Snotcycle Fun

Checked out the Snotcycle race today. It was cold. It was icy. It was muddy. I wasn't all that jealous on the sidelines because alot of people were talking about wiping out on the ice. I guess it was more like standing next to a drunk buddy who's making out with an ugly chick.  My hips are starting to feel better...still a bit sore, but better.  I think I'll be able to run Monday. 

And they're off.

The race was on a private farm.

The dogs enjoyed the smells, but wished their leashes were left at home. 

Kevin about to finish lap #2 (of 3).

They moved the cows off the race course.

The cows left the spectators many presents.

Post-race mud coverage...anyone thirsty?

On The Sidelines

my hips are still sore, so i'll be skipping my 6 miler tomorrow to rest up. strange but true...i was looking forward to it...specifically i was looking forward to the satisfaction of adding another mile to my all-time career long...and i don't think 6 miles woud be all that difficult to cover.

instead i'll be watching Kevin in the inaugural SnotCycle bike race...too bad i'll be on the sidelines...kinda like standing next to your best bud who's making out with a chick...you're happy for him...but you wish you were making out (with another...different chick) too. should be a good race...they got 145 people to sign up already.

if nothing else...Kona and Cassie will have lots-o-fun together...they are best buds.

Two peas in a pod

Tempo Run & A Sore Hip

first off...i didn't make 5 miles today...not that i couldn't have...but i only went 4

back story...i went skiing last weekend at seven springs. conditions were crappy because it was warm friday afternoon...which melted some snow. then it got really cold friday night and froze that melted snow...making the slopes like downhill ice rinks...not cool. while on the slopes skiing, i felt discomfort in my hip.

even more back story...several years ago i started having trouble with my hip...a burning sensation really. i was in las vegas...walking up and down the strip...trying to give my money away...lo and behold, i was successful...with a fire breathing dragon residing in the cave that is my hip socket. i went to the doc when i got back and he told me the problem was inflammation caused by over pronatation (walking on the outside of the heel). short term fix...take 4 ibuprofen with dinner for a couple days...funny, that was a recurring theme...the doc's advise for alot of ailments was to take ibuprofen. long term fix...make sure to replace my shoes when the outside heal gets worn down and do some hip abductor and adductor (inner and outer thigh) exercises. the problem has come and gone over the years...and the fixes work...i feel discomfort...i do hip exercises for a couple days...take ibuprofen if necessary...pain gone.

back to the back story...so while skiing last friday night...i felt a sensation in my hip...no big deal...just a sensation. after skiing saturday and sunday too...i felt the las vegas dragon's little cousin moving in. it was a baby cousin...maybe a toddler...because i didn't think much of the pain...and i did my 2 miles monday.

back to the current...i had my first tempo workout of my training regimen today...i was supposed to go 5 miles. after a mile warm up and stretching...the 8:31 pace felt pretty comfortable. i was suprised by that because for the last month and a half i've been running at 10:00 pace or slower...and i thought 1:30 faster pace would have been harder. after 1.5 miles...i could feel my hip acting up...so i decided to stop the tempo run short at 2 miles instead of 3. i ran the cool down mile too...so i got 4 total in...but my hip is fairly sore. after my run...i stretched, did some hip exercises...then did some hip specific stretching...which helped.

i think i may be learning the lesson that cross-training should not include impact activities like skiing. i'll try ibuprofen the next couple days and see if i'm up for my scheduled 6 miler on saturday. i'm supposed to jump to 13 miles this week from 10 last week...which is strenuous on the body...maybe i'll be cautious, skip the long run, and get back to it next monday.

another big run tomorrow

another 5 miler coming up tomorrow...but this time it's serious...it's a tempo run. the middle 3 miles are supposed to be at 8:31 pace...this 11:22 pace crap isn't going to cut it. i did a 5K (3.1 mi) in 27:30 at the end of the 2008 JerseyMan Sprint triathlon in September...somehow my time went down to 25:33 in the official standings...but i know better. still...a 27.5 minute 5K was pretty good for me considering my legs felt like concrete blocks...after the 0.6 mile swim and 19.5 mile bike...i wonder if Jimmy Hoffa's knows that feeling?

Clock says 2:14:08, but my official time was 2:12:11...go figure

with all the snow and ice around DC...i'll have to run this one on the dreaded treadmill. hopefully i'll be too busy trying not to fall off to notice the boredom. on the bright side, i'll know that my pace is on target.

