Paging Doctor Kutz

Today I had my appointment with an orthopedic surgeon at the Arlington Group so he could take a look at my knee. They took three x-rays before sending me to an exam room to wait for Dr. Kutz. Which, by the way is an ideal name for someone who is a surgeon.

And actually, the room they sent me to wasn't really an exam room. It was sort of part exam room, part storage room. They had the usual exam room set up, but there was also a corner with two sets of shelves stacked with ankle braces, orthopedic boots, wrist braces, neck braces and various types of knee braces. It was really tempting to go over to play with them. I have to remember to bring my cell phone in next time so I can take some pictures.

After a few minutes the nurse came back and told me to follow her to a "more comfortable" room. I can't really speak for the room, but the chair I sat in was more comfortable.

Finally, Dr. Kutz arrived. (I know I could just refer to him as "the doctor", but calling him Dr. Kutz every time lends a little comic relief to the whole situation.) He said my x-rays were negative (which I had expected) and after examining my knee told me he'd like me to have an MRI done to determine if there might be a meniscus tear. So I made an appointment to get the MRI done on Thursday, then see Dr. Kutz again next Tuesday.

My expectation is that the MRI will turn up negative and I may or may not get a cortisone shot next week and get a recommendation to take it easy for a while and return to running gradually. So I'll be taking this week off (except I'd like to get some serious cycling in) and will hopefully be running again next week and will be able to put in a long run on October 24 and November 8 so I'll be ready for the JFK 50. But I'm an optimist.

Before I left, Dr. Kutz was writing something in my file and said "Did you see all the excitement out front?".

"No, what happened."

"Some old-- an elderly woman lost control of her car and plowed into like three cars out there."

I thought for sure the Element was toast. I asked at the receptionist's desk if a Honda Element was one of the cars damamged.

"What color?"

"Grey"

"No, they're looking for the owner of a green Honda."

Phew!

When I left, sure enough there was a totally trashed sedan parked near the front entrance. I wish I had the presence of mind to grab a picture, but it was raining and I was just plain ready to get home.

Week Log September 22-28

Monday: Run 3.7 miles, 33 min. Felt generally good, but my knees are still somewhat achy.

Wednesday: Bike 16.6 miles, 59 min. Commute. I think this may have been my second fastest commute, and I didn't even realize how fast it was going until I was over halfway home.

Thursday: Run 7.6 miles, 1:10 Felt pretty good for most of the run, but my left knee was REALLY sore afterwards.

Saturday: Bike 38.4 miles, 2:08 Would have done a trail run today, but my knee has not been feeling right. It seemed to handle the bike okay.

Total: Run 11 miles, Bike 55 miles

This was a pretty bad week. At least since Thursday it's been bad. Friday I managed to get an appointment with a family doctor, and that was pretty pointless. Monday I'm going to call an orthopedic specialist to have my leg looked at. I say "leg" because I think my issue might be my Iliotibial Band (IT). It's a common injury for runners and is often mistaken as a cartiledge issue (I can't imagine I'm having cartiledge issues after running just a couple years.) The problem is that if it is the IT band, it will likely be slow-healing and will probably spoil the JFK 50 for me. So, I'll see what the orthopedist says and hopefully I'll be back on track next week, if not...well, there's always the HAT run.

The Office Returns

Spoiler Alert: If you're a TiVo/DVR freak and didn't watch the season premier of The Office yet, then you may want to skip over to the next blog on your list.

Last night was the season premier of The Office. And it turns out that most of my predictions were wrong.

Actually... on some I wasn't too far off.

1. Michael and Holly are essentially replacing Jim and Pam. For this one I was dead on. They even have the whole "triangle" thing going with Jan (and Jan's baby) in the picture.

2. Jim will get Ryan's job. I'm not totally wrong on this one...it could still happen. Jim is going to want to go to New York.

3. Holly will continue to think that Kevin is mentally challenged. Well, this one ended pretty quick. "He is NOT an idiot, he is mentally challenged!" Hilarious.

4. Ryan will somehow still be involved in the show (besides being a writer and supervising producer). I was totally right on this one! He's the new receptionist.

5. Andy and Angela will not get married. Still probably right. It hasn't gone sour yet...but it will...

I love where they've taken the show this year...the weight-loss contest, bringing in Ryan who plans to claw his way back to the top, and the general freakiness of Michael's relationships. I think it's going to be a good season. I just wonder if they'll be "jumping the shark" come May.

