Different Priorities

Under a quickly setting sun, I managed to squeeze in a workout before it got too dark. I went on the trails along the IBM Executive Briefing Center and headed into Tallman State Park. It was probably a bit foolish to attempt a run alone on unfamiliar trails while it was getting dark, but I felt on living a bit on the wild side. I figured I could always navigate by staying on the path and if I got hurt and couldn’t make it back on my own, I could always use my cell phone to call a colleague and setup a search and rescue mission.

It was nice to be alone and in the woods. I passed a couple of deer and a raccoon and I was the only person around. I went out to do a 6 mile loop, but at about the 2.5 mark, the trail became confusing, so instead of floundering around looking for where to go, I just started to back track it home. At this point, someone who saw me getting ready to go for a run back at the hotel, decided to go and caught up to me. We ran a few short paces, to see if we can pick up the trail. What we found seemed to lead us done a rocky slope and we figured tackling it now, with the sun below the horizon would be ill advisable.

I will have to do this run again tomorrow morning. It was so nice to run on trails and hearing the dirt crunch under your feet. Plus the ground is easier on my legs and I didn’t even notice my recent ankle problems.

When I returned from my run, I ate a couple of chocolate chip cookies for a recovery meal. It was all I had in my room and dinner wasn’t being served for a while. I showered quickly, dressed again and then went out to the lounge area to socialize and drink with my coworkers. I couldn’t find anyone to agree that Beer is a good post-workout recovery drink. I took it with a vitamin, so it should be ok.

After drinking and talking for a while, we all headed down to the dining hall. It was buffet style meals and you could slop onto your plates all the food you can eat. I ate a normal sized amount of food. My food consumption was somewhat limited by the 3 previous beers poured into my stomach. We bullshitted at the dinner table for a while and then excused ourselves to hang out in the Sports Bar at another location in the facility.

At this point I just sort of listened in and perked up when I heard something that sparked my interest. I was kind of getting tired and just wanted to head back to my room. On the one hand I wanted to make sure I got enough rest to do my workout in the morning. But on the other hand, I felt that I was missing out on all the games and socializing that was going on. I stayed for a while, but in the end I just wasn’t feeling it. The tradeoff of drinking all night and playing games with my coworkers was just too divergent from what I need to do in order to keep my training in check and satisfying. It was kind of hard to leave when you hear groups starting to shout and have fun. I couldn’t enjoy that though as I didn’t feel pulled into the moments. It was not enough of a draw to keep me from missing out on a workout in the morning. I guess I just have different priorities.

Seriously Aggravated

I couldn't wake up this morning and missed my run. I am feeling about as aggravated as I ever have about not doing a workout. My schedule called for a 6 mile very easy AR run or off. I didn’t feel like taking off though. It is too darn nice outside to just blow it off.

Anyway, I can probably try to run this evening, but it would be on a treadmill. I think it will be too dark to run on the trails, which look beautiful; hence my overwhelming feeling of aggravation at not going this morning. I could swim instead. The pool is 25 yards so I could get in a decent workout. Oh, I am just so pissed at myself I can't stand it. I mean really can’t stand it. I have to go to this meeting and I’ll be sitting on my ass for the next 8 hours.

Insomnia

Insomnia has set in. This gives me time to write about all of the things I’ve observed over the past few weeks. One of them is a sign that I am getting older. An obscene amount of gray hair fell from the scissors at my barbershop during my last haircut. At least 25 percent of the hair was gray. What a scary proposition. Is there nothing I can do to reverse this trend? And I mean reverse it, not cover it up with Grecian Formula.

At least I can control some things. I can control my weight and not be like these two lard asses, whose butts overflow into the subway seat beside them. It would just be unacceptable to me to have a wad of my butt taking up a second seat. I wanted to ask the owners of these offensive butts if they paid an extra fair for them. Check out the weight loss flyer stuck in the advertisement next to them. It was written just for them, but do they take it, no.

I am hoping the issues with my feet will become resolved soon and I will feel as fleet as foot as this one. I caught this picture in the subway station near my podiatrist’s office. I wonder if he had anything to do with the placement. Anyway I saw it after I left his office so I took it as a good omen. Something about it makes me feel as though I will be running fast again.

