2009 Tri-ing to Du and Other Stuff

Finally getting around to firming up the 2009 event calendar.

Three major events are already on the calendar -- the American Odyssey Relay in April and the Seagull Century and Marine Corps Marathon in October. I'll likely do one of the two latter with Team in Training again. Frederick was such a great experience last year and it is such a worthy cause. (Don't worry, you'll be hearing from me again on this, no doubt!)

I've never been interested in the whole triathlon thing, but there's one that looks intriguing -- an indoor tri -- 10 minutes of swimming, 30 minutes of stationary biking and 20 minutes running on a treadmill with preset transition. So what if I can only do a few laps in the pool. No stress on transition, either. Looks like a great way to get my feet wet. Pun intended!

A duathlon -- run, bike, run -- is more up my alley. Hope to get one in. Not sure when, though there are a few options. Will add later.

The big winter event will be the Gasparilla Tampa Half Marathon. Just so happens, we have a long weekend planned in Tampa while the kids are off of school. Just so happens this is going on while we're there. Score! (But, shh, kids won't know we're going until we pick them up from school to head to the airport!)

The rest of the schuedule is filled in with plans for a few other running events.

So, here goes:

1/1 -- New Year's Prediction Run 8k
2/21 -- Tri to Help -- Indoor Triathlon
3/1 -- Gasparilla Tampa Half Marathon
4/19 -- Clyde's 10k
4/24-25 -- American Odyssey Relay
4/26 -- Pike's Peek 10k
5/3 -- Frederick Half Marathon
5/31 -- Inaugural Maryland Half Marathon
6/14 -- Survivor Harbor 7 Miler
8/30 -- Annapolis 10 Miler
10/10 -- Seagull Century Bike Ride
10/25 -- Marine Corps Marathon
12/6 -- Columbia Metric Marathon -- 26.2k

Looks like a busy year. Hopefully, my feet will hold out for a change.

L'Chaim!

Merry Hanumas!

Wishing all our friends in blogland a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

L'Chaim!

Too Many Fours

So much has gone on since I last posted. Where oh where to start.

There was the unplanned day trip to the Corporate Office. Then a planned two-day trip to Corporate that expanded to three. The work crunch has been relentless and stressful, and it's not been positive to the exercise and healthy eating regimen.

This week's trip really threw me. In the middle of the week was my 44th birthday. I knew there was a chance that my Wednesday meetings would keep me late or even over to the next day, but the kids couldn't wait for me to get home. Gut wrenching, really. As the day wore on, I realized that I would not make it home on Wednesday and my mood truly soured. I didn't want to talk to anyone on the day my phone and email never stopped with best wishes for the big day. I got home a full day late and met the family for a belated birthday crab cake dinner, finally starting to feel the numb of the prior few days wearing off.

I diligently packed a couple sets of workout duds for the trip, unfortunately, leaving the office after 8 pm and back in at 6 am doesn't bode well for that which would have cleared my head. I brought home two sets of clean gym wear.

A bigger issue this week was at meal time. Some of that old fat Jeff was out and about. Looking back, it seems like every meal had me full half way through. I know I finished every meal -- good to the last drop. There was the awesome too big, too good Greek salad that I shoulda taken half back for a late afternoon snack. Birthday lunch included half a loaf of onion bread, dipped in goo -- olive oil, Parmesan cheese and spices. Birthday dinner started with two nice glasses of red wine, an order of my favorite roasted red peppers and mozzarella, bathed in olive oil, followed by a big bowl of seafood pasta -- worked to completion of course. At the family crab cake dinner, after I finished mine, I finished Matty's cake and then Zach's. Friday was a day of grazing on everything in sight.

I started to feel like I was in a competitive eating contest, with me as the only contestant. Four days of feasting. Four days without exercise. Happy 44th to me!

I got on the scale this morning knowing that the news would be bad. It was. But I was off to the gym for my Saturday double -- Body Pump followed by spin. While I was spinning, I was thinking -- when I start the day with exercise, it sets the tone for my eating. Yeah, sometimes I compensate with a little extra food on the big days, but nothing like this. I was totally out of control. Part of me enjoyed it, but most of me hated it.

Live and learn -- one of my toughest four day periods in the past 2 1/2 years and I failed in the diet and exercise departments, but if I learn how to deal with the next one, I'll bump that grade to a C.

L'Chaim!

White Out

What a weekend so far, I expected more
The forecast was dry, but cold for sure

On Saturday we hiked to Frederick you'll see
Going to meet Aaron, a guy much like me

5k was the plan, jingling all the way
Check out Aaron's blog for news of the day

Yes it was chilly, and we weren't quite fast
It was Zach, me, Paul and Aaron -- but at least we weren't LAST!

Late afternoon it started to snow
Didn't expect it, this could really blow

Not quite cold enough to stick to the streets
My buddy Dave suggested running in cleats

Easy for him to say, he thinks I'm a fool
Cause today he ran the Vegas full

The dining room table was covered with my crap
There was so much stuff, looked like a death trap

Three layers on top and two on my seat
Just two on my head and three for my feet

Didn't sleep well from about four
Before six I gave up might as well start the tour

Ate a bit, got dressed, head to my toes
Turned on the computer -- why who knows

Ann Marie's Facebook note said it all
Roads are icy, too easy to fall

I looked outside and what did I see?
A complete layer of white -- how could it be?

Maybe just a quarter inch was enough to do it
A slip and a slide was guaranteed to screw it

Despite my efforts to train quick and fast
I was so ready to go, the disappointment won't last

So what did I do with my unexpected day of leisure?
Not a damned thing (does anything rhyme here other than siezure?)

Time to start thinking about 2009
And finish this rhyme, it's mighty fine

Thanks for hanging through it I do appreciate
Your support and a kind word or two, four, six or eight

L'Chaim!

Cool Runnings

No, this isn't a post about the Jamaican Bobsled Team. It's a look forward to this weekend's running events.

Temps around these parts have been hovering mostly around freezing. This weekend will be more of the same.

Tomorrow's event is the Jingle Bell Run 5k in Frederick, MD. This was not an event I had planned to do, but a local soon-to-be-formerly-fat blogger, Aaron, picked this as his first 5k and it's too close to home not to join in for the fun.

This brings back memories as my first 5k was the Jingle Bell Run just 2 years ago. Will be heading west with the family early. Looking forward to temps in the upper 20's at the start. BRRR! I'm thinking those temps outta get Aaron to the finish a couple of minutes quicker than he's thinking.

I had a great 8 miler on Saturday with the Team in Training crew. Ran the full distance other than water stops. Even better, I was able to run the uphill mile or so back to the start -- a first for me. This was a great final long run leading up to this Sunday's Columbia Metric Marathon. With my times still consistently running between 10 and 10:30/mile, my concern about finishing in under the 3:30 time limit is all but a distant memory. Now I'm more concerned about being able to start out slow. The goal is an 11 minute pace -- just enough to break 3 hours.

For the first time, I'm excited about a race in a very different way -- there is no worry about times or IF I can finish. Baring injury, I KNOW I will finish. It just feels different. I can hardly wait!

(Oh yeah, forecast for the 8:15 start -- 32 degrees, windy and dry!)

Looking forward to sitting on my couch Sunday night watching the Ravens kick the Redskins butts writing my race reports.

Have a great weekend everyone!

L'Chaim!