Author: ianesenior

3,000 miles (so far) and how I got here

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Today I passed the 3,000 mile mark in my running career (it’s a full time gig).

Running history from Nike+

Running history from Nike+

So how did I get here?   On ‘My running story‘ page I tell how I got started running. But that is not really the whole story of what I do and how I do it.

I started running on a treadmill back on August 2nd 2010 (I had joined the gym on August 1st) doing a Couch to 5K program.  I persisted through the first couple of painful days as my body reacted to this new activity, and got through the initial shin splints I developed and by mid-September I had gained enough confidence to take a run outside.  In anticipation of this I had started to look at how I could track my runs and invested in the Nike+ Sportband.  I took my first run using the system on September 22, 2010 on an 80+ degree day.  I struggled to run 1.8 miles in the heat (I said I was confident enough not necessarily smart enough) but pushed through gradually building up my distances until by December of that name having lost 20+ pounds I ran my first 10K distance on December 31, 2010. You can see where this is going right?  I’m a statistic tracker (geek) and have recorded all my runs since.  I moved up to a GPS device in February 2011 (my birthday treat) and haven’t looked back.  I use the Garmin Forerunner 305.  To load my Garmin data into Nike+ I use a web app designed by Angus Smithson. Here is the link.  I also upload my data into ‘dailymile‘ and ‘Strava‘ so that I have a history in more than one location should any of these sites stop supporting Garmin devices.  I do this manual upload routine after each run…until I get a watch which will upload to all at the same time!!

Around the same time I started running longer distances I began strapping my right knee as I was struggling but too hard headed to quit (good decision).  I figured I needed to do something about this and while Googling runners knee and other ailments I came across Jeff Galloway and his ‘Run Injury Free‘ method.  I didn’t know who Jeff was at the time but I thought this was worth a try.  I hadn’t signed up for any races at the time but I had a couple of goals. Since February of 2011 I started using Jeff’s ‘RUN-WALK-RUN’ method experimenting with various intervals.  I had signed up for the 2011 Broad Street Run (the largest 10 miler in the US) and that was to be my first big race.  My wife noticed an inaugural Half Marathon in Tyler Park nearby a couple of weeks before Broad Street so I decided to sign up.  My practice run the week before the Half ended up with me getting lost in the park.  It was my first time there and I wasn’t familiar with the park, plus I had the map upside down….D’oh!!

During that Half Marathon (and many subsequent races) many people stopped to talk to me during a walk break as they had seen me taking regular walk breaks in between set periods of running.  I would pass them during the run section and then they would pass me during the walk and this kept going on.  It is usually the latter part of the run when I get stopped as these people have seen me taking these walk breaks but have not managed to pass me.  Jeff’s basic philosophy is to take regular walk breaks before you get tired as this gives your muscles a chance to recover and you can finish a long run faster and stronger.  In his books he states his goals are to have runners cross the finish line standing up with a smile on their faces.

Having run (to date) 7 Half Marathons and 4 Full Marathons I can attest that this method works for me.  In fact I PR’d in a 5K last year with 23:31 which included 3 minutes of walking (6 walk breaks of 30 seconds).  If I had gone flat out I would have faded towards the end of the race.  I once tried a 5K when I wanted to see the difference not taking a walk break would have and I finished with 28:04. That’s a pretty big difference.  So I guess I will stick with what works.  I currently run with a 4:00/0:30 ratio.  This is my plan for this year although I sometimes play around with intervals between races.

Taking walk breaks also reduces the risk of injury as it gives the body time to recover.  I use this time to let my heart rate come down.  I watch this pretty carefully so I can judge the effort I am expending with the pace I am trying to maintain.

The reason I use this method is so that I can continue to run as long as I can.  It’s only been 2 and 1/2 years so far but I would like to continue as long as I can and by using this method I can hopefully continue for many years to come.  One day I hope that I will be running events with my boys.

I recommend you check out Jeff’s site to learn more about him and the training methods he employs.  Now I know a lot more about Jeff, have a few of his books and occasionally ask him questions (to which he timely responds) on his Facebook page.  Jeff is actually the official runDisney trainer and his programs are available on the runDisney website.  One day (hopefully next January) I hope to meet Jeff in person and thank him.  At Disney I am in good company.  There are many Gallowalkers.  Everyone uses their own timers for their Run/Walk ratios and many times I heard beeping and had to check whether it was my turn for a walk break or someone else.  I was in good company.

