Back next week

I'll be out for a week. Have a Happy New Year!

What a great run

Really, the run was just a run. nothing spectacular about it except , well, I could. That may sound strange I know. I could relate the details of the conditions today; the traffic, the wind, my time. It sure felt good to out running though. I haven't run in three days and have been tring to get rid of all the sweets around here by single handedly eating them all. During the run my gut quit jiggling at mile 2 or so. That made it all OK. The details of the run, like the time, aren't important and not just because my time was S L O W. It was good to run.
Have a seriously good Holiday one and all, each and every one.

Simple six

Six mile run today. Time: 62min 15 sec. Once I drug my butt out of bed and over to the start, it took half the run to warm up and start to feel like making any kind of effort. I'm such a slacker. I felt more stiff this morning then usual. I better make time to stretch out some today.

Breathing, Running

Today's run 4.72 miles at 9: 10 pace. Karrie is ill so I ran at 5am instead of lifting.
I haven't run with any music since the summer. I miss it sometimes, like towards the end of a longer run. Also, there were a couple of songs that were my "go to" songs that seemed to help push me.
Last July or so I tried some runs without the mp3 and paid a bit more attention to what my form was like, in particular how I was breathing. I noticed that for the first 10-15 minutes I would inhale for 4 steps, exhale for 4 steps. I got into a 4/4 rhythm. As I got warmed up and/or ran faster my breathing changed to a 3/3 rhthm, 3 steps per inhale, 3 per exhale. It was comfortable to stay at 3/3 for the rest of the run. Over the last 2 months I've spent very little time at 4/4, the better part of a run at 3/3 and the last part at 2/2. Running at 2/2 is comfortable and I can stay there for a good while. Last Friday at the end of the run I was running at 2/2 and was out of breath. I had about a half mile to go to finish the run and wanted to finish strong. I started to gasp for air. My legs felt good but I couldn't get my breath to be comfortable. I got a little panic thing going, like a fish out of water kind of feeling. I backed off just a bit and got back to 2/2's and finished OK. Today at the end of the run the same thing started to happen without the panic. I settled into a strange pattern that was arhythmic. I don't know what the heck kind of pattern it was, like controlled gasping. Strange.

Boring, slow

Ran 7.2 in 1hr 24min this morning. I ate some great BBQ yesterday. That's a bit heavier than I normally eat. Run, run, rumble, rumble. It was great to get out though, a beautiful morning. And another run is done.

At least 5 things, OK 20, about me.

Well, here are a phew stinking things about me.

1. I played drums for Bo Diddly (for one gig). I was playing in a house band at a big country bar and the bar booked Bo Diddly for a Friday night. He used the house band(country with a steel guitar player) to back him up. He arrived in the dressing room 10 minutes before show time and said, " who's the drummer?" I raised my hand. "You know that Bo Diddly beat?" Yessir, I do, I say. "Well, don't play it. I played with so many drummers in the last 30 years and they all play it different." I look puzzled. "Play a disco beat." As he says this, he starts to play a drum beat on a chair and look at me intently and doesn't stop untill I join him in playing the same thing on the chair. When we play on stage, he turns around bretween songs and sings me a drum part, sings the bass player a bass part and makes up a song for 10-15 minutes. Cowboys walk up and request Silver Wings (a Merle Haggard song). It was like being in the Twilight Zone. His set lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes if it was a second.

2. I like to think of band names. Here are a few. Autonomic Phenomenon, Pockets of Devestation, and for a girl band, The Moist Towlettes.

