Donation Totals

Friday, May 29, 2009

Running at Bethany Beach!

We are visiting with Orest and Deb for the weekend at their beach house and so after a trip to the beach in the afternoon, I went for a 5 mile run that I missed this morning. Once again, not running at home/work and I have a GREAT run. Got in a bit over 5 miles and other than scaring some woman when I asked for directions, everything went really well. Overall, I averaged 7:51 min/mile for the 5.09 mile run, with miles in 7:46, 7:48, 7:55, 7:51 and 7:59. Going golfing in the morning, so that should be fun!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Lunchtime Track with Mike!

Wow, I felt terrible. I really think I need to stretch more as my legs just did NOT want to turn over. Felt pretty terrible the entire time. Will definitely be taking the day off tomorrow, most especially with it being my anniversary! Anyway, the workout called for 2x1200, 2x800 and then 2x400, trying (trying being the key word) to speed up with each set. I arrived late, so I got going with a 3/4 of a mile warmup, then got the 1200's in 5:04 and 5:06, the 800's in 3:15 and 3:25, then finally the 400's in 1:36 and 1:39. Yeah see, told you I felt like crap. Anyway, finished off with a 1/2 mile cool down.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Cole naptime ride!

Well we bit the bullet and after heading over to our friend's Tracy and Joe's for a cookout and bonfire, we gave in and decided to try and campout in their yard to see how Cole would handle it. We brought the pack n' play to aid the cause, not to mention his lion and glo-worm, but around 1:30AM, we had dealt with three wakeups, with the last involving and jumping and crying boy, we gave in and drove home. Good thing as neither Betsy or I were sleeping well and getting home allowed us to get some good quality sleep. Still overtired, but it was a huge help. So after waking up, getting the boy to nap, I drove back to take down the tent. After finishing, I finally got my motivation back and despite being tired got out for a nice 22 mile ride! Went on a route that I had previously ridden many times, but had some pretty terrible conditioned roads, only to find that some of the roads were completely resurfaced, making it a quite enjoyable and fast ride. Had some steep little hills but had a great ride, falling just short of averaging 20 mph over the ride!!!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Post-Church Bike Ride.

We went to the 8am mass this morning and with how exhausted Cole was, we assumed he would go right down, so I decided to get out on the road, with the thought that Betsy would ride out when I got back. I got out for the 28 mile loop. I started off a bit stiff, with a nice head wind to start, but after the first five miles or so I got looser and started to have a really great ride. Did have a problem with my cadence monitor but it wasn't that big of a deal. After finishing the final hill on Bumpy Oak, I finally broke out, pushing the pace into the 22-24 mph range for the remainder of the way home. However, got a pinch flat when I hit Livingston and thinking that Cole was sleeping and Betsy was waiting on me, I just filled it with a CO2 cartridge and road home on a mostly flat rear wheel. Of course, I got home to find the baby boy eating lunch, found out that he never napped and that Betsy already had taken him for a run! Anyway, he got right to sleep after that and I finally got out to clean our bikes, something that was SORELY needed for a while. Overall, finished the 27.85 miles in 1:29:59.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Fri May 22nd - Lunchtime run at work.

Got myself out around lunchtime to meet Mike over at the gym and get in a 10k. Met up with Bill and Steve, who joined us for the first part of the run up until about 2.5 miles in, just before the hill. Felt ok getting started, however the heat was really picking up. I still have yet to get used to the heat, very dissappointing. After an easy mile 1 (8:25 min), we picked up the pace a bit, however right about 3/4 of a mile into the 2nd mile, ran into a HUGE black snake that was sunning itself across the path, taking up the entire width of the path! This might not be understood, but I am not the biggest fan of snakes in any form, certainly not the long and large variety. I was proud of my self though, I worked my way around the back of it (it didn't move), and got running again, finishing mile 2 in 7:40 min. After Bill and Steve turned around, Mike and I took the hill a bit easier, finishing mile 3 in 8:27, before picking it up on the way back, finishing with miles of 7:53, 8:06, 8:05 and then the final 0.15 miles at a 7:46 min/mile pace. Had one brief moment toward the beginning of mile 4 where I had to stop and get rid of a side stitch, but overall did ok considering the trouble I have been having with the heat recently. Finished off the night with burgers at Mike and Rachel's before heading with them to the Nationals-Orioles game for Cole's (and our) first trip to the Nat's new stadium!!!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Evening run with a sleeping child!

