connect.garmin.com/activity/172150041
i really wanted to run the trails down by the sewage plant this morning, but when i got there, the gate was closed. not one to trespass on government land, i turned around and ran on up country club road. the sharp little rollers south of lake road make for some great fun. i flew down into the valleys and grunted it out climbing up the other side. when i was through them, i turned around and did them heading north back toward town. the long hill is a lot more fun running down than up. i hit 5:51 pace somewhere on that descent. pretty scary keeping the feet underneath me! i ran back into town and arrived at home with three minutes to spare. i used those minutes to cool down a bit before waking my wife.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
8.00 miles in 1:12:14
connect.garmin.com/activity/171890130
i hadn't done anything over four miles for almost a week, so i decided to go long this morning. i ran around the neighborhood in my never-pass-an-intersection-without-turning pattern. there were a few times, that i had to do some fancy thinking to get out of a seemingly endless loop. i did a lot of looping around blocks to avoid certain streets which i hate running on. stout was the main one i wanted to avoid. it's crown is so high that running on the edge of the street is uncomfortably cockeyed. so around and around i went until i hit eight miles a minute or two after 6:30. i was near home so i didn't get into too much trouble for waking my wife a little late.
i hadn't done anything over four miles for almost a week, so i decided to go long this morning. i ran around the neighborhood in my never-pass-an-intersection-without-turning pattern. there were a few times, that i had to do some fancy thinking to get out of a seemingly endless loop. i did a lot of looping around blocks to avoid certain streets which i hate running on. stout was the main one i wanted to avoid. it's crown is so high that running on the edge of the street is uncomfortably cockeyed. so around and around i went until i hit eight miles a minute or two after 6:30. i was near home so i didn't get into too much trouble for waking my wife a little late.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
3.66 miles in 31:13
looking at monday's garmin data, i saw a snake with a clif bar stuck in its throat. i looked at it a little longer and realized there was a stegosaurus waiting to burst out. today the dino showed up. while creating this prehistoric beauty, i ran nice and easy carrying my map. i didn't want to miss a turn and mess this cave drawing up. my knuckle lights made it easy to see where i was going. i made a couple of small variations from my original route that i think make it more authentic.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
New lunacy...
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My initial push had me doing 25 push ups and 25 sit ups everyday. I did that for five days, then yesterday morning decided to kick it up a notch. I clicked on over to HundredPushups.com and started in on their seven week program. If all goes according to plan, I'll be able to do 100 consecutive push ups on June 1. I did five sets of push ups yesterday for a total of 45.
I was going to stick with 25 sit ups a day. Really, I was. Then I discovered - thanks to my daughter's investigation - TwoHundredSitups.com. How could I resist? I needed something to do on the days I wasn't doing push ups, right? I did 40 in my initial test which means I'm supposed to be able to skip to week 3, but I'm not going there. I'll start from the beginning and work my way up to 200 by May 31.My schedule's set. I'm doing my push ups on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Sit ups will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Want to join in the fun? Visit the websites. Do the initial tests. Get with it!
P.S. There may be a giveaway related to this post in the near future.
Monday, April 23, 2012
3.01 miles in 31:40
connect.garmin.com/activity/171248837
i enjoyed a short run with my wife after work today. we ran and walked two miles together. she put in a couple of hard surges. it was fun. then i ran another mile on my own. it was a blast. i knew i didn't have to have anything left at the end so i ran harder than usual. i ended up with a 7:39 mile. during my last half mile or so i was running in the 6:30 range. woohoo!
i enjoyed a short run with my wife after work today. we ran and walked two miles together. she put in a couple of hard surges. it was fun. then i ran another mile on my own. it was a blast. i knew i didn't have to have anything left at the end so i ran harder than usual. i ended up with a 7:39 mile. during my last half mile or so i was running in the 6:30 range. woohoo!
3.10 miles in 26:24
connect.garmin.com/activity/171009964
everything conspired against a good run this morning. i felt miserable when i got up. the chinese food i had yesterday felt like it was going to come out one end or the other. i spent more time than i planned editing the final draft of an upcoming dailymiler of the week post. my foot was hurting. my hips and back ached from the work day at the church. i was tired.
somehow, despite all that, i had a really great time running this morning. i ran every block of blaine on this side of the railroad tracks without an oriental blowout. i ran every block of cleveland on this side of tracks as well. the aches went away and the pain lessened. furthermore, i had a blast spinning my legs like the roadrunner - beep, beep! - on the short, steep downhills on blaine between hillside and thompson and on cleveland between mound and taylor.
everything conspired against a good run this morning. i felt miserable when i got up. the chinese food i had yesterday felt like it was going to come out one end or the other. i spent more time than i planned editing the final draft of an upcoming dailymiler of the week post. my foot was hurting. my hips and back ached from the work day at the church. i was tired.
somehow, despite all that, i had a really great time running this morning. i ran every block of blaine on this side of the railroad tracks without an oriental blowout. i ran every block of cleveland on this side of tracks as well. the aches went away and the pain lessened. furthermore, i had a blast spinning my legs like the roadrunner - beep, beep! - on the short, steep downhills on blaine between hillside and thompson and on cleveland between mound and taylor.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
2.00 miles in 24:41
connect.garmin.com/activity/170404811
my wife and i went out for a run this evening. she wanted to see what we'd done at the church while she was away. obviously, that means we ran to the church, stopped there and walked around a bit.
from there, we ran around town running and walking. we ran a little slower so my wife was able to run more. it was a good outing.
my wife and i went out for a run this evening. she wanted to see what we'd done at the church while she was away. obviously, that means we ran to the church, stopped there and walked around a bit.
from there, we ran around town running and walking. we ran a little slower so my wife was able to run more. it was a good outing.
