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Running:
February is finally over. The weather was pretty strange this month. Nothing really uncomfortably cold, just cold and nothing even approaching a warm day. None the less it turned out to be a pretty good month of running. This week I was able to reach 70 miles again. This is the first time I have gone 70 or more miles three weeks in a row since I started marathon training back in 2004. The scarry thing is I feel good. I hope this means good things in the coming months. To recap Friday I got out for 6.5 miles in the morning and then 5 miles during my lunch break at work. Total running time 1:34:56. On Saturday I made it out for 15 miles in 2:3:44. This is the same route I've run several Saturday's this year. It was the fastest I've run this so far. This was despite the freezing drizzle that was falling almost the whole time. Parts of the roads were very slippery. I knew I needed 15 more to get to 70 for this week. I started early and did 6.5 on the treadmill and then ran my favorite outside loop for 8.5 to make it to my goal. Total running time on Sunday for the 15 was 2:03:08.
Through 2/28:
WTD 70
MTD 241.5
YTD 485
ODO 25651
Gardening:
This weekend I got to burning a large pile of brush I had accumulated since last spring. Lots of twigs and branches from a maple tree I cut down and from pruning several others. When the flame got going it was quite a fire. I think a couple of rabbits aren't happy at the moment that their house is gone. Also got a start on pruning my fruit trees. Still have quite a few to go, but I should have at least a month to get it done.
Running:
This past Monday I took a very much needed off day from running. I managed to get about 30 minutes on the bike and did weights and stretching. I will never be able to have a long running streak like I did a few years ago with large weeks like the last couple. I just can't handle it anymore. Tuesday I got a morning run in before work. I ran 11 miles in 1:36:10. Wednesday I ran my hill repeat workout again. 7.5 total miles in 1:5:52. I took music with me for running the hills for a little motivation. The snow was coming down so hard during parts of this run I couldn't see the top or bottom of the hill at times. Thursday I ran 3 miles at 7 minute pace on the treadmill in the morning and then ran 7 during my lunch break. 10 total miles in 1:21:52.
So for the week I'm up to 28.5, for the month up to 200, for the year 444.
A couple of years ago when I was in India we had for a period of time a Sikh driver. I found some of the music he was listening to quite interesting. I came to find out it was called Punjabi music. Most of it has a very heavy beat. As with any music you can find faster or slower, but I thought some of the faster stuff might work out for running. Before I left I had some help picking out a couple of CD's, and since one of the guys has brought some more for me to pick from. I have loaded up on my iPod a folder of this music that I sometimes use for a change of pace. Here are a couple of examples of the music. I have no idea what the words mean and for me and probably most Americans the videos are kind of lame, but you will get an idea of what I'm talking about. Close your eyes and just imagine running to it. What do you think?
Punjabi with rock beat
Punjabi with typical beat
Running:
Catching up on this weekend. I was able to get in my first 20 miler of 2010 on saturday. There was about an inch of snow on the ground here when I got up in the morning. I knew getting 20 outside would be tough so I improvised a bit. I got an early start and first ran 9 miles on the treadmill. I then took about five minutes to change, refuel and hydrate a bit and headed out on the road. The 11 miles on the road turned out OK. Doing it this way made it seem to go by faster I think. Overall it took me about 2 hrs and 50 minutes to run all 20. This morning I got out for an additional 8.5 in 1:11:55. So this week I ran 6 days, but my total for the week was still just a bit higher than last week. With a full week to go it should be no problem going over 200 miles for February.
WTD 71
MTD 172
YTD 415
ODO 25581
More snow is expected over night and into tomorrow. It will be a good day for a rest/crosstraining day. I'm just ready for winter to be done with. The 15 day forecast doesn't show much warming either. Looking at the trails at Lapham this weekend I have no idea how they will be in shape to run on by the end of March for the Trailbreaker marathon. Last year I was out practicing on the trails by the first weekend in March.
Hunting:
I saw this interest quiz and thought I would post it for my hunting friends. I think I'm close to being a full fledged geek!
The Everyday Hunter’s Deer Hunting Geek Test
Everybody knows the word “geek.” It’s a slang term, and one definition says it describes “a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc.”
That three letter abbreviation, “etc.,” means we have more geeks than just computer geeks. There are all kinds of geeks, so I probably don’t need to tell you that we have some deer hunting geeks around, hunters who are peculiar, odd, and obsessed about deer.
I’ve devised a little test to help you determine if you’re a deer hunting geek. (Circle the ones that describe you.)
1. You have copies of deer hunting magazines on your bedside table, your coffee table, your kitchen table, your desk, your workbench, your floor, your TV, and in your bathroom, your truck, your briefcase, plus a half dozen stacks of them around your house – and none of them ever gather dust.
2. Deer hunting websites are the most prominent bookmarks on your computer.
3. Your idea of dinner and a movie is venison burgers and a deer hunting video.
4. You never ask before you show someone a picture of your most recent buck -- and only AFTER that, you might ask “Wanna see pictures of my kids, too?”
