Back on the road (to recovery)!

Finally felt good enough to get out and run again, so Betsy and I went out for my birthday run! Only went 2.6 miles, trying to start slow to make sure I am over this cold, but felt pretty good! Trinity got to go with us again too! What a birthday gift that is! A semi-healthy running dog! She did struggle a bit towards the end, but still, baby steps to happiness! Well this was my last workout of this year, leaving the most successful year of RidingforaCause that I have had yet! Looking forward to next year! More details to follow in January!

Christmas Tempo Run!

Well Betsy and I put Cole down for a nap after opening our Christmas presents, leaving him with his nana and Uncles Dave and John to go for a morning run. Trinity was begging to join us so snce we knew we would be going easy, we decided to bring her along. We started off at a nice and easy 9 min mile out from out house into the neighborhood that I run in quite often. We got to the end of the neighborhood (1.24 miles) and Betsy kept running while I stretched and prepared for my 2 mile tempo effort. I got started and finished the first mile in 6:37 min/mile then followed that up with a mile in 6:52 min for a total time of 13:28 for the 2 mile effort! That is a new PR for me! Unfortunately, I was really laboring after about 1 2/3 of a mile, and really had to pull up the last 1/3 of a mile. I finished pretty weak and had to walk to the end of the road feeling a bit sick to my stomach. After settling my stomach down I got going again for my cool down of about 1.8 miles at about 8:47 min/mile pace. Over all a really good run felt strong and did a good job.

Back to Track

Got out of work later than expected, so I headed over to Bolling Air Force Base to do my track work over there before it got dark and too freezing. I got started running a mile warmup at about 8 min pace then stretched, hit the restroom, had a gulp of water then got down to business. By business I mean the bulk of the workout which was 4x800 at 5k pace (7 min/mile for me) with a 400 jog in between each 800. The GPS measured each lap as 0.26 miles in the first lane and did so repeatably, so I don't know if it was off or if the track really is a bit long. Anyway, I ran each '800' in about 3:30, right on the appropriate pace, with my intervals falling in 3:23, 3:32, 3:31 and 3:31. Pretty consistent once I dialed in the pace. Had a big lunch of Indian food, so my tummy wasn't too happy (can you say 'acid-reflux'?) but overall it was a good workout, especially since it was the first time I had been on a track in over 6 months! Looking forwared to making this a regular occurance now!

First Long Run of ING Marathon Training!

Got out a bit late today due to our alarm clock (Cole) sleeping in until 9 AM! Therefore I didn't get out until around 11:30, which worked out for the best as it was a bit warmer (maybe high 40's), althought it was still pretty wet out. Got in my 8 miles at the pace I wanted, keeping up a pace of 8:16 min/mile with miles in 8:21, 8:19, 8:26, 8:30, 8:21, 8:24, 8:19, 7:44 with the final 0.1 miles at a 6:32 pace. Felt fairly decent, but still labored a bit. Overall, it was a really good run.

Evening trainer workout.

Pouring rain, terribly cold so I had to give up my aspirations of biking or running outside and hopped on the trainer. As I am now officially back into marathon training now and have an 8 mile long run tomorrow, I decided to do an easy workout, the Spinervals Ride Strong effort. Was fairly easy, but still got in a good effort.

Thursday... Lunchtime run with Mike P

Got going a bit later than I hoped, but luckily Mike was nice enough to hang out for an extra 30 min or so while I finished stuff up around the office before heading out for a run. Went out to do the Oxon HILL loop through Oxon Hill Farm, which includes are pretty long and steep hill of about a 1/2 a mile with a grades hitting up to 11%. It was fairly chill, and the hill took me out a bit, but overall it was a really good run, maintaining 8:28 min/mile pace. We finished miles in 8:49, 8:15, 8:47, 8:23, 8:15, 8:21 and finishing the last 0.2 miles at 8:27 pace.

Late getting home + Crying Cole = 1/2 a Trainer Workout.

Got home and tried to get in a workout, but Cole wasnt' having it. So Betsy and I ended up compromising and I did half of the Team Zoot Spinervals workout. Got a nice workout in, feeling pretty abused despite the short workout. Need to get in a run tomorrow.

Good afternoon run in crappy weather...

I had counterintelligence training this afternoon so my aspirations for a productive afternoon at work were immediately shot. Getting out early enough to beat traffic but late enough to make it stupid to start anything new, I decided to come home a bit early. Cole was taking a nap when I got home, so I hit the road and got in a quick and easy four miles on the Accokeek Access loop. It was pretty crappy weather, with the temp somewhere in the 30's and the air thick with moisture from this morning's rain (my gloves were actually frosty by the time I finished), but with the right clothing it was tolerable. Maintained a bit over 8 min miles, with miles in 8:13, 7:57, 8:15 and 8:17 min. Good run, hopefully getting in exercise again will ensure I sleep well tonight after perhaps the worst night sleep I have had in months last night!

Afternoon run with Betsy and Cole!

Before heading out to meet Nabil, Carol, Mike, Rachel and Layth and Diane for an afternoon of football and beer, Betsy and I got out for a quick 4 mile run with the boy. I was pushing and with the wind it was a hell of a workout! We maintained about 8:21 min/mile, with miles in 8:21, 8:24, 8:26 and 8:14! Betsy is really coming back strong and we are now thinking about doing the ING Marathon (for me) and 1/2 Marathon (for Betsy) at the end of March! Looking forward to that for sure!!! Anyway, another run with no knee pain, so good news on all fronts!

Cole's morning nap = Daddy's morning run!

After having breakfast and feeding Cole, (he is a big boy now eating rice cereal, pumpkin, oatmeal and is able to suck on different fruits!) we put Cole down for his morning nap so I took the chance and hopped out on the road for the four mile Accokeek loop! Actually had a great run, most especially when compared to yesterday's difficulty. Actually averaged 7:41 min/mile over the run, finishing with 7:50, 7:53, 7:43, 7:21 and the last bit at a 6:33 pace! This was a bit off of my PR, but certainly the fastest I have run this course in a while and did it without any knee pain! Good day on the road!

Much needed run after a frustrating day at work

Got home after a frustrating day where nothing seemed to work, including a crashed mother board on my work computer, a Raman system that somehow continues to lose its alignment, found out I have to cancel hiring my winter undergrad and just couldn't seem to accomplish anything. Therefore I got home with just barely enough light left to get in a quick 5K run. Felt really tight and out of sync but still kept up a reasonable pace of just under 8 min/mile.

Morning run

Todd was leaving today to head back out west after a great weekend with us. I too am leaving for the night to head up to Boston for a DARPA review, and will be visiting with Kotch and Katie and their new little one Taylor! Will be tough leaving Cole for the first time ever though! Anyway, since I won't get the chance to get out tonight or tomorrow, figured I would get in a short run this morning. Got in a quick 5K out and back on Livingston Rd. Felt pretty good, kept under 8 min/mile the whole way.

Morning run to test knee

After a couple weeks off from running, finally got out to test my knee. Went out for my four mile loop after Betsy got back. Felt pretty good, but went out a bit too hard, having lost my pace a bit. Kept about 7:50 to 8:06 min/mile despite trying to slow down after finding out my paces each mile. However, still felt fairly good until about mile 3 where I started to feel a bit of pain in my knee, but it was still much better than it had been on previous runs. Need to keep up some short runs each progressive run.

Rainy Day = Time Trial Spinervals workout

Starts with the warmup, easy 32-15, then 3x30s 53-13 w/ 30s 32-15 easy in between, one leg drills, 2x[53-12 each leg for 1 min], high cadence drill, 3x30s >120 RPM 53-15, Time Trial simulation, 5 min 100 RPM 53-19, 4 min 100 RPM 53-17, 3 min 100 RPM 53-15, 2 min 90 RPM 53-13, 1 min 80 RPM 53-12, with rest in between of decreasing length , one leg drills again 45 sec each leg, 53-12, high cadence set #2, >120 cadence 39-15, second time trial simulation set, 3 min 95 RPM 53-19, 2 min 95 RPM 53-15, and then 1 min at 80 RPM 53-12 with recovery of decreasing length in between each set, and then the final set of the workout, sprints at 3x30s [10s 53-19 110RPM, 10s 53-15 105RPM, 10s 53-12 95RPM]. Really tough workout, tired me out pretty good. Got on when Cole was napping, however found out that apparently working out in the basement wakes the little guy up! So need to figure this out a bit more in the future. Either way, it was a great workout and it feels good to get back into the swing of things!