6.20 miles in 51:27
connect.garmin.com/activity/170135074
i really wanted to run the 15-miler that i didn't do last week, but i didn't have time for that kind of mileage this morning. i settled for a quick 10K instead. i'll get to the longer runs soon enough.
it was cool out at 37 degrees. thankfully, there wasn't much wind so the wind chill wasn't too bad. i didn't even wear anything over my ears. the only addition to what i've been wearing was light gloves. i almost went without them. i'm glad i didn't. i was really comfortable the whole time.
i headed out to highway 61 by way of school, parkview, parkway, maple. on the highway, i turned north and headed out of town past pratt community college, younie's landscaping and the industrial buildings. i met only one car after leaving the city limits. they saw my knuckle lights and moved over to the other lane and left me alone.
when i reached 20th, i turned west and ran across to highway 281. surprisingly, on this little back road i met up with three cars. it is a shortcut to the middle of town if you know it, but i wasn't expecting anyone as early as i was out on a saturday. i wonder if there's always that much traffic. i know you big city folks are laughing. "three cars isn't traffic!"
i reached 281 and headed south toward town. i kept my knuckle lights off and ran lightly for the first half mile or so. i didn't want to wake the one dog i knew lived along my route. not that he's a viscous pit bull. i just didn't want to deal with anything canine. grrrrr!
as i neared the north edge of town, i happened to glance at my garmin. it read 5.2 miles. the time was 43 minutes plus a bit. i figured if i ran the next mile fast, i could beat 54 minutes again and make the skinny kid (me in high school) cry. i picked up my pace and ran that last mile in under 8:00. i was glad i hit 6.2 miles just before i had to climb that stupid little hill on school that always slows me down.
i stopped my watch and walked the rest of the way home to cool down. wish i could've run further, but i'm pleased with what i could do. time to get ready for the church work day now.
i really wanted to run the 15-miler that i didn't do last week, but i didn't have time for that kind of mileage this morning. i settled for a quick 10K instead. i'll get to the longer runs soon enough.
it was cool out at 37 degrees. thankfully, there wasn't much wind so the wind chill wasn't too bad. i didn't even wear anything over my ears. the only addition to what i've been wearing was light gloves. i almost went without them. i'm glad i didn't. i was really comfortable the whole time.
i headed out to highway 61 by way of school, parkview, parkway, maple. on the highway, i turned north and headed out of town past pratt community college, younie's landscaping and the industrial buildings. i met only one car after leaving the city limits. they saw my knuckle lights and moved over to the other lane and left me alone.
when i reached 20th, i turned west and ran across to highway 281. surprisingly, on this little back road i met up with three cars. it is a shortcut to the middle of town if you know it, but i wasn't expecting anyone as early as i was out on a saturday. i wonder if there's always that much traffic. i know you big city folks are laughing. "three cars isn't traffic!"
i reached 281 and headed south toward town. i kept my knuckle lights off and ran lightly for the first half mile or so. i didn't want to wake the one dog i knew lived along my route. not that he's a viscous pit bull. i just didn't want to deal with anything canine. grrrrr!
as i neared the north edge of town, i happened to glance at my garmin. it read 5.2 miles. the time was 43 minutes plus a bit. i figured if i ran the next mile fast, i could beat 54 minutes again and make the skinny kid (me in high school) cry. i picked up my pace and ran that last mile in under 8:00. i was glad i hit 6.2 miles just before i had to climb that stupid little hill on school that always slows me down.
i stopped my watch and walked the rest of the way home to cool down. wish i could've run further, but i'm pleased with what i could do. time to get ready for the church work day now.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
7.03 miles in 1:01:30
connect.garmin.com/activity/169584605
it was another muggy one this morning. 59 degrees with 77% relative humidity will do you in unless there's a breeze to cool you off. i'm very thankful for the gale force winds that helped regulate my body temps.
i started out thinking i'd run a 10K in town with a few hills thrown in for kicks. i ran off to the east and down the hill on parkview. i ran up to maple and then out to highway 61. that's where i started deviating from the in-town 10K plan. i ran out and around the community college campus and then, heading north, i decided to go further east on the dirt. i ran out to the first intersection and ran south to the highway. the wind was a bit of a problem on this stretch. it was right in my face and relentless.
i trudged on till i turned on highway 54 to come back into town. i turned and walmart and ran down and around the trailer court south of there. then it was onto sixth street. a glance at my garmin showed that i had enough time to finish more than 10K, so i ran on up to pine street before heading north to school.