I still see the man on the corner quite regularly. Here he is doing who the hell knows what? Maybe picking up some trash. Here he is again later in the month during some colder weather.

IBM Palisades

I am on the road again traveling. This time I am up and the IBM Palisades Executive Briefing Center off of route 9W; about 2 miles north of the NY State line. I must have passed this place a hundred times during my bike rides up route 9W to Bear Mountain. I should have ridden my bike here today, but it would have been difficult carrying all my crap with me. I would have needed a bicycle trailer. At least I have a nice little view outside my window. Supposedly there is a nice 1.5 mile running trail along the grounds. I’ll find out tomorrow morning.

I got my last longish run before the NYCM today. 7.4 miles around Prospect Park. I can’t imagine how many times I ran around that park. I should have my ashes scattered over it after I die. It was chilly and very windy. The wind blew against me just as I started to climb the hill. Nothing like a little bonus resistance while training.

I am supposed to be here over Halloween, which is quite an annoyance to me. I’ve not missed one Halloween with my children since they were born. It’s been an annual tradition that I pick the up from school in my costume and see how many kids I can scare. Most of the kids are just amused, but some of them get totally freaked out. I’ll have to try to get back to the city to go trick or treating and then make it back up to finish my conference. Speaking of which, its time for me to go and check into it.

Paranoid Schizophrenic

I went for a run tonight after I got home from work. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been feeling distraught in the evening and all I want to do is veg out and go to sleep. I’ve been forcing myself to go out and run as I know I always feel better after I do. I really should get back to running in the morning so I can get that endorphin rush at the start of my day, rather than when I only have a few hours left in the day to enjoy it.

It was raining by the time I got home and I half debated whether or not I should do the run on my treadmill. I like running outdoors so much better so it really wasn’t a question. I guess part of my reluctance to go outdoors, was I knew the park would be deserted. I am beginning to worry like an old lady that something will happen to me if I take the out of the way routes I normally run on. I guess the worry comes with knowing that I have two small children at home and it wouldn’t do to be knocked unconscious while traveling along one of the transverses. I hate this feeling of nervousness. I don’t know if its normal or I am just turning into a paranoid schizophrenic. Maybe a bit of both. Maybe it is a result of getting older, like not being read anything up close and have lots of gray hair begin to appear on my head.

Anyway, nothing untoward happened to me and I thoroughly enjoyed running around the park. It was almost completely empty. I only saw two other runners. For some reason Friday nights are not a popular time for people to be out and exercising. I guess everyone has more of a social life than I do. I suppose the rain contributed to the emptiness. I didn’t quite get 6 miles when I came out of the park, so I continued over to the Prospect Expressway and ran over a pedestrian overpass. I got a nice picture of myself with the traffic on the background. I think it looks like I am trying to break out of prison.

Cold, Dark and Windy

I ran with my friend Larry this evening. If I didn’t plan to meet him, I may have just gone to bed. I arrived at home feeling cold and tired and sleep seemed like a much more appealing idea than a run. By the time Larry called to tell me he was ready to go, it was cold, dark and windy outside.

As soon as I got outside I realized I was under dressed for the run. Larry’s pace can best be described as slow and steady which wasn’t fast enough for me to warm up. I didn’t really mind the slower pace, as I figured it would be an exercise in proper pace management for the upcoming JFK 50. I’ll just have to dress warmer for the next one.

We spent the time talking about the Hawaii Ironman and about strategy for the JFK 50. It is getting close and I want to make sure I am fully prepared for it. I think my feet and ankles will hold up, even though they are still a little achy. The discomfit I am feeling has been very minor and will hopefully remain as such throughout the duration of the upcoming NYCM and JFK 50. I know one thing though; it is going to be tough running slow for so long. I wonder if I will be able to contain my pace.

The park was empty this evening and a beautiful crescent moon was showing. The cold and windy fall air made for a very clear sky and everything appear to be sharply in focus. It seemed like a perfect night for a run; it was a wonder that more people weren’t out. I guess not everyone finds it enjoyable to run when it is cold dark and windy.

