Just 1 2 Finish

Continued on tumblr

2012-01-14T13:54:00.003-06:00

Marathon #8 was Cowtown last Feb 2011.

The story continues over on tumblr

Marathon #7 is in the bag

2010-12-05T15:33:00.000-06:00

4:25 and change Loved every minute of it until mile 22.

Carbo loading in progress 13 hrs to race start

2010-12-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

First 5 miles of tomorrow's marathon

2010-12-04T14:41:00.000-06:00

Elvis in da house

2010-12-04T12:49:00.000-06:00

Meb @ Vegas Expo

2010-12-03T21:50:00.005-06:00

We both ran NYC last year but his winner's medal (far right, next to his Athens Olympic Silver) is much nicer:

It made my day to walk away with an autographed copy of his book, his signature on my race bib, and this little souvenir:

535 miles to Vegas

2010-08-13T19:57:00.001-05:00

Burning hot in Texas. Week 2 of marathon training. Viva Las Vegas.

NYC In Pictures - Official Time 4:09:52

2009-11-04T21:58:00.006-06:00

The wait on Staten Island

Elite women make their way to the start line - that's half of Paula exiting the frame on right.

Looking down Central Park West after the race.

Bling

I Finished NYC!

2009-11-01T16:39:00.002-06:00

Unofficial time 4:09 and change. Not a PR but I'm very happy with it. It's been 22 months since my last marathon (Disney Jan 2008), so that's pretty good for me. I also accomplished a goal of not stopping at all during the run, not even through water stops - an emotional goal but a goal nonetheless. I ran through side stitches and slight cramps. I was smoking through the the first half at below 4:00 pace, but the 2nd half was another story. When will I ever learn?!

Waiting for my flight from Newark now.

The Day Before NYC

2009-10-31T08:04:00.005-05:00

9:00 AM

Just got back from an easy final 2-miler to Central Park and back. It was awesome. The city is so alive and vibrant. Central Park was brimming with activity, all hustle and bustle. The streets were wet, it was cool low 60's, and the trees were awash in yellows and reds. The baricades and signs were all up for tomorrow, volunteers were going through their checks, people were running all over the place. It looked busier than some real races I've run. I ran through the finish line, visions of glory and all that ...

1:00 PM

For 37,000+ runners, the Expo was expertly run. Free shuttles from Midtown to the Javits Convention Center. Walk right in - zero wait to pick up your bib. Asics is the main sponsor, good looking LS tech shirt this year. All the major brands were there, as well as Goose:

7:50 PM

I'm carbed up and rested. Settling in for Tex - OK St kickoff in 10 mins. Alarm is set for 5:00 am tomorrow. Have to make the 6:15 Staten Island ferry.

Back in NYC!

2009-10-30T19:36:00.003-05:00

477 miles of training later, I'm finally back in NYC! That's about 80 miles short of plan, but I've been perfect the last 2 months and I feel great.

Flew up today and while I was putting my bag in the overhead, the lady behind asked if I was going up for the marathon. She said I "looked like I was" - hey, that's a good sign! Then the guy who ended up in my row asked if I was running the marathon too. He said "I looked like a runner" - another good sign! I'm feeling good vibes all over.

I took the train in from Newark to New York Penn Station, then the subway to my hotel in Midtown. Took a few minutes to get used to the faster pace in NYC. Subway back down to Chinatown for dinner, and bought some bakery items back for snacks. I've semi-consciously started to carb up. One hour past dinner and 2 of my 3 snacks are gone already! I've also been drinking lots of water.

Tomorrow's a day to take it easy. Happy Halloween to everyone!

Back In The Saddle Again

2009-09-20T22:48:00.011-05:00

I left Singapore a week ago after one last night/morning on the town, carrying a Japan Airlines barf bag (still unused, for the family units reading this) in one pocket and some leftover Singapore dollars in another. I worked hard, played hard, didn't run as much, but when I did, that was hard too. My last run took me around MacRitchie Resevoir, and that kicked my butt. Built in 1868, the 8 mile trail run pulled me deep into a tropical jungle, which was hot, humid, steamy, and sucked the energy out of me as I sweated bullets.

In a little under 24 hours, I was back in Dallas on Sunday afternoon. I slept most of the way and recharged what I could. Monday morning I was back at work. Major bummer.

Tuesday morning I resumed my training with an early morning run around the neighborhood. It was surreal in reverse, going from the raw jungle to well manicured lawns and lush flower beds.

By Wednesday I was in St Louis, but I missed my run due to a late night at work. Maybe next time. We have a new client there and I expect to be dropping in more frequently over time. Combined with lots of rain this past week in Dallas, my training schedule took a hit before it even started.

I made up for it this weekend by running my 3rd consecutive Tour de Fleurs 20K, this time sans Susan, who I ran with last year but was holed up in Oklahoma this year. I finished in 1:52 for an 8:57/mile pace. Good enough for a training run. This morning I did another 13.5 miles to make up for missed runs in the week. That's almost back-to-back halfs, and I'm tired tonight.

One more pic from my reunion below. That gnarly bunch I mentioned in the last post - who was I kidding? You couldn't get cleaner cut than that in squeaky clean Singapore. Even back in 1978 we didn't look so menacing in 9th grade.

Marathon Training Update From Singapore

2009-09-07T18:49:00.015-05:00

10 weeks and 255 miles have passed since my last post. I'm mostly on plan give or take a few runs.

Last Thursday I ran 6 miles in Plano, flew 13 hours to Narita then 6 hours to Singapore. Landed Sat morning past midnight, woke up and ran 9 more. I'm here for a week to drop in on my folks. I'm also here for my 30th and first high school reunion, last Saturday night. We had about 150 of 500 show up, and I hadn't seen just about all of them since leaving for the States in 1980. It was surreal, emotional at times, and overall a much more rewarding experience than I expected. Most had done very well for themselves, and it was good to see success develop from the group of misfits we were.

I've been catching up with old friends since then, sharing some good local food and a few beers along the way. I've known this gnarly bunch below since 1st grade! When I get back to Dallas, I'm going to dig out my 6th grade picture and scare the crap out of their wives and kids.

This morning I woke up at 3:45 am local time and the night was over. I missed my long run (17 miles) last Sunday due to circumstances beyond my control, similar to the diagram above. I packed 2 GUs, $5, and headed out to see how long I could run. I've been running shirtless since I started training and today and here was no different, almost a necessity. It was dark of course at 4:15 am, 78F, 89% humidity. You start sweating buckets immediately.

I plowed a path to the main Orchard Road shopping district 4 miles away, now deserted but usually packed:

I like running in large cities through areas that are normally bustling, but wide open when I get there in the early hours of the morning. I ran south, eventually reaching the Padang, which is Singapore's version of the National Mall in DC. I stood in the middle, stared at the stars above, and marveled at how in this crowded city of 4.6 million, there wasn't a soul within a mile radius of where I stood. I've felt this way in an early winter morning run through a freshly snow covered and mostly deserted Central Park in NYC, looking back at the Chicago skyline from the shore of Lake Michigan as the city wakes up, and standing alone at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial looking at the Washington Monument across the darkness. These are the simple moments I enjoy and we can experience only because we run.

From the Padang, I made a quick trip to the Merlion, mythical half lion half fish, and then turned around to head back. Total trip, 12.5 miles, 9:05 pace.

I'll try to get a few more runs in this week. I start work tonight, working US hours from the local office here, i.e. I'll be "in" from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am SST or 8:00 am to 5:00 pm CST. Sad but true.

Calm Before The Storm

2009-06-27T21:43:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow morning I plan to get up early and have one last, long, slow, purpose-less run. Next week I begin 18 weeks of training for NYC, and the pressure will be on to run and run right. Even though I want to train right, I'm not pushing for a PR as I understand NYC is not the place for that. Maybe Austin or Houston in 2010?

Unlike past marathon pursuits, I'm swamped at work this time and I don't expect to be chronicling much of this one, but I wanted to record this moment as I'm about to step up to the starting line for this tortuous journey. I've been base building since April 1, and I've dropped 11 lbs to a svelte (for me) 154. I haven't been this light since college. The magic this time was cutting down on portion sizes, especially at dinner. I've long eaten right, next to no fried stuff, no junk food, no donuts, lots of cottage cheese, a ton of cottage cheese, no ice cream, no burgers, no fries, no onion rings, no cold beers unless it's more than 90 degrees out, no Captain-and-Cokes except nights and weekends, no milkshakes, no key lime pies, no tiramisu, no cake ... well, except this one, my first cake this year, for my babies, who are babies no more, because two days ago they officially became ... TEENAGERS!!! Happy Birthday S&S!!!

Base Runner

2009-05-16T15:56:00.012-05:00

It rained buckets last night. Windy too. I could see our trees in the backyard struggling mightily and noisily to stay grounded. Today's run is going to suck, I thought to myself, and went back to sleep.

At 6:30, half an hour after my alarm went off, I got up and looked outside. It was barely drizzling, quiet, overcast, with low gray clouds drifting slowly across the sky. It was just beginning to brighten.

Since starting back up in April, I've run a couple three times a week, 4 miles each time. Long(er) run on the weekend, maybe 5 or 6 miles. Last weekend I busted out and did 12. I planned to do it again this weekend.

I set out just before 7:00 and headed south, carrying $20 and 1 GU.

At mile 3.83, I ran alongside a wooden fenced-in backyard and heard a dog barking inside. If you know dogs, there's barking, and then there's barking - you know when something doesn't sound right. I peeked between the fence cracks and saw a German Shepard running back and forth, and a Chocolate Lab hanging onto the side of the pool with only 2 front paws out on the deck. I went to the front of the house and saw lights on inside; how could they not hear what was going on? On the other side of the house, the fence gate wasn't locked, but I wasn't sure about the German Shepard. I rang the doorbell. No answer. Maybe they left early. I knocked. A normal looking lady in a black dress answered.

"I think your dog fell into the pool"

She disappeared quickly and then I heard the barking stop. I went back to the fence and saw both dogs running along. Our Daisy fell into our pool once and it was not a good thing. That Lab owes today to you Daisy.

At mile 5, it starting raining. Then pouring. Instead of making for a crappy run, it was awesome! I sped up and clicked of the next few miles no problem. Running in the rain, I always remember back to Tampa, running in an exhilarating downpour.

I also spit less when it rains.

I never used to spit when running, until I ran this 20K with Susan. 5 minutes into my first run with her, she lets out a nice-sized dollop. It reminded me of the thing glass blowers start with to blow giant vases. 6 minutes into my first run with her, she mutters an apology and something about growing up on a farm. Ever since, I've had uncontrollable urges to spit while running.

Somewhere past mile 7, S&S&S drove by on their way out. They offered to give me a ride out of the rain but this was too much fun to give up! I got a bottle of water, took my GU, and moved on.

Google Maps had measured it at 12.2 miles using the highway, but at 11.19 miles, I met up with S&S&S at my destination - the 2009 Dallas Arthritis Walk. We've known Emily Z since she and our 7-th graders were in kindergarten. She has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and we've attended this walk the past few years. It's now an annual ritual and we're happy to support her - she was even the "Walk Hero" this year!

12 miles last week, 11 this week. I think my base is coming back.

Washington DC

2009-04-17T22:29:00.010-05:00

Alas I did not get to run last Monday morning in DC. Some serious libations the previous night at an unmarked establishment near Dupont Circle put a dent in those plans. I had to look up my credit card receipt later to figure out where we had been. Highly recommended though!

Nevertheless, the next day, Sam and her buddies visited DC's finest monuments, recreating routes I had run several times before, usually in the pre-dawn hours, usually alone. Actually, always alone. More than once, I thought back to times when I ran past the White House, or ran down the Mall, or stood at the Lincoln, and had to share all that space with literally only 2 or 3 other sorry souls. Not this Easter Monday morning ...

Sam and I at the WH

Clarie, Max, and Sam

One of my favorites ... anyone know who / where this is?

Visiting Abe

I see this ... I think MCM ... I feel pain!

Baltimore and Volleyball

2009-04-11T16:28:00.016-05:00

We're in Baltimore this weekend, Sam and I. That's her sports name. We're at the Northeast Qualifier volleyball tournament playing at the 13's level. It's a great fun time for the girls, going out of town, staying in a hotel, hanging out with the team ... like an all-expense paid vacation. Which it is.

Sam and Max flirting with the boundaries of Coach K's list of approved food items.

Max (Libero #4) with Sam on her right.

These girls are super-fit!

I finally started running a week ago. It was a killer. Started on April 1 with 4 miles. Had to run-walk some of it. Signed up for NYC too on April 1. $187 big ones. That was a killer too - not sure which one hurt more.

At least that got me ready for running in Baltimore. Went with M. to the Inner Harbor, passing Camden Yards along the way. What a nice place to run and the weather was beautiful.

It rained today, so we ran on the treadmill at the hotel. We might get to run outside one more time, and then on Monday I'll be in DC. Can't wait to get out on the Mall for old time's sake.

Fatted The Run

2009-03-07T12:31:00.004-06:00

I had no business trying to run 6 miles today. When Tiger Woods says something like "I fatted the ball into the water", that's how I felt, like I fatted out a run today. Barely.