First bike ride since OCTOBER!

Got home earlier this afternoon from Betsy's mom's house and finally got a chance, despite the real chilly weather to go for a short bike ride after watching the end of the Virginia Tech 17-14 victory over UVA! Got out for a very short ride, only about 18 miles, but it was good to get back out on the bike outside. Missing the road. Hopefully I can get out for another ride tomorrow too!

doctors visit

Went to the doc today and had him look at my knee. Thankfully he only thinks that is is tendinitis. Told me to take a week off, take the anti-inflammatory he prescribed and to where a knee brace. Will hopefully be able to do a trainer workout tomorrow night. Will update tomorrow!

Test run

Decided to leave Colvin with his 'Auntie' Elana for the first time without Betsy or I present so that we could head out for a short run. I was really interested to test my knee and see how it was doing. Unlike the 6 miler in NO, this time, it didn't really hurt initially, but instead started to hurt after about 3/4 of a mile and steadily got worse. It got bad enough that after about 2 miles, I had to stop for a short period to rest my knee before hitting the road again. I have my doctors appt tomorrow at noon, so hopefully I can get some closure on this issue and get healed so I can hit the road again...

Morning run through New Orleans Garden District!

Left this morning on what turned out to be the first rather warm day we have had since we arrived! The last couple days have been extremely windy and really chilly, so I put on a long sleeve underarmor shirt and an additional long sleeve jersey to cover up, however, within a mile I quickly realized that it was unnecessary and began to wish I had just worn a short sleeve shirt. Anyway, took off from the hotel, out past River Walk, under route 10 overpass and towards the Garden District, running up 1st street. I then turned right back toward Coliseum Square Park, before cutting back up to St Charles St. Ran past Anne Rice's old house and through Lee Circle, past LaFayette Square, then back down Poydras towards the hotel. Good run, a bit under 6 miles. My knee was really acting up for the first mile or so, but slowly I worked out the pain and it loosened up and let me finish the run. I really hope I get to get out again this week!

OBX Marathon Race Report.

This all started about 6 months ago, when fresh off his wife Molly's successful marathon finish, my buddy Mark Benjamin Spanky Pranke emailed Greg and I to ask if we wanted to get the old rugby roommate crew together to race a marathon together. WE both agreed. However, it should be noted that for multiple reasons, Spanky bailed, leaving Greg (a father of three with a two month old at the time) and I (a 2-time marathon finisher, but proud papa of a one-month old) to continue on by ourselves. (Sorry Spank, you know me, if given the opportunity to give you hell I will jump on the chance... now wait for it, wait for it... "Screw you JC, I'm going to my room!" ah there it is, the generic Spanky retort. The world is now whole again!) The marathon was on Sunday and originally we had planned on getting a hotel room for Sat night with Greg and Heather and their girls Abbey, Caitlyn and Natalie, but about 3 weeks ago we realized that we were a bit late in getting the plans finalized and all we could find were smoking rooms, which considering we were meeting to run 26.2 miles seemed like alot of 'counters-' (intuitive, productive, etc...). So I called a local realty company and it turned out that our difficulty in finding a hotel room was actually a blessing in disguise as they had a couple houses for rent for the weekend at a rate that was close to what the hotel rooms were going for! Furthermore, the house we chose was two floors, had three bedrooms with two bathrooms, two balconies, allowed dogs and best of all... IT WAS LOCATED EXACTLY AT THE 18 MILE MARK on the marathon course!!! This last point made it quite easy for logistical and cheering reasons! Anyway, we arrived Friday evening shortly before Greg and Heather and got the dogs and Cole situated and relaxed back with a beer and some pasta. It wasn't long before the Dunnigans joined us and after putting the girls to bed (they are getting big and Natalie can now crawl!!!) we all just hung out and caught up. Always fun to relax with Greg and Heather, still miss the times in college where we were hanging out all the time with Heather and I talking Gumby's pizza in Blacksburg to give us free pizzas after a long evening of 'imbibing'. Anywhoo, we woke up Sat and Betsy, Greg, Colvin and I went down to the race expo, picked up our packets, T-shirts etc... including spending the inevitable cash on random running stuff, but then headed home to grab lunch and head over to the beach! Caitlyn and Abbey were having a blast, running through the water (which was -340 degrees celcius in my approximation) splashing each other and collecting shells. Cole enjoyed himself for a while, before finally getting too tired and telling us it was time to head home. The Dunnigan's stayed behind for a bit longer, before meeting us at home for dinner. That was about the time that the Papantonakis' (Mike, Rachel and Casper the 6.5 mos in utero buddy) joined us for a pre-race pasta dinner. It was a great dinner and enjoyable to have everyone together, even if only for that short time, the night before, calming some nerves. So after making our final race day plans, we headed off to sleep, dreaming (or nightmaring... wait is that even a word?) of the day ahead. (photo to left is Greg, Cole and I at the beach with Caitlyn in the background).

Our day started at the crack of 5:00 AM, and after downing a bit of coffee and a bagel, Greg and I hopped in the car with Betsy and Cole to head to the start. We got dropped off and walked over to the starting line. That was when we bumped into Mike P, where else would a Caldwell be? thats right we bumped into him in the bathroom line! After a good stretching session and a couple more 'nature calls' moments in the woods, we got back in line and prepared for the start. It is always so fun to see those around at a race, there is shall we say, hmmm... how to say this delicately? Well as Mike P likes to say the ladies have alot of 'talent' if you will! Anyway, after 4-5 months of training, the race was underway. (see photos to right; Mike P and below that Greg and I, all still happy at mile 4).

The race started with a bang, with Greg and I finding a comfortable pace at about 10 min/mile. I apparently was more hydrated than I have ever been in my entire life, and over the first 12 miles of the race I think I ran to the woods to answer the call of nature 67 times (ok maybe only 8, but isn't that bad enough? Even for a Caldwell?). Either way, we were on a roll, running through the town towards the entrance to the town of Kitty Hawk. Around Mile four, we came around a corner and saw Betsy, Trinity and Colvin waiting there cheering us on. So I took a moment and ran over and gave Cole a big thank you kiss, Trini a appreciative pat and gave Betsy a big thank you before running to catch up with Greg and head off toward the town of Kill Devil Hills. Around Mile 8.5 we reached the Wright Bros. momument on Kill Devil Hill, running around the monument before seeing Betsy and Cole again, this time with Rachel and Casper (of course)! Cole was sleeping this time (making Greg and I extremely jealous!), once again cheering us up and cheering us on. We continued winding through the neighborhoods, taking in the incredible spectators with their pirate costumes and cheering, before entering a state park on the Sound side of the island, where we started a 3 mile stretch on dirt. It was hardpacked, so it wasn't so bad, but around mile 2.5 of the dirt it started into some small climbs and descents and my left knee started telling me it didn't agree wholeheartedly with this. (See photo to the left of Greg and I after the Wright Brothers Memorial). Greg and I had been progressively slowing our pace and I was resolute that I was going to be there to watch Greg finish his first marathon, so I ignored it and we exited the woods just as we reached the 1/2 marathon point. We were at about a 2:25 1/2 marathon. We entered onto Rt 158 (the main road along the outer banks) and continued south, cutting into and out of a couple neighborhoods before finally reaching mile 17 or so. At this point we found Betsy, complete with Cole and jogging stroller and two fresh water bottles ready to run with us and get us rolling again. It was really nice to see Betsy's face and got the conversation going again, taking our minds off of the pain that is marathon and onto a friendly conversation. Plus, getting to see a sleeping Cole is quite a good motivation! Anyway, about a 1/2 mile later we entered the neighborhood in Nag's Head, where we were staying to be greeted with a table of 'convicts' serving water and gatorade (they were actually volunteers from a local law office) at the 18 mile mark and Greg's wife Heather and his three kids, Trinity and Shelbi and Rachel, who had a bag of waters, gels and sports beans to replenish our stock. The water was such a great relief, but by this point I was so done with anything containing sugar that the gels and sports beans were of no use... I can't TELL you what I would have done for a granola bar (this is a family friendly blog!). Betsy continued around the neighborhood with us, keeping us going until about mile 19.5, where she cut off and headed back to the house, leaving Greg and I to fend for ourselves for the rest of the run. It was about this time that the wheels started to come off. My knee said, No Mas and Greg was struggling to settle into his comfortable job (something I think I didn't help with my requirement to speed walk every now and then to give my knee, lets refer to it as beelzebub, a rest). We continued to alternate between jogging and taking beelzebub for a stroll for the next few miles. It was then that we saw the very talented 'angel' who also was having difficulty with her knee. Now I completely buy into the look but don't touch policy of marriage (which is why I have been told Betsy puts up with my sorry butt), but there certainly are sometimes when looking almost feels like too much. Well this talented woman continued to keep our pace, pulling slightly in front of us before having to take a break to stretch out her knee or hip or something that hurt her, falling behind temporarily only to pass us again allowing us to enjoy her many talents once again. This kept going on, for I would say about 2-3 miles before I think her knee/hip/leg, lets call it Rosemary's baby, pulled her into a stop. I hope she finished, but she certainly motivated me to ignore good ole' beelzebuddy for a bit. IT was about this time that Beezelbubbles whispered in my ear that he was done, so I resorted to a few miles of continuous, err... lets call it power walking (my ego is already hurt, lets give it a rest for a bit). Greg, on the other hand continued to alternate, seeming to spend much more time running than walking, causing my 'power walk' to be quite a workout. This was about the time that we crossed the Washington Baum Bridge into Manteo. It was quite the climb, and I can say honestly that Greg was running when we reached the top. I can tell you this because he made sure to tell me so. OF course that is more than I can say for Beelzebullsh*t and I. However, Beezelbub met his Kryptonite when we reached the bottom of the bridge, when we ran into Mike P (who had finished in 3:25:49!!!) who had decided to walk back to meet us and run us in. This got Greg and I back into a steady rhythm, with Mike getting us back into a conversation again and keeping us motivated until he left us at about 0.5 mile from the finish. It was a HUGE help. No more motivation was needed and I asked Greg if he had anything left to finish with a strong last 1/10th of a mile and he said no, but once he saw the crowd at the finish he changed his mind, looked at me and smiled and we were kicking it in for the home stretch. We vaguely heard our names called as we crossed the finish line in what my clock had as 5:34:08, and seeing Greg's girls, Heather, Betsy and Cole and Rachel at the finish was awesome. We got the prefunctory picture (which I graciously allowed my knee, the recently ordained fallen angel; not to be confused with the talented mrs. angel from the course) and then gave the ladies and mini-gent a big sweaty hug. (See the happy finishers and the little devil at the finish to the left).

