faster than run #2 in the dungeon on the dreadmill this morning.

2.00 miles in 16:01

i wanted to do more speed work after breakfast than this, but i had a fecal emergency just as i was about to get started. i took care of business and finished up the paper work and then i was ready to run.

i started out with a 5-minute warm up at 8:34 pace before the fartleks began. once my warm up was finished, my initial push began. i jumped up to 7:30 pace for a minute and then put in a big push up to 6:40 pace for 30 seconds. i backed off then to 8:34 for a minute and a half and then another 7:30 for a minute, 6:40 for 30 seconds push. after another 90 second rest at 8:34, i did my final fartlek. i ran at 7:30 for a minute, 6:40 for 30 seconds and then at 6:00 pace for another 30 seconds. i backed off to 7:30 for 30 seconds and finally finished off with a minute at 7:30 before dropping the incline from 2% down to 0% and cooling down at 8:34 for a couple of minutes. i stopped at #2 miles.

so, i guess, everything came out all right in the end. i'm completely wiped out though. time to clean up and head for work.

1.83 miles in 15:00

i awoke just before my alarm went off at 6:00 to the sound of pouring rain. kind of a pretty sound - soothing to the soul - but not the greatest if you want to run or ride outside and i wanted to run outside! since that wasn't really an option, i pulled on my compression shorts and a pair of regular shorts, my socks and shoes and headed for the dungeon for a little torture on the dreadmill.

i started out with a 5-minute warm up at 8:34 pace with at 2% incline and then pushed the pace up to 8:00 pace for the next five minutes. i then sped up to 8:00 pace for two minutes, dropped back to 8:00 for a minute and finished out the last two minute at 8:34, dialing back the incline to 0% for the last minute.

after breakfast i plan to undergo some speed work torture. we'll see how that goes.

Monday, March 7, 2011

3.30 miles in 27:05

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71777355

i woke up at 4:30 this morning thinking jon might be coming by at 5:30 for a run. since my alarm was going to go off at 5:00 anyway, i got up, shaved and then got dressed for running. while i was waiting for jon to maybe show up, i posted a long answer to today's dailymission question. i've learned lots of lessons the hard way, but the lesson i learned about heat and hydration was the most valuable lesson i thought i could pass along in a dramatic way. i'm all about drama, you know.

when jon didn't arrive at my doorsteps by 5:38, i pulled my jacket on and took off on a run. i didn't really have an idea of what i wanted to do, so i surprised myself with a jaunt around the extreme outskirts of town. i wasn't sure how long the run would be, only that it would be a bit over three miles.

i felt great throughout the run. never felt a bit of nausea. no other biological urges to contend with. i ran with my garmin on, but ignored it for the most part. i glanced at it once or twice to see what time it was, but didn't look at pace at all. it was nice to just run.

i completed my circumnavigation of argonia in less than a half hour and walked in the door just in time to see my daughters off to music contest. my wife and i are going to take that in today, so i'm looking forward to family time and some great music.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

from piano lessons to home

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71427519

the title i gave this workout is a bit deceiving. it should say from what was supposed to be piano lessons for my eldest daughter to home, because evidently i messed up and the piano teacher wasn't there. oops! so as i'm riding out of town, my daughter passes me in our car. i am in so much trouble. i think i will hide.

the ride from wellington to home could've been much more enjoyable had the wind been out of the east instead of out of the west. the sun kept things warm enough, but i couldn't get much speed even when i pushed hard. it drove me nuts until i decided to quit trying so hard and just enjoy the scenery. brown grass and leafless trees are kind of nice to look at once in awhile.

anyway, i made it home and now i've got to get ready to go to my middle daughter's sub-state championship game at 6:00. can't wait! (21.49 miles @ 14.6mph)

3.15 miles in 26:28

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71306649

i'm headed for a forensics meet this morning...oh, the drama! since i knew i'd have to leave early, i got up at 5:00 to run. i ran quickly around the outskirts of town in the opposite direction i usually do and changed my regular route just a bit, but still managed to get in 5K before taking my girls up to the school for their ride to the meet. now i need to shower and shave and get moving. break a leg, girls!

