lost: speed

Has anyone seen my speed? I have apparently misplaced it. I do not remember what it looks like, but if you see anything that may resemble my speed, please let me know... possible reward. In all fairness I have been overworked and under rested, so work is probably the culprit. I'll try looking there tomorrow...

I have to admit I did not run at all on Sunday - work sucked me into its "vortex of doom" all day and left me no time or desire to run. But I am happy to say that I have run both days this week and plan on running tomorrow morning. Nothing big - just short 30 minute runs to get them in and get back to a schedule of sorts. But I need some speed now 'cause I am planning on running a race in just 9 days... oh crap...

just doing it

No, this isn't a Nike endorsement - I just wanted to announce that I got out yesterday to enjoy the wonderful weather we had been having (especially since I missed out on Thursday's weather). I went out and just ran. I probably ran too hard and too fast

No, I know I did, but I wanted to.

It was a rough week and it just felt good to go all out... well, as all out as I could go feeling as tired as I did. It just melts the stress away, so for me, it was a good thing.

I took today off to relax, sleep in, spend time with my wife (who almost forgot who I was) and not think about work. I think I did pretty good. I also got to see my nephews today. They are so cute - especially Ethan, who will be 1 year old very soon. He is such a happy little guy (as long as he is fed).

Tomorrow is a long run for me. I'd like to do 8 or 9 miles, but I am not sure. I think I will go out with the intention of running at least 5, and if I am feeling good, I will go for the 9. Then it will be off to work to work the rest of the day and start my week right where I left off. But I am going to try to run 5 to 6 days a week now no matter what my schedule is at work. I can afford 20 - 30 minutes a day to make this work, so why not? I have to thank fellow runner and blogger, Yumke for this idea. It all seems so simple, but for some reason I couldn't see it. As a runner I need to make the time because it IS part of my life and I want to keep it that way.

mill-work

It has been a rough week. I missed my run on Tuesday, so I got up at 4am this morning to run so I could get it in and still get to work extra-early. I opted for the 'mill just to make it easy on me and I took it slow at first then ramped up the pace. I felt good when it was all done - certainly better than I had before I started.

I showered and got dressed and headed into work for another long day. It is 7pm and I am still here, but not much longer (I hope). I have a month's worth of work that I have been trying to cram into one week - oh yeah, the fun never stops for Dave.

I may try to sneak out a little early tomorrow for a run - I hear the weather is supposed to be great.

(another) lost weekend

Yet another weekend that flew by. It was another weekend I had to cram a bunch of errands and chores into. It was another weekend I had to work. It was another weekend I had to find time to run.

A little background on my usual weekend (for this year anyway)... My wife's grandmother's house burned down on January 4th of this year. The good news is she was not home and not hurt. The first few weekend of the year was spent sifting through the ashes, trying to salvage furniture (heirlooms) and memories.

The insurance company agreed to replace the house. Floor plans were needed. I, being an architect, offered my services. I had some ideas to improve upon what she had - with the main idea of making it easy for her to live in the house. You see, she is 81 years old and while she is still very active, she won't be able to climb stairs forever and this is where her bedroom was. So a little reoganizing the inside and making a few design choices to better the space, the building process was started. I spent several weekends working on the design and preparing the drawings. I met with the contractors and I have been to the house almost every weekend all summer long. It is an hour drive to get there, so it never ended up being a quick trip, no matter how we planned. It has taken from March until now to get where we are - about two weeks from completion. A ridiculously long process, but well worth the wait. On Saturday we picked up a bunch of items for the house on our way down and then I completed my walk-thru inspection and created my list of items to fix (a punch-list). Before we knew it Saturday was gone.

My work week was a trying one and I had brought work home with me to do. Needless to say, it was going to have to be done on Sunday. But what about my run, you may ask? I took a break around 3:00 and went to Fort Harrison State Park for a run. I decided it was time to hit the hills again and I always enjoy the serenity of the park. Most of the leaves were on the ground, but the smell of autumn was still in the air - wonderful.

My run wasn't the easiest, but I pushed myself hard today. I felt I needed to for some reason. I got my 7 miles in at an 8:55/mile pace. I felt good when I was done.

I am hoping to normalize my schedule this week, but it promises to be yet another busy one, so we'll see. If I can just get a run in on Tuesday and Thursday, it should be okay. My recovery schedule is not happening the way I had hoped. So, I am now pondering my options for the spring... mary or half-mary? Probably too early to make a decision yet - especially a knee-jerk reaction based on my previous weekends this year.

I caught a little of the NY Marathon on TV today... inspiring. Even seeing Lance Armstrong finishing in just under 3 hours and looking beat... it made me feel better. Even Lance Armostrong can look like that...

work: 1 running: 0

I have not done any running since Sunday. I will say my legs feel heavy anyway, but I'd really like to keep going. Unfortunately work has gotten even busier than it was over the summer and I am finding no time to get runs in now (even now I shouldn't even be blogging). I have to reshuffle my schedule, and soon. With holidays coming it will be tough... I get overwhelmed with everything I have to do at work, at home and everywhere in between.

One thing at a time.

I am going to try for a 3 mile run this evening - probably on the treadmill :( Then another 6 - 8 miles this weekend and try to get my running back on track, but looks llike work may win again... maybe even this weekend... yuck.

This too shall pass...