My goal was never to run to win everything or to always be looking to place in my age group.  Running has enabled me to lose 60 pounds, turn my health around and spend quality time with my family.  In that way I have already won.  Running has given me opportunities to explore different cities and countries.  I have run in the USA, England and Israel to date (and if you count EPCOT’s World Showcase, plenty more countries).  Mostly I compete with myself and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow runners in the events I run in.

Using Jeff’s RUN-WALK-RUN method I have indeed crossed the finish line standing up with a smile on my face.  Long may this continue.  Let’s see how far I can go.

Finishing my 1st Marathon in Philadelphia, November 2011

Finishing my 1st Marathon in Philadelphia, November 2011

🙂

If you are interested in the products above I would recommend you look at them on Amazon.com for some reviews.  I would also recommend checking out DC Rainmaker for running electronics reviews.  They are very comprehensive and do far more justice than I can provide in terms of testing all the functions.  Plus you get to check out how Ray and his wife are doing with their move to Paris and the bakery they opened up there.  Interesting stuff.

See you out there.

48.6 is the new 42.4…That’s just Dopey!

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In January of this year I ran the ‘Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge’ at Walt Disney World.  The challenge is the completion of the Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday and the Full Marathon (26.2 miles) on the Sunday.  For good measure my wife and I also ran the Family 5K on the Friday.  That was what everyone traditionally called the unofficial ‘Dopey’ challenge.  I think the names are pretty much self explanatory.  So in addition to the 39.3 miles official distance you add another 3.1 miles to reach the 42.2 miles of the Dopey…or so we thought…

Was this a prediction for 2014?

Was this a prediction for 2014?

Last week runDisney dropped a little note into the runDisney ‘Wine and Dine’ registration email that the upcoming (2014) Walt Disney World Marathon weekend would see all new medals for the races.  I’d seen rumors rumbling around on Facebook and the blogosphere earlier this week that Disney was planning on hosting an official ‘Dopey’ challenge.  There were lots of wild guesses out there as to what would make up the Dopey.  Most thought that it would be what everyone had been unofficially doing all these years but what confused everyone was that it seemed runDisney had slipped a 10K into the Marathon weekend schedule.  Well today all those rumors were put to rest as runDisney announced the official inaugural ‘Dopey Challenge’.  This consists of 4 races on 4 days as follows:

  • Thursday January 9 – 5K (3.1 miles)
  • Friday January 10 – 10K (6.2 miles)
  • Saturday January 11 – Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
  • Sunday January 12 – Full Marathon (26.2 miles)

The Goofy Challenge earns you a Donald medal for the Half, a Mickey medal for the Full and a Goofy medal for completing both, a total of 3 medals.  Add in one more for the 5K and you walk away (slowly and with a limp probably) with 4 medals.  runDisney announced that by completing the Dopey Challenge you get the 5K medal, a Minnie themed medal for the 10K as well as the Donald, Mickey and Goofy and finally for completing all races you earn a new ‘Dopey’ medal.  That’s 6, count them, 6 medals.  Bling, bling, bling, bling, bling, bling (although the 5K is usually a rubber medallion so deduct a bling…it’s up to you).  That’s some serious hardware.  In addition to walking funny after all this mileage you’ll probably be stooped over from the weight around you neck 🙂

So, what’s the plan?  Am I in?  You bet.  Wouldn’t miss this.  A friend suggested I need an intervention.  Maybe, but it will have to wait until January 13, 2014!!!

Thanks to runDisney I now have 2 problems:

  1. My blog is called Philly2Goofy (oops, didn’t see this coming)
  2. I’m going to need a bigger car for my new distance magnet (see below)
My car

My car

Race you to the Castle 🙂

It's official

It’s official

The great outdoors

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Finally…

This is NOT a treadmill

This is NOT a treadmill

After more than 5 weeks of running inside on a treadmill I finally got to run outside today. I didn’t even mind losing an hour of sleep from changing the clocks last night as I was so pumped just to be finally away from the treadmill. Free from music and podcasts, breathing fresh air and enjoying the sunshine.