Life goals

physical
1) finish a marathon
2) finish a half ironman triathlon
3) climb a tall mountain (tall to be defined later...15000 ft?)
4) hike across the grand canyon
5) finish a century (100 mi in one day) bike ride with Kevin (bro-in-law)

other
6) become fluent in spoken spanish
7) tell (future) Dr. J that i love her everyday
8) play crocodile rock on the piano
9) submit a homebrew in a contest
10) read one book a month

5 miles in 56:50

i finished my 5 mile run friday without any problems. 56:50 is a pretty slow pace...11:22 per mile. my smartcoach slow pace is 10:10...but i read a post on runnersworld.com where a guy wrote that he trained with elite kenyan distance runners before and that it wasn't unusual for them to run several 11-12 minute pace miles at the beginning of their long runs...somebody else wrote to go as slow as you need to as long as you make the distance and feel comfortable. sounded good to me...so i kept it slow and easy.

i ran along the C&O canal towpath...which is nice and flat. the towpath surface is mostly hard packed gravel...which is uneven in some places...with loose rocks all around. my feet were a bit sore from the uneven surface...but not too bad.

the temperature was above 40...finally above freezing. it sounds strange to say, but 40 felt really good.

i gotta say that finishing the longest run of my life feels pretty good...it definitely gave me a confidence boost...i made half the race distance! i think getting from 5 miles to 10 miles will be alot harder than getting to 5...but i know i have what it takes to get there as long as i stick to my training schedule.

#10

as part of the whole finishing-a-marathon-life-goal thing, i signed up for the cherry blossom 10 miler which is in April. Kevin, Aimee, and some coworkers wanted to sign up, so i thought it would be fun to race with people i know...plus 10 miles is a good stepping stone distance toward the big 26.2. my goal is to do a half marathon by the end of this season and a marathon sometime next year.

by the way...the cherry blossom festival is a great time to visit DC...the trees are gorgeous! i couldn't find my pictures, but trust me...it's one of my favorite times of the year to visit the monuments.

having a race as an event to work toward really helps motivate me to keep up with training. i used Smartcoach from Runner's World to plan my training schedule. having a schedule also gets me going because it makes me aware of what i need to do on a certain day to get one step...or in this case many strides...closer to my goal.

i've got a big day tomorrow...5 miles...it will be my longest run ever...and my legs are still really tight from all the walking i did on inauguration day...should have stretched afterwards...damn you Matchbox and your tasty craft beers! i have doubts about being able to make the full 5 because i normally do my long run on saturdays and the legs aren't feeling great right now. my previous longest run is a 4.9 mile gallop last spring...which i only did once. hopefully all goes well tomorrow.

Treadmill Trick

like a snow shovel square across the face...many many times...the wind beat me on my way to the gym today...so i decided to run my 3 miles on the treadmill...i should have started this blog in the summer so i wouldn't complain about the cold so much.    

one of the reasons i think running is so boring...i'm not an ipod-while-running-guy because i can't find earphones that i like...earbuds fall out all the time unless i jam them in my ear canals...which mom wouldn't like.  i also tried the ones with the plastic clip that goes over the top of the ear...but those kill me from all the bouncing around.  have suggestions?

running is boring...but running on the treadmill i equate to sitting through one of Ben Stein's classes from Ferris Bueller's Day Off...not a matter of staying awake...but how far the pen will go into my eye socket...at least that might stimulate my brain...Bueller......Bueller....OUCH!  the treadmill is worse because i constantly stare at the time elapsed and distance...calculating how much longer and further i have to go...excrutiating.

i discovered a way around this today...certainly not new to all mankind...but new to me.  i put a Bicycle magazine over the numbers...brilliant...can't see the numbers that way.  turns out i couldn't read the magazine because the text kept moving up and down...so i added another wrinkle...i envisioned the scenery along a 3 mile run route i take sometimes...and quickly realized that i shouldn't be closing my eyes while on a moving treadmill.  i checked on my time elapsed and distance progress about every five minutes and recalibrated the scenery.

now...if only i had packed something other than my fleece lined tights and a long sleeve shirt...the gym woudn't have seemed to be on fire. 