Vacation Re-cap

I suddenly realized today that I hadn't recapped our week-long vacation yet. Of course, maybe I don't need to since Beth did such a good job on her blog.

Her format was more free-form and with pictures. Mine will be chronological, brief (I'll just hit the highlights), and picture-free. Because I don't know where Beth kept all the vacation pictures (except for the marathon ones, of course).

1. Visited Beth's Grandma in Mt. Pleasant Pennsylvania. She seemed pretty sharp that day, and she loves seeing her favorite grand-daughter. Okay, favorite grand-child.

2. Arrived in Meadville, ate a fairly large dinner of zucchini pasta and peanutbutter pie for desert.

3. Woke up Sunday morning at 5:00 to drive to Erie for the marathon. It was hot and humid. I had a pretty lousy race, but there have been times I've felt worse.

4. Shopped at the Grove City Outlets. Beth and I had lunch with her aunt Wendy and Beth bought a lot of stuff at Carter's (where Wendy works) for the many babies and toddlers in our life right now. (And no, none of our own are expected.) I also bought some running socks at the Nike store.

5. Mountain biked in the woods around the corner from Beth's parents. Or maybe they're behind...I'm not sure of the direction, but I still find riding on trails scary. That's something I'm going to work on.

6. Fed fish in Linesville. Actually the carp were fairly inactive. The geese, ducks and seagulls were not.

7. Wednesday I ran for the first time since the marathon and did, well, okay. Then we drove up to Rochester to see my Grandpa in his new digs (the nursing home). He was asleep in his wheelchair when we arrived, but he perked up once I woke him up and he figured out who I was.

8. Drove down to Keuka Lake. We stopped at an antique store on the way. Beth bought an Ella Fitzgerald album. We also stopped at Wegmans to pick up supplies. I have to say, we did a darn good job of on-the-fly meal planning.

9. Cold weather at the lake. Well, not really cold, but it was pretty chilly and there was no heater at the cottage (except a little space heater that Beth inexplicably didn't want to bother turning on). It made it pretty easy to sleep though. I did a lot of sleeping last week.

10. Watkins Glen: we did the State Park (which I still find very cool), lunch on the harbor, and shopping downtown. I bought a pair of Merrell Overdrive trail running shoes. They will eventually replace my Asics.

11. On Friday we decided to loaf around the cottage. I trimmed the pear tree that my mom hates (and I also now hate after smashing several pears unintentionally with my feet) and took a bucket of pears back to the leaf pile where they can rot without me slipping on them. We also did a lot of reading. A LOT.

12. Eastview Mall and dinner at Bellini's. I actually took the wrong road to the mall, so we took a roundabout route to get there. Before we arrived Beth talked about eating at a P.F. Changs if there was one, we drove around the mall and didn't see much in the way of restaurants, so parked and shopped and afterwords ate at a restaurant across the street, Bellini's. Then when we left Bellini's to go back to the lake, we saw the front of the mall, and a P.F. Changs. So now Beth has incentive to go back there again.

13. Angie's Wedding. My cousin Angie got married at the Chautauqua Institute. Beth pretty much covered the wedding in her blog, so if you're wondering about the father-daughter dance, my Uncle Mike was in the Air Force for 20 years and that's pretty much all Angie new growing up. So when he showed up for the father-daughter dance he was wearing his Air Force uniform. There was a lot of emotion.

14. Spent the night at Beth's parents again, then headed home!

15. Really didn't want to go back to work this week....

Is Your Dog Too Small?

I'm not really a dog person. Or a pet person really at all. However, I have far greater respect for larger dogs than small ones. And not just because they could tear my throat out if they really wanted to. Large dogs are simply more useful.

I think at the top of the dog heirarchy is hunting dogs such as retrievers or spaniels. They serve a double-purpose; not only are they your companion (and possibly protector) but they also fetch downed water fowl.

Now, at the other end of the spectrum is a dog that I regularly see someone walking in my neighborhood: the teacup chihuahua.

This is the kind of dog that Paris Hilton carries around in her purse. They are tiny and they like to yap at strangers as if they wouldn't be crushed to death from a single stomp of your foot.

I can understand lap dogs, they keep your feet warm, some will fetch tennis balls if you want to play, and they can keep up with you if you're walking at a fast pace. I'm not saying I would want a lap dog, I just understand why someone might want one.