Friday, March 4, 2011

1.05 miles in 7:29

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71207394

i wanted to make sure my legs remembered how to run after all the cycling i've done this week, so i took off on a mile run. i was going pretty fast at the beginning, but the stiff wind soon knocked the speed out of me. i'm pleased with my run, but i was hoping for a bit better pace over this short distance. oh well!

the wind is crazy!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71178494

the wind is crazy! yesterday i dealt with a strong southeast wind in the morning and an even stronger northwest wind at noon. this morning i woke up to a strong northeast wind. i guess southwest will be next.

i was planning to run this morning, but the cycling bug's bit me and i dressed in cycling garb instead of running gear. since i was dressed and ready to go and because cycling shoes are not conducive to running, i went for a ride.

it was really slow going today, in part because of the wind, in part because of my brain. i just wasn't all there. i rode along in a trance, paying little attention to the road or my speed. that's easy to do in the dark when there's nothing to see.

so i rode a little over 20 miles before breakfast and added a sixish ride afterward. it was a chilly 39 degrees. can't wait for spring to really get here. (26.31 miles @ 14.3mph)

Thursday, March 3, 2011

adding on the miles

connect.garmin.com/activity/71072241

at 58 degrees, it was too warm not to ride another 10 miles during my lunch break today. i hopped on my bike and cruised out of town. there were 18-wheelers everywhere today! helped on the way out as they pulled me along against the strong southwest wind. a great ride! really happy to report that this extra mileage makes today my largest cycling day of the year! (10.12 miles @ 16.4mph)

Rescued from darkness...

I awoke slowly in the middle of the night. The air around me was warm, almost oppressive. The darkness was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. Not a pinpoint of light reached my widening eyes.

I tried to sit up and get my bearings. I couldn't move. My blankets were over my head. I pushed up in an attempt to get out from under their fuzzy protection. They would not budge. I pushed harder, but made no progress. I tried again. No give. I panicked. I screamed. That's what second graders do when they can’t escape their covers.

Then the most horrifying thing happened. A hand grabbed my ankle! I jerked away from it and yelled louder! The hand wrapped itself around my leg and pulled. Sheer terror filled my heart and then I heard my dad’s voice.

"I'm trying to get you out!" he shouted. "You're at the foot end of your bed."

I relaxed and my dad rescued me. He calmed me down and then left the room. I laid my head on my pillow and fell peacefully back to sleep.

I tell that story today because I'm pretty sure you've been in similar situations. Afraid, almost panicky, because you can't meet a deadline. Not sure what's going on in a souring relationship. Sure there's no way out of a dead end job. Wanting someone to rescue you from your own stupidity. Convinced no one hears your desperate cries for help.

The woman caught in adultery, drug before Jesus and threatened with death could relate. Zacchaeus, hated by his neighbors for his cheating ways, knew the loneliness. Peter, regretting his triple denial of Jesus, believed he was useless to his risen master.

We know the end of each of these stories, but don't forget none of them knew what was going to happen while their life was at its worst. The wanton woman didn't know she'd find mercy. The wealthy cheater was surprised Jesus stopped. The wandering disciple had no idea pardon would be offered. They struggled just as you have and I have. Then they found joy. Jesus met each of them where they were, broken and lonely, and gave them what they needed most. The woman's life was spared. The tax collector's life was changed. The disciple's relationship with Jesus was restored.

You've been rescued, too, haven't you? God grabbed a hold of your leg and pulled you out of the darkness. He saved you from sin and healed your heart. He gave you peace in the middle of the storm. He provided for you when you had nothing. He lifted your spirits and restored your joy.

"I will exalt you, O LORD," David said, "for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:1-5, NIV )

Rejoicing comes in the morning! Aren't you glad? Whatever darkness you face in life, morning will break out in your soul! You've seen it before. You'll see it again. No matter your situation, God will redeem it.

