Phoenix Summit Challenge

I had an appointment to meet with a client near Lookout Mountain in North Phoenix. I had the brilliant ideal that I could run around the mountain and to the summit after the meeting. It would have been nice to do it earlier, but I didn't think meeting a client to look at a house smelling like a pig was appropriate. I did meet her in my running gear, but she was ok with that.



Phoenix has a hiking challenge called the Phoenix Summit Challenge. You hike all seven summits in one day and you get a medal or something. I'm going to do all seven in one winter

I found a petroglyth.

View from half way up to the north. At this point I was deciding if I was going to turn around. Did I mention it was hot. 90 degrees hot.

But, up the trail I found shade and a cool breeze.

Towards the top you had to follow the white dots. I think there's at least two in this picture.

Look down near the green cool grass and you can see my SUV parked near the tennis courts. My plan was to run around the mountain and hike up to the summit. The trail was way too rocky to run it and the park ranger told me to stay away from the west side, due to bee swarms.

Proof that I made it to the summit. I had to crop the picture, so that you didn't see too much of me. Thanks, Marcy for the tip. And I need self portrait tips from Nancy. Note to self: Open eyes, extend arms fully.

That's Lookout Mountain in north Phoenix. Oh, my client liked the house. It might be her's soon.

Can you say Fartlek?

Tonight was fartlek night. At the end of my 2 miler I tried to dip below the 7 mpm pace. I did it four times. It was fun to fly. I can't believe that some runners run under 6 mpm for an entire marathon. I was barely able to keep that pace for a minute at a time. Someday.

Since I'm on Atkins and at my low weight of 220.5 pounds, I enjoyed seeing this picture on RWOL.

Mad Mud Run

I'm looking for teammates for the Mad Mud Run in Scottsdale. It's November 22nd, a Saturday and well before Turkey Day. We need a team of 5 runners to do a 5 mile course.

Who's In?

Lisa?

Aaron?

Karen?

Caroline?

Kristina?

Nick?

Nick's wife?

any kid over 12 can even do it.

Let me know.

Does anyone have this problem? You leave a comment, then you hit the back button, then you have to hit the authorization button and then the back button to get back to your list of blogs to read another one? I do. I don't do the readers, because I like to see your whole blog and not just the post. So, I finally switched my comments to show in a pop up window. Now, if you have the same problem, you just have to click on the X. And you never have to type in a bunch of crazy letters to authenticate. Customer Service, it's what I'm about.

2 Milers Week

This is 2 miler week. I used to run two miles, no sweat. Well, maybe a little sweat. Now, I'm trying to regain my endurance and I'm trying to do a two miler under 20 minutes.

Slowly, I'm getting faster. As you can see in the graph (click on it to enlarge), My pace getting faster and I'm down to around a 25 minute 2 miler.

After the run, I am playing with the Wii. Two items from each category. Tonight I did a 3 minute run (it hurts to run on carpet and in place), slalom skiing (thru the gates), yoga breathing, yoga half moon, row squats, lunges, tight rope walking and something else (I forget).

I better start playing that Brain Age too.

Did you watch Biggest Loser? I did. I picked it over watching the Dbacks too.

A night for running

It started out at Olive Garden, where I had the Toscana Strip Steak, medium rare with mixed vegetables instead of the potatoes.

Then I went out for a quick 2 mile run while the family watched X Files. We're the only family in America that has not seen Scully and Mulder when it was on TV. We have the DVD set. Next we'll play with our new Wii Fit.

Have you played on a Wii Fit before? First you get your Wii Fit age. Mine is 40 or 6 years younger than my actual age.

The push ups are on the hard side, because the board isn't wider than your shoulders. Your hands have to be on the board, so it makes it challenging.

The running is done in place. Not something you'd want to do for an hour. I ran in place for about 3 minutes and it was kinda fun. A small trampoline might fix the problem. The yoga is tough. The nice thing is they have a red dot that shows your balance, so that you need to keep it centered. There's a few other games that make it challenging too.

No, I didn't eat the whole steak. So tomorrows lunch will be great.