I called Betsy on the way home from work around 5 and she said she was on her way to the grocery store. So I got home, got dressed for my run and stretched out, waiting for her and Cole to get home. She got home and I finally got on the road around 5:30, getting out for a short 4 mile run. Unfortunately, Cole was really tired and despite my best efforts, he fell asleep. For those parents out there, you know the pitfalls of a late evening nap... yup, here it is 8:30 PM, an hour and a 1/2 past his usual bedtime and he is still crying away, tired, but awake enough to cling to the day... UGH... Anyway, got in a nice 4 miler, finishing in 32:27, keeping a pretty consistent pace, finishing miles in 8;05, 8:05, 8:10 and then 8:03 min/mile.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Second Run around Cornell!

After the wonderful run I had yesterday evening, I couldn't keep myself from running again first thing this morning! So I got up at 6AM only to find 35 degree weather. Me thinking, 'hell its May, it should be warm' plus weather.com telling me that it was supposed to be warm, didn't pack any long sleeves or pants. But, running warms you up, so off I went anyway! I actually got in a bit over 7 miles, starting off on the same route as yesterday, but then taking a quick detour to loop through the horticulture and herb garden, before taking the path around the lake. Upon crossing the main bridge on the western side of the lake, I had to stop and take in the scenery, checking out the waterfall and the pristine view, before finally realizing that I had to get a move on. After that, I went around the north side of the lake, getting back onto my path from yesterday, but instead of climbing Caldwell Hill (I know, booo for me) I cut through the arboretum. Of course when in a valley, you can't avoid the climb out, so don't worry, I still had to push through that steady difficult climb with two hills with grades up to 16%! The arboretum was gorgeous and really kept me looking around. Finally, I got dumped onto yesterdays path again, but this time I cut through the East Ithaca Nature Trail, where it was a gorgeous path along a creek that was pretty flat. It was here that I got in a really nice push, putting in a sub-7:00 min mile. I then had one more significant hill (15%) to climb before heading back to the hotel. Great run overall, wish I had a few more days to explore! Overall, I finished the 7.11 miles in 55:58 for a 7:52 min/mile avg. The miles themselves were completed in 7:56, 8:01, 8:27 (off road with stairs), 8:12, 8:08, 6:57, 7:31 and then the final 0.11 miles at a 6:44 min/mile pace.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Running in Ithaca!


Well I am in Ithaca NY for the next two days for an Atomic Layer Deposition Workshop at Cornell. I got into my hotel around 6:30PM, so luckily I had planned ahead and saved a run onto my GPS using www.mapmyrun.com. If you are a runner or biker who travels, you HAVE to check out that site. It lets you map your own runs or look at ones others have mapped so you can get a lay of the land and the nice areas to run. Using my Garmin program and Edge 305, I could upload the route into my GPS and follow along so I could enjoy the scenery without worrying about getting lost! Anway, I took off towards the University, swinging out over towards Beebe Lake, having to stop to take in the views for a min, deciding right then that I needed to get up early tomorrow to go for another run around the lake. The weather was perfect, low 60's, little wind, and bright sun, perfect for a run and for the first time in weeks I had a truly enjoyable run. After passing the lake, I turned onto Caldwell Rd (I think it was named after me), which of course has a huge hill (fitting of course) with grades upto 19% over 1/3 of a mile. But with how great I was feeling, I maintained a 7:49 min/mile pace! I finished by heading back around the Vet school and then turning into a state park, before finishing back at the hotel. I finished the miles in 7:43, 7:53, 8:13 (Caldwell Hill), 7:47, 7:51 and then the final 1/2 mile at a 7:06 min/mile pace. Overall finishing the 5.5 miles in 42:59. I then got to finish the night off with a burger and a couple local micro brews... does it get better? Yes if Betsy and Cole were here to enjoy it with me...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Afternoon ride!

Well, it has been a fun day. It all started off with an early trip out to go pick strawberries as a family, only to find out that we forgot our wallets at home! So we head home and I stayed with Cole to try and get him down for a nap, while Betsy went yard saling and to pay for the strawberries we picked. Well Cole didn't take a nap, so instead we sang and played and read until Betsy arrived home. Once Betsy got home, we finally got the boy to sleep, albeit only long enough for Betsy to get dressed and onto the road for her bike ride. So Cole and I played some more until Betsy got home from her ride and then I got to get out for my ride. I certainly felt much better than my last ride, despite the fact that the wind was just as strong this time. Felt pretty strong on the ride, getting in the 227 Hill and Bumpy Oak. Overall it was a great ride, even if only 22 miles.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Running with Cole!