5. Your family photo has a date and time stamp across the bottom, along with the logo of your trail camera.
6. You have to think for a minute about how old your kids are, but you can tell at a glance whether a buck is 1½, 2½ or 3½ years old.
7. You schedule next year’s deer season vacation time early – with a written request on December 1.
8. You’re driving down the road on an October evening, gaze out the passenger side window and say, “What a beauty!” and the pretty lady sitting in the passenger’s seat knows you’re not looking at or talking about her.
9. You hardly ever mow your yard because it takes all day to move your 3D archery targets.
10. You’re trying to invent a way to remodel your lawnmower into a tree stand.
11. Your idea of bad timing is having a child born during deer season.
12. You wonder why Chanel No. 5 is so expensive, but never question the price of doe urine.
13. You think every antler you see is the most fascinating thing you’ve ever seen.
14. When you tell someone you went hunting for shed antlers on April Fool’s Day, they say, “Figured as much.”
15. You carry your own swizzle stick to parties -- an antler you found that was shed by a spike buck.
16. You keep notes about your deer hunts in a safe deposit box at the bank.
17. You have a list of things you’d be willing to trade to a landowner for exclusive permission to hunt, and your firstborn is at the top.
18. You hunt near home, and refer to home as your “lodge” or “camp.”
19. Deer meat – it’s what’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Between meals, you snack on jerky.
20. You floss your teeth with deer hair.
Score yourself:
15-20 – No doubt about it – you’re a certifiable deer geek.
10-15 – People think you’re a deer geek, and with a little more effort you’ll be certifiable.
5-10 – People know you’re a deer hunter, but you’re at no risk of being a geek.
0-5 – You’re not serious about deer hunting. You must be a geek about something else.
Running:
Running continues to go well. On wednesday I did my weekly hill repeat workout. This workout seemed much easier this week. I finished the total 7.5 miles in 1:03:12 which is the fastest yet this winter. Both Thursday and Friday I pulled a double. Thursday I ran 5 miles on the treadmill in the morning then got out for 7.5 more at my lunch break. 12.5 miles in about 1 hr and 45 minutes. On Friday I ran 6 miles in the morning and then another 5 this afternoon. So another 11 miles and about 1 hr and 30 minutes. This afternoon was great. It was near 40 degrees and the sun was out. It atually felt warm for a change. So for this week I'm up to 43.5 with two more days to go. I'm hoping to get in 20 miles on Saturday morning.
Hunting:
Saw a couple of things I thought were rather interesting. First check out these deer blinds. Some of these are pretty unique and interesting. Hunters can get pretty creative sometimes. Next check out this video of some deer gone wild.
Running:
Today I worked the day from home. This is a real benefit to be able to do this once in a while. I had to bring the car in for repair this morning. There is some sort of sensor needing to be replaced in order for the 4WD to work. After dropping the car off I ran home taking the long way and getting 11.5 miles in for today. It was a little slippery because of the inch of snow received over night that hadn't melted yet. So todays run was a little slow in 1:38:16. This afternoon a technician from Sears came over to adjust and clean my home treadmill. It doesn't get used a lot, but it is nice to have when needed. I think I'll let the warranty expire now as it is getting old. When it goes it will just be time for a new one.
To back track a little I did get 10.5 miles in on Sunday giving me 70.5 miles for the week. Looking back over my running logs this is my biggest week since September of 2007. On Monday I took a needed off day and did some cross training during my lunch break. I did 30 minutes on the bike and then did some extra weight lifting and stretching.
Happy valentines day to everyone. Hope you have someone special to spend it with.
Running:
With 1 more day left in my running week I'm off to a real good start. If I get my scheduled 10 tomorrow I will hit 70 miles for the week. I haven't done that since 2008. To catch up a bit... On Thursday I did my hill repeat workout. I had been running this on Wednesday's, but chose to wait a day for the roads to clear a bit. I ran the 8 repeats as usual, but reversed my out path on the way back instead of taking the long way. I ended up with 7 total miles in 59:09. Friday I ran 5 miles in the morning on the treadmill and then got out for an additional 6 at my lunch break. Total miles 11 in 1:31:13. This morning I got out early for a 15 miler again. I've run the same route on Saturdays now for 6 weeks in a row. This morning I actually ran with music which I haven't done in a while. I completed the run a little faster than I have all year so far in 2:04:10. I'm training like I will run the Trailbreaker full marathon on 3/27 so next week I'll be looking to increase my Saturday run to 20 miles. I won't decide for sure on the full or even sign up until about a week out though. So far through 2/13:
WTD 60
MTD 90
YTD 334
ODO 25,500
Hunting:
I found this interesting video of a Black Bear looking as if it's doing a pole dance. Just something fun.
Deer have been all over our yard and neighborhood the past couple weeks. Even during the middle part of the day. Must be the bit of corn I left standing is some of the easiest food left around to get.