With the NJ Marathon only 8 weeks away I am now running longer distances. Today was a 17 miler and I was so glad to be able to do this outside. Not that this did not lead to a little apprehension about what to wear as I had got used to my usual indoor attire of t-shirt and shorts. A quick use of the Runners World ‘What to Wear’ tool showed that I could get by with a long sleeve T, shorts and a hat for sun protection. I added my Brooks Essential vest to keep my core warm and my Brooks Gossamer gloves to keep my hands warm plus my bright blue Zensah’s and I was up and out and ready to run.

Tyler Park has quite a number of hills and after being on a treadmill for a number of weeks I was concerned on how I would fair after running on essentially a flat to slightly elevated platform. I had changed my Galloway Run/Walk ratio to 4:00/0:50 based upon a response from Jeff Galloway to a question I posted on Facebook and set out. I was a little concerned about the new ratio as I had never gone beyond a 0:35 walk before but he’s the expert to so I did what he advised.

I’m pleased to say that it seemed to work well for me. I ran perhaps a little quicker during the run but the recovery time during the walk seemed to help a lot. I covered the first 13 miles in 2 hours which isn’t bad given the terrain and my traditional pace. Here is a link to my Garmin data if you want to see all the charts for today’s run.

As it was really the first really beautiful day of the nearly spring season it seemed like everyone was out in the park and with a smile on their faces. Everyone seemed to be really friendly and gracious. It was lots of ‘hello’s and ‘good morning’s although it seems people can be somewhat taken aback when the oncoming runner (namely me) says good morning sounding like Mr Banks (the father from Mary Poppins). It certainly turned a couple of heads and made me smile. I should just confirm that this was not how I dressed.

Mr Banks (actor David Tomlinson)

Mr Banks (actor David Tomlinson)

It was also good to see a few friends of ours out there. I ran past our friend Mike who lives near the park and can run circles around me. He was no doubt in training for Boston next month. I also saw our friend Lauren who is new to running having recently completed her first 5K. Today was a great day to be out in the sunshine and she was taking her first run in Tyler Park. It is a great park to run in and has many routes and trails. If you are ever in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and want a nice place to run you must check it out. Be aware though it is quite hilly but that’s good right? Here is the link for park information.

Of course, you don’t run 17 miles just for fun do you? You run for the post run treats. Needless to say I parked on the side of the park closest to the Dunkin’ Donuts. Let’s just say I earned my post run treat as shown below. Chocolate milk for the carbs and protein (ahem), a donut and a large black coffee. Yum!

17 miles run treat

My 17 mile run treat

So, there were a few things I learned from today’s run:

  1. It’s better running outside than inside (no brainer).
  2. I missed running downhill.
  3. I am faster outside under my own power than on a treadmill powered by a motor.
  4. Grown ups actually DO play frisbee golf (it’s not just a college student thing).
  5. My ‘Headsweats’ visor is an invaluable piece of equipment in keeping me cool, dry and shaded from the sun.
  6. Running in shorts when the starting temperature is 32 degrees is not such a bad thing.
  7. People are not expecting my accent when I speak to them.
  8. My new Run/Walk ratio seems to be a good piece of advice (thanks Jeff).
  9. Not all dog owners follow the sign to keep their dogs on a leash.
  10. The first spring like day does really bring out the best in people.

Here’s to a great season of outdoor running. 🙂

One More Mile – ‘Comfort and joy’

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I’m very particular in the type of running gear I wear. If I find something I like I tend to stick with it. I find something that fits me well, is comfortable in a range of temperatures and is durable and then I buy it in a range of colors so I can ‘mix and match’ according to my mood (or whatever is not in the laundry basket).

The vast majority of my gear consists of Nike Miler t-shirts and Nike 7″ Essential shorts and practically all my socks are Drymax medium thickness from Roadrunner Sports (I said I was particular). For long sleeve shirts I tend to stick with the Roadrunner Sports branded shirts as the sleeve length is just about right for my longish arms (I’m not Mr. Tickle but I do wear a ‘Long’ jacket).