Fall Night Run

Blogger was down last night, so I couldn't post this entry timely. Darn it...


So I’ve been running for the past few days. The pain in my ankle has only been occasionally flaring up causing a bit of a shock when it occurs. I’ve been able to run through it though, so it seems as though I am back on track.

For the last three days I ran at night after I got home. Each time I really just felt like vegging out on my couch and was of half a mind to just forget about it. I was feeling drawn out and exhausted from work and didn’t want to go. However I forced myself to go and I felt much better afterwards. I think it was the reward of that post workout feeling that got me to get out the door.

This evening was an extra special run. My daughter had finished her homework before I arrived home and she wanted to go out with me. It is a great feeling to know that my child thinks that running on a cold and windy fall evening is a fun and interesting thing to do. She is getting very strong on her bike. I had to run hard in order to keep up with her. We talked the entire time about school, friends and stories from times I was training by myself at night and from when I was a kid in school. Here is a picture of us stopping by Grand Army Plaza to memorialize our night out together.

I am getting more impatient as I get older. I hate waiting around for anything. I feel as though every second of my life should be geared toward seeking pleasure out of it and being forced to wait for something is a colossal waste of time. I think instant gratification is a great thing. This is probably why I am filled with such angst over the state of my ankle.

Speaking of my ankle, I saw my podiatrist again today. He gave me the green light to run on it an assured me that I won’t tear anything or cause further damage. It may get tender and sore, but as long as I can deal with the pain, I should be alright. The problem is with the Peroneal Tendon. Now that I am no longer worried about running with the injury, I’ll take the pain it gives me as just an added benefit to training hard. Doesn’t any endurance athlete only feel alive while they are in the midst of their suffering?

I was able to get in a 6 mile run this evening in 46 minutes. Not bad for a week layoff. I need to send thanks to my friend Todd for getting me the same pair of shoes I was wearing before all this trouble began. Now that I am running, I just have to hope I am still in shape for the marathon.

This entry should be a lot longer, but it is getting late and I need to try to wake up tomorrow morning for a workout. I’ll try to get the remaining items off my mind tomorrow during my commute to work.

Pain in the Ankle

This pain in the ankle is becoming a real pain in the ass. I was able to run just over 8 miles today, but towards the end I started to feel my ankle acting up. Fortunately, I was able to make it home without any shooting pains going through it, but the way it felt was definitely sub-optimal. I guess on the brighter side of things, at least I was able to run. I guess that means if I give it enough time to heal, I’ll eventually be able to run pain free. My fear is that it will never heal and my running days are over.

I definitely needed to get out and run today. After a full week of absolutely nothing, other than being a couch jockey, I was being to feel very out of shape and stale. When I first started running, I felt awful and rusty. Eventually I started feeling better and began to enjoy the run; that is until I started to feel my ankle acting up. This really sucks. It makes me start thinking about amputation as a viable option.

Drips and Drabs

As a man, you know you are getting older when you go to take a piss and your dick won’t stop dripping urine after you finished peeing. Where it used to take you one shake to clear it, it now may take several squeezes to get out the last drops. It is really annoying when you don’t and you can feel it drip down your leg. Ah, the pleasures of getting older.

Perhaps it is for this reason that my lower legs seemed to have suddenly broken down. I am just getting old and decrepit. I just spoke to my friend David last night and we were talking about how ridiculous it is now that we are safely ensconced in our 40’s. We are amazed at how huge blocks of time have passed since we last hung out or even spoke. Time just passes in drips and drabs, but soon enough an entire bucket is filled. It was just yesterday how we would go out and drink all night. That was over 12 years ago. At least I am in relatively good shape. I just hope I can get back to training before I start completely falling apart. I feel like an old person who broke a hip and six months later they are dead.

Not a Pretty Picture

It has been a very boring past few days at the lair of the Beast. No training and otherwise just passing my life away in the daily grind that is work, weekend and repeat. My reaction while leaving my office today was another day down the tubes. Is this how life is supposed to be, struggling your way through one day after the next? It can really get boring at times. Maybe I can find a way to live off the land. Prospect Park is filled with wildlife and vegetation that looks sustaining. The park has plenty of raccoons and rabbits. I can eat them and clothe myself at the same time. Get back to basics like the pioneers.