After reuniting with Mike, we all headed back to the house to shower (Mike had the quote of the day saying he smelled like weekold seafood, yeah theres a image for ya), to relax, have some pizza, watch the Patriots pull one out over the Bills and just all hang out together for a bit. We were rewarded when we got home with ribbons and banners and signs congratulating us all. This was in addition to the girls hand made shirts cheering us on and Colvin's onesie that said "my dad is rockin OBX!!! In the case of the onesie, Betsy was going to have it say "my dad is Ba-rockin' the OBX" but figured one big electoral win was enough without rubbing it in. Cole on the other hand disagreed (he is going to be a stubborn little stinker that one!!! It was too short a time haning out before Mike and Rachel had to hit the road (he worked today) and Greg, Heather and the girls went over to the beach again (Greg is the man. I can I say that again? Sure, Greg is the man.) I on the other hand stayed at home, watching football while little Beelzebub (did you forget him?) was quiety recruiting, eventually pulling my hips (Romulus and Remus), thighs (Lucifer and Mordecai) and my calves (Karl and Rove). Following his highly successful mutiny, Betsy and I decided to take Cole, who was not interested in napping, much less staying even remotely still (maybe he should have run the entire marathon?) on a walk to the pier to watch the sunset and then over to the supermarket to get some food for dinner (ok in actuality it was for Aleve, but whose counting?). Greg and Heather caught us just as we were leaving and decided to meet us there. The Satanic crew cursed me on every step, but like a good God-fearing soldier, I marched on and was rewarded with a spectacular sunset with some great friends and my family.

We returned home and ate left over pasta and played with the kids (as much as Satan's Siblings would allow for me), and then after putting the kids to bed, hung out, drinking a beer and just chatting. It is trully amazing the sacrifices that the ladies make for us to do these silly races (in my case I get to return the favor) and I wanted to make sure I made it quite clear how appreciative I, and I am sure Greg and Mike are for that. Our evening winding down and Beelzebanditto crying foul, we headed down to sleep, of which Cole was having none of. However, my head hit the pillow and I was gone for this world.

Monday began with me sleeping in until 8, getting up and slowly getting our stuff together and hitting the road. I made the comment to Betsy that my knee was feeling less possessed, actually allowing me to walk up the stairs, but alas I spoke too soon, Beelzebub was just still aslumber. We hopped in the car and headed out for the 6 hour drive home. Thank GOD I work for the Federal Government and have tomorrow off (seems pretty sad that me, some schlub who spent the weekend running myself into the ground and paying for the privelege, gets Veterans day off, while our American Service Men and Women fight on despite the day in their honor). Anyway, 6 hours cramped in the car without much movement is apparently NOT the way to pay appropriate homage to The Fallen Angels Gang and they were sure to air their frustrations with my lack of manners with me. Hopefully tomorrow will greet me with a bit less brimstone and more incense, but either way, I now have a really fun race memory, partnering with and helping one (notice that there is something missing here? Spanky can you hear me? Of course you can't you went crying to your room you little woman...) of my best friends to complete one of the hardest and most physically demanding accomplishments in the world, while racing with another of my closest friends and getting to hang out with some of my favorite people and by far the best little girls I know in the whole wide world for a nice long weekend. Years back, I will look back fondly on these days from my wheel chair and once more I will lower my head and with a smirk tell Beelzebub one more time to go f*#k himself... Sunset over the Sound...

Quick easy run

I was planning on going running with Colvin upon getting home from work, but wouldn't you know it that as soon as he was in the carrier and out in the jogging stroller that it started to rain. So after running a short distance, I had to turn around and bring Cole back in to mama. After dropping the boy off, I then got started again. I didn't feel that great, but kept going anyway. My running shoes started to give me a blister on my big toe on my left foot, which makes me really nervous since these were going to be the shoes I was going to run the marathon in... hmmm... now I don't know which shoes to wear, the ones that I did all my long runs with, but gave me a blister today after only 3 miles or the ones that I just bought, feel good, but I have only run 26 TOTAL miles (over a series of 5 or 6 runs) in. Such a conundrum... Anyway, we leave tomorrow afternoon for the Outer Banks of North Carolina (we are staying at a rental house in Nags Head, which it so happens is right on the coures!). Check out the website www.obxmarathon.com! And keep your eyes peeled Sunday for Greg and my results!

Afternoon run (5.3 miles)

I have my big proposal presentation tomorrow afternoon, so I left work early to get some quiet to do some reading and practice my talk a bit more. So after going through my talk when there was a break in the rain, I got out onto the road and got a 5.3 mile run in. Felt pretty good, took it easy since I have the marathon this Sunday, but overall it was a pretty productive run. Burned off some anxiety about the election and proposal whcih was of course good! Afterwards, Betsy and I ran down to the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD to get our free Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream CONE!!!

Betsy's first mountain bike ride since Colvin!

Well right after church this morning, Betsy and I hopped over to Rosaryville State Park to go mountain biking. Betsy hasn't been mountain biking since before Cole was born! I think it has actually been over a year! Anyway, she went first, finishing the 8.4 mile loop in a bit over an hour and had a great time, realizing what she has been missing out there again! I stayed back with Cole, passing time singing to him, walking around the parking lot and rocking in the car until Betsy returned. ONce back, I took off again and had a great ride. There were a ton of people out there, from hikers on some scavenger hunt, to a couple trail runners and then of course the typical mountain bikers. Therefore, it was a bit congested, yet still I was able to maintain about 10 mph and was able to incorporate the additional technical section (about 2 miles long) for a total of a 10.6 mile route! Great weather too, cool, with a light breeze and in the 50's.

Running with Colvin and Betsy!

