running out of time

Time is almost up for our vacation...one last run tomorrow morning, or is it cross-training? I'll have to check. The rain is returning, so it is probably good we are leaving. This morning I had to skip my speed workout for my training and opt for an easy run out and quick run back. I had headed to a local high school, but there was no track to run on. Later on in the day we went to Provincetown...always an "interesting" place. Missed the Portuguese Festival, but not the great food. I went to see an old sea captain's home from the 1800's - The Penniman Home. It had hot and cold running water and an indoor bathroom! Very nice...There were also some great trails nearby (Red Maple Swamp Trail and Fort Hill Trail), so I decided to try them out - turned out to be a great diversion. On the road tomorrow. Off to see my alma mater RPI...

the weather is here

After a couple of days of nothing but rain, the last two days have been wonderful -- sunny and in the 70's. Unfortunately it has been humid, but nothing compared to Indiana humidity. Yesterday I got out for a quick run - about 4 miles. I ran past the Three Sisters Lighthouses and to the Nauset Lighthouse and back. It was the official start to my marathon training. Afterwards we spent time just sight-seeing. Saw the Cape Cod lighthouse in Truro, Mass, went to a winery and did some taste-testing :) A great day. This morning was cross-training, so I took a bike out for a nice short bike ride (30 minutes), but about 15 minutes into my ride, I got a flat tire. So much for my Boy Scout training (be prepared). My cross-training for the day was mainly walking the bike back for a total of 65 minutes of cross-training. It is off to the beach today to relax. Eating lots of seafood and loving it!

running on the cape

Steph and I have been out on Cape Cod now for three days. It has been nice, eventhough it has pretty much done nothing but rain. On our first morning here, I went out for a run - nothing long - a short 4 miles. It was nice to be back and running out here. Today I had a 10k race in Chatham, MA called the Chatham Harbor 10k Run. What a great run - beautiful scenery, lots of rolling hills. For a guy from Indiana, I held my own on those hills and dropped a few of the locals :) It wasn't my fastest race by any means (8:17/mile average pace), but not bad for a course I didn't know, lots of hills, and a steady rain coming down.

foggy mind, foggy morning

I am tired. Another busy weekend (at least I wasn't at work). I am done pretending to be Tom Sawyer - my picket fence is finally painted. I mowed my yard last night - in the rain, during a storm...I have a sickness when it comes to my lawn - I am accepting this fact. The last two mornings I have woken up with a foggy mind. Ironically, the weather was mimicking my mind. I have found that running in the fog is kind of nice. It makes it that much more peaceful. For additional safety, I didn't run with music. It was just me, the fog and the sound of birds and frogs (I actually heard frogs in a pond I passed). Neither run was particularly long, each about 2.5 miles, but they did help get my mind clear -- clear-er at least. My next run will be in beautiful Cape Cod...

running through the fort

I got up early for a Saturday...couldn't sleep, so started doing things and then decided to get my run in early. I had a meeting on cabinets down in Shellbyville at 10 am for Stephanie's grandmother's house. I have been helping on the design and the building "process" since the fire back in early January. While it was a terrible thing to have happened, it has been a fun and interesting process to go through. The house is on schedule - unfortunately it won't be completed until early August...but it will be worth the wait. Anyway, I made up a new route to follow. It wasn't the most scenic, but it was different. I ran through the historic Fort Harrison proper - there is not much left and certainly not much to look at, but of course, the designer in me sees lots of potential. I ran from the back of my neighborhood through the East boundary all the way to the West boundary, all the while weaving through side streets. There was some nostalgia from the route, as some of it was the marathon course, but just a little. A good run, shorter than I wanted (only 6 miles), but I ran out of time this morning. Maybe I'll get another run in tomorrow? Depends on the weather...Happy Father's Day to all...

another early morning run

I wasn't able to get in all of my "normal" runs this week, but I did manage another run this morning. Quite a difference (almost night and day -- literally). While I ran Tuesday's run at 8pm, with it still light out, I ran this morning at 5:30 am, with it still dark out. I am hoping that work evens out and I can start getting my running back to a normal schedule...I am tired...