However, I do have another brand of shirt that I like and it also allows me to show my fun side from time to time and this is the Wick-lite Diamond Knit fabric shirts from One More Mile. Many of you who have been to race expo’s will probably be familiar with One More Mile. They do a great job flying back and forth across the country appearing at all the big race expo’s out there. I first came across them when I visited the Broad Street Run expo in 2011 (my first big race) and I found the slogans on their shirts very humorous. I think on that day I walked away with a couple of gifts (probably Diva or Princess related) for my wife Shari who was new to running at that time. Shari has done well with their gear as I tend to be very generous at race expo’s.

I bought my first shirt from them in early 2012. I had just signed up for the 2013 Goofy Challenge with TeamUp for Autism Speaks and saw that they had TeamUp slogan shirts. I bought one on line and wore it for the first time at the 2012 Sesame Place Classic. It was a fairly warm day and was a 5K so it was my ‘experiment’ run to see how it felt. It was very comfortable, soft to the touch and wicked moisture away from the skin well. In fact I wore it many times over the summer. Shari has a couple of shirts from them in long sleeve that she runs in and she finds them comfortable although they are different fabrics (they have various tech fabric shirts and a style for ladies called ‘burnout’ which is kind of vintage looking finish).

Sesame Place Classic 2012

Sesame Place Classic 2012

I follow them on Facebook and as it was getting closer to Goofy they showed a Goofy custom shirt with the slogan ‘39.3 Challenge Accepted’. I just had to have that. I decided to go to their customizing site and place a special order. I got the TeamUp logo from the charity and put on my ‘philly2goofy’ address and dedicated it to my niece Sadie. It was a long sleeve Wick-lite Diamond Knit shirt and was very comfortable. Needless to say I wore it during the runDisney expo and at the TeamUp team dinner the night before the Goofy Challenge began.

Custom T - front

Custom T – front

Custom T - back

Custom T – back

I have to tell you now about their amazing customer service. When I was ordering my custom shirt on line I had a glitch on my connection. I wasn’t sure if my design/order was processed. It took a couple of phone calls to and from them and voila, the shirt was a go. They were very responsive and helped make sure I got what I wanted.

My second experience was at the runDisney expo. I saw a special Goofy related design which at the time was a special made for the weekend (see below) By the time I got to the expo they did not have one left in my size. The gentleman managing the booth gave me a number to call and told me that because it was a special for the race I could ask for one to be made and offered to waive the shipping so I would get the same price had it been available at the expo. I was taking turns to look around the expo with my wife so when it was my turn to sit with our boys I called and ordered my shirt with the custom design.

Goofy Shirt

Goofy Shirt

A week or so after returning from Disney my shirt arrived but unfortunately the shirt was printed in reverse with the punchline on the front. I know…I could always run backwards but I’m not sure how far I would manage before bumping into something. So I called customer service and they said no problem, although it was a custom shirt they would send me another together with a return envelope for the original shirt. Great. A week went by and nothing. Then another couple of days and nothing. I called back and they said they had sent it and asked me to wait another couple of days. When it still didn’t arrive I called them back and they apologized and had another shirt made and sent out to me as soon as they could. In the meantime, their customer service team kept in touch with me a couple of times to follow up to see if I had received anything yet. Finally I came home one day and there was not one but two packages. Yep….one had taken the long way to Pennsylvania. I got my shirt(s)….yeah!!! I made sure to return the original and the spare the next day. As I said earlier, great customer service.

I wore my new Goofy shirt proudly in the gym as I ran a 16 miler on the treadmill the next weekend. I would like to say that everyone thought my shirt was hilarious but seriously you don’t see many people at the gym at 4:30 a.m. on a Sunday (their loss).

I would absolutely recommend their website if you cannot get to see them at an expo. Their custom shirt service is great too if you want to go that route. They often have deals promoted on Facebook and run competitions from time to time for new slogans for their shirts. Check the site out, some of the sayings will have you laughing out loud.

I would also recommend the Wick-lite Diamond Knit fabric if you are looking for something that is comfortable to wear while running. It is nice and lightweight and works well in keeping you dry. Make sure you get a funny slogan…people need to have something to read during a marathon as you pass them!!!