Got going for a run this afternoon and decided I was going to get in a 6 miler. Once started, I quickly realized how humid and warm it really was, so I had to stop a couple times to give the little guy some water to make sure he didn't overheat, but little did I have to worry, he was having a ball the whole time. Got in the full six miles, actually finishing with 6.28 in 52:23 with miles in 8:15, 8:16, 8:22, 8:19, 8:28, 8:25 and the last 1/4 of a mile at an 8:11 min/mile pace. I did use the new mizunos again, but realize that I need to get some insoles in soon...

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wow, I did NOT have 'IT' today.

Got going for a bike ride upon getting home, hitting the road around 5 PM. Figured I would head down to Indian Head, turn down 225 and head back via Bumpy Oak, for what I figured would be a nice 20 mile ride. Of course I now find out that this is actually a bit over 24 miles, making me get home a bit later than I (or more importantly Betsy) anticipated, making for a difficult night. Anyway, I felt like I was riding into a head wind the way down to Indian Head, but upon turning onto 225, I QUICKLY realized I hadn't seen what a headwind was! The wind was quite strong, and with my legs already tired, I quickly realized that I probably should have taken today for rest. Of course with the gorgeous weather, how could I resist!? Anyway, once I finally turned onto Bumpy Oak, things started to pick up, even with the big hill toughening the ride a bit. Overall it was a pretty mediocre ride, but glad I got out for something...

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Evening run with Colvin!

Didn't get to get in a track workout at work today, so I rushed home to get in a run with Cole before bedtime. It was great fun, with Cole gabbin' the whole way, but really picking it up and starting to 'cheer' for daddy when I started asking him to! It would go something like 'gagaga-dadaaaaada!!!' then I would say 'keep cheerin' little man, I need your help to get to the top of the hill!' and there he would go, gabbin' more than before! SO MUCH FUN! It got to the point that when I hit the top of the hill Cole was just gigglin' away! Got in a good run, getting in miles in 8:00, 8:09, 8:05, and 7:54 min/mile.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Group lunchtime run in Oxon Hill Farm.

Got a break in the rain long enough to get out for a run with the NRL group. Mike and I got there right before 11 and there was actually a big group ready to go. We took off with six of us, Mike P, the other Mike, Bill, Ronan, Mark and myself, with the first mile being spent chatting with Bill about his 1/2 marathon this past weekend. After a 9:27 min first mile, we got in gear and started picking up the pace, with Mike, Ronan, Mark and myself heading out together for the rest of the 10k loop. We knocked out the second mile in 8:20, then picked up the pace a bit more, getting in mile three, including the hill, in 8:10. It was shortly after this that we kicked it up another notch, finishing the next mile in 7:45 down the hill before kicking it up one final gear for a 7:16 mile. Just after this I fell off the back a bit and I made it my goal to catch back up with them before finishing at NRL. I am quite proud to say that I finishing the final 1.12 miles at a 7:17 min/mile pace, catching the guys just before the guard shack at NRL. Great run, a bit harder than I was anticipating, but with the nice cool weather I couldn't complain!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Saturday morning run with Betsy and Cole!!!

It was a bit cooler this morning so Betsy and I got out for a 6 mile run this morning around 8am. It was a good run overall, didn't feel great, had to stop a couple times to save three turtles from certain death as they crossed the road, for Betsy to drink a couple times, but overall it was still a decent run. I was of course pushing the stroller and was trying out my new Mizuno shoes! They were ok, they probably still need to be broken in a bit more, but they felt good none-the-less. Anyway, finished with miles in 8:25, 8:29, 8:31, 8;26, 8:23 and then finishing with an 8:09 min mile.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Tough run with Mike.

So it was the first real hot day of the year (at least it felt really hot and humid) and it certainly played out in my run. Mike and I got going from the gym at around 12PM and started off feeling pretty crappy. Neither Mike or I was really feeling great for the run and once started it didn't get better. I had to stop to get my bearings on three separate occassions, the final one after I started to get dizzy. Not good times. Overall, the pace was ok, just the run itself sucked. Six miles overall, with miles in 8:34, 7:53, 8:53, 8:07, 8:15 and 8:21 min. Am I just missing sleep? Well Cole is crying, so it doesn't sound like I will be getting any of that tonight.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Who thought so much could happen on the bike trainer?

