April 22, 2009 (Earth Day)

Earth Day!

Big Shout out of thanks to Debbie who provided support to the Susan Komen Foundation in support of the 5K I will run in early June with the GGN Ladies and others. Debbie and I participated in the TNT San Diego Marathon where she walked the full 26.2 miles and is now a mentor for the program. It was nice to hear from her, and get support of the fight. Right now, both Pat (from Maine) and Debbie are running in spirit with me in Pink!

Back in Indiana and yesterday and today I ellipted 5 miles at Fitness Pointe in the morning with a treadmill cool down. I received my email for the More 1/2 Marathon on Sunday and so far it looks like the weather in Central Park will cooperate (high of 70). Start time is 8AM and I have a reservation on the 2PM Vamoose bus back to DC, a quick turn around.

April 19, 2009

Go Rachel! While I was out doing my 9.4 miles around Burke Lake Park (2x) Rachel was competing in a 1/2 marathon in the Bay Area for Girls on the Run. She had lamented that it was a trail run and how that made it more difficult, so I picked my virtual run with her on the 4.7 mile trail around Burke Lake. I seem to be able to be pretty consistent in the 12 to 13 minutes per mile which should bode well for next Sunday in NYC (if its not too hilly).

Yesterday was errands extraordinare that ended with a haircut from *ell. I have yet to find someone that I really like to cut my hair so I continue to try new places. Anyone would have laughed at how he styled it when I left, I don't even think the cashier knew what to say/do. The good news is that the cut isn't half bad, so after I shampooed and styled again myself, I won't be embarrassed to head to the office on Monday.

Early mass this morning at St. Leo the Great and father was spot on with a good homily which I really appreciated. Getting ready now to pop 2 Aleve's and eat some lunch.

April 16, 2009

Spring is trying to make its way to Indiana -- while we still have frost on the windshield in the AM, the temps at the end of the day are creeping into the 60s! Would be nice to have better weather here to offset the "internal" weather at work :)

Five miles at Fitness Pointe this AM on the elliptical...not spending enough wall clock time working out which may not bear well for the 1/2 in less than 2 weeks. I'm in a "I will finish" mode, versus a time mode right now. I looked at the course in Central Park and am surprised how much the elevation changes throughout the course -- looks like there are a couple killer hills too.

Big Day in Sarasota today -- I'm hopeful for positive feedback.

April 15, 2009

Back in Indiana, and a 5 mile workout at Fitness Pointe this morning. It seemed a bit grueling as I was going at 8MPH, and my pace for the past couple of days has been slower down on the Key. I was able to book 6 miles yesterday on the beach before the rain hit Florida. Yesterday was a big day in terms of family decisions and I'm hopeful the rest of the week will go smoothly. Back in Indiana means back to work, so I've got a lot to do to catch up on 5 days away.

This is the prep week for two folks I know who have a 1/2 marathon coming up this weekend and my thoughts are with them in the taper week. As for me, I've booked my bus fare -- trying the vamoose bus up to NYC for $25 in two weeks. Lets hope it works out. This is my frugal 1/2 marathon.

Activities also continue up at Camp George - the dock posts went in yesterday - an early milestone for us and I heard there was kayaking around the ice on the cove!

April 12, 2009 (Easter Sunday)

5AM the beach band for the sunrise Easter Service began tuning their instruments. Lucky for me due to my proximity to the front of the house, I was up early. I left about 6AM and did the 6.2 miles walking today (a rest day). It was quite a scene watching people with flashlights walk down the beach to the public beach for the service -- I was absolutely going against the tide :) It was muggy but a good workout.

Great dinner last night cooked by Chef Rober..grilled shrimp appetizers followed by surf and turf (filets & scallops) accompanied with potatoes, beans and bread. Apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dinner. A good time was had by all.

Lets hope for another good day today here in Florida!

April 11, 2009 (Holy Saturday)

Set out with the moon on the Gulf of Mexico at 6AM this morning for my 9 miles...I should have done 12 but I just wasn't up for it. I may do another 3 later today on the Key with Robbie. The humidity was a killer today, and I almost went straight into the pool from the end of the run, but decided with all the senior eyes and the official rules, that might be a bad idea, so I skipped it.

Also decided to skip the $25 admission to the 5K on the beach and will send the registration to Emmanues Shelter in Ellsworth -- someone up there needs it more than I needed a number to go 3.2 miles this morning.

Rob and I journeyed north to Tampa last night to the Hard Rock Seminole Casino for a little bit of blackjack. Table stakes at $25 and $50 made for a quick night. I'm still glad we went and got to see it but it was a bit too steep for my taste.

April 10, 2009

Siesta Key (personal 5K) of walking this morning...just didn't have it in me to jog and walk, so I put on my "Wait Wait Don't Tell me" podcast and had a great time catching up on an old show while I watched the sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico.

Robbie (nephew) arrived at noon time and we went to the Salty Dog (which was a bummer on a meatless Friday), but I survived with the veggie burger. He's already stationed out by the pool getting rays, while I'm inside trying to finish up some work for the weekend.

