Happy New Year!

it's been almost a month since the last entry and a lot of things has happened (or not) since. Christmas, New Year...but a couple of things that really didn't happen is my marathon training, sort of. today, I ran 16 miles, which is about 5 weeks delayed because i was pretty much inactive during the holidays and it took me a while to get back where i was.

what a beautiful weekend it's been. the whole week has been pretty much in the 70s...unbelievable! that said, i've wanted to spend as much time with the kids as possible so we've been going to the beach.

i still have to signup for the big sur marathon but i'm already signed up for the death ride. i'm still torn between the tri at pg or do the best buddies again. i think i will be doing a number of crits this year also; did a clinic a couple of weeks ago and that was a lot of fun.

i just need to dial in my training because i'm afraid i'm on the brink of overtraining.

Brrrr!

what a week that was. it went from a relatively cold high 40's/low 50's to freezing in a matter of days. add to that the rain, which we badly needed, and there goes the training plan. either the weather or the fact that the kids are sick, and i think i'm coming down with something myself, and it's been a no ride week for me--the first since i started riding! i was able to squeeze in a couple of 5 milers during the week in the cold and darkness and an 8+ miler today. i'm trying to just keep it easy; i'm not really feeling my oats for some reason. hard to get motivated. it's hectic at home, it's busy at work, and it's cold out. hopefully i'll be able to pick it up come new year.

at least i was able to send out the christmas cards already.

Good Week

i just realize maybe i should start posting my progress for future reference. so here they are, and i'll start with last week's (dec 1 - dec 7):
mon: (bike)
tue: (run) 5 mi, 154 bmp,
wed: (bike) ; (run) 6 mi,
thu: (run) 4 mi, 165 bmp, 7:51 pace
fri: (bike) 21 mi, 16.9 mph, 86 rpm
sun: 14 mi, 156 bmp, 8:28 pace.

total: (run) ; (bike) 63 mi

the long run was comfortable to mile 13+. my unofficial half marathon time is 1:50. still hard to get going but otherwise, it's getting there. i'm still a little concerned about overtraining, but the rainy season is upon us and i'd like to get out as much before then.

tonight, apparently the moon is the closest to the earth and won't be again for another 15 years...that would be 2023! i got the kids to come out into the chilly night to take a look at the moon, too. hopefully they will remember.

Got Roped Again

i specifically intended not to coach ymca basketball this time around. i made an agreement with one of my soccer co-coaches that he take the lead this time and i'll help out--i'll be the assistant for a change. so i get to the team selection and he's not there. so guess what? i got roped into it again. i should have just skipped the whole thing but i wanted my soccer kids to be together as much as possible since i kind of encourage them to sign up. anyway, i'm sure it will work out, and i have fun coaching, it's just that i don't have any time!

today's run was pretty good. 4 miles at 7:43 pace. i wouldn't have imagined that for another year or so. i guess i'm getting faster. too bad my garmin computer data keep reverting to nov 3rd and i have to keep restoring it. unfortunately tonight, it won't recognize yesterday's backup so i lost about 4 days of data. and this has been my best week so far: 4+ on monday, 3.87mi on tuesday, 6.15 wednesday, and 4+ today, all at 8:30 or under. oh well.

i've incorporated some speed work into my routine, mainly the last half mile or so. i've ran it at 7:30 pace, give or take, may not be impressive to the veteran runner, but believe me, i feel like overreaching while i'm running it. it will come with time i'm sure.

tonight was the pacific grove christmas parade. it was a nice night--a clear 47 degrees. met the family because i was busy picking my team. anyway, it was fun to be out...the kinda of fun that you only get in a small town!

Random Reflections

the other day, i got an email from a friend saying she is moving to the east coast to accept a job because she’s "finally figured out what she wants to do with her life". my immediate response was "more power to you" because it’s an admirable feat for someone to be that aware of their being and recognize what they want and actually go and do it. but i don’t know is if that’s a predicament most of us ever wrestle with; if i ever did, i don’t remember now.

it could be because of my upbringing, or maybe even the fact that we didn’t have much growing up, where the options tended to lead towards the practical. i didn’t really have any life plans per se--i knew i was going to college and hopefully graduate with practical and marketable skill (civil engineering in my case). but as far as i can tell, life just happened. went to college, met a girl, graduated, got a job, wedding bells tolled, and four beautiful kids later, here i am blogging. truth be told, i don’t have much time to reflect on life because i’m too busy living it--good and bad, but mostly good. sure i have regrets about things i wanted to do and didn't or haven't yet--join the marines, which, at this point in my life, is all but too late (would they have accepted me with my flat feet, i don’t know); be a traveller (and learn how the other half lives); work for an global firm mainly for the occasional ego trip; a cia spy; but most importantly, for more time: with my family; to ride, run, and train; to volunteer abroad where my engineering skills can save lives instead of dealing with the bureaucratic bullshit for projects that really, in the whole scheme of things, are insignificant compared to the plight for clean water in some impoverished locale halfway around the world.

overall, i truly believe that i have been blessed with more than i deserve: a beautiful wife who’s my best friend, the priceless sound of my kids’ laughter, living in quite possibly the most beautiful place on earth (monterey bay), the unconditional love and support of my extended family and friends, and lastly, a gratifying job that supports a relatively comfortable lifestyle.

that said, i’ll end this entry with a qoute from lucius annaeus seneca, "life, if well lived, is long enough". maybe someday, i will be able to look back and really put things in perspective.

Back on Track

so that's a full marathon in a week: 26.2 miles in 3:48. granted that's over 4 days, the important thing is that i'm back on track. today's long run was supposed to be on ly 11 miles, but i was feeling pretty good just to get out, i ended up doing 12.2 miles, again, the most i've ever ran continually in my life!
the day was going to start with our usual "sunrise surprise", breakfast at the beach waiting for sunrise, but it that was 86'ed when my wife discovered that our daughters were infected with head lice, and it was downhill from there. i didn't realize it would take a whole day just shampooing, brushing, and cleaning their hairs, and that was with my wife's cousin helping her. plus the fact that now we have to wash all the clothes, linens, etc.; vacuum and steamclean the carpets; disinfect the beds, pillow, couches, etc.; soak the brushes; bag everything else. holy cow, it's a whole weekend; which means, i'll missed the long ride tomorrow. but hey, i got to do my long run, so i can't complain too much.

Falling off the Wagon

sooner or later i guess this will happen. after 6 weeks, i'm off my running schedule. saturday was hectic due to the kids' schedule, sunday was leslie's bday, meetings, sick kids, kids activities, you name it. it's been 3 weeks since i've been to the pool. riding is also not as regular; haven't logged a 100-mile week in a month. it's all about priorities, i suppose. i just roll with life's punches.

since the crash, i still have lingering pains on my left shoulder and my left thumb. i'm able to ride but i seem to be struggling a bit just hanging on with the guys. can't seem to get my heart rate up even though i'm usually panting (in the past, i would have been at 185 bpm with that level of effort, but now it barely registers to 170). running might have something to do with it. speaking of which, i seem to be less motivated with running. could be overtraining...or life just conspiring against my training schedule. my knees are starting to hurt a bit, and the pain on my left foot/heel is making a comeback.

soccer season is over. i'll have my last apwa meeting as president of the chapter. it will get lighter at night again. looking forward to getting back on track!