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!

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.

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!!!

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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...

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.

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...