Running has taken such a back seat that my stamina is nowhere near what it used to be. In the past 5 weeks, I've been to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Houston, Austin, Nashville, and Pittsburgh again. Short in and out trips, but still. I've only eeked out a run every weekend or so, and I haven't been keeping up with your blogs. I'm sorry.

I'll get back eventually. There's something waiting at the end of the year that I can't miss, won't miss.

Finally!

How Many Miles?

2009-02-14T20:30:00.002-06:00

Steel Town

2009-02-02T18:44:00.021-06:00

While Steeler fans were whipping themselves into a frenzy down in Tampa, I was on a flight to Pittsburgh (for work). I caught the coin toss on radio moments after getting into a cab, followed by the opening kickoff, and the first score. More action was caught on the lobby TV while 3 of the world's slowest travelers attempted to check in. Two of them (the male ones), left together apparently sharing one room - a sad and cruel reality of today's business travel that I have never experienced first-hand and hope to avoid like the plague.

I turned on the TV in my room to continue the game, drew the curtains, and found myself staring at an eerily empty Three Rivers Stadium, lit up like a Christmas tree, the surrounding area completely desolate.

I caught a clearer view this morning and traced a path from my hotel across the river to the stadium. After work, I decided to make the run while it was still warm, i.e. 30's, before it turns cold tomorrow (20's).

There will be a victory parade downtown tomorrow at noon, ending one block from my hotel. They expect more than 250,000 crazies from the Steeler Nation. Not tonight though.

New Masthead!

2009-01-31T15:33:00.003-06:00

Check it out ... thanks Susan!

I did my part to stimulate the economy. Holiday discount still available from the Masthead Factory!

I ran 4 miles today for the first time in 2 weeks. It was too frigid to go out last weekend, and work has been keeping me too busy. But at least I got a new masthead :-)

Obama!

2009-01-20T17:05:00.008-06:00

I can't let this day pass without posting something, even if this is a running blog, and I've barely been making it lately as a weekend-warrior-runner.

Much more than my running, I can't wait for America to get back on track. It's time to reverse course and make it better for the generation behind us.

"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."
- President Barack H. Obama

26PT2

2008-12-15T20:47:00.011-06:00

As if I needed another reminder, this is what I caught on the drive home this evening. I wish I had thought about it first, but my creativity only went as far as "262" and a black magic marker.

I've been thinking a lot about 26.2 lately, like almost every day, which is odd because I haven't been running. Yet, reminders like this one tonight are everywhere.

When I'm not running, every day seems like a perfect day for running. 79F (not a typo), sunny, and windy yesterday? Perfect. 26F (not a typo) and freezing rain tonight? Sounds perfect too. Am I nuts?

When I'm running, I can't stop thinking about stopping. When I'm not running, I can't stop thinking about running. Is this insane?

I've browsed the 2009 marathon calendar so many times, I should start my own online dating service for runners seeking races.

Yesterday marked two years since my marathon PR at Dallas White Rock. It was a bittersweet anniversary. My PR was fueled by adrenaline and temps in the mid-30s. Yesterday was unseasonably warm, average finish times plummeted, and one runner sadly did not make it home. My condolences to the family.

It's such a sad story each time this happens. My soul searching continues even though I already know the answer. I'll find another race to run. I'll train. I'll push. I'll keep going. And then I'll take whatever the race gives me.

The First Race Is Over

2008-11-28T09:09:00.003-06:00

I didn't intend to record every Texas game since TX-OU (photo credits: CSTV), but I'm not about to break with tradition. We ended the regular season on a high note last night:

#4 Texas 49
Texas A&M 9

Now it's up to the pollsters to determine where we go next. Unless you're a rabid Texas fan, you wouldn't care less about the crazy formulas involved.

The Turkey Trot was yesterday, White Rock is around the corner, plus countless holiday season runs. I'm not in any of them. Without a race to pace me along, I've only been running here and there for fun. Or trying to at least. The weather has been crisp and cool - ideal for running. I try not to watch the clock or the HR, and just go.

On Hold

2008-11-16T23:46:00.012-06:00

I've been thinking for a few weeks now that I can catch up on my blog reading. It hasn't happened. I didn't even watch the last two Texas games:

#5 Texas 45
Baylor 21

#4 Texas 35
Kansas 7

Since our All Sports weekend 2 weeks ago, things have not let up. Syd joined a newly formed 1st grade basketball team with many of her old soccer buddies. A team name has not yet been picked but I suspect the Funky Monkeys may be making a comeback.

Sam started club volleyball practices and reported back that practice was "hard". We have 3 out of town meets this season, Oklahoma City, Denver, and Baltimore. I am happy for her whenever I can stop thinking about the $$$.

Steph had another Cheer Meet already, yesterday in Ft. Worth. Cheer Meet parents are still scary.

Work has been busy, which in this economy is a good thing and I count myself fortunate to be in this position. I was in Indianapolis and Louisville last week, and I'm in Cincinnati (tonight) and Cleveland this week. It's all good.

With all this going on, something's gotta give. I've run sporadically, but I try to get at least 2 runs in a week, sometimes 3. LHR training is still an enigma, although coach BQ'd at NYC recently running 3:30.

If you don't find me commenting, I'm sorry, I hope this is a temporary break.

All Sports All Weekend

2008-11-02T16:23:00.011-06:00

Congratulations to Texas Tech - they played a heck of a game and deserved to win. There is no shame losing to the 7th ranked team, especially when we came from behind all game long to go ahead with 1:29 left, only to lose on a last-second TD.

#1 Texas (8-1) 33
#7 Texas Tech (9-0) 39

I ran the DRC Half this morning, hoping for a better result. Alas, the PR is intact, and was not even threatened today. Unofficial time 2:10. No excuses - just didn't get it done. I'm gonna have to re-evaluate this LHR training thing - you betcha. Thanks Susan, sorry I couldn't find you at the finish.

But the weekend was not a total loss!

The Funky Monkeys finished the fall season 7-1 for a terrific record for this new team. Syd found her groove back and scored a bunch of goals and a bunch of assists to spread the wealth around. Way to go Syd!

The Renner Mustangs 7th grade Silver Team won the championship in Plano. With only 8 girls to rotate in for the championship game, they came back after losing the first set to win. Way to go Sam!

It's also club tryout weekend and Sam made her first club team this year - she'll be playing for Team PSA Volleyball Club!

That leaves one more. Steph competed in her first cheerleading meet and let me tell you, some of these parents (not ours of course) are pretty scary. OK, most of them. Anyway, in the National Cheerleaders Association North Texas Classic, the Pride All-Stars came in 2nd in their Level 3 division. Way to go Steph!

I'm exhausted, but happy. Now, when does Texas play again?

I'll Escape With This For One More Week

2008-10-26T19:57:00.009-05:00

#1 TEX (8-0) 28
#6 OKLA ST (7-1) 24

You can't always blow out a top-10 team, so I'm happy to escape with this win. I missed the game while camping all weekend with my 1st grader in our YMCA Adventure Princess program. With no TV and spotty radio reception, there were quite a few dads thumbing the blackberrys for espn updates.

Sorry folks, I'm so behind on reading. Between camping in Oklahoma and a business trip to Vegas last week, my last run was on Wednesday. Time to get moving again.

In the meantime, next up for the Longhorns, #6 Texas Tech next Saturday in Lubbock.

Hook 'em Horns!

I'll Savor This For One More Week

2008-10-19T20:58:00.007-05:00

#1 TEX (7-0) 56
#11 MIZZ (5-2) 31

I went for a 2 hr 10 min celebration run this morning and it was great! Coach is changing up my training plan and we're going to put the LHR training to the test at the DRC Half on November 2nd. It's all engines go to see how fast I can bring it home come race day.

In the meantime, next up for the Longhorns, #7 Oklahoma State next Saturday in Austin.

Hook 'em Horns!

I'll Savor This For At Least A Week

2008-10-11T21:26:00.005-05:00

#5 TEX (6-0) 45
#1 OKLA (5-1) 35

I have a 2-hr celebration run tomorrow to prepare for my date with the DRC Half on November 2nd.

In the meantime, next up for the Longhorns, #3 MIZZOU next Saturday in Austin.

Hook 'em Horns!

Running The Table

2008-10-06T20:22:00.011-05:00

Between a little bit of travel, the presidential debates, college football, 1st grade soccer, 7th grade volleyball, and work, I took the week off from running last week. It's the first week since 1/1/08 that I did not run at all. Illogically, I felt like 9 months of consistent base building was draining by the minute ...

But back to business. My beloved Longhorns and QB Colt McCoy are holding up so far, now 5-0 and ranked #5. Sweaty palms and churning stomachs are about to explode this weekend. It's the annual TX-ou weekend in Dallas, with ou ranked #1. National Championship is there for the taking, if we can deliver the goods, yet the road ahead is no cream puff schedule. Our next four consecutive games:

Oct 11 #1 Oklahoma (5-0)
Oct 18 #3 Missouri (5-0)
Oct 25 #17 Oklahoma State (5-0)
Nov 1 #7 Texas Tech (5-0)

Combined record of our next four opponents ... (20-0) ... gulp. If we lose, I'm going for a very very long run.

Tour de Fleurs 20K

2008-09-23T18:38:00.009-05:00

How quickly a year has gone by since I ran this race in '07. I've intentionally had a very light race card since then, although it includes 2 marathons (Memphis, Disney) and 1 half (Hottest). I miss running 5Ks and 10Ks most weekends like I did back in '05 and '06 - I'll get back to them after I reach my marathon goal. I ran with Susan last Saturday, which came with the added benefit of a fully baked race report (start after the part about "constipation" though). What a deal!

It's All About Physics

2008-09-19T21:24:00.011-05:00

In the early days of LHR training, I did a lot of out and backs, leading to Garmin maps that looked like this:

Then I was told I needed to hydrate every 15 mins. I'm really not into the fuel belt thing, so I stash my gatorade along my route and run in tighter circles, up and down side streets, and generally stick close to the neighborhood, resulting in a Garmin map that looks like this instead:

This week I busted through to a new level, apparently traversing land and water with equal ease, with no detrimental effect on HR or pace:

Next week I may try to defy gravity.

WKRP Where Are You?

2008-09-16T21:10:00.013-05:00

I had a great run this morning in Cincinnati. Despite the unflattering view outside my hotel, the view about three-quarter mile away along the Ohio River was quite magnificent, even better in the pre-dawn darkness.

I've run across this bridge once before, back in Nov '06. At the time, I stayed on the Cincinnati side, ran across the river and turned left to run along a small park. This time, I was already on the Kentucky side and to the right of the bridge. It turned out to be even more picturesque.

Greek Revival and Victorian homes from the 1800's lined the first 3-4 streets running parallel to the river. Life-sized bronzes lined the river - here's James Audubon overlooking the point where the Licking River flows into the Ohio.

I had a 15-min warmup followed by 5x12's with 2-min walks in between on the plate this morning, all at 144 HR (64% of max). With temps in the low 50's, I was cruising at a much better pace than I'm used to, with a negative split to boot!

This weekend, I shall return for another running of the Tour de Fleurs 20K with Susan. As if the Hottest Half last month wasn't enough, we're also both signed up for the DRC Half in November. Like Pavlov's dog, every time Susan calls, I'm staring at a 20K minimum buy-in.

Nastia-mania!

2008-08-30T15:49:00.010-05:00

Nastia Liukin had a victory parade this morning in her hometown of Parker, TX. She trains at her dad's gym in Plano, so I figured Parker must be reasonably close but I wasn't sure where it is, until ... duh, 100m from my front door is none other than Parker Road. We're on the west side of Plano, so follow the road to East Plano, then beyond that to Parker, about 30-40 mins away. It's also where Southfork Ranch is.

We missed the morning parade, but Nastia was going to be at JC Penney in the afternoon from 2-4PM. We've already met one all-around gold medalist, and were looking forward to another. We got to the mall at 1:20PM and there was no way we were going to get in line, not with at least 1,000 people in line already. With only a 2 hour window, I didn't think the line would make it all the way. So we decided to just hang out and take pictures when she showed up:

There might have been a few bruised elbows and trampled toes to get those pics, but at least no clothing racks fell over!

In post-Olympic news, there was another track meet last week, the Weltklasse Zürich, and it was nice to see some US athletes win what they missed in Beijing:

- 100M Hurdles Lolo Jones (Olympic 7th)
- 200M (W) Allison Felix (Olympic Silver)
- 400M (M) Jeremy Wariner (Olympic Silver)
- 400M (W) Sanya Richards (Olympic Bronze)

You know, another thing bugs me about sports coverage. The Olympics were a huge hit for NBC, averaging 27.7 million viewers per night. The biggest draws for them - gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. Night after night, hands down, no contest. How many world-class gym meets, swim meets, and track meets do you think we'll see between now and 2012?

zero

WTF?

Susan Smoked Me

2008-08-24T15:39:00.010-05:00

My legs still hurt from this morning's race. I ran with Susan, both of us using this as a training run, she for Chicago and me because my coach said so. I was under strict orders to stay under a HR in the 160's or so.