A teacup chihuahua however, is something of a sub-lap dog. If it lays on your feet, it's using you for warmth.

That's not a rodent, it's a dog.

First of all, if you're going to get an animal that small, just get a cat. It's essentially the same, but it uses a literbox instead of your front yard (or in our neighborhood on occasion, the sidewalk).

But why would you get a dog that small? You can't play frisbee with it, you'd decapitate it. It can't be chained outside by itself, a crow will be likely to fly off with it (and we do have a lot of crows in our neighborhood). Besides, were you to chain it outside, it wouldn't even be strong enough to lift the chain. It would just lay out there with its head pressed against the ground from the weight of it's chain. And you can forget about playing catch with a tennis ball, there's no way it could fit it's tiny jaws around it!

So is your dog to small? (Katie, I know yours isn't!) And if it is, maybe you can explain to me what the point is in having it?

Erie Marathon in Pictures

Now that we're home from vacation I can finally post a few pictures of the Erie Marathon. It's something to see me erode from a cautious, yet confident personal record pace to hot, dehydrated and exhausted barely sub-5 hour finisher.

The pre-dawn 7:00 AM start. I think more running gear is made with reflective fabric than I ever realized.

The early morning sun over Presque Isle Bay.

A sweaty, but strong start.

That soaking wet shirt was just slowing me down. I'll deal with embarassment of the tanlines. And all the hair.

A sign that every runner just loves to see. Rocky Mountain fever anyone?

The heat takes it's toll.

I considered doctoring this photo to change the clock time, but I've already mentioned that I had a pitiful 4:59:00 finish (chip time).

A dip in Lake Erie should cool me off. Hopefully that was a non- E. coli day at this beach.

I've lost nearly 40 lbs since I started exercising regularly in 2004. Judging from this picture I could stand to drop a few more.

I know I should be smiling, but I was too hot and tired to lift the corners of my mouth. Not to mentioned disappointed in my time. I might have been able to prevent falling apart like that with a slower start, but I doubt that I could have managed to beat my time from Harrisburg in the fall. This makes me a little more eager to do a spring (or possibly winter?) marathon in better conditions.

Hopefully pictures from the JFK 50 will have a few more smiles (and a little less flesh).

Week Log September 15-21

Tuesday: Bike 4.9 miles, 31 min. Mountain biking up at my in-laws. I still find trails scary.

Wednesday: Run 3.3 miles, 35 min. Nice easy run on some flat roads. Nothing too strenuous.

Friday: Run 5.0 miles, 50 min. Another easy run on a flat road up at the lake. My knees were bothering me some, so I'll take an extra day or two off this weekend.

Total:
Run 8 miles
Bike 5 miles

I know that sounds lame, but this week was all about recovering from the marathon. In addition to my "formal" training, I also walked around the Grove City Outlets on Monday and hiked a few miles at Watkins Glen State Park on Thursday. So really, I did more training than is indicated above. Most importantly I did a LOT of sleeping this week which I think is probably as important as anything when recovering from a hard effort, like a marathon.

Next week, I hope to bump mileage up towards 20 miles (running) if my legs can handle it. My knees are pretty achy from last Sunday, so I'm hoping by taking today (and maybe tomorrow) off they'll heal up quickly so I can be ready for my next long run that I'm planning to do on October 4.

Fredrickson Library Book Cart Drill Team Gets Wild

I've noticed from the information provided to me about my blog on statcounter that I've been getting a lot of hits from people searching on google for a video entitled "Fredrickson Library Book Cart Drill Team Gets Wild". I'm sure they are usually disappointed when they find only my 5K race report. So here is that video (I actually think this is the routine I witnessed after the 5K race):

Fredricksen Library Bookcart Drill Team

Apparently book cart drill teams are bigger than I had ever imagined. There is a video on YouTube of Tulane's book cart drill team. Although, with no sound.

And there is even a book on library book cart drills.

Does this make it some kind of legitimate sport or an activity I see gaining broad popularity? Probably not. But it does make me feel a little better about spending four years on my high school's math team.

Erie Marathon Race Report

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was expecting less than ideal conditions for the marathon, and boy was I right.

Actually, conditions were different than expected, but still bad. When we arrived (Beth, her mom and myself) in Erie the bank signs all read 79 degrees - at 6:30 in the morning. Besides that, it was 85% humidity. So I knew it would be rough. If I only I had realized just how rough it would be...

