Duly Noted

One thing I really enjoy about running is that nearly every run teaches me something. It may as simple as teaching me that I'm feeling good, or maybe feeling a little out of sorts, or maybe that certain things are not great running fuel. Today taught me that running with both boys in the stroller, on a windy day, while still feeling the effects of my run in New Bedford was not a great decision. Tough run, pretty much unmitigated misery all the way through, with some brief respites as Child 2 chatted with me about this and that. Mark it in the books, but it was a grind, and my hammy is not feeling great right now.

I was up in time to go out in the AM, but just couldn't motivate, so it's sort of a bummer. Oh, well, got the run in at least.

RUnning Buddies

I took full advantage of the gorgeous day and headed out in the late morning with two of my favorite running buddies: Child 2 & Child 3. We headed out on our usual stroller run route and I felt pretty good at the usual turn around that I pushed it out to the turn around that makes it a 5.4 mile run (depends on the mapping tool I use). Rather than turn right around Child 2 inquired about where the turnaround road went. So, after a brief pause to drink some water we headed down the turnaround road on a little running adventure. We crossed a couple of small streams and paused to look at them -- Child 2 loves "bubbling brooks."

The loop eventually brought us back to the center of town and we headed home on the road we went out on. Total distance was just shy of 6 (5.88) which may be my longest stroller run. I felt good throughout, though I was sucking wind at the end -- i was coming back harder than I went out. WE sprinted downtown to see the train come through, and generally had a fine time. Child 2 chatted with me throughout and Child 3 was chattering and making noises and pointing at everything he saw. It was a fun run. Getting ready for 10 - 11 tomorrow.

One More

Got in another 5 today. It felt OK, not great, but pretty good, better than yesterday. It was much cooler. Took Child 2 with me. He chattered for 4 miles then fell sound asleep in the last mile. He slept in the stroller while I chatted for 15 minutes with a neighbor then in the front yard for probably another 40 minutes while we prepped dinner. Very worried about this marathon. My "training" has been a joke.

Beautiful Evening

I took another evening run today and it was a beautiful evening. Child two came with me and he chattered the first four miles then fell sound asleep in mile five. I love running with my children. I felt pretty good though I think I was pushing it pretty hard today. The stroller totally changes the workout factor for me, but it's great to have the company. Knocking down another brick.

Good Weekend

We had a great weekend on the Cape this weekend with the VTRs and Mrs. FA and her kids (Mr. FA, we missed you). I ran 8 on Saturday, 5 with VTR and 3 with Mrs. FA. IT was great to have someone to talk to. Near the end with VTR we were both sort of working and I looked at him and said, "you're doing great, this is much quicker than I thought we'd run." He looked at me and says, "I was picking it up to stay up with you . . ." funny. I enjoyed running with Mrs. FA too, she set the pace, we had a great conversation about running work and the usual stuff, and got in a nice run.

I took Children 1 & 2 out today and we had fun on a fairly short run, in the neighborhood of 3 miles. We played a game avoiding "traps" -- manhole covers and sewer grates that either popped your tire, grabbed your leg or arm or spewed sparks (water valve covers). I'd pretend not to see them and both kids would be yelling "TRAPS!" I'd swerve the whole stroller at the last second and they'd be swerving with it all tossed around in the cabin. We had a blast. It was a gorgeous evening of golden sun and brilliant blue skies. C1 said, "it looks like early morning but it's not. . ." so observant. We saw a couple of big cotton tail rabbits, loads of Grackles and a couple of big Northern Flickers.

I got in five on my birthday (Wednesday) with C3. I felt good much better than my 3/29 run. I'm rediscovering my mojo. VTR gave me a big pep talk this weekend and it was good, thanks. I'm knocking down the wall one brick at a time as that HS rower mentioned -- great comment PR.

A tangential thing: we saw a bunch of birds this weekend that looked loonish, but I think that they were Brants, a small to medium sized goose. According to The Sibley Guide to Birds they winter here and summer up in Hudson Bay/the arctic circle.