I saw my podiatrist today about my ankle. One of the findings was that I have weak ankles based on the way I wobbled when I stood up on my toes. I was sent home with a stretch band and a list of exercises to perform. That, rest and ice for about a week will hopefully return me to my running form. One can hope this is so. I am already feeling fat. A couple of days off and I feel like I’ve gotten completely out of shape. Becoming a fat couch potato dad is just around the corner if I don’t get back into action soon. I can see myself now with a greasy stained t-shirt, belly hanging out, sitting in my underwear watching TV. Not a pretty picture.

The doctor thinks one of the other main causes was switching my running shoes. Something to do with them being lower to the ground causing my ankle to tweak. Too bad they can’t make a shoe that doesn’t wear out. Just when my shoes get old, crusty and ugly looking is just when I like them the best. By that time though it is time to give them a rest. I put them with my other shoes that are piled up high in the back of my closet. I don’t like to throw out any of them because each one has a story. I still have my IMAZ shoes although I will never wear them again. Perhaps I should start throwing some of them out. Better yet I’ll throw them on top of some telephone wires this way I can see them whenever I want, but have them out of the way. Yeah, that would make a nice picture for my blog.

Out of Commission

My ankle was feeling ok this morning which gave me some confidence to try a run today. I had to wait until the late afternoon since I had soccer duties this morning and my wife had a commitment through the early afternoon. I almost decided not to do a run, since I started to come down with a migraine, but fortunately some Excedrin was mostly able to cure me of it.

My wife took the kids out shopping around 3pm, giving me my window of opportunity to do a run. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon and as soon as I started running I felt great. The endorphins immediately started flowing and I could tell that this was going to be a run that I would enjoy thoroughly. I was going to fly through this run and it was going to feel effortless.

My ankle though wasn’t sharing in that feeling. It was kind of bothering me at first, but nothing serious. On a scale from 1 to 10 I’d say it would go from a 1 (no pain) to a 3 (mild twinges). I decided that as long as the pain didn’t get worse I would continue on. This is how I progressed until my second mile when I felt a shooting pain in my Achilles tendon; run over.

At first I didn’t really care as I was feeling great at the moment. The endorphin rush was giving me a nice high. I started to walk home still feeling good and not really at all concerned at all. By the time I exited the park though, I started to come down and think about the consequences. I started to wonder how long it will really be before I can/should attempt another run. I guess I’ll seek advice from my podiatrist. In the meantime it is going to be hard not to start sitting on my couch all the time eating cupcakes and watching TV.

One of My Favorite Songs

Talking Heads › Once In A Lifetime

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful Wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? ...am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!...what have I done?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Primal Quest

I saw Primal Quest Utah on TV this afternoon. It is the type of race I always thought I’d like to do and watching it certainly confirmed those feelings. Taking on such a challenge though is probably not something that will happen in my lifetime. I don’t have the luxury of the time necessary to train for such an event; at least not until I can afford a very early retirement. Perhaps if I didn’t have two children I could get away with it. Maybe I can do something like that when they are off to college.

Anyway, I have more immediate concerns to worry about. It appears that my right foot felt jealous of my left foot receiving attention from it recent injury, so my right ankle started acting up. I started to get sharp pains shooting around the ankle bone on the outside, wrapping around my Achilles tendon. Where this issue came from in beyond me. I started to feel it yesterday morning and it has only seemed to get worse. I had to stop running today and walk home because the pain was just getting more intense if I continued to try to run on it. This could only be a result of trying to switch running into a new pair of shoes. It is the only thing that makes sense to me and I am sticking with that explanation.

I don’t know what I will do if I have to take a layoff of any significant time. I definitely find my mood is improved if I get a workout in first thing in the morning. I am crabbing and anxious if I don’t get one in and I just feel like I am in a sour mood all day. I guess I’ll make another trip to my podiatrist to see what he says about this injury.