long days and short runs

Another long day at work. I actually thought I might sneak out on time, or relatively close to it, and get home for a run. I am still planning on it, but it will be a shorter run than I intended - probably 2.5 miles through the neighborhood. Off to Michigan in the morning for an all day meeting...another long day, but I'll try starting it out with a short run. I always feel better throughout the day after a morning run...

a slave to my lawn

I lied when I said no mowing the lawn this weekend...after I got home from work that evening, it was light enough out to still mow. It was also dry enough so I went ahead and did it. It helped melt the stress away from spending most of the day at the office. The lawn looks so nice...

running between the rain drops

It was quite a day for a run. Saturday was a wash out due to all the rain and today was not much better. Brooke met me at 8am to go for a run. We decided on Fall Creek Trail, since it had been before the marathon since either of us had run there. It was overcast and drizzly at times, but we decided to run anyways...that is dedication... We started out at a nice even pace, conversing all the way. Felt good the whole time. We got to our turn around point - though we weren't 100% sure (especially since my GPS couldn't pick up a satellite due to the clouds). So we guessed based on our time. I later confirmed that we had gone 3.5 miles as suspected, for a total of 7 miles. We finished strong and did some light stretching. Just as we got back to the truck it started to rain pretty good. Good timing. Shoes were a little muddy and wet by the end, but it was a fun run. Didn't get around to mowing this weekend either...so much for some cross training today...besides I had to go into work...

sleep-running

I stumbled out of bed this morning - literally, not quite awake. I did not get my run in yesterday, but once again I am working a lot of hours. It promises to get even busier, so I am trying to make running fit into my schedule. So, this morning I got out while it was still dark out (5 am). It was cool and quiet, and there was some lightning dancing in the clouds off in the distance. Since it was so dark I decided for safety's sake to stay within the neighborhood, which does have street lights. I also where a reflective belt just in case, but I seldom see any cars on the neighborhood roads so early. If you ever want solitude, I highly suggest an early morning run - nothing but you, the road and your thoughts (or music if you are so inclined). I was tired - mentally anyhow, but there is something about running that wakes you up. My total run was 4-1/2 miles, my average pace was a 9:20/mile - pretty good for running in my sleep...

the picture perfect day

What a gorgeous day for a run! I didn't get started until late today - I was up until midnight. Fortunately the humidity that was around for last weekend was gone. It was a bright, sunny day with not a single cloud in the sky - beautiful. It made it all worth the extra effort to get out the door for my run today. I did a different route, or at least a slight deviation from my more usual route. I ran in the neighborhood for the majority of my run, out to the front entrance and towards the state park. It reminded me of the marathon and the training runs, so it helped to keep me inspired while I ran, plus the change in scenery helped too. I wound my way to the park and ran towards the back, turned around and headed home. I had a 9 mile course mapped out in my head, and my GPS confirmed this, but it was way off on my pace/time. I am not sure what happened, but at one point I ran a mile in under 4 minutes (my fastest pace was 114.7 mph). I am pretty sure I wasn't transformed into a Kenyan for a mile, but who knows? Maybe there was some portal I went through...I love my gadgets (at least when I don't obsess over my results), but I am once again reminded that they aren't any more perfect than I am. From my best guess though I ran a solid 9:00 mile pace average. I had slowed down around mile 6, but I still had energy at the end to kick it up to finish as strong as I started. I certainly was not as drenched as I was on my last long run, and not as wiped out either. I finished off my run with a nice cool down, stretching and did some cross-training - a.k.a. mowing the lawn. As I have mentioned before I find zen in mowing my lawn. I treat it like a blank canvas each time and methodically plan my "pattern". I love the look of a finely manicured lawn, though mine is far from that, but I try to give it the appearance of one. I should own my own golf course or baseball field - I'd have fun with taking care of those lawns... A busy week of work coming up again - round 2. I am once again swamped due to inheriting a job I know very little about. Long story short, I was helping out and the project architect had a family emergency, I am now in charge of coordinating it...I have to learn all about the project for Monday as I am getting three people to help me out. The drawings are supposed to be complete by the following Monday, so it will be interesting...hopefully I can still squeeze in a few runs to keep my sanity...or maybe I'll just mow the lawn again...