We were good for the first half of the half, doing it in 1:02, pretty much on pace, HR below 160. I had to drop back after that, and Susan kept getting further and further in front until I pretty much lost sight of her. From miles 7 to 11 I ran-walked to keep the HR in the "or so" zone.

At the mile 11 marker I said %#*@-it and took off. I started passing people, maybe about 30 or 40 of them. It took almost all of 2 miles to catch up to Susan, but I did, and I finished one step behind her. Unofficially, 2:16:00.

Thanks Susan for dragging me* out there - the company was excellent!

* Beware the revisionist posting over at Susan's world of make-believe blog!

Olympic Men's Marathon

2008-08-23T21:55:00.008-05:00

The Olympic Marathons are just awe inspiring. I watched the 2004 Athens marathons from the comfort of my sofa, which led to my first half in late 2004 and my first full in 2005, and I've never looked back.

I watched tonight's men's marathon, again amazed at how fast these guys cover the miles. Knowing now what goes on during a race and how difficult it can be, I felt for 4th place finisher Deriba Merga who looked to kick in another gear at the end and found the well dry. Definitely been there.

While I'm glad NBC covered the race live and in full, the more I think back, the more I feel they could have done a much better job. I thought they spent way too much time on the lead pack, and lost out on all the plots and sub-plots brewing behind. Here's what I would have done, asked, and covered more:

- Where's Stefano Baldini, 2004 gold medalist? What's he doing back there? How did he end up in 12th place?

- How did Ryan Hall pick off runners, moving from the 20's to finish in 10th place?

- What's up with Dathan Ritz running ahead of Ryan for the entire race?

- How did Hendrick Ramaala, 2004 NYC winner, go from lead pack to finish in 44th?

- How did Martin Lel, 2007 London and NYC winner, drop off the lead pack in the 2nd half, and then come back to almost beat a wiped-out Merga at the finish, settling for 5th place.

- Show the view from the chase pack looking ahead at the lead pack. Are they gaining or fading? I think the chase pack is where there's more tension, more heartache. It's where the fight is, the mind games, the struggle to close the gap.

- Despite their overwhelming coverage of the lead pack, when Wanjiru made his move to break away of the lead pack for good, NBC missed it, and we saw Ritz and Hall running through a water stop instead. Their lead pack camera crew should be given an automatic pass to cut back in anytime they see someone making a move.

- Now that I think about it, the NBC commentators told us precious little about the 3 eventual winners. It's like they hardly knew who they were.

What else do you think they should have done?

And London - you can do better!

Hola from Puerto Vallarta

2008-08-03T14:00:00.009-05:00

Now I remember why I need to keep my job. We’ve been here since Thursday, I got a new tattoo poolside, and I’m off from work all next week. We’re staying in the Marina Vallarta district, with Bahia de Banderas and the Pacific Ocean outside our hotel window. Every day has been spent going between pool and beach and back. It’s been a year since our last beach vacation, and we’re going to make the most of it!

I ran Friday morning. Didn’t pay attention to sunrise time and got up at 6:00 am to pitch darkness. It started to barely lighten up sometime past 7:00 am, and I headed out a couple miles to the main Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio that runs from the airport to town. Once at the main road, I encountered lots of locals heading out or arriving for work. On my return leg, I followed a mass of people and wound up at the Marina itself, which they were using as a shortcut to a major high rise construction project on the opposite side. I continued back to my hotel, ending up on the beach for a post-run dip in the bay.

One night, we took that same road into town for dinner at El Arrayan, a traditional Mexican restaurant recommended by the concierge. It was a simple down-to-earth place, open-air with a small central courtyard. Everything on the menu was recognizable and well prepared with really fresh ingredients, although we declined the daily special – fried crickets. After dinner we walked down to the boardwalk, or Melecon, where we found this wonderful art.

It probably didn’t last the evening, because it started to rain buckets. We caught a taxi back to the hotel, and promptly got stuck in a massive traffic jam. With no A/C, no movement, and high humidity, we had the windows cracked open half-way just to keep from fogging up, but it still felt like sitting in a sauna and shower all at once! Soaked to the bones and going nowhere fast crammed inside this taxi, we just had to laugh off this unexpected adventure!

Tomorrow (Sunday) calls for 1-hr run, more beach, and more pool. Somehow, I’ll survive. The worst part of this trip has been getting tattooed by these artists, and then being forced against my will to pose for this picture. Somehow, I'll survive that too.

El Scorcho Is A First Class Event

2008-07-20T21:09:00.009-05:00

Congratulations to Ryan for organizing and running a top notch event last night. The volunteers, the course, water stops, food, timing, parking, all worked flawlessly literally in the middle of the night. Ryan, dude - I'll be back next year for sure!

It was 9:00 pm Saturday night, t-minus 3 hours to race time, and I was at home wondering if I should shower, eat another pre-race snack, or take a nap. I ended up doing all of the above, got up at 10:15 pm and headed out to Ft Worth.

I arrived about 11:15 pm, easily found parking, and ran into fellow DFW runner Kevin while walking to packet pickup. We also found Ryan who had been out there all day setting up, and was looking at an all-nighter on top of that.

At midnight, Ryan sent off the 50K runners. That's some serious mileage. About 10 minutes later, he set us 25K runners off. El Scorcho was underway. 5 loops of a 5K course in Trinity Park just off downtown Ft Worth. Beautiful course lit by an occasional streetlamp but mostly by a full moon. One section ran alongside the Trinity River with the Ft Worth skyline standing silently along the other bank. Long stretches of crushed limestone paths weaved their way under a canopy of tress spread throughout the park. There was even a slight, gently breeze at times!

Under strict orders to maintain my LHR training by running under 144 HR, I wasn't sure if I could keep my HR low enough long enough - it usually climbs the longer I run as the body weakens, and I haven't run longer than an hour fifteen or so without this happening. Well imagine my surprise:

1st 5K - avg HR 143
2nd 5K - avg HR 144
3rd 5K - avg HR 144
4th 5K - avg HR 144
5th 5K - avg HR 146

I've gone from obsessing over pace to obsessing over HR! For the entire 25K, avg HR 144, avg pace 12:16/mile, total time 3:10:34. I think that's one of my slowest, if not the slowest, races I've ever run, but I'm thrilled with the base building at 64% - sorry for the HR mumbo jumbo, but it's a big deal for me to finally maintain some decent mileage burning FAT instead of glycogen! I carried 3 and only ate 1 GU all night, and I finished the race almost as fresh as I started.

After the run, I had some pasta with marinara sauce (yum!), watched some more runners, probably 50K-ers, and then headed home. I pulled into my garage at 4:40 am, showered, and got in bed by 5:00 am. Perfect!

Austin Hill Country

2008-07-10T22:21:00.007-05:00

We just got back from a week in Austin. Even though I had to work, it was nice to get away and the kids always enjoy a hotel stay. This was an impromptu trip - I was looking for a place to stay and stumbled upon an incredible price on Expedia - $105/night for the Barton Creek Resort which is a a fantastic place. So my client gets a great deal on my expense report, the family gets a free hotel stay, and everyone had a great time.

We drove down Sunday morning, arriving in time for lunch poolside. It was HOT, but perfect for hanging out by the pool all afternoon. Barton Creek is set in the hills of West Austin, and the area is just gorgeous. While you can't stop all development, Austin has done a pretty good job keeping the hills from being overrun. Some areas are kept off limits altogether, and others are used sparingly, which means the few homes that do get built are just magnificent. And expensive.

Being the sucker that I am, I just had to try running the hills. I had a 45 min run on Monday and a 60 min run on Wednesday to keep up with my LHR training. See those 2 white water towers dead center in the picture? Looks far away but it's only about 2.5 miles one-way. 5 tortuous hilly miles round-trip. With inclines that busted my heart rate. With declines that could wipe you out if you didn't run with your brakes on. But it was all good. I ended both runs with a solitary dip in the pool (yes, I did shower off first, duh). And it was still only 7:30am :-)

I'm glad I ran, because I sure as hell ate. After work each day, I was so ready to meet up with the family again. I don't know Austin well enough anymore to know all the good places, but there are a few reliable local favorites. We hit Magnolia Cafe, Chuy's Tex-Mex, County Line BBQ, and tried a new place Gumbo's. Along the way, there might have been a Shiner or two.

The pièce de résistance? Our new discovery - the kids only saved half of one for me, but it was absolutely the best I've ever had. I'm not kidding. I take my cupcakes very seriously.

What's Next, Daisy?

2008-06-28T14:52:00.006-05:00

Daisy had a rough start. Before she turned two, she had already delivered a litter, been abandoned overnight at an animal shelter with her puppies, contracted heartworms, and was severely underweight. After we adopted her, we spent the next twelve years trying to make up for those first two. I like to think she’d say we did her alright.

Daisy left us last week. Our Crazy Daisy is gone.

The night she passed away, I lit a candle for her in our bedroom. Her bed was still on the floor next to our fireplace, where a few hours ago Daisy had taken her last nap. I put the candle in the fireplace, switched off the lights, and was stunned to see a sight we had never seen before. That single flame picked up the curling fleurs-de-lis pattern in the fireplace screen and projected a magnified silhouette of it across the entire room, floor to ceiling, and all four walls. In silence, we watched as the flame flickered, and the whole room came alive as the shadows tossed and swayed all around us. After nine years with us in that room, Daisy had left us one more surprise gift.

The next morning, we found two ducks swimming in our pool, a rare but not uncommon event. Since then however, one of both of them has returned every morning, waddling around, swimming a few laps, and generally resting in a patch of thick groundcover next to the pool. I went out yesterday and found a nest with 4 eggs in the groundcover, now up to 5 eggs after this morning’s visit. Could it be another Daisy surprise?

We didn't call her our lovable Crazy Daisy for nothing. Bye sweetie.

Pick Wisely

2008-06-19T22:14:00.000-05:00

My first instinct after NYC's 3rd strike was to sign up immediately for a replacement marathon, like I did in 2006 (MCM) and 2007 (Memphis + Disney). I needed an outlet, something to focus on, anything. Only one problem - my LHR training - had yet to deliver the goods and was stuck in a bad rut. I did some soul searching and decided I had 2 options:

1. Suck it up and just run another fall marathon = probable Disney crash 'n burn sequel
2. Suck it up and re-commit to LHR training = possible early 2009 marathon PR

I picked #2, got in touch with my friend B. who first introduced me to LHR training, and he agreed to train me if I agree to put in the effort - no cheating on schedules, put in the miles, stay on pace, work within the HR. He gave me a new LHR training plan, mixing up different runs at different heart rates.

So my next marathon won't be until 2009. Big deal. If there's a PR at the end of that wait, I'm all in baby!

3rd Strike

2008-06-05T07:20:00.003-05:00

In just three short years, I've earned (paid?) my way into NYC. 3 strikes, I'm out. They don't call it a "lottery" for nothing.

NYC 2009, here I come! Who's with me?

Where Am I

2008-05-31T13:59:00.005-05:00

Sorry folks, I'm so far behind. I've tried to stay up on reading, but it's been long stretches in between. Same old same old on this end, working, traveling to no place particularly exciting.

I'm still stuck on my 3 mile limit each time I run. LHR pace is 10:30-ish now. I wish I could get it down below 10:00. It's been warm even in the mornings, and I think the weather is easily offsetting any meager efficiencies my heart is gaining.

I've got El Scorcho coming up July 20. It's 20K. I'm screwed.

NYC registration closes tomorrow. Then I wait to see if I get in this year. If I do, I've got to start training July 1. I'm screwed.

I think I'll go take a nap and sleep on this ...

Opryland

2008-04-27T22:15:00.015-05:00

I'm back from a week-long annual sales conference in Nashville last week with my new employer. It wasn't the boondoggle I've experienced with other companies. A maniacal boot camp would be a much more apt description.

Starting Sunday night, it was close down the bar, get up early, work sessions all day, dinner, back to the bar. In anticipation that each passing day would make it more difficult to run and drink, I dragged myself to the hotel gym at 5:30 am on Monday, ran outside at 6:00 am on Tuesday, 6:30 am on Wednesday, and threw in the towel after that.

We were at the Gaylord Opryland all week, which was quite nice actually. Regrettably, the crazy schedule didn't allow me to meet up with Rae and Brent. I did run by the cultural highlight of their town, I think, as the Grand Ole Opry was right next to the hotel. Not that exciting though, at the crack of dawn.

All was not lost, as I stumbled across this gem on the outskirts of the hotel, which I think would be exciting at any time of day (and twice as much on Daisy Duke day):

Heart Don't Fail Me Now

2008-04-17T22:34:00.009-05:00

When I'm within sight of a 5K finish line and my lungs are on fire, there's always a few more drops of gas to be found to power me on home.

When I've busted through the wall on a marathon and my legs are screaming bloody murder, it's still possible for the mind to tell the body what to do. Not easy, but possible.