My ankle isn’t bothering me so much that I wasn’t able to spend the day outside with my kids. We started out the day kicking the soccer ball outside our house. This was a warm-up for their soccer games at noon. I wasn’t able to watch my daughter play, since I coach my son’s team and the fields were in opposite locations. However, my son played his best game yet and toughed it out when he was hit hard by the ball several times. He was very proud of himself and so was I. We took a break after the games to eat lunch, watched PQ and then played in Prospect Park for the remainder of the day.

Friday the 13th Part II

I now have a pain in my right ankle. It started 5 miles into my 8 mile run this morning. I don’t know where this shit is coming from. It is not like I’ve been running a lot lately. It must be the transition to a new pair of running shoes. Maybe I’ll go back to my worn out, broke down shoes. I didn’t have any problems until I started to run on new shoes. At least it was a beautiful day for a run; cool and clear with a spectacular sunrise to greet me.

Friday the 13th

Thursday – 10/12 9pm

I had two good days in a row. Last night was a pleasant 8 miler by myself in the pouring rain (1:02) and today was a solo 18 mile bike, followed by a 4 mile run with my friend Larry. It is always good to run with him. As of late, he has been parceling out needed information as to what to expect for the JFK 50 miler. I am trying to soak in this information like a sponge. The only negative thing for the day was a sudden pain I developed in my left soleus while running. I don’t know where it came from, so rather than pushing it over 4 miles, I just went home. My coach thinks is a result of my favoring my PF foot.

I can tell the pain of doing the JFK 50 is going to be intense. How intense however, really depends on how I start out on the day. I suppose if I go out too fast, I will really be suffering later in the day; not that I won’t be anyway even if I go out with perfect pacing.

Friday – 10/13 6am

I am going out for a morning workout. I just noticed that it is Friday the 13th. Hopefully the boogieman isn’t lurking in the park. It is still dark outside.

Trivial Pursuits

Lately I haven’t felt like contributing to my blog. The last couple of entries were forced, as if I had a writing assignment that needed to be done. I guess that is a form of writers block.

I haven’t done anything since the ING NYC Marathon Tune-up. Monday was a recovery day and I spent it with my family hiking around the Cattus Island Nature Preserve. It is this area of bay, beach, swamp and woods down around Tom’s River, NJ. It was a pleasant way to spend the day and kept me active enough to serve as recovery for my legs.

Tuesday I saw my podiatrist to get his prognosis on my Plantar Fasciitis. He told me it was a very mild case, taped it up and gave me guidelines on how to proceed with my training based on how my foot feels. Right now I am not experiencing any pain and I have the green light to run to my hearts content. This is what I am going to try to do tonight in the rain.

Yesterday, I was supposed to ride, but I decided to bail out of it. I think god was trying to tell me to forget about doing a ride. I had several signs telling me this was so.

The stressed look in my wife’s eyes when I told her I was going out – I knew she wanted me to be home to help with the kids because she had homework for school to do.

The fact that I put down my drivers license, insurance card and credit card (things I like to have with me when I am training alone) and then couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I did with them. I eventually went out without them.

My children’s exuberance at having me home and my son’s excitement to tell me about his first Kung Fu lesson.

I did head out for the ride though, but first I had to stop at Jackrabbit to get a new pair of running shoes since my current new pair had something wrong with the stitching and seriously cut into the side of my foot. After I left the store I intended to ride around Prospect Park for a while. By now it was completely dark and I got an iffy feeling about riding alone. I debated internally for about 10 minutes about whether or not I should ride and even entered and exited the park a couple of time while I struggled with my indecision. After entering the park for the second time, I just said to hell with it and went home.

I think I was rewarded then for making this decision. The first sign of this was the garbage truck coming unexpectedly down my block for pickup at a time that it had never appeared before (it was doing the previous days pickup). I was able to get to my house and take out the trash before the truck arrived.

The second sign of making the right decision was being able to watch my son practice all of his new Kung Fu moves with an unbridled enthusiasm that only a kid could muster. He had me smiling ear to ear within seconds of walking back into the house. If I had done the ride it would have been his bedtime by the time I returned and I would have missed this spur of the moment opportunity. Watching him was much more satisfying than riding in Prospect Park alone at night could ever have been. There was a time that had such enthusiasm to be the odd one and be out alone at night, but my current responsibilities and love for my children dictate that I can longer engage in such trivial pursuits.