PR's and Races

One of the neat things about RunningAhead, the website that I keep track of my mileage on, is the ability to see my PR's. You can click on the photo on the right to see them too. Those are all races, except for the virtual mile I ran the other day.

I plan to do a mile race on my own every other week or so. A year ago I ran a 5k and the first mile was in 9:19. Not sure whether to consider that my PR or not. Hopefully, I'll be under that soon anyway.

My race schedule calls for the AirForce Anniversary 5k down in Tucson this Saturday and there's a Race Judicata on Sunday that I can run. It's a 5k and a mile run. It's a smaller race for those in the legal profession, but anyone can run in it. I'll decide Sunday morning whether I am running the mile or the 5k.

100 Pushups

I finished the first two weeks of the 6 week program to 100 pushups. After week two you do a test to see how many pushups you can do in a row. I did 20 pushups, up from my initial test of 10. Not anything to write home about (but I sure can blog about it). Today was week 3, day 1 and I did sets of 15/12/12/10 and a final set of 15. All according to plan.

Atkins Diet

I started on August 16th at 235 pounds. I've done really well on it. Now, 29 days later I weigh 222. 13 pounds less. No cravings. No ice cream. No candy. It's a pretty easy diet to do, since I love red meat, chicken, cheese and salads. I, also, eliminated diet coke from my diet and haven't missed it much. Yesterday's run of 6.74 miles went well and I didn't feel extra tired because of the lack of carbs.

TRC Six Miler

Four of us met at Tumbleweed Park to run the Paseo Trail canal. We ran two miles north and then returned. Karen and I finished by running 2+ miles in the park as high school cross country runners watched us with envy.

I was the lone lucky guy. There was no girl talk of places to do your nails or anything like that. We ran and talked about running, kids and running again.

The shadows are after four miles. I think it's Kristina, Karen, Caroline and me from left to right.

I almost didn't make it to run this morning. On Thursday night I was playing softball with my men's team. I was a baserunner on third when Joe my teammate hit a screamer down the third base line. The yellow softball was as big as a basketball heading straight for my head. It must have been 100 mph. I dropped to the ground as fast as I could as the ball screamed over my head. I can still see that ball in my mind. I survived and our team won both games. Which puts us in second 1/2 game behind the first place team.

***

Marcy, has taken control of my blog. Well, not really because she would be using words that I have no clue of their meaning. But, I found she was a follower. What's a follower? Click on it in the top right of my blog. You can go to her blog or become a follower yourself. I'm not sure what it is.

Marcy, har tatt kontroll over bloggen min. Well, not really because she would be using words that I have no clue of their meaning. Vel, egentlig ikke fordi hun ville være å bruke ord som jeg har ingen anelse om deres mening. But, I found she was a follower. Men jeg fant hun var en tilhenger. What's a follower? Hva er en tilhenger? Click on it in the top right of my blog. Klikk på den på toppen til høyre i bloggen min. You can go to her blog or become a follower yourself. Du kan gå til hennes blogg eller bli en tilhenger selv. I'm not sure what it is. Jeg er ikke sikker på hva det er.

Yeah, that's Norsk and if you speak it or one of many other languages, you can now get this blog translated. see the top right again.

Another Interesting Blog

No Really! This is a funny one. Here's a picture for proof.

It's called Jokes and Clips.

Interesting Blog

I love the pictures on blogs I can't read. This one is neat because it has some ninjas. Visit it and leave a message. It'll freak them out and they'll be looking for a translator.

It's a beautiful day at 5 a.m.

Two morning runs in a row. You think I'm turning over a new leaf, but no. My daughter had to be at the library at 5 in the morning, so I was up at 4:30 and driving her and her two friends to the library. Channel 12 was broadcasting there and my daughter is a kid volunteer. Thank God, she isn't in the band or I'd be up like this all the time.

So, what the heck I decided to go for a run. It was perfect weather. Slightly overcast and it even sprinkled a bit during the run. I got 2.14 miles in.

I'm telling you, it felt like 4 or 5 miles. I was drained after a mile. I think my carb supply lasts me for about that long and then I'm running on empty. Or walking as the case often is.

