SF update: 25 days 16 hours and counting till I am off and running. (Schedule wave start time July 25th at 6:22am)
Well another weekend has come and gone. I am really looking forward to this coming weekend. Since our Independence Day is on a Sunday, the accounting world will take Monday off. Additionally, I will be taking Friday off so it's a four day weekend for me. Should be a lot of fun. Sunday I have a four mile race I'll be participating in, then Monday it's over to La Casa de Mama & Papa for some family, food and fun.
So last Sunday was another "long" run for me. I completed 11 miles in 2hours and 28 seconds, which is the pace I was going for. It was another 4am start to the run and I was looking forward to getting out of the house as I heard there was some kind of lunar eclipse. I didn't notice anything unusual about the moon at 4am but it was full, bright and quite lovely. In fact it was so full that I was a little nervous as a ran next to some orange orchards. The thought of a vampire or something jumping out to get me made me nervous. It is quite dark still at 4am (which is the point of running then, no sun equals less heat). Maybe that is why I was able to keep a good pace, the fear of vampires or serial killers kept me moving.
I did have a slight injury related incident in which I am a little embarrassed to blog about but let's just say I had a little Andy Bernard situation. For those of you who know the "Nard Dog" you will remember what happened to him when he ran the "Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin, Scranton, Meredith Palmer celebrity rabies awareness fun run pro-am race for the cure". A similar situation, though less extensive occurred.
I don't know if the running and exercising is causing me to go slightly crazy but I am having some crazy thoughts. Though I thought that running a half-marathon would be the pinnacle for me, I have started having thoughts about running a marathon. In January there is the PF Chang's - Phoenix Marathon that I may just give a go. Then the thoughts even went crazier to attempting what is called the "California Dreaming" series. Which is a series of three marathons (SF, Long Beach, Surf City) that if done within a two year span, yields a nice jacket and a special medal. I better just take things one step at a time for now though. First comes the half-marathon then we will see where it goes.
I am really looking forward to SF in just a few weeks. It will be awesome to put all this training, hard work, and self-belief to the test. I just need to remember the words of Yoda... "Do or do not, there is no try". I will do this. Then we will see what I will do next.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Welcome to Summer
Well it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Not a whole lot has happened, at least that I can remember. Last week was Father's Day, which was nice. I got up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready for my long run. I started running at about 4:15am and it was great. The sky was full of stars and the weather was nice. I did my 9 miles in 1:38:03 which is a pace just under 11 minutes. My goal for San Francisco is about 11:25 so the fact that I did 9 miles at under 11:00 made me feel pretty good. Sunday was good as well because as always, Theresa and the kids did a great job hooking me up. I got a really cool Yoda doll that goes well with my 30+ year old Chewbacca doll. Of course Ethan also really likes my Yoda doll and already tried to steal it. I also got a book I loved as a child "Ticki Ticki Tembo" (not sure if I spelled it right). It was great to read it again.
Well we had a super fantastic fall, winter and even a nice spring, however, summer is back in Phoenix. On days like today when it is 112 degrees, I try to remember how nice the winters are here but it hard to do. That's another reason I got up at 3:30am to do my long run. The lows now are in the mid to upper 70's which is really nice running weather, but the low occurs around 4 or 5am. I did a little research and the expected temperature for the SF Half-Marathon is to be in the 50's to 60's. Today I noticed the record high for July 25th in SF was somewhere in the 80's. So I am pretty confident that my training temperature will be significantly higher than when I run. It does make me nervous because I have three more races this summer, the next being a four mile run on July 4th. The races don't start until 6:30am so it should be pretty toasty. Of course I knew all this going into it so I guess I can't complain.
Last Friday our firm had a Community Service day and as part of my work team is located in our Flagstaff office some of us went up there to work in a food bank. First we packed and stacked boxes of food for a few hours, then we went outside and stacked wood for a couple of hours. Being as I am a white person of Idaho descent, I got a little burnt. I also got a little sore but it was all for a good cause. I learned a long time ago that performing service is like wetting your pants. Everyone sees the results but only you get that warm feeling.
As some of you may know, I am somewhat lacking in top hair, and as I have learned in the past, a sunburn on the top of your head is not fun, especially when you go run 9 miles and your head is sweating the whole time. I pushed through and made it and my head now has a new layer of fresh skin just waiting to get burnt this weekend.
Well we had a super fantastic fall, winter and even a nice spring, however, summer is back in Phoenix. On days like today when it is 112 degrees, I try to remember how nice the winters are here but it hard to do. That's another reason I got up at 3:30am to do my long run. The lows now are in the mid to upper 70's which is really nice running weather, but the low occurs around 4 or 5am. I did a little research and the expected temperature for the SF Half-Marathon is to be in the 50's to 60's. Today I noticed the record high for July 25th in SF was somewhere in the 80's. So I am pretty confident that my training temperature will be significantly higher than when I run. It does make me nervous because I have three more races this summer, the next being a four mile run on July 4th. The races don't start until 6:30am so it should be pretty toasty. Of course I knew all this going into it so I guess I can't complain.
