Math wizard

As a couple of my friends pointed out (KimP and Coach Rick), my math yesterday was somewhat flawed. With 1925 miles so far, I only need 75 more miles to hit 2000. Not 175 as I had computed in my fuzzy, antihistamine/decongestant fogged head. 75 shouldn't be any kind of trouble.

Specially if I get all 40 on Sunday at Pine Mtn.

Today I got to run again. Tuesday is boot camp day, but I didn't feel quite ready for that. Plus the weather today was beautiful with rain forecast for tomorrow. So I bailed out of boot camp and went for a short-ish 5+ miles.

That improved my attitude for the rest of the day.

Biggest Loser tonight. Two shows left.

Red Top Rumble is almost full. 21 slots were left yesterday. Nope, change that. I just checked and now there's only 3 left. Last chance!

Four days off

I have to go back to June for the last time I had 4 days with no running. I thought I might go out today at lunch but it started raining. That combined with my lingering head cold was enough to keep me inside. So I took a nap on my desk instead.

I'll tell you one nice thing about getting sick. All the kind words I received from friends near and far. That was very much appreciated.

And then I was thinking about how much whining I was doing with just a head cold. Sure it's a pain but mostly just inconvenient. I'll be running again by this weekend at the latest. I felt kind of silly when I got friends dealing with nagging injuries that have plagued them for weeks or months. I'll be glad when we're all healthy again and running our favorite trails.

The Red Top Rumble is almost full with 40 slots left as of 11/28/09. So if you're still thinking about that one, better decide quick.

Missing Bartram has left me in a bind to reach 2000 miles for the year. I'm at 1925 today and I'll need 175 miles in December to hit 2000. Possible but certainly not a gimme. Only one race this month so most of the miles will be solo. I think I can get there.

No show at Bartram

Yuk. I did not make it to the Bartram 50K today and I'm trying to be okay with that.

Wednesday night I thought I might be getting a little sinus issue. Thursday morning I didn't let it stop me from 5 early miles on the road and track. I still felt pretty good after that.

I drove south to pick up Nathan (the oldest son) for Thanksgiving. By the time we got back to Janis' Mom's house, I was tired. Not too tired to eat, but tired enough to crash on the couch afters. After a nap, it was time to go to my Aunt's house for second Thanksgiving.

More driving and more food. And I'm getting that weary feeling that is not a good sign. Thursday night sleep did not go well.

Friday morning, I feel bad. Bad enough to take some pills. Bad enough to worry about Saturday's race. I thought I would still go to the race and give it a shot. Just see what happens.

And I kept thinking that until Friday evening. Then thoughts of the early wakeup and a cold morning running were enough to let it go. I resigned myself to not running.

Friday night sleep was better but I'm still wiped out today. So I guess I did the right thing. Not too happy about it though. The day looked like a perfect one for running. Team Beth has already reported in with a new trail PR. I'm happy for them but jealous all the same.

I hate getting sick.

Where are they now?

Just finished watching the Biggest Loser special on former contestants. Loved seeing the group running the half marathon. But the best was the guy doing the Kona Ironman. Definitely showed the difficulty of an endurance event. Good stuff.

And good timing for the show as we move into the holiday eating season. The former winner that has gained the weight back was very sobering.

Right now, Janis and Jenny are both in the kitchen cooking away. So far we've got a chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, and poo-poo cookies on the counter. Jenny's working on the Apple Dapple cake.

We've got two gatherings to attend tomorrow. Janis' Mom for lunch and my Aunt for dinner. That's a different kind of endurance event.

I had a great 8+ miles at lunch today and I'm planning to hit the track early in the morning for some speed work. Maybe biking on Friday. Definitely the Bartram 50K on Saturday. Maybe more biking on Sunday.

We'll see on Monday if I was able to maintain, not gain.

Oh, registration opened up for the SweetH2O 50K. I'm thinking it will fill up fast. I'm in.

Hurry To Finish Up

Things didn't look so bad when I got up at 7 this morning. The outside temp was showing 50 and it wasn't raining. I got stuff together and headed out by 7:30. On the way to Harbins Park for a longish run.

Five minutes down the road and the rain started. The Volvo was telling me the outside temp was creeping down. By the time I got to the park, the temp was showing 45 and the rain was steady. I got out of the front seat and walked around to the rear to gear up. Brrrrrrr.

I went with the old nylon jacket and pants over a t-shirt and compression shorts. Plus gloves, hat, and the Buff. The GoLite Rush pack was full of water and a few snacks. Off we go!