Gardening:
Now that I have a complete drawer full of garden catalogues it is time to get serious about my orders for this coming spring. A lot of places run deals if you order before the end of February. I have a couple of new books to look through that have some very unique seeds and/or plants. I always like to try to grow different type things. Last year I really liked the white carrots I had found.
Running:
With the approaching storm Monday I had to get outside for my run. On all of my runs from work I head south and west from the office. I decided to try something different and ventured east on Davidson. From the office building I can see a couple subdivisions along the freeway. I poked my way around several of them. Sometime running into dead ends and back out. Good thing for the Garmin. I ran about 7 miles in a little less than an hour. Tuesday morning there was about three inches of light snow on the ground with more scheduled. I decided to head out for a 7 mile run. It was a little slippery, but quite comfortable and peaceful to run in the storm. At my lunch break I jumped on the treadmill for an additional 3 miles. I ran the 3 miles in 21 minutes, so much faster than anything I've run in some time. Overall 10 miles for the day in about 1 hr and 20 minutes. The day after a snowstorm is usually the worst for road conditions so today I opted for the treadmill. I decided to split up the run. I ran 5 miles in the morning before work and 5 miles during my lunch break. The morning run took 40 minutes and the afternoon run was 38. I have 301 miles YTD as of today.
I'm nearing the magic 500 mile mark on three pair of my current rotation of training shoes. I'm trying to balance the load to run them out at about the same time. Just in time for prime spring training. I have my replacement shoes already purchased (pictured below). Last October I bought a brand new pair of Asics Nimbus 10 at a running expo for $50. More than 50% off retail. Over the winter I bought a pair of Asics Landreth 5's for $42 including shipping and a pair of Asics 2140 trail shoes for $36 including shipping, both on eBay and both well over 50% off. eBay has been great to me for shoes, but I've learned you have to be patient for the best deals. Sometimes you have to look really close. The shoes may be labeled incorrectly (ie womens instead of mens, no size listed), spelled incorrectly (acics, a6, Broks etc...) , or the model is listed as a feature of the shoe (Asics AHAR, Asics DUOMAX, Asics SOLYTE etc...) .
Not much else going on otherwise so I'll end on this running update for today.
Running:
I'm glad last week is over. The last time I had run this little in a week was back in November. I only ran three days last week. Wednesday I ran my usual hill repeat workout as I mentioned in the last post. Thursday at work was one of those days where things just didn't work out. Friday I got out for a typical lunch break 7.5 mile run in 1:01:51. Saturday I made it out in the early morning. We had several friends coming over for dinner that evening and there were lots of chores to get done. I knew if I wanted to get a longer run in this would be it. I ran my same route as the past several Saturdays of 15 miles in 2:06:00. The dinner party was great, but as you could guess lots to eat, maybe too much to drink and a late night. I ended up just taking Sunday off. That gave me a total of 30 miles for the week and 274 YTD. A little light, but pretty close to where I wanted to be for a cut back week. Right now the legs feel real good and I'm ready for a few more solid weeks. Snow is scheduled for tonight and tomorrow so we'll see what this turns into and how screwed up the roads get.
Hunting:
Not exactly hunting related, but I had this song brought to my attention on Facebook. Have to share it.
Johnson Outboard song
Gardening:
I had this link brought to my attention on Facebook also. I don't know if you've ever witnessed starlings flocking in the fall, but it is quite a sight. The only thing missing is the noise they make. Beside the air show the noise is deafening as well.
Running:
As much as January was a good month this one has gotten off to a bad start. On Monday I was down and out with the flu bug. I had to take only my 2nd sick day in 21+ years at my current job. Needless to say there was no running or workout of any kind. I was over this quickly and felt much better on Tuesday, but chose to still take it easy and no running. I was just thinking last week about having a cutback week. I just didn't think I would have one forced on me. I will use this opportunity to reduce mileage by 40% to 50% this week before resuming next week. I'll get there just from taking at least 3 days off and maybe reducing my long run Saturday. I did run my hill repeat workout yesterday during my lunch break. I did the 8 repeats but even though the legs felt good I was a couple minutes slower in 1:08:03.
Hunting:
Monday when I was home the dog was absolutlely going crazy barking and jumping at the door. When I mustered enough strength to get up to see what was going on I saw she was barking at 5 deer out in the yard. One was a nice buck with only half of his rack left. Where were all these deer during the day when it was in season? I watched them for quite a while and then let the dog out after they were gone.
Gardening:
This morning I had a big surprise. I check my pond every day to make sure it hasn't frozen solid, that the pump is running properly and there is enough water. Well today it wasn't running well. When I went down to check to my surprise there was a muskrat trying to make a home in the skimmer. What a mess it made. It tore up the rubber liner to the skimmer, probably to get in. It ripped up some of the pond plants I suppose to eat them or the roots/tubers. I finally got him out and the dog chased him down and killed it for me. My biggest concern now is that the liner isn't damaged to the point I will have to completely replace. Time will tell. What the hell was it doing out in February in my little pond?
