Sunday

6.75 miles with buddy S.L.

pretty disappointed it was not further. not enough rest lately and not eating enough.

Work Interruptions (grrrhh)

I've been cranking out the hours at work for the past 2 weeks and have not had lots of time for running. Worked 50 hours each of the last 2 weeks. It has thrown the running completely off. I will need to do another 4 days of extra hours before back to a more normal schedule. It has been 10 hours of raised intensity every day and by the end of it, i am wiped out. Of course, when i am able to put on the shoes and go, i feel whole again!!

Last night I just wanted to ride my bike, so i walked in the door from work and quickly changed clothes. Pumped up the tires and went: rode 7-8 miles. short, but wonderful. great to go fast and feel the warm wind on my face as the sun was edging away...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday:

The first weekend day in like, forever, that i did not get up and run immediately. Needed the rest. and I had a 9:45am appt. to get my freaking haircut!! Finally. Whew. What a relief.

Afterwards, went to a nealry abandoned track and ran in the slightest sprinkles of rain.

3 miles - 28:46 Slow. Man, my legs felt like I had anchors attached to them. Very humid. But so peaceful at the track.

just for kicks and to mix it up a little, i did the following just to see what my times were:

4x200

Avg per 200 = .53/sec

I was glad to get out there today. Aiming for a 10-12 miler tomorrow.

Sunday 10 Miles: Trail

After a neat & short little race on Saturday, my buddy SL and I went out to Kennesaw Battlefield to do some battling of our own.

(http://www.nps.gov/kemo/)

It looked pretty dreary out when we left my house just after 8am. Not cold, but grey skies that looked like rain was a comin'.

No worries from us. We both had new trail shoes to tear up and we were raring to go! We we took our first steps, the rain came down in small drops. For a good 10-15 minutes somewhere between miles 4-5, it began to absolutely pour down on us!! I mean POUR, like buckets were being poured on our heads. It was awesome!! The trail became very wet and muddy and soon our nice new shoes were well worn in. A few times, we almost fell from the uneven and tricky terrain. We had 2 short walk breaks and basically just used that time to talk about what a great day it was. SL was all fired up saying she couldn't believe trail running could be so much fun. AHH! Now, maybe I have a partner??

From miles 6-9, I deliberately accelerated a few times -- I love to feel myself go a bit faster on the trails…it feels so free, as if I am running free in the wild. How wonderful it was to get out and away from sidewalks, streetlights, treadmills, people, & cars!!!

We finished 10 miles which was more than I thought we would do. We were happily and sufficiently dirty when all was said and done!

We still gotta play, right?

Race Day: Southeast Braintumor Foundation 5K

Wasn’t at all sure how I would do today after a work week of 10 hour days. Yikes! I got no running in except a 2 miler in the morning darkness on Thursday before work.

I was excited for the race even though i really wanted to sleep in instead of waking at 6am. My buddy, S.L., came over and we made our way over to Atlantic Station, race start. Of course, lots of folks, lots of good energy and a beautiful morning. Pretty humid, but not hot yet.

I was looking around the bib pick-up area for 2 other pals from work, but did not see them. We walked over to the start area and saw them and it was a good boost. We were all ready for our morning run.


(that's me with the blue Bandana) Race Start Photo

I didn’t really have time to stretch or warm up or anything and i thought to myself, “if i do 9 min miles, i will be satisfied.” My body was absolutley exhausted this past week. Coming home from vacation to work 10 hour days is not exactly how i would have scripted it. Oh well. Suck it up, right?


Mile 1 was flat and easy. 8:09

Mile 2 had a significant hill at approx 1.5 mark and then a smaller hill closer to 2nd mile mark. approx 9:00

Mile 2 - 3.1 was flat mixed in with just the slightest smallest grade. approx 9:00

5k Finish Time: 26:19 = 8:30 appox pace

Not bad considering my body conditions. It was a great and fun since I had cajoled 3 others into running. We had a good time cheering and supporting each other and a worthy cause!!



(after the finish, sweaty & happy!)

Catching up

Running in Seattle last week

Thurs 7/12: 25 min. just to move my tired body after traveling 5+ hours.

Fri 7/13: 4.2 miles - from hotel through Capitol Hill nieghborhood. Hilly

Sat 7/14: 5 miles - from hotel through Queen Anne neighborhood and waterfront area

Sun 7/15: 6 miles - best run of the weekend; from hotel to over near Lake Union and onto University of Washington.

Awesome weather all days. 70-80 degrees, sunny and gorgeous

Venturing into the Unknown

"Don't ever accept anyone else's preconceived limitations. If there's
something you want to do, there isn't any reason you can't do it."

Amy Dodson, running amputee


I'm in. Holy Cow. I have no idea if i can do it.

But, of course, that is what my life is about...the trying, the effort, the risk.

I will give everything.

JFK 50 Miler

latest runs, etc..

Saturday: 27:15, 3 miler with buddy S.L.

felt good. started at 7:30 to avoid major humidity. got up and down some hills and flats.