Yet when I'm barely breaking a sweat but my HR is too high, no amount of mental toughness can get the heart to beat any slower than it wants to. It just doesn't work that way. Invoking every cuss word I know doesn't work either. Feels like it should work, but has quite the opposite effect on the heart. Dammit.

After 7 consecutive weeks of steadily decreasing average mile pace (12:21, 12:03, 11:40, 11:28, 11:26, 11:10, 11:02), my 2 runs this week were back at 11:30 pace - why, I have no clue. It's like my heart forgot how to run. I'm going to blow this week off and start again next week.

MS Run Walk 5K

2008-03-29T17:39:00.021-05:00

The forecast called for thunderstorms last night, with more showers today. Neither happened. Instead, under an overcast sky, I reached the race site at 6AM this morning as organizers and volunteers were scurrying around in the darkness. We've only had 4 planning meetings leading up to this event, and I missed #2 and #4 because I was out of town. Even so, despite countless emails and calls, it wasn't clear what I was supposed to do today, until, well, about this morning. Somehow, it all came together when it needed to.

As the only volunteer on the committee assigned to work with the local race company (Racing Systems), I was supposed to make sure they did what they needed to do. Turns out that once the MS Society signed them up, Racing Systems pretty much ran on auto-pilot. They showed up a little past 6AM and started laying down the timing mats and usual stuff. The course was already laid out, and I went out with one of their guys to lay down cones. Ryan has a day job and works with Racing Systems on the weekends. He also trains runners for RunOn, and has a 3:18 marathon PR!

The course is a simple out and back. I stationed myself at the halfway point turnaround and waited for the run to start, along with Dennis the City of Addison cop, and Jeff with the City of Addison Streets Dept. I was going to comment that do you really think we needed to stand there in case anyone didn't know what to do at the turnaround, but if you look closely at the sign, it really is quite confusing.

The runners came through fairly quickly. There were only 130+ of them. The winner finished in 20:23. After that, the walkers came strolling by, and that took forever! It's all for a good cause, so the more the merrier, but I was out there from 8:00 until almost 9:45 waiting for the walkers to finish. Finally, Ryan swung by again to get me, and we picked up the cones on the way back.

Back at the finish, the usual festivities were going on, including these:

Er, don't ask me, that must have come up in the meeting I missed! All in all, I'm glad I volunteered for this. It was much less work than I expected, and I was happy to help out any way I could. I'll probably sign up next year again!

Boston

2008-03-20T21:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't BQ'd (yet), but I'm getting closer to Boston. I started my new job this week and the company is here in Boston. While flying up on Monday morning, I received a voicemail that we had been acquired - not exactly the day 1 event I had envisioned! Turns out it's a good thing, and I'm more than happy with the company I joined and the company that intends to acquire us. I'll still be based out of Dallas, but look forward to occasionally spending time in Boston.

In running news, my LHR training has finally begun to show some results. I've tried to run consistently the past few weeks, at least 4-5 runs a week, although all are pegged at only 3 miles each while trying to stay under a 141 HR. My pace has been steadily coming down each week. Here's my average pace starting from 4 weeks ago:

Week 4: 12:21 (5 runs: 12:21, 13:01, 12:33, 12:26, 11:23)
Week 3: 12:03 (5 runs: 12:00, 11:48, 12:17, 12:15, 11:54)
Week 2: 11:40 (4 runs: 11:55, 11:24, 11:34, 11:49)
Week 1: 11:28 (2 runs: 11:44, 11:13)

There was a cold drizzle coming down last night, and I ended up running in the hotel gym. It was the first LHR run I've done on a treadmill, and I was surprised to be able to get it down to the low 11:00's. I had a work related dinner tonight, at the Cheesecake Factory no less (I was good - no dessert), but I'm going to try that treadmill again tomorrow morning!

Frosty

2008-03-03T22:17:00.008-06:00

I finally got my act together on LHR training. I strung together 5 runs last week, which equaled the number of runs in the prior 3 weeks combined. Just when I'm on a roll, this happens tonight:

In these here parts, that frosty dusting's a veritable blizzard. While the rest of Big D wakes up to lockdown mode, I think I might enjoy an early morning run for a change.

It's.Up.To.You.New York, New ...

2008-02-25T22:36:00.009-06:00

Strike 1:

Strike 2:

I'm Not Doing Anything After Midnight On July 20th Anyway

2008-02-24T08:55:00.004-06:00

So I signed up for El Scorcho, organized by ultra-monster Gandaman. No ultras for me though, I'll be doing the 25K. I can think of a few things I'd rather be doing from midnight to 2:30-ish AM, but you only live once, ya know? That's me, living on the edge, a real risk-taker.

Note to self - get off your a$$ and get moving with the low heart rate training already!

In less traumatic news, I'm on T-shirt Thursday. Thanks Kara!

Bling It On!

2008-02-16T08:50:00.005-06:00

A big thank you to the Black Knight, Bex, Running Jayhawk and TxTriSkatemom for sending in their bling! Go on over to 26.2 Bling to check out their pics. We've got 10 different marathons represented so far from 1990 to 2008.

Alright people, I know there's more shiny stuff of yours waiting to get displayed. Start digging out those closets and shoeboxes! And fer sure, there's gonna be some new ones this weekend - good luck to Austinites Runner Susan and TxTriSkatemom, and Mr A1A David. Bring it on home!

Post update: just in case you're wondering, there's no exclusive limit - send in your pic even we have already have your race represented. I think it's just as cool to get little known obscure races as it is to see how many people ran the same race you did!

Slowing Down

2008-02-11T22:27:00.001-06:00

Things have slowed down since my last race. Down are the number of runs per week. Down too the number of official and unofficial meals a day. Most of all, down is the heart rate. Yup, I've started low heart rate training.

The only thing up so far is my pace, going up in the wrong direction! Granted I've only got 4 very short runs under my belt with this, but the first one was a shocker at 13:12/min mile average pace. My last run was better, at 11:52/min miles. I won't belabor the details, except to say this is the fastest I can go while still keeping my heart rate at 141 - presumably my aerobic threshold.

If all goes well, after a minimum of 12 weeks at this, I'll be running more efficiently, burning fat (gasp!) instead of glycogen, able to go farther and run longer. Most appealingly, the afterburners on a long run will have a reasonably full tank of glycogen to dip into, instead of my usual fumes! Sounds almost too good to be true.

26.2 Bling!

2008-01-28T18:26:00.000-06:00

Tired of losing your drink because all wine glass charms look the same? Don't know what to do with that medal you spent 4 months pounding pavement for? Voilà!

But seriously ...

If your hard-earned medals are lost in the clutter somewhere like mine, I've got an idea. Send me a pic, and I'll post it on 26.2 Bling. You can search by marathon, by year, or by yourself, to see everyone else's medal. Display case? We don't need no stinkin' display case. We've got ourselves here one giant online display case for everyone to share!

Full instructions are here. If you like the idea, pass the word around!

Carpe Diem

2008-01-26T21:08:00.001-06:00

I was inspired by Spirit of the Marathon to finish my 2-week break and start running again. The weather and my warm bed conspired to stretch the break one more day.

By 8:00-ish, I was out driving the kids to their weekend activities, and I saw a few brave souls pounding the pavement, misty-breathed, fighting the chill. I've been there done that so many times myself, and I'll bet so have many of you, yet why did feel a tinge of regret that I'm not out there in the elements too? All runners are masochists.

My last marathon training took me from July 07 to January 08. For the first time since last summer, I'm:

a. Not stuffing myself at every meal
b. Back in cahoots with red wine - yay!

Spirit Of The Marathon

2008-01-24T21:55:00.000-06:00

Encore presentation on Feb 21 in case you missed it tonight. I highly recommend it. It'll make you want to get up and sign up for that next marathon immediately.

Plus, I now want to run Chicago one day. After NYC, and London, and Austin ...

Disney - The 2nd Half

2008-01-22T19:42:00.000-06:00

After David drifted off, it was just me and the 2nd half. The next ten 1-mile segments pretty much went like this:

1. Run
2. Don't walk, don't walk, don't walk
3. Where's the #*&^!(! water stop already?
4. Do the marathon shuffle
5. Stumble into water stop
6. Drink 2 of whatever they're offering
7. Walk to end of water stop
8. Bite down and go back to #1

This method took me through the Animal Kingdom and several miles of primo Disney highway. Despite not having any cramps, and not walking except through the water stops, I steadily lost pace all the way up to mile 23.

At mile 23, in the middle of Disney Hollywood Studios, the crowd really started coming on, and I decided it was time. Just suck it up and keep running. I picked up the pace, ever so barely, from this point on.

The crowd, the pavement, the boardwalk, the traffic cones, it was all beginning to be just a blur. Finally we turned the corner into EPCOT, and I knew we were close. A mile and change to go! But.so.brutal. We started running around the main circular lagoon, which looked as big as the Pacific Ocean from what my mind registered. You could see tiny people the size of ants running clear across the other side of the lagoon, and every time I looked across, it seemed like I wasn't getting any closer. I thought the damn thing would NEVER end.

Finally we get off the lagoon and we're almost under the EPCOT silver globe thing, and the end has to be around here somewhere. I'm way beyond running on fumes by now. Note to self: next time pay attention - you saw the Finish area at 5:30 am this morning - it's not INSIDE Epcot, but OUTSIDE Epcot. So, a bazillion turns later through myriad "Cast Member Access" only pathways, we eventually get to the finish line.

After collecting my medal and blanket, I stumbled to the curb and sat down for a few minutes, ok, maybe several. I was a bit nauseous, ok, maybe a lot nauseous, and I wasn't about to risk standing up! Some officials half heartedly asked us to move on "as soon as we were ready". Eventually I did, and went through the drill - pick up more Powerade, a couple of tangerines, and got my picture taken.

I went outside to the meetup area, and David, patience of Job, found me after a few minutes. We chatted for awhile, during which I swore off marathons for a long long time. It was late in the morning and we were now baking in the middle of a large converted parking lot. We said our goodbyes, David headed to the monorail to pick up his car, and I headed out to my parking lot, where I promptly spent 20 minutes and another mile looking for my sister's silver SUV which I parked 100 yards from the finish. Go figure.

Disney - The Day After

2008-01-21T23:18:00.000-06:00

I'm walking absolutely fine now, but it wasn't so pretty the day of and day after Disney. The family units who have never seen me after a marathon were momentarily alarmed, and did not exactly buy my explanation that this was completely "normal", to wit:

I still need to post about the 2nd half of Disney, but I couldn't resist this little snippet.

Disney - The 1st Half

2008-01-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

When I hit the half-mary mats at 1:58 and change, I wasn’t sure which emotion would take over. There was relief that less miles lay ahead than were already behind me. Unfortunately, there was disbelief that it had taken this much gas out of my tank to get this far.

It all started as well as well can be:

04:10 Left hotel
04:35 Pull into EPCOT parking spot, barely 100 yards from finish area
05:00 Leave car and walk to finish area
05:05 Marvel at people buying hot dogs from concessions, must still be carbo loading
05:10 Realize it’s a FINISH area, not a START area – ah so
05:30 Complete ½ mile walk to the START area
05:35 Wander into Corral A – stake position at back-most spot
05:40 Visit edge of tropical forest for 1-1 nature time
05:41 Wander back into Corral A
05:45 Speedoman enters corral – boo hiss eeww
05:50 Obligatory speeches begin
05:58 Barriers between corrals are removed, crowd surges forward
05:59 Fireworks overhead
06:00 GO!

When the crowd surged forward, the 4:00 pace group from Corral B moved up and I pretty much started with them. The first 6 miles were uneventful, running in the dark, a loop around EPCOT, just keeping up. The pace seemed fast, and Garmin said I was averaging 8:50's instead of 9:09. I was also drenched immediately from the humidity. A storm passed through the previous night, and it was still foggy and misty. I'm not sure when this pic was taken, but can you see my clothes sticking to me? Good thing I remembered nip guards!

The next 6 miles took me towards and through the Magic Kingdom. The pace team was still in sight, but creeping further and further ahead. We pretty much ran through all the major areas, Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Frontierland. The highlight of course is the signature run through Cinderella's Castle. Disney cast characters were everywhere, and several people stopped to take their pictures with them - must not be trying to PR. If you really want to mess with some runners, next time stop and do a little shopping in the gift shops along the way - that will psych them out!

Once we left Frontierland, I knew I was in for a lonely 5 mile stretch of highway to the Animal Kingdom. It was approaching 2 hours and my 3rd GU. From this point on, it would be a GU-fest every 30 mins.

It was also along this stretch that I hit the half-mary mats. I was lost in my relief vs. disbelief debate with myself, trying to muscle down that 3rd GU pack, when someone pulled in behind me and to the right, and said "how're you doing?". A bit startled, but too tired to react instantly, I must've turned my head in slow motion and lo and behold it was David grinning from ear to ear! I wasn't expecting him, but it sure was good to see him. That's how I felt, but not what I said - I barely mustered 10 words total - pretty sure "tired", "tough", and "hard" were in there somewhere! David said something about see you at the end or something, and then he was off.

