fun with recycling

Yesterday was so beautiful out and it was impossible to stay indoors, so Lillian and I decided to play outside. The swing has become a little passe, so we got creative and dug out a box from the recycling pile and created a little playhouse. I think the look on her face says it all... we had a lot of fun. We even added color using some of her sidewalk chalk. She's quite the interior decorator!

This morning's run went well. Looking forward to my tempo run tomorrow...

communing with nature

After a long hiatus from the trails, I was able to get out on them today for about a 7 mile run. I chose the one trail at the park that I normally avoid (probably because of the stairs) and ran it. I forgot how much I liked this trail. It winds along the banks of Fall Creek and is mainly flat until it reaches a series of stairs. I took them with ease and climbed up, up, up and then circled back down the other side of the trail only to do another lap. Second time was just as nice, stairs not a problem. My GPS couldn't synch so I never knew my distance for sure, but I went by time. I am not 100% sure of my pace either, but I at least ran a 10:00/mile pace. I finished and felt great - not worn out like I have been on previous runs.

Yesterday I took the time to clear some limbs from our weeping willow and got a swing hung up for Lilli. She got up from her nap and tried it out right away. Over a half hour later she was still in there swinging away, until it was snack time. It was still tough to get her out of the swing -- she loves the outdoors as much as I do, but we got her out. Hopefully we can go out for a bike ride today or just do some more swinging - anything to be outside...

realizing some savings

It's an odd title perhaps, but that sums up what the last couple of days has been about... First, let's rewind to the beginning of the week though to recap some actual running.

I was able to get out for a very brief 2 mile run on Monday after work. It was spur of the moment, but I left a little early, picked up Lilli from school and asked her if she wanted to go for a run. She replied "Yep!" So I got the jog stroller out we went. She l-o-v-e-s her jog stroller (or at least going fast). The run got shortened a bit because of dark clouds moving in fast, but any run is always a good run.

Tuesday I couldn't get out of bed to go for a run in time, so it had to wait until Wednesday. Got started a little late, but wanted 5 miles so had to make it quick. Long story short, natured called half way into my run and I was thankful I wasn't doing and out and back - only a mile away from home. whew!

Thursday was another "Lilli Day", so tried again for at least 3 miles. This time had to cut it short because someone was fussy... so we settled on 2.5 miles. I think she was hungry, at least when we got home she ate pretty well. So not an awful week of running, but I was hoping for a little better mid-week runs. I really need to get a training plan together soon!

Now, back to the last couple of days: Steph and I took Friday off because she had an endoscopy scheduled for the morning and she was sedated for the procedure and couldn't drive all day, sign important papers (these are the words on the form) or anything like that. So it seemed like a good time to take off and maybe relax a little. On the way back, we were driving in the neighborhood and notice a few garage sales, so we stopped on a whim. The first one had a "double wide" jog stroller, so clothes, toys and books. We looked at the job stroller a little while and weren't sure about it. It would be handy in the future if we have another kid, but it wasn't totally necessary to get. It was $20 and looked brand new. I offered $15 and she accepted. Score! Filled the tires up with air and took it for a stroller around the block later that evening. I think Lilli likes it more than her single-seater... it rides like a Cadillac.

Today was our neighborhood sale (which was why there were a few early ones). We looked around, found a couple of items, but nothing we were necessarily looking for. The one thing we wanted was a bike trailer for Lilli so we could all go out for a ride. The ones we had looked at at the stores were $100 - $120, so it wasn't going to happen any time soon unless we could find a used one. We decided to try another neighborhood that was also having a sale. The first place we drove past had one sitting in the driveway. I almost jumped out of the car to check it out. It looked practically new, had everything with it. I of course counter-offered, but they stuck with their price of $40 (still a great deal), so I said I'd take it.

This evening, the three of us took it out for a spin in the neighborhood and had a great time. I am not sure if Lilli liked it more than the jog stroller or not, but I think it's a winner. I think I could even enjoy bike riding again...

Weekend Update - Birthday Party

So I've taken a week off from running since the half marathon... no particular reason other than I needed the mental break. Also, with Lilli's birthday party on Saturday, it gave us plenty of time to get the house ready for the party... we actually finally got around to spring cleaning... we steam cleaned the carpets, vacuumed, mopped, dusted high and low and even did windows. On top of that I finally got our bedroom painted - which really started out as just refinishing an armoire for the bedroom to replace my chest of drawers. As part of this "refinish" job I got to remodel the bedroom with a fresh coat of paint - something brighter and more cheery. We went from a gold color to a pale blue.

