Long Cool One

Pole, Detour and I did a nice long run on Lief trail yesterday. Was a chilly 40 degrees and humid. We ended up doing 14 miles at Gails request. My legs got tired at about 10 miles due to running the marathon the previous weekend. Gail's fingers started hurting. Rick got sick. So all and all it was a good long run!

Ended up running at 1050 miles this year. Less than normal but I was out for over 2 months with a broken ankle so I feel pretty good about this year. Next year I weigh under 200 lbs by june and run at least 1500 miles. I would also like to do my first 50 mile race. That will be tough though.

USA Today Editorial

Oh by the way. Here is the link I wrote to USA Today newspaper a while back. It is against mandatory airline pilot retirement at age 65.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2006/12/safety_is_key_i.html

Chistmas Marathon

Second time I have run this race just south of Olympia. It was a good day for a race with clouds and 40 some degrees. I have not trained much in the last month since the Seattle Marathon so I was just going in with a goal to finish in 4:30 or less. Well that's what I finished in, 4:30:15! I ran much better than I thought I would until I bonked at about mile 22 or so. That's when I got sick to my stomach, and got quite dizzy. I tried not drinking allot of poweraid this time but more water and some E-caps. Didn't eat anything but a few pretzels and a jolly rancher but I had a bigger than average breakfast.

I settled into to a nice 9:30 pace and held that until about mile 20 when I slowed a bit. Over the last 4 miles I probably walked 75%. Was just glad to finish this one, my 13th marathon. Afterwards I felt pretty sick so I just changed and heading back home. Stopped for some burgers and a Latte which did make me feel better.

Last couple days I feel good with the just the normal quad soreness. Thinking the Redding Marathon in mid January but not sure if Gail can get off work that weekend.

SHE SAID YES!

Well I asked Ms Gail Anne to marry me at the Slug's dinner party last monday night. She was in shock and couldn't speak for a bit but finally gave me the answer I wanted to hear! I am the luckiest boy in the world. Thank you Detour!

I'm Nervous!!!!

It's a huge night for me. And you will all find out why later!

Dang Wind!

Christmas Marathon postponed due to wind storm damage. Darn it. Rescheduled for next saturday the 23rd. I will still try and do it.

She is Amazing!

So Gail and I ran 8 miles yesterday. Was nice cool, partly sunny day. I started feeling pretty strong after a 4 miles or so. The last mile I told her I was gonna push it up. So I picked up the pace to 8:20/8:30 or so from our previous 10 min+ pace. I kept hearing those shoes behind me! We ended up running side by side all the way back home. Was so very cool! I really enjoy running with her. What a great run this turned out to be. Neither of us really wanted to go in the first place. Always seems to be a good excuse not to run in the winter. Too cold, its dark out already, its raining, I'm drunk, etc.

Gonna try and go to the gym twice a week from now on. Need to lift to get my sissy up body in shape. Leg strength would be nice for the hills too.

Not sure on the next marathon but I am thinking the Christmas Marathon again up by Olympia on December 17th. Need to have a goal!

Troten Zee

Did my first trot since the marathon last night. I was too much of a lazy wuss to go run outside so I ran on the treadmill. It was nice, with the big screen TV on watching a DVD on the NFL's greatest football players and just running in shorts and shoes. Kind of got me motivated watching all those guys bash heads. Now I remember why I liked the sport so much as a kid.

Didn't get to run in Burbank this week cause or plane broke and we didn't get there till after dark. I was bummed. So instead I went to In and Out Burger. Oh how the Fat-Boyee keeps his name.

In SEA tonight and didn't bring any cold weather gear. So I guess I will run tomorrow when I get home. Rick aka Pole runs his second marathon in a week tomorrow. Wonder how it will go for him. I can tell he was nervous, as I would be too!

Don't have plans for the next marathon. I don't like that! I need to be motivated. I am still thinking about doing the Christmas Marathon or the one at Lake Shasta in January. OK I'm done.

