Goodbye November

All things considered, November is going to be an easy month to say goodbye to.  Sure, I got to run a turkey trot and posted a pretty respectable 5K time, but beyond that, there wasn't a lot to celebrate from a fitness perspective.  I managed 40 miles with my dogs, a little less than 20 miles running, just under 10 miles on the bike, and my strength training really fell off a cliff.  Certainly nothing to brag about, but there are a lot of factors thrown into that.  It could have been worse.  I'm coming out of the month feeling good and rested, not injured, and only a pound or two heavier after the holiday!  No races scheduled for December, but I'm going to meet with a trainer to discuss a winter workout program to get a little stronger and faster.

This disastrous month started with the cleanup of a flooded basement leftover from hurricane Sandy.  This is still an ongoing process as I'm trying to get flooring down and my walls repaired.  Following that, I hit a deer on my way home from work in the first full week of November.  Not a ton of damage, but an inconvenience nonetheless.  The following week my wife was quarantined due to radioactive iodine treatment, meaning she couldn't be at home for fear of exposing our children to higher levels of radioactivity.  The following week was Thanksgiving, which is generally more of a stressful time than a joyous one for us since we attempt to satisfy 3 families by spending time with each of them.  We were able to accomplish that again, but it can be exhausting for us.  This past week was reasonable uneventful, but I'm still just comfortable saying farewell Novemer, see you next year!

Girls are happily doing great.  We went for dinner last night and their behavior at the restaurant was outstanding.  They've been sleeping better and other than first thing in the morning, have been an absolute joy.  Nothing more rewarding than parenthood.

Have a great weekend!

Turkey Trot

My first Turkey Trot went in 4 years went pretty well.  I haven't run one since my oldest daughter was born.  My wife and I used to run in York, but decided to run in New Oxford this year after talking to some of our friends about the race.  The race had just over 500 participants I was told.  Nice turnout for a small town.  The race was well organized.  We were not preregistered, and were able to do so in a very reasonable amount of time.  Plenty of volunteers checking people in.  I was a little late getting out to the start line due to running into some friends I haven't seen in a long time.  I was trying to weave my way closer to the front when the gun went off.  Time to run I guess.  I got caught up in traffic for maybe the first quarter to half mile, but really was able to settle into a nice pace from there on out.  I ran a nice steady pace on the reasonable flat course.  I think i could have taken thirty seconds to a minute off my time if I'd been positioned properly at the start, but that is my own fault.  The hills weren't that steep, but added a nice little challenge to the Thanksgiving morning.  On to the most important part.  My wife ran the race as well.  After having two surgeries in September and radioactive iodine treatment less than 14 days prior to this event, she went out and ran the course.  She really hasn't run since finding out we were expecting our first child over 3 years ago.  She's walked a few events with her father, but hasn't run since then.  Not only did she run this event, but went out for a run on Sunday as well!  I'm so very proud of her for getting back into running after giving birth to two children and battling surgery and treatment.  She is a great inspiration!

Daughters are doing great.  My oldest daughter got her first haircut Wednesday night, and then decided on Friday morning her sister should have a haircut as well.  Happily I caught her in the act before she could do much damage, but she did take a couple small swipes!  Aside from the haircut, they are just awesome.  Love every minute of being a parent.

I was able to go and watch Penn State play their final football game of the season on Saturday.  What a great day for a group of seniors who stayed in the program through all the turmoil of the past year!

Have a great day!

Mid November

Last week was a good week with three running workouts and lots of miles with my dogs.  Even better than that was my wife returning home after being away due to treatment.  Had a great weekend with her and the kids.  I managed a short run and a minimal amount of core work today, but nothing crazy.  I ran 2.25 miles, but increased my pace to get a little more out of my run.  As long as we will be able to get someone to watch the girls for a couple hours Thursday morning, we are going to run a Turkey Trot in a nearby town.  Less than two weeks after her treatment, and she is willing and able to go out and participate in a 5K.  I couldn't be more proud of my wife!

Girls are doing great.  So full of energy all the time.  Their appetite has returned with a vengeance.  I think they are going to eat me out of house and home.  My youngest daughter just continues to expand her vocabulary every day, and my oldest daughter just picks up everything going on around her.  So amazing to watch their development all the time.  Very proud parent!

Have a great evening!

Back Home!

Yesterday I was able to get my 3rd run of the week in.  Only 2.35 miles, but at a good pace and I felt great through the run.  I jumped on the bike for 3.5 miles after that, and followed that up with some great core work.  Added a nice 2 miles with the dogs yesterday to finish up a great day working out.  My body feels great, very few aches and pains and that is a wonderful feeling.  I'm definitely going to do a turkey trot, but I'm just trying to nail down the venue.  Not going to go back to York, even though I enjoy the race and the turnout there.  I'm deciding between Shippensburg and New Oxford.  I guess I have a couple days to make up my mind.  I'm looking forward to putting up a good time somewhere.  My plan is to run again Saturday, but I haven't decided how many miles would be good.  I will just wait and see how I feel.