Lilli's party was not what I thought it would be, it was a little chaotic and I think a bit boring for some (though in all fairness if everyone showed up on time it would probably have gone smoother). Lilli took a good nap in the late morning into the early afternoon, so we cleared that hurdle. The party was to start at 3pm, but half the people did not show up until 3:30 - almost 4. Everything we read said that a 1st birthday party should last about an hour - it's really more for the parents anyway. So the thought was we'd be done by 4, but the last guest left around 5:30 (the one who was last to show). Needless to say, we worked with the hand we were dealt.

We got Lilli in her costume and she didn't care much for it, so that did not last too long - just enough for some photos.

Once everyone was there, we did the cake. Lilli played mostly - not really into the cake just yet.

Afterwards, we did the presents to keep things moving.

Once that was over, people slowly departed. Lilli was clearly tired from all the excitement too.

We are taking the day off on her actual birthday and getting family photos taken. Hopefully it will be nice weather so it can be outside...

Countdown to Lilli's 1st Birthday party

Lilli's 1st birthday party is this Saturday! We have been trying to get organized for this and still have a bunch to do. I at least was able to get the invites designed, printed and sent out in time. It will be a small party, since it will last only an hour - not much to do at a 1 year olds birthday party anyway. I'm looking forward to it - it is a halloween theme and kids can dress in their costumes. Should be fun... stay tuned for photos of the event...

Here's Lilli's birthday party invite (without address or phone #)

11 months

In all the excitement of blogging about my exciting running life, I neglected to mention that Lillian's 11-month birthday was Monday... my little girl is growing up so fast...

We're trying to get her birthday party figured out... since it is just a few days from Halloween, we figured a Halloween themed birthday could be fun - everyone can dress up!

Thoughts On Being A Dad

I sit here thinking about the last 10+ months of my Life. Wow, how crazy it has all been. It has been the hardest, but most rewarding time - I can't imagine anything topping this.

Sometimes I struggle with not having my own time anymore. When I do it is in the wee hours of the morning as I run through the darkness, or it is at work (yeah right). I actually enjoy my runs a lot in the morning. I am alone with only my thoughts and it is comforting to be alone - sounds strange and a little selfish I suppose, but it works for me.

The wonderful thing about being a dad (for now at least) is that Lilli thinks I am a rockstar. She smiles every time she sees me and holds her arms out for me to hold her. "wow" it makes me feel important. I can have a stressful or bad day at work, but when I walk through the door at home or pick her up at day care I see this:

and I just melt and whatever happened at work doesn't matter anymore.

She'll eventually learn that I'm a dork and she'll probably not smile every time she sees me, but for now I am cherishing every minute of it. I wouldn't trade any of this for the world.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

Okay, so it's been a little while since I have posted and in all honesty I have lost track as to what week of training this is... 4, I think - but the training is going pretty well. I just finished a 9 mile run that went better than planned. Yesterday's run though - not so well. It was meant to be a 3 mile at pace. Well, the pace I have been aiming for is an 8:00/mile - not impossible, but certainly it has been awhile since I have run that pace. As it worked out, I didn't get out until 11:00 (mainly because I was supposed to run this on Friday, but put it off and then I put it off almost all morning). Lilli joined me since it was supposed to be a quick run through the neighborhood. I started out right on pace and felt great. I hit the end of the first mile and then I started slowing down. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't maintain the pace. I think the quickly rising temp's had everything to do with it, but the run was still a decent run - about an 8:30/mile average. So that is training... work is slowed down to an almost manageable pace - I had really hoped to take some time off before Labor Day to work on stuff around the house - I've still yet to finish anything I've started this summer... and Wow! where did the summer go?! Two weeks ago we went back to the zoo - twice - just us and Lilli. We had a great time. The weather was perfect once again and the crowds weren't bad at all. The second time we went back was for "Animals and all that Jazz" which basically was the zoo open after hours (free to get in for members like us) and we could walk around, or sit at a table and listen to a live jazz band. It was a nice thing to do on a Thursday evening. That is all for now. Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.