2:00 and change in the bag, still on pace, but I could sense trouble lay ahead. All the parts were still working, although the engine was beginning to lose power. One thing I knew I absolutely positively did not want to do, above all else, was ... walk. That, was a mighty battle. Next time up, the 2nd half.

That Was No Mickey Mouse Run

2008-01-14T20:09:00.000-06:00

4:17:23 was not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll look at every finish as a gift not to be rejected. For the record, here are the splits according to Garmin. I'll post a report later, but if anyone knows how I picked up an extra 0.4 miles, please let me know!

Mile 1: 9:18
Mile 2: 9:02
Mile 3: 8:37
Mile 4: 8:38
Mile 5: 8:40
Mile 6: 8:50
Mile 7: 8:42
Mile 8: 8:50
Mile 9: 8:55
Mile 10: 8:55
Mile 11: 9:05
Mile 12: 9:02
Mile 13: 9:21
Mile 14: 9:30
Mile 15: 9:33
Mile 16: 9:20
Mile 17: 9:44
Mile 18: 10:02
Mile 19: 10:30
Mile 20: 11:07
Mile 21: 11:06
Mile 22: 11:06
Mile 23: 11:39
Mile 24: 11:08
Mile 25: 10:59
Mile 26: 10:12
Mile 26.6: 5:28

It's Disney Time

2008-01-12T19:29:00.000-06:00

It’s the night before Disney. Got a ton of sleep last night, getting up close to 10 am. It was a beautiful Central Florida morning outside, and b-i-l R. took me on a tour of their lake. R said he’s hardly seen 4 or 5 gators in the year or so they’ve been on this lake, and I was glad we didn’t see #6. I’m a runner, not a swimmer.

After lunch, I met up with David at the Orlando Ale House. It was good to catch up since our last meetup at MCM 2006. David brought son C., a sophomore in college here in town - intelligent, articulate, engaging – good thing for Mrs. T’s genes!

From there we headed over to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex for the marathon expo. We missed the crowds and waltzed right on in to registration. Got my bib and chip in 10 mins; #1565, Corral A. Hmm, A? That’s does. not. sound. right.

I head over to David and Mr. Big-Man-Around-Town introduces me to B., who along with her husband founded and owns Track Shack here in town, and is also the race director for Disney! I told her my goal time and asked her about my corral placing. She confirmed that 4:00 is beyond the first corral, and that I lucked out to get in there (which I’m not yet sure is a good thing). She also said there would be 4000 runners in the corral, and I mentally pictured 3999 runners quickly emptying the chute in front of me, disappearing fast into the distance!

We cruised the expo for a while and then headed out around 5:00. On the way to the parking lot, Mr. Connected introduces me to D., who is the race chaplain and will also be manning the mile 22 food stop.

I checked into my hotel near Disney, and turned right around to head out for dinner. Randomly picking out Chilli's, I bump into D. again standing outside the restaurant, which I take as a sign that someone's watching over me, or is it that someone thinks I need a lot of help? If I do, it sure isn't in the food department. That Caesar's salad and Cajun Chicken Pasta didn't last long before I demolished it. Disney, here I come!

Jinx

2008-01-10T00:20:00.000-06:00

Ever since I hit "publish" on my last post, I feel like I've swallowed a frog and it's stuck in my throat. No amount of hacking or ahem-ing has shoo-ed it away, but I've been feeding it Airborne like there's no tomorrow. The jinx is on.

I'm slowly making my way to Orlando. Detour via Washington DC. With an unexpected hour to kill before a carbo loading dinner here, I ran 2 miles from Dupont Circle to the White House and 2 miles back. Last run before race day. It was easy peasy. There's the jinx again. I laugh in the face of danger. HA HA HA HA HA!

23 down, 1 to go

2008-01-05T20:14:00.000-06:00

July 31st, 2007 was the first step of my first run for marathon training. 23 weeks and 1 marathon later, I'm finally staring at the end goal. Disney, you've been a loooonng time coming.

The last 5 weeks since Memphis have been relatively easy running. I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying I've exceeded almost all the goal paces for all my runs, whereas that was always a struggle leading up to Memphis. I feel physically strong, but mentally my mind's been drifting - just so many runs and so many miles to cover ...

I was back at work last Wednesday. Ugh. On the bright side, my incomprehensible cross country trip to Seattle next week ... CANCELLED! However, I now have to be in Washington DC, so I'll fly in Wednesday night for that, and leave Thursday directly to Orlando. I'll work remotely from Orlando on Friday, expo on Saturday, race on Sunday, and fly home.

After Disney, I'll post my New Year running resolutions. There's a chance it may include something about wanting to wake up in the city that never sleeps ...

Seasons Change

2007-12-25T23:39:00.000-06:00

The house is quiet now. All the little creatures are back in their rooms fast asleep. The Wii (courtesy of Secret Santa) and Nintendo DS (that's as far as their old man would go) are finally shut off. Dear old Daisy wandered out a moment ago and found a spot under the Christmas tree, to keep me company late into the night.

With age and progress, gone are the days spent assembling a bike or two, building something new out of Lego, or opening up packages of Barbies and Polly Pockets each with 75 minuscule accessories. Instead, you just plug it in, switch it on, and turn it up. As I write this, there are chargers galore going full tilt all over the house, prepping for tomorrow's onslaught. Bah Humbug!

Yet even while I wax nostalgic, one of those charges is for, um, me. My old school $24.95 Timex Ironman watch with it's resin strap will still work for every occasion no matter what the dress code is, but S. got me this for my running. I took it out for a spin today, and it's a keeper. The 5-mile loop around the neighborhood that I marked out using my car's odometer ... Garmin measured it down to the last crack in the sidewalk marking the end of my route ... exactly 5:00 miles. I'm hooked.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year!

27F Perfect

2007-12-17T22:56:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning. 7:45am. 27F. No wind. Feels like 27F. Sunrise. 12 miles. 1:59:23. Feels good to be alive.

The first pic is looking out our bedroom window just before my run. The second pic is a mile and a half away where the fancy homes begin; we live back amongst the cheap seats.

Life In The B.D. Lane - Surely Make You Lose Your Mind

2007-12-13T23:18:00.000-06:00

As in "Before Disney".

I'm not sure what my goals are for Disney anymore. I don't need to PR, but it would be nice to not exceed my worst time (what's the opposite of PR?). I've got a beat on a new plan to boost my running hopefully, which will be revealed in due course, but I gotta get beyond Disney first.

In the meantime, just supposing you had to travel from Dallas to Orlando for a marathon, and wanted to give yourself ample time to get there, get situated, get expo'd, get RBF'd, get coffee, get sleep, and wake up for a 6:00 AM start (what the?), what's the quickest route to get there?

Answer? You make your flight reservations months in advance to fly in Thursday, rest up Friday and Saturday, and race Sunday, right?

WRONG!

The right answer - you get scheduled for a meeting all the way over in f***ing SEATTLE from 3-5PM PST on f***ing FRIDAY so you can take the f***ing RED-EYE to Miami and hop over to Orlando by f***ing lunchtime Saturday!

I gotta stop taking speech therapy from Bex.

Going With Plan B

2007-12-10T22:36:00.000-06:00

I was layered and bundled from head to toe when I stepped outside this morning at 5:50am. I had an 8-miler to make up from last weekend. Immediately, I felt a bone chilling cold descend on me. Decision time.

Do it now, get it over with, stay on course with my training plan, and come back a frozen tuna. Or ...

Wait till later in the day, maybe it'll warm up a touch. OK, I did, and it didn't. Worse, it started drizzling a slow mist all day.

At 6:00pm, I drove over to the new rec center, literally across the street from me, and signed up. Hello, dreadmill, I thought I saw the last of ye.

Memphis Memories

2007-12-07T23:12:00.000-06:00

Memphis is already a distant memory. I’ve been on the road all week, and am just now getting down to reminiscing about my race. The start was a block and a half away, and the finish was right outside my window, shown here at 6:30 am when I got up.

For a change of pace, I thought I’d just write about some impressions I took away from the race, like …

• A fit-looking 30-ish guy wearing a Goofy hat does not inspire confidence in a 4:00 pace leader.

• A fit-looking 30-ish blonde in hot pink velour long sweat pants provides some reason for hesitation in a pace leader, but beats Goofy hands down any day.

• No matter how appetizing your brain thinks it looks, a chocolate frosted donut mysteriously tastes like compressed sawdust when you’re in your 3rd hour of running.

• Spectators who yell “Way to go 4-minute milers!” when you run by with your pace team posse at mile 16 can make you feel elite, even if you know they're woefully mistaken.

• Spectators who hesitantly call out “Uh, looking good” when you hobble by alone on wobbly cramped legs at mile 20 have got to hurt more to say that than you do to look it.

• At the end of the race, a hot cup of broccoli cheese soup really hits the spot. Even better when followed by a hot cup of southwestern chicken enchilada soup.

• Whoever invents instant anti-cramping cream is never going to have to work another day in his/her life.

For the record, here are the splits:

Mile 2: 18:16 (9:08 avg)
Mile 4: 18:44 (9:22 avg)
Mile 6: 18:26 (9:13 avg)
Mile 8: 18:17 (9:08 avg)
Mile 9: 9:11
Mile 10: 9:21
Mile 11: 9:14
Mile 12: 9:19
Mile 13: 9:00
Mile 14: 9:07
Mile 15: 9:17
Mile 16: 9:09
Mile 17: 9:12
Mile 18: 9:11
Mile 19: 10:02 (uh-oh)
Mile 20: 11:43 (whump)
Mile 21: 12:14 (thud)
Mile 22: 13:06 (crash)
Mile 23: 13:34 (burn)
Mile 24: 13:01 (ouch)
Mile 26: 24:56 (12:28 avg)
Mile 26.2: 2:19

A GREAT Training Run!

2007-12-01T13:09:00.000-06:00

4:26:54 is the best training run I've ever done. I wouldn't say it's the worst race for me, unless you go strictly by finish time :-) The wheels fell off a bit early, between 18-19 miles, and the dastardly cramps set in. It was a son-of-a-b!t#h to walk/run home, but I'm satisfied and content with finishing. Next up - Disney. First, a shower, then a flight home.

It's Memphis Time

2007-11-30T14:09:00.000-06:00

I'm finally in Memphis. Arrived yesterday afternoon from Minneapolis, and I'm glad to be out of Minnesota! Checked into my hotel downtown and did a little bit more work. I'm right across from Autozone Ball Park, which is where the race will finish. If I can stumble over the finish line, I'll be able to crawl back to my room!

Dinner last night was half a block down at Rendezvous. I dunno - I still prefer Corky's, but Memphis Ribs is better than no ribs at all. The place is like in a basement off a deserted alley, but inside, it's bustling. I was seated in the front section, and there's one side room and one back room, both of which open to more rooms, which open to more rooms, and on and on. There's a few old guys whose only job seems to be escorting people deep into the back of this maze. This one guy would reappear from the back every few minutes, and I'm not kidding, he'd yell the exact same thing every single time to the hostess up front:

"Howmanyyougot Baby?" ... pause ...
"Awl-right, burr-ring 'em on!"

Then he'd turn around and disappear with another pack of people following him.

I had a small order of ribs and a side of red beans and rice for carbs. Forgot to take a picture of it before I started, but this is it half-way through.

This morning I worked some more from my room until about lunch time, then took the rest of the day off. I wandered down to Beale Street where I saw BB King play years ago. The whole place was pretty much deserted today, and I ended up at Cafe 61 for lunch. It was great! I had a Jimbolaya and for extra carbs - the Crawfish Mac 'n Cheese.

After lunch, I headed out to the Expo. I ran into this Memphis Trolley thing almost immediately, but decided I probably should walk off the lunch a little bit. It was about 4 blocks away.

The weather was just a touch chilly but bearable. There was no line at all at the Expo. Got my bib, chip, and goody bag in about 45 seconds. The long sleeved cotton t-shirt is, well, cotton.

It wasn't a big expo, and mostly the same merchandise as other expos. However, I did run into a couple of familiar faces hanging on the wall at one of the booths!

Dinner tonight, I think, will be back on Beale Street, hopefully more alive this time. Kings Palace Cafe looked pretty good for gumbo and blackened chicken pasta! That should keep me tied over until race time tomorrow, no?

Is That December Around The Corner?

2007-11-24T20:28:00.000-06:00

My sister's family just left after spending Thanksgiving week with us. 3 teenagers and no DSL - somehow we survived! My DSL died and I took the opportunity to switch providers, which somehow through the wonder of technology still takes 5 to 10 business days. Something's wrong when UPS can ship me a new modem in two days but someone can't flip a switch to start the flow of electrons in less time than that?

Anyway, I haven't been posting and I haven't been reading much. Blogger isn't quite optimized for dial-up access. I have been running still, and I can't believe my race is next weekend already! I ran this past Wednesday in shorts and no shirt. By Thursday, I was running in long pants, two long sleeved shirts, gloves, and wool hat - huh? This cold front and rain looks like it's staying for a while.

Memphis is looking at a 60% chance of showers, high 53, low 46. No matter - I'm ready to rock 'n roll! Rae and Brent - are you guys still coming into town to run? How about a RBF meetup? Anyone else running Memphis?