February 2013 – month in review

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February 2013 - Nike+ Summary

February 2013 – Nike+ Summary

February is the month of my birthday, Valentine’s Day and Groundhog Day, or the month I became a hamster…sort of…well, that’s how it felt.

Too much time on the 'mill?

Too much time on the ‘mill?

I logged 133 miles this month however it was all inside on the treadmill (as much as 16 miles at a time).  It was around this time last year that I joined the local Planet Fitness.  I had been training outdoors in the cold weather and I would come in from my runs with sore feet (running shoes are designed to let heat out but not keep it in) and tingling fingers from the cold.  I was about to buy a warm pair of gloves for about $40 when my Wife suggested I look at joining the gym for the winter.  It was only $10 a month so I had nothing to lose.  I said I would use it for the winter and probably drop the membership when the weather turned nice.  It would be less than the cost of the gloves for when I needed to use it.  Well winter turned into spring and then summer.  The treadmill was a life saver when the temperatures were over 100 or it was raining on the days I needed to get my training runs in.   However I mostly run outside when the temperatures and conditions permit.

I had my warm clothes laid out ready to go a few times but ended up putting them back.  There were a couple of times I almost got outside this month.  As I run running early in the morning I set my clothes out the night before so not to disturb everyone in the house.  I follow the weather forecast and almost always err on the conservative forecasts.  My Wife calls me a weather pessimist…I guess that must be the English in me.  I only recently stopped carrying an umbrella everywhere in my laptop bag.

This morning was my last chance this month to run outdoors.  I have a route in my neighborhood which I run and it also has some nice hills.  Well, it wasn’t until I set foot outdoors that I realized the weather was warm enough to run outside but I wasn’t wearing a long sleeve T and I didn’t have time to head back in for a wardrobe change.  They say it takes 28 days to have a habit stick.  Well, today was the 28th day of the month and I guess I just got used to getting up and driving to the gym.  Not that it’s a bad habit but still…

I umm’d and aah’d many times this month on whether to run indoors or out.  I run very early in the mornings.  I get up between 4.30-5.00 a.m. on weekdays so I can get a run in before work.  At the weekends I am up between 5.00-6.00am to get the run in before the family activities start and also so that I can look after the boys when Shari wants to go out and run which leaves me as the one to run in the dark and colder temperatures.  One recent Saturday night I was planning a 14 miler on the treadmill and someone sent me this funny post on Facebook.  It seems to sum up my mood this month.

Ellen Degeneres quote

Ellen Degeneres quote

My big discovery this month was the podcast app on my iPhone.  I don’t listen to music when I run outside and use it only on the treadmill.  I had listened to the same songs again and again on my iPod Shuffle that I found myself constantly flipping forward to find a song I wanted to actually hear.  If it hadn’t been for the ‘Mickey Miles Podcast‘ (great for the runDisney fans), NPR’s ‘Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me’ and Tom and Ray from NPR’s ‘Car Talk’, I would probably have lost my mind.  Nothing like a good laugh out loud on a treadmill to relieve the mood (although it is not always easy to keep my balance).

Spring is around the corner.  We move the clocks forward in a couple of weeks and the days are getting longer.  No excuses.  I’m heading outdoors.  Just try and stop me.

I’m taking the lead from the famous groundhog ‘Punxsutawney Phil’.  This year he came out of his burrow on Groundhog Day and didn’t see his shadow.  According to folklore this means we are going to have an early spring.  Not sure how reliable he is but I’m good with his prediction. 🙂

‘Punxsutawney Phil’

‘Punxsutawney Phil’

Oh, by the way, I did end up buying the gloves anyway…

California here I come…

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California, here I come
Right back where I started from
Where bowers of flowers
Bloom in the spring
Each morning, at dawning
Birdies sing and everything
A sun-kissed miss said, “Don’t be late”
That’s why I can hardly wait
Open up that Golden Gate
California, here I come

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA at sunset.

The Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA)

My Wife and I just signed up for the San Francisco Half Marathon (the 1st Half Marathon) as part of the San Francisco Marathon weekend in June.  We were looking for a getaway for our 10th wedding anniversary and I had always wanted to visit the city and Shari said we should look to find a race out there. As I said in my previous post it’s awesome to have someone to share your interests with.