Went for my last, 'long' run before the marathon next Sunday down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We started off at the bathrooms on the Mt. Vernon Trail just south of mile marker 8, running up to the 8 mile mark and then down to the 5 mile mark then back. I was pushing Cole in the jogging stroller, while Betsy stuck with me. It was quite chilly, but after a mile or so, we warmed up and it didn't seem so bad. We both felt really good to the point that on the final mile Betsy asked if we wanted to push harder and get in the last mile in at about 8 min/mile pace, which we did! First time that Betsy has gone this long on a run since Colvin was born, so to be feeling that good at the end was quite a confidence boost for her. As a reward, we met Elana and Tara over at the Old Town Alexandria Farmer's market afterwards, grabbing some apples and pears, some Obama for President stickers, some brussel sprouts and a couple ham and cheese scones! Great morning, with us then walking around Georgetown for the afternoon, before heading home and reading out in our back yard. Good day!

Running with Betsy and the Boy...

Got home a bit later than I anticipated, but early enough that we could still go out for a short 4 miler. So we popped Cole into the jogging stroller and hit the road. Felt a bit tired and out of it, but finished strong nonetheless. I do really love going for runs with Colvin, with the jogging stroller, he faces back at us staring around and laughing away or just sleeping off the time, either way, it is just great times...

Trainer work again...

I hate the shorter days, I can't get up and go for a run early, because its too dark, but its tough to do anything outdoors when I get home, as I would have to leave work at 3:30 or so... hurumphh... oh well. So, because of this issue I had to do another trainer workout when I got home around 5:30. Knowing I have just over a week before the marathon, I decided tonights workout would be my last difficult, high intensity effort, so I chose to do Spinerval's Suffer-O-Rama, which focuses on high gearing while doing alot of standing and seated intervals. Really tough workout.

Trainer work...

Poor weather again, with high winds and rain, so was relegated to an early morning trainer workout. Decided to do the Zoot Challenge, mostly a heavy gear and high cadence split workout. Did pretty well, although felt a bit light headed afterwards. Worked out pretty well considering I thought that there was a good chance I would wake Betsy and Cole up, but that wasn't the case. Looks like this winter will be filled with some morning trainer work!

Running in Charlottesville!

Going out for a short 'recovery' run up at Betsy's mom's place. However, being that it is Charlottesville, the hills pretty much limit the ability to make the run easy enough to be considered a true recovery run. So instead I just kept a nice even pace around 8:30-9:00 min/mile depending on the current grade of the hill being run. Overall, a good run.

Long run-10 miles

It was 44 degrees and pitch black when I woke up this morning at 6am, (WOW I really hate when the summer goes away), so I wussed out and just laid back in bed to 'warm up' before heading to work, with the idea that I would leave a bit early, go for my long run and then work on my proposal presentation while Betsy drove us out to her Mom's house in Charlottesville (Betsy's brother John is showing some of his artwork at an art show on Saturday). So I left around 2 and came home and set off with Betsy and the Cole-man. We got in a five mile loop together, keeping about an 8:30-8:45 min/mile pace. After about 5.2 miles, Betsy and Cole went inside and I set off for the second half of the route. It was at this point that with me feeling pretty damn good I decided to push a bit and succeeded in increasing my pace on each successive mile, ultimately finishing mile 10 at a 6:56 min/mile pace! Overall, my I finished with an 8:10 min/mile pace with miles in 8:30, 8:30, 8:27, 8:41, 8:43, 8:15, 8:08, 7:47, 7:40, and 6:56. Overall it was a great run and the dehydration from the run should keep my bladder at bay for the 3 hour drive to Charlottesville!

Trainer workout...

Doing Spinervals Muscle Breakdown workout. WOW that hurts. The entire workout (save the rest sections) was spent in the toughest gear ratio (53-12). Really tough trainer workout, but definitely can feel that will have some major impact on hill climbing and long rides!

Monday run

Quick evening run with Betsy and Colvin before sundown. Got home late from work and needed to make sure that we got something in, so we just did a quick 3 mile run by our neighborhood. As a side note this was the first run where I needed to wear a long sleeve shirt... :-(

Long Run - 20 miles

Did my last long run before the marathon this morning, a 20 miler. My buddy Mike, who is doing the OBX marathon too, did it with me. We finished in just under 3 hours, but the last lap had my right knee killing me and my right hip pretty sore. Hopefully the next three 'easy' weeks will allow my knee/hip to fully recover. Either way, won't keep me from doing the marathon, just control my comfort level. We had perfect weather (50-55 degrees, overcast and beautiful), which is certainly the better than we ever could have hoped for. Overall, feel pretty good, just wish my joints held up a little better....

Rain = Trainer...

I was planning on going for a 5 mile run with the boy upon getting home from work, but unfortunately it started raining just after I finished stretching out and therefore I had a slight change of plans. Instead I hopped on the trainer and did the Spinervals Muscle Breakdown workout. This is the one that also includes a set where you get off the bike for three 1 min intervals of doing a continuous squat. KILLS your legs... Anyway, got in a great workout, but had a Wicked case of acid reflux afterwards.

Mountain biking at Rosaryville State Park

Got out after work for a later ride, finishing just as it was turning to dusk. Felt really well the whole time and am in love with the new loop I found that is filled with jumps, log crossings and some log bridges. Got in about 10.6 miles and finished averaging about 10 mph on the trails, which is pretty good considering the twists and turns and ups and downs. Really missed the mountain biking, glad to get back out there...

Biking with Dana

After being on vacation and driving all over the southeast US the past two weeks, I finally had the opportunity to get out for a bike ride! Because it is Columbus Day and I am a federal employee, I had the day off, so I drove up with my road bike to my friend Dana's in Annapolis, MD where we took off and got in about a 42 mile ride. I felt a little out of my element at first, kind of off balance, but got back in the groove pretty quick and after a slow initial pace to get out of the busier area, we got on the country and scenic highways south of Annapolis and were keeping about 20-22 mph avg. Felt pretty good and looking forward to getting a few more rides in this month before the weather really turns too cold and windy to get weekday rides in anymore...

Tempo Run

Went for a tempo run, trying to maintain about 8 min/mile for around 5 miles. Wanted to test out how I was feeling and how my toes would hold up after my long run the other day. I ended up doing the majority of the 2nd loop from that long run, hurting most of the way. It was excessively hot and humid (didn't get going until about 8 am). My heartrate got up pretty high and my toes still hurt, but at least I got out. Hopefully I will be able to fully recover by next week when I need to do my 20 miler!

18 mile long run down in Pompano Beach

Started off super early, getting out of bed at 5 am (after a late night watching the Red Sox win!!! GO SOX!!!) and after eating breakfast and and stretching out, got on the road heading out in four loops through intermittent rain storms. It was really nice going that early, nice and calm, starting off running out by Pompano's airport and through a small park and then returned through some neighborhoods. Got back to the hotel at just under 6 miles, had some sports beans and water and got running south along the intercoastal before ending up at some really nice community on Terra Mar Blvd in Southern Pompano, which is actually on its own island! The little island was about 1.5 miles around before heading back up A1A towards the hotel. Once back, had a gel and water and ran in to tell Betsy (she was going to join me with the boy for the final loop) that it was raining off and on and therefore taking the boy probably wasn't the best plan. So she called our parents to watch Cole while I finished a small 1.5 mile loop north of the hotel again along A1A. Upon returning to the hotel, grabbed Betsy and we finished the final 4.5 miles running north along the intracoastal before crossing the drawbridge about 1 mile north of the hotel and continued on for another mile before turning around and finishing the final stretch to get back to the hotel. I can't tell you how much easier it is to have Betsy join me for those final miles! Wish little Colvin could have joined me too though! Definitely am paying the price with a blood blister on my left big toe, losing a toenail on my middle toe on my right foot, not to mention the usual pains and aches. But I will say the warm Epsom Salts bath afterwards certainly helped!!!

Recovery run in Pompano Beach, FL

Went out for a nice and easy run this morning in Pompano after finally getting a good night sleep on this trip. Pretty humid, but not too hot, but still had some difficulty going. Most especially having an issue with my right hip, which has been bothering me for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, it is beginning to feel like there is some bone on bone. Hopefully it is just my overactive imagination. Will see, I have my 18 miler on Wed or Thursday and I really can't skip that if I am going to make the marathon with Greg.

Long Run in San Felasco State Park in Gainesville!