Last Friday our firm had a Community Service day and as part of my work team is located in our Flagstaff office some of us went up there to work in a food bank. First we packed and stacked boxes of food for a few hours, then we went outside and stacked wood for a couple of hours. Being as I am a white person of Idaho descent, I got a little burnt. I also got a little sore but it was all for a good cause. I learned a long time ago that performing service is like wetting your pants. Everyone sees the results but only you get that warm feeling.
As some of you may know, I am somewhat lacking in top hair, and as I have learned in the past, a sunburn on the top of your head is not fun, especially when you go run 9 miles and your head is sweating the whole time. I pushed through and made it and my head now has a new layer of fresh skin just waiting to get burnt this weekend.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Grand Week
Well this week has been a "Grand" one for me. Last Friday, Theresa and I took the kids up to the Grand Canyon. We figured that since we have lived in Arizona for the past five years, it was time to check out this natural wonder of the world. So on Friday we drove up early in the morning and went straight to the park. We found our parking spot and made a quick stop at one of the visitor centers there at the park. We then made the short walk and took in the sights. I must say it was pretty amazing. You can check out my Facebook page for the photos. I always enjoy taking in the amazing nature of the earth.
I have been lucky to see some pretty awesome nature in my lifetime. The redwood forest of California, I have seen the mighty Rocky Mountains from atop several 14,000 ft peaks, the arches in Utah, and I recall Central Park in fall. The Grand Canyon is definitely up on that list. We enjoyed walking/hiking along the rim for the afternoon and visiting the various visitor locations. We even got see some California Condors fly over. At the end of the day, we were pretty tired but as soon as we checked into the hotel, the kids got their swimsuits on and were ready to hit the indoor pool.
So we went swimming, after about half hour of that, I was dead tired but the kids kept it going for a couple of hours and we finally had to lure them out with dinner. We hit the local Wendy's and the kids got some toys to keep them busy. Ethan was lucky enough to get "mini-twister" which is played with your pointer finger and thumb. It's a lot harder than it looks but is a lot of fun. The next morning it was back to Canyon and we hiked for a short distance down into the Canyon using one of the trails. It was a lot fun and sure was a great weekend with the family. The kids are looking forward to going back and want to camp next time. They also want to hike further down into the Canyon.
It has been pretty hot this week in Phoenix. I guess summer finally caught up to us. I have still been running and getting ready for SF in July. Last Sunday I was going to run eight miles but I elected to sleep in. By the time I got started running it was already mid-80's and after about 7 miles, I called it. I guess on days when it is going to be 110, I have to get up early and run. Today I had race 2 of my summer series. It was another 5K race that went well. I had forgotten my watch at home so I wasn't able to figure my pace as I went and I thought I was doing worse than my previous race. I did the first race in 26:37 and my goal was to get under 26 minutes. I was happy to finish with a time of 25:11. I am just glad to see some improvement in my time. The next race is a four mile race on the Fourth of July. Hopefully, I can cut my pace time even further.
I am really looking forward to my first half-marathon and have just six more weeks to go. This weekend I got my plane tickets.
That's it for this week, it sure was a good one. I hope this coming week will be even better, or at least as good.
I have been lucky to see some pretty awesome nature in my lifetime. The redwood forest of California, I have seen the mighty Rocky Mountains from atop several 14,000 ft peaks, the arches in Utah, and I recall Central Park in fall. The Grand Canyon is definitely up on that list. We enjoyed walking/hiking along the rim for the afternoon and visiting the various visitor locations. We even got see some California Condors fly over. At the end of the day, we were pretty tired but as soon as we checked into the hotel, the kids got their swimsuits on and were ready to hit the indoor pool.
So we went swimming, after about half hour of that, I was dead tired but the kids kept it going for a couple of hours and we finally had to lure them out with dinner. We hit the local Wendy's and the kids got some toys to keep them busy. Ethan was lucky enough to get "mini-twister" which is played with your pointer finger and thumb. It's a lot harder than it looks but is a lot of fun. The next morning it was back to Canyon and we hiked for a short distance down into the Canyon using one of the trails. It was a lot fun and sure was a great weekend with the family. The kids are looking forward to going back and want to camp next time. They also want to hike further down into the Canyon.
It has been pretty hot this week in Phoenix. I guess summer finally caught up to us. I have still been running and getting ready for SF in July. Last Sunday I was going to run eight miles but I elected to sleep in. By the time I got started running it was already mid-80's and after about 7 miles, I called it. I guess on days when it is going to be 110, I have to get up early and run. Today I had race 2 of my summer series. It was another 5K race that went well. I had forgotten my watch at home so I wasn't able to figure my pace as I went and I thought I was doing worse than my previous race. I did the first race in 26:37 and my goal was to get under 26 minutes. I was happy to finish with a time of 25:11. I am just glad to see some improvement in my time. The next race is a four mile race on the Fourth of July. Hopefully, I can cut my pace time even further.