Top 10 Signs You Won't Be Winning NYC

2007-11-10T12:32:00.000-06:00

Other than the fact that the race ended 6 days ago ...

San Antonio Francisco

2007-11-09T20:31:00.000-06:00

Fall is usually a very short season here in Texas. One day it's summer-blazing hot, then it rains like a monsoon for a few days, then Fall is over. This year, it can't make up it's mind. Half the leaves on my trees are already rotting in the pool, while the other half steadfastly clings on. I don't have the stomach to clean it up until everything has come down. And some neighbors have the nerve to put up Christmas lights already. Amazing.

My morning runs this week have been bone-chilling refreshing. I've been comfortable in shorts, but double layered on top and with gloves to boot (to boot, he he).

Memphis is coming up fast, but first, I have a few trips to make. Vegas again next week, then short trips to Pittsburgh and Minneapolis. American Airlines has an annual Road Warrior contest. The rules change every year, and it's never about the total miles flown. This year it's about pictures. They've chosen five finalists. Go vote for this guy - I'm glad it's a good enough idea that there's at least two of us doing it!

While I was fooling around with my travel pictures, I put a couple of them together and stumbled upon this. Different cities, different dates, perfectly aligned. San Antonio Francisco. Weird huh?

Pink Is Good

2007-11-07T23:56:00.000-06:00

Midway into my 8-miler this morning, I ran into my good friend J., who was just pulling out of her driveway. J. ran the Dallas Half last year, finishing well in 2:16 despite minimal practice. I had to lend her my running gloves the night before the race, and even threw in a couple packs of GU for good measure. She rolled down the window as I approached her SUV.

J.: "That orange sweatshirt must be what's making you run so SLLLOOOW!"

Me (thinking): "It's burnt orange, and it's a running jacket, not a sweatshirt. Hmmm - must not be a Longhorn fan."

Me (thinking some more): "Oh hey yo! Nice silk pink camisole top and matching pink flannel space cowgirl jammie pants. You don't see that every day on a training run!"

Me (out loud): "Don't bother changing out of your jammies just to drive your kids to school, you're probably not going to run into anyone but me. (Pause) And just because I have a photographic memory doesn't mean you have to start worrying about anything, ok?"

I was thinking as I ran off, on days like this, who needs GU?

A Great Weekend

2007-11-04T21:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day. While it didn't start out quite as planned, by mid-afternoon we were watching the Purple Haze cruise to a 4-0 win in their last game of the season. More excitingly for the girls, they finished a remarkable 8-0 for an undefeated kindergarten girls season!

We're so proud of Sydney and all the girls, who have progressed from the first few games spent picking daisies to the last game where 4 different girls scored our 4 goals. Here's a pic of the team that struck fear in the hearts of all who had to play against them! Syd's in the back, 4th from the right.

Actually, they're all just wonderful kids, princesses, all of them! I love this pic because we unknowingly had them staring straight into the sun - the poor girls are giving it their best "cheese" smile but can barely get their eyes open! We moved them later and got some better pics, but this is still my favorite. They all got cupcakes and medals after the game, and Syd finished as the top scorer on the team!

Later that afternoon, I had planned to get my 8-mile pace run going again, but somehow ended up with a 2 hour nap instead! I woke up a few times feeling guilty about it, but not guilty enough to prevent me from falling back asleep again!

This morning, with the nap plus an extra hour from daylight savings, I tossed and turned long before it was time to get up. I still had visions of my daylight savings fiasco from MCM last year, and I wasn't about to repeat it this year. Thankfully, I made it safely to the DRC Half this morning by 7:00-ish.

The race started right about 8:00 am. I planned to use this as a training run, with a 10:06 min/mile goal time. This is what ended up instead:

Mile 2: 18:54
Mile 3: 9:25
Mile 4: 9:24
Mile 5: 9:23
Mile 6: 9:21
Mile 7: 9:00
Mile 8: 9:07
Mile 9: 9:17
Mile 10: 9:07
Mile 11: 8:29
Mile 12: 8:36
Mile 13: 8:42
Mile 13.1: 0:55

Total time = 1:59:45. Not a PR, but I'm totally happy with it for a training run. I have a prefect stranger to thank for it too.

Somewhere past mile 9, I fell into step with another girl running. We seemed to have the same pace, and were pushing it a bit. Without looking at each other, or saying a single word, we ran side by side for most of the next few miles. It was a surreal connection. It wasn't competitive at all, just us two pushing each other.

Through twists and turns, through water stops, through squeezing past or going around other runners, we'd slow down to let the other catch up, then push the pace once again. For almost 3 miles, not a word. I spent most of that time wondering how I was going to keep up the pace, thinking about how badly I wanted to finish together so I could thank her for making this a great run, thinking about how much gatorade I had spilled on my shirt at that last water stop! We must have passed more than a hundred runners along the way.

Then 3/4-mile from the end, inexplicably, she stopped. I took 2 steps before I realized what had happened, and then I hit the brakes and turned around. With a half-smile half-gasp, she said "I can't go on". I said softly "Yes you can, c'mon, we'll make it". And so she picked up her feet again and started running, the pace a touch slower, and we continued down the last mile. After the final turn, with the finish in sight, I pointed ahead and said to her "it's all yours". She kicked up a final sprint, and I followed her in to the finish.

While they were collecting our chips, she thanked me for pacing her in. I congratulated her for her strong finish, and was thinking I should be the one thanking her for pacing me! We went our separate ways, and I never saw her again.

Later this afternoon, to cap a great weekend, we celebrated Sydney's 6th birthday with a joint birthday party with her buddy Alaina and 37 other kindergartners! Thankfully it was outside at a pizza party place and not at home!

Last but not least, Susan and David finished NYC! Go over and tell them how great they are!

The Left Brain's Connected To The Right Knee

2007-11-03T08:03:00.000-05:00

But the right brain should've taken over. Why did I think today would be a good day to break in a new pair of shoes? Race day is a month away, and the old pair has faithfully done it's thing. Tomorrow is a half mary tune-up, but before that, an 8-mile pace run today. Not so.

At half a mile, my right knee started hurting. At one mile, my left shin started hurting. At one and a half miles, I finally decided this was all connected from the left shin to the right knee to the new shoes. I bagged the run and walked home. It's still early, I'll get my run in sometime today.

In other "exciting" news - I recently "discovered" this website. Those "English Lit" majors or aspiring "journalists" (and some "real" ones) among you might get a chuckle or two out of it.

Another Year, Another Marathon

2007-10-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

It was already late afternoon when I remembered where I was this time a year ago - running my 2nd marathon in Washington DC at the MCM. In about a month, I'll be running my 4th, and then hopefully 5th marathon next January, if all goes well. My training has finally hit the 20-mile mark, and I hit the road at 7:08 am this morning to begin that long, lonely, painful journey, while the rest of suburbia slept on.

It was comfortable enough that I wore shorts, but cool enough that I needed two layers up top. After my run, a shower, a half bagel, and a cup of hot chocolate, I crawled back in bed and pulled the covers over in order to warm up my core body temperature, something I had read about somewhere. I'm pretty sure I also fell asleep instantly.

This time last year was also my first RBF meetup, and what a fine group of distinguished runners it turned out to be, with (ladies first) Bex, NBTR, Susie, Michelle, and bringing up the rear (but never in a race!) Peter and David. Peter ran NYC last year, and David will be running it next week!

Speaking of next week, while Susan and David are traipsing around the 5 boroughs, I'll be doing my cut-back long run in the Dallas Running Club Half (previously simply known as "The Half", until half marathons started popping up all over the place, and you couldn't tell anyone you were running "The Half" without them asking you "yeah, but which one?"). After that, it's one more 20-miler and then the long awaited taper. I can't wait!

Heaven Help Me

2007-10-22T22:52:00.000-05:00

In an instant, the tides have changed. The cool, crisp yet sunny fall weather has given way to overcast skies, wind, and rain.

Sunday was the last of the pleasant days, I'm afraid, and even that showed signs of change. I had read the night before of something called the Orionids, a meteor shower that peaks every year on Oct 21, near the constellation Orion. Since I've been running into (ha ha) this Orion dude a lot lately, I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch some falling stars. It was decidedly less exciting at 5:45 am Sunday morning, bleary eyed, trying to stay upright in a strong forceful wind that kicked up every fallen leaf and swayed trees back and forth all around me. I didn't see a single meteor, but I did do 13 miles before 8:00 am.

Monday brought more wind, plus rain. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I've started to feel a tickle in my throat and just a touch of stuffiness in my nose. In response, I've been loading up on juice and fluids, and regretting the number of times I've driven past the "flu shots available" signs without stopping. I've even given Airborne a try, which for me to do so means I'm desperate. I just don't want anything to interrupt my already irregular training! Tomorrow's 5-miler will be a game-day decision.

Lastly, I'm going to need help over the next few months. I received an email a while ago asking for volunteers to help with an upcoming race. Seemed like a good idea at the time and a chance to give something back to the running community. We just had our first meeting. Just about every volunteer is the head of a committee (seems like there are no committee members, just heads, hmmmm ...). Somehow, I ended up as the 5K Run for Hope committee "chair". This is for the MS Society. I'm half excited, half scared silly, and fully humbled by this. I've yet to determine exactly what needs to happen, but I suspect most of the hard work will be done by the local running store that handles a lot of these races. It's all for a good cause and should be a fun experience. If anyone wants to come along for the ride, there's plenty of room ... don't be shy now!

Keep On Truckin'

2007-10-17T19:10:00.001-05:00

I've been in town for almost 2 weeks now - yay! In that time span, my beloved Longhorns have sunk into the toilet, leading to my new-found interest in them Cowboys, and I've been trying to keep up with running.

While some runs are still a struggle, there's more good runs than bad runs now, and I'm really happy about that. I was up to 18 miles last weekend for my long run, and it went easier than expected even if my time was off a bit at 3:15 and change.

Here's some good news I found today. I'm a big fan of GU, and totally won over by their Expresso Love flavor. New for the holidays ... Mint Chocolate.
I've got to get me some.

Is It Friday Yet?

2007-10-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

I think I hit a new low this morning as I boarded my 6:50 am flight in Chicago, and it was already my 2nd flight of the day. I was in transit from Indianapolis to Washington DC, where I landed, went to the client, spent 2 hours enduring a royal a$$-chewing on behalf of the mother ship corporation, left, and flew back home. At least I can take comfort in knowing that the problems pre-dated my involvement, but being the person called upon to clean up someone else's mess didn't do much to make me less of an easy target.

My trips this week weren't all bad. I had an 8 mile EZ run on the schedule for Wednesday, and my hotel in Indianapolis came with a free pass to the gym next door. Since I neither own a treadmill nor belong to a gym, I rarely run on a treadmill, and completing 8 miles on one last night is probably an indoor distance record for me!

By the time I finished, I was famished. After a shower, I drove around looking for something reasonably acceptable and ended up at Panera Bread, where I had this conversation when placing my order:

Me: How big is this crispani thing?

She: Um, it's pretty big. I think it's enough to like feed 2 people.

Me: Oh (pause)

She: (sensing my hesitation) ... but I think you can probably finish it ...

Me: Actually, I was thinking it's not going to be enough!

I ended with a BBQ chicken crispani, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and an ice tea. For the record, I couldn't finish the darn thing.

Half Way There And It's About Time!

2007-09-29T19:22:00.000-05:00

Week 9 of marathon training and I've reached the half way point finally. I've also missed more runs during this training season than I have in the past, but I'm not stressing out over it. Most of the misses were due to work and travel schedules.

Like this week for example. Instead of 3 EZ runs, I only managed one, albeit a fun one. Tuesday morning, 5:30 am, Las Vegas strip. It was chillier than I expected, felt like in the low 60's maybe, and I'm glad I decided against going shirtless. This is the view alongside the Bellagio, where I was NOT staying ($500+ a night? No way to hide that expense report).

I easily ran into a dozen or more die-hard runners out there despite the early hour. Unfortunately, no Elvis sightings to report. Sigh.

On Wednesday I was in Minneapolis but missed my run. On Thursday I was back home but missed my run again. On Friday I wasn't supposed to run, but I half-heartedly went out for 2-3 miles just to keep the joints working.

This morning, I wasn't looking forward to my 7-mile pace run, but I knew I could not ignore it. I've yet to hit any of my pace run goal times, but I've been coming close. My past two weekend attempts at this distance were 1:02:13 and 1:01:31. Today, 59:32. Yeah baby. It's about time.

Tour des Fleurs 20K

2007-09-23T16:51:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful morning yesterday, even if I had to get up at 5:30am. Race time was 7:30am. A 15-mile LSD was on the docket, but this 20K presented a nice change of "pace" :-)

Plus, I got to run with the one and only Runner Susan! I called her when I got to the race, and she was just arriving with her friend from Ohio, Marta, and her mom.

Marta's fast. And she ran NYC last year, and she's running it again this year with Susan. They're going to have a blast. Anyone out there running NYC - go over to Susan's site and let her know. How can a meetup in NYC go wrong?