My friend Bernd and I got out early this morning (with me waking up Cole on the way out accidentally; Betsy was PUH-Leased) and after picking him up at his place headed over to San Felasco State park in Northwest Gainesville for a 14 mile run. Originally I was supposed to do my 18 miler this week, but with how everything worked out time-wise with my 16 miler this past Friday, I thought it might be a bit premature to hop into the longer run on a short weeks rest. Anyway, we got off to a good start, trying to maintain about 9 min miles, but closed out the second loop at around 8:30 min/mile. I did some some tightness in my hips again, but overall no real complaints. Saw a number of deer and it was nice to hang with Bernd a bit more after going over to his house last night and having dinner with him and his now 6 month-pregnant wife Kelly! Looking forward to an offday tomorrow and then taking in a longer run Friday morning in Daytona!

Early morning run around the University of Florida

Got up early this morning after arriving in Gainesville early Monday afternoon and went out for a quick 5.5 mile run around campus. It was great to see the sites again. Really do miss it down here. Weather was good, overcast and warm, but not hot, although it was pretty humid. Took off from Jenn and Tim's down 34th Street towards campus, running up the hill on University Ave passing by the stadium and then the Chemistry Dept, getting down to 13th Street at the other end of campus before turning around and running through the center of UF by the bell tower and then the Stadium, the O'Connell center, the track and then finally the law school before heading back north on 34th Street to Tim and Jenn's again. I felt pretty good, maintaining about 8 min/mile for the run with only a couple stops for lights.

Recovery run in Georgia...

Betsy and I left Cole with his grandparents this morning and went out for an easy recovery run. After 16 miles on Friday morning and a long 10 hour day on the road Friday, we needed a day off yesterday and then a short run this morning to loosen up badly. My left hip and shoulders were really tight, but overall, we were just maintaining a 9 min/mile pace, so it wasn't too bad.

Long run! 16 miles

Finally, after multiple weeks of other obligations (races, weekend plans and a tropical storm) I got in my long run, in this case a 16 miler around the house. In order to enable multiple water stops on the course without having to drop bottles ahead of time, I did 4 loops around our house to either side, meaning I repeated two different 4 mile loops twice. I started off at 6AM in a light drizzle, but with Betsy, Cole and I leaving to drive to Georgia this afternoon to start our vacation, I had to get the run in or risk missing it all together. I got going, maintaining about 9 min/mile, which was my goal. It really is amazing the amount of wildlife out that early, even in a heavily populated area like where we live! I came across multiple deer, a few rabbits and the wildest were the two miniature dobermans who "chased" after me after loop 3 (causing me to miss 0.4 miles in the course). I finished the first loop with a starting rash, so I ran inside briefly and put on some body glide and had some water before heading out for loop two (I also took a second to give the little Cole-monster a kiss). The second loop saw me getting a bit of tightness and pain again in my right hip this time. Then compensating for that, by loop 3 my left knee started to get sore. But none of it was too terrible, so I kept on going heading into loop 4. Before starting the fourth lap, I ran inside and grabbed Betsy and Cole as they were joining me! We finished the final lap passing the time laughing at Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric last night and happily discussing our upcoming vacation! Finished with a total of 16.27 miles, averaging 9:01 min/mile overall. My mile times were 8:50, 9:08, 9:03, 8:54, 8:52, 8:54, 8:53, 9:084, 8:58, 9:16, 9:04, 8:54, 9:08, 9:00, 9:17, 7:46 min/mile.

Hitting the Trails

Mountain biking at Rosaryville State Park. Just taking it nice and easy and adding in the extra technical section. Great ride overall.

Photos from the BRATS race

Waiting in line to start the pool swim. With 15 seconds between each swimmer, I got into a chat with a damn good triathlete Adam (silver cap behind me) who won the 20-29 age group.














In the pool to start the swim. Each of us had to first get down on the ledge, then shift to the center and then hop in and wait to be told to go. Being number 22 I had a bit of time, but at least I wasn't at the end. There were a number of breast strokers, but unlike the CUA tri, there was room to pass...














As I said, the swim went well, but I took forever in transition 1, here is me screwing around and finally getting my bike out of the blocks. The bike portion of the race itself went fairly well, with me spending the majority of the time with the eventual female winner of the race.














Me finishing strong!!! I had my fastest run splits ever in a triathlon during this race. Of course the shorter distance played to this advantage, but 2.05 miles at 6:52 min/mile is nothing to be ashamed of in my book.





























Here I am after accepting my award. But as you see in the next pic, as much as I enjoyed the medal, another little guy enjoyed it a bit more than I did!

The all boy Caldwell run...

Went for all male run! Betsy needed some time to herself, so after working from home today, I went for a short 4 mile run, just me and Cole! Despite pushing the stroller, I still finished at 8 min/mile, so can't complain about that! Plus it was lots of fun to chat back and forth with the little chatter box that is my son! Great time!!! However, the inside of my left hip is still bothering me, don't know what it is. Hopefully some Naproxen will clear it up.

Recovery run - Monday

After the great triathlon yesterday, I needed a nice easy run to loosen up. Felt really tight most of the way and only averaged 8:31 min/mile. I didn't push too hard, so it did the job. Will have to see how I feel tomorrow, but the inside of my left hip is really sore.

The REAL big news!

So my Uncle Steve has been valiantly battling his prostate cancer for a number of years, and as of a year ago, his level of PSA , or the Prostate Specific Antigen, in his blood was very high at 76.7 ng/mL; a level above 20 is considered at high risk of cancer. This is despite having had surgery to remove the cancerous tumor (which should have reduced his PSA level to zero) and many chemotherapy treatments. However, he began Internal Radiation Therapy (intravenous) as part of an experimental effort. AMAZINGLY, his PSA level has since dropped to 7.7 ng/mL!!! This dropping him into the slightly or moderately elevated level! While it is great that we are having such success raising money, this is one of those points where we can see such money actually making a difference! Lance Armstrong has always been a hero of mine for how he fought and overcame his cancer to only come back stronger than before, well I wanted everyone to know of my Uncle Steve for the same reason. He might not win the Tour de France (but if he wanted to train for it I would love to take him for a ride!!!), but he is winning the most incredible battle of all. I would ask you all to just say a quick prayer or think some positive thoughts for him as he continues this difficult battle!

Bristow Area Brats Sprint Triathlon #3 in Manassas, VA

Betsy and little Cole got up early this morning to drive my sorry butt up to Manassas, VA (about 1 hour away) and stood throughout the race to cheer me on! Similar to the Catholic University Triathlon in DC earlier this year, this started with a pool swim, however this was much better organized with 15 secs separating consecutive swimmers. The swim was a 350 m effort with flip turns made illegal, yet I still managed a 5:35 time (1:28 min/100yards). I got out of the pool and then took off for the transition area. I felt good, but it was pretty cold. My transition was terrible, as I took a wrong turn out of the pool then dilly dallied around getting dressed and putting on bike gloves. Seriously, it was a 10.2 mile bike course and I still thought bike gloves were a necessity... OH well, I got on the bike and put in a pretty strong ride, keeping pace with a woman, Candy, who apparently was the female overall winner. I would pass her, then she would pass me and vice versa, ending up with her heading into the second transition with a slight lead. It was her birthday however so we will say I gave her that as a gift... yeah THATS the ticket YEAH... Overall I avg'd 19.8 mph on a 3 loop flat course, so I can't complain too much. I got into the second transition feeling pretty strong and actually had a pretty speedy switch. I put on my quik laces last night, significantly easing this switch. So I started off for the short (just over 2 miles) run, feeling a bit tight, but pushing hard. For the first time I can remember, I spent the entire run passing OTHER people and not being passed myself! According to the race finals, I actually maintained a 6:54 min/mile pace! Overall I came in 2nd in my age group and 13th overall. It was a great sprint and will definitely do it again next year! Pictures to follow soon!

28 mile ride

Going for an easy ride around the Mt. Carmel loop. Felt pretty good, with the main goal of the ride being to get comfortable on the bike before the sprint triathlon tomorrow morning. Kept an 18.4 mph, which isn't bad considering I just maintained an nice steady cadence and didn't push at any point. Looking forward to the tri tomorrow, it is my first tri since March!

Recovery Run

Going for an easy run Thursday morning before work. Because of my triathlon on Sunday, wanted to take it easy. Therefore I only did the 2.5 miles with Betsy and Cole.

Recovery Run...

Going for a morning recovery run. Felt pretty tight, but overall did pretty well. Supposed to be doing a long run tomorrow, but have the Materials Research Society's Congressional Visits Day over the next two days, so will be pretty tied up and therefore doubt that I will be up for gettinjg in the whole run.

Recovery ride...