Girls have been absolutely wonderful for me.  My wife returns home tonight after being stuck away from us for a week due to some treatment she received, making it impossible to be around the kids.  She is recovering wonderfully and the girls and I look forward to her returning home with a clean bill of health.  I have a new appreciation for what a single parent goes through after doing it myself for a week.  That being said, I had a great amount of support from my Mom who came over every day so i could get my dogs out in the morning and evening, as well as the vegetable soup she brought me, my Dad and Stepmom who graciously opened their home so my wife could stay there for a week while she was unable to be around the kids and provided me with Lasagna!, and my Mother and Father in law who helped me with the girls over the weekend and helped with the dogs in the middle of the week, as well as them checking on my wife throughout the week.  It was great to have so much support for the week.  To all of them I say THANK YOU!

Have a great weekend!

Busy Days

I was able to get back to back days of running in earlier this week for the first time in quite a while.  Sunday afternoon I ran 3.1 miles and felt great after almost a 2 week break.  My legs felt very strong and refreshed after that long of a break.  Monday I was able to run again.  I wasn't quite as fresh, but still felt good and ran 2.5 miles, rode. almost 3 miles, and got my dogs out for 4 miles.  No long races planned until March, but I will most likely pick up a 5K or two just to give me something to aim toward in the near future.  Holiday eating season is fast approaching, so it will be important to keep logging miles and staying in shape!

Girls are doing great but they miss the Mom.  It's been a long 5 days being a single father, but it is almost over and my wife will be able to return home Friday.  The girls and I are very much looking forward to that.  They have been wonderful for me.  We read stories and play, they want to help do everything I'm doing, and everything is a race and each one has to be first.  It's very cute and I think I say it in every post, but there is nothing more rewarding than parenthood. 

Have a great evening!

Tough Times

On October 27 I was fortunate enough to participate in the Blue Moon Wicked 10K in VA Beach.  I hadn't run since October 11, and only managed a few miles on the bike during that time.  I did log many miles walking my dogs at a brisk pace, so it wasn't as though I was sitting around totally dormant.  I still wouldn't recommend going over 2 weeks without a run, but a combination of half marathon recovery from October 7, sick children, and just a busy life during that time forced me to take a break from running.  I registered with a time in my head that put me in corral 1.  I wasn't feeling like my training justified me to be up front with anyone, so I reluctantly dropped back to corral 2 feeling a little better about being back there.  The weather was great, a little breezy, and temps in the low 60's, with hurricane Sandy looming just days away we were very fortunate to have weather that good.  The race started out at a nice steady pace for me.  I wasn't up with the rabbits but I wasn't stuck in traffic either.  I felt as though I could run a nice steady pace where I was and could finish with a good time.  We headed toward Atlantic with a nice cross breeze and made the right turn onto Atlantic toward the inlet with no trouble.  I was settling into my run nicely and feeling pretty good.  Got to the turnaround at the inlet and starting making my way to the boardwalk and I could feel the wind start to pick up a bit.  Once I made the turn onto the boardwalk, sand started hitting me in the face and the wind was no longer shielded by the hotels.  It was a long 9 blocks with a headwind, but I lumbered through and didn't feel like I lost a lot of time out there.  Once we were back out onto Atlantic, I got to run past my daughters again which I was really looking forward to.  Giving them a high five on the way by always lifts my spirits and gives me an extra boost.  After that, it was just under 30 blocks with a headwind, but i was really settled in at that point and didn't seem to mind the pace until about 34th street, and we were almost ready to make the turn at that point anyway.  Once we made the turn onto the boardwalk again, I knew the wind wouldn't be a factor anymore and I just had to get through 21 more streets to the finish line.  King Neptune is always a welcomed sight at 30th street, and a good marker for an almost halfway point coming down the boardwalk.  I always enjoy running past the statue, whether it is this race, the Shamrock, or just out for a run on vacation.  I picked up the pace a bit around 25th street and finished very strong through 19th street.  When crossing the finish line, I was thrilled with my time.  When I got the official time, I had taken off 5 minutes and 20 seconds from my time last year.  I was pretty excited!  All the rest left me pretty fresh and ready to go.  I wouldn't recommend that long of a break to most runners, but it worked out well for me this time.

I think I will probably run a couple 5K's to finish up the racing season, but to this point I've completed 2 half marathons, a 10K, and a 5 miler so far this year. 

Girls are doing great.  They always keep me on my toes and continue to be the reason I run and try to stay young and healthy.  Nothing like their smiling faces everyday.  I wouldn't trade fatherhood for anything!

Have a great evening!