tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81455283850292359242024-03-05T06:31:04.010-05:00New Dad Endurance BlogMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-90080339714873379222020-11-21T13:45:00.002-05:002020-11-21T13:54:27.951-05:00All the Things I Never Wrote About (Letters from the Calamity, Part 1)<p> It's been an extremely eventful year since I last wrote anything, really. </p><p>Back in the late Summer of 2019 I had an absolutely terrible bout of anxiety, and while I kept doing a lot of things I really had a hard time prioritizing the care of my mental health. One of the things I stopped doing was writing. First I rationalized that I was still updating everything through social media, and then I just stopped thinking about it altogether. I completely lost sight of the fact that the reason I had been writing at all was for me. So I'd have a record of these years of my life. The goal of the New Dad Endurance Blog had been to archive my memories from this phase of my life, and now some five years into the ten year goal, I have to admit that I've fallen off the horse.<br /><br /></p><p>On September 15th, 2019 I ran the Pisgah Mt. 50k. It was the first ultra-distance event I'd ever raced, and I absolutely loved it. I was haunted by anxiety throughout the entire weekend (as I had been the month prior in training). My wife and kids traveled up to the race with me and we made a weekend of it. Stayed in Vermont, went to some restaurants, and then on race day they spent some time at the playground near the race start/finish. I had an absolute blast on the course even though it took me about six hours to complete. I didn't have much expectation for the time, honestly, I just wanted to cover the distance and feel decently strong about it. And where I live (below sea level, technically) I don't have tons of experience climbing. I felt pretty good about the time considering the 4,000ft of elevation gain on the course. It was amazing. I suffered. I loved it. I immediately wanted more of that. I also spent so much time on the training, and I loved the training. But I didn't really pay attention to other areas that are important -- mental well being, nutrition, and rest. I just trained a lot. So I don't think that helped the with the anxious mind, and negative thought patterns.</p><p><br /></p><p>When we returned to teaching the next week I knew I wanted more of the ultra. My anxiety subsided as I got back into the day-to-day grind of teaching and running a music program. We were staging a musical (the first our school had done in a long time) and I was running the technical crew for the show. On November 22, 2019 I hit one year of running at least a mile everyday. I registered my streak with the United States Run Streak Association, which had been a goal of mine since I began the streak in 2018.</p><p><br /></p><p>With more to distract me than ever, I didn't need to worry much about the anxiety. After the show in February, my wife started talking about this virus that was going on in China. And how if the US didn't handle things well we were going to be in some trouble. She started having her students sit further apart in rehearsals. At the time I honestly couldn't fathom what was about to happen. Then in March came the shutdown.</p><p><br /></p><p>From March 13th on we were home. We taught from home. We watched students and their families come down with the virus (remotely). We taught our own kids at the same time. Through the whole thing I ran. I ran and ran. I ran in a mask, I ran in a buff. I ran. It was the only thing in my life that stayed the same, and that was comforting. But the pressure was mounting and the feeling of powerlessness was crushing. When our state government decided we'd continue remote learning I decided I'd start therapy. I found an app that let me do therapy remotely, and I signed up that same day. I wanted to stay ahead of the stress and anxiety I was really afraid of. I started a more dedicated mindfulness practice throughout the shutdown, which helped stay ahead of managing my stress a bit. I also registered for a virtual 50k in May, mapped out a course, and then started training.</p><p><br /></p><p>Those things kept me on a pretty even keel, and spending more time with my own kids was amazing as well. We ate all three meals together everyday at our kitchen table, read stories in the evening, did arts and crafts and activities. For as hard as that time was (and there certainly were challenges) there were also some amazing things. In May I ran my virtual 50k. Because I chose a pretty ideal course, and I trained on that exact course, I ended up covering the distance in about five and a half hours. I was super happy with that, and immediately started thinking about the fifty mile. I signed up for a summer scavenger hunt.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the summer also came a big argument on the reopening of schools. I have always been weary of people who don't actually work in schools telling us how things should run, so it did not surprise me at all that we were once again being asked to do more and more and with less and less reasoning behind it. We attended some protests (from our car) and continued to stay away from everyone. I mean, really. I have been in a grocery store once since March. It's a crazy situation.</p><p><br /></p><p>In September this year, shortly after we returned to work, I ran 50 miles in one day. I had signed up for another virtual race, and while my training fell apart in late August, I wanted to get it done anyway. And I did. But it took me more than ten and a half hours. I have never been so tired in my life, and it was a struggle for sure. That doesn't mean I'm done with it or anything, I'm actually still thinking about going longer. I've hit two years on my running streak, which is something I'm very proud of.</p><p><br /></p><p>We've been back at work for two months which has been much more tiring than I can explain. Our jobs are very, very different (as one would expect, I guess.) Doing multiple jobs at the same time is really a lot. We use the phrase 'burn out' a lot but that's absolutely what is going on with me. I started therapy with a therapist based in mindfulness approach in October, and that has been amazing. It has been a challenge keeping my mind focused on the positive instead of the more noticeable negative, but for the first time in my life I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on things. Growing up with a fair amount of trauma, I had a whole lot of work to do. I'm doing it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even though I'm exhausted I'm surviving this thing, and I think I'm doing OK. It varies from moment to moment, of course. It might be time to start writing again? I certainly want to talk long distance running in a time of no races, balancing that with parenting. I'm going to start off with some posts that detail some of the big events in running I had this past calendar year, and then I will revisit some of my yearly goal-setting posts.</p><p>These will be my "Letters from the Calamity" as we all try to work through the challenges the year 2020 has presented us. Feel free to tag along.</p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-55417615750723841522019-07-30T09:19:00.002-04:002019-07-30T09:20:41.621-04:00Dreaming Big: the 2019 Blessing of the Fleet (Race Review)<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Come, Ahab’s compliments to ye; come and see if ye can swerve me. Swerve me? ye cannot swerve me, else ye swerve yourselves! man has ye there. Swerve me? The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents’ beds, unerringly I rush! Naught’s an obstacle, naught’s an angle to the iron way!”</i> </blockquote>
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-- Herman Melville, <i>Moby-Dick</i></blockquote>
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*****<br />
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Previous times at the Blessing of the Fleet:<br />
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2013: 1:16:30, 7:39/mile<br />
2014: 1:17:30, 7:45/mile<br />
2015:1:17:27, 7:44/mile<br />
2016: 1:23:06, 8:18/mile<br />
2017:1:23:03, 8:18/mile<br />
2018: 1:27:50 8:38/mile (from Strava)<br />
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*****</div>
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Had a rough couple of weeks leading up to the Blessing of the Fleet. I've run the race six times before and I had honestly wanted to set a new PR for the distance, but I will admit that due to a heat wave and several social obligations my nutrition wasn't on point, and I didn't feel like my training was going to do much for me. I opted for a four mile warm-up at home (typically I warm up with anywhere from 3-5 miles.)<br />
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My wife decided that she wanted to attend the race, and bring the kiddos, so we left the house a bit earlier than usual. I picked up my packet, and then we found parking near the finish (which was made a bit more complicated than it needed to be by some of the race volunteers.) We walked the mile back to the race start and spent some time playing with the kids while I got ready to run.<br />
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About fifteen minutes before go-time I got in line, pushing myself further up in the chute than I usually go. There's not any real sort of pace seeding in the Blessing corral, so you just do the best you can. In the past this means that I set myself too far back and end up fighting my way around much slower runners. There was still some of that this year but not nearly as bad.<br />
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The race course is just lined with people in the early (and late) miles, which is really fun, but I had a specific time in mind so I was working really hard. Leap frogging with some folks but mostly passing folks, I was in the 7's on my watch and pretty happy with the pacing in the first few miles. It was hot in the sun, but there was lower humidity and the breeze we'd occasionally get was nice. Additionally there are always tons of water tables at blessing, and this year I actually took a bag of ice from one of the nice folks along the route to keep me working.<br />
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I had to redirect my focus several times -- which I know sounds stupid, but I spend a lot of time running engaging in internal dialogue and it can be costly as it's too much internal chatter. Just narrowing the focus and getting it done has really helped pull me through the last few races I've had.<br />
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I came through the finish in 1:14:51 (gun time) 1:13:58 (chip time!) and was overjoyed to see the result. Spent the remainder of the evening playing at the carnival, sitting in traffic home, and then eating Chinese food after the kids had gone to bed. I took it easy Saturday, but got up on Sunday and ran 16 miles of trails in the Big River Management Area. I had no idea I'd be able to do that on dead post-race legs, but I was even more proud of it because of that condition.<br />
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I'm in training for my first 50k race, which will be in September at Mt. Pisgah 50. I'm following a training plan -- but I'm allowing myself a little flexibility because I'm also working on a run streak, and I have a marathon in October that I'm getting ready for at the same time. Right now my goal is to do most of my long runs on the trails, but my shorter runs are on the roads. I may shift that ratio a bit in August to see what I can get out of it, but I won't really know how it has done until I've run a few ultras to see what works best.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-56185569169888902472019-06-25T04:20:00.001-04:002019-06-25T04:24:12.796-04:00Two June 5ks: Gaspee and Coyote (Race Reviews)I'm a bit late on writing race reviews for the two 5ks that I ran in June. It's been a very busy month between parenting, work ending for the school year, meetings, training, and racing. I've been pretty active on the Instagram I've started, and posting after races or other events.<br />