Going for a nice short (20 miler) recovery ride. Tried out a new route, heading out 224 then back on 225 to Indian Head before heading back home. Felt pretty good suprisingly considering how terrible I felt last night after that abomination of a run yesterday. Got nice and loose and maintained about 19 mph, so nothing too terrible.

Long run in DC - 14.5 miles

Going for my long run. The plan was to start at the National Zoo, run along the Rock Creek Trail toward the Lincoln Memorial, then down towards Haine's Point, over to the Jefferson Memorial, on up to the Washington Monument, through the mall up to the Capital and then back by the White House and the Ellipse, then continuing up to the Watergate Hotel and the Kennedy Center and boat house then finally back along the Rock Creek Trail up to the Zoo. The run started off with issues with my GPS not keeping my mile splits, then I started to cramp. I got some water at the boat house and then again at the Jefferson Monument, but forgot to hit start again so I missed a bit of the run, screwing up my splits more. THen at the end of the mall the GPS didn't register me hitting start again so I missed more of the run, all in all missing a total of about a mile and a quarter. Either way, the run up Pennsylvania was frustrating as I had to stop pretty much every block for a light and my legs did NOT like the stop and go. Got up to the Boat House and the start of the Rock Creek trail and got some water, but from then on out had some issues and had to stop a couple times to walk. I did run into my buddy Mike Papantonakis on the run and he ran with me for about a 1/2 mile or so which helped, but in the end it was a really tough run overall.

Four mile tempo run

Went out on the Accokeek 4 mile loop attempting to beat my PR time. Felt pretty good most of the way, but had two mini dauchsaunds chase after me so I had to stop to pet them and let their owner come and get them about 1/2 way through and then I had a bit of a rough time getting back into pace. Overall it was a good run, even if I did miss my PR time by about 20 sec. Have my 15 miler on Saturday morning, so will be taking tomorrow off or really easy to keep the legs fresh for that. Hopefully will be doing that run up in DC around the monuments!

Fartlick workout.

In an effort to replace the track workout I missed yesterday, I ran a fartlick workout. I started around lunch time from the NRL gym, running into the Oxon Hill Farm park. I got in a 1.1 mile warmup at 8:21 pace, then doing four 1/2 mile intervals hard with a 1/2 mile easy rest between. Got the 1/2 mile intervals in at 3:42, 3:53, 3:35 and 3:31. Followed it up with a easy 0.6 mile cool down at a bit over 9:12 min/mile pace. Overall, felt pretty good, not great, but good. The second interval started up the hill, but didn't go up the entire way. Hoping I am back in good shape for my 15 miler on Saturday!

Family run!

Went for an early morning family run. Betsy and I got on the road, with me pushing Cole in the Bob Ironman jogging stroller. Unfortunately, Trinity is still recovering and may actually have really hurt herself, so we couldn't take her along. It really kills me to think that her days as my running partner may be at an end. Anyway, Betsy and I got in about 3 miles together to start, pushing out a 9:12, a 9:00 and a 9:05 min miles, before I took off to finish with a 8:27 and an 8:14 min miles. FInally finishing the last 0.24 miles at 8:00 min pace. Felt pretty tired and tight, but that is par for the course these days! Anyway, tomorrow is a track workout I think, we will see, it might just become a run...

Indian Head Metric Century

Was supposed to meet a couple people first thing in the morning (7am), but nobody showed so did the ride on my own. We couldn't have asked for better weather, nice breeze, probably low 70's and sunny. GORGEOUS ride. They had ham, egg and cheese english muffins at rest stop 1, tomato sandwiches at rest stop 2 and hotdogs at the finish. Finished in 3:26:14 for an avg of 18.3 mph. Fairly hilly for the region, but still a great ride. Felt great until the last 5 miles where my energy started to peeter out. But finished strong nontheless. This is by FAR my favorite organized ride I have ever done... anywhere....

Another Family Run!

After Hurricane Hannah blew through, the weather cleared up and was absolutely gorgeous, so Betsy, Cole and I grabbed the jogging stroller and hit the pavement for a nice short run. Went 3.2 miles at a nice and easy 8:45 min/mile pace. It is really nice to have my running partner back, even if only for some of the shorter and slower runs, plus now we have a new addition to the team. Our previous partner, Trinity (the Rottweiler) has been coming up lame and we fear is developing some arthritis, so she didn't get to go. Oh how dissappointed she was. Hopefully something can be done, as runs are always way more fun with her! Anyway, have the Indian Head 100 tomorrow, can't wait!

"Long" Run... only 6 miles

SO I was supposed to do a 10 mile long run (recovery week), but with how busy I have been at work and it not getting light until at least 6:30, I had to shorten it to 6 miles. Felt rather eh for most of the run. Still pretty sore, mostly in my hips at the front of my legs. Finished the 6 miles with an additional pinky toe blister to boot! Overall, kept the pace about 8:20/mile, so not terrible. Tomorrow I am supossed to do a 4 mile run, however I am pretty sure that Hurricane Hannah will be putting a damper on those plans. If so, will probably do some bike trainer work. Until tomorrow!

Trainer work - Recovery

doing a trainer workout with Betsy! Got on and did the Spinervals Recharge workout. Workout is essentially made of three sets, the first is five 3 min efforts at various gearings at a high cadence, then five 1 min efforts at the same gearings then finally three 30 s buildup efforts. Felt good and being able to watch little Cole the whole time makes it really fun!

Abebe Bikila 1/2 Marathon - OUCH!!!

Abebe Bikila 1/2 Marathon on the Mt. Vernon Trail. Started off at a pretty quick pace (7:45 or so) and felt really good to start, but this was stupid as I knew the pace I wanted to maintain was around 8 min/mile and then to try and kick it in for the last couple miles if I had anything left. Unfortunately, intelligence didn't win over my pace, so I ended up dying out over the second half. Overall, it was still a pretty good race, pacing my miles in 7:41, 7:48, 8:04, 7:56, 8:13, 8:03, 8:21, 8:05, 8:20, 8:06, 8:16, 8:17, then a terrible 9:11 before finishing the final 0.18 mile at an 8:48 pace. Finish time was 1:47:58, not my best performance (about 4 min off of personal record pace). Didn't help that they started the race at 9am when it was already too hot... Thank God today wasn't too hot of a day.

Family run!

Running with Betsy, Trinity and Cole pushing the jogging stroller. Have the 1/2 marathon tomorrow, so took it nice and easy, only wanted to stretch my legs out. Kept about 9 min/mile pace pushing the stroller. Did notice that my the left side of my back on the bottom was tight pushing the stroller though, something to keep in mind in the future...

Recovery run

I went for what was supposed to be a nice easy recovery run this morning. Wanted to go about 4 miles, keeping my pace somewhere around 8:15 min/mile or so. Well after each mile I noticed that I was going too fast, so I would try to slow down, but apparently that was short lived as each mile was faster than the 8:10, with miles in 8:12, 7:44, 8:05 and then finally 7:55. Felt good, seems my recovery is going well and I will be rarin' to go for the race Monday.

a recovery ride and a swim...

Spinervals Recharge and Recovery. Felt pretty good taking it easy to recovery in my prep for the 1/2 marathon this Monday. Feeling better, but could still use a bit longer time off. Tomorrow is another easy day.

Yesterday I swam over at the Bolling Air Force Base pool, getting in about 2000 yards. WOW I am out of swimming shape. This tri in a couple weeks will be fun...

morning run

running before work. Tried to keep it nice and easy at about an 8:15 to 8:30 min/mile pace. Felt really tired though, think I might have overtrained a bit this past weekend, so I need to be sure to take it easier this week before the 1/2 marathon on Monday. Overall, kept the pace I wanted and called it quits once I got past 5 miles.

30 miles on the road

Woke up a bit late this morning, mostly because my son is now officially the best sleeper in the entire world! 8 hours two nights in a row and this morning I took advantage and slept in until 9am, so I didn't get out onto the road until almost 10am. Decided to try out a new route and it went pretty well. Was trying to take it easy (avg 18.5 mph) with the long run yesterday and the heat (90's and humid) so that I can start to recover for next monday with my 1/2 Marathon.