I'll take the lack of endurance if I'm losing weight. I weighed in at 225.5 this morning. Down about 10 pounds. I've had two weight gains since starting Atkins 24 days ago.

Soapbox warning.


Each happened with drinking a diet coke with Aspartame. Google Aspartame, it's an eye opener. Or google Aspartame and weight loss to find out that this sugar substitute may hinder your weight loss.

Off the soapbox.

Check in tomorrow to see if I get up before the sun for the third day.

PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon

I just read this about the 2009 PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon and Half Marathon here in Arizona.



ChronoTrack Timing System

State of the art ChronoTrack systems will be used to record participants’ times at the start, at certain splits along the courses and at the finish. The ChronoTrack system uses a disposable tag, called a D Tag, which allows you to walk away from the finish without the need to have your tag collected.
The ChronoTrack timing tag (D Tag) will be attached to your race bib. The D Tag will be labeled with a number that matches your race number. When you pick up your bib, please make sure these numbers match, and also verify that YOUR name is printed on the bib you are issued*. Proceed to the Solutions Table if any of the information is incorrect.
Prior to the race, you must remove the tag from your number and attach it to your shoe. Please follow the instructions provided in your registration packet.
PLEASE NOTE: All participants in this race must wear the ChronoTrack timing tag on your shoe in order to have their times recorded. ChampionChip timing equipment will NOT be used at this race; ChampionChip timing chips will NOT record your time.
*If you register for the race before online registration closes (midnight, January 11, 2009), your race bib should have your name printed on it.

Visit chronotrack.com for more information.

It's official, I've signed up for the 2009 PF Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon. It's $75 until September 15th. Then it goes up $15. Plus, I used the code in Runner's World Magazine and saved another $10. So, it only cost me $65 plus the Active handling fee. If you need the code it is RWHIGH2 and it's good until October 31st.

It's a beautiful day at 6 am.

I don't get to say that too often. Karen, Caroline and I meet at Tumbleweed Park to run a bit up the canal and back. I haven't run in the morning since the Rock and Roll Marathon. It was wonderful. 80 degrees and a bit overcast. We ran 2 miles up the canal and turned back. I tried to keep us on a 5/1 pace, but in miles 3 and 4 we ended up doing a couple 2 and 3 minute walk breaks. Karen was the strongest runner today and she wanted to get an extra mile in afterwards, I ran with her for a bit, but realizing I was going to slow her down I let her go on her own.





But wait, there's more. I got home and looked at my front yard. Good thing we don't have an HOA or I would have gotten a notice about weeds awhile ago. So, since it was still cool (low 80's) I pulled and hoed all those weeds right out of the ground.

I'm sure when Amy wakes she'll make me a cake. I got this at Cakewrecks, a very funny blog about professional cake decorators.

But wait, there's more. I didn't want to wake Amy with the lawn mower (I'll do that later), so I'm now blogging and getting my push ups done. Today calls for one set of 11, then 9, then two sets of 7, then one set of the most I can do, which today is - 15 arm burning, light headed, almost perfect form (butt's a tad high) pushups.

Want to hear how my favorite triathlete did. See her story on her blog. Oh, this is the short version, she must have slept in this morning. No wonder, we didn't see her at The Tumbleweed Running club kickoff this morning.

My Wall of Fame

There was a question from AddieUSC on the Runner's World online discussion on what to do with your medals. This is what I do, what do you do?

Pictured is a curtain rod on my bookcase that I can wrap the medals around. I just need more medals.

My Running?

The last two nights have been softball nights, so no running. I'll get a run in later tonight and tomorrow I am meeting Karen for a long slow run at Tumbleweed Park.