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I'm going to reference rabbit here, a couple of times. I don't usually endorse brands specifically on the blog (even though the readership isn't really huge) but I've joined <a href="https://www.runinrabbit.com/" target="_blank">rabbit</a>'s Runners and Dreamers (RAD) squad for the 19-20 season. Part of that team has meant putting more content out featuring rabbit's stuff, which I'm OK with because I like the stuff.<br />
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I'll be writing another post this week to check in with my goals as Q2 of 2019 wraps up. It's been a long year with an amazing bulk of miles, but I'm feeling fresh mentally and physically in a way I haven't in years.<br />
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*****</div>
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Gaspee Days 5k<br />
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This race took place on my "Ongoing Run Streak, Day #200"<br />
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The Gaspee Days 5k is a footrace held to celebrate the burning of the HMS Gaspee in one of the first acts of defiance by American colonists that led up to the revolution. It takes place before the Gaspee Days Parade, and uses the same route. Being a Rhode Islander the event always holds a special place in my heart so I've run the race several times. Here are my past finishing times (from Strava, so maybe not accurate to my official times):<br />
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2014 -- 21:50<br />
2015 -- 22:20<br />
2016 --22:09<br />
2017 --23:31<br />
2018 -- 23:27<br />
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Generally speaking these times are pretty consistent, and being one of the only 5k races I run I've never really given it an all-out kind of effort. I see myself more as a long distance runner. I feel like I had to make a choice a bunch of years ago on "longer v. faster" and I chose to go longer.<br />
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That said those are not slow 5k times, and I've always been very aware of how close to that 2014 time my PR is at the distance. It's a tough race to pace mentally, because it is an out-and-back that goes downhill, and so it's steadily climbing through rolling hills on the way back. My basic strategy for pacing the thing was to not look at my watch and see what I had in me. I figured if I could handle a 5k at about a 21-minute finish time I'd be in pretty good shape heading into the summer, because I'd like to see what I can do about bringing a really solid effort to my 10-mile race in July.<br />
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I started of with an easy jog around, and a little jog with my toddler. I did about one and a quarter miles warming up, just trying to get things loose. I had some caffeine and hydration stuff, and I'd had a bagel with cream cheese earlier in the morning. Stomach felt good, legs felt good.<br />
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I put myself closer to the start in the chute, because I know from previous years that the start chute at this event can be kind of a kerfuffle. The race always has a massive field, and the elite runners are usually running sub-5 pace, so it is really hard to figure out where you should be. Usually I'm too far back, and I end up fighting though a crowd. This helped with some of that.<br />
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Went down the first few hills feeling strong, definitely putting in a solid effort. I did not bother looking at my watch -- I was pretty confident based on the look of the field around me and the feeling in my legs that I was putting in a good effort. Got to the bottom of the hill at the turn around and knew that the game from then on was keeping my focus, and not letting my mind wander into a "you can't do this" head space.<br />
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Ended up climbing the last hill, rounding the corner, and coming through the finish @ 20:19.5, way ahead of where I expected to be. It was an amazing feeling, a 6:32/mi pace I had no clue I had in my legs. Faster than my previous course PR by more than a minute. That was an amazing feeling.<br />
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The next couple of days I was bone tired and sore in a way I haven't been after racing for a long time. I took a solid nap after the race, but mostly I chalk the tiredness up to the fact that I just don't race that fast. Must have pulled everything I had in my fast-twitch fibers out of me. I was still very happy with the performance and it's given me a bit more interest in racing the distance. I feel like I've learnd something about focus and how easily my mind wanders, as well as the true potential of taming it.<br />
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*****</div>
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Coyote 5k<br />
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Race took place on my "Ongoing Run Streak, Day #207."<br />
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The Inaugural Coyote 5k was held to benefit the Charles D. Looff Carousel at Crescent Park. I have fond memories of the carousel from my childhood, and have enjoyed bringing my girls recently. The carousel has this excellent band organ, a Ruth and Sohn 38, and we've even taken a trip to the New England Carousel Museum to see some of the horses being restored.<br />
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Charles Looff built the carousel as a gift to his daughter on her wedding, and he hand carved all the horses himself. Dad respect.<br />
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Picked up my bib (#30) and got stuff setup while the family walked around the park. Warmed up with a mile around the neighborhood -- I train here a lot and this specific neighborhood was real fixture in my long runs a couple of years ago.<br />
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The race had a small field (maybe less than 150 runners.) I lined up at the front of the pack, after knowing my previous performance at the Gaspee a week prior I was sure I had another 20 minute and change 5k in my legs, and I didn't want to limit myself by setting too far back. I'm also very aware of hubris so I stood back from the starting line as not to jinx myself.<br />
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I heard some of the runners talking and one of them was a kid who goes to school in the city I teach in. After the national anthem we started off and I had already mentally reviewed the course so many times I found it pretty easy to drop a decent pace from the get-go. The course for this 5k is shaped like a Coyote -- it starts by the Carousel, heads into a neighborhood before meeting up with the East Bay Bike Path and coming back around to a neighborhood by the Carousel for the finish. I knew if I could give it a strong first mile heading to the bike path I'd really be able to drop the hammer there because the remaining road is extremely flat, with very little variation at all.<br />
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Mile one had some little foothills, and the pack broke up. I knew I was in the top 5 heading into mile 2. I ended up shouting to that kid to keep him on course as he almost missed a turn. Strong runner, though, and I talked to him for a bit after the turn. I mean I was having a conversation keeping a 6:30 pace. That was pretty bananas. I refocused myself for the bike path and just focused on putting as much energy into it as I could. I didn't give myself head space to focus on the "what ifs" or even the local landmarks I know. I think that was pretty critical because this would have been the easiest place to get distracted.<br />
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I came out of the bike path and thanked the cop watching traffic as I made the left towards the Carousel. Had a brief run through a neighborhood where I almost missed a cone (someone parked in a way that obstructed the view of the course.) There was another runner quick behind me, and just as me rounded a corner (maybe the last quarter mile) he passed me. I could hear the finish line announcer call out "Here's finisher number 2 and 3!"<br />
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I came through the chute in 20:14, 3rd place overall and 1st place 3039. I talked to the 2nd place finisher at the end who thanked me for pushing him towards a new PR. We got our medals, took a picture together as the top 3, and then my wife and I ended up talking to the kid from the race and his dad. It was a really nice group of runners. I'm not used to so many positive interactions at races, because at the middle of the pack everyone is working hard, and generally very focused on their own thing. That's great, but it's not a social thing, and it can be tough for an extrovert.<br />
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Additionally, I felt super strong after this race, and I wasn't nearly as tired as the week before.<br />
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*****</div>
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The day after Coyote was father's day, so we went out for donuts. The donut shop we went to is this nice little local place where they make fresh donuts, and you pick toppings and glaze. Anyone who knows me knows that I love junk food. I made three donuts (we got six): a chocolate glazed topped with potato chips, cookie bits, and bacon, a hazelnut glazed topped with espresso powder, and a chocolate glaze topped with peanut butter cups and cheet-ohs. That combined with some wicked strong coffee and I was ready to run laps around the building.<br />
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I had wanted to do some trail running that day, and maybe do some of the running with my toddler so that we could get some pictures of us running together. She's a pretty good little runner and we've been having fun running around and "racing" after my races.</div>
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It rained really miserably, so we still went out to the local trails but we only did about a half a mile. We did have a little race on a strip of asphalt that runs along the reservoir, so I still got some pictures. It was a really great day punctuated with an 11 mile run through some of the worst humidity (but during a break in the rain.)</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-65705993125616401572019-05-09T04:22:00.001-04:002019-05-09T04:22:42.220-04:00Angry Unicorn HM 2019 (Race Review)Third time running the Angry Unicorn Running Festival.<br />
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Had set a goal this year not to PR, but rather to finish stronger than I started. Strava had a "Last Mile" Challenge, which incentivized the goal by offering a donation to charities that support Youth Running. I thought it would be a good motivator, and keep me moving through the run streak I've been working towards.<br />
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As we had a friends' wedding on Friday, Saturday became dedicated to travelling home and recovering. Lots of naps with the kids, and then handled bedtime without much incident. I got in a brief three mile run late, and threw in a lot of speed towards the end. Ate a calorie dense meal before going to bed.<br />