The traffic getting into Presque Isle was bad, so by the time I had gotten my race packet I only had about 15 minutes to go the bathroom and warmup before the race started. I was still in line for the bathroom when they made the call announcing it was five minutes before the race starts.

Fortunately, I made it out of the bathroom in time to get in the large crowd of people at the start line. By then I had decided that my race strategy would be to shoot for a 9:30 mile pace, which would give me about a 4:09 finish time. Not as great as I would hope, but still decent, especially considering conditions.

The race started and I finished the first mile in about 10 minutes. No problem, it was mostly due to all the people traffic on the course. Once I get by all the slowpokes I can get myself into a nice little rhythm. By mile three I was feeling the effects of the heat - I was already drenched in sweat, but feeling good. I overheard a couple "50 state marathon club" members discussing their past marathons:

"What did you do for Virginia?"

"That was a double weekend for me, Richmond on Saturday and then Outer Banks on Sunday..."

Whoa, two marathons in one weekend!

Around mile five I handed my drenched shirt off to Beth, choosing to do the rest of the race shirtless. I reached the 10K point in 58:32 - under my planned 9:30 pace. I was still feeling strong at around mile 10, but was beginning to have my doubts about my ability to maintain this pace. My shorts were soaked with sweat and I tied and retied the drawstring several times to makes sure the extra weight didn't pull them down. Somewhere in the 12th mile I began to feel some rumbling in my guts and stopped at a bathroom. It cost me a couple minutes, but the comfort gained was immeasurable.

I reached halfway at 2:07:16, slower than my halfway time in Harrisburg but I thought the time was probably recoverable. How I felt was altogether different. At mile fifteen I began to falter. My fifteenth mile took me about 10 minutes. Mile 16 was about the same. I started thinking "maybe I can still pull this off in less than 4:30." Mile 17 took eleven minutes. Around mile 18 I began considering a DNF.

Once I made it to the mile 20 checkpoint (in 3:29:32), I figured I could finish. I might have felt awful, but I still felt good enough to pull another 10K out of me. So I trudged onward. I noticed my sweat producing a white film on my legs. I'm not totally sure what it was, but I think it was the detergent getting rinsed out of my shorts from all the sweat. At least I was still sweating - I wasn't totally dehydrated.

It took me just under an hour and a half to finish the final 10K, but I made it to the finish line in 4:59:00. 59 minutes slower than my original goal pace. Had the weather been thirty degrees cooler, I think I probably would have had a shot at four hours, but I just didn't know how to handle the excess heat and humidity.

After the race I chugged a bottle of lukewarm water and went for a dip in Lake Erie to lower my body temperature. It felt great. On the way home we swung by a Taco Bell and Beth's mom treated me to a 44-ounce Pepsi. It was delicious. (That would replace about 550 of the 3200 or so calories I had burned.) Back a the house, Beth's dad prepared a delicious salmon dinner just in time for me to recover my appetite. If only every post race meal could be so good!

What I learned:
When it's hot out, I need to treat races the way I treat my training runs and slow way down. Sometimes I think I'm going at a sustainable pace, but really I'm not. In the heat the effect is magnified, so it's not just a case of tired legs slowing me down, but also an stomach issues, mental fuzziness, and in some cases shortness of breath or cramps. (I managed to avoid only the cramps on Sunday - although my right calf threatened many times.)

It's okay to go out there and just have fun. Or, throw away your goals if conditions dictate. This might have gone very differently if I hadn't worried about pace, personal records or milestone times. If I had taken more and/or longer walk breaks earlier I might have stood a chance to finish at around 4:30-4:40 instead of 4:59. And probably would have felt a lot better, too. Instead, for the first 15 miles I walked only when drinking water (at about every mile marker) and I think that cost my legs and lungs a much needed break in the action.

Recumbant bikes are just plain dorky. The marathon course was essentially a giant loop around Presque Isle State Park and the inside lane was closed to traffic during the race. So traffic had only one lane in which to operate. At one point a cyclist (I use the term loosely here) had traffic backed up adjacent to the race course. He must not have realized (or chose to ignore) that there was a bike path that also loops around the park that he could have used. And he just looked goofy, waving cars past him with his big blinking light on the back of his lounge chair with wheels.