My Virtual Mile

I was prepared for my virtual mile. On Monday I ran a dry run of my mile and recorded a time of 10:40. I was hoping to go under 10 minutes on my official run tonight. I headed over to the Andersen Junior High track. No lights on this track, but we get some illumination from the tennis courts and the softball fields when they are being used. I stretched and did one lap of the field walking. Then I took off and did my first lap in 2:17. On pace for a little over 9 minute mile. Roger Bannister would have been proud. I knew I couldn't hold that pace and the second lap was done around 4:40. On Monday I ran the whole mile and I expected to do the same tonight, but around 3/4 of a mile I was getting pretty tired. My last lap had some walking involved. I finished with a 10:14 mile. 26 seconds faster than Monday. I didn't know I did better than Monday until I got home. I finished the workout running/walking/jogging for another 4 miles.

You can click on the photos to enlarge them. The one of the track above will let you see how many laps I did. It felt like 100, but 5 miles comes out to 20.

This is a photo I shot before the Beat The Heat Knight 5k at Higley High. The first and last part of the race was on the track. Good thing I took a picture before the race, because the lights went out with the storm and we finished in the dark.

I took a couple pictures tonight. Can you guess what these signs are for and where I found them?

I'll give the answer in a later post.

Dry Run

Tonight was a dry run for my virtual mile. It was late and instead of not doing a run at all, I went out to run a mile as fast as I could. My PR for the mile is 9:19 that I set in September of 2007, one year ago. I don't have the stamina that I did last year, so I knew I wasn't going to do any better. I started out running under a 9 minute pace. I knew that was going to last and I ended up bobbing up and down the 10 minute mark the rest of the run. My virtual mile will be later this week and I hope to do a mile run test more often.

The family ordered pizza tonight and a dozen hot wings for me. I must be getting too many carbs because I actually gained some weight the last three days. I am up to 229, a 3.5 pound gain.

Runners World has some great downloadable wallpaper. The scene from the Golden Gate bridge at the top of my blog is one of them. Of course, if you are not viewing this close to the time I wrote it, it could change.

Funny Pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

I did do the second day of the push up challenge. The muscle on each side really felt the burn. Today it was sets of 9,8,6,5 and a max of 11.

I'm still doing atkins. Yesterday we dropped my son of at his work - Someburros and stayed to eat dinner. They give you free chips and salsa. I passed on them and got the taco salad. No, I even passed on the fried tortilla bowl. Then, I took Tyler over to the DMV for some parallel parking practice. After wards, he wanted to stop at Dairy Queen. He got a small shake and we took Amy a Peanut Buster Parfait. I passed. Today we went to the movies and saw "Journey to the Center of the Earth", and I didn't eat any popcorn. Tomorrow morning I'll weigh in.

2nd race of the year

Not since I ran the PF Chang's Marathon, have I run in a race. Tonight I went over to the 2nd annual Beat The Heat Knight 5k. It was put on by the Higley Knights Cross Country team.

It's been stormy all week in Arizona and tonight was no exception. Last nite I was getting ready to play softball when we heard a loud thunder crack and the ump immediately said 'go home'. Tonight the lightening was off in the distance. But, as the gun sounded 5 minutes early the rain came down. It wasn't too hard and made for a nice way to cool down. We did a lap on the track in front of dozens of fans in the bleachers, then headed out into the dark and down an abandoned roadway. They did set up spot lights along the road. The asphalt was removed, so it was really running on dirt. The spot lights would shine in our eyes and blind us. We couldn't see the elite runners on their return leg. Luckily the could see us.

I knew my time wouldn't be very impressive, I just wanted to run in a race and this was a small one close to home. For most of the race I was keeping up with 4 of the girl Xcountry runners. They had a better kick at the end and left me in the dust on the track.

You can click on the map above to see where we ran. When I was about 1/2 mile from the stadium, the lights went out. I told a volunteer that I was slow, but at least they could have left the lights on. I got a chuckle. We ended up running on the track in the dark.

Only got a luke warm bottle of water at the finish, but we did get a cool t-shirt for our efforts. It was an unusual race, because I think the average age was around 16-20. I doubt 38 minutes will get me a medal, eventhough I bet there are only 4-6 runners in my age category. I'll let you know.

Hundred Pushup Challenge

Last night I started the program. I was supposed to do sets of 7,7,5,4 and then do as many as I could. I finished with 12 pushups at the end, all while watching a tape of the Dbacks/Dodgers game. Go Dbacks!