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Woke up early Saturday. Angry Unicorn starts at 7:45, but the packet pick up starts at 5:45. It's about 45 minutes from where I live, and I don't like to take the travel time too much for granted. In getting ready, I was less prepared than I usually am for races. Normally I'm sort of type-A about setting all my stuff out the night before. Because I was so worn out from travelling, I decided not to worry as much about it and get as much sleep as possible before heading out. The long gap between packet pickup and race start also made it evident that I would need to do quite a bit of race prep at the start.<br />
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So, anyway, all that is to say that I decided to go pretty light. Wore a singlet and shorts, with a super light weight rain coat (as it was supposed to rain) that I could shuck and carry if needed. Had a hydration belt that I bought for the NYC marathon as a backup to my usual gear. Couldn't find my running band, which was a real bummer because the jacket didn't have pockets, and that belt can't accommodate my phone. Meant I had to carry my phone the whole way.<br />
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On the way down to the race start I picked up a coffee and bagel, and after parking put together my hydration and other pre-race stuff. Got all my gear in place. Talked to the race director a bit in the parking lot -- I've run a bunch of his races before, and the events are good, the RD has a positive attitude, and puts a lot of thought into the safety of the runners. Around 7:45 we got going, in a consistent but not heavy rain. Did my best to dial in 8:30 miles for the first four or so -- ended up with a 9 minute split because I stopped at an aid station.<br />
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Around mile 4 I fell in with a group of runners, who were moving pretty strong. On my watch they were anywhere from 8:10/mile to 7:50/mile. I still wanted to hang back at around 8-8:15 just so I didn't add on too much too fast. I decided to keep them in sight at least until the turn around.<br />
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At the mile 10 aid station that group started to break apart as some of the guys had trouble holding pace. My plan at that point had been to get to mile 11.75, shuck my coat, and open up my pace aiming for an even 7 minute split. I passed a couple of folks, and then put the plan into motion. Managed to get down an energy gel just before mile 12, too, which I think helped a bit. The first half into mile 12 was at a 6:24 pace (according to my watch) but the last half had quite a bit of hill, so I ended up with an even 7min split just as planned. Elated, I kept the pace up to the finish. At 1:46, it's not my fastest half or anything, but I learned a lot about the mental focus it takes to pace.<br />
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*****</div>
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Onto my Run Streak Day #168. Had a nightmare of a time finding my motivation today, and I'm hoping it is back tomorrow. </div>
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I broke a tooth the other day, so I had a dentist appointment to have the addressed. I hate going to the dentist, but, I need to set a good example for my kids, so I know part of that is modeling positive interactions with medical professionals. I'll need to start going more regularly. Dentist appointment went well -- and I'm hoping to make some more positive changes to my health there. A bit of work to be done as I'm due to get a crown on the broken tooth, so hopefully that will be motivation to being the last huge amount of dental work I will have.</div>
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Went to a local playground and then out to dinner last night. Late Spring evenings are excellent, when the weather is nice. I'm hoping that we have more days like that in the next couple of weeks because the time with the kids is so restorative to my soul. I want to get the toddler out and running in the woods for a bit this weekend, too.</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-74388306516665015522019-04-18T10:29:00.001-04:002019-04-18T10:36:10.696-04:00Q2 Goal Check-InI set a bunch of goals for myself, including some that I didn't really write about here before.<br />
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I've been working to run a full year (I'm on Day #148 of my streak from Thanksgiving) and beyond that, I'm aiming to run 2,019 miles in 2019. The volume has been incredible, so far, and I don't feel weaker or broken down 600 or so miles into the challenge. I'm planning to run smarter over the next few months -- slower runs for bulk, to maintain some quality in the workouts.<br />
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I've also signed up for a challenge on Strava, which is unlike other challenges on there. The goal is to run the last mile of a half/full marathon as the fastest mile. I've never really tried consciously to do that, so I'm going to give it a go at Angry Unicorn on May 5. That is currently my half marathon PR, and I think partially because the course has some rolling hills, so it has an element of challenge to it. I'm hopeful that the difficult nature of the course, combined with my past experience there will give me an added bonus. I'm also going to toss in a couple of speed work workouts over the next 20 days or so, so maybe that will give me an edge.<br />
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Fatherhood-wise, all is going well. The baby is almost one year old! She is working on learning 'hi' and babbles (with quite a bit of speech patterns) at us constantly. The 3-year-old is a lot of fun, and very creative. She hates to sleep. But, she loves to run and we have gone on a couple of hikes which have been a lot of fun. I'm hoping to go for a trail run on Father's Day, and I would like her to join me for the last little bit of it. She likes running through the woods, so I don't think it's a hard sell. But, she's probably only going to be up for a quarter to a half mile. Hey, you've got to start somewhere?<br />
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Brand new race calendar up on the side. Sadly, looks like no Run with the Beavers this year, which was also one of my favorite events of the year on technical trails in George Washington Management Area. In lieu of that, I'm hoping to get out and run several segments of RI's North-South Trail. I love that trail, and one of these years I've love to run some big sections of it, if not all of it.<br />
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There's also a 25k relay being run by one of my local race organizations, and some friends and I may try to put a group together for that. I've never run a relay before, but it could be a fun change of pace.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-74807232014477592802019-03-26T09:45:00.000-04:002019-04-18T10:12:31.403-04:00Eastern States 20 Mile: Race ReviewThe Eastern States 20 miler is the first pillar of racing year, every year. Except for the one year I missed it, I've run the event five out of the last six years. The distance isn't typical, the course is lovely, and the timing of the race means that the New England weather is often unpredictable.<br />
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I trained pretty hard through this winter (keeping my run streak alive, but also striving for a goal I will talk about in a later post.) This led me to a bunch of weeks where I was running 40 miles -- quite a bit more volume than I usually do in the lead up to the ES20. I had not covered this kind of distance in one run, but I've run the event a bunch of times so I was trusting that my mental toughness would offset that.<br />
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Woke up early the morning of the 24th and drove up to the high school. Have to say I love the new parking space at Winnacunnet HS. Ample parking, less exposed to high winds where we used to park near the Casino in Hampton. Had my pre-race breakfast of polenta and poached eggs, loaded up my gear and my check bag, boarded the shuttle.<br />
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The shuttle took awhile to get going. Always a thing because by that point I want to go use the bathroom. Anyway after awhile we got going to the Traip Academy. Checked in, went through my pre-race routines. Brought a bottle of water for my hydration tabs, and then a slow release carb shake. I brought a few gels with me, which I was a little concerned about because I hadn't been training much with them.<br />
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Race got going at around 11 am. It's a late start for a race so I download a couple of audio books for the wait. Last year, listened to Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and this year, Shakespeare's "the Tempest". Felt pretty strong in the first few miles, and I wasn't really looking much at my watch. I have a history with this race (because it's a 'heavy lift' as the first race I do every year) of not caring much about the time. I always expect to cover the distance in a little under 3 hours.<br />
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Felt strong through the first fifteen or so miles, with a couple of walk breaks injected here or there. I was pretty impressed that as I started running out of those walk breaks I felt pretty fresh. I was able to cover the last mile with more consistent running than I usually get -- which led to a whole bunch of PR medals on Strava.<br />
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This year I covered the distance in 2:44! Which is my fastest time at the race. I recovered quick, too, and the streak has continued. Feeling strong this year, and looking forward to seeing what else I have in me performance-wise.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-22010257935420914242019-02-16T12:11:00.001-05:002019-02-16T12:11:29.759-05:00Parenting Aid Station #1Big week here.<br />
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The toddler had a second dental treatment to seal up a cavity. She handled that well, and my wife took a day to go with her. I haven't taken as many days, but fully prepared to take days when the kids inevitably get sick. I spent a lot of the week feeling like I did not see my kids enough, though. Just tough this time of year.<br />
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Valentine's Day is always a minor holiday, but one that we mark in our family with cards and a nice family dinner. I'd gotten cards for my wife and girls (and one for my wife FROM the girls) during a mini errand during the week. Got home on Valentine's day, and my wife went out to pick up some things. I set into starting to make the house ready when the 3 year old got sick, and immediately started showing signs of stomach flu. I went into full adrenaline mode and calmed her down, cleaned everything up and got laundry started after getting her into new clothes.<br />
<br />I told my wife I would take care of the toddler, as the baby is still nursing and she's also in a phase of not wanting to be separated from her mom. I knew I signing up for a long night, and of course it was. The kiddo was sick a couple of more times, and was shivering. We alternated between my cuddling with her, and her deciding she wanted to sleep in a fetal position on the rug. I got about three hours of sleep, but I expect she got four or five.<br />
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The next day I stayed home with her, and spent the morning trying to get her to keep down water and some bland food. There's a big learning curve for the three year old and basic how-to-be-sick skills, which seem like they should be inherent. They aren't. And I mean I've studied child development, so I should know that. But I'm stupid sometimes, too. So we had lots of talks about what stomach pain means, how to know when you're going to vomit, where to go and what to do if you're going to vomit. Overall the day was pretty good in terms of recovery, and she took a good three hour nap. She later decided to go to bed around 5:30 pm, and woke up totally recovered.<br />