Week Log: September 7-14

Monday: Bike 16.7 miles, 1:04 Commute. Felt lousy plus it was windy on the way home.

Tuesday: Run 4.0 miles, 38 min. Felt surprisingly good. Still a little achiness in my legst, though.

Thursday: Run 4.8 miles, 44 min. Had a slow start but felt pretty good once I got going.

Sunday: Run 26.2 miles, 4:59 I think Left Ear, from The Italian Job put it best: "I had a bad experience." More to follow...

Total: Run 35 miles, cycle 16.7 miles.

Well, the marathon didn't exactly go as planned - I'll post on that some time tomorrow. The rest of the week I think went pretty well, though. I recovered my fatigued legs in time for the weekendand got 35 miles of training done. I would have liked to have ridden my bike more but the weather conspired with my need for extra rest this week to keep me off of two wheels.

Conditions

In distance running weather can seem quite conspiratorial. The forecast this week has unequivically (I probably totally butchered that word) called for rain on Sunday in Erie. So I've been going back and forth on what to do about my race strategy. Should I still go for the sub-4:00 time? Or should I relax, aim to beat my time at Harrisburg last November (which I am 99% sure I will do) and go for the sub-four hour marathon in the spring?

Here's a look at Sunday morning's hourly forecast:

We're still a few days out, so it will likely change, in fact a 40% probability of precipitation is better than the 60% that was displayed this morning. But even if it doesn't rain, the humidity will be murder. I'll definitely be packing a couple towels to dry off with before getting in the car to ride home.

I also have questions now about my hydration plan - will the aid stations at each mile be enough? And worries about chaffing brought on by wet conditions. In my mind I'm developing an equipment strategy (I do think that the aid stations will be sufficient) and a recovery strategy, so I feel confident I can finish 26.2 miles in less than my time at Harrisburg and also potential break four hours.

So here are my three goal times for the 2008 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle:

1. Disappointment: 4:19:41 (time from Harrisburg) Even on a humid, rainy September morning I should be able to set a new PR.

2. Satisfaction: 4:10. I've done some calculations using the Runnersworld.com calculator and adjusted the results based on my race history and a 4:10 marathon should be very doable.

3. Optimum: 3:59:59 This has been my stated goal all year, a sub-four hour marathon. I'll start out at this pace and if I'm feeling it, I'll keep it there, but considering the conditions I may choose to dial it back a bit and shoot for the 4:10 goal.

Tune back in on Monday to see my results!

The Way We Were

The reminiscing from yesterday's post got me thinking about High School. I even managed to find the website from my high school's alumni association. Yikes!

To my surprise, I discovered that my 10-year high school reunion was happening next Saturday! But I am not going, because I've got a wedding to go to that evening (ironically, in Upstate New York).

Actually I probably wouldn't go anyways. I haven't kept up with anybody from high school at all. I tried for a couple years into college but interest faded with distance. Actually, I'm pretty lousy at keeping up with my college friends even though one of them practically lives right around the corner from me.

...and I'm not so sure that those I hung out with in high school would be at the reunion anyways.

I also get the sense that not many of my friends even keep up with each other any more. From what I can tell from the alumni site, we've all moved all over the place. (There really aren't that many jobs in Upstate New York.) And many of my friends (including Jim Pasquini, mentioned in yesterday's post) aren't even listed on the alumni site.

Anyhow, it was cool to see some names I recognized (and scary to see one on the Class of '96 "in memory of" list) and while I didn't (actively) try to reconnect with anyone, I registered on the alumni site and included a link to this blog (it looks like I'm the only one with a blog). So if you're from the Wayne Class of '98 leave a comment!

My Best Golf Story

Disclaimer: This is not about my best golf game, just my best golf story. Knowledge of golf or liking golf is not a prerequisite to enjoy this post. In fact, if you hate golf, you may like this post even more.

A little over 10 years ago I began my first (and only) season on the Wayne Central High School Golf Team. I stunk. My friend, Jim Pasquini and I had taken up golf the summer before our senior years and decided joining the golf team because we thought being on the golf team was a great way to play free golf. And it was.

Immediately we realized that we would be among the bottom-dwellers as far as talent goes on our team. So one day early in the season, I think it may have still been March, we decided to go golfing on a Saturday, because our five days a week for practice at a private country club (not because we were members, but because it was our school's home course) wasn't doing the trick.