I started on the mtn bike loop planning to explore the new section. About 3 miles in, I'm at the turn for the new stuff. 10 yards on this trail and there's an immediate creek crossing. The creek is rocking with all the rain, so I scout up and down stream for an easy way over. One big rock plus one downed tree and I'm on the other side.

The new section actually has a decent hill climb. I'm happy to see that. The other trails at the park don't have any big hills to speak of. It's good to have a hill option for training. I'm pretty cold and wet so I keep running up the hill. The new stuff adds at least 2 miles.

Back over the creek to the main trail and on to the parking lot. I'm surprised to see another car in the lot. The weather is pretty nasty.

The jacket and pants are soaked and heavy. I opt to switch the jacket for a fleece top. The pants get swapped for shorts just to add a layer over the compression shorts. The gloves had come off a while back. The stuff was so wet it wasn't keeping me warm.

I wasn't too sure about the new outfit keeping me any warmer. I go out on the short mtn bike loop so I can drop if I get too cold. But it's not terrible. I add in the short horse trail loop to push the mileage over 10.

And that's enough for today. I was cold enough to stop. 11 miles in 2.5 hours according to the Garmin so maybe 12 actual miles. The main thing is getting out there on days like this. Don't let the weather dictate your runs too much.

I was happy with the effort, but not really prepared for the conditions. This fall has been pretty mild with temps warmer than normal. Today we jumped right into a cold rain. That's the hardest stuff for me to run in. I don't mind the cold and I don't mind the rain. But put the two together and things get uncomfortable pretty quick.

I could probably use a better rain jacket or shell. Yeah, that's what I need, more gear. Time to get myself something for Christmas.

The rest of the day was quiet. I got home quick for a hot, hot shower. Then plopped into the comfy chair by the fire with hot soup. Followed by a brief nap as I passed out in the chair. I did do some laundry but spent most of the day resting comfortably.

The Rogues are adding a trail half marathon at Sweetwater State Park in 2010. The SweetH2O Sweetheart Half Marathon is set for Feb. 13, 2010 with proceeds benefitting the park. It should be a good one.

Triple Digits!

I had planned on a long run this morning in the woods. My Lovely Wife enticed me to switch the run to Sunday and take the boys biking at the park today. So we loaded up the van with bikes and drove down to Little Mulberry Park in Gwinnett County to ride on the paved trails.

We had beautiful sunny weather and enjoyed the ride, for the most part. The park has two main loops connnected by the Carriage Trail. So we parked in the upper lot and rode that loop, then dropped down the Carriage Trail to the lake loop.

The only problem with that plan is having to go back up the Carriage Trail. It's steep enough to earn warning signs in the downhill direction. So biking back up the thing is a challenge. I dropped down to granny gear and spun my way to the top. The other three opted to walk it up. I'm not sure they have the whole gear thing figured out.

Back on the top loop and everybody's happy again. We finished with 6 miles on the bikes and headed for lunch at Subway. Next time we decided we'd stay on the top loop and ride in circles.

Next on the family day agenda was bowling. Tonight we went to Jefferson Lanes, our friendly neighborhood bowling alley, and knocked down some pins. This is a pretty small place with maybe 20 lanes. No fog machine, no strobe lights, no cosmic bowling. Just straight forward bowling and a couple pool tables.

I haven't bowled in a long time. The family went bowling the last 2 weekends while I was racing. We had 2 good games tonight. I managed triple digits both times for top scores. Not that we were worried about scores. The main point here is knocking down pins. And, for me, not to fall over in those slippery bowling shoes.

Now it's time for more of The Office. We're still catching up on last season.

I'll run in the morning at Harbins. The weather forecast is a bit different than we had today. It's supposed to rain with temps in the 40s. That's better weather for running solo than biking with the family. It was a good swap.

Stampede!

So I was running an easy 6 at lunch today thinking about yesterday's post about races selling out. And what I was thinking was that it's just those kind of posts that can cause quick sellouts. Everybody gets all hyped up and registers for everything in sight.

That was not the intent. The intent was to get all my friends to sign up for every race on my schedule so I'd have good company all year. Yeah, that was pretty much it.

How 'bout that Biggest Loser last night? It was makeover week and that show is always surprisingly emotional. I love seeing the reactions of family members to the Losers. I did not, however, want to see Rebecca go. Rudy now has 2 black marks for the past two weeks. I'm pulling for Danny and Allen.

We're starting a "Maintain, Don't Gain" program at work for the holidays. For this one, we don't have to lose weight. The goal is not to gain any additional weight during the holiday danger zone. I weighed in after boot camp yesterday at 210. Which is where I've been hovering for months. I'm good to keep hovering but losing another 5 pounds wouldn't hurt either.

Anything I can do to lighten the load will help at Pinhoti.