The race was at White Rock Lake, over some of the same route as the White Rock Marathon. Susan and I ran the first 3 miles together, and then we split up. The rest of the race just kind of flew by. I didn't really have a goal time in mind since this was just a training run. Instead, I was thinking about the hot dogs and beer that Susan said they laid out last year - that sounded really good during the run. By the time I finished though, all I wanted was water. I saw the free beer, but no sight or smell of hot dogs anywhere.

I finished in 1:59:22. Marta finished ahead of me, and Susan was behind me just a bit. Somehow I missed both of them at the finish! Oh well, we'll just have to do this again next year.

My Other Running Log

2007-09-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

As marathon training enters it's 8th week, I can last longer out there, but I'm sure not getting faster. Not even in the shortest distance. That brutal reality hit home when I crossed the finish line last weekend in my 5K Corporate Challenge in 25:38. That's slower than the first 5K I ran this year, back in March. Plus, it was held on a Sunday, so I had to choose between a 5K race and a 14-mile LSD run. Right, some decisions are just too easy.

That might explain why I continue to flirt with missing most of my pace run target times. My EZ runs are no gimmes either. In their place, I've decided to enjoy what I can from my runs ...

... like last week, when I was in-and-out of Washington D.C., and managed to get in 2 early morning runs. Yes, it was tough getting up at essentially 4:30 AM CST, but there was no other way. On Tuesday, I did about 4 miles from Dupont Circle to the Washington Monument and back. It was 9-11, and it was a bit sobering to see all the flags at half-mast encircling the monument. On Wednesday, I extended the run to reach Congress before turning back, for about 7 miles.

Everything's relative, but I don't travel as much as I used to. When I think of all the places I've been, there's a slew of run-of-the-mill impersonal nameless faceless places interspersed with an occasional spectacular 5-star locale. The views from my hotel window are like a running log ;-) of my life on the road. All exist now only in my fading memory, except that I started keeping track of them here. Better late than never.

Let's Try That Again

2007-09-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is pace day. It's 6 weeks into marathon training, and I've yet to hit my first pace run on pace! For a while, it was the blood donation explanation, but I think that has since expired. Maybe my timing for a 3:45 marathon is just too ambitious. Anyway, I'll give it my best shot again tomorrow for a 6-mile run and see what happens. C'est la vie!

I think I've dropped 5 lbs since this thing started. I now hover between 155 and 160. If I could eat normally instead of thinking I constantly need to fuel up like there's no tomorrow, I'd be lighter and faster. Food is now mostly viewed as carbs, protein, or hydration. Things like taste, expiration dates, and "how old are these leftovers again?" are no longer relevant.

For an entire week, I went to Central Market for lunch (it's like a Whole Foods), and I'd get the same thing - a small salad from the salad bar, and a big tub of cottage cheese. I never ate so much cottage cheese in my life. After a week, the taste just got to me and I couldn't take it anymore. I took a week off, and darn if I didn't start yearning for that cottage cheese again! So back I went, and now it's a regular cheese on, cheese off, thing.

Alcohol is verboten too. That's usually not a problem as I'm not a big drinker. Of course, as soon as I took this stance, we had an obligatory client dinner at an old traditional steak house in Tampa last week. "Yes, I'd love an ice tea on the company nickel please". Then I followed that up with a wedding reception for S.'s cousin at the Four Seasons here in Dallas. "Yes, I'd love an ice tea from the OPEN BAR please. Make that two ice teas." %$!@^#*&!

In other news, summer is so over already. School started two weeks ago, and we now have two 6-graders who have moved up to middle school and a new kindergartner started in our old elementary school. Soccer, volleyball and gymnastics are back in full force. The local race season is heating up again too, but I'm not signed up for anything. Oh, except my first corporate challenge 5K coming up week after next. And possibly the Tour de Fleurs 10K/20K after that (yes, Susan, I'm still thinking about it!).

Duh

2007-08-21T01:01:00.000-05:00

I was sitting in the plane last night when I felt a slight twinge in my forearm. A little leftover sting from last week. It suddenly dawned on me ... here's one good reason why my runs were so bad last weekend. What a week it was, that I even forgot I had donated blood on Thursday, had a rest day on Friday, and then attempted my pace run on Saturday morning. Duh! No wonder I was out of gas on that run!

I'm in San Francisco for a couple of days. There's a 3-mile EZ run in the plan for the morning. I'm hoping the red blood cells are back at full strength by then.

Speed Bump

2007-08-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

Could it be there's trouble ahead? I said I would run Memphis for fun and as a tune-up to Disney, but I started my training plan gunning for a PR. No need to wait, trouble's already here ...

This is my 3rd week of training. My EZ runs and LSD runs have been workable, even it takes some effort to complete on time. My pace runs have been off the mark, and today, it was way off. It was only a 5-mile pace run. I had to stop 3 times during the run, which almost always never happens, and finally, I decided I was just plain out of gas.

It's been a tough week at work, and that might have had something to do with it. One of those weeks where on Monday morning, you're already wondering how in the world you're going to make it to Friday.

Or it could have been last night when I passed out around 8:00, and then was up at 2:00 am watching Hawaii 5-0 reruns from Netflix. It's amusing watching how they operated back then without cellphones, internet access, or A/C in their cars in Honolulu, all while wearing a suit and tie. Hmm, come to think of it, that theme song might not be a bad running song!

Anyway, one bad run does not a season make. I'll just keep plugging along. LSD run tomorrow; at a slow enough pace, I can go forever.

Just A Hunk, A Hunk Of Burning Love

2007-08-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

I couldn't sleep last night. For a natural born sleeper who has logged many-a-hour asleep in taxis, buses, trains and countless planes, that was a rare occurrence. My mind was ablaze, my body was a wreck. Marathon training had commenced. 1 down, 17 weeks to go.

It should have been a simple enough week 1. Tue/Wed/Thu 3-5-3 EZ runs, Sat 5-pace run, and Sun 8-LSD run. The mind had to learn all over again that a 6:00am wake-up call cannot be snoozed away, no sirree, Bob ... not anymore. The body had to learn all over again that the mind is in charge and not the other way around. I've been eating like a horse and sleeping like a pig, but I still feel hungry like the wolf and I'm waking up tired as a dog! Is my mind playing tricks on me already? Is my running getting worse than my writing? Do I really want to go through with this?

Well, in a word, yes. That's exactly why I signed up. Otherwise, I'd be stumbling from one mediocre run to another. Week 1 shook the cobwebs off. I'm hoping week 2 will be better. I'll find out tomorrow at 6:00 am.

In the meantime, here's my new favorite running song, which is giving Rocky a run for it's money. Just what I need to get the heart pumping. Quite apropos for this time of year, don't you think?

Lord Almighty,
feel my temperature rising.
Higher, higher,
it's burning through to my soul.
Girl girl girl,
you've gone and set me on fire.
My brain is flaming.
I don't know which way to go.

Your kisses lift me higher,
like the sweet song of a choir.
And you light my morning sky
with burning love.

Ooh ooh ooh,
I feel my temperature rising.
Help me, I'm flaming,
I must be a hundred and nine.
Burning burning burning,
and nothing can cool me.
I just might turn into smoke,
but I feel fine.

Elvis To Mickey

2007-07-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

It's time. Time to get disciplined. Time to get busy. Time to get up early and run. Time to shed a little dead weight. Marathon training begins next week. 18 weeks to Memphis.

It finally came down to Honolulu and Memphis, and Memphis won out. I was already in Hawaii this summer, and it just seemed a touch too far away to fly to go run one race. It'll always be that way, but maybe in a different year it won't seem so bad. It's a wonderful course, and I really would like to run it eventually.

Memphis is close by. It was my first out-of-town project when I started working many years ago, and it still has some sentimental appeal. Southern hospitality. Memphis charm. Beale street blues. I'll only need 15K frequent flyer miles to get there vs. 35K to get to Hawaii. Does Corky's BBQ qualify as pre-race carbo-loading?

With all the frequent flyer miles I save, it's almost enough to get me to Orlando, which is good because I just signed up for Disney. The half is already sold out, and with it the Goofy challenge. The full is at 85% capacity, which prompted my early registration. I'll have 6 weeks from Memphis to refresh and recharge.

I'm going to try and have fun with Memphis and use it as a tune-up. I won't worry too much about time in Memphis (famous last words), but it would be nice to PR at Disney. The old training plan from last year has been dusted off, and new run times have been calculated. I'm toying with a 13 minute improvement goal - that's only 30 seconds per mile - and then "rounded" that up to an even 15 minutes improvement goal. Does that sound reasonable?

Got No Rhythm

2007-07-21T20:08:00.000-05:00

It's so good to be back home this weekend. I managed to run only once this week, partly due to the feeling that I spent half the week in the air. From 7:00 pm Wednesday until 1:45 am Friday, I tried to get from Minneapolis to Detroit. My connection in Chicago was cancelled, so I was re-routed to fly on Thursday through - of all places - Dallas. So I hopped off in Dallas and worked from home for a bit, and at least had a chance to see the family.

I ran Tuesday morning in St Paul, starting downtown and crossing over the Mississippi River just 3 blocks from my hotel. St Paul is not a bustling place. There was hardly anyone about, maybe because it was 6:00 am? Even so, I was out there until about 6:45 am and saw only one other runner.

I crossed over and there was a decent, if deserted, park on the other side. I ran along the river for a bit, past some obligatory river boat restaurants, and then turned around and headed back. I often use these runs to clear my head of work stuff that weighs me down, and it helped this time too but I could've used a few more miles to deal with this week!

I missed the Too Hot To Handle 5K/15K today in Dallas. S. is taking a yoga class all weekend long, so I'm in charge of the girls today and tomorrow. I've already lost the soda battle, and I'm pretty sure the defense is crumbling on ice cream or gelato, and behind that I see a pizza or two waiting to burst out. Maybe tomorrow morning I'd better get these girls out of the house and to the park to get moving!

Time To Move Along

2007-07-12T22:02:00.001-05:00

Thank you all for your kind words and comments to my last post. From the time she first came home with us, Shari had been so much a part of the family for so long. It was very difficult last week, but it's much better now and we're moving along.

I tried running last week and it helped a little. It's been hot and muggy here when it's not actually pouring rain. I ran yesterday morning at 6:30 am and I almost couldn't even get through my usual 4 mile jaunt through the neighborhood. Marathon indecision is still ... undecided. I guess I'm waiting for divine intervention to show me the sign for Honolulu or Memphis or Disney or something!

On the good news front, I've discovered, well, good news. I've long since stopped paying attention to TV news, but it seems even online news is now just full of bad news. Doesn't anything good happen anymore? Well it does. Google "good news" and voila! Good News Network. It's a refreshing change.

Run Free

2007-07-03T15:48:00.000-05:00

Shari

April 23rd 1992 - July 3rd 2007

Tears have flowed mightily today, but we know she is in a better place. I hope she is chasing rabbits to her heart's delight. I hope she has all the dog biscuits she can ever want. I hope the sun shines down on her every day. I hope she has green grass to roll around in, and a big comfy bed to sleep in each night. Most of all, I hope I'll see her again one day. Bye sweetie. We miss you.

Indecision

2007-07-01T17:58:00.000-05:00

Ever since I didn't get into NYC, I've been struggling with which marathon to sign up for. When I didn't get in last year, I signed up immediately for Marine Corps, and ended up doing that and White Rock. I don't think I want to do either again this year - there aren't that many marathon miles in this old body to go around the circuit twice!

So here's the list of candidates and reasons for running them. They're all in the US, which means 25K American Aadvantage miles if I have to fly there (35K if Hawaii), or close enough to drive if in Texas.

12/1/07 Memphis - BBQ! wet ribs baby!
12/2/07 Vegas - it's now or never, time to do my Running Elvis thing?
12/9/07 Honolulu - any reason to go back to the islands
1/13/08 Disney - free room at my sister's place (I think)
1/13/08 Houston - because it's there
2/17/08 Austin - my alma mater

If I can get one in in December, I may just keep going and do another in January/February. Maybe I'm over-engineering this thing, but I've also got a few reasons to not do some of the races above. The message boards on Marathon Guide really ripped the Vegas race organizer a new one for inept execution; it's got me concerned enough to pass on it this year until they get their act together. I also know Disney is a pretty boring course too outside of the parks, but it is what it is; I'm not up for the Goofy challenge, but I wouldn't mind a Mickey Mouse medal.

Any suggestions about these races? Any ideas for others I should think about?

Just Run Where You Can, Eh?

2007-06-25T20:44:00.001-05:00

From where I sit in my hotel room, I can see the Toronto airport maybe a mile or so away. Every few minutes, a plane flies overhead coming in for a landing, close enough that you hear it go ssssccrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooowwwooosh, but at least the windows don't rattle. How nice.

I flew in last night, and I should've flown out tonight, but my flight got cancelled. I'm on a 7:10 am flight tomorrow morning to San Antonio, then I'm hopefully home tomorrow night. Today is S&S's birthday. Yes, I know, it's not a good thing to miss birthdays and holidays, and in their 11 years of existence, I don't think I've missed any. We celebrated a day earlier on Sunday with family, and they've had a friend and a cousin stay over the weekend and again tonight, so they've been in extended party mode for a few days now.