I can't remember the name of the course, I just remember the narrow fairways and the rather damp conditions - as is often the case in Upstate New York in March.

Early in our round we came to a hole that had a peninsula green. Unfortunately the side that wasn't bordered by water was bordered by forest. Being the young, cocky, 42-handicap golfer that I was, I went for the green on my second shot. And came up short. Way short. I watched as the ball rolled out of sight into a ditch where surely there was murky water waiting at the bottom to envelop my ball for all eternity.

As I approached the hazard I saw that the ditch was about four or five feet deep with the grass mowed all the way to the edge of the murky water. But my ball was not enveloped for all eternity. In fact I could see it just a few inches from the water's edge. Not willing to be out the 32 cents or so that the ball had cost me I had to retrieve it.

So I carefully crept down the embankment. (Jim's version of the story has me running down the embankment - but I'm sure he's mistaken.) As I reached about halfway down my feet slipped. Both feet. And then gravity took over. I fell on my back and slid down the embankment and into the water up to my waist.

I grabbed my ball, got out of the ditch and burst out laughing. Jim was laughing too, and apparently we were being pretty loud because we were getting dirty looks from golfers on neighboring holes.

So then I finished the round soaked from the waist down and with a wide streak of mud down the back of my windbreaker. I don't remember what I shot, but I remember being glad that that week my parents were in Cancun and my grandparents were taking care of my sister, my brother and myself. I'm pretty sure my mom wouldn't have found the fact that I fell in a water hazard soaked my clothes with muddy water and finished the round nearly as funny as my grandparents did.

Let's Bowl!

Last night was opening night for the Almech bowling league. You may be wondering what "Almech" stands for. If you find out, let me know, because I sure don't know either.

Last year I set my sights high early and quickly got up to a 181 average (five pins higher than my 2006-07 average) just a few weeks out of the blocks. Unfortunately, I quickly faded and finished the 2007-08 season with a disappointing 171 average.

This year, I'm taking a different approach. Last night I bowled a 177-157-147 series to average 160. You may think this is a failure on my part, the result of several months without regular practice and atrophied muscles in my right hand and lower arm.

This is actually a clever ploy on my part. You see Almech is a handicapped league, so by starting with a lower average I increase the number of "free pins" my team gets for it's handicap next week. So while I hurt my team in the short term (although we did win all 3 games and the series last night) in the long term they will benefit from my mediocre first night.

Okay, so it really was the result of months with little practice and weak hand and arm muscles, but in a handicap league, it's all right to stink it up for little while.

Look Who's Back

Citing unnamed sources, Velonews.com is reporting that Lance Armstrong will ride for Astana in the 2009 cycling season.

I'll let you click on the story for details, mostly because I don't have time to post them all, but I have to ask why? I thought he was enjoying being retired, owning a bike shop, hanging with Matthew McConaughey and being photographed in the company of Hollywood starlets.

Or maybe, like Freddy Mercury, he just wants to ride his "bicylce, bicycle, BICYCLE! race!"

Twelve years ago Lance tried retirement, and it didn't really suit him then. I guess it doesn't really suit him now either. I wouldn't be surprise if his second-place finish in Leadville might have given fuel to his desire to continue competing.

Week Log September 1-7

Monday: Run 6.1 miles, 1:04 Appalachian Trail north from Trindle Road. Another runner pulled up behind me just after my turn-around, but couldn't catch up to me until we reached the parking area. That was a bit of an ego boost.

Tuesday: Bike 16.6 miles, 1:02 Commute. Felt sluggish.

Wednesday: Bike 16.6 miles, 1:03 Commute. Felt downright tired.

Thursday: Run 3.7 miles, 34 min. Quick run around the neighborhood before my round of golf. Felt surprisingly fresh.

Friday: Bike 16.7 miles, 1:00 Commute. Definitely felt better than Tuesday or Wednesday. I credit the footlong sub I had a subway on Thursday.

Sunday: Run 9.1 miles, 2:01 Appalachian Trail south from Boiling Springs. A true mountain run. went up South Mountain with my average speed hanging around 14 minutes per mile, but the 2-mile descent took nearly a minute off that average.

Total: Run 18 miles, Cycling 49 miles.

This was a wierd week. I really felt as though riding my bike to work was simply zapping my energy. I was exhausted Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but recovered well on Thursday despite playing 18 holes of golf and squeezing in a short run.