We started to ask people what there was to do in San Francisco (recommendations still welcome by the way) and someone suggested walking the Golden Gate Bridge.  My thought is why walk it when you can run it….TWICE!!!

Based on what we have seen the 1st Half Marathon (starting at a very ‘Disney’esque time of 5:30am) is more scenic and the only Half Marathon that goes over the famous bridge.  (There are two Half Marathons which basically follow the Full Marathon route – just split the course down the middle for each). Although the city appears to be hilly (based on my recollections from seeing the film Bullitt and countless others) the 1st Half is the least hilly of the two half marathons.  Not that I’m complaining.

Here is a tour of the course for the 1st Half Marathon.

Shari says that having run the Benjamin Franklin Bridge run in Philadelphia in 2011 and 2012 this won’t be too dissimilar.  Well, maybe it will be warmer in San Francisco in June than it is in November in Philadelphia.  I hope.

Although it is an early start we are staying about 15 minutes walk from the start line area and if we do our usual pacing we may be done before 8 a.m. and back in the hotel to shower and grab breakfast which still leaves us with a full day for sightseeing.  Nice.  Looking at the website the it says that all finishers over the age of 21 will get an Irish coffee at the finish line.  At 8 a.m.?  Well, you are on vacation so why not (plus the kids are at home with my In-laws).

Looking forward to writing my race report after the race.  Excuse any typos…not sure how well I function after running 13.1 miles and drinking an Irish coffee but it will be fun to find out. 🙂

It takes two…

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Okay, so I am a bit late posting this for Valentine’s Day but still worth a thought or two.  Here is an article that appeared on the Huffington Post site last week.  You might recognize a couple of people (hint….Picture ’26’).

Although the article is very general it does highlight a good point.  Since Shari and I started running we have to juggle our training with our commitments to work and to our family.  Many times when I was training for my first marathon would I get up at 3 a.m., strap on a headlamp and do 18-20 mile training runs so that I could get back in time before Shari had to head out for work.  Even now I do the ‘early’ shift at the weekends, getting up at 5 a.m. or earlier so I can get my work out in be back to look after the boys or take them to an activity so Shari can work out and we don’t lose our day or time with the boys.  In fact last year we splurged on a quality running stroller so we could take the boys with us on our training runs so neither of us had to miss out.  We put at least 50 miles on the stroller together (although I was the one pushing it and getting the extra workout).

Ocean City, NJ - July 2012

Ocean City, NJ 2012

But there are those rare occasions when we do get to run together.  Seldom do we train together (as we are always on different training plans) but we have and do try to find races where we can run together.  Yes, there is the odd race where we want to PR and we decide ahead of time to run our own races, but we try to find races where can run side by side for the entire length.

As well as being good fun (we are known to ham it up for photographers just a bit) it does offer that rare time when we get to spend time together not watching TV or a movie and away from social networking and we are really doing something together as a couple.  Okay, so we are lucky that we both like to run and I’m sure that it would be different if only one of us was interested but it sure is great to share in the experience with someone who shares your life.  They just get it.

Last year Shari and I ran the LiveStrong 10K and the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon together to see if we could do it based upon our different running pace and we did it.  I sometimes push the pace but Shari can hang with me so that is good.  It also allows me to take some races easier as a PR is not the be all and end all for me.  We also ran the Hershey Half Marathon together and of course the Walt Disney World Marathon together.  I guess we help push (or drag) each other along.  I was a little under the weather at Hershey and Shari got me to the finish (she killed me on the hills that day) and she admitted it was good to have me run with her during her first marathon (although there were a couple of times when she put both earphones in and ran on the opposite side of the street!!!)

Hershey Half Marathon - October 2012

Hershey Half Marathon 2012

Bottom line…the best thing about running is that I have a partner who can stick with me, share the highs and lows and put up with my incessant chattering with fellow runners.  At the end of the day we stay healthy together and spend what really is quality time together.  Hopefully in the process we are setting a good example for our boys.

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2012

The meaning of life…surely it’s all about the pancakes!!!

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Today is National Pancake Day.  Since I started training for marathons I live for pancakes.  They are my long run treat.  Today was only a 3 mile run but who am I to argue with a national holiday.  Pancakes on a weekday???  Yes please!!!