But I must get in a workout tonight. My body is ready to do something even though the devil inside me is telling me to just kick back and relax and play with the kids. As much as I’ve enjoyed evening workouts lately, it is time I transitioned back to the morning. It is a much more efficient use of my time if I want to spend more quality time with my kids.

ING New York City Marathon Tune-Up

Today I did the 18 mile NYC Marathon Tune-Up. I wasn’t sure if I would go until about 30 minutes before I left my house. It was a late start (9:30 am), which meant I would be away from home until early afternoon. I am always loathing spending time away from my kids, especially when the day is as beautiful as it was today. I also wasn’t sure I should go, since I was concerned my Plantar Fasciitis would rear its ugly head and I didn’t want to be so far away from home if I needed to walk off of the course. As it turned out, my foot didn’t bother me and I had a decent race.

I drove to the start of the race so I could minimize the amount of travel time. I found a spot pretty quickly and made it to the start with plenty of time to spare. I was able to do a 2 mile warm-up while waiting for the appointed time. It was a pretty crowded start with over 3700 people showing up to do the race. I had to dart and weave through many runners as I loosened my legs.

With my foot acting up over the last couple of days, I probably should have taken this race easily. However, once in a race I find it impossible to run at an easy to moderate pace. Something compels my body to strive for race pace and that is what happened to me today. I pretty much ran a steady pace throughout the race with the average being a 7:20 pace. My legs started to get fatigued at the end, but I forced myself to maintain my even or negative splits. I was surprised that my legs were speaking up as I began my third loop. I’ve got the distance in lately, so I was wondering why the later miles should have begun to feel like a struggle. My running watch was a comfort though as it showed my pace was holding steady or was increasing. At one mile marker I had thought I just ran my slowest mile, where in fact I had just run one of my fastest. Maybe I am just not used to running fast for distance.

After the race, I grabbed my bag quickly and headed back to my car. I was able to see many runners still running on their second loop. I was really glad I was finished and not only two thirds of the way through. I exited Central Park at 102nd Street and 5th Avenue and happened upon a taxi unloading passengers. The temptation to relaxing in a can instead of the mile back to my car was too tempting to pass up. Besides, I wanted to get home as quick as possible. Unfortunately, a Fresh Direct truck was blocking me in so I had to give up some of the time I saved to wait for the truck driver to return. It wait wasn’t so bad and I was back in my house by 12:30pm. I was back home in Brooklyn, while many people were still completing the race.

It would have been nice to spend the rest of the day relaxing around the house, but I have two children at home and it was time to get them active. We went down to South Beach in Staten Island and walked along the beach around the end of the island and under the Verrazano Bridge. The walking over giant rocks and plenty of large stones wasn’t very relaxing on my legs, but it did make for a very nice adventure. To the right is a picture my daughter took of me.

The beach is very interesting around this area. All sorts of debris wash up on shore. The kids loved climbing over all of the rocks as well as collecting a bunch they found interesting. My daughter also found a playmate on the beach as another family happened to come out and explore the view under the bridge. We wound up hanging out together for over an hour and everyone had a great time.

Successful Run

It looks like my Plantar Fasciitis crisis is over for right now. I woke up this morning pain free and ran 5.5 miles without any problems. Of course, my legs felt like shit this morning, but that is usually the case after a couple of day layoff.

The run was half the distance that I had scheduled, but I didn’t want to push it too much on my first day back. I now find myself at home without that usual feeling of being a bit tired after a workout. I don’t know what do to with myself now. I have a lot of energy left over, so I started bugging my kids to get dressed so we can go out and do something. My wife is telling me to just leave them alone, let them relax and do nothing for a change, since its nasty outside anyway.

Every Freaking Friday

Every freaking Friday, I can count on it like clockwork; a major crisis will develop in my office. I’ve gotten to the point where I no longer worry about it happening; because I can be assured that it will occur. Perhaps I should just start taking Fridays off. Avoid the whole crisis business from the start. I now find it more amusing than anything else. Fortunately, we figured out a creative solution for this week’s problem and I was able to get out of my office without too much delay.