From 10 to 100 in Six Weeks?

I'm accepting another challenge. Last night when I ran I notice that my shoulders were tired. More so, than my legs. I thought I needed to get some upper body work and get stronger. Than today, the good lord sent me a comment from Reid. On Reid's blog Lifestrides, I saw a link to One Hundred Pushups.

I'm in. All in. Today I did my initial test. 10 pushups. Good form. But, as I type I can still feel it in my arms.

I'll keep you updated with my progress. I'm hoping it will help with my hitting a softball too.

Air Force 5k

I can't wait for the Air Force 5k on September 20th. I have to drive down to Tucson for the race, but click on the photo to see the course. It's in the Pima Air Museum and among the planes. I get a tee, breakfast and I get to visit the museum. This is too cool.

Last night I ran to the lake and back. 3.6 miles. Another storm was coming in, so I got lots of cool breeze. It was a cool 91 degrees. It was another Nike HumanRace training nite and a couple of ladies passed me. As they passed, they said to me, "you're almost there". Thinking I was doing the training run too. I told them I wasn't one of them, I was just beginning my run.

On the diet front I am holding steady the past few days. I gained one pound - who can gain on atkins? I can. But, I've been faithful and should see some pounds dropping.

Holding steady at 228.

It's Thursday morning and I weighed in at 225.5. Not sure why I can go 3-4 days and not lose anything and then drop 2.5 pounds overnight? I think my scale has a mind of it's own. That means I gone from 235 to 225.5, almost 10 pounds, in 13 days. GO ATKINS!

Reid over at Lifestrides is doing a virtual mile. I plan on running in it and I hope all of you do as well. He's got a pretty cool running history too, so you might want to read some of his older posts.

Chandler Get's Fit

Our mayor wants us all to get fit. Mayor Boyd Dunn has set up a Wellness Challenge for residents of Chandler in September followed by a fun day and 5k or 10k race on October 18th. You know I like challenges, so I'm in. I made copies of the registration for my wife and kids. Hopefully, they'll want to participate too. If you're going to be in Chandler, AZ on that day you might want to join in the fun too.

Last night I got in a 2 miler around my neighborhood. My garmin was out of gas, but I wasn't. It was overcast and cooler, so it was a nice Arizona nite for a run.

A Pleasant 85

We had a big storm today, monsoon. It started with a dust storm. I was driving in it. Then the rain. It reminded me of those insurance commercials. I saw fallen trees, flooded streets, multiple police cars with lights at intersections, one severe accident and all sorts of debris hitting my car.

The beauty of the monsoon is that the temps fall drastically. It was dark and 85 when I started runnng. I was concerned with being gassed, so I kept the run to a one mile loop in my neighborhood. It was a nice memory, because it was a route I used to run in my first year. I got three laps in for 3 miles and I didn't feel the dizziness that I felt on Friday night. I ate a bit more carbs today, so that may be it. I'm sure the temps played a part too.

This is something most guys wouldn't confess. Do you know the movie "Music and Lyrics"? I think that's the name with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore? Anyway, my daughter used my Itunes account to download the album. It found it's way onto my Ipod, so every couple runs I get to hear "Way Back Into Love" or "Pop! Goes My Heart". I like it because it reminds me of my daughter. It's a funny move too.

No honestly, my daughter bought it. Emily, if you read this post, please confirm that you bought the album.

Low Battery Warning!

My running routine is to lightly stretch my legs using the left front tire of my SUV. While I do that I turn on my Ipod and garmin gps.

I should have taken the sign. My garmin said, "Low Battery Warning". I ran anyway. My garmin lasted about 1/4 mile before it shut down. I lasted about a mile. Then I was gassed. Tired. Dizzy. No desire to run. I walked and walked and walked. I thought about calling Amy. When I first started running 26 months ago, I promised I would call if I ever couldn't finish my run. I haven't yet and tonight wasn't going to be the first.

I kept walking away from home on my scheduled course. Around the lake. Past the football field. Thru the parking lot and back towards home. Every park bench I passed I thought about sitting.