i had to pause briefly before crossing 54 so as not to be splatted by an 18-wheeler. that delay out of the way, i ran on to home. when i reached my front walk, i was just short of seven miles so i ran on to belmont before i stopped. that gave me a short cool down walking back to wake up my wife.
it was another muggy one this morning. 59 degrees with 77% relative humidity will do you in unless there's a breeze to cool you off. i'm very thankful for the gale force winds that helped regulate my body temps.
i started out thinking i'd run a 10K in town with a few hills thrown in for kicks. i ran off to the east and down the hill on parkview. i ran up to maple and then out to highway 61. that's where i started deviating from the in-town 10K plan. i ran out and around the community college campus and then, heading north, i decided to go further east on the dirt. i ran out to the first intersection and ran south to the highway. the wind was a bit of a problem on this stretch. it was right in my face and relentless.
i trudged on till i turned on highway 54 to come back into town. i turned and walmart and ran down and around the trailer court south of there. then it was onto sixth street. a glance at my garmin showed that i had enough time to finish more than 10K, so i ran on up to pine street before heading north to school.
i had to pause briefly before crossing 54 so as not to be splatted by an 18-wheeler. that delay out of the way, i ran on to home. when i reached my front walk, i was just short of seven miles so i ran on to belmont before i stopped. that gave me a short cool down walking back to wake up my wife.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
4.40 miles in 36.11
connect.garmin.com/activity/169307436
it was dark. it was windy. it was cool. it was muggy. a great day for a run!
i left the house a couple of minutes before 6:00, hoping to run out to the country club and back before 6:30. i ran a quick little 8:11 first mile down to the corner of sixth and country club road, then slowed up to a 8:23 pace for the second, mostly uphill mile. that one put me right at the driveway to the country club. i decided i didn't have time to run up the drive, so i continued on around the loop, hitting highway 281 and running north up main back to sixth street. my third mile, an 8:08, ended somewhere on main before i turned east onto sixth. i ran to rochester then zigzagged my way north to home, pulling off an 8:10 fourth mile. i stopped at my front walk at 6:35, went in, woke up my wife and then stepped back outside for a cool down walk around the block.
it was dark. it was windy. it was cool. it was muggy. a great day for a run!
i left the house a couple of minutes before 6:00, hoping to run out to the country club and back before 6:30. i ran a quick little 8:11 first mile down to the corner of sixth and country club road, then slowed up to a 8:23 pace for the second, mostly uphill mile. that one put me right at the driveway to the country club. i decided i didn't have time to run up the drive, so i continued on around the loop, hitting highway 281 and running north up main back to sixth street. my third mile, an 8:08, ended somewhere on main before i turned east onto sixth. i ran to rochester then zigzagged my way north to home, pulling off an 8:10 fourth mile. i stopped at my front walk at 6:35, went in, woke up my wife and then stepped back outside for a cool down walk around the block.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
No more silly walks...
In 1970, during the heyday
of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the comedy troupe created this sketch called,
“The Ministry of Silly Walks.” In it, John Cleese played a civil servant who
worked for the British government’s Ministry of Silly Walks. His character’s job
was to determine who should be given grants to develop silly walks and who
should not.
The writers of the Bible
used the word walk in an unusual way. Rather than using it to refer to the
placing of one foot in front of the other and walking out the door, they used
“walk” to signify the way a person lived, the way they acted, the path of life
they chose.
The first time walk is
used in this way is in the middle of the first genealogy recorded for us, the
record of the Adam’s lineage up until Noah. Moses makes mention of Enoch,
Adam’s great-great-great-great-great-grandson, in the fifth chapter of Genesis.
“When Enoch had lived 65
years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of
Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether,
Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked
with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:21-24)
I’m sure Enoch talked with
God every time he was physically walking, but you can see, can’t you, that
that’s not what the writer means by the word walk? He means Enoch was in a
close relationship with God. He was living with and for God and his glory. He
did what was right just as God commanded him to.
Because of his close walk
with God, Enoch did not face death. The
writer of Hebrews wrote this about Enoch.
“By faith Enoch was taken
from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found,
because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as
one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:5-6)
Understanding the word
“walk” in the Bible’s writer’s way, I have to tell you that there is only one
way to “walk” in life that isn't a silly walk.
On a recent Thursday
afternoon, I went to the middle school track meet in Stafford to watch my
daughter and her friends run and jump and thrown for several hours and then I
headed back to Pratt.
When I got back to the
parking lot at the school to await the arrival of the bus, I grabbed my Bible
which I had with me and started reading the beginning of Romans. I read Paul’s
words of greeting. I heard him say how thankful he was for the church in Rome,
how he longed to visit them, how he wanted to impart some spiritual gift to
them and have a harvest among them. Then I read these words: “I am obligated
both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I
am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed
of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just
as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:14-17)
That’s as far as I got. I stopped dead in my
tracks when I read those last words: “The righteous will live by faith.”
This truth hit me square
between the eyes: The only way to live that is pleasing to God is by faith. By
faith we put our trust in Jesus’ death in our place to satisfy God’s wrath
toward our sin. By faith we receive Christ’s righteousness and are made fit for
eternal life. By faith we live our lives for God’s glory, listening to him,
doing what he says, walking in his ways.