Not sure where I'll do the 10/11 miles this weekend -- I'm thinking right now, I'll just do two roundtrips on the beach tomorrow (with the 5K that is being officiated) which would be about 12 Miles and call it at that. No need for transporattion and the views are great. Maybe nephew will come along for part of it to keep me company.

Found another TNT'r today through this blog. The TNT Team sure is far and wide. Now I know someone else doing a 1/2 on the same weekend when I am in NYC.

April 8, 2009

Today I made a good choice to exercise, even though I didn't have an hour to invest, so I clocked through 4 miles in about 32 minutes on the elliptical and hit the showers (early meetings at a client site a distance away).

Thought alot about "naked weight" or the weight we all state when someone asks us what we weigh, as I got on the scale by 0.2 I was in a new decade of counting pounds. Lets hope it holds through the weekend in Sarasota.

"Smart People have something to say, stupid people have to say something" A quote I heard by one of the fitness point members while waiting to get in at 5:00AM this morning.

April 7, 2009

I rationalized 2 days of rest since the C10M, and was at Fitness Pointe this morning at 5AM CDT. The bad thing was that I didn't bring my headphones so I was without any entertainment for my workout - so I set myself on an "express workout" on the elliptical -- 40 minutes and went 5 miles at 8MPH on average. It was a killer, but I was done with the workout and cooldown in less than an hour which was nice. Its still pretty chilly here in Indiana - no real sign of spring (they actually had snow on Sunday!)

Last night was a bit of a comedy of errors - I was in a hurry (tired/hungry) when I arrived at the hotel, so I pulled my suitcase out of the back of the rented SUV. Unfortunately I had forgotten that I had unzipped the bag, so ALL of my stuff came flying out of the suitcase and into puddles in the parking lot. A couple of expletives later, I threw it all back in the bag and was very happy that my suit was still in the dry cleaner bag so it didn't get wet. Gives me a small message to slow down a bit so I don't do that again.

Tip of the Cap to Coach Blood and the Big Red Women's Softball Team at Cornell - good results against Yale and Dartmouth this weekend.

Quick week here in Indiana as I head down to Florida tomorrow night.

April 5, 2009

A rest day for me after the C10M (as the bumper sticker says I got yesterday). Still a couple aches and pains in the old bod, but hopefully tomorrow I'll be back at Lifetime Fitness early before I catch the flight to Chicago.

I received three wishes today as I attended 7AM Palm Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna,VA. I'll drive pretty far away to avoid mass in Latin (at my church on the 1st Sunday of the month's 7:30AM Mass).

I got caught off guard this morning as my clock "sprung ahead" automatically thinking this was the weekend for DST, so when I jumped out of bed at 6AM it was really only 5AM. I was already chugging along before I figured it out :) Maybe I'll remember it next year and won't get caught.

Surprise visit to Sarasota at the end of the week to catch up with Mom and Dad. I hope my wishes for a good week are at least listened too... :)

April 4, 2009

I arrived in Charlottesville last night and had a wonderful time reconnecting with Wynne and Vicky who were my hosts for the evening. We went to a delicious Italian restaurant where I got some carbs, but really enjoyed the conversation the most.

Up this morning early for a 7:45AM Start to the Charlottesville 10 Miler. It was an excellent race. I completed the course in 2:05 which was a PR for me (and just about where I wanted to be). The thoughts of 3.1 more miles to complete the 1/2 at the pace I kept right now seems a bit of a challenge, but pretty sure I could walk 3 more miles to finish. Target for the 1/2 is now to finish between 2:40 and 3:00.

I called today a virtual relay race, as I finished my 10 miler, my friend Rachel was most probably departing from somewhere in the Bay Area on her long run in prep for April 19th 1/2 she will run. It was sorta neat to think she picked up where I left off.

After the race a quick stop back with Wynne and Vicki and then Bodo's to get some of the best bagels I've ever had. The warm turkey sandwich on a plain bagel was a real treat for the 10 mile distance -- I really enjoyed it. Planning on having a chicken caesar salad from Bodo's tonight for dinner to complete the day.

Great bright red shirt and medal were provided as recognition of the day.

April 1, 2009 (Happy Birthday Michael)

Who knows what today will bring...I hope mixed among the tricks of the day are some good results on the project as we are pushing through to finish something this week.

I reconnected today with 2 good friends from Charlottesville that we befriended while watching UVA Women's Hoops about 17 years ago. They have graciously volunteered to host me for an overnight in advance of the Charlottesville 10 Miler on Saturday morning. Should be fun to reconnect and catch up and then do the 10 miles which looks pretty hilly from the website. Good prep for the 1/2 -- should help me set my time for the 1/2 at the end of the month.

6 Miles this morning at Fitness Pointe in Munster Indiana -- wish I could do the 1/2 marathon on the elliptical machine and eliminate the impact of running on pavement!

March 30, 2009 (Happy Birthday Beth!)

A treat for me to stay in Virginia on a Monday, and its Beth's 17th Birthday! We had a great celebration last night (family of 5 missing one :( ). Her official party is tonight with her friends, I hope she has a great time.