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So thankfully that was a short stomach bug but it would still be fair to say I learned so much about parenting in that 24-hour period. Highlights include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Separate sleeping spaces for the sick kid and whoever is caring for them. Very important.</li>
<li>Layer towels for easier cleanup in sleeping area. Your shirt, or a large camping tarp will also do.</li>
<li>An actual trash can should be in that space, along with some cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer.</li>
<li>A bidet is such a nice to have when your toddler has to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.</li>
</ul>
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I messaged a friend who has a little one, as well, and found out that his five month old spent the entire day screaming for (apparently) no reason. We had a good talk about how we handle that, and I completely related to that from my own kiddos.<br />
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The experience got me thinking that what we need is a sort of parenting "aid station" like you'd have in a race. Just a place to come in from working out in the wild, and get some help, to check in and make sure you're OK to continue. That's a decent metaphor for what community is, I guess. My ideal parenting aid station would be filled with warm confident people who have been thrown up on, seen some truly horrible shit, endured no sleep, and kept going. They'd offer you a glass of bourbon and a hammock so you could grab 20 minutes before getting back into it.<br />
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Because there's no god damned finish line. And it's work -- and it's also delightful. It's a challenge that makes you grateful for help, but not expectant for it. No judgement. You're doing this shit.<br />
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Out for eight and one half miles on the trails this morning (Run streak day 87). A decent amount of ice and mud, leading to an exciting few stumbles and falls. Came home to prepare waffles, whipped cream, and strawberries, which is a favorite of my wife's.<br />
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Running has been going well, actually. 40 miles covered with pretty relative ease this past couple of weeks. Forced work stoppage this week means that I'll have more time to run, as we are going to put the kids in daycare at least a couple of those days. I no longer entertain the idea that we'll come out of a break like this ahead of the game -- that's an illusion. But for sure I'll use the time to get some good work in, see some new trails, spend time with my family.<br />
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I may even clean the van (@*&k.)<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-6114302253273501472019-02-02T16:45:00.001-05:002019-02-02T16:45:19.340-05:00Onward, into the YearThe year is going slow -- which isn't a bad thing. I feel like in a lot of ways all the tracking I'm doing in terms of running has caused me to really pay attention to what is happening. My running is scheduled out ahead of time, with some variation for the weather (because it's freaking cold this time of year.) I'm tracking on Strava, another web page, my dry board, and a calendar near my desk. I found back during training for the Big Sur International Marathon that this was really useful in maintaining a consistent plan.<div>
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Have been working through audio books, focusing on the theme of resilience in January. I've worked through one and a half books so far, just in listening while running. Also read about a half of a book of Taoist philosophy (OK, I admit I've read it before, but not in many years.) I want to read more this year, as to set a good example for my toddler who sees us staring at screens more than I like.<br /><div>
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Went out to breakfast this morning with the toddler. My wife and I have both been running low on sleep, and she let me sleep early last night (after the toddler went to sleep) so I figured I'd try to repay the favor. We had a good time, and for a three year old that kiddo is pretty good in restaurants. Came home and she played with clay while I took down the Christmas Tree (finally) and cleaned up the living room.</div>
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The baby never did let my wife sleep. But I mean, I tried. It was an effort. The baby is doing well -- very smiley, and chatty. Loves her sister. She isn't crawling yet, although she manages to move quite a bit. She seems to really want to stand up.</div>
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Nap time ended up being later, which we decided is OK because it's the weekend. I'm off to go running in a bit -- planning on a 10km or so as the sun sets. Tomorrow will be quite a bit warmer, so I'm planning to go run some trails at about mid day. It will probably be kind of muddy. I'll wear shoes I don't love. </div>
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The trail running has been really good for me lately -- and I run them once a week. The same trail loop, about three miles, but often I run more than one loop. As the weather gets nicer I'm hoping to go run some different trails to get used to some different types of trail. I want to do more trail running this year, and perhaps even my first 50km. So preparation will be important. I also am doing enough volume that it makes sense to me to sign up for a spring marathon. I haven't picked one -- yet -- but I'm keeping my eyes open for one. I'm running everyday anyway, and I'm actually getting faster while taking it easy, so I may as well.</div>
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I've also been doing a lot of stretching and foam rolling -- much more than I typically do (which is none.) It's been very helpful so far in reducing the pain I had in my right hip, and piriformis muscle. So that's a good thing. I'm also up in terms of weight, even though I'm still watching what I eat. My legs look particularly muscly, so I'm hesitant to cut more calories for fear that I'll burn the muscle. But I'm going to try some stuff, because I'm worried about carrying all the weight with the volume I'm trying to run over time. Truth be told, I don't actually have any idea what I should weigh, or what I'm carrying and how. So maybe I shouldn't care anyway.</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-90465692316117161752019-01-22T06:05:00.001-05:002019-01-22T06:05:35.825-05:00Chilly JanuaryCold, cold, cold! It's been cold the past couple of days. When it gets like this, we burrow into the finished side of our basement to watch movies as a family, and spend quality time. That's been really nice and as a bonus, we're getting lots of laundry done.<br />
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January has been eventful so far, with lots of work to keep us busy, and the toddler is really quite a handful these days. We have fun playing, and I try to keep her involved in things -- like cooking, setting the table, cleaning up here and there. She's good at all of this stuff, but it's a double edged sword because sometimes you just want to cook the thing and be done with it. It is a chance to take a deep breath and find a new level of patience.<br />
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Running wise I've been going very strong with just over 100 miles so far in January. I've been stretching more, too, and I'm feeling the benefit of that in my piriformis, which had been experiencing some sciatica like pain since about September. It's much better to not be in pain. Even though I've been skeptical about stretching in the past, I think having built it into my routine in a really big way has helped, so I'm planning to keep that up.<br />
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Food-wise things are going well, with a couple of cheat days here and there. I'd like to lose more weight, so I'm trying to be really good about what I eat during the week. This week we failed at going grocery shopping, so I'll have to make due with what's in the house for today.<br />
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I'm thinking a lot about getting a cheap exercise bike and starting to grind out some time in my z1 for aerobic training. The cross training would help a lot, I'd get some extra calories in, but I'm hoping it would also give me a better base once the weather gets better and I'm out on the road more. Maybe even make it more comfortable. I'm going to need to do something like that because February is always a tough month running wise, and yesterday was already a -18 day where my eyes nearly froze shut.<br />
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My maternal grandfather passed away a few days ago. I've been estranged from that side of my family for nearly a decade now, so it's conflicting. I have a handful of good memories, but largely my memories of that entire family are very tinted by my experience with my mother. Suffice to say, he was a product of his generation, race, and class. For good or for ill, that's a thing I can say.<br />
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It feels wrong to not mark it in some way, but being estranged it isn't like I was invited to the funeral. This is how I learn things about that side of my family now -- I tend to find out who has passed away by googling them, or on my genealogy websites. It is tough for me because I do not want to have this same type of fractured relationship with my own kids. They will be better off by not being exposed to toxic influences, but I hope that they don't ever view our relationship in that way. I do think, even with my own parents, that they did their best. That just can't always make up for what we go through in life...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-45989383179532502102019-01-01T09:03:00.000-05:002019-01-01T09:03:30.574-05:00Resolutions (part 2) 2019 GoalsHere are the goals I'm looking to set for 2019. Each year I try to pick 10 things to focus on, with five of them being parenting goals, and five of them being goals for endurance sport. This year I'm going to try something different -- three goals for my parenting life, my professional life, and my life in endurance sport.<br />
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First, my parenting goals:<br />
<ol>
<li>Spend at least two hours a day playing, reading, singing with my kids.</li>
<li>Prioritize time alone with each of the children.</li>
<li>Get the kids outside more, on trails, in the woods.</li>
</ol>
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Secondly, the professional goals:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Pursue additional certification with regards to tech implementation</li>
<li>Begin to seriously put some practice time in on my instrument</li>
<li>Practice random kindness in the workplace</li>
</ol>
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Third, my endurance goals:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Run a 50km trail race</li>
<li>Cross train more (bike, strength)</li>
<li>Run more trails (in training)</li>
</ol>
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Lastly, an overall goal of mine is to de-emphasize materialism in the upcoming year, and to focus on experiences and quality time.</div>
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I know that hour/day goals become difficult to measure for me, because I'm often being pulled in so many directions that it is difficult to quantify time. I figure right now I probably spend two or three hours with my toddler a day playing and reading, etc. In the next year I want to start to quantify it, only to have an idea of what we're doing. I may blog some of that stuff here, but I'm also going to just jot things down as we do them.</div>