The righteous will live by
faith, trusting God for their salvation and for guidance each and every day, or
they are not the righteous.
You cannot be made right
with God apart from faith. It is not possible! That’s what we read in Hebrews,
right? You read it. “Without
faith it is impossible to please God!” (Hebrews 11:6)
So any attempt to honor
God outside of walking with him in faith is, well, silly. You cannot earn your
salvation by your good works. Put your trust in Jesus and what he’s done.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
4.50 miles in 39:42
connect.garmin.com/activity/167833108
the best laid plans of mouse and mike often go awry. it's true. i set my alarm for 4:40 before going to bed last night. i had big plans. i was going to run 15 miles before 7:30. i'd never done 15 miles at once and i wanted to see how my body would hold up over that distance.
when the alarm went off, i got up, hurried to get ready to run and hit the streets just after 5:00. i felt great the first couple of miles. i was running along listening to petra's new album, "back to the rock," thinking how fun this was to try for 15 miles. i ran south toward lake road wanting to figure out where exactly the country club sits so monday's trek there for a banquet would be such a mystery.
i found it with only one little bit of misdirection. my apologies to the people with the really nicely paved driveway that i ran up and back on. i really thought it was a street. after i turned on the right street, the only one, i found the country club, ran through their parking lot and, shhhh, don't tell anyone, cut across the golf course.
i came out on what i thought was country club road and took it to the right which i thought was north. at the first intersection, i took a left, thinking i'd run a couple of miles out to the road that runs south to the lake and take it. i was pleasantly surprised that the road was paved. i had thought all of the roads were gravel running east and west.
as i ran along, i spotted a flashing yellow light ahead...and houses. "there's a housing development out here?" i thought. then i came upon some railroad tracks. this was really strange. "do the tracks that run through town turn south?" i thought. then my world spun around a bit and i realized that my jaunt across the golf course hadn't taken me to country club road at all. it had taken me back to lake road and the road i was now running on was country club. i was running north on it back into town!
i was beginning to feel a bit sickly at this point, but i really wanted to run 15 miles so i took a right on sixth street to run out by wal-mart. when i saw a side street take off north, i decided on a whim to follow it. i'd never gone that way before. at the dead end there was a rutted gravel drive. i took it. i kind of wish now that i hadn't. in the dark it wasn't hard to follow, but it was hard to see the potholes and sudden drops and when i rounded the back side of the pratt business center, i found my self shoe-deep in mud for several strides. not the most pleasant surprise! i don't think i'll go that way in the dark again.
by the time i came out in the parking lot by long john silvers, i knew there was no way 15 miles was happening. i was not feeling good at all! i turned west and headed up the highway toward home. thankfully, i made it back without anything nasty coming up or bursting out along the way.
i walked a bit of a cool down, then came in. i'll get my 15-miler in some other day.
the best laid plans of mouse and mike often go awry. it's true. i set my alarm for 4:40 before going to bed last night. i had big plans. i was going to run 15 miles before 7:30. i'd never done 15 miles at once and i wanted to see how my body would hold up over that distance.
when the alarm went off, i got up, hurried to get ready to run and hit the streets just after 5:00. i felt great the first couple of miles. i was running along listening to petra's new album, "back to the rock," thinking how fun this was to try for 15 miles. i ran south toward lake road wanting to figure out where exactly the country club sits so monday's trek there for a banquet would be such a mystery.
i found it with only one little bit of misdirection. my apologies to the people with the really nicely paved driveway that i ran up and back on. i really thought it was a street. after i turned on the right street, the only one, i found the country club, ran through their parking lot and, shhhh, don't tell anyone, cut across the golf course.
i came out on what i thought was country club road and took it to the right which i thought was north. at the first intersection, i took a left, thinking i'd run a couple of miles out to the road that runs south to the lake and take it. i was pleasantly surprised that the road was paved. i had thought all of the roads were gravel running east and west.
as i ran along, i spotted a flashing yellow light ahead...and houses. "there's a housing development out here?" i thought. then i came upon some railroad tracks. this was really strange. "do the tracks that run through town turn south?" i thought. then my world spun around a bit and i realized that my jaunt across the golf course hadn't taken me to country club road at all. it had taken me back to lake road and the road i was now running on was country club. i was running north on it back into town!
i was beginning to feel a bit sickly at this point, but i really wanted to run 15 miles so i took a right on sixth street to run out by wal-mart. when i saw a side street take off north, i decided on a whim to follow it. i'd never gone that way before. at the dead end there was a rutted gravel drive. i took it. i kind of wish now that i hadn't. in the dark it wasn't hard to follow, but it was hard to see the potholes and sudden drops and when i rounded the back side of the pratt business center, i found my self shoe-deep in mud for several strides. not the most pleasant surprise! i don't think i'll go that way in the dark again.
by the time i came out in the parking lot by long john silvers, i knew there was no way 15 miles was happening. i was not feeling good at all! i turned west and headed up the highway toward home. thankfully, i made it back without anything nasty coming up or bursting out along the way.
i walked a bit of a cool down, then came in. i'll get my 15-miler in some other day.
He'll do what?!