Where I've Been, Two

The week after the NB Half started nicely with a quick 4 mile errand run on St. Patrick's day, and ended in a total downer. I got caught up in starting this new venture and flaked on running. I was set to get out for 10 on Saturday and 15-16 on Sunday -- I was jut going to go for it. During a Saturday wrestling match with Child One I took a wicked (accidental) poke to the eye that scratched the cornea and had me in agony the rest of the day. I basically couldn't keep either eye open on Saturday so laid around with both closed until Sunday when the poked-eye was barely functioning. My whole weekend was shot and with it my week.

Well, water under the bridge, so I got out today and took Child Three for his first stroller run. He's been walking in the jogger with Mrs. A, but this was his first run, and it was less than stellar. It was challenging and I felt crummy. I made the mistake of heading out at 2:30 PM -- school pickup in town and tons of traffic. good times. The wind was howling and in my face all the way back, more good times. I got out for a slow 4.75 though and will go again tomorrow. Gotta get back on the horse. It's getting to crunch time and I need to buckle down and RUN.

VTR, I'm sorry, I missed something, somewhere, but you're injured again? Total drag, I'm sorry. Give a shout if you want to talk.

Where I've Been

So, I've been gone for two weeks. All is well, just worked through a series of stomach bugs on the Quarter Acre that set me back about a week or so. So, Mrs. A went down hard on Sunday (3/1) and I went down fairly hard on Monday (3/2). I slept from 2 PM Monday until 7:30 AM Tuesday after shoveling all morning with a sour stomach and lots of aches. The rest of the week was not great, so there was no running.

Last week I went out on Sunday (3/8) for a lousy, wind sucking and weak-legged 5 with Child Two. I was sore on Monday and busy as heck Tuesday and Wednesday which left me concerned about the New Bedford Half. I headed out Thursday for another 5 or so and felt OK. Inexplicably, I decided that I needed to run 10 on Friday in order to remember what it felt like to go double-digits before Sunday. So, I went 10 and felt pretty good. Saturday I was a bit stiff but active with the kids and was feeling good for Sunday -- I was going to treat it as a training run, which it was. The New Bedford Half Marathon, however, gets its own post.

Strollering In The Rain

The kids and I laid out their stuff last night -- blanket, jacket, animal buddy, slippers. My stuff was organized and hanging in the cellar stairwell. C2 and I were up around 5:30, helping Mrs. A with C3. I awoke C1 and she climbed right out of bed. I put the stroller together once the kids were up, grabbed them each a mini bagel and hit the road at 6:35. We ran for 40:26 over 4.78 miles and came back quicker than we went out, though I walked a bit near the end because I was gassed. It was a dreary day and I might not have gone had I not promised both kids that I'd take them. It rained on us quite hard in the last mile and I passed a woman runner and we smiled at each other and commented on the lousy weather. The kids were good, by and large, but I did have to stop twice in the last mile to separate them. They are good for about 34 minutes in the stroller and after that it becomes a bit nutty. It was a great run and I'm ecstatic that they both want to go with me. This is a good thing.

Back At It

I took the week off after the CCM Relay. It was good to take a little break and it permitted me to wait out the time change. Unlike Bennu, I just can't motivate to run in the pre-dawn dark, though it's all in my head because the one that I got in with C2 I did enjoy (and so did he).

Well, that's fixed now because it's fairly bright by 6:30 so no more excuses. I did 5 yesterday with C1. She rode in the stroller and we ran on the Cape. It was a gorgeous, blustery day and she fell asleep somewhere along the route. It was very cool. I covered the 5 in 47 flat -- not at all my fastest for that route/distance but it's OK. I battled a stiff headwind for a bunch of it and we stopped to look at the Bass River as well. It was a nice run with my daughter on a beautiful day and that's all that really matters.

I'm looking to get back to a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday cycle in anticipation of marathon training. Not sure about the mileage, 20 would be nice, but it's more about getting on the cycle.

Stay Frosty

My morning started at 5 AM when Child Two came into our room with a chill, and Child Three started nicking for his feeding. I had planned on running today and when I couldn't C2 back to bed and his volume kept rising I figured I'd take him with me. It took nearly an hour to get him ready and motivated -- mainly about using the potty before departing. We did our downtown route (4.75 miles) in just under 40 minutes.