I forgot my gym bag at home this morning, so after trying to plan to meet up with Betsy to get my bag but failing, I left work to get home early so Betsy and I could go for a quick run. But unfortunately the rain and thunder/lightning kept that from happening, at least not with Cole. So Betsy went out for a short run, while I took Cole into the basement with me and set him up in the pack n' play while I did the Muscle Breakdown Spinervals workout on my bike. Was having a great workout and Cole was enjoying himself so I thought this was going to be a great workout. However, with Betsy in the shower, the dogs started barking like crazy! This of course flustered Cole and it was all downhill, forcing me to grab the little guy, while dripping with sweat to see that one of my former neighbors daughters needed to use our phone. Did I mention she was drunk? How about that her husband (?) and granddaughter were there? How about that the grand daughter had a baby goose that she found on the side of the road? Or that they were all barefoot? How about that she made 20 phone calls and then after not being able to reach her sister asked if I could drive them up the street to her brother in law's. Sure, anything to get back to my workout. Well I drove them down to her brother-in-law's only to find her eating chips and dip on his porch, while her husband and granddaughter sat in my car. Yeah, fun... 10 min later, after telling them that I had to leave, she asked to borrow $20 to pay her brother-in-law for letting them stay there while they waited for her sister... Uhhhh... do you see I am in bike shorts? Ok, sorry, but had to get that down on paper... just too weird...

Anyway, it was too late to get back on the bike at that point as I needed to feed and bathe Cole and then get him to bed, so it was another 30 min before I got to get back downstairs and finish my workout... Anyway, really good workout, leaving me quite tired. Looking forward to finally getting out for a run with Mike P tomorrow at lunch.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Muddy Buddy Photos!!!



Colvin Kisses post race make everything more fun!!!

Post-race photos of Shannon and Steve... they are DEFINITELY bringin' sexy back!!!

Steve and Shannon fighting through the infamous mud pit!!! ON YOUR BELLIES LOSERS!!!

The six of us post race... Shannon, Dana, me, Betsy, Jon and Steve... yes Jon is a stickler for the rules... "Helmets must be on and buckled at ALL times...."

Betsy and I finishing... yeah, I know, we aren't on our bellies, but my dad didn't get a picture of us at that point!

Treadmill Track...

Well the rain got me again and after a really busy day, I had to run to the gym to get my workout in. Betsy actually had to head out to her Mom's in Charlottesville, so she couldn't even join me and I have a long Cole-less night ahead of me. Anyway, had a workout planned for five 800's, planning to drop time on each successive interval. I started out with a 1 mile warmup at about 9 min/mile pace and then hopped off the treadmill to stretch before getting into the meat of the workout. After finishing with stretching, I got back on and started with a 400 jog at 9 min/mile pace, then diving right in. I finished the 800's in 3:25, 3:20, 3:15, 3:10, and finally 3:05 min, before cooling down with 3/4 of a mile at about 9-9:30 min/mile. Overall, felt pretty good and am quite happy with the outcome.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Muddy Buddy!!! Race Report