A Short Week

Well, vacation came and went and I don't feel like I had one. We had no big plans to go anywhere except the zoo. In fact, my big plans were to paint the trim on the house, refinish some furniture, "decrapify" the house by purging our closets and attic of stuff and get back to running routinely-- kind of a tall list. Of all of those items, I am in the process of refinishing the furniture and I am somewhat back to running routinely, though not how I had expected.

The good news has been the weather has been wonderful this past week. It almost felt like we were on vacation somewhere other than Indiana. The temperatures were mild and little to no humidity - just perfect really. Here's a recap of our week...

Monday I got out for a run. Nothing big, just three miles, but Lilli did go with me and did really well. Then I spent the morning on the computer working... oops, not at all vacation-like. Later on we headed down to the outlet mall in Edinburgh to do some shopping for Lilli - she needed clothes for the fall.

Tuesday was a bit of a disorganized day. We didn't get going early on and before we knew it it was the afternoon and we had to go pick up our nephews because they were staying the night and going to the zoo with us in the morning.

Wednesday was zoo day. The plan was to get to the zoo as close to the opening as possible (9 am). Yeah right. With 3 kids it is almost impossible to be on a schedule. But to be fair, we made a good breakfast for everyone before heading out. It was 11 by the time we got there. It was the most perfect weather we could have asked for. I was excited because I had never been to the zoo and was looking forward to the dolphin show and seeing the koalas. Unfortunately, one of our nephews did not feel like seeing everything and we ended up leaving by 2:30 - missing the dolphin show and never seeing the koalas... the good news: I bought a year membership, so we'll be going back quite a bit (it only takes two visits to have the membership pay for itself).

Thursday I got back out on a run in the morning. This time a 4 mile run. Lilli joined me once again and looked around the entire time. The rest of the day we got some errand run and not much else... not really sure what happened to Thursday, but hey, we were on vacation.

Friday another morning run. This time 5 miles. Wasn't sure how far I could go with Lilli, but this was a pretty good distance to go and once again did great. She actually fell asleep somewhere between mile 2 and 3. The rest of the day I got a few things done around the house, but nothing on my list....

Saturday Lilli and I went for yet another run. Unfortunately, not until noon, but we went to Fort Ben State Park and ran under the shade of the trees. It was still quite warm and humid though and our planned 6 mile run turned into 3. She was not a happy camper and was fussing the entire time, so I knew she was not into the run ans we went home (besides I was pretty much spent after 3 anyway).

I am hoping to finish getting the furniture stripped and primed today. I could really use a few more days off, but I already know I have a pile of work that stacked up while I was gone... ugh.

Here are a few photos from the week:

The 3 cousins at the zoo

Lilli on her first train ride

Passed out after the trip to the zoo

Lilli in one of her new outfits

Running with "Company"

Greetings from Vacationland!

Okay, in all honesty, it doesn't feel like vacation as we are at home, but at least we're not at work. I got up this morning and Lilli happened to be up in time to join me for my first run in three weeks. It was not a great run in terms of feeling great or going fast, but it was great to have her along. She seemed to enjoy looking around and having the wind on her as we cruised the neighborhood. Just an easy 4 miles (though it was not the easiest 4 miles I have run in quite some time). She did great during the entire run - just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I am sure she'd like to go a little faster, maybe in a few more tries. I am hoping to get out each day this week. So we'll see...

No running news to report

Okay, I haven't run in 2 weeks. Work is just crushing me under the weight of deadlines. Something had to give and unfortunately it has been my sleeping and my running. And the bad thing about that? I just got some new shoes from New Balance to wear test and they want 150 to 200 miles on them in 4 weeks... um crap! So there is the motivation, but now I need the time. I have two jobs finishing up this week, so that should help a lot plus we are taking a vacation next week. We aren't going anywhere, but we do need time off to try to relax, as well as get some much needed stuff done around the house.

We have had some fun the last couple of weekends (and I got a few things checked off my list). We have gone to the neighborhood pool a couple of more times and Lilli is just loving every minute of it. Here are some photos from the last couple of weeks...

Sitting up like a big girl.

Sporting a cute sun hat.

Pool Time!

Lilli in her boat.

Lilli in her new dress from Nana and Papa.

Hopefully running will become part of my life again - soon. I am anxiously awaiting the time when I can get Lilli out for a run - it still hasn't happened yet!

Happy 4th of July!

Marathoner in Training

This was a shirt we picked up at the Dances With Dirt Race. They had a bunch of different shirts and onsies, but I saw this one and had to get it... who knows, maybe she'll be joining me on a run someday - even training for her own marathon...