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Health-wise I tracked my weight almost every day last year. The goal of that was two-fold: I wanted to see the trend, but I also wanted to train myself to take the number on the scale less seriously. When it is just one thing you do in a day, it's a lot easier to lessen the build up on "weigh-in" days. That worked pretty well, a side effect being that I never lost as much weight as I intended. Although, I did manage a pretty respectable marathon time in spite of that extra weight. So that's fun, but we'll see what I can do about any of it in 2019.<br />
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I've signed up for a "Run the Year" challenge. 2019 miles means a little over five and a half miles every day. I'm not planning to run it like that, but I am thinking about using the log software run the year uses to keep my streak going. And it syncs activities from Strava, so not a lot of extra work on my part there. Hopefully with a marathon training plan, and then a 50km plan, I'll be able to pull of the mileage.<br />
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-29269826661786101402018-12-31T08:56:00.000-05:002019-01-01T08:56:59.704-05:00End of the 2018 Racing Season / Year in ReviewRaces Run (Strava times, not official):<br />
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1. 1/1 NYRR Resolution Run (Virtual) 27:43<br />
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2. 3/25 the Eastern States 20 miler (North Hampton, NH) 2:46:42<br />
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3. 4/14 Newport Marathon (Newport, RI) 4:02:42<br />
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4. 5/6 Angry Unicorn (South Kingstown, RI) 1:38:54<br />
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5. 6/9 Gaspee Days 5k (Cranston, RI) 24:06<br />
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6. 7/14 Run with the Beavers 10 miler (Chepachet, RI) 1:45:49<br />
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7. 7/27 Blessing of the Fleet 10 miler (Narragansett, RI) 1:28:15<br />
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8. 10/28 Cape Cod Marathon (Falmouth, MA) 3:56:16<br />
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I ran 10 more races last year than this year, but many of them were 5ks. I don't think I'm really missing much by having cut the 5k out, I prefer running longer, anyway. I was also able to really focus and stick to my training schedule this year for the marathons, which let me break four hours again for the first time in a few years (in spite of an injury.)<br />
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I was also hesitant to list the Resolution run on there, as it was a virtual Strava race. I did treat it like a race, though, so I'm counting it. I did not count the NYRR Virtual Mile, because I was amidst injury and I couldn't get in a mindset for it. Additionally, I had two races that I registered for and did not run: Funky Monkey HM was in late June, and the Black Goose in November. Black Goose actually conflicted with a family event I had, and I wasn't feeling well morning of the Monkey. I plan to be running for a long time, so there will be a time for everything.<br />
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Had a good showing at Eastern States, my fastest time, by about 3 minutes. I love that race and I was happy to be able to go back to it. Some things have changed logistically there, but I'd like to return again in 2019. It still will never be a super easy thing to do all by myself, but there's also something nice to the feeling of completing that race self supported.<br />
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Newport Marathon was a really tough course. The day itself was beautiful, but I think the number of hills on the course just beat me down mentally. I also don't know how seriously I really took that training, because it's unpleasant to train through the winter. It's tough to do speedwork amidst snow. I have some thoughts on how I'll train for a spring race next time around, but I'm saving those for my goal setting post.<br />
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Angry Unicorn is such a treat. Another race where I supported myself, but the course is that sweet spot of rolling hills and easy climbs that feels very familiar to my legs. Additionally the pack isn't huge, so it's easy to break up from the group and run your own race. Kind of a bleh day weather wise, but just such a great race. I'm not sure I believe the course measures entirely accurate, and so I was hesitant to claim that PR fully. But it would be my first HM in the 1:30s, so that is pretty exciting.<br />
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The summer races I really run for fun -- not trying to go for a particular time. These three are all in the midst of my summer run streak, so I see them as gems in a larger collection.<br />
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Cape Cod Marathon was the other big event for me for the year -- despite feeling overuse coming on late in the training plan, I still managed to go sub-4 which was a big personal victory. It has inspired me to take on some crazy challenges in 2019, but there will be more of that later.<br />
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Parenting-wise, it has been a very big year. My wife and I welcomed our second daughter, and she has been a delightful spirit who has brought a lot of joy and love into our family. Her big sister absolutely adores her, and watching the two of them together is very sweet. Parenting two kids is a balancing act -- trying to give the toddler the attention and interaction she needs while also giving the baby the time and experiences her sister had when she was this age. I've been feeling like I'm not doing as much singing and hands on play with child #2, so I'm trying to re prioritize that. The baby loves when we sing and play games (like "Itsy Bitsy Spider") so that's good.<br />
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Christmas was a great success. We stay home, and do the holiday as a nuclear family. I made a full dinner by myself, mulled some wine (and cider for the toddler.) The baby is eating real food now, too -- mostly rolls and anything mashed, but it's a start. It was a fun day complete with presents in the morning, dinner in the middle of the day followed by a long nap. The toddler didn't end up falling asleep until quite late, but we have the week to get things back on track.<br />
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We also just returned from a family vacation up north -- quite a bit of stress associated with these trips, and a lot of work. But, also plenty of enjoyable moments. In any event it is good to be back home again, and ready to dive back into life.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-80573298474451340492018-12-15T20:03:00.003-05:002018-12-15T20:03:58.970-05:00Resolutions "In Review" for 2018 (part 1)Every year I set goals, so this will be a two part post reviewing the goals I set, and then in part two setting some new goals for 2019.<br />
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So, here were my resolutions for 2018:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Teach my daughter something each week.</li>
<li>Enter no store before March, all stores off limits except the grocery store.</li>
<li>Clear out unnecessary junk.</li>
<li>Consistent social club meetings.</li>
<li>Cook more.</li>
<li>Get down to my "fighting" weight</li>
<li>Run two marathons in one calendar year.</li>
<li>Barefoot a 5k race.</li>
<li>Learn to fuel appropriately again.</li>
<li>Journal more consistently.</li>
</ol>
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I'd say it's nearly impossible to meet all of these goals all the time, but I do try my best. I like some of them as guidelines, where others are certainly more concrete. The parenting goals, for example, I like to think of as things to bring me closer to my ideal parenting style. The running goals, on the other hand, have more to do with concrete outcomes.</div>
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My first goal was to teach my daughter something new every week. I had in mind when I set that, that I would work on an exact skill or idea with her each week. Which is a fun goal, but the truth is little kids are just experiencing so much all the time, and the attention span doesn't lend itself much to that. And I know better, too, because I've studied child psychology. Either way we did a lot of fun stuff this year, from learning how to use pens and crayons, to sensory play with shaving cream tables, playing music (she made her first sounds on a brass instrument!) and cooking fundamentals (how to use a measuring cup, for one.) It was a blast and while I couldn't pick out 52 concepts we went over, we probably did way more.</div>
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I did manage #2, and kept out of the stores other than to buy groceries basically until May. It became harder in the summer because we did so much -- the zoo, museum, what have you at least once a day. So when we needed supplies, sometimes we had to go to stores I don't love. I did manage to buy less junk for the first half of the year, at least. And I'll work on that again next year -- because I really hate stores and going to shops after work really cuts into any time for running or playing with the kids.</div>
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Clear out unnecessary junk. Sure, I mean, a little. I have lots of crap around my house that I should get rid of. We don't have enough storage for any of it, either. I did manage to donate lots of clothes that I don't wear anymore, and so I think that will be an ongoing goal for 2019. I've been better about managing my clothes and materials, as well, so hopefully that will get even better as time goes on.</div>
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Cooked a lot this year. I mean, a lot. We still ate out a bunch in the very busy times of year, but we managed to plan and execute meals more consistently, for sure. One thing we need to get better about is the family dinner around the table. We do that a few times a week but often we're so beat at the end of the day that we just want to relax on the couch or whatever. That said, I've learned some crazy good recipes.</div>
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I did not get back down to the weight I wanted to be at -- but I was in a pretty good shape for my fall marathon. I had to fight to get under 170 lbs at all this year, and I think a lot of that is just that it's hard to have the mental discipline to cut calories while running as many miles a week as I was. We'll see what next year holds in this regard -- but I tracked my weight almost everyday this year, as well, and I think that actually helped me see it more as a trend line than a number. Which is pretty important for me. Because the number used to get in my head a whole lot.</div>
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I did run two marathons this calendar year! Newport in April, and Cape Cod in October. I even broke 4 hours in Cape Cod, which means that all is not lost in terms of reaching my goals. It's going to take some hard work, but achieving this resolution (which I've had for awhile now) gave me so much energy and desire to work harder coming up. And I've got some stuff to do, too -- because I got injured training for Cape Cod, so for sure stretching and cross training are on the docket come January.</div>