This night reminded me of my first attempt at a 20 miler. Around mile 15 I was gassed and 5 miles from home. I took a shortcut and walked the last two miles. I felt the same way that day, as I did tonight.

The good news I made it home. I'm resting. Garmin is charging. I'll live to run another day.

So, is it from a lack of Carbs? Is the Atkin's Diet going to leave me with no energy to get my runs in? Wednesday was my best run in a while. Today was my worst. Time will tell.

All I know is losing 30 or more pounds will help my running in the long run (pun intended).

Atkin's Stats: 6 Days - 6 pounds

The Human Race 10k

My wife comes home and tells me there all kinds of people running in our neighborhood. I push out my chest and proudly say it's about time the neighbors take my lead and start running too. No, she says. There's signs saying, "The Human Race".

So, I get in my SUV and go find the runners. Turns out, the Finish Line in the mall is sponsoring training runs in my neighborhood. They start at the mall and run around our house. So, come Saturday morning I will be up at the mall around 8 am to run with these fine people.

You've probably seen the ads for The Human Race 10k in Runner's World. Nike wants everyone around the world to run a 10k on 8/31/2008. Check it out at nikeplus.com



I ran tonight. I ran over to The Finish Line in the mall to get info on the training runs. Then I ran around the mall. It actually was a good place to run. Not a lot of traffic and there's a sidewalk around most of the building. I even got to run down along the dancing water fountain. 3.53 miles later I was back at home to watch The Usain Lighting Bolt run the 200 meters. He's fast.

Michelangelo is Returning to Italy!

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy. . .

You can click on the photo for a larger view, however, I don't know why you'd want to do that.

On the Atkin's front, I've run twice since I've started and I'm down 4.5 pounds. Not bad for 4 days.

Sale at REI

25% off all Gu Gels and Drinks. If you like Gu products, head on over to REI from August 22nd until September 1.

Take Two.

Blogger didn't save my first draft. I ran to the lake and back again tonight. 8:30 pm. It was still 95, but the sun was down. 3.93 miles and 1479 miles since I started.

Usery Mountain Park

I got to run in Usery Mountain Regional Park again. It's one of our county parks that are vacant this time of year. 100 degree temperatures and not even the gate is attended. There was a self pay box, which I place my $6 in and then I headed toward Merkle Trail. Merkle is the short interprative trail in the middle of the park. It's about 1 mile long and it goes around a small butte. The picture shows Usery Mtn. There's the Wind Cave trail that goes up to the strip of colored rock at the top, but today wasn't the day to tackle that trail. Merkle is relatively flat and close to my SUV and water. No one else was on the trail.

Here's a google map of the trail. The road is well defined, but if you look inside that loop you'll see the Merkle trail. It's smoothed with pea gravel to make it accessible to wheel chairs, strollers and anyone that needs a flat walking surface. It's great to run on.

Here's a good view of the trail. Lots of Saugaro's, Ocotillo's, barrel cactus and other desert plants. I did see an Antelope squirrel and lots of lizzards on the trail. Not enought time and too much heat. I ran/walked for about two miles.

Losing Weight?

A few years before I started running I did the Atkin's Diet. I lost a bunch of weight the quit. And gained it all back. No diet and no exercise at that time and I got up to around 260 pounds.

I started running a little over 2 years ago and lost 30 pounds in the first 4-5 months. Then I plateaued and didn't lose any weight for the longest time. This summer I ran less because of my knee, then the heat, then all sorts of things took priority over running and I gained a bit. Now weighing 235 on Saturday I decided I was going to run and do Atkin's at the same time.

Two days of Atkin's and one run later I am down to 232.

Welcome to the desert, Adam Dunn

My favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds traded one of my favorite players to my second favorite team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reds are out of it, so maybe this will help the Dbacks make it to the World Series.



Here's hoping for a Dbacks vs. White Sox World Series.

SomeBurros

And on the same day, my oldest got his first job. He's either the CEO or in charge of clearing tables at an awesome mexican eatry.