I am on the subway now and sitting opposite me is a mother who just smacked her baby. She has done it twice so far. The second time a couple of people saw it and I shared a look with the woman seated next to me. It is a cute little kid and this woman has a scowl on her face as if to say “How da fuck did I wind up having to take care of a baby”. Oh that’s nice; she just fed him some candy. Nothing like a nutritious snack for a growing child.

My foot is feeling a little better today. I am going to try it out tomorrow morning and see how it feels. I am not too worried about it as I always have amputation as an option. The miserable thing about Plantar Fasciitis is that you can’t work through it. Give me some good ole’ fashion shin splints, now that’s some good pain that I can run through.

Amazing how I am still hungry all of the time even though I haven’t trained in 3 days. It is also amazing at how out of shape I feel in that same short time. I wonder what I will do if I have to take a long layoff. G-d I am hungry. Maybe I’ll go ask the abusive mother for some of her candy.

Plantar Fasciitis

I suddenly find myself with a major case of Plantar Fasciitis. Well not a major case, but it is keeping me from running for the next couple of days. My foot suddenly started bothering me yesterday morning, continued throughout the day and got worse when I attempted to run at night. I decided to call off last night’s run after only a mile so as not to turn a small problem into a large one. The only think I can attribute this ailment to was the fact I ran with new running shoes Tuesday evening. They are the exact same model that I was previously using, but maybe something was tweaked in their design by the manufacturer unbeknownst to me. The result being a bum foot

I hate when I have to take time off due to injury. It especially hurts when everything has been going so well with my training. I will just have to take it a day at a time to see how it goes. I don’t know what to do with myself. I am very distraught over this. I can just hear a certain friend telling me I told you so as it relates to my increased distance lately. I don't want to hear it.

Giraffe

I read somewhere that I should write for about 20 minutes everyday, even if I have nothing to write about. Well, that is what I am doing now. I’ve got the time since I am trapped on the subway on the way home. At least it is moving today. One of the things I saw while riding was this woman sitting right next to me. She has the longest neck I have ever seen. She must be part giraffe and a chiropractors dream. How many vertebrae must be in that thing?

Do you ever get the sensation that time is running out. Running out on anything; luck, life, opportunity, etc. I know I’ve said it before, but I have such an overwhelming sense of time passing. They are uncontrollable thoughts. I can feel every single second of everyday pass by. This makes it so hard to enjoy life when you are consumed with the passing of it. I guess all I can do about it is to try to enjoy every second of it.

I am running again in the evening. I think I’ve practically given up trying to wake up in the morning. I guess I will soon start recognizing the evening runners. I’ve gotten so used to seeing the same people in the park every morning. Evening running will make me aware of a whole new crop of runners and cyclists. One of the benefits of evening running is the local pub will be open so I can stop in for a post workout beer. Nothing like replacing lost carbohydrates right away.

Intolerable Subway

OMG, the subway is just freakin’ intolerable today. Hot and crowded and deadly slow. The MTA must think there is no reason to air condition the cars since it’s now October. To top it off some bastard keeps getting their bag caught in the door, invoking endless announcements to please step away from the door. I am hoping to get home early enough to do my run, but as it stands now I am trapped in this hell for the foreseeable future.

Prospect Park will seem like the wide open plains if I ever make it there. Maybe once I do I can imagine myself running through the grassy fields. I probably better not as to not risk getting smashed by another cyclist while my thoughts are off wandering. I should have left work earlier, but no, I had to stay to make sure I got some things done. No good deed goes unpunished is what they say.

At least as of late I am able to amuse myself with some new music on my MP3 player. Well, not new music per se, but a different mix of some classic heavy metal and punk rock. Until this past weekend, my MP3 player was stuck playing the same playlist over and over – for about a year. I’ve really learned to hate some of my previously favorite songs.

