Cheshire Half Marathon

So the half marathon went off without a hitch today.  I had a really good time and it felt a lot better than last year which was my first ever half.  I found myself at times just merrily running along smiling and enjoying the day.  Last year I finished in 2:05 and I was planning on going slower this year only because it took so long to recover after last year.  So I figgered maybe I had overdone it so I just wanted to take it a bit more easy this time.  To start off I deliberately went more slowly--about the same as my regular workout speed--but perhaps that's deceiving in the throng because at 1 mile I was at like 8 something then at 2 miles I was at like 17 even.  I figgered at that point if I just maintained a 10 minute pace I'd still come in under 2 hours.  Every mile I recalculated and with a slight fade in the latter miles I came in right at 1:58:52.  I'm calling it 1:59.  

So Thursday morning I'm at work and I use this electric pallet jack to load pallets on my truck and I ride on the back of it on this little platform and it has this big handle with controls on it which I work with my left had.  My right hand holds a stationary grab bar with other controls on it.  Anyway, I'm backing out of the truck onto the loading dock and the wheel hits the lip of the dock leveler, thrusting the control handle violently toward me, slamming hard into the side of my left thigh.  It felt like I got kicked by a horse.  My immediate thought was, "OWWWWWWWWW.  That hurt."  My second thought, which most certainly blurred together with my immediate thought was, "Dammit, I just got knocked out of the Half on Sunday."  Well, I took a few minutes to walk it off but, boy, did that hurt.  I'm not one of these guys who runs crying to the boss every time I get a little boo boo but for sure I could have left work right there on the spot but I didn't.  

Went out Friday on the four-mile loop just to test it out and keep loose and it was feeling pretty good but not perfect.  I suppose it'll be fine for Sunday.  Hope so.  Psyched the half is finally here again.  Gonna have a great time!

Running on the Beach with Video

Well, back from vacation and a week of running on the beach.  Just for fun, took a couple self-video on the cellie while I went along.  Here's one in which I discuss knee health.  In this I mention that it's dusk and getting pretty dark although for some reason in the video it looks like broad daylight but I assure you it was not:

So, back home I went out Sunday afternoon for a quick 4 miles.  Got the half marathon this coming Sunday so just doing some light work this week.  In all my years of running this was the first time I felt the need to cross the street to avoid a couple of dogs loose in their yard.  I've run past one of them previously without incident but they seemed a bit more rambunctious as a pair and I didn't like how they were looking at me.  I figured if I increased the distance between us I'd have more time to react and defend myself if they tried anything.

OK, so, I hope no one thinks that I take myself too seriously--here's the other video:

Anyway, I'm not a big beach guy, like lay out on the beach all day in the sun but I did go to the beach everyday, either walking or running and enjoyed it immensely.

Running Long Jump, Myrtle Beach

On a running "off day" still went for a walk on the beach with my daughter and took some time out for fun with a running long jump over a stream.  This is take 2.  Audio is a bit lacking.  No excuses but my calf/Achilles was bothering me so I couldn't get up to speed.  Anyway, was all in fun:

A refreshing 6.2 miles along Myrtle Beach.  With no way of measuring distance I have been running for 30 minutes straight on down the beach in one direction and then turning around and running 30 minutes back to where I started.  It's been working well and I'm calling it 6.2, give or take.  

OK so no disrespect but I'm on vacation and have gotten way behind so I'll just update now without elaboration:

Tuesday, 5.2
Friday, 6.2
Sunday, 6.2 on the beach.

That is all.

Awesome Sunday morning run yesterday.  Ended up doing the 10 mile loop even though I had "decided" previously that I wouldn't do more than 6.2 leading up to the half marathon the end of April.  Thing is, once I get out there on a beautiful day, feeling good, it's so hard to cut it short.  The loops I do are such that if I do encounter pain or any difficulty there are several break-off points where I can just turn down a street or a trail to shorten the run.  This time I was feeling fine the whole way so I just kept going.  Now, I've mentioned previously I've had some knee pain off and on and one of my friends "diagnosed" the issue as ITBS (Iliotibial band syndrome) or "runner's knee."  Perhaps you've heard of it.  He's not a physician but he's probably correct as he has been officially diagnosed with the condition and the symptoms/location I've described match his.  His condition was so severe he had to cease running completely. IF I have the same condition it's clearly not as severe as my pain only crops up periodically and only once has brought me to a walk.  Anyway, just a couple more runs this week then I'm off to Myrtle Beach for a week.

South Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach

 I'll get in some good miles down there then when I get back there'll be just one week of light running prior to the half on the 28th.

All Liquored Up

     So get this, I'm out in the garage changing the oil in my Mazda and I notice a vehicle driving slowly in front of my house so I look up and there's 2 teenage boys in it.  They pull slowly into the cul de sac across from my house and pull up at curbside and the passenger gets out and kind of slinks into my neighbors' backyard, all slow and sneaky and suspicious like.  
     So I watch him until he goes out of sight behind the house.  I note that my neighbors' cars are not in their driveway and presume there's no one home.  A few seconds later the passenger comes running from behind the house with something in his hand and a broad smile on his face, all excited like.  He jumps into the vehicle and shows the object to the driver, who likewise smiles broadly and pumps his fist.  He then drives toward the end of the cul de sac to turn around.       
     At his point I'm thinking the kid just stole something from, if not the yard, inside the house.  I was not about to let this go unaddressed so I walked up to the street and threw up my hand in a "HALT" motion when the vehicle reached me.  The driver stopped and I walked up to the vehicle, jotted the plate number onto an envelope I happened to have on my person, and approached the passenger window.  
     "What did you just take from that house," I asked.  
     "Oh, it was just a bottle," the kid said.  "But it was empty."  
     "Let me see it." 
     So the kid reaches into the back seat and presents to me what appears to be a half-full bottle of vodka.  

     Just as I start to say, "That's not empty," the driver floors it and peels out--with the rear tire narrowly missing one of my good running feet--and screams down the road at a high rate of speed.  I called my neighbor and ended up calling the police to make a report and provide the plate number and description of the boys.
     So anyway, later I tell my wife what happened and she gets mad at ME for confronting the kids, stating they might have shot me or hurt me.  I said, "Lookit--if one of them pulled a gun and shot me there's probably not much I could have done about that.  If one of them got out and came after me he would have ended up lying on his back looking up at the beautiful blue sky.  If they both got out and came after me they would have woken up looking up at a cloud of black smoke wondering how their car caught fire."  

I don't know if that comforted her at all but it sure made me feel better just saying it.  

An easy 5.2 miles Thursday afternoon to give the knee a rest.  The knee was fine, no discomfort, but for some reason now my left calf was extremely tight and both legs felt heavy the whole way.  Guess I just need to hope they don't feel that way come Half day.  Some days I feel like I'm flying and other days it feels like I'm plodding.  Anyway, beautiful weather, sunny with a light breeze, and a most rewarding run.  Gonna go out and change the oil in my car now.

Ran a quick 10K this afternoon.  It was kind of a weird day. First of all it was Red Sox Opening Day vs. the Yankees so I got home from work and started watching the game.  It was a beautiful sunny day in the 60's and I'm sitting there and I hear this really loud noise outside and I thought maybe there was an explosion at Dalton Enterprises, the former Copeland Company.  They make driveway sealer.  I jump up and I'm like...WHAT THE.....?  I look outside and realize it was thunder and there's this wicked storm rolling in.  So I sit back down and watch the game while the rain pours down outside.  I was then resigned to watch the end of the game but then at the 7th inning stretch I thought, hey--I can prob run my 10K before the game is over.  Red Sox/Yankees games run notoriously long so I grabbed my iPod and jetted out the door--I had already stretched extensively during the rain.  So anyway, the sun was back out and it was a glorious day but then I get like halfway through and this heavy wind picks up and the temperature starts to plummet.  At about the 4 mile mark this cold rain starts in on me.  Meanwhile, my knee started to act up again but I made it all the way through with only minor discomfort. Overall a great run and I got home just after the game ended with the post-game coverage just beginning.  Red Sox 8-2.