Muddy Sunday

Reno and I went back down to Raccoon for a muddy trail run.  Teresa and I came back later and took House to the dog park.  Mix in church, lawn care, a little work, a football game, and that pretty much covers my Sunday. 

Round and round and round we go

It was a cold start to a nice day.  Curtis, Kristy, and I ran 4 laps around Raccoon River for a bit over 12 miles.  I didn't feel great but we got through it at a nice 7:45 pace.

Really nothing too crazy to report.  It was nice to run with Feldman and Downs again.  I haven't been able to get many runs in lately with them.

Teresa ran the Race for the Cure with a friend from work.  Sounds like they had a good time for a good cause.  Reno ran the ghetto version (ran it bandit) ...don't worry I gave him grief for it.

Good win for the Cyclones today!

Cold Windy Rain (5 miles)

If you have ever wondered how much I hate running indoors, today should tell you.  It was 42 degrees, windy, and raining.  Yet instead of running on the treadmill or indoor track, I chose to run outside.

It really wasn't too bad.  My North Face shoes kept my feet dry, the wind-proof tights kept my legs warm.  The only rough thing was my Garmin beeping every 2.5 seconds.  I couldn't figure out how to turn the bezzle dealio off...very annoying.

I may run a 5K on Saturday.  I need to get some speed work in...

Back again

I have been bad about updating the blog lately.  A lot of it has to do with me not having a lot to blog about.  I have run just 55 miles in the last 3 weeks.  I have cut my millage in a third.  Until today.


I ran 12 on Saturday, ran an easy 3 on Sunday, took Monday off, and ran a hard 5 today.


Back at Raccoon today I ran my new 5.75 mile loop at 6:45 pace.  Today started a little rough mostly because I have been eating very badly lately.  Until today...okay...until tomorrow.


It was good to get the blood flowing and get a tempo run in again.  Tomorrow should be an easy run.  Should be...

New New Raccoon Route

Every now and then I listen to people.  Kristy said that there was more to the Raccoon trail then I knew.  Today I did a little exploring and found a lot of cool trail running.  Not miles and miles...but more than there was before.  It made one lap almost 5.5 miles instead of a little over 3.

It was fun.  I have probably run around that stupid lake 100+ times.  It is nice to mix it up once in a while.

See info on my run HERE .

After the run I met my boss and a possible sales candidate at Flemings.  Dems is good.

Here we go again...

After 13 days of rest and recovery, now is time to get back at it.  Dallas is 2 months out and I don't want to loose too much fitness.  The goal at Dallas won't be to run a sub-3 again...but keep it close.  After Dallas I am looking forward to dropping the weekly miles down near 30-35.

Today I ran an 8 mile route that I have run quite a bit.  I covered the route in 55:33 for a 6:56 average.  I would say that I felt "average" out there today.  Not great...not bad.  My shins and ankles were bothering again though.  These shoes are not doing me any favors.  I will be buying some new New Balance soon.

See my Garmin info HERE.

That's it for today.  This upcoming week is going to be busy.  I hope I have time to get some miles in.

The real Whippet good

I have had a Whippet Good blog for over two months without mention of my Whippet (House) (yes my dog's name is House...and he is a Whippet...a small Greyhound).  But this is a running blog right?  Well good news folks...I took my Whippet for a three mile run today.  Sweet.

I was always nervous about taking him running.  Would he get too hot?  Thirsty?  Tired?  Would he slow me down?  How far could he go?

I still don't have all the answers to how House will do.  But it was cool to go for a quick jog with him.  He did really well too.  We ran 3.0 miles at 7:44 pace.  I have a feeling he could have gone faster...maybe next time.

Lizzie, thanks for the note today.  Don't worry, you aren't getting off the hook that easy.  I am going to keep running and keep blogging.  Keep logging in, and who knows...maybe someday I will write something interesting.

New Raccoon route

I didn't think there was a way to make the Raccoon River run any different.  But, somehow it did.

When Teresa and I took House to the park over the weekend (at Raccoon River Park) we spotted a trail behind the dog park that ran off of the main trail I usually run.  There is nothing too special about it other than it is a true "trail", and no one runs back there. It only goes about a mile out, and a mile back.  All of that adds up to a 5 mile loop instead of the 3.2 mile loop.

I felt good today, I averaged 6:46 pace for the run...but ran 6:39 for the first 3 miles and then backed off. My calves are still a bit sore, but the ankle deal has not been bothering me.  Yeah!

Garmin info on my run HERE .

In case you are on the edge of your seat wondering if I am doing the North Face 50 miler...I am not.  I just can't get the motivation to do it.  I have put my body through enough these last few months. It should be a good time to heal and relax.

I need to find my next goal.  Until then, my goal is to stay in shape and have some fun running again.

10 miles to nowhere

Met the Capital Striders again this less than perfect Saturday.  Teresa was the smart one and stayed home to "rest and recover" from the marathon.

The route was to run 12 miles of the Des Moines Marathon course.  Curtis took off like a rocket...not sure if it was something I said.  I didn't see him again until the run was over.  Sam was late.  Really, yes really.  Nick and I just hung back and plugged along.  This was Lizzie's last long run until her big Marathon.

When we got back to Grand Ave, my calves were very sore.  I decided to cut back and shave a few miles off.

Back to Grays Lake I had 10 miles in at just a touch below 8 minute miles.  Not bad.

Then we went to La Mie as usual.  I picked Teresa up and we met Curtis, Feldman, Delsin, and Pete.  It was packed but well worth it.  Good food, good people, good times!

Birthday run

Ugh.  Today was the first run post marathon.  My calves were not excited my the outing.  Teresa and I went to the gym and ran for 30 minutes around the track.  I don't miss the track...

I ran with Curtis and Feldman for part of it.  The pace was around 7:30 - 8:00.  Not sure, I wasn't counting the laps.  I don't miss counting laps...

So today is my 38th birthday.  It got me thinking about this last year.  All in all it was a good year.

As this is a running blog, I will recap the running - I ran the Dallas Marathon (not great, windy), started Grandma's Marathon (dropped out, first time ever), ran Pikes Peak (had a ball, ready to repeat next year), and ran the Quad Cities Marathon.  I don't have the exact numbers, but I ran over 2,000 miles and enjoyed most of them.

I am still undecided about the 50 miler.  Not motivated...