Recovering at Home

After running the 25K River Bank Run at a snail’s pace, I went with a group of guys to move a hot tub and lay sod. Boy am I sore now! As I recover at home, I wonder what will be my next milestone event. I haven’t raced in 10 years, but I want to improve. Right now, I’m considering:

Reeds Lake Triathalon

Grand Rapids Marathon

I’m open to any other ideas. I know I need a lot more distance, speed and hill work though.

Speed (Kinda) Week at Home

I finally did some speed work this week. Well, “speed” is generous. I ran 4 miles in 30:30, 29:45 and then 29:30.  There’s just no way I’m going to end up with under 8 minute miles for the River Bank! Perhaps I’ll run 10 minute miles in honor of my 10th Anniversary. That’s right … it has been 10 years since I ran 25K.  I guess I should be happy if I finish.

Almost Home

I took the family on vacation to the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn. Five swimming pools and lots of fun. On the return trip, we were almost home when the van lost its transmission (2-3000K)! I called a tow truck, put on the jogging suit and ran 6 miles to the airport for a rental car. Until then, I had wondered how I was going to squeeze a run in to work off the Zenders Fried Chicken.

Long Way Home

My 15 mile run today was the longest of the year. I ran through heavy snow and got hit by a lot of slush from passing cars. I fell once and almost fell a half dozen times. Still, it was good to get out there.

No Treadmills at Home!

Treadmills are for wimps! Like Bill Faber, I put on the facemask and ran in sub-zero temperatures today.  Here’s a picture of me after six miles.

Home for a Quickie!

With a busy schedule and sick kids, it was time for a short run. Besides, the chart below shows I have a commanding lead in 2007!

Sounds like we’re in for a cold spell. Time to get that ski mask and gloves. I was hoping to increase my mileage (possibly over 100) in February. If it’s going to get below zero, I’m not sure how motivated I’ll be to put in the miles.

Drifting Home …

I’ve run a dozen miles, in the dark, uphill (and barefoot) since my last post. Still, I’m only 0.1 miles ahead of Bill Faber. That guy is a machine! He’s relentless in his pursuits … including his demands that I remove our running log from December 2006. So, I’m caving! I’ve moved last year’s columns.

I’m not used to running in this cold. I think I need to get a face mask. I’m pretty warm when I’m moving, but the wind really cuts into my face. I’ve never had any problems running with my 60GB iPod until the weather dipped below freezing. Now, it stops or sputters every few miles.

Sprinting Home!

What a beautiful, sunny day for a 6.5 mile run. Lately, I’ve felt like Forrest Gump after he had run for years. Perhaps it’s my scraggly beard and the fact I’ve been running on ice. Today, I felt like the younger Forrest – when he first took off running. I ran as fast as I could for the last three miles. It felt like a race pace.

To celebrate, I’ve decided to shake things up on my blog. No more being confined to all “Home – ” titles. I mixed it up today!

Home-made Frosting

My six mile run this morning was freezing! I returned with frost on my beard. This moved me ahead of Bill. Looks like he’s resorted to tracking 1/10th miles. My newest injury is a (possibly broken) left toe. Caught it on the coffee table and it went completely backward.

As I read this blog, I can’t believe how interesting it all sounds. Facial hair and toe issues. No wonder my entires have such a large following!

Home-the-Long-Way!

I ran 10 miles today, but I’m still a mile behind Bill! My route was anything but straight. I ran to the bank, the post office, the grocery store, through a furniture store, checked the hours for the plumbing place and then up and around church. I went through a lot of podcasts along the way.