10pm –

Not only did I get my run in this evening, but I had a great time of it. My legs are still a bit sore from the increased mileage, but they seem to be handling it well. The park was dark when I got there, the result of the increasingly shorter days. It made for a mostly peaceful night run, especially when I ran along the park’s transverses, which were completely deserted.

I ran a pace that felt natural, which in the end averaged out to a 7:57 M/M. A couple of times during the run another runner tried to keep pace with me right after I caught them. It was amusing and annoying at the same time. One guy kept pace so close to me on my side, it was like he wanted to hold hands while we ran.

When I returned home I was ravenously hungry. My wife served up the remainder of a chicken carcass that was languishing in my refrigerated. I ripped into it like Genghis Kahn. That and some pasta and veggies rounded out my post workout meal. I had a chocolate chip cookie for desert.

My daughter also wanted to accompany me on her bike for my run tonight, but unfortunately she had not yet completed her homework. She was very disappointed when I told her that she couldn’t go with me, since her homework was more important. Hopefully, her desire to go out with me when I run will inspire her to get it done earlier in the day. On the bright side of things it is very heartwarming to know she wants to go with me and is disappointed when she can’t.

Signed Up

I decided to take today off. I was schedule for a very easy 3 mile active recovery run, but I figured running around with my kids all day was recovery enough. I probably could have struggled through a run, but I tend to try to go too hard, turning it from recovery into a workout. I am sure my legs will thank me tomorrow.

One thing I did do today was send in my application and entry fee for the JFK 50 Miler. I am now definitely committed to the race. I no longer have any doubt that I will be successful at it. I am even thinking I can have a pretty competitive time. I’ll just have to see how race day goes and remember, more than anything, to pace myself very slow especially for the first 30 miles or so. I am looking forward to struggling through the Appalachian Trail section and then first having to contend with miles of endless tow path along the canal. I suspect I’ll learn a lot about myself as I do it. The suffering should be wonderful.

Long Run Number 4

Well today wasn’t really a long run, unless you consider 13.1 miles as long. But the run was done hard, at somewhat of a race pace. So all things considered, I’d say I put the same stress on my legs that I would have if the run was 20 miles; possibly even more.

I did the Greta’s Great Gallop Half Marathon. My coach told me to race it. I had my doubts as to whether I could, but my legs showed up for race day. Right at the start I ran into my friend Jon. We paced each other for the first 3 miles. The last time I raced with Jon at the start of a race was the NJ Marathon. Both of these races were very successful. I need to make starting a race with Jon into more of a habit.

I must say I am really surprised at how well I did. I didn’t expect my pace to be so good. I easily negative split the race and never really entered anaerobic levels. My only limiting factor was the fatigue in my legs from my run yesterday. I guess I could have pushed myself harder, but I was afraid of digging too deep and killing myself for the next couple of days.

The day itself was very wet. It started to pour at the start of the race, eventually slowing to a steady rain for the duration. I didn’t mind it though as it served to keep me cool. I wore a hat to keep the water out of my eyes and my regular eyeglasses since my Rudy Projects tend to fog up. The only disappointment for the day was that I told my wife it was better off to keep the kids at home, rather than take them to the kid’s races later in the morning. I didn’t see the point in making them stand around in the rain to race a couple of hundred yards. It probably all worked out for the best, since they started the kid’s races right around the time I was finishing. I probably would have missed them anyway.

The Race:

My legs felt a bit heavy from my 20 miler yesterday, but they were turning over well and I felt pretty good. I kept a moderate pace at first and then just naturally began to run faster. It wasn’t much of an effort to do so. I was just able to run well. I didn’t think about running faster or slowing down, I just ran the pace that felt right.

Even though it was easy for me to run a 7:23 pace (7:05 if you count the total Polar 625x distance), I did feel some aches and pains in my legs. I guess that is to be expected when you start putting in some running distance and then go out and race the next day. The pain felt good. I was relishing in it and liking the way my body was feeling as I worked towards the finish line. I am beginning to feel invincible when it comes to running and I am really enjoying my new found running stamina.

For the remainder of the day I played baseball with my kids outside my house, took them to see a movie and then pushed them on the swings in a nearby park. It turned out to be such a beautiful day and I really enjoyed being out in it with my kids.