I reluctantly got up this morning and headed off to Lifetime Fitness and did 5 miles on the elliptical at 6mph or 9:00 miles (about). It was a killer, but now that its done, I'm glad I did it in prep for the 10 miler on Saturday.

March 29, 2009

17 Years Ago today we had a bridal shower for my cousin Kathy and a baby shower for my sister Louise in Bethesda MD. So tonight I head over to Burke VA to celebrate (a day early) the 17th birthday of my niece Elizabeth. Wow! how quickly 17 years go by but what fun I've had with her and her siblings over every single one of those years. Happy Birthday Bette Boop!

I was happy to spend the weekend back in Fairfax, but I do wish the weather would have cooperated a bit more. The sun has finally come out this afternoon. Saturday morning I was with Sue for the CRT class at Lifetime - and this time she went nuts with the weight and our shoulders, biceps and triceps. I should be happy about that as I completed 8 miles indoors today (due to rain again) and my legs are now screaming at me.

Next Saturday is the Charlottesville 10 Miler - my prep run for the 1/2 Marathon at the end of the month. I've reconnected with one of my best college friends who says she will come down to the city to cheer me on (her daughter is in school at NYU). I hope the weather is better for the 2 runs ahead, but I've secured a rain jacket for running just in case.

March 26, 2009

5.5 Miles this morning on the elliptical at Fitness Pointe and it felt pretty good in terms of intensity. Scale is moving in the right direction, just trying to pass through another milestone in the next week or so. Should be a busy day at the office.

March 25, 2009

5 Miles this morning (mostly at 7mph) at Fitness Pointe in Munster, Indiana. If I could only run at that pace -- the the lack of pounding on your body on the elliptical really makes it quite a bit easier. I took a 2 day rest from the 16 mile weekend, but need to get back at it. I've got 3 lbs to get to another milestone and I've been less than stellar in watching what I eat. I'm committed to getting back on program to get those 3 lbs off so I can shoot for a different milestone.

Weather in Indiana is improving as spring arrives. Lets hope it holds.

March 23, 2009

Sunday started off with a 10K around Forest Park in St. Louis -- neither of us realized it was 6 miles around until we saw a marker from a running team. Kate and I did the first 4 miles as intervals of walk (3) and run(2) and if Lili had had her say, we would have run the whole darn thing! It was a pretty morning and there are lots of sites in the park. The zoo looks like a good place to return to if I end back up in St. Louis with time on my hands.

Quick change up and we drove out to Edwardsville, IL and were hosted at a great lunch by Debbie and Jimmy. There full family was in attendance and it was a great deal of fun. Back to the city in the late afternoon, and an early dinner down in the square with Kates friend Natasha. A good relaxing and fun filled weekend!

March 22, 2009

A great Saturday in St. Louis with Kate. The picture above was at the Budweiser Brewery right in town and we took a great tour which ended with a free sample (along with some pretzels). It was our appetizer to lunch where we headed to a great wrap/bowl local place that had one of the best chicken/spinach/pesto wraps I've ever had.

We went to 5PM Mass at the Basilica -- which was an absolutely phenomenal church. After a quick trip home, we headed out to gamble a bit and get some dinner. We had a good time both at dinner and the casino, but overall we left more money there than we came home with. Today I get to see Edwardsville, IL which I have heard about for the past 30+ years.

March 21, 2009

Welcome to St. Louis! The picture above is of Kate and me at the top of the Gateway Arch yesterday afternoon as part of my tour of the city. I'm here with the NCAA Wrestling Championship so there are lots of "guys" in town too. We had a wonderful dinner last night wiht scallops and risotto that was delicious. I crashed early on Kates...

This morning I woke up to do my long run -- was targeting for 10 miles and actually went 10.4 in 2 hours or a little under 12:00 per mile. Makes me pretty confident that I can finish the 1/2 in less than 3 hours if I push myself for the last 3.2 miles. I ran through St. Louis and down to the Arch and back and then 4 times around Lafayette Square which is right near Kates house. I think we'll go back again with Lili in the afternoon, so I might log a 1/2 today in distance.

March 19, 2009

A couple of good things have happened in the past couple of days:

• I completed 6 miles on the elliptical machine this morning in about 50 minutes. Thats the farthest I have gone in my morning workouts ever. I hope it helps me get to 2:30 for the 1/2 marathon in April.
• My work colleague commented on a new suit I was wearing yesterday by saying "It fits you" which I implied that she noticed my older clothes were getting bigger.
• In the health club this morning I listened to woman say that she was working to loose 5 pounds BEFORE she went on vacation -- a real key to how people maintain better, versus going crazy on vacation and then coming back and having to loose. Pay first sounds like a better way to go.
• I signed up for the Marine Core Historic Half Marathon in May in Fredericksburg, VA. Its the day after I get back from St. Louis, so hopefully it will work out.

These are all good signs when I was personally sabotaging my weight loss efforts. Wanted to reflect on them to get back onto the path to goodness. Stress still sends me to food, I continue to need to work on that!