The God revealed in the Bible is not a genie who does favors when we rub the lamp. We don't force our will on him. He does not operate at our command or on our timetable. He is in charge and he does what is truly best for us. He does it when it is best for us.
I choose to honor God by submitting to him, by asking him to do his will in my life, by asking him to reshape my desires so that they match his perfect desires.
Friday, April 13, 2012
4.08 miles in 38:53
connect.garmin.com/activity/167553374
i wasn't going to run if i slept till my alarm went off, but when the beeping commenced, i woke up raring to go. so go i did. my plan was to just run a couple of easy miles and then wake my beautiful wife and get breakfast ready. things didn't go exactly as planned. i ran 2.35 miles, woke up my wife and went out for more miles. i couldn't help myself. i ran another 1.73. you probably can't tell by my garmin data, but i ran all the numbers from my year of high school graduation. see if you can figure it out. i did them in the wrong order because i didn't think of doing this until after i'd started. see if you can figure it out.
i wasn't going to run if i slept till my alarm went off, but when the beeping commenced, i woke up raring to go. so go i did. my plan was to just run a couple of easy miles and then wake my beautiful wife and get breakfast ready. things didn't go exactly as planned. i ran 2.35 miles, woke up my wife and went out for more miles. i couldn't help myself. i ran another 1.73. you probably can't tell by my garmin data, but i ran all the numbers from my year of high school graduation. see if you can figure it out. i did them in the wrong order because i didn't think of doing this until after i'd started. see if you can figure it out.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
5.25 miles in 42:11
connect.garmin.com/activity/167263210
how many miles do you think i've logged on dailymile over the past two and a half years? i'll give you two guesses and the first one doesn't count. no peeking at my profile. just look at my garmin map. (a big thanks to jered on dailymile for alerting me to the nearness of this milestone yesterday.)
i woke up at 4:00 this morning and almost went out for a run then. i wanted to do a long run, but the go-back-to-bed gremlin won out and i slid back under the covers for another hour of rest.
when i got up for good, i dressed quickly and hit the streets. i'd looked at the radar and a storm was approaching, so i ran fast knowing that i needed to get 5 miles or more in to hit my goal. the first half of my run was easily under 8:00 pace. every time i felt slow, i'd look at i'd be at 7:55. crazy!
then the i-think-i'm-going-to-puke mile. it hit around mile four. i was running up maple headed back toward stout when i felt bile coming up my throat. ugh! thankfully, i was able to back off a bit and everything stayed down.
i finished up my garmin drawing will a little over a mile left to go, so i just ran a couple of loops to finish off the distance i needed. i was just over five miles when i got to my house, so i ran on around the corner and hit stop at 5.25 miles.
a couple of blocks of walking to cool down finished off my morning's workout. on to bigger and better things. i've got work to do today.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Portable water for running...
With the heat of summer just around the corner in the United
States, the question of how to stay hydrated on long runs looms large in every
runner’s mind. Do they stash bottles along their route the night before? Can
they talk a friend into driving along behind them with water? Will they carry a
bottle in their hands or tote smaller bottles on a belt? Will they stick to
running around their own block so their kitchen sink is never far away?
Brian Hock hopes that many of the runners headed out this summer
will have his unique product on board. The Simple Hydration Bottle which he
created is a well-designed flask for carrying liquid on the go. Its shape
allows it to hang comfortably and securely on the waistband of a runner’s
shorts on from a race belt. The container’s curved shape conforms to contours
of the lower back and rides in the hand like it was made to be there.
I test “drove” a Simple Hydration Bottle on several long runs over
a period of a month or two. I ran hard and slow and the bottle never fell off
my waistband. I thought maybe the weight of the product when it was filled
would pull the back of my shorts down, but with the drawstring drawn tight
there was no problem with that at all. The cool of the water-chilled plastic on
the lower back felt pretty good on warmer days, too.
My only other complaint – and it’s a minor one – is the hard
plastic opening from which the water flows. I would prefer something a little
softer that doesn’t jar the teeth quite as much.
Having run with a heavier standard bottle in my hands before, I
believe the Simple Hydration Bottle is an improvement. Running with my hands
free is much more enjoyable. I would recommend the Simple Hydration Bottle to
any runner.
GIVEAWAY: Congratulations to Ara who won a Simple Hydration bottle of her own! A big thank you goes
to Brian Hock and Simple Hydration for providing the bottle for review and making this giveaway possible.
4.12 miles in 34:54
connect.garmin.com/activity/166977013
thunder and lightning. that's what i woke up to this morning. i do not run in an electrical storm...ever! i resigned myself to a brief torture session on the dreadmill. i got ready, went to the garage, opened the overhead door to let some air in and what's this?! the storm was gone! i closed the door, ran back through the house, grabbed my garmin and headed out the door.
i started my run as a mailman, delivering my daughter's thank you notes to the postal box down the street. i ran on through the dillon's supermarket parking lot and hit the sidewalk along highway 54. that's when my plan developed in my mind. i ran the entire length of the sidewalk along 54, ran a little on the frontage road along the highway and then ran a block south to second street to run back toward home.
when second street met up with the immovable hospital, i turned and ran around the medical building and on east to howard on third street. a little jog from howard over to belmont took me back full circle. since i still had a little time left before i needed to wake up my wife, i ran a few extra blocks in before i stopped.