To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to
webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.

a double decade

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71030184

if riding 100 miles is called a century and riding 200 is a double century, then it makes sense, doesn't it, that riding 10 miles would be a decade and 20 miles a double decade?

i rode a double decade this morning. a pre-dawn double decade! it was a moderate 41 degrees with a south-southwest wind at 5-10mph, perfect cycling weather if you wear enough clothes. the sky was overcast making the darkness all that much darker.

this was the first time in ages that i actually rode 20 miles non-stop and the first time in weeks that i actually had to climb nine-mile hill. my legs were not in hill shape. not all that surprising considering my recent riding slump. hopefully, we're done with the snow and ice so i can get back to pedalling more consistently. (20.06 miles @ 15.7mph)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

4.00 miles in 34:18

i decided to finish off the miles i agreed to dedicate to Teresa as she attempts to reach her 3000-mile mark on dailymile. with a 4 mile run last night, another 2 mile run this morning and 22+ miles on my bike already in the bag, all i needed was another 4 miles tonight. i opted to complete them in the dungeon on the dreadmill while watching minute to win it. ping pong balls were flying, eggs stacking and all sorts of crazy stuff while i plodded along for 34:18. i hit stop just as the guy on the show failed his $250,000 challenge and dropped back to $50,000. still not bad for an hour's work. i'd take it. unfortunately i don't get anything for watching. got a great workout! here's to you Teresa! go get your miles!

multisport brick - part 2

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70895774

since jon stood me up - had to wash his hair or something - i hit the road on my bike around 6:00 this morning. still super warm from my 2-mile run, i dressed lightly. big mistake. i did NOT wear enough layers and the gloves i chose were too thin for the conditions - 39F with a strong northeast wind. i froze to death for about 8 of the first 10 miles i rode. my fingers were in serious pain when i pulled into the driveway for breakfast.

after breakfast, i layered up and went out again. this time i was toasty and warm. the wind was just as bad, but i didn't care. i rode as far out as i dared considering the time i had, then raced back home. the wind was much more friendly at my back.

this was the first time i'd changed sports on my garmin without syncing it, so i learned all about how it manages multisport workouts. pretty interesting! (22.49 miles @ 14.9mph)

2.01 miles in 17:20

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70895768

at 5:35, i took off running toward jon's house along the route he said he takes to get to my house for our morning run. i kept an eye out for him, but he was no where to be seen. i ran past his house. no lights. i kept running. i ran around town a bit to get in two miles before stopping at home for a quick (that's a relative term) transition to my bike.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

4.00 miles in 38:52

connect.garmin.com/activity/70827207

it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, warm enough that i was able to talk my wife into running outside. we ran two miles together in 21:23 and then she went back to the house while i ran two more on my own at a slightly quicker pace. covered my two in 17:29 if i've done the math correctly. what a great way to spend a spring-like 40 minutes!

windy and beautiful

connect.garmin.com/activity/70776708

this was a windy, but beautiful ride. the sky was blue with, here and there, a puffy white cloud. gorgeous! i'm glad i had time for a quick 10-miler.

on the way out, with the wind in my face, i was struggling at times to manage 10mph. going up drouhard hill with a headwind was downright painful. but then i got to turn around and let the same wind push me home. i got warm quickly and sat up to pull my jacket off as i rolled down the empty road. "look, ma, no hands!"

i was buffeted a bit on the correction line section, but not too badly. pushed through the slight southerly wind and made it back home. (10.12 miles @ 16.4mph)

6.20 miles in 52:57

connect.garmin.com/activity/70732073

jon showed up right at 5:30 this morning. i was ready and out the door before he got to my driveway, so we walked a couple of blocks so he could get his breath and then started in our 2-miler. we ran around the outskirts of the north side of town with a little dip down to the south to make up for the walked blocks. our first mile was done in 7:55, the second in 7:45. pretty good for a couple of amateurs. we passed four other runners, a pack of ladies early in our first mile. thankfully there was no snow on the ground so they had nothing to attack us with.

we walked two blocks to cool down and then, on a whim, i decided to run jon back to his house. when we got to the railroad tracks, a train was coming, so we had to pick up our pace to make it a cross. we were over the first set of tracks when the bells started dinging. i said, "don't trip," and then scuffed my toe. jon laughed.

we made it to his house and i kept going south. i ran back over the main street and just as i was turning off main to circle around bryana drive, the ladies showed up again. i thought i'd catch up with them on my way back north, but i never did. i spotted them one more time as they were walking their cool down.

somewhere along in all this, i decided to make today a 10K. i just kept running and running. i wasn't very fast at times, but i kept moving. when i figured i could beat the skinny kid again if i picked it up again, i pushed myself to finish strong. the clock stopped just shy of 53:00. that's a full 10 seconds per mile faster than i ran the 10K back in october and just short of a new PR. woohoo!