Speaking of awesome eatries. We now have a bit of Wisconsin down here in the sunshine. Culver's has great butter burgers and custard too. I'm going to have to limit how many times I go here.

Running? I did get some time on the exercise bike while I watched the USA 4x100 freestyle men's swimmers win gold. I did an hour and 14 miles.

My Running Schedule

Here's my schedule for the fall running season up to the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon in January.

9/20/2008 - Air Force Anniversary 5k at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.

10/25/2008 - YMCA Half Marathon in Phoenix.

11/9/2008 - Phoenix 10K & 5K in downtown Phoenix.

11/27/2008 - Mesa Turkey Trot

12/14/2008 - Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon.

1/18/2009 - PF Chang's Half Marathon

A Run to the Lake and back

I did a 4 miler today to the lake and back. When I say I ran to the lake you should think of the picture below.

But it's actually more like this.

I'm just slightly exaggerating. But, when it's 100 degrees the smells coming off a city park lake are the greatest. I do enjoy running past the youth football teams practicing and all their dads watching. I think it's a rule that you have to be over weight to have a son on the football team. I guess my kid could play, I qualify.

I've run 3 of the first four days of August. It's nice to get back in the groove.

Baseball and Running

Tonight was a downtown Mesa run. I dropped my kids off at a church dance and got my run in. I decided I would run up to Fitch Park, the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. There I got to watch the Cubs / Giants game for three innings. No, not the real Cubs / Giants, but the rookie league teams. A bunch of 8-21 year old kids wanting to make it to the majors some day. 2.45 miles before the game and 1.3 after. The games are free and are there's usually less than a dozen fans. You sit with the extra players when you watch the game.

I ran past the Mesa Arts Center, which has really cool fountians and landscaping. Here's one of the water features.

August 2008 is going to be a great month!

April thru July have not been big number months for me running wise. I'd like to give you a good excuse, but I'll jus say that running wasn't my top priority. In August it's going to be my top priority. See the graph below, it's not a pretty picture.

click on photo to enlarge

Tonight I got in a good 1 hour workout. Some running, some walking, all moving. I decided to do 1 hour runs and see how far I can get. The last two runs were just over 4 miles. It was around 7:30 when I started running. Light, but the sun was setting. Check out the temperature. A beautiful 101 degrees in the desert.

Here's another vacation shot. Beautiful Durham Bulls Stadium. On the last day of our vacation, It took in a Durham v. Louisville Bats baseball game. The stadium is fabulous. The left field fence is called the "Blue Monster" and I think it's the same height as Boston's fence. Sorry about the reflection of the glass. Can you guess what floor I'm on, when I took the picture?

Last, but not least. Good luck to Ken Griffey, jr. One of my favorites. Ken and I grew up in Cincinnati when we were kids. No, we didn't know each other, but we did live about 3 miles apart. Jr is now a member of the Chicago White Sox. Let's hope "The Kid" helps his new team win their second world series this decade.

Almost Three More States

Amy, my wife wouldn't let me do a mile in the airport in Minnesota during our layover, so I only got to run in two new states. My first run was in North Carolina - The Outer Banks or OBX, as the locals call it. Our hotel was on the beach about a 1/4 mile away from the Wright Brothers Memorial, so my plan was to run over to the memorial. Here I am pictured next to the memorial that is situated on a hill overlooking the field that was used for the first powered flight.
Here you can see the hill. It was a big hill, the picture doesn't do it justice. It was a large sand dune back when the brothers were here. The park service planted grass to keep it stable. I ended up running 2.75 miles in about 45 minutes. I did take some time on the top of the hill to snap some pictures and to take in the view. Once, I was below I finished touring the museum. We visited the day before and did about 75% of the musuem. I wanted to see it all.

In the picture below you can see four markers in the distance. The Wright brothers took turns flying the plane. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and went to the first marker 100 feet away. The second and third flights went 175 and 200 feet. The final flight of the day lasted for 59 seconds and went over 800 feet. I took the challenge and decided that part of my run would be to the last marker. It took me about an additional 10 seconds to reach it. I then ran back to the hotel, grabbed my bathing suit and found my kids at the beach for some body surfing.