Well it was quite the weekend! My dad and grandpa had been in town since Wednesday night so they decided to join us for the trip down to Richmond for Muddy Buddy, figuring they would head on back to Georgia following the race. In past years, Betsy and I had always just planned on waking up around 3:30am to get our stuff together and drive on down to Richmond the day of to check in and race, but this year, our Trigator friends, Shannon, Steve, Jon and Dana were all joining us as well. Shannon, upon hearing about the time we were planning on leaving our house, decided that they would just drive down to Richmond and get a hotel the night before so they didn't have to wake up so early. Of course that got us thinking and we realized there was no good reason to stay home either! So it was decided. We got down to Richmond late afternoon, got our packets, checked into the hotel, had a couple beers watching the Kentucky Derby and then went back and hung out for the night.
This morning started bright and early at 5:30am with all of us dragging a bit, but still excited to get going. Of course it is always fun to break in some Muddy Buddy virgins!!! Dana and Jon were in wave 2, so they got started quite early, however, Betsy and I were in 8 and Shannon and Steve were in Wave 9, so we had a while to wait. It had rained really hard for the past three days or so, so despite the rain holding off for the race start, we knew we were in for a MUDDY RACE!!! And did it EVER live up to its name!!! There were tons of slippery areas and I almost lost my footing running a couple times! Anyway, we eventually got started with Betsy biking (she therefore started a min before me), and I was running. Starting off I didn't feel so hot, quickly realizing that I had forgotten to take my allergy medicine. However, I worked through it and I finished the first leg, a 1.32 mile stretch, in 9:54 min (7:30 min/mile), and then completed the first obstacle, a rock climbing wall with a cargo net on the other side! At this point, I picked up the mountain bike, which Betsy left for me after her first leg and I took off for my first biking leg, a 1.48 mile piece with some reasonable hills, finishing in 6:58 min (12.7 mph), passing Betsy along the way. Of course when I passed, Betsy had to give me her best support, yelling (you can bike harder than that! Get your butt in gear!!!)... yup fellas, hands off, she is ALLLLLLL MINE!!! Upon reaching the end of the 2nd leg, I dropped the bike for Betsy and then did the obstacle, this time the balance beam, before hitting the trail for the next running leg for me.
I got going on leg 3 quite well, hitting the biggest hill of the course without having seen Betsy, but about 1/2 up the hill, I heard "GO TEAM CALDWELL" to which I answered "CALDWELL RULES" in my best Billy Madison voice, before Betsy came back again with her more typical cheer saying "Why are you running so SLOW???". I could only smile when two seconds later the guy biking in front of Betsy stopped short, causing Betsy to have to stop and walk her bike up the hill the rest of the way. Life's little ironies make me chuckle!!! Anyway, I finished the 0.91 mile leg 7:21 min after subtracting the time I stopped for a nature call (8:05 min/mile), after which I dropped on all fours and climbed under the military net for obstacle number 3! Having found the bike in short order (it was much easier to find the bikes this year for some reason), I got going for lap 4 on the bike, a fairly hilly 1.29 mile stretch, finishing in 5:20 min (14.5 mph). I saw Betsy fairly quickly after starting, so I knew if I put in a solid effort on the bike and the subsequent run, that I could hopefully get to the mud pit near the finish (which we have to do together) without making her wait too long. So that got me pushing a bit more, hence the faster paced ride! Anyway, got to the next stop and did the final obstacle before the mud pit, climbing the cargo net and sliding down the slide on the other side! SO MUCH FUN!!! Got right up and started running again for the final 1.45 mile, very hilly, stretch. I was keeping great pace when I hit the creek crossing, where we had to wade through knee deep water to the other side, before immediately starting to run, in now wet sneakers up the hill on the other side! Anway, the majority of the leg was like this, up and down hills on the dirt, however, right near the end the course drops you off onto the road. It was around this final stretch that I kept expecting Betsy to swing right by me, but it wasn't to happen. I got to the finish and after waiting a couple mins, saw Betsy come in! With a huge smile on our faces, we dropped to all fours, and crawled the 100 feet through the mud getting thoroughly covered!
Overall we finished in 53:38, good for 11th place in our coed age group! Afterward, we got to watch Shannon and Steve come in (Dana and Jon finished well before us and weren't to be seen again until we got back to the car!). Everyone had a great time, and Dana and Jon actually came in 4th place in their All Male age group! Fantastic! Really love this race and can't WAIT to give it another go next year! Pictures and results to follow early this week!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Afternoon run with the boy!

So the last few days have been a whirlwind, with Monday spent trying to finish a great deal of paperwork (writing abstracts for conferences, finishing reports on my grant and such) before Tuesday, which led me to the start of Congressional Visits Day with the Materials Research Society. This included talks and a working dinner in the city, getting me home well after 11pm, so no running that day. Wednesday on the other hand required me getting up at 5:30 AM to start CVD, spending the day up on Capital Hill, visiting with staffers of Senators and Representatives from Maryland and Oregon asking for continued and sustained support for Basic Science Research. Everything went well, but I didn't get home until almost 7 PM and by that time my dad and grandfather arrived for their long weekend with us! So running or biking was out of the question again. Anyway, Thursday was spent catching up at work, and I got home around 5PM, only to be whisked away for a trip to Costco and then dinner at Red Robin. Therefore, today I made a note to get out for a run and get back on track. I got home following the rain and grabbed Cole and hit the road. Tried to keep the pace down for a good recovery (Muddy Buddy is this weekend) and did a reasonable job, keeping the pace around 8:10 min/mile for the 4 mile run. Despite being fairly consistent in pace, there was a significant drop in how I felt as the sun started coming out and the humidity increased dramatically. By the time I got home I felt pretty crappy and was dying to take a rest. Unfortunately, with the little guy, I am pretty sure I won't get it! Anyway, finished my miles in 8:03, 8:10, 8:09 and 8:18 min/mile.

2010 Efforts!

This year, like last year, I will be riding for Mary Payton's Miracle - My friend Steve Kogos from Trigators informed me that his friend Joe's daughter, Mary Payton, was diagnosed a number of years back with Late Infantile Batten Disease. This is a disease with no cure, however, there are special experimental (and extremely expensive) treatments which have shown some significant signs of success! In order to assist with the costly treatments and research, Mary Payton's Miracle was created to raise money to find a cure, hopefully in time to save little Mary Payton as well as the many others affected by this terrible disease!

Total Mileage

Current Challenges

Valid 2/1-12/1/2009