3. I have a very dry, rather warped sense of humor.

4. I have been self employed almost my entire adult life.

5. I met my wife Dianne in massage school.

6. I never had a massage until after I started massage school.

7. I was a music major in college on a basketball scholarship.

8. I was in a fraternity until the rush parties were over.

9. I ___________ the word Schizmogenesis. (Yes, it's really a word.)

10. I don't like treadmills, but love the gym.

11. I have no debt but the house.

12. I have 5 grandkids.

13. I did drugs once...from '74 to '89.

14. I'd rather run in the cold. (duh)

15. Running, yoga, and grandchildren are the best buzzes.

16. I'm haunted by Ecclesiastes.

17. Morning is the best time for just about everything.

18. I have done a colon cleanse more than once.

19. I fasted for 23 days once and for 10- 14 days on a few other occassions.

20. I made up a blonde joke.

O'good run

If it's cloudy/overcast and you can't see the falling stars when they fall, did they really happen... if a tree fell in the forest and there was no one...
My hands were not cold today when I ran! I have a pair of neoprene gloves that stay in with all the canoe stuff in the garage and I wore those this morning (temps around freezing). I felt a bit like Barney, the purple dinosaur, but my hands were warm and I could still work the buttons on my watch. HA! 5.5 miles at 52 min flat on the same hill loop as Wednesday. I wished I would have finished stronger and beat my Wed time, but that is for another day, friends.

Ya'll are Awesome

Ninja Runner Almost Struct by Nearly Awake Driver

This morning (approx 4:30am) as I was driving through my little part of town on my way to work out, on a very unlit portion of a large 4 lane street, just a hint of movement caught my eye. I thought I saw a shadow move in the road in front of me, just to the left, about 11 oclock. Blink, blink...Was it my eyes...NO! It WAS NINJA RUNNER. He was dressed in black sweat pants and a black sweatshirt with a hood without a stitch of reflective thread on him anywhere, not even his shoes. I did not see him untill he was even with my car, me in the right lane, him in the left lane. I'm glad I didn't accidently kill him with my car and ruin his mission. I also hope that those of you who run in the dark make it easy for drivers to see you.

Bootcamp was great. Usually Thursday is all upper body, but today our queen deemed that lower body work should be done as well. Lots of jumping on one leg, on and off the step, etc. I look forward to being pleasantly sore by lunch. Tomorrow, 5.5 mile hill run, the same loop as yesterday. Maybe we'll see some more falling stars.

Hills!

It rained last night and it was a balmy 53 degrees at 5am with fog clinging to the ground and filling in all the low spots and gullys. The loop today was uphill for at least half the run, but it felt like that story of the route your grampa (or someone's grampa) used to walk to school; 5 and a half miles uphill both ways. I saw a falling star at mile 3 that was big enough to make me think for a second I would hear it land. 5.5 miles in 52:01.
In a first for me, I am finished with all my Christmas shopping. Haha! They're all wrapped and the Tree is up! Heeheehee!

Back on the bike

I missed the usual Tuesday morning bootcamp class. My left knee was a smidgin tender on the inside (medial) aspect this morning, so instead of lunges and squats I'd thought I'd see what a spinning class would do to it. It seems fine. I'm not sure what caused the knee to become tender. My form is good on the lunges, etc. My shoes are in good shape. I think I'm just allergic to squats and lunges.
It's time to start getting ready for the Cowtown Half in February. My goal: run a 2 hr half. Tomorrow, 5.5 mile run.

What about the new header? Susan did a fabulous job! One day I'll remember to ask how to put links in the body of my post so you can all go right to her blog and admire her header too.

Today's Workout

Up at five to lift with Karrie. Ran four and a half later(39:11) then off to yoga at 10:30. This mornings lifting workout was the same as last Monday. I'm getting a new header designed by the ever faster and talented Susan. Look for that soon. I'm glad your shoulder is feeling and working better now Karrie.

Insane? Why sure.

Ran 3 today in 27:25. It was, as they say in west Texas,"a might airish" at temps somewhere in the teens. Those cowboys are pretty fair at understatement. It was a beautiful, clear morning however, and a very pleasant run for me. This question may get a variety of answers, but, my face got prety numb. What gear should I get to cover up my face?

BuhBuhBuhButt

Hey! Gotta love it. Tuesday mornings with the Queen of Lunges. Just to make sure my kick is good and strong at the end of the next 10 mile run, it's buttcamp. Instead of hill work outs, buttcamp. My tights fit just right. Buh, buh, buh...dude, buttcamp is good.