Inaugural Cross Training

i spent my day off checking out the inauguration of President Barack Obama...my initial thought was why would i want to spend all day in the cold with a worse view than i could get at home on tv...i was WRONG.

i often think that i don't embrace enough of what the DC area has to offer. i put up with the traffic and high housing costs that we DC-ites complain about...it's a bonding ritual...you know...like jocks constantly slapping each other's behinds...i still haven't figured that one out, but then again...i'm not in that club.

The crowd filling in near the reflecting pool

i'm really glad that i took advantage of the opportunity to soak in today's events.  the crowd was pumped up...and not because of the governator's presence...with alot of people sporting their Obama merchandise 

An Obama knit cap

PBO has the funk and the soul because this crowd is fired up

You can read a recap by Kevin here...he took more pictures of the famous people on the big screen...it's worth checking out to see the unintended compromising picture of VP Biden. And here's a picture to prove that we were in the thick of it...that's Aimee next to Kevin.

At the WWII memorial

how does the cross training fit in? well...a walk from Union Station to Aimee's place to the WWII memorial back to Aimee's place via Eastern Market for lunch then back to Union Station plus a short walk home from metro...all told...i walked about 10 miles today...not bad for an off day.

i'll leave you with this one...it may look like "OBAMA IS GO"...but in fact the last letter is traced out as...and eventually will be a "D"...misguided and a bit scary to me.

I hope they don't actually believe that

MTB-Beer-Run Brick Workout

did a little cross training today at Rosaryville State Park...which offers a hard charging singletrack...HELLS YEAH! the 8 mile perimeter trail and 2 mile inner loop offered some challenging and thriling terrain for my new MTB.



after the ride...we went to chow down at Texas Ribs and BBQ in Clinton, MD...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for you barbeque lovers. the riding buddies...kevin and adam...both ordered a Yuengling while i was washing up...so i obliged...and got a Sammy Adams. not preferred by the nutritionists but BBQ and beer sure hit the spot after a long ride.

now only one thing left to do...RUN. my training schedule has me going 2 miles today...so when i got home...i ran 1.5 miles and called it a brick.

does the two hour break between mountain biking and running disqualify my brick?

new MTB

Kevin had been bugging me for months to get a mountain bike...aka MTB. he took me to a bike demo at Rosaryville State Park in October...i hopped on a $4000...yes that's 3 zeroes...Gary Fisher full suspension, full carbon frame BEAST...and...i only wrecked it once...good thing i didn't know how much it costs before we went riding.

eventually we put a new chain on my Raleigh M80...circa 1996...and tuned her up. we did a couple rides at Fairland Park...which is nice considering how close it is to both of us. on one of our rides...i tried his Jamis Dragon Exile 29er...and immediately decided that i needed a new MTB.

i visited a couple local bike shops...LBSs...and poked around the website for Bike's Direct...which has no name frames paired with name brand components for unbeatable prices. the only problem is that i would have had to partially assemble the bike and there's virtually no customer service from what i hear. unfortunately, Bike's Direct tainted my value evaluations at all the LBS's.

i had already been prepping (future) Dr. J that i was going to buy a new MTB...and the money had been saved...her only condition was that we are to have no more than 3 bikes in our storage room...her schwinn, my Raleigh, and my Felt F80 road bike already put us at the limit...she didn't care if i threw the Raleigh away, but no more than THREE bikes.



so we now have 4 bikes...OOPS! two weeks ago i found this sweet little monster on sale for 50% off...40% down on the retirement fund but 50% off on the bike...i think i'm getting ahead here! it's a 2007 Jamis Dakota Elite...way more machine than i deserve...but i just couldn't pass it up.

i think Kevin's disease has spread to me somewhat...but i'm pretty sure it's not terminal..........yet

Four Mile Run Review

yestersday's four mile run was cold. laying in bed, i could feel mother nature's bitterness through the windows and underneath the down comforter...i didn't want to move...but i had to because i was scheduled to help jamy...that's j and amy...move to their new house...congrats you two! beautiful home.

anyway...i knew i had to get moving. two options...find a treadmill or do my best Rocky imitation...not the Kentucky fried idiot chasing chickens in Rocky II...but the Rocky IV badass sprinting up snowy siberian hills with a log across his shoulders...in the capatilists' fight against communism. I left the log, snow, and hills at home...but it sure felt like siberia out there.