thunder and lightning. that's what i woke up to this morning. i do not run in an electrical storm...ever! i resigned myself to a brief torture session on the dreadmill. i got ready, went to the garage, opened the overhead door to let some air in and what's this?! the storm was gone! i closed the door, ran back through the house, grabbed my garmin and headed out the door.
i started my run as a mailman, delivering my daughter's thank you notes to the postal box down the street. i ran on through the dillon's supermarket parking lot and hit the sidewalk along highway 54. that's when my plan developed in my mind. i ran the entire length of the sidewalk along 54, ran a little on the frontage road along the highway and then ran a block south to second street to run back toward home.
when second street met up with the immovable hospital, i turned and ran around the medical building and on east to howard on third street. a little jog from howard over to belmont took me back full circle. since i still had a little time left before i needed to wake up my wife, i ran a few extra blocks in before i stopped.
Monday, April 9, 2012
8.01 miles in 1:12:39
connect.garmin.com/activity/166564545
fog! that’s what I woke up to this morning. thick like pea soup fog! i dressed to run and headed out from my in-law’s house to run along the river to exploration place. i started running north on osage headed for pawnee. i got slightly disoriented in the murky darkness and turned a block or two early and ended up over on walnut instead of continuing on north on osage. thankfully, i realized my mistake quickly enough and got back on course.
crossing pawnee and mclean, i dropped down onto the bike path and ran north along the river. even though the water was only a few meters away, i couldn’t see it at all. i could barely see fifteen feet in front of me.
i ran along the path until lincoln. there i rediscovered bridge construction which shut down the sidewalk. i had to run up the steep embankment, through the construction vehicles and back down the other side to continue on.
i met a few runners and walkers along the way, but mostly i had the path to myself. there were more geese than people. i steered clear of the honkers. their beaks are deadly.
i ran all the way up to exploration place, circled around the playground and then headed back, retracing my steps. my return journey was just as lonely as the outbound trek. i met up with only two runners and a walker.
when i left the bike path, the fog had lifted a bit. i crossed pawnee and hit osage. no miscues this time, i ran directly back to the house.
fog! that’s what I woke up to this morning. thick like pea soup fog! i dressed to run and headed out from my in-law’s house to run along the river to exploration place. i started running north on osage headed for pawnee. i got slightly disoriented in the murky darkness and turned a block or two early and ended up over on walnut instead of continuing on north on osage. thankfully, i realized my mistake quickly enough and got back on course.
crossing pawnee and mclean, i dropped down onto the bike path and ran north along the river. even though the water was only a few meters away, i couldn’t see it at all. i could barely see fifteen feet in front of me.
i ran along the path until lincoln. there i rediscovered bridge construction which shut down the sidewalk. i had to run up the steep embankment, through the construction vehicles and back down the other side to continue on.
i met a few runners and walkers along the way, but mostly i had the path to myself. there were more geese than people. i steered clear of the honkers. their beaks are deadly.
i ran all the way up to exploration place, circled around the playground and then headed back, retracing my steps. my return journey was just as lonely as the outbound trek. i met up with only two runners and a walker.
when i left the bike path, the fog had lifted a bit. i crossed pawnee and hit osage. no miscues this time, i ran directly back to the house.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
6.32 miles in 1:00:01
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/165589933
i slept in this morning, then went out for a nice easy run. i ran north to deliver a few of my daughter's newspapers and then wandered around town. i stopped off at the ampride for a pit stop and then continued on, running around lemon park and then heading for home. nothing terribly exciting about this run. it just was.
i slept in this morning, then went out for a nice easy run. i ran north to deliver a few of my daughter's newspapers and then wandered around town. i stopped off at the ampride for a pit stop and then continued on, running around lemon park and then heading for home. nothing terribly exciting about this run. it just was.
Friday, April 6, 2012
2.01 miles in 24:50
connect.garmin.com/activity/165398642
my wife wanted to run this evening, so i went out with her. i was really stiff and a few times her pace actually pushed me a bit. she got tired early since she was working, so we walked quite a bit between hard efforts. we finished up with a nice easy quarter mile run.
10.30 miles in 1:37:43
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/165209612
besides fighting boredom on my 100-miler this fall, i know i'm going to have to keep running when i'm tired and sore. training for that kind of running is why i did my third straight long run this morning. i was really sore all day yesterday and woke up today with a little creaking in the bones. perfect!
it was about 50 degrees when i left the house and headed east toward highway 61. my plan was to run out to the county lake, circle it and run back. though i glanced at my garmin from time to time, i really wasn't concerned about pace at all. i looked out of curiosity at my distance and time of day more than anything else.
on highway 61, i ran south to highway 54 and took it east away from the city lights to highway 64 which goes south to the lake road. it was about the time i stepped onto 64 that i made a slight change of plans. i thought, why not run on all the major highways in and around pratt? crazy as that idea was at the moment, it became my set goal.
