That was some incredible racing on Saturday by a number of great people on this site.  The bar is set so high, that a 1st place AG is labelled a disappointment.  Wow.  Congrats to all who raced.  You all motivate me. (Especially Spare, Tramps, Erika, Holly and DH (powerwalker), Karin, flyin' Carolyn, Paul (honorable), and especially derrick.  Last AG you say?  I don't think so.  That "honor" is held by the 99.5% of people who never got off the couch to start the race.  a five minut PR is great.

Personal stuff for me - Taekwondo on Saturday, followed by an eight miler.  On Sunday, got out at 4:40 and went twenty four miles.  Dind't get home until almost 8:30.  Headlamp was on for almost 2 hours.  Yesterday afternoon - went apple picking with PBJ Jr. (macouns at $1 a pound - delicious), then we each hit a large bucket of golf balls at the driving range.  This morning - lift, step, spin.  Right achilles is quite sore.  I think it was the bucket of balls.

Have a great week all.

Ooh - sorry tramps.  That was am, not pm on the Sunday run.  The headlamp was used at the start, not the finish.  Smart of you to avoid the loose gravel pull something run.

3.4 miles, still recovering. I won't have my legs back until Thursday I bet, and I'm perfectly happy with that.  This is just destined to be a light week and that should be okay.   Spareribs

Quick fly by post as work has me tied down.  I am starting to recover from relay race sleep deprivation.  At 6am I got up and headed out for 8 miles.  I am very proud of my relay team in that we are not the slowest group ever!  You gotta set the bar somewhere!  My teammates also seem to be (slowly) figuring out how to add to the blog at http://rosieruizfanclub.blogspot.com/.  Mariposai was an early contributor and now others are coming on board.

For those that have some relay experience or other experience in setting where you need to be able to identify particular individuals in the dark maybe you can help me out here.  At night it is very difficult to tell one runner from another.  That makes it difficult to spot your teammates and thus know where to stop to give them water, gels, or even just take pictures.  This year my van had glow in the dark necklaces.  But, they did not help at all.  Basically, they are too dim and slender to see from far off.  Has anybody seen a successful solution to this quandary?

 

 

 It's Adam West's 81st birthday. I think it's a paid holiday, so I stayed home.

 

Though I had a light jacket on, it became burdensome real quick like. I tied it around my waist, then remembered that Ribs would bust me. Since it was black, I tied it around my neck. Believe it or not, I happened to be wearing a Batman shirt. The look was first rate.

 Thanks for bringing a smile to a really bad day Steve.

Hi gang - what a rediculously fun weekend!    I am just happy that my whole family doesn't get together that often - I'm exhausted!!    

As for the race - running with my sister and niece was the best!   They were a bit hung over and questioned even getting up and doing it, but afterwards said that they really enjoyed it too.   The first part of the race had us running right down the street we grew up on and past the home of of our youth and then took us past the house my DH and I owned for 18 years and where we raised our kids.    The wind was so cold I could hardly feel my hands for the first 2 miles.   I started out fast and then noticed my niece caught up to me .... we were side by side most of the time, but she got me in the end by 2 seconds!!  Little snot!    Since I am twice her age, I'll let her have that one.    Anyway, the course measured long according to my Garmin and her timing device.    Finish time was 31:07 (slow - I know) for a 10:02 pace - however I measured it at 3.25 miles for 9:35 pace which felt more accurate.   My sister was about a minute behind us and she also was happy with her performance.    My sister's step-daughter (tall blond in photo) finished in 26 minutes.   We dont' like her.   (just kidding!)

{{{JLynne}}}

I have to find time later to read the weekend posts - sounds like some great racing!!!  

Mike, looking over that summary, I'm not so sure it's the age factor that has made some of your times slower than in previous years, but rather the length of time you were out in 2010 due to injury. The older we get, the longer it takes to fully recover from an injury (it sux I know!) and when you look at your time in the City of Lakes, you weren't really that far off your 2010 time considering you had only done two other races prior to that in 2010 after coming back from your injury. And then when you look at the race times from 2009 to 2011 for those races that you could not do in 2010 due to injury, some of those times are awfully close to your 2009 times, which is pretty amazing to me given that it's two years later AND after a lengthy layoff due to injury in 2010.

so quit yer whining

Had a busy yet productive weekend. however, it didn't include any running. Someday I'll make the time again to run consistenly. I know I will!

My son had his first football game on Saturday against a tough competitor (he plays 6th grade tackle). They did end up winning, but it was a very hard fought win! My son is playing free safety this year, after having played a wide receiver or running back position in previous years, and he loves this new role! He plays some other positions also at different times of the game, but really loves that FS position.

I got a few dreaded chores done this week - shampooing carpets (still have a bit more to do though), and pressure washing some of the aggregate on our walkways. what a messy job!

I need to get B&B some new toys today. They are getting so restless and have so much pent up energy.Trying to keep 2 six month old labs inactive after their spaying last Thursday is near impossible. I know they have been more active than they should be, but so far their incisions still look good with minimal swelling. But I think it's time for some type of new chew toy to keep them entertained for awhile. Thursday, when the 'no playing ban' will be lifted can't come soon enough!

Mike,...

so quit yer whining

 

Thank you, Tammy. Mike, the only thing I can think of to add to make you feel better is to say thank you. I've been siphoning off a little of your speed lately as I've gotten faster since turning 50.   I really do appreciate it.

{{JLynne}} I hope your day gets better.

That's a looong run (and an early start!) PBJ. Would be interesting to see an outline of your training plan. I think you do more consistent cross-training than anyone I know.

Is it Holly's birthday? I can't believe I can't remember that...!