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I did a lot of bare-footing this year, including a barefoot run that covered the 5k distance. I did not race that distance without shoes, as the goal was set, but I also did quite a bit of running this summer on a broken toe, so there's that. It had me not in the mood to race much of the summer. That said I loved my barefoot time and I'm hoping to continue that in 2019, possibly even on some varied terrain.</div>
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I tried some new fueling strategies in training for Cape Cod and I think they were really successful. A new carb beverage for pre-long runs, gels, and an energy shot for different places in the run and water every two miles. It worked really well for me and gave me something to focus on during long runs so I could just work to get to that next fuel point. It took a lot of focus and practice, but I think that fuel wise this last training cycle was better than any I've ever had. It even let me put up some pretty impressive numbers in training (for me) before I got injured and had to dial-back the mileage. There's always another cycle, so this gives me confidence that I have some skill here to tap into next time.</div>
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I have tried really hard to write something here every month, at least. Of the 137 days I ran from Spring into Fall, I tried to write a little something everyday. This crowded out some of the bigger posts I usually do focused on a concept, but it also let me focus my mind on a routine -- run, sync the watch, write the post, review the data. That was pretty crucial to me doing as much as I did in the streak. So that's a thing I've learned, and obviously, I want to continue writing here. Hopefully I'll be able to write more on my parenting life here in the coming year. But I can get to all that in the next half of this post setting goals for 2019.<br />
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Holiday Run Streak has been going well. 24 days in, I've covered sixty-four miles. Aiming for twenty miles a week while I try to sort out the various pains and twinges in my legs from marathon training. It has been uneventful, and enjoyable running, though, as it often is in New England in December. I've been running in neoprene boots, in case of rain and snow, and they're a bit cold, but overall comfortable.</div>
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And the house is all decked out with garlands, fake candles, stockings. The usual holiday decor. The toddler absolutely loves the season, and I'm finding a new joy in watching her enjoy it. This week is a busy week, with meetings and engagements, but finally ending with her birthday party and our solstice party on Friday. I'm very much looking forward to it.</div>
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-64232728919136093012018-11-28T19:11:00.001-05:002018-11-28T19:11:18.997-05:00Holiday Run Streak, Day #7Tried to take the dog out for a run tonight, but she refused to leave the block again. Doesn't like to go too far from the kids. Will try to take her for more walks with the toddler, see if that gets her comfortable with the neighborhood and running again.<br />
<br />
Did a chilly mile on my own this evening. Have a late meeting tomorrow so I will need to go out early tomorrow (~5am) to get my run in. I'm planning a short one for now, so that I can just keep the streak going. If it works out, and I'm able to go to sleep at a reasonable hour tomorrow, I may continue to do the morning runs. They are some of my favorite memories from the run streaks, and with the sun setting at about four in the afternoon, it's nice to feel like I can rest when the sun goes down for the day.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-87740046452009575582018-11-28T05:57:00.003-05:002018-11-28T05:57:46.671-05:00Holiday Run Streak, Day #4, #5, #6One mile each on days four and five. Pretty incredible rain, too.<br />
<br />
Last night got out for a four mile run, and felt very good after about mile two. Have to switch to morning runs tomorrow, because I have a late meeting at the end of the work day. Should be possible but I'll have to make sure to run easier tonight, and possibly less distance tomorrow.<br />
<br />
The pain in my left foot isn't so bad after I'm up and moving, so running at the end of the day is working out for now. When I get up in the morning it bothers me a little, but not enough to stop me from walking around or anything. My right quad is still bothering me, too, but has gotten a little better now that I'm doing some regular stretching.<br />
<br />
Long days at work mean I'm exhausted when I'm home, but still trying to carve out some time to read with the kids, play games, and have family dinners. We have a routine before bed now of reading four books, and it's been growing up to five or six books. The toddler likes Halloween books.<br />
<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-49839708110064499372018-11-24T16:32:00.003-05:002018-11-24T16:32:28.350-05:00Holiday Run Streak, Day #3Mile and three quarters today. Expecting rain and cold for the next couple of days. Have the gear to tough it out, but it won't be fun for sure.<br />
<br />
Pain in my right quad. Need to do some stretching and form work. I think I'm OK to keep moving, but I'm concerned that it's compensating for a weakness/tightness elsewhere, so we'll see. The left plantar fasciitis seems to be gone. So that's good. Need to do some stretching regularly to keep stuff in check, as well as some strength to stay rounded. Have to get back to eating real food tomorrow, too, so I don't gain fifteen pounds and struggle all month to keep running.<br />
<br />
Eventful day today, with errands and lots of playing and cleaning around the house. When the kiddos wake up, likely more playing. Wife and I got our flu shots today, so once the baby is all better from her cold we should be good to go visit friends again.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-23489629446220478602018-11-23T16:04:00.001-05:002018-11-23T16:04:41.440-05:00Holiday Run Streak, 2018 (Days 1 and 2)First two days of the Holiday Run Streak are in the books! Good to be back on my feet. And in some familiar (very) cold New England weather. 3 days yesterday, almost four today. I'd like to keep this run streak at a comfortable distance each day, while taking it easy. I know there are bound to be one mile days in there, but I'm going to still try to keep them few and far between. Also, having covered 169 miles last year in the streak, I'm not certain that same distance will be replicated this year. We'll see, I suppose, but I am not sure how many middle to longer distances I'll put in.<br />
<br />
Had a quiet Thanksgiving day with the immediate family. We like to stay in just us, I make the meal and we spend time together. It was a lot of fun. I will miss it when things inevitably change as the kids grow up.<br />
<br />
Put up the Christmas (Solstice) Tree today, which I usually do on Thanksgiving eve, but I was too tired. We decorated it this morning together, which was a lot of fun. Grabbed a nap afterwards and heading out to visit extended family for dessert in a bit.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-60503718884118971212018-10-29T06:08:00.000-04:002018-10-29T06:09:13.909-04:00the Cape Cod Marathon (Marathon #7) Race Review<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen</span></i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Durch des Himmels prächt'gen</span></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Plan,</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,</span></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
--Schiller, <i>Ode to Joy</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Ran the Falmouth Track Club's Cape Cod Marathon yesterday.<br />
<br />
I was a bit apprehensive about the race because I had some overuse injuries, because I kept building volume, and I suppose my base wasn't as ready for it as I thought. For about a month I've had some joint pain, and tendon pain in my left foot. I laid off the running quite a bit in the two weeks leading up to the race, and just trusted the base I built up.<br />
<br />
Friday after work we headed out to our accommodations on the cape. Pretty nice little hotel with a kitchenette. I brought lots of run stuff this time, because I really worked on my sports nutrition this time around. Lots of energy gels, powdered carb drinks, etc. Went out to a local supermarket to pick up food for the couple of days, also picked up some sweats to toss after the race got going. I ended up getting a solid eight hours of sleep, which was really good.<br />
<br />
Saturday was a super windy day, with winds that actually resembled a tropical depression. We ventured out to the hit expo. Found some cool stuff there, and I picked up a couple of extra gels in my favorite flavors, along with some anti-friction gel (having left mine at home.) Met and mingled with some of the FTC folks, who were all very nice. It was a surprisingly well stocked expo for how small of a marathon this was. At least two running gear places, and then the track and running club booths.<br />
<br />
Found a British pub place for lunch, with some familiar New England sights and weather, and then returned to the hotel. We stayed in and played board games with the toddler. Learned dominoes, but also taught her to play Barrel of Monkeys, and Connect 4. So that was a lot of fun, and she really enjoyed it. I made pasta and a bland sauce for dinner, which worked out well for me. Got all my race stuff together before heading off to bed.<br />
<br />
Oh man, Friday night's sleep? That was great. Saturday night was rough -- the toddler just DID NOT want to go to sleep. I mean she was up until like 9:30. I had planned to get up at 5:30 the next day to start going through pre-race rituals, but that was just not realistic. I fell asleep around 9:45 and ended up snoozing until 6 am. The race start was at 8:30, so that didn't throw me off much, but it was just not as planned.<br />
<br />
The race day itself was beautiful -- started off a bit cold, and damp from the previous day's storms, but I ended up being happy I chose to run in a singlet and shorts. Paced myself pretty comfortably for the first eight or nine miles, having talked through the pacing plan with my wife, I knew to save some stuff for the hilly back half of the course. The whole course was rolling hills, but a very familiar kind of hill to me. Many of the hills resembled the ones I live around and train on all the time, so my legs were able to lift me through them and let me coast down the back side. I pushed my gels up about five or ten minutes from my usual gel schedule, hoping to get a little more juice out of things, and I think that plan worked OK, except I should have added an extra one in there somewhere -- because I had a bonk at mile 24.<br />
<br />
Mile 24 is such a crappy place to bonk. I knew looking at my pace, though, that sub-4 was still in sight, and adjusting my expectations a bit, I did my best to dial in a pace that would keep me about 9min/mile overall. The last stretch along the beach was really lovely, and I managed to run the last mile of the course in before taking a picture with the kiddos and grabbing a bite to eat with everyone before heading home. I'm very sore today, moreso than the previous few marathons. But I think that's in keeping with the effort expended (both mental and physical.) I'll be taking a couple of weeks off to get ready for the holiday run streak, and looking into one or two fun races to wind down the season.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"A runner must run with dreams in his heart."</i>--Emil Zatopek</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<br />
Checked a couple of goals off yesterday at the Cape Cod Marathon.<br />
<br />
First, I went sub-4 for the first time since Baystate in 2015. My marathon results look like this:<br />
<br />
Baystate (2013): 3:47:53<br />
<br />
Marine Corps (2014): 3:52:07<br />
<br />
Baystate (2015): 3:48:48<br />
<br />
Big Sur (2016) 4:34:17<br />