I didn't get to run as much as I'd like. I wanted to do a beach run, but that didn't happen. After spending a few days at OBX in North Carolina, taking in a wedding and a family reunion. My family headed toward Virginia to take in some Revolutionary and Colonial history. Grandpa Harry Potter came along for the fun. Yeah, I married Harry Potter's daughter.

We visited Yorktown, VA the sight of the battle that won the Revolutionary War and gave us our independence. I saw runners running the roads in the battlefield, pretty cool. We went to Jamestown, VA, the first English settlement in the new world. Think Pocahontas. The driving tour was on an island and it too would have been a great place for a run. We stayed in Williamsburg, VA and visited Colonial Williamsburg the site of the Governor's Palace when the King picked the govenor and the Colonial Capitol where Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry made their names. All three places were unbelievable. If you are a history buff, it's a must see place. I decided to run in Colonial Williamsburg, down the DOG or Duke of Glouchester Street in the heart of the oldest part of town, past the Gov's palace and the Capitol and then onto the campus of William and Mary College. 2.51 miles and 234 years in the past. It was beautiful.

So, that gives me 7 states that I have run in to date. You can see the map on the right of my blog.

What the Future Holds.

Time to go to the Potter Family Reunion in North Carolina. None of the Potters actually live in the state, but there is a family wedding on the Outer Banks and so it makes for a fine place for a reunion. And yes, Harry Potter will be attending the reunion. Honestly! We are flying into Raleigh and then driving to

the Kitty Hawk area. I have not run on a beach yet, so this will be a first. NC will also be a new state for me to run in. # 6 on my list. Lately I've been running about 1-2 a week, not much. It's too hot in the day to run here in Arizona. I hate getting up to run in the morning, so that leaves me the evenings. After the wedding, reunion and visiting Kitty Hawk we'll be taking a road trip north to see Williamsburg, VA and I plan to run there too. Not as fast as the kids in the photo and without the tri tip hat, but run none the less. I hope to be able to run down the historic streets. It's a four mile round trip from our hotel. That's almost perfect for me these days.

Of course, Virginia will be state #7. You can look at the map on the top right to see the other states I've run in.

To date, those are all my goals for running. 1. Run in NC. 2. Run in VA. I think I need some more goals.

Where in the world is Waldo?

Or Pat to be more precise.

I'm working hard. Playing softball. Watching baseball. Running some.

Real Estate has kept me busy. I'm all over town getting deals done and coming home tired. After work I haven't had much energy to do much.

So, I haven't kept up on my Runner's World issues and I haven't visited running blogs like I would like too. I have been reading some Nancy Taylor Rosenberg murder mystries lately and just started Pastwatch, a sci fi book, my wife insists I read. It's pretty cool.

I've been playing softball two nites a week, so I don't get to run on Thursdays and Fridays. Last Friday we won 17-0. It's the second time in my life I've thrown a shut out.

I keep following the Reds on Directv. I watch almost every game either live in the late afternoon. My siesta. Or late at night on the DVR. The Reds are a real up and coming team. Not sure if they have enought to catch the Cubs, but it should be a fun season to watch.

Amy and I just got back from taking our kids to San Diego. We went to Sea World, the beach on Coronado Island and got to see the Reds play the Padres in their new stadium. We even sat thru an 18 ininning game that took 6 hours to play. My family were real troupers to stay the entire time. Tyler and I had a great time rooting for the visiting team and taking a little heat from the home town fans. Unfortunately, the Padres' Adrian Gonzalez hit a three run homer in the 18th for the win.

I did get in a few runs in SD. All on the treadmill. I wish I would have gotten a chance to run on the beach, but lying on the sand like a sea lion was what I did. The kids and I did make a perfect sand cube. I used it as a table as I layed there watching the sea gulls dive into the bay. Does that make them baygulls?

Anyway, I have been getting 5-10 miles in a week. Not a lot, but some. I plan to up that amount so that I can start racing again and do some of the fall half marathons.