Sunday: 51:16, 5.21 miles solo

another early start at 7:30. this time, it was a heavy rain for about the first 2.5 miles; it turned into a drizzle and then ceased altogether. how refreshing to be out in te pouring rain. it felt good. i had a cap on, but my glasses still got messed up. oh well.

what geek goes out at 7:30 on a sunday morning and deliberately runs in the rain? i do. and the rest...you know who you are!!


on a more of a bummer note: about 1 month ago, i purchased these cool-ass New Balance shorts for 40 bucks. They are soo cool and i just loved them. Well, I've lost them. LOST!! I think i left them in my hotel in Panama City Beach a couple of weeks ago. DAMN!!!

Peachtree #6

I ran my 6th Peachtree today. The first one in 1998 was definitely the best because everything was new and unfamiliar. Now, as a "veteran" of this famed race, I know what to expect and not to expect. Expect to be crowded for first mile. Expect hot/humid conditions. Expect to not post anything near a PR. Expect to struggle. Expect to hear a myriad of bands and see thousands of spectators.

As mentioned in earlier posts, i have not run this race for last 2 years and I think the absence made me more excited for the day. Maybe it's that whole things..."absence makes the heart grow fonder". I was really excited for the race and as such did not sleep well at all last nice. Excitement sure has a way of turning into anxiety. Sheesh...

Oh well. I calmed down enough by start time and son enough, my group was off and running. I had definitely expected it to be very tight at the start, but somehow it wasn't. I had room to get my stride going early on, which was a pleasant surprise. I felt naked without my water bottle and ipod, but i needed neither today. Funny how i felt so weird without both of them. I either have one or both of them with me on every run, so i definitely noticed it. Had I not had my Garmin Forerunner on, I would have REALLY felt weird. I digress.

Saw my buddy, S., right after i started. Great to see a friendly face. First mile was about 8:15. Too fast, i thought. By 2 miles, I was at 17 min. Still a little fast. I didn't want to crash after the hills. Between 2-3 miles, I saw 3 different folks from work which was also very nice. 2 of them, i expected to see, but the other was a bonus. Great!! Mile 3 was 26 minutes total.

I felt fine. Felt like i had a good pace and nothing was giving me any trouble. I was taking in enough H2O and about 4.5 miles, I sucked down my vanilla GU. At about 3.5 miles, I was sort of targeting an under 57 minute finish. By mile 4 with a 35 minute time, I knew i was gonna have to start pushing soon to be sure I was under 57 minutes. Miles 4-6 are very deceiving...they are a steady and long uphill to the corner of Peachtree and 10th. I figured if i could just stay solid and pick it up a little until then, i could make my that final push down 10th street for approx 1/2 mile.

What I want to say here is that i felt solid. I felt strong. I felt like i was having a good race and I was very happy inside. This race has kicked my ass in the past and really humbled me and today, i just felt like I was better/stronger. So.

I made the left hand turn onto 10th street and pushed past some folks until my feet crossed the finish line and crossed over the rubber mat recording my chip time.

Peachtree #6 = 55:26

This was not my best time for this race. In 2003, I ran 54:09. But, today i felt better and enjoyed it more.

Hope to have soome photos to share soon!!

Pre-Race Notes

The last time I ran Peachtree was in 2004. A tough race that day. A tough year that year. I skipped 2005 race just because. I decided I would be a spectator that year and made my way to the finish line just as the elite were coming through. WOW. How fast there their legs were turning over. Amazing. It was great fun spectating, but I truly felt i was missing out on something.

2006 rolled around and I got my application in on time and everything, but I did not get in. No number! So, I went out of town to Denver.

2007, I got my stuff in and about a month ago, the wonderfully large envelope from The Atlanta Track Club came in the mail. YIPPEE. I was in!! If you submit a previous 10k time of 55:00 or better from a legitimate race, you can turn documentation in to get seeded near the front. I was able to do this and got placed in time group 1b. Here is the breakdown of the groups.

Seeded/Subseeded
Time Group 1a
Time Group 1b -- me. yeah!!
Everyone else

The first year I ran peachtree, I was number 55,???. When you are that far back, the winner is done before you even cross start line. That is how many people are out!!!

Tomorrow, I will be # 16637.

Weather looks to be cool. Should be about 70 degrees by race start 7:30am EST. about 75% humidity. It has been very overcast today and I would not mind at all that continuing until late tomorrow.

What's neat is that so many people in my office know I am a runner. Even people I never speak with. So, when a race like this comes along, people walk by and ask if I am running. It's neat. I like that. I think there are only about 3 other folks from the office running tomorrow. I wish them a great and fun race.

I am looking forward to it. The excitement is brewing. I am looking forward to rising early, in the darkness, making coffee and eating a bar and sitting quietly with my patio door open. I will listen to the quiet morning and watch the day awaken.

And then soon enough, it will be race time. game time. party time.

Cheers.