Long run - 12 miles at Belle Haven

Going for my long run this morning. Betsy ran at the same time with Cole in the running stroller with Trinity! Started off at the Belle Haven rest stop and ran north to the 9 mile mark before turning around and heading south until I got to the 3 mile mark where I turned around and got back to the start. Felt ok, not great, but ok. Wanted to keep my miles under 8:30 min/mile, and instead maintained miles in 8:16, 8:30, 8:00, 8:18, 8:16, 8:19, 8:08, 8:58, 8:12, 8:08, the finishing strong with my last two miles in 7:39 and 7:46. Looking forward to the 1/2 marathon race I have at Belle Haven next Monday! Taking the day easy from here on out and looking forward to a nice big dinner at Red Robin tonight!

Afternoon ride

Mountain biking at Rosaryville State Park. Got started doing the typical loop, but decided to do an extra little loop within the park that I had never done before. Really technical, but so much fun, with a couple jumps, lots of log crossings, log paths and such. Was a lot of fun! Can't believe I have never found that section before! Anyway finished off with 12.5 miles, and felt pretty strong during the ride. Going for my long run tomorrow, so didn't want to push too hard, but still got in a great ride. Kept an avg cadence of 80 as well...

Morning Recovery Run

Easy run before heading up to Adelphi, MD for a workshop at the Army Research Laboratory. Didn't mention it yesterday, but towards the end of my ride, my right knee started feeling funny. This happened as I turned on to Livingston, so I just took it really easy the rest of the way home. Today I felt fine until the very end, and once home and stretching started getting real pain in my left knee. Don't know if it was compensating for a minor tweak of my right one, but either way to remain concious of it if I am still going to do my 12-miler tomorrow. Overall pretty reasonable run, wanted to keep the pace below 8:30 min/mile and my heart rate below 160 or so and did just that.

Short Bike

Biking the shorter Mt Carmel loop (~20 miles, which oddly goes no where near Mt. Carmel...) due to a later work day and being exhausted from a late Sox game with Betsy and Cole last night. Felt pretty strong to start, but died out a bit toward the end. Avg'd in the high 19 mph. Wierd how different it feels to ride with the other wheelset! After using the heavier set with the 12-28 cassette last weekend! Have a meeting at the Army Research Lab tomorrow, so it looks like a short 5 mile run in the morning will be all I get in before my long 12 mile run on Friday morning.

Interval (Track) work at home

I started with a 1 mile warmup at 8:15 min/mile, then Track workout. 9x0.25, repeating 3x(easy,mod, hard), w/ 0.25 mi recovery btw. 1/4 miles in 1:22.9, 1:29.6, 1:29.6, 1:35.7, 1:37.9, 1:28.2, 1:53.6, 1:37.1 and 1:19.4 (personal best!). Finished with an easy 8:40 min/mile cool down before heading to work. Overall, had some trouble finding my pace, lacked motivation, but felt pretty good.

Super Hills in Western MD...

Completing the ascent on Savage Mtn and the rest of the 'hilly' portion of the Savageman 1/2 Ironman Bike course. Started at Westernport, MD and after a couple warmup laps started the attack on Rock St in Westernport and the infamous Westernport Wall, a terribly paved (pot holes galour) couple hundred foot section of Rock St that is closed to traffic due to how steep it is (up to 33%!). Made two attempts, got almost the entire way up the first time before my wheel found a pot hole and almost took a nasty dive. The second time, I only made it 1/2 way up before I lost traction on my rear wheel and almost rode backwards down against my will! So I decided I had done what I could and after a kiss from Betsy, Cole and Trinity continued my ascent of Savage Mtn, about an additional 9 miles with grades routinely above 10% up to 15% at some points. After reaching the summit (approx. 2800 feet from 1000), I started the fast descent before beginning the second and third climbs, both with grades routinely above 10%, maxing out at about 17% in some places. This again summited at about 2800 feet and then I began a very quick decent out of New Germany State Park. I then reached Miller Rd, where a really bad hill with an avg of 15% grade and stretches above 25% are had. However, I was attacked by a big black burly dog at the base of the climb and chased about a 1/4 of a mile before he finally gave up. Because I couldn't pass it, I had to call Betsy and called it a day. Dissappointing I missed that last climb, but I finished the biggest part of what I wanted to accomplish! Great ride, beautiful view and then got to head back to my friend Sharka's Chalet in Friendsville where Betsy and I relaxed with Cole and the girls while we read.

Elevation and hill grade profile and Google Earth Image of the Course:

Westernport Wall, start of Savage Mtn Ascent

Otto St Climb, > 20% grade

Starting the Rock St Climb, Westernport, MD


Climbing, >15% grade the entire way
Starting the Westernport Wall - >25% grade entire wayTacking on the Wall...

Recovery week long run (7 miles)

Long run during an easy recovery week. Felt pretty good, had a goal of keeping my pace below 8:15 min/mile for the entire run and succeeded in doing that, so overall I am pretty happy with it. I did start to labor over the last mile a bit more than I would have liked considering the length of the run though. Neck was pretty tight and did still feel a bit congested, however, better than previous. Now a day off tomorrow and the Savageman 1/2 Ironman Triathlon Bike Course on Sat! WHooHOOO!!! I have been looking forward to this for a really long time!

New Stroller, new and old running partners

Running with Betsy and Cole in the new Bob Ironman stroller! Was really fun, had some issues with getting it aligned properly, but overall it should be a great addition allowing us to run with the little guy from now on! Little Zoom LOVED IT!!! It was a fairly easy run, been off for a couple days (feels like weeks) due to a removal of skin tag, but will be back for my long (7 miles during my easy week) run tomorrow morning. It was really nice to get back on the road with my original running partner... my wife Betsy!

5 mile tempo run

going for an early morning tempo run before work. Shooting for 5 miles at below 8 min/mile pace and did just that. Finished the miles in 8:09, 7:57, 7:43, 7:50, 7:32 min/mile and finished the last 0.4 miles at 7:11 min/mile pace. Felt ok, not great but not bad either. Overall it was a good run and now I can look forward to a recovery week.

Trying the new cassette on some hills

Riding a loop close to home to try out my new wheelset and 12-28 cassette. Unfortunately, the cassette is pretty loose, so I will need to bring it to the shop afterall. Overall, a pretty decent short recovery ride. Overall, realizing I might need this easy recovery week more than I originally thought.

Nice easy training ride in the beautiful weather

Doing a nice moderate ride trying to keep about 18-19 mph and just trying to keep comfortable. Another beautiful day in the 80's with almost no humidity. Going to go for a hike later with Betsy, Cole, Elana and Elana's mom Ronna. Essentially wanted to get in some time to spin to loosen my muscles that are still pretty tight from yesterday's 10 mile run. Overall it was a pretty good ride, avg 18.5 mph, although I came close to bonking toward the end. Got my new wheelset and 12-28 cassette that I am going to try out tomorrow.

Long Run - 10 miles on hills

Going for my long run this morning! BEAUTIFUL morning, sun was shining, nice and cool (low 70's maybe) and very minimal humidiy. Felt pretty off though, still tight in my hips and shoulders, but felt ok overall. Got in my 10 miles on a pretty hilly course and avg about 8:34 min per mile overall. My mile splits finished in 8:30, 8:38, 8:13, 8:14, 9:00, 8:41, 9:14, 8:43, 8:32, 8:20 and 7:59 min/mile. The ones that jumped over 9's were both for the hillier sections. Good run and still on pace for my marathon training!

Running at BAFB

Running at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington DC. Going for a nice even pace of 8 min/mile and did just that. It was fairly hot, a bit humid, but not terrible. Got in 5 miles with mile splits of 7:59, 7:54, 7:58, 8:07 and 7:51. Good run, preparing to hit the long 10 mile run tomorrow on my day off, followed by a massage and then a hike with Betsy and COLE!!!

Greenbelt Criterium #2

Had my second Criterium race today. Wasn't feeling well all day as I didn't sleep too well last night, but did ok. Finished the 9 laps in the lead group, even taking over the lead of the pack at lap 7, but apparently pushed too hard too early and didn't have anything left at the end leading to a fairly low placement. Really frustrating watching others pass by at the end and knowing I had nothing left to do a damn thing about it. The pack avg 22.6 mph over the race, hitting a peak lap speed 23.6 mph in lap 5 and a max speed of 38.2 mph...