So heading into work this morning Shari suggested I take the boys out to IHOP after school (I was on pick up tonight).  I had planned on bringing them home as I was flying solo tonight but there were pancakes involved so I took a risk and headed to school unprepared (no diaper bag) on my own (Shari was out with her sister) and with none of our usual tricks to keep the boys occupied (iPod Touch).  Yep…it was kind of like playing Russian Roulette with ‘ALL’ the bullets.  I was more than a little apprehensive, but as I said there were pancakes involved.

Surprising it went well.  It was probably IHOPs busiest day of the year (a free stack of pancakes per table).  Both boys always seem to eat well there.  Micah is the type of kid who orders chocolate chip pancakes with a side of broccoli.  He’s my kid for sure.  Asher is just happy with scrambled eggs and pancakes.  They are good eaters and I feel like I get my value for money with these kids (ha ha).  As you can see from the pictures below it was good fun and I made it under my daily calorie budget and the boys came home fed and relatively clean.


Me with Asher at IHOP

Me with Asher at IHOP

Micah patiently waiting for his 'Funny Face' pancake.

Micah patiently waiting for his ‘Funny Face’ pancake.

Thinking about my penchant for the pancake I started thinking about how much my lifestyle has changed and not just because of the kids.  It was my birthday yesterday and I turned 41.  I feel like I am much better shape now than I ever was in my teens, twenties and thirties as I am running 5 days a week.  As long as I track what I burn in calories when I run I can treat myself somewhat guilt free.  I am much happier.  I am much healthier.  I was just looking at pictures of me before I started running versus pictures of me at Disney last month for the Goofy Challenge.  Not only do I look different on the outside, I am different on the inside.  Whether it’s a true runners high or just a pancake high it is hard not to say that sticking with it, training for my first 5K then my first half marathon, first marathon and beyond has all been worth it.

July 4, 2010 - a month before I started running

July 4, 2010 – a month before I started running

January 11, 2013 - relaxing before the night before the Goofy Challenge

January 11, 2013 – relaxing the night before the Goofy Challenge

All the miles, all the effort, sometimes it hurts but the rewards are there to see.   Thank you IHOP for my free stack of pancakes.  I will be back soon but first I have to earn my pancakes.

See you on the run 🙂

January 2013 – month in review

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January 2013

January 2013 – Nike+ Summary

Wow.  That went fast.  I cannot believe January is over already.  It was a great month.  We had such a great trip to Florida.  First for some rest and relaxation by the pool/beach on Anna Maria Island with my parents and the boys and then on to all the fun and memories that was our Walt Disney World Marathon weekend where I completed my 7th Half Marathon and 4th Full Marathon.

I’ve logged 130 miles this month although 42 of those were in one weekend alone – does that mean I was slacking the rest of the month?  Apart from a couple of days prior to the Florida trip when I was trying to rest my right knee and a couple of days post Goofy Challenge I have pretty much been back to my 5 days a week training plan.

The New Jersey Marathon is three months away and we also have the April Fool’s Half Marathon in two months down in Atlantic City, NJ.   Other than our Florida trip and a couple of weekend runs since getting home I have been confined to running indoors on the treadmill.  The temperatures were in the 20s for more than a week and I just didn’t feel that I wanted to be that uncomfortable.  I can run outside in the cold (believe me I have the gear for it) but I run early in the mornings before I head off to work and it is still dark at that time and the last thing I want to do is slip on the ice.  The other reasons I was indoors was to go easy on my right knee (it’s softer to run on the treadmill than on the road) and my shoes are very good at letting heat escape (well designed for most weather) but not good at retaining heat when needed.  I did venture out for a midday run last week and it was so cold I couldn’t really feel my toes by mile 3.  Not fun.

We still have February and March where we could possibly get some snowfall so I am sure I will be seeing the treadmill many times in the next few weeks.  Oh well.  Believe me, in the summer when it is in the high 80s and 90s I’ll be looking at the treadmill again but for different reasons.

The good news is that the days are getting longer and soon I will start to run outside more often.  I started off the year with a strong month and managed to keep injury free.  I’ll take it.  Roll on February.