With all of the preamble resolved I bundled him up and off we went. He was totally fascinated that we were running in the dark (it had been darker about 20 minutes before we departed with a sky full of stars. I've been having major issues getting out these mornings because it's DARK. Initially, everything was covered in frost and it lent a ghostly air to everything-- it was amazing. It got prettier though as the sun came up and the sky lightened. The trees started blazing and the frost was sparkling. When we got home C2 told Mrs. A that "we ran in the dark and then the sun came up!"

Atonement

Last week marked the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and some of my neighbors were suffering through their fast. This week marks my week of atonement. Child Three's arrival disrupted things a bit but I was hopeful that I'd get out during the week -- what with paternity leave and all that. Fat chance, Child (or should I say Vector?) Two got a wicked cold that turned into a cough about the same time it took root in my lungs and I spent the week battling through that. Couple illness with totally broken sleep, and tons of bad treats around the house and my running is a mess.

I went out yesterday with a neighbor for 3.3 and did it in a glacially slow 29+ minutes. Ten days off and much diminished lung capacity hurt me. I've been hacking and wheezing since Thursday (wicked tight in the lungs) but I couldn't let another beautiful day go by without a run. I got out again this morning on the same route and ran only about 30 seconds faster but I did stop to watch hawk that landed on a telephone pole and also stopped to work out a nasty little stitch in my ribs around the two mile mark. I'm bummed about the pace and I think it's more related to running sick than anything else right now, hopefully my lungs return and I can rebound nicely. My goal is to get out three more times this week at this distance and then go longer on Sunday and knock out a few more runs the week before the CCMR. It will be fun, see you all soon.

Saturday Stroller Run

One of the difficulties of Saturday running for me is leaving hearth and kin and heading out on the road after a week of getting up and going. Last night I prepped the kids to come with me -- it took minimal convincing -- and after lounging around a bit this AM we headed out together at around 8:40.

We took a very different route than normal for a stroller run and wound through neighborhoods rather than running through the middle of town.  The traffic was minimal in the neighborhoods and it was pretty chill. I nearly bailed around the 12 minute mark but sucked it up, focused on running and found my rhythm.  It was a total instance of mind over matter:  focus on the purpose, the breathing, the stride and spice it with some dissociation et voila, a nice run. Based on the data on the watch it wasn't a super strenuous run (AHR: 144 MHR: 159) but we ran for 37:27 and it felt good. The last mile might have knocked down my HR because I had to stop and correct some behavior issues in the passenger cabin but all in all it was really fun.  One of the best parts, and I don't mean this sarcastically, was a stretch of several minutes where no one said anything.  We just absorbed.  It was cool.

The Whole World

The moon was descending in the western sky when Child Two and I hit the road at 6:45 today.  He saw it and started asking a torrent of questions about the moon and the Earth and the globes and the whole world:

Is the moon ever the globe?  Where's the whole world?  Will you show me the whole world?  Hello trees.  Hello wall.  Hello leaves . . . .

It was great and we did our usual stroller-loop (4.78 miles) in just under 40, and did the back quicker than the out even with a stop to unfurl the sun visor for C2 -- we were heading directly into the rising sun.  The weather was crisp and at one point while putting down the visor with the sun was at my back I was steaming in the sunlight and he asked me if I had dust coming off of me.  I love running with my kids.

Off-Road Triathlon Report

WAVE 1 BIB 71 

WAVE TIME 1:03:56 

OVERALL PLC 49 

DIVISION PLC/TOT   6/17   

SWIM 

 RANK SPLIT

 55   8:19   

T1

RANK SPLIT

65   1:40 

BIKE 

RANK SPLIT   

59   35:28 

T2

RANK SPLIT 

123  1:11

RUN  

RANK SPLIT

31   17:18
 

The above is the tale of the tape from my first-ever triathlon. It was super fun and I had a blast. I'm sort of bummed that the tri season is winding down but training for this completely energized my training. Here's my breakdown.