20 mile recovery ride

Quick morning ride out to Indian Head to loosen up my legs and hips before my second Criterium circuit race tomorrow afternoon. Felt fairly well, still pretty tight and had some issues with my shoulders, but overall loosened up pretty good. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Hilly Run Take 2

Longer run at Karen's. OUCH, wow these hills are brutal. Got in a bit under 7 miles, but the second neighborhood was essentially one long climb. Good for a change, but definitely wouldn't want this all the time. Got my miles in 8:52, 8:35, 8:37, 9:19, 8:28, 9:47 and then slowed considerably for the final 0.8 miles. tough run.

Hill run in Charlottesville

Running in Charlottesville from Betsy's mom's house. Just going for an 'easy' 4 mile run, but of course with the hills around here, nothing is easy! Just went out for a run around the neighborhood,trying to keep under a 9 min pace, finished with miles in 8:10, 8:39 and 8:50. Felt pretty good, but hills with greater than 20% grades on the way home will kill anyone I think! Either way, always fun to hit the pavement in a new place! Got a longer 7 miler tomorrow, should be interesting!

Marathon Training - Long Run Week 4 - 9 miles

Long run this morning since we will be heading up to Betsy's Mom's this weekend and doing my long run on the hills in Charlottesville didn't sound so appealing. Got out first thing this morning while it was still overcast, about mid 80's I would say and pretty humid. Felt pretty good though, except for a few min around mile 1.5-2.5 where I was getting spots (sun spots maybe?) in my vision. I slowed up and they went away. Finished my miles in 8:16, 8:19, 8:31, 8:30, 8:19, 8:29, 8:16, 8:09 and 7:48. Overall good run and shows I am in good position at this point in my training.

Flat ruins Criterium race...

Greenbelt Criterium Race C. Was in lead group going into 1/2 way pt of lap 3 (30 min race, 1.4 mile lap) when I got a flat in my front tire. I had to pull off from the group and then realized that the race director made me remove my packs, so I had no tools to repair it! There for I walked the 3/4 of a mile back to the start line. Luckily, they gave me a rain check for next week, so I will be able to shoot back and try again!

Trainer work

decided that I would do a crit tomorrow up in Greenbelt, MD tomorrow. So instead of doing a track workout and really tiring myself before tomorrow, I decided to do a trainer workout. In this case I did the Spinervals Zoot Challenge. Good workout, but felt kind of crappy afterward. Looking forward to my second Criterium race ever tomorrow!

Early morning run

Got out in the nice cool weather this morning (~60-65, modearate humidity) for a quick 4 miler at a nice easy 8 min/mile pace. Wanted to get my heart rate up, but not push too much. Looking forward to hitting track practice for the first time in a while tomorrow. Felt pretty strong during the run, had a bit of chest congestion, but it was SIGNIFICANTLY better than it had been. Maintained that 8 min pace overall with minimal difficulty. Got my long run on Friday (9 miles this week), should be interesting!

Mountain Biking in Rosaryville with Dana

My friend Dana from UF and I hit the Rosaryville trail for a loop mountain biking. Got through the course despite the high heat and humidity for the 9.5 mile loop. Felt pretty strong and finished in about 58 min. Betsy took Cole for a short walk with Trinity while we were riding. Overall, lots of fun, looking forward to hitting the course again...

Recovery week long run

Our friends Greg and Heather Dunnigan and their three kids (Abby, Caitlyn and Natalie) came to visit last night. Greg and I are planning on running the OBX Marathon in the outer banks! Greg and I were friends from Virginia Tech, having met on the rugby team and then lived together for the year. I was Greg's best man and he was in my wedding party too, so it will be alot of fun. This week was our 1st recovery week, so our long run was a 5 miler. Got going this morning around 7:30 and did the tour of the neighborhoods. Beautiful morning, a bit humid, but considering the past week's weather, this was great. We both felt pretty good though and overall I think it will be a good marathon partnership!

Morning ride

Went for the Mt. Carmel ride before work this morning. Again, had the same breathing issue this morning, that feeling where you can't seem to pull in a full breath, but aren't exactly short of breath... really wierd. Anway, had a reasonable ride, avg'd around 19mph for the 28 mile loop, but got a flat at the base of the first hill, so that really sucked. Overall, can't complain though, got in a nice ride to get me ready for the work day... Gotta love flex hours

Shortened run

Going for a morning tempo run that turned into a rough one. Started off trying to do the 4 mile Accokeek Access loop at about 7:30 min/mile pace, but after the second mile started to get light headed and stopped at that point. I then walked to the top of the hill thinking I would split the workout into two 2 mile repeats, but once I started running again I got the feeling like I was going to get sick. Luckily I have tomorrow as an offday, hopefully that will help let me recover whatever it is I lost. Did finish the two miles I ran in 7:42 and 7:13 min/mile though.

Recovery on the trainer

It was another ridiculously hot (>95 degrees) and humid and was rated as another Code Red day, which I have been finding make it very difficult for me to breath, so I decided to do my recovery ride on the trainer in the basement. For the first time, all three Caldwells worked out together! Betsy did a few min on the elliptical machine, I was on the bike trainer and COLE decided to hop on the swing! Ok so it wasn't necessarily a workout for him, but he was right there with us and from the looks he was giving it looked like he was working hard! Anyway, got in the Recharge Spinervals workout and felt pretty good. Got a tempo run in the morning tomorrow!

Long run (week 2 Marathon Training - 7-21-08)

Got in the second long run of the marathon training schedule. This was an 8 miler that I finished before work yesterday. I did the Accokeek Figure '8' (because it is a double loop that physically looks like a number 8 and because it is about 8 miles. This is not to be confused with the 'P' Loop that Betsy and I walk the dogs with Cole on all the time, that loop is called the 'P' loop because it is in the shape of a letter 'P' and because the dogs and Betsy could never make the whole loop without having to go pee!). Anywhoo, maintained a bit over 8 min miles. Felt pretty tight in my chest, but that isn't too surprising since it was another Code Red air quality day with high humidity even at 6:30 am when I started running. Overall it was a decent run though and maintains my strong start on marathon training. My buddies Greg, Molly and Spanky all did their 8 milers as well!

Rough Riding...

Going for a longer bike ride, my longest since Cole's birth! Started off pretty rough, tough to breath, really sore and tight and almost turned around at about 15 miles in. Loosened up some by mile 20 and continued on to finish the 40 miler. Really hot out, somewhere close to 90, with high humidity and apparently was another 'code red' day in terms of air quality. Had a real tough time catching my breath when I returned and couldn't clear my sinuses. Very strange... Overall, ride was fairly decent and would do it again... issues were dealing with me... Avg Cad 88

recovery day

It was >95 degrees today and the air quality was really bad, so I did a recovery ride on the trainer. Betsy had her mom's group dinner so Cole sat in his swing watching me and was watching me the whole time! It was a great ride.

Start Marathon Training!

Doing a 10K run as the first 'long' run of my Marathon training! I am starting an 18 week Marathon training course to lead up to the OBX Marathon that I will be running with my rugby buddy and really good friend Greg Dunnigan the first weekend in Nov! The race is down in North Carolina along the shore! Felt great the whole way, started off running with Trinity for the first 2.5 miles. She did really well, I am hoping that I can incorporate her into a couple of my runs if only for a limited amount to keep her in shape! After that initial 2.5 miles with her, I dropped her off inside and started out for the remainder on my own. Maintained about 8:05 min/mile for each mile (miles in 8:09, 8:06, 8:06, 8:03, 8:13, 7:38 then the last 0.1 at a 7:04 min/mile pace) until I could kick it in for the final mile. Great start to training. Have my off day (playing softball) tomorrow.

Recovery Ride

Riding the Indian Head out and back with a bit of additional exploring in some of the local areas. Found a gorgeous plot of land down in Indian Head for sale right on the water, would love to get that! Good ride overall, was just trying to take it easy on my ride to recover from Muddy Buddy yesterday, felt I did ok. Overall enjoyable ride and recovered a bit and still got home in time to mow the lawn and read a couple papers for work before dinner.

MUDDY BUDDY 2008!!!

Racing with Joe Corson, a really good friend of mine from undergrad (Virginia Tech) that I did my coop with at ITT Night Vision. I felt really good on the runs and pretty decent on the bikes. Overall Joe and I did really well, especially considering it was his first Muddy Buddy! Great fun, great race can't wait to do it again next year! I finished the 2.77 miles in 11:43 and the 3.68 miles of running in 28:33. There was of course the additional time involved with hooking up during the transitions, the time to do each of the obstacles and the time required to climb through the infamous mud pit! Pictures and places updated shortly!