i ran down 64 to the lake road, turned east and looped around the lake. it was still this morning, so i could hear and see all sorts of things. i heard frogs chirping in the ditches, a crow cawing as it flew overhead, some geese and a mourning dove or two. i saw the shadowy figures of deer streaking across the rv area headed for the woods. as i ran along the lake, i heard the plunk of a fish that had jumped out of the water and fallen back in. i listened to the hiss of water rushing down the spillway. as i rounded the last corner and headed back to highway 64 i saw a heron rise from the lake and fly off across its glassy surface. it is a great day to be alive!
i returned to highway 64 and ran up and over the hill that's dissected by country club road. the traffic picked up just a bit around this time. four or five cars passed me in quick succession. the batteries in one of my knuckle lights had died earlier in the run. i was sure glad for the other one. the drivers saw it and steered out and around me.
at the bottom of the hill, i ran passed the county fair grounds and then turned north on the final highway, the good old 281. i crossed the bridge and entered the city again. running up main, i enjoyed the sound of my footfalls on the brick streets. i ran through deserted intersections, checking for cross traffic, ignoring stoplights.
when i got back to highway 54, i considered running east on it to get back home, but the road was clear so i ran straight across it and ran north to school street. turning east on school i ran the rest of the way home. i hit 10 miles just as i stepped off the brick and landed on asphalt again. i thought about stopping, but decided to finish out the loop instead.
i ran past the house to the crosswalk and noticed i was just short of a mile farther than any other run i'd done all year. did i stop? no! i ran that extra .03 ticks to end with 10.30 miles.
i walked a block to cool down. while i was on edgeford, i stopped to chat with a friend. he asked how far i'd run. i told him. "are you training for a marathon or something?" he asked. "no," i answered, "i'm going to run a 100-miler this fall." "wow!" he said. a little bit later he asked, "when you were in college did you ever think you'd be running like this?" "no way," i answered. "i was a sprinter in high school. i thought a second lap around the track was pointless."
the quarter-miler has learned new tricks. in seven months, he'll be running 100 miles in (hopefully) less than 24 hours. it's a crazy world!
besides fighting boredom on my 100-miler this fall, i know i'm going to have to keep running when i'm tired and sore. training for that kind of running is why i did my third straight long run this morning. i was really sore all day yesterday and woke up today with a little creaking in the bones. perfect!
it was about 50 degrees when i left the house and headed east toward highway 61. my plan was to run out to the county lake, circle it and run back. though i glanced at my garmin from time to time, i really wasn't concerned about pace at all. i looked out of curiosity at my distance and time of day more than anything else.
on highway 61, i ran south to highway 54 and took it east away from the city lights to highway 64 which goes south to the lake road. it was about the time i stepped onto 64 that i made a slight change of plans. i thought, why not run on all the major highways in and around pratt? crazy as that idea was at the moment, it became my set goal.
i ran down 64 to the lake road, turned east and looped around the lake. it was still this morning, so i could hear and see all sorts of things. i heard frogs chirping in the ditches, a crow cawing as it flew overhead, some geese and a mourning dove or two. i saw the shadowy figures of deer streaking across the rv area headed for the woods. as i ran along the lake, i heard the plunk of a fish that had jumped out of the water and fallen back in. i listened to the hiss of water rushing down the spillway. as i rounded the last corner and headed back to highway 64 i saw a heron rise from the lake and fly off across its glassy surface. it is a great day to be alive!
i returned to highway 64 and ran up and over the hill that's dissected by country club road. the traffic picked up just a bit around this time. four or five cars passed me in quick succession. the batteries in one of my knuckle lights had died earlier in the run. i was sure glad for the other one. the drivers saw it and steered out and around me.
at the bottom of the hill, i ran passed the county fair grounds and then turned north on the final highway, the good old 281. i crossed the bridge and entered the city again. running up main, i enjoyed the sound of my footfalls on the brick streets. i ran through deserted intersections, checking for cross traffic, ignoring stoplights.
when i got back to highway 54, i considered running east on it to get back home, but the road was clear so i ran straight across it and ran north to school street. turning east on school i ran the rest of the way home. i hit 10 miles just as i stepped off the brick and landed on asphalt again. i thought about stopping, but decided to finish out the loop instead.
i ran past the house to the crosswalk and noticed i was just short of a mile farther than any other run i'd done all year. did i stop? no! i ran that extra .03 ticks to end with 10.30 miles.
i walked a block to cool down. while i was on edgeford, i stopped to chat with a friend. he asked how far i'd run. i told him. "are you training for a marathon or something?" he asked. "no," i answered, "i'm going to run a 100-miler this fall." "wow!" he said. a little bit later he asked, "when you were in college did you ever think you'd be running like this?" "no way," i answered. "i was a sprinter in high school. i thought a second lap around the track was pointless."
the quarter-miler has learned new tricks. in seven months, he'll be running 100 miles in (hopefully) less than 24 hours. it's a crazy world!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
8.50 miles in 1:15:15
connect.garmin.com/activity/164903597
one of the things i know i'm going to have to deal with in my 100-miler this fall is monotony, so i decided to train my mind to deal with boredom this morning by circling the same block for as many miles as i had time to get in. the only thing i did purposefully to break the tedium was to switch directions every three laps. the things i didn't expect to entertain me were the dogs. one dog with a big deep "woof" barked at me for four laps starting with lap eight. two little yappy things yipped and yelped at me for three blocks around mile seven. finally, an indoor pet barked its hello on my final lap. during my twenty-five laps i was passed by exactly three cars - one early on and then two in the final mile. i saw the taillights and headlights of a few other vehicles, but no more passed me directly.