<br />
NYC (2017): 4:37:12<br />
<br />
Newport (April, 2018): 4:02:22<br />
<br />
Cape Cod (October, 2018): 3:56:<br />
<br />
So, my timing was significantly better and I think that's owing to a couple of things. 1) I trained better (and a bit harder) for this race, and I wasn't trying to lose weight simultaneously, and 2) I wasn't running the race as a vacation primarily. With Big Sur and NYC I threw myself into the experience of the race, knowing that I'll likely never get to run those events again. So, for me, those races were about the sights and the people. It didn't make me want to rush to the finish. I'm only about an hour away from the cape, and the terrain is very familiar and similar to other races I've run, so I was willing to really see what I could do in my current shape.<br />
<br />
The other goal was that this was the first time I've run two marathons in one calendar year. That's been a goal of mine for a couple of years now, but it didn't feel really do-able to me until this last very successful training cycle. I don't know that I'll ever get up to a marathon every weekend or anything, but it helps me look at some goals that I'd like to meet next year, which will all show up here when I start writing the posts planning for the future.<br />
<br />
Also, the toddler is getting very interested in doing a kid's race. It's led to a lot of discussion about what it means to win a race, which led to this really fruitful discussion:<br />
<br />
Me, "How do you win a race? What do you have to do?"<br />
Toddler, "You cross the finish line."<br />
<br />
Out of the mouths of babes, right?<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-18951586635666324022018-10-20T09:19:00.002-04:002018-10-20T09:19:09.285-04:00Autumnal RamblingVery, very busy between work and childcare. The sensation of living many days in one 24-hour stretch is becoming very familiar, and I'm hoping it's not aging me too much. I'm also extending my hours at work, which means one day is really starting to blend into another.<br />
<br />
Finally arrived at Saturday morning -- my wife is feeling sick with a cold, but the toddler is up and active. I've been on the verge of getting sick, so I've been taking it easy this week. Focusing on sleep and taking it easy because I don't want to go into the marathon with a cold. Anyway, got up early with the toddler and went out to breakfast. Impressive kid knew just what she wanted to eat, and it's neat watching the hand-eye dexterity coming along with her utensil use. Sang along with "Yellow Submarine" on the way home, which did my hippie heart a lot of good.<br />
<br />
Now we're hanging out watching Saturday morning cartoons and playing with toys. I'm running as much laundry as I can today, too. So that's fun. At some point I'll get out for a forty-minute run, just to keep things going. Tomorrow is a 16 mile (thereabouts) run.<br />
<br />
The baby is doing well -- now has the helmet, and isn't too averse to wearing it. She remains the happiest baby ever, and she's a delight to be with. Although, I still have the guilt that she isn't getting as much of my attention as baby #1 did, but that's to be expected, I guess. She absolutely loves her big sister, and smiles every time the toddler sings her a song or talks to her.<br />
<br />
I'm still pretty sore from an overuse injury, but I'm not planning to drop out of this marathon. There will be plenty of time to recover AFTER I suffer through it. I have wanted to do two marathons in a calendar year for a couple of years now, and I'm really planning on this year being the year.<br />
<br />
Getting colder here in New England, which very little in-between weather. I prefer the cold, anyway, so no complaints there. But it is making me feel like I have not a lot of time to get the yard ready for winter. Yikes. Lots of cleanup to do.<br />
<br />
Re-reading Jeff Smith's Bone with the toddler. A chapter each night before meditation and bed. Definitely a big change to the night routine, which used to be a solid hour of music and rocking her to sleep. It's a good routine, though, and often means I pass out and am able to log a solid seven hours.<br />
<br />
All that said, though, I'm still just as worn out as I was when I did my heaviest marathon training week. So that isn't great. I'm thinking about getting a indoor trainer for one of my bikes, and just starting to log lots of indoor miles on it over the winter. I'm planning to do a holiday run streak, too, but I think I'd benefit from the additional cardio training indoor for the few months.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-65331523946345891072018-10-02T19:20:00.005-04:002018-10-02T19:20:50.725-04:00Autumnal Routines<i>"...I am the autumnal sun,</i><br />
<i>With autumn gales my race is run;</i><br />
<i>When will the hazel put forth its flowers,</i><br />
<i>Or the grape ripen under my bowers?</i><br />
<i>When will the harvest or the hunter's moon</i><br />
<i>Turn my midnight into mid-noon?</i><br />
<i>I am all sere and yellow,</i><br />
<i>And to my core mellow.</i><br />
<i>The mast is dropping within my woods,</i><br />
<i>The winter is lurking within my moods,</i><br />
<i>And the rustling of the withered leaf</i><br />
<i>Is the constant music of my grief... "</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Henry David Thoreau, <i>I am the autumnal sun</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
*****<br />
<br />
As the late summer's hurriedness and anxiety give way to early autumns consistent work, I find I have a bit of time to stop and write. I love this time when I'm often busy, have to work my training in around work and family life. It has a good rhythm to it, and is quite in contrast with the enjoyably lazy summer.<br />
<br />
We pursued the scans for the baby's skull shape, and there's no need for surgery. That news was quite a bit of relief to my us, although the babe will need a helmet for a few months to help things grow correctly. She's the happiest baby of all time, though, and seems to be moving along at a normal developmental pace, so that's good.<br />
<br />
The toddler and I have been reading Jeff Smith's<i> Bone</i>. It's a favourite graphic novel of mine, that I first read in college. I'm reading it on an app, as it allows us to follow one panel at a time, but only a couple of weeks in and we're nearly through with the story. Should finish this weekend. I was somewhat worried about some of the scarier bits, but she seems to be dealing well enough with it, and has a lot of fun telling her mom all about the rat creatures and how Fone Bone escapes them with the help of a dragon.<br />
<br />
Training wise I'm a bit sore these past few days, starting to feel some overuse pangs after last week's speedwork (in which I over reached, impressively.) I'm going to cut this week's speed work, but still aim for time on my feet as an active recovery. As it is things actually feel better once I get moving, so I'm not sure there's much of a need to stop. My body is showing me the tell tale signs of over use: elevated heart rate in the morning, soreness. I'll do what I can to start eating better and sleeping more (as much as I can.) I'm adding more ice baths in and foam rolling. I'll get to that second marathon at the end of October, and hopefully I'll be feeling better by then, too.<br />
<br />
I've had to order another pair of shoes from wearing out my first pair of the cycle. Not thrilled about that, but otherwise my other new gear is holding up well. And with the muscle soreness I've been running more in my sandals anyway, so this new pair of shoes should easily last me until the marathon. If I'm able to recover on the run like this, it will mean pretty great things for the rest of the fall and winter, but I'm hesitant to let this plan quite out in case I should jinx myself.<br />
<br />
Today marks day #132 of my run streak, which is pretty cool. I haven't been keeping a table on this streak in the way I do for the holiday run streak, but I'm averaging just over 50 miles per week according to Strava. I think that my highest weekly mileage is only in the high 50s, anyway, so maybe it means big things are on the horizon for me endurance wise. It would be exciting to find out that this first six years in running had just been the prelude to a really fun life in endurance sport.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-50732645728735970872018-09-16T11:53:00.000-04:002018-09-16T11:53:06.529-04:00Dreaming of Mercy Street<div>
<i>I run with Orion</i></div>
<div>
<i>and Orion runs with me</i></div>
<div>
<i>on through the night and the small hours</i></div>
<div>
<i>past my old stomping grounds and grounds yet rediscovered</i></div>
<div>
<i>Orion has run with many</i></div>
<div>
<i>over countless generations</i></div>
<div>
<i>stories unknowable and lost to time</i></div>
<div>
<i>remembered only by my silent partner</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<div>
This marathon cycle has found me revising and revisiting areas that I grew up. I was a wild kid, but never became interested in running until my mid-20s. I have a whole new vantage point on the place I once lived, and the streets I once tore around on. I ran on these roads as a gleeful child, eager to play along the water line with my friends. I skated, played with dogs. As an angsty teenager I wandered the neighborhood after dark with my friends, basking in the orange glow of the street lights.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's different now. I have the benefit of knowing the terrain, but it's like it doesn't quite fit anymore. It has the familiar sensation of returning to an elementary school as an adult -- the place is much smaller than I remember, like a well loved hoodie that has shrunk in the wash. It is hard for me to not wax poetic within the confines of my own mind as I tread an area with so much history to me and at such a solitary hour. There are familiar colored lights, and a bridge that has been replaced but with a view exactly the same as twenty years ago. I revel in the nostalgia only because I know that a change is coming. You can't stay in the same place forever, and I'm not the person I was then. I need to become something else, and learn new skills. My kids will cut new memories in a hometown of their own, and I'm certain that they'll experience the similar push-pull of aging.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I grew up by the water. I don't live far from the same river and bay now, and I can never escape the feeling that I know myself through my connection to this place. But there are other places, too, of course, and there are other sides of myself worth discovering.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Social Club celebrated Oktoberfest, which we do in September (although I think still a bit earlier than the Germans do.) The food and drink was incredible, and of course the conversation alone left me never longing for another activity to have as a shared distraction. The toddler loved the food, and had a great time talking to everyone and playing. Nice to see her confident in social situations and undeterred from the business of being a kid.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The run streak has been going well, although I've abandoned (temporarily) the practice of blogging my run journal each day. I'm at the height of my marathon training cycle and have been in 40-60 mile weeks for awhile, feeling strong and focused on that. Ended up with just shy of 57 miles for last week, with the week ending with a 22 mile long run. The long run surprisingly went by very quick, so my mental toughness must be building up. This week's long run wasn't as long, but the plan had two longer easy runs so I still ended up with just shy of 50 miles. I'll be able to comfortably build to the mid-to-high 50s this next week.<br />
<br />