a half mile into my run...when i looped past my street on the way to the park...i really wanted to take a right and go home, pack it up, and find my treadmill...just a split minute thought...i know split second is the saying...but my brain freeze made it feel like a minute.

so another half mile down the street...after self diagnosing frostbite...i saw what appeared to be cones marking road work. lo and behold...other people wearing tights, gloves, hats, and...bib numbers?...rounded the corner in the coned off section. someone actually scheduled a race for january 17th...and about 100 people showed up to race...UNBELIEVABLE!

here i thought i would be the only one stupid enough to run yesterday...and i saw more people running than i ever have on my route. well if 100 of them could do it...i could finish another 3 miles.

i felt really good for most of the run...was even ahead of my goal pace by 0:30 per mile..but then...in the last half mile...i started to feel discomfort in my knees and shins. first thought? shin splints...DAMN...but by the end the discomfort went away. guess i'll find out during monday's run if it is shin splints...or just a mental trick.

i'm sort of paranoid about injuries...thinking that minor pains or discomforts are indications of serious problems...that's a topic i'll have to cover another time.

A Smoking "Hero of Health"

last night...Jeff informed me that President Elect Barack Obama was named a Hero of Health and Fitness by Men's Health Magazine in their latest issue. PEBO eats well, works out six days a week, and looks fit.

sounds great...except for one prudent question: how can a person who wouldn't even be recruited to work at the World Health Organization (because of his smoking habit) be named Hero of Health and Fitness? interesting...

this is not a slight toward PEBO...if he chooses to smoke...it's entirely his decision. in fact, he should be commended for trying to end his two decade old habit. rather, my question is intended to highlight the hypocrisy of Men's Health's choice...they don't even mention PEBO's smoking in the online article...and the irony of a smoker being named Hero of Health and Fitness.

does this mean that i should expect some blogger of the year recognition? i do have 2 dedicated readers...thanks to (future) Dr. J (the wife) and Kevin.

Are all my limbs still attached?

this was the thermometer reading when i got back from my 4 mile run this morning! talk about killing the spirit...17 degrees (F) is COLD. i wore fleece lined tights and i still couldn't feel my legs most of the run. but i guess it's all relative...as Einstein would say...because this guy thinks when the temperature gets up to 18, it will feel really good

What's Your First Thought When Your Collar Bone Snaps?

great question...hypothetically...terribly painful when my collar bone actually broke.

THANK YOU OVER-ZEALOUS-TWO-HAND-TOUCH-FOOTBALL-PLAYER-GUY! (this isn't a Bud Light commercial)

what does this have to do with "the mental physical challenge"? glad you asked...because the first real thought i had (other than my shoulder is dislocated so i'll rotate it a couple times to be sure...OUCH...don't try that at home) was that i won't be able to run a marathon. if i were a marathoner, this would make sense...but i pretty much HATE RUNNING!

i was scheduled to do my first triathlon the very next weekend with Kevin...so i had been running some to train for that...but the farthest i ever went was a slim shady less than 5 miles. of the three events, running was definitely my least favorite to train for...because....it's.........so................boring!

some people say they love running because they either zone out...or get in the zone (autozone?)...i personally prefer the zone blitz. biking offers thrilling speeds and ever changing scenery while swimming requires alot of concentration on technique...but running...what is there? left foot...right foot...left foot...don't trip. if there's a ball involved, i can run all day...but running by itself offers the same mindless, repetitve, boringness over and over.

the subconcious was trying to tell me something. with running a marathon being the first thing i thought of when OZTHTFPG came into my life, i'm listening. finishing a marathon is now one of my life goals.

if only my first post-continous-collar-bone thought had been..."i won't get to taste homebrew" or "i won't get to watch the Cleveland Browns win the superbowl".

Will this thing go anywhere?

so...blogging virgin here. well...not anymore i guess. i recently got back into physical activity after several years of sloth...think jabba the hut...but not nearly as fat, green, or slimy.  been training for a year and a half or so...for what i'll get to later.  for me, the mental hurdles are bigger than the physical ones...not that i've jumped over any hurdles since my middle school track days with zach morris and a.c. slater.  i intend to emphasize the mental aspect of my training...maybe that will change...maybe i'll get blogger's block and not be able to think of anymore posts...who knows.