I am really looking forward to my first half-marathon and have just six more weeks to go. This weekend I got my plane tickets.
That's it for this week, it sure was a good one. I hope this coming week will be even better, or at least as good.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend
So Friday night was the big dance recital. Megan was in about four dances, including one solo that she did. I may be a biased Dad, but she was totally awesome. It was so much fun to watch her perform, she looked so beautiful and so happy. Her solo performance was amazing and having now been a dancer myself, I understand how hard she worked to put that together.
The Dad's Dance went about as well as we expected. Luckily the bar was set pretty low and I think we barely got over it. I haven't heard that we got signed to any other gigs yet, but we'll see how that turns out. Even if I don't become a professional dancer, it was a lot of fun. It was really about showing the girls that we support their dancing and we now know how hard it really is.
On Saturday I ran a 5K race in Tempe. It is part of the summer series that I signed up for, so it was the first of five races over the next couple of months. I did well, about what I expected. My official time was 26:37, I was hoping to get under 26 minutes. The race didn't start until about 7:45am, which it was getting warm by then. They also didn't have mile markers so I couldn't keep track of my pace as I was running. It was an out and back race so I knew when I was about half-way but that is all. Also with that, the path was pretty crowded and made for some tough going but was not nearly as crowded as Pat's Run.
So I got a SF Marathon Newsletter and there was an article about a company that creates running shirts with your bib printed right on it. That way you don't have to pin your bib onto your shirt while you run. Along with your number, they also can print either your name or a message on the shirt. I was thinking I would get one but I am not sure about what message to put on the shirt. I don't really want to put my name on it because I already know my name, and anyway, I think that would look wierd. So they had some suggestions and I have narrowed it down. I was thinking about letting everyone vote but the turnout may be a little low. I will list the finalist though and if you would like to let me know which you prefer, it would be appreciated. In no particular order:
1. Believe
2. Do or do not....there is no try
3. To believe is to achieve
I kind of liked those three choices but I will also take write in votes if anyone has a better suggestion.
So Memorial Day weekend was great, dancing, running, BBQ & swimming with family. I even watched some baseball and got a nap in. I appreciate all those who have served or are serving our country. (Shout out to Mike, in Iraq...what up Bro?)
Well that is all for now. BTW (that's by the way for you non-hip people), sorry if last week you got several of my post notification things on your FB. I believe there was a technical issue in trying to update FB with my post but since I am technologically inept, I may have overdone it. I will try not to be annoying, I am just trying to be helpful in letting everyone know that my blog had been updated.
The Dad's Dance went about as well as we expected. Luckily the bar was set pretty low and I think we barely got over it. I haven't heard that we got signed to any other gigs yet, but we'll see how that turns out. Even if I don't become a professional dancer, it was a lot of fun. It was really about showing the girls that we support their dancing and we now know how hard it really is.
On Saturday I ran a 5K race in Tempe. It is part of the summer series that I signed up for, so it was the first of five races over the next couple of months. I did well, about what I expected. My official time was 26:37, I was hoping to get under 26 minutes. The race didn't start until about 7:45am, which it was getting warm by then. They also didn't have mile markers so I couldn't keep track of my pace as I was running. It was an out and back race so I knew when I was about half-way but that is all. Also with that, the path was pretty crowded and made for some tough going but was not nearly as crowded as Pat's Run.
So I got a SF Marathon Newsletter and there was an article about a company that creates running shirts with your bib printed right on it. That way you don't have to pin your bib onto your shirt while you run. Along with your number, they also can print either your name or a message on the shirt. I was thinking I would get one but I am not sure about what message to put on the shirt. I don't really want to put my name on it because I already know my name, and anyway, I think that would look wierd. So they had some suggestions and I have narrowed it down. I was thinking about letting everyone vote but the turnout may be a little low. I will list the finalist though and if you would like to let me know which you prefer, it would be appreciated. In no particular order:
1. Believe
2. Do or do not....there is no try
3. To believe is to achieve
I kind of liked those three choices but I will also take write in votes if anyone has a better suggestion.
So Memorial Day weekend was great, dancing, running, BBQ & swimming with family. I even watched some baseball and got a nap in. I appreciate all those who have served or are serving our country. (Shout out to Mike, in Iraq...what up Bro?)
Well that is all for now. BTW (that's by the way for you non-hip people), sorry if last week you got several of my post notification things on your FB. I believe there was a technical issue in trying to update FB with my post but since I am technologically inept, I may have overdone it. I will try not to be annoying, I am just trying to be helpful in letting everyone know that my blog had been updated.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)