Happy Mother's Day

A Whole Lot of Nothing

It has been quite awhile since I have posted anything, and quite a long time since I posted anything interesting... though I am not sure I ever had anything interesting to post anyway.

I guess I'll start with last weekend:

John and I had decided it would be a good idea to go down to Brown County and scope out the race location and maybe run the first leg to get an idea of the hills. Well, let's file this under, "It seemed a good idea at the time..."

We found Mike's Dance Barn (the home base for the race) and proceeded to look for orange ribbons that mark the first leg of the race. After finding a couple that didn't seem to go anywhere, we went off the course description and felt comfortable that we were on the right track. Climbing up a 250' abandoned double black diamond ski slope was quite a challenge, but we got to the top only to have to go down a hill and then back up another, though not as steep. Once on top of the ridge, we found the trail that lead us through the woods and onto a trail. We were convinced we were on the trail and proceeded to follow it out since it was just under a 3 mile loop. The terrain wasn't bad at all. There were a few hills, but nothing compared to what we had just encountered, or anything we hadn't been running on for the last month. We continue to follow the trail, I kept track of our distance and it seemed we "lost" the trail. Now, we never left it, but it turned into a fire road and we thought we were still on it, but there were no tell tale orange ribbons to guide us. Had we brought the quasi-course map, we might have noticed we needed to loop back and head back to where we started right then and there, but the road seemed to curve around and we thought we were headed in the right direction, all along just getting farther from where we started... what kept us going was the fact we saw blue and pink ribbons, which marked other legs of the course, so we knew we weren't lost. We kept going looking for the orange ribbons and we found some, so started following them, but each time we found a series of them, they seemed to just stop in the middle of the woods, and we had to back track.

Now, by this time we were at 3 miles or more and no clear sight of where we started from. I wasn't concerned, but I do remember saying that I didn't want to become the lead story on the 11 o'clock news... not long after this we ran across a hunter who was in the woods, his ATV with gun case strapped to the front was parked on the fire road. At this point we should have turned around and retraced our steps back to the start, but we kept going, never thinking about that hunter and whether or not we were in danger of being shot accidentally...

We found some more ribbons and tried following them, hoping the end of the trail was just around the bend, so we then decided if we didn't see anything in 5 more minutes, we would turn around and run double time back. About 4-1/2 minutes later we run into 2 more hunters who were sitting on the side of the horse trail taking a break. We decided to ask them where we were and if we were getting close to Mike's Dance Barn. They looked at us incredulously and said that we were far from there. John and I looked at each other in amazement... they offered to walk us out to their camp as they were headed back anyway and give us a ride back to our car. When it was all said and done, we had gone 8 miles and somehow gone form one side of Brown County State Park to the other. We later found out that we were on one of the other legs of the race and had come across yet another leg that happened to be marked with orange ribbons too... oops.

Lesson learned. In hindsight, we should have turned around after a mile and a half, but we were so sure were were curving around the ridge... we also should have had that quasi-map that show the shape of the path, it would have indicated the sharp turn back towards the beginning that we ran past and dismissed as the wrong way -- which brings me to another point - my directional instinct is non-existent (as is John's). Anytime my instinct tells me to go right, I should go left...

So that was last weekend... well, most of it. I then relapsed and became sick again on Sunday, with the same chills and congestion I had previously. Most likely due to too many hours at work and not enough time sleeping. I never really recovered. Currently, I am still feeling congested in my head and am having trouble hearing out of my left ear. I am on a stronger anti-biotic and a few other medicines to combat this "creeping crud" I have. I don't think it will affect my race next weekend, but I haven't run in a week... I hope to get out for at least a few miles to loosen up. If it is nice enough, I am planning on getting the jog stroller out for the first time and Lilli and I will go for a run together.

Oh, and Lilli turned 6 months this past week! Wow, how time has flown by. She's been eating baby food for the last month and has graduated to peas... kind of gross looking, but she likes them. So far, she's like everything, though the fruits tend to be a bit too sweet for her to eat them straight.

That is all for now I guess. I am looking forward to next weekend's race and blogging about it... then the following week is a half marathon that I am not sure I am ready for, but I am running it anyway...stayed tuned for that experience.

Until then, keep on running.

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...

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!

3 Months

Today Lillian is 3 months old... wow time sure flies...