Swim -- 400 yards
My split time above was pretty close to what I did Tuesday night thought it was not at all as smooth as my first go-round with group, open-water swimming. My flight was Men 44 and under -- it was a big group, much bigger than Tuesday night and much more hectic. A bunch of us hit the water and started trashing. People were bumping me and swimming over me. The water was murky as I mentioned, I was swimming with my head out of the water a bit (a la water polo) to see in front of me and there was a bit of chop on the pond and I drank more than a little water . . . I ended up breast stroking my way around and never got a good freestyle rhythm going. The crowd got my adrenaline up and while adrenaline can be your friend on dry land it made me feel a bit panicky and thrash-y in the water. All in all though I was happy with my time.

Bike -- 5.5 miles
This was the part where I figured I'd get most smoked but I think that I held my own on the course which got sort of crowded as I headed into the second phase of the ride (two concentric circles). I felt much more comfortable on the bike again and made up a bunch of time in the last third -- a good climb and descent on paved/semi paved road. I dumped twice within about 25 seconds of each other. I came around a corner into a hill and got going too slow because of traffic. I went over pretty easily to my right into some mossy ground. I picked myself up got one my bike missed my pedal and went over to my left, bounced off a guy who was struggling by and scuffed my back on his bike. No biggie, just what happens in a race. A little girl caused a big tie up in another part and she was really cute and flustered and apologetic. Again, it's what happens. There were lots of flats and dropped chains and some snapped chains and some dudes with serious road rash from some dumps. It was fun and I think my time was respectable.

Run -- 2.3 miles
Overall I'm happiest with my run though there was one section where I walked for about 60 seconds and I wish I hadn't. I reeled in like 5 guys who were ahead of me -- all but one my age or younger. I reeled in another 37 year old guy in the final 200 yards whom I'd been tracking for a while. I think I was a bit gassed after my bike ride and I caught all of the guys I caught heading uphills or just over the tops of hills. The section I walked was two steep little ups on wood chips and they happened just after I passed a couple who was walking along the trail we were running on. For some reason their idyllic stroll broke my concentration . . . I'm annoyed about the walk part but I still caught the guy I'd targeted even with it. I saved some energy (I rationalize) and made it happen. I didn't feel like the flailing geek kid for long on this run though the uphills were painful. Speaking of painful,I tweaked my ankle just after passing a Clydesdale but kept going. It's all fine now and it seems as if rubber ankle will be with me for years to come.

Overall
I really enjoyed this experience, I'm psyched that I did it and I want to do it again. I'm really into the idea of more off-road tris and want to find some more to do. I met two goals (do a tri, do some trail running), added some other workouts into my regimen (I'm considering joining the Y to keep swimming and looking forward to getting in a trail ride this weekend just because -- I hope I have the time). I made it onto the first page of results of a race for the first time, finished in the top third, or so of the entire field, the top half of my gender/age-group and was really only 4 minutes out of placing. I see some potential with more practice but also don't want to get hung up on numbers and stats because it was just super-fun to compete in the three disciplines, get dirty and spend some time in the woods. It rocked.

Finally, I also felt good enough that I went out and took both kids on a 34 minute run Monday morning. I rested today but am psyched to get back to it tomorrow.

Two for One

I set my alarm this morning and rolled out of bed around 6:25 AM.  Both kids were up and starting to goof around so I joined in as well for a few minutes then rousted them outside and threw them in the stroller.
We went out for my usual stroller-run out and back through the center of town covering about 4.5 miles.  It was fun and both kids were chattering and singing with only minimal violence directed towards one another.  I came back faster than I went out and covered the distance in 39:26.  It was a lot of fun.

I've got to go swimming this wekeend and plan on taking my bike into the woods for a couple fo rides to get more comfortable on the new pedals.  One thing that I was thinking about my last ride was that with the exception of one decent sized climb I was never gassed on the ride.  My CV fitness is good right now and even after that climb I recuperated quickly.  I was mainly slow because I was tentative.  My crash tri-training has broght some fun and variety into my regimen and it's much appreciated.