posie - have fun at the blooms-to-brews marathon.

is it a new one?  Sounds like one you would invent.

Will you be able to see Mt. St. Helens?

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Don't worry about any more rain this weekend in Washington state.

As hoped, I probably got all there was to get on yesterday's return plus a lot more with gale force winds and gusts up to 50mp as I traversed the 1.5 mile floating bridge over Lake Washington into sheets of lake water being blown over the bridge too.  Maybe it's not so bad after all that the new light rail will be pre-empting the Seattle Marathon's use of the bridge anymore.  However, I'm sure yesterday's winds would hve toppled any train right into the lake.

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A star-shaped birthday party balloon probably from miles down the lake by Seward Park or somewhere blew straight overhead about 50" up and straight north until out-of-sight without any prospect of ever coming down.   It was like being out of fishing trawlers in the North Pacific in those days or the Being Sea crabbing I vowed never to do again and, for once in my life, actually didn't.  The noise on my rain hood was deafening when violent gusts would bring me to a halt to hang onto a railing to turn sideways into the brunt.  Only two cyclists getting on-and-off their bikes on the entire traverse this time. When our eyes met, both broke into laughing at the idiocy of being out in the middle of the maelstrom.  No wonder I love running so much,

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However, after thinking otherwise after the five year PR of 6:00:07 at the Portland reunion, I haven't been running at all since the Seattle Marathon in November that was back to normal at nearly an hour slower.  Nevertheless, getting on Jay's morning listing is still a pretty good incentive for eschewing other available transportation and counting the morning five mile 'mute until I can run like the wind again.  Well, maybe not like yesterday's wind.   thanks.

ps twocat - go as fast as you can while you can.

Hello everybody!

Yeah, Twocat--I would use the May marathon as the one you go for a fast time in.  Then go out nice and relaxed in Cork and don't be surprised if you do even better.

Holly--between nights out at fancy restaurants, lacrosse, your marathon, and everything else you have going on, when are going to find time to look for your new puppy?

I got up early, this morning, came downstairs to my computer, and wrote a puppet show for church that has been hanging over my head for the last month and half...ever since Debbie volunteered me for the job.  We're not actually doing the show until the end of the month but we will have to do a lot of practicing with the puppets and get the backdrop decorated....which all stuff I've never done before.  I'm also doing the sermon on the 23rd, so I have to get started preparing for that as well.  Boy...the things I get myself into.

That kid, who was running the Zion 100 mile, ended up having to drop out after 68 1/2 miles.  He had just barely made the cutoff and knew, the way his knee was hurting, he had no chance.  BUT--they awarded him with a 100K finisher's bracelet.  (I called him a kid, but he's been in the Marine Corps for 5 years...I probably shouldn't be calling a Marine a kid)

Then, as I was heading out to pick up Debbie, I stopped just down the road to talk to another kid from Ryan's high school days.  He didn't run--he was actually a lacrosse player on the high school team that took 3rd at state.  Anyway--he has been running and I asked him how things were going and he ended up agreeing to train for and run a marathon with me sometime.  So, now I have to figure out how to work all of that out.  I had actually thought about sneaking Nebraska in 3 weeks after New Mexico but, since that's really the last one I will be able to drive to, maybe I'll save it for next year so he will have time to properly train for it.  I have no idea if he has money for airfare and stuff like that.  But I thought it was pretty cool that he agreed to run one with me.

I went for a 16 mile run today.  It was 66^o but with a 17 mph wind from the south.  I was hoping to run 7:17 miles and I had to really push hard for the 4 miles, or so, that I ran directly into the wind.  But with it at my back, I flew!  It really felt great.  It reminded me of 20 years ago, when it seemed like I could just run at any pace I wanted to run.  (At least, that's how I remember it, 20 years later)  The last couple miles were a little tough but I ended up with a time of 1:54:11 which works out to be a 7:08 pace.

After running relatively pain free for a couple of weeks, my right heel has started hurting again.  I'm icing it and will monitor it very closely.

Okay--I'd better get going...I got other stuff to do.  See ya!

Geeze!  It took me so long to write my post, Starr, tet, and Leslie snuck in.  After reading about the wind tet dealt with, my 17 mph wind seems kind of silly.  Nice age group place, Starr!

Congratulations to David!  That kid...what more can you say about him?  He's amazing.

Holly--between nights out at fancy restaurants, lacrosse, your marathon, and everything else you have going on, when are going to find time to look for your new puppy?

 

 

Actually, I have been doing some online searches, and also stopped by a Petsmart humane shelter event today (lovely puppies but all would grow too big for us).  I am currently having a texting conversation with a farmer who has some Westie pups for sale, and will likely meet up after my marathon tomorrow to decide.  The pups are about an hour from us, but the owner has business tomorrow in Beavercreek, which is only about 25 minutes away, and can bring the pups with him.  Of course I will go armed with cash and a puppy carrier....

I called my dad, who loves Mastiffs, and told him about the poor shelter Mastiff who didn't get along with puppies.  He is going to visit tomorrow, and may take him home.  I hope so.

Congratulations to David!  I swear, that kid is going to be someone about whom we can say, "We knew him when . . . "  From the little bit I've been around him, he's a great kid young man.  He's going to have a very fulfilling life.

Holly - Large dogs, such as Mastiffs have such a hard time being place.  Hopefully your dad is willing to open his heart and home to him.

Mike - I looked at the Zion 100 course profile.  *long whistle*  Tough course.  My hat's off to the young man.  And good on you for talking the other young man into running a marathon and being willing to work your running schedule desires around helping him.  You're a good guy, Mike, no matter what anybody else may say about you. 

And 2Kitty - I agree with everyone else.  Make your May race your goal race and go to Cork and just have fun and enjoy yourself.  Heck, they may have beer at the aid station tables.  You wouldn't want to miss out on that, would you?

Good job on the 20 mile week, Dan.

Boy howdy, I sure do wish I could do some type of exercise.  It has been my outlet, my place to think and try to figure out problems, and I'm lost without it.  The last couple of days have been hard and I've been more than a bit depressed because I can't go work things out on a run or through a sweatfest on my stationary bike.  Or even a freaking walk!

Then tonight, sitting in the car in the church parking lot waiting to go in, The Hub and I ended up having a pretty significant heart-to-heart about some things.  We have vastly different viewpoints about some matters, and his very much stem from what happened 6 years ago and some of the way he thinks / feels about things now is hard for me to . . . . take? accept? come to terms with?  Anyway, we didn't even go to church, but drove over to get a frozen yogurt and talk some more.  We came to some agreements, and I've come to understand - as best I can - his non-desire to be social, to have friends (that's just one piece of the puzzle), but it doesn't make it easier for me.  I would love to have one or two couples we could become friends with and just have fun together. Have dinner at each other's house, play games, go on hikes, bbq. . . . but that's not his bag, not right now at least, and I have to accept it.  He's not saying I can't have a social life, it would just be one where he's not involved very much.

I don't know.  I got a lotta praying to do to get through this.  Sobriety plays a very large role in all of this and I understand that, but in some ways, it doesn't make things .  . . easy.  Hm.  I don't know.  I just needed to talk.  Thanks for listening.