D.IN.O Trail Run #2 Race Report

This past Saturday was race #2 in the spring series of D.IN.O. I decided to attempt the 15k again to better my previous 15k trail run - which shouldn't have been too hard.

The weather was much nicer this time around - It was sunny and about 34 degrees at the start. The day just got better from there. I must have change clothes at least twice when deciding on what to wear. I ended up with shorts and three layers on top plus a hat and gloves. I actually ended up too hot towards the end, so the hat and gloves came off. 

The race was held at Mounds State Park in Anderson, Indiana. It is a very scenic park with some great trails - nice wide paths most of the time, but also quite a lot of stairs which made it very challenging.

Long story short - my time was 1:25:31 for an average pace of 9:11/mile. Not where I wanted to be, but not bad considering the stairs. It definitely showed I have a lot of training to do for Dances With Dirt in May...

This weekend was Lilli's 5 month birthday... wow, I can't believe how quickly she is growing... my good friend Brooke came over Saturday evening and watch Lilli for a few hours while Steph and I got out for dinner (we actually were able to eat at the same time) and then some relaxing shopping. We missed Lilli very much, but it was nice to get out for just a little "alone" time.

Today we continued our pre-spring cleaning that we had started on Saturday and still have a long way to go, but hopefully will get the inside stuff done soon, so I can be outside to whip the yard back into shape when the weather gets nicer.

Easter "Lilli"

Today was Lillian's first Easter and it was her baptism at church today. Here she is in her Easter / baptism dress... isn't she just adorable? She was so good during the church service today. There was an orchestra on hand and she just loved listening to the music. She didn't cry at all - not even during the baptism. Our little girl is growing up so fast... I can't believe she'll be 5 months old in just 6 days...

Happy Easter

Playing Hooky

I had a dentist appointment Tuesday morning and I really wanted to get a run in so I decided to take the whole morning off and get in a run outside. An "easy" 5 miles is what I decided... but my legs felt like lead. What seemed like a plodding pace turned out to be a decent pace... 8:26/mile... hmm...

My legs were still pretty tired today, but I decided to go ahead and go to the gym for a run on the treadmill. I kept it fairly slow, just trying to do a nice recovery run. Mission accomplished. I felt much better after the run.

Still lots to do this week - not a crazy as last week though. Hoping to get another good long run in on Saturday and then Sunday (Easter) is Lilli's baptism. We're having family over at our house afterwards... busy weekend...

A Fast 5k

I did not have a stellar week in running, but I did manage a couple of runs early in the week. This weekend I had intentions of running both Saturday and Sunday - one short and one long run, but time got away from me on Saturday (plus I was exhausted). Luckily when I read the schedule today, it said yesterday was a rest day and today was a 5k race. Without a race, I chose to run a 5k loop through the neighborhood. It was about as warm as it was going to get, so I headed out and apparently went out too fast (a 6:30/mile pace... at least that is what my GPS said). My average for the run was a 7:54/mile pace... not too shabby I suppose.

Looking ahead, I have a busy week at work again, just no out of state traveling this week. I am hoping for 4 days of running this week, not including my weekend run. Hopefully all will go well.

On the home front, it was another good weekend. Lilli continues to grow and take on a personality of her own. She is almost all smiles lately. Today she saw the Easter Bunny while we were out. Next weekend is her baptism. We seem to have gone to great lengths to find a dress for her to where for this monumental occasion. I am sure this will be repeated years down the road when she goes to her first dance, then her prom, and then *gulp* her wedding... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We are enjoying every moment with her and are not wanting her to grow up too fast...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all and to all a good run!

DINO Trail Run #1

We were told it was the coldest and snowiest DINO Trail Run in their history... I believe it, though the snow wasn't terrible and it wasn't that cold (just a mere 22 degrees with a nice breeze to keep it comfortable). I did find the race to feel longer than 15k, though I did not see anything that said it was long. My pace was the incredibly slow pace of 11:18/mile. That is the slowest I have ever run a race in all races I have ever run... an new PR!!!

While I said the snow was not bad, it did make for a tough run and to add to it there was mud that was the whole width of the trail and then some - and not just in one place, but many. And as the race progressed (it was a 5k loop that we ran 3 times) the conditions seemed to get worse - muddier because of all the people, but also because the sun came out and started to melt the snow.

After the first loop I was ready to call it quits, but I was running with my friend John and he kept me honest and moving. So we continued on. The cold never bothered me, in fact I got just a little warm towards the end, but never uncomfortable. I have never felt like I worked more for a race than I did after finishing this one - only my marathons made me feel worse.

I am taking tomorrow off, then it is back to the gym for some lunch time runs on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I'll need to review my training schedule to see what next weekend will bring - I am hoping for a step back week...

My wear test for the shoes New Balance sent me ended today. Seemed like a fine pair of shoes. I ran in them on the treadmill, outside even casually a few times (they instructed me to wear them in all aspects including casual if possible). I guess I'll see if they send any more goodies my way...

That is all for now. Hope everyone's weekend runs weren't too cold or snowy... spring is just around the corner...

Opting out

I am actually sitting in traffic as I type this. The weather turned to crap just in time for the trip home and the roads are icy and slushy. It has taken me an hour to get where I am now and I have had to turn around (and away from home) twice now. Hopfully third time is the charm.

I had it scheduled to run at lunch time, but because I was feeling tired from getting poor sleep, I chose to just relax.

I am a little stressed with all of the stuff piling up at work.

What a difference a week makes

Last week it was cold and snow was on the ground. Today it was sunny and in the 50's - simply gorgeous. I got in 8 miles today at a 9:00/mile pace - felt pretty good too - nice and relaxed. Not much more to report on that - just a beautiful day and a good run.