My wife and I have been doing some personal training sessions, so Saturday I was doing some fun lower/core work which left me trashed for my long run. But I gutted it out and I'm actually really happy with it overall. The conditions today were also similar to what I'm expecting for the marathon, so that is also always a bonus. I'll need to take an ice bath before we go run around with the kids, though.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>The silent running partner listens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>ever attentive but with no comment</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>no judgement</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>the miles render their own opinion in due time</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>I gain perspective from the thrum of motion in my bones</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>the chant of the road pounds in my legs</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<br />
I'm finding in this third decade of my life I have a hard time talking about things that upset me. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I have friends I still haven't told about the death of my cat, because I just get too upset thinking about it. Likewise, I have friends that I haven't spoken to in a large amount of time, and I find myself torn between reaching out and just severing ties. In the same vein of this struggle, I've taken about two weeks in drafting this post, because as much as I love to write about my running and the delights I experience with my little family, the hard things are so much harder for me to talk about. But I need to leave them somewhere, if only to get some space and perspective.<br />
<br />
So I've found the best way is to just say the thing. My wife and I noticed that the baby's head seemed sort of lopsided last week, and asked the pediatrician. It turns out she may need surgery for a fused suture that's preventing things from growing correctly. She's still developmentally on track (ahead, I think) and we've been told the surgery will be more annoying than anything, but it's still a stressful thing to imagine a four month old having to be put under and having a procedure done. It's tough. She's a happy baby, and she loves to smile and giggle. She doesn't deserve this, and although it's no one's fault it just sucks.<br />
<br />
It's been very stressful for my wife, and I'll admit that I am upset about it. We're in the process of scheduling tests and taking this all one step at a time. I've always been grateful that although I've had challenges in my life my kids have been healthy. This isn't something that will have long lasting repercussions, and I should be happy about that, too, but I'm stressed and worried for her. I have the comfort of knowing at least we're handling things the best we can.<br />
<br />
I'll have to keep my head down, and move into the hills.<br />
<br />
In the realm of stress I've also had some offers for additional work that I'm not sure I can turn down. It would mean extra hours potentially for about half of next year. I'll make time to be with my kids, I know that. What would be hard on me would be the loss of time to go running, because that's where I process most of my day. I certainly couldn't keep a streak going with those kinds of hours, and I'm not sure what would happen to my race calendar.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-70530392631882480532018-08-31T22:56:00.000-04:002018-08-31T22:56:18.136-04:00Summer Run Streak, Day #98, #99Had a close call tonight with our cat. We came home after a long day at work, and were lazing about watching TV, reading books, and playing with the kids. At some point either the toddler or myself accidentally let the cat out of the house, and we didn't notice until sometime later. He's my wife's cat, originally, as we had gotten him for her after we'd been living together for a few months. He is a good cat, and I have him pretty well trained to respond to treats. The dog freaked out while I was getting the toddler to bed, and my wife said there were two cats fighting in the street.<br />
<br />
That's when I noticed the cat wasn't anywhere in the house. I know all of his hiding spots, so I checked thoroughly. I walked a lap of our neighborhood, and threw down some of his favorite treats on our stoop. Sure enough after a couple of hours he came back, chirping at me and purring. I brought him in and gave him some flea goop, but we'll keep him separated from everyone until I can give him a proper flea bath in the morning. He doesn't have any marks or anything, so I'm not concerned about his health otherwise.<br />
<br />
It's tough because when my cat died a couple of months ago, we had a real dilemma around whether or not to tell our toddler. Her memory is still very much in development, so we're pretty sure she doesn't remember the cat at all, and thinks we've always had only one cat. I'm happy to not have to tell her our cat ran away, and that he probably wouldn't come back. But we will have to talk about being vigilant when he's around the door.<br />
<br />
Serious speed workout yesterday and an easy four miles today. I actually ended up doing a ten mile run yesterday with about six of those miles being decent 2000m intervals. Felt tired at the end but happy to have done the work, and the work during the exercise was not too bad, either. Today's four miler had me really burned out, but I think I'm also feeling the effects of exhaustion. I haven't been getting enough hours of sleep at night. Maybe I can catch a few more over the weekend.<br />
<br />First real long run for this plan is on Sunday (well, what I'd consider long.) The plan calls for three hours, which I imagine to be in the neighborhood of 18-20 miles. I'm planning a route that's about 20 miles. I feel really strong though, so I'm not worried about the distance. I'm a bit worried about the time frame as the weather in New England is going to turn unpleasant again any day now, and I also have a job mid morning on Sunday. It would be tough to go to work so run down from a long training run.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-56726192481345707912018-08-29T06:01:00.004-04:002018-08-29T06:01:35.660-04:00Summer Run Streak, Days #96 and #97We're in the middle of a vicious heat wave in New England. True to my luck, it's right as we go back to work and have to be in buildings with no air conditioning. It's just as well I guess that it forces me out of the house earlier, so I'm having an easier time talking myself into getting up at 4am to go out for my training.<br />
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Yesterday covered 7.6 miles. The plan had it as an optional fartlek workout, but it was humid and I wasn't completely in the zone for a workout mentally. I did put in a decent effort, and I tried to add some small surges. With being back to work I did end up covering about 18k steps (12 miles or so) so I don't feel too bad about it. I need to pace myself when I hit this point in the year, so I adjust to the dramatic uptick in activity.<br />
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My wife and I canceled our personal training session for last night, too, which was just as well. We hadn't slept well the night before, and that set the whole family up for an early bedtime just after 8:00. It was nice to get almost seven hours of sleep. Hopefully I can make that a pattern. The toddler has been so worn out from being back to the daycare full time that she's ready to have dinner, read books, and go to sleep earlier than usual. All in all it isn't a bad way to unwind after the work day, and I have been enjoying not having to go running after bedtime.<br />
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Tomorrow I have a speed work out on the training plan, and it is the last day of the heat wave. More than likely I'll end up running through the last hours of the heat wave.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-82778673277098455722018-08-27T05:50:00.000-04:002018-08-27T05:50:39.400-04:00Summer Run Streak, Day #95One mile in the early hours of this morning.<br />
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We're due for another heat wave, so even at 5 am it is wicked humid, and about 70 degrees. Not my favorite conditions for running. I need to get my workouts in early this week because we're back to work, and the kids are back to daycare. Getting up early means everyone is asleep when I go out, but in theory it means more family time when we're home in the evening. I've gone so far as to map out meals so I'll know how long they take to prepare, and mapping out my outfits for the week so I can change as quickly as possible. It is often said that the hardest time period in building a new habit is the first thirty days, and that is certainly my previous experience.<br />
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So, I'm taking the month of September seriously in that regard. There's only a couple of nights I can't go to bed early, and I will really have to tough out those challenge spots.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-6142298215924854582018-08-26T09:11:00.001-04:002018-08-26T09:11:21.691-04:00Summer Run Streak, Day #94 (Long Run Sunday)Up for my first morning long run in awhile. Usually these are easier to fit in later in the day, but as we're back to work this week I need to get in the habit of training in the morning. I actually set my alarm for 4am, but the toddler was half awake so I was worried getting up would just rouse her further, and I didn't want to head out on a long run leaving my wife with two awake kiddos.<br />
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Of course that didn't matter much because she never did go back to sleep.<br />
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The plan for today was a one hour and thirty minute progression run. I don't usually do workouts like this and I'm used to using plans where I just build or rest, so it's weird to have a dial-back week where I'm working harder. It was a really fun workout either way, and I've started taking my fueling a bit more seriously too -- starting with an energy shake about a half hour before running, and then using some gels at prescribed times. I also throw in an energy shot towards the end of my long runs. And sipping on water every mile and a half to two miles. All in all that seems to keep me pretty happy.<br />
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Of course one of the biggest challenges to working in the running before work is that I cover a lot of miles in a week. Where I need to do nine or ten miles in an easy run, that means I'll have to get up really early. Which means needing to go to bed REALLY early. And sometimes that's at the mercy of a toddler. Either way I have the prior experience of knowing that banging out some mileage is really empowering during a workday, and I get to ride an endorphin high all day at work, too. We'll see what happens.<br />
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Off to find breakfast!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8145528385029235924.post-72290397148737045132018-08-25T07:59:00.002-04:002018-08-25T07:59:29.120-04:00Summer Run Streak, Day #92, #93An hour ten minute "easy" run yesterday, that meant covering about 7.6 miles. Felt tired, and I'm still feeling pretty tired today. I took it easy today running just one mile this morning. I'm going to need to start running in the morning again, so covering the miles this morning isn't too bad an idea anyway. Need to take it easy today as I have a ten or eleven miler tomorrow (this week's long run, which is less miles but ending faster.) I should end up with forty-two or forty-three miles for the week, so not too bad, even on a "dial-back" week.<br />
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Now for a long day chasing around the toddler. But first, coffee.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13486950191763056997noreply@blogger.com0