one of the things i know i'm going to have to deal with in my 100-miler this fall is monotony, so i decided to train my mind to deal with boredom this morning by circling the same block for as many miles as i had time to get in. the only thing i did purposefully to break the tedium was to switch directions every three laps. the things i didn't expect to entertain me were the dogs. one dog with a big deep "woof" barked at me for four laps starting with lap eight. two little yappy things yipped and yelped at me for three blocks around mile seven. finally, an indoor pet barked its hello on my final lap. during my twenty-five laps i was passed by exactly three cars - one early on and then two in the final mile. i saw the taillights and headlights of a few other vehicles, but no more passed me directly.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
8.00 miles in 1:14:27
connect.garmin.com/activity/164657948
i hadn't had time to do a long run in ages, so when i woke up before 5:00 this morning, i decided today was the day to see what i could do. i started out with a plan to run around the outskirts of town, but altered it a bit so i could finish up early enough to clean up before breakfast. the morning was a bit cooler than it has been at 45 degrees. still the humidity made it feel plenty warm. i had no real problems other than a bit of uneasiness in the stomach here and there that went away.
i hadn't had time to do a long run in ages, so when i woke up before 5:00 this morning, i decided today was the day to see what i could do. i started out with a plan to run around the outskirts of town, but altered it a bit so i could finish up early enough to clean up before breakfast. the morning was a bit cooler than it has been at 45 degrees. still the humidity made it feel plenty warm. i had no real problems other than a bit of uneasiness in the stomach here and there that went away.
Monday, April 2, 2012
2.00 miles in 15:38
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/164069467
i was tired when i went to bed last night. the full weekend had worn me out. i set my alarm for 6:00 thinking i'd run if i woke up earlier. i doubted i would.
i woke up at 5:45. i felt pretty good, so i got up and headed out. right when i stepped out the door, some friends and their dog were walking by. i said hi and pet the dog. we talked for a bit then said our goodbyes. they walked off to the east. i ran west.
i don't know if it was an extrovert's burst of energy from seeing and talking with people or what, but i took off at breakneck speed. my lungs took a little while to catch up, in fact. thankfully, they were with me when i climbed up the first hill on school headed for main.
there were tons of cars on main headed south. i thought that was kind of odd for the time of day, but there they were. i just ran on the right side of the street until the left cleared, then crossed over.
i turned east onto maple planning to run straight across town to belmont and then turn toward home. a block later, i changed my plan and turned north on ninnescah. i ran a block of it, then suddenly decided to turn east again on spruce. i don't think i've ever run on spruce. maybe once long ago, but i don't recall it.
running a new street in the dark is an interesting experience. there were a couple of intersections that were tricky to say the least. i managed to not fall down when my feet unexpectedly met dips. i ran the full length of spruce to glenarm, then headed south.
there were a couple of women walking on glenarm. i greeted them before i came blowing past them so as not to startle them too much. i hit maple and quickly transitioned across it to terrace. i was nearing the end of my planned two miles, so i picked up the pace to finish strong. i ran hard till just before parkview where my garmin clicked over to my goal distance. i hit stop and slowed to a walk for my cool down. i was (and am) happy with my pace. i'm even happier now seeing that my second mile was 16 seconds faster than my first.
i was tired when i went to bed last night. the full weekend had worn me out. i set my alarm for 6:00 thinking i'd run if i woke up earlier. i doubted i would.
i woke up at 5:45. i felt pretty good, so i got up and headed out. right when i stepped out the door, some friends and their dog were walking by. i said hi and pet the dog. we talked for a bit then said our goodbyes. they walked off to the east. i ran west.
i don't know if it was an extrovert's burst of energy from seeing and talking with people or what, but i took off at breakneck speed. my lungs took a little while to catch up, in fact. thankfully, they were with me when i climbed up the first hill on school headed for main.
there were tons of cars on main headed south. i thought that was kind of odd for the time of day, but there they were. i just ran on the right side of the street until the left cleared, then crossed over.
i turned east onto maple planning to run straight across town to belmont and then turn toward home. a block later, i changed my plan and turned north on ninnescah. i ran a block of it, then suddenly decided to turn east again on spruce. i don't think i've ever run on spruce. maybe once long ago, but i don't recall it.
running a new street in the dark is an interesting experience. there were a couple of intersections that were tricky to say the least. i managed to not fall down when my feet unexpectedly met dips. i ran the full length of spruce to glenarm, then headed south.
there were a couple of women walking on glenarm. i greeted them before i came blowing past them so as not to startle them too much. i hit maple and quickly transitioned across it to terrace. i was nearing the end of my planned two miles, so i picked up the pace to finish strong. i ran hard till just before parkview where my garmin clicked over to my goal distance. i hit stop and slowed to a walk for my cool down. i was (and am) happy with my pace. i'm even happier now seeing that my second mile was 16 seconds faster than my first.
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