The Christmas tree is up. That it is up this early in December is progress. Beautiful wife and I put the lights on it and only argued/fought for 2-3 minutes during the process. And we both cooled off pretty fast, too. Curlyboy helped for about two minutes, then wanted to play with the box the tree came in. He was entertained and out of the way.

I will be going to an interesting massage workshop the weekend of January 13,14,15 on clinical sports massage. This session will cover upper body. Anyone wishing to attend as a guinea pig, simply write your request on the head of a 1956, silver sparkle, 14x5 and a half inch Rodgers Dynasonic snare drum and mail it to: Lewisville Massage Therapy Clinic 1702 S. Hwy 121 #605 Lewisville,TX 75067.

Here's the Monday morning workout for the next month to six weeks.
Smith Squat 3x17
Ball Hamstring Curls 3x17
Incline chest press-single arm+iso hold 3x17
Assisted Pull up 3x17
DB reverse fly 3x17
Modified Shoulder Raise 3x17
*Split stance, lean forward, thumbs up, raise and lower arms at 45 degree angle
Concentration curls 3x17
Tricep dips, feet on ball, handsonflat bench 3x17
Jacknife 3x17

Later today, spinning and a yoga class. Then to crown the day, putting up the Christmas tree with curlyboy. There will, hopefully, be pictures of that. I'm not much of a sports fan, but did Texas kill Colorado or what!?

Out and Back

Yesterday in our part of Texas it was 85 degrees. We turned on the air conditioning in the office because it was so stuffy. This morning, for our 10mile run at 5:oo it was butt cold and windy from the north. Warm up was Susan saying, "you ready? Let's start running to warm up." I know, I know...lots of you live where it's really winter and you think I'm whining. S'OK, I am. Karrie run sooo strong today. Way to go Karrie! She's been sick, didn't run last week, and only ran 4 on the tread mill on Thurday. She ran the first 5 in 47 min and finished 10 today in right around 11 min mile pace. I have no idea what I ran because I forget to start my watch. Susan may have it on her blog.
Have you tried the oatmeal?

My Breakfast

I'm kinda hooked on oatmeal. Here is my oatmeal recipe. I never measure anything when I make it and I eat it for breakfast at least 5 days a week.
First put 1/4 to 1/2 cup organic oatmeal in a bowl with just enough water to cover it. Microwave on power 5 for 3 minutes and 33 seconds. When you nuke it at 333, you only have to push one button. While the oatmeal is nuking, grind approx. 2 tablespoons whole flax seed in a coffee grinder (used for grinding spices, not coffee), then 2-3 tablespoons almonds. When the oatmeal is done, pour on one tablespoon of black strap molasses and add the flax seed and almonds. Next add 2-3 tablespoons of raisins or craisins then pour on about 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of Kefir (cultured milk) and mix it up. Yum! Try it, you'll like it.
No workout today. I had an outcall in Dallas this morning at 7:30am and 3 appoints in the office.
Tonight, dinner with beautiful wife. Tomrrow morning, 10 mile run.
You guys are great. Blog on.

Friday run

Ran 7 miles today today with Susan. This time I finished ahead, 1 hr 10min. Felt good at the end.

It's all good

Yesterday, or as Curlyboy says, lasterday, I ran 6 mi in 1 hr. 49sec. Upperbody bootcamp today at 5:00am. Because it was upperbody my butt and legs do not feel like jello today, just my chest, back and arms. Greatness.
It's funny to me how I can become addicted to anything. Addicted to waking before the alarm, running, working out and eating well, your basic early to bed, early to rise kinda thing, is serving well. Who would have guessed that the best buzz was the whole day after a good, long run, or playing SUPERHEROS! with curlyboy for an hour. Much better than doughnuts, anything that looks or smells like a cookie, almost anything I ever did at a bar (there might be one or two things that I am forgetting), or anything one can smoke. Oh, jumpshift, I'm reading a book by Deborah Tannen called " I only say this because I love you". This book is about how to argue and different styles of communication. I saw my family in there. Also, the arguing style of my first wife, which was take no prisoners and win at any cost without any resolution until exhaustion. Interesting.