I DON'T WANT TO STAND UP!!!

Still sore from the Seattle Marathon. Gail and Rick are too. For me its mostly the quads that are shot. None of us can figure out why? This was not that tough of a course. Maybe it was the temperature? We have run a marathon in colder weather but never this much rain. Enquiring minds want to know.

Seattle Frozen Marathon

So...I said I would never run the Seattle marathon cause whoever decided to run a marathon in Seattle in November is not very bright. Well, I ran the marathon in November so I am not very smart either. It was the worst. Snowed the morning of the race. Rained as we got downtown to the start. Was about 35 degrees so it was pretty frigid out. Gail, Rick and I headed out to the bag check. After that it was out to the start in the nice cool rain. NOT! The race had about 2500 runners I would guess. We headed up town on a fairly gentle hill then wound our way across the Lake Washington on the I-90 floating bridge. I wore multiple layers of clothes but only shorts on the bottom. I also had gloves with heat packs in them for the first 6 miles or so.

I felt pretty good as we headed south along Lake Washington. I passed Rick a few times then felt good so picked up the pace to 9:15 or so. Around mile 12 my legs started to ache, kind of like the lactic acid burn you get towards the end. That was a big concern to me. They never got better. Th course gets pretty hilly the last 8 miles or so. My legs were gone by about mile 21. They just hurt and didn't want to go any farther. Walking was just as bad but I did walk probably a third of the last 4 miles. Rick the speed demon passed me at about mile 21. He looked real good so off he went after we chatted a bit.

It really started to rain the last couple of miles but I was pretty warm so it wasn't a concern. I ended up running a 4:43 which is my slowest marathon yet except for the Vegas one I got sick at last year. Rick ran a 4:35 and Gail a 4:59. All some of the slowest we have done. I noticed other runners I knew where pretty slow too. This course is not for a PR for sure.

Well ultra/marathon number 12 is done. The 31 miler 3 weeks ago was much easier than this one. And I am pretty sore in the quads and hips today. Also didn't get sick after this one. Only one other time have I not become nauseous afterwards. I forced my self to eat Mo's clam chowder and have a coffee. I think the coffee is the common denominator! Which is music to my ears.

Well the race was about 30 hours ago. Now I am thinking...."which marathon is next?" Crazy isn't it. Well I guess that's why I'm a Maniac (http://www.marathonmaniacs.com) number 228.

Meet Prez Steve of the Maniacs after the race. He took some pix of Gail and I, and we had a good chat. Super nice guy. Probably be seeing more of him in the future.

Snowy Marathon?

So they say it might snow on sunday at the Seattle marathon which Gail and I are running. Ran one at 16 degrees once but never in the snow. Could get kind of "sporty" running up and down the steep hills of Seattle in the snow! The drive home could be a big nightmare too. Guess I would rather run in the snow than the rain though.

So yesterday I was on an overnight in BUR. Never was much of an LA fan until I got old, now the warm weather is sooooo nice. Went for an 8 miler out towards Griffith Park and the LA zoo. Nice run on streets and a horse trail. On the way back I saw a Coyote cross the road in front of me. Then he stops, waits for the traffic to pass and then crosses back across the street behind me. Pretty cool to see stuff like that in the big city.

I really died the second half as I didn't eat anything before the run and only had 4.5 hours sleep that night. But still in that weather it was worth it.

Seattle Marathon?

Here I sit in SFO on an overnight. Trying to decide whether I should run the Seattle marathon in 10 days or not. Never had a desire to run Seattle but I want to get another marathon in this month. I have to work quite a few weekends in December so I am not sure when I could get another one in this year. Gail and I want to get that second star from the Maniacs! So we need 6 in 6 months. So far we have done 3 since October 1st. I am still having IT band problems so this will probably be a 4:30 marathon for me as I will need to go slow.
Nice day here on the Bay, I think 4 to 5 miles is in store for this afternoon. Tonight I will be in BUR and its supposed to be in the mid 80's tomorrow. YEAH!