Back to running ... Toronto should be a nice place to run. I was here several years back with S. and remember the downtown waterfront area to be quite picturesque. Unfortunately, when I went out for a run this morning, the airport area was predictably much less scenic, unless you enjoy views of offsite rental car lots, highway interchanges, and fast food drive throughs. I did eventually reach a residential area, and it had a nice greenbelt that was deserted and peaceful. It was a nice change of pace and scenery. I got in about 4-5 miles and that was good enough for me.

ShoeWash 5K

2007-06-17T23:10:00.000-05:00

Well, actually, it was the Dadfest 5K yesterday. I was in my closet quietly getting changed when I heard the first drops of rain coming down. Big drops, still spaced far apart. Sydney was signed up for the 50 yd dash, for which she received her first running medal in this same race last year, but this year she was still sound asleep in our bed where she had sneaked in overnight. At the sound of rain, I decided to let her sleep in while I eagerly quickened my pace, grabbed by still mud-caked shoes from the Mango Madness run, and headed out the door.

I arrived at the race with about 15 mins to spare. It wasn't raining yet up there, but the PA announcer was already calling wave after wave of the 50 yd dash, trying the get the kids program done before the rain came down. He barely made it. After the last wave, he called the 5K runners to the start line, and as we did, the clouds let loose and it started raining buckets.

At that moment, you knew you were part of a special assembly, runners that step up when conditions threaten, runners that toe the line while spectators dash for cover, runners that run come hell or high water, and we were about to get a LOT of water. Or it's possible that we were just plain nuts.

You could feel a buzz of excitement as we all waited to start the race, hoping to not miss out on the rain. Cheers would sound out when the wind kicked in, or when the rain came down heavier for a moment. We needn't have worried, because all 400 of us ended up running in a constant downpour throughout the entire race. While some ran in the middle of the road, I and others happily ran along the side where the water was deeper and flowing fast toward the storm drains. I was running for pure fun and long ago decided that I wasn't going to run this one for time. I was going to stretch it out. I was going to get a shoe wash. I was going to get my morning shower. Before I knew it, it was almost over. I had barely broken a sweat :-) so I kicked it in and splish-splashed my way home in 26:07.

It H.U.R.T.ed A Lot

2007-06-10T19:53:00.000-05:00

Since the Hawaiian Half Marathon this past weekend was cancelled, I signed up for the only other race going on in town. It was an informal race, sponsored by the aptly named Hawaiian Ultra Running Team (H.U.R.T.), and yes it did.

The Mango Madness 10+ Mile Run is a trail run on the outskirts of Honolulu. I'd never done a trail run before, and now I know why. There were 30+ runners last year, and about double that this year. We started at a small innocent looking park, about half the size of a football field, set within a residential neighborhood.

As we waited for the 7:00 am start, it rained. After a few wise cracks from the race director Mike (shown above, photo courtesy of co-director Pete) about how the rain was providing ideal race conditions, there was a quick 3-2-1 and we were sent off.

We ran gently uphill on a paved road for about a half mile, and then we entered the Makiki Valley Trail. What started as a nice trail of small evenly crushed rock eventually got narrower, muddier, steeper, wildly uneven, overgrown with tree roots, and liberally plastered with rocks of all shapes and sizes. I had done 2 back-to-back 7+ mile runs earlier in the week, from Waikiki to Diamond Head, encircling Diamond Head crater and going back, but it didn't prepare me one bit for trail running. After 5 mins of this trail, most of it only 2-3 feet wide, I was breathing heavily and moving slowly. After 50 minutes of straight uphill, I finally broke out of the trail and onto a real paved road again.

Then it got worse. The next 15 minutes was on something the locals affectionately call "The Concretes". It's basically a poorly paved road that goes steeply straight up forever and ever and ever. No one around me ran it. We all walked it, and even that was difficult. I was managing about one and a half foot lengths with each stride, it was that bad. Did I mention it had rained several times since we started?

Anyway, an hour and change after the start, I finally reached the top of The Concretes and the midpoint of the run. From there, I entered another trail and it was all downhill, but not simpler. It was just as narrow, steeply declining, muddy etc. for a first time trail runner like me. I eventually finished the darn thing in 2:06, good for very close to the bottom of the barrel, but not rock bottom :-)

My vacation is over and I'm in transit in LAX on my way back to Dallas. The family units are staying a few more days in Hawaii. My calves and quads still hurt going up and down stairs, just like when I ran my first marathon. I've got some new found respect for trail runners, and I'm happy to stick to road running for now.

Diamond Head 10K

2007-06-05T04:28:00.001-05:00

In years past, the good people of Hawaii lined up to run a half marathon last Sunday through the streets of Honolulu. I would have had the privilege of lining up with them too, if they hadn’t cancelled the event a couple of months ago. :-(

Instead, I lined up for my own 6-ish mile loop run, retracing a familiar path I took when we were here a couple of years ago. It’s one of my all-time favorite routes, and I couldn’t wait to get it going again. Starting at dawn, I ran on Kalakaua Avenue towards Waikiki Beach, which was already buzzing with activity. Dozens of surfers were already in the water at first light, and others were making their way down. Running through Waikiki, it’s always an eclectic mix of surfers, runners, mostly Japanese and American tourists, and local old-timers all drawn to this one spot on the map by some magical appeal.

From Waikiki, I ran through Kapiolani Park, a wide expanse of green grass and palm trees. Here you run into dozens of runners either coming or going to Diamond Head, and the occasional biker with a little something more than biking on their mind.

At the other end of Kapiolani Park is the beginning of Diamond Head Road. It’s only about a mile to the highest point that the road will take you, on a one lane road with private homes on the right and the hillside sloping up on the left.

When you get to the lookout point, that's when the run was all worth it:

I ran a similar route again this morning, but instead of starting out on Kalakaua Avenue, I started out on the beach. This is view from my start line, with my destination Diamond Head straight ahead.

Moonset over Maui

2007-06-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

I ran one more time on Friday morning, getting out there by 5:15 am to catch the moon setting over the horizon. How was I to know that the lunar schedule varies widely from one day to the next? This time, the moon was still high in the sky, so I started running instead of waiting.

As I ran north towards Kihei again, I occasionally glanced back to see how the moon was setting. Over the next 20 minutes, the sun rose in front and to the right of me, while the moon set over my left shoulder.

In the last shot, the moon has settled into the hazy orange band above the horizon, and is barely visible about 1/3 of the way from the right edge. Back at my hotel, another beautiful day begins.

Aloha

2007-05-31T13:17:00.001-05:00

It is just past 7:00 am as I sit down to write this. I’m counting my blessings as I look over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of West Maui. From my hotel balcony, I can see, hear, and smell the ocean. I can see past the manicured lawns of a little Hawaiian Wedding Chapel, where S. has taken the three little S’s for morning yoga by the beach. I can see runners on the beach, and along a path that connects several hotels here in Wailea. I don’t envy them, I don't wish I was down there too, 'cause I've already beaten them to it :-)

There was a brilliant full moon reflecting off the otherwise dark ocean when I got up at 4:30. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I quietly changed and left the room just past 5:00. It took a while to make my way downstairs and out, and I was just steps away from the sand when I noticed the moon dip below the horizon. Being on the west side, I won't see much of a sunrise, but I've never seen a "moonset" before; I made a note to try again tomorrow. This is a shot instead of Haleakala in the distance, the top still covered in clouds, no doubt already filled with eager but frigid tourists waiting to catch their moment of a Hawaiian sunrise above the clouds.

I ran north towards Kihei, staying on the beach as much as possible, and moving onto the concrete pathway only when I had to. The tide was low, and the waves crashed slowly and lazily onto the sand. I kept an eye out for seashells, which we collect in glass jars to mark our family vacations, but this area was completely free of any. After a couple of miles, from Wailea Beach, to Mokapu Beach, to Ulua Beach, the sand and the pathway ended at Keawakapu Beach.

Going back south, I ran past my hotel and kept on going. I had to stay on the pathway as there wasn't any beach to run on past the next hotel down. One more hotel after that, the pathway itself ended and I turned onto a residential street headed towards Makena. That didn't last long because of the road looking like this ... the street signs here don't say "limited sight distance" ahead, they say "NO sight distance" ahead! Not really runner friendly, is it?

I turned around one more time and headed home. The sunrise in the east started to make its presence felt, and there were a few more early birds making their way out. I ended my run back on Wailea Beach, the way I dreamed about doing months ago, alone in the water, floating along, pushed by the waves, staring at the blue sky above.

On a lighter note before I go, here's a special something from paradise for you ladies out there. Squeeze those cheeks and say "cheese"!

American Airlines - We Know Why You, uh, Fly

2007-05-26T10:41:00.000-05:00

Don't tempt the American gods. American Airlines that is. Don't post that your travel woes cannot get worse. I love American Airlines - they're paying for my vacation next week, but the depths I have to go to earn that vacation ...

I was at the airport in Austin on Thursday afternoon for my 45 minute flight back to Dallas. I found out when I arrived that all flights had been cancelled. The ticket counter area was packed wall to wall like some bad mass exodus movie. I left and found a relatively quiet spot away from the crowds and called American. 30 mins later, I got through:

Me: I'm at the airport. All flights are cancelled. Can you get me on the next flight to DFW?

AA: The next flight to DFW is at 6:00 pm tonight.

Me: Huh?

AA: Yeah, 6:00 pm tonight. They must have just added some flights.

Me: I'll take it!

AA: OK, you're confirmed on AA9332, leaving 6:00 pm, arriving 9:15 pm. (foreshadowing)

I head on back to the ticketing area to get my boarding pass, which of course doesn't spit out of the self-service machines. I wandered over to an American agent talking to another sorry sap, and I overheard her saying "You're all set. This is your boarding pass. It leaves at 6:00 pm for Dallas. Go downstairs and out to curbside and the bus will pick you up there."

Whack! Bus? BUS? BUS?

Yes, boys and girls. American BUSlines, now serving the friendly highways. Even that wasn't on time. It left late, took longer than the estimated 3:15, and dropped me off at DFW at 10:30 pm. At least I was almost home.

Fast forward to today. I signed up for this race after getting a comment from Susan asking if was going to run it. It was a small race, maybe a hundred or so runners. I saw Massoman there, who was giving massages at the registration tent, but no Susan - where were ye?!

I was thinking of just running the race slow and for fun, but when it started, I went out too fast again. The mile 1 marker was way way off and I hit it in 9:45. Mile 2 seemed properly marked. At mile 3 I could see the finish, and knew I had a chance. I crossed in 23:44 unofficially, a PR again by 14 seconds. I'm pretty happy!

Texas Hill Country

2007-05-22T22:53:00.000-05:00

Austin is as hilly as Dallas is flat. I felt it first hand this morning when I went out for my run. If you can believe my travel woes getting worse, I finally checked into my hotel at 1:00 am Monday night Tuesday morning. I was already on a late flight because I had to catch my girls' 5th grade graduation celebration yesterday evening (congratulations Samantha and Stephanie! more on that in another post ...), but this was way later than planned.

When sh*t happens, that's when I know I really need to work in a run. So at 6:00 am, the alarm went off. It took a few minutes to shake the cobwebs, but I was downstairs and out the door by 6:15. From my hotel overlooking Lake Travis, I ran back out through a nice residential area. I really like the look of homes here, many with limestone exteriors, wrought iron embellishments, lots of Texas stars, I even saw an iron armadillo weather vane! Halfway into my run, I paused outside this one house to watch 3 deer quietly grazing in the front yard.

The sun rose on a beautiful morning while I ran. It was 4 miles out and back of gentle rolling hills, and the deer were gone on the back stretch. Back in my room, I opened the sliding glass doors and looked out on Lake Travis. As far as the eye could see from left to right, there wasn't a boat in sight and the lake was a sheet of glass. Someday, I'd like to retire here. In the meantime, somebody's got to make the doughnuts ...

San Francisco Bay Run

2007-05-17T00:39:00.000-05:00

I'm at SFO waiting for my 12:55 am red-eye flight back to DFW. A quick in and out trip this time, although nothing much happened yesterday that was "quick". I'll spare the details, but I did arrive DFW at 8:00am for a flight to San Fran and eventually took-off at 5:40pm for a flight to Oakland instead. In between, I took 2 conference calls, ate 3 meals, and did a bunch of email at the airport. I recommend none of the above.

After all that, at least the night ended on a pleasant note. The rental car agent was kind enough to give me a convertible instead of my compact car. I never took the top down, but it's the principle that counts. Then the hotel desk clerk gave me a nice corner room overlooking San Francisco Bay (photo courtesy of Hilton's website). A few miles away in the distance, I could see planes taking off into the night sky from SFO.

In the morning, I resolved to get out and at least get some running done. I vaguely remember running this path along the water some years ago when I first started running, but what sticks in my memory is that the path seemed to go on and on forever. I ran the entire length today and imagine my surprise that it was only 3 miles! The best part about it? I was done by 6:00am.