This week I'm going to try to kick back. I'll still probably get a workout in every day, but there won't be any doubling-up and my runs will definitely be short - like less than five miles. Things seem to be working well for me to have a good day at Erie next Sunday - as long as Ike doesn't interfere.

Follow Me!

This afternoon I added a new gadget to this blog: "Followers".

Sadly, I do not have any followers yet. But I'm sure I will soon. So click the little "follow this blog" button and become one of my followers!

(That last sentence didn't quite sound right...)

Maybe I Should Golf More

Today I managed to weasel my way out of working the afternoon and went golfing with some guys from church.

This is the first time I've golfed since maybe...June? May? I don't know. But I've golfed three times this year before then and had mercifully not broken 100. 100 isn't a good score. It's a mediocre score. It's a score that says, "I've done this before, but I put neither an excessive amount of time, nor an excessive amount of money into this."

Today I sadly broke 100 with a 103. This actually would have happened months ago if Liberty Forge was a realy course. It's only an "executive" par-64, so I shot in the low 90's. (Why do they call short, easier courses "executive" don't executives golf often and well?)

But we played at Range End Golf Course, which I have never played before, and I have to say it's a pretty tough course. The greens were fast and tricky. In fact, on a bad day I would easily be in the 110's and the way the round started (with a 9) I thought it might end up that way.

But I had a few good holes. I think it might actually be the first time I've birdied two holes in the same round (one par-4 and one par-3). So now I'm wondering...could I be a good golfer? I think the difference between me (a mediocre golfer) and a good golfer is consistency. Yes, I shot two birdies and had two pars today, but those were just fill-ins for the sixes, sevens, eights and at least one nine.

So if I practiced and played regularly, I could be a good golfer. ...or maybe I'll stick to the rule the 100 and not put so much money and time into it and celebrate the occasional 98 instead of stressing out when I'm facing a gnarly 91. Yeah, that works. Besides it's more fun to run trails by yourself than to play golf by yourself. Cheaper too.

Noodle Legs

For the second day in a row I rode my bike to work. And for the second day in a row my legs felt like noodles. Yesterday's total time was 1:02 and today's was 1:03 (traffic slowed me a bit this afternoon).

It's weird how sometimes my legs get this way. It's not like I did a long hard race this weekend or even did a whole lot of miles. I haven't even doubled-up this week doing a bike and run workout on the same day. (Today will be my second day off from running.) But still my legs just feel "blah."

I think it might be partly due to my diet (I haven't exactly had a ton of protein in the last few days) and maybe just a cumulative fatigue of the last several months. Tomorrow I'll be golfing and will try to fit a 3-7 mile run in somewhere (I know that's a large window, it'll depend on exactly how my legs are feeling), then I'll ride to work again on Friday. Saturday is open, if I don't feel lousy, I'll run. If I do feel lousy I'll take a rest day and run on Sunday.

I've mentioned it before, the goal now is not increased fitness, just being sure I'm at my best come September 14.

Karl Meltzer is Coming to Town

I know what you're thinking - "who's Karl Meltzer?".


Karl Meltzer is a world-class ultramarathoner.
6 - time winner and former course record holder at the Wasatch 100
4 - time winner and former course record holder at the Hardrock 100
3 - time winner and course record holder at the San Diego 100
5 - time winner of the Squaw Peak 50


...and a slew of other accomplishments and awards.


This summer however, Karl is taking on the Appalachian Trail, trying to break the speed record for running(/walking) the entire length (2174 miles). I've been tracking his progress on whereskarl.com and due to some foot/leg issues thanks to the rainy weather in Maine, he's fallen significantly behind. However, the record is still a possibility, although not likely.


Anyhow, Karl is due to reach Duncannon tomorrow, and I expect him to probably end up overnighting in Boiling Springs tomorrow night.


A piece of me would like to call in tomorrow and spend a good chunk of the day tomorrow looking for him out on the trail. But this, of course, is a dumb idea.


1. The Erie Marathon is on the fourteenth. I can't go running ridiculous miles so close to such a long race and expect to show up at the starting line fresh.


2. What the heck would I say? I think I could get to "hey Karl, good luck out there" and then we'd run for a few hours in awkward silence.


3. I'd rather keep my stockpile of sick days (up to 27 now) in case a major joint (i.e. my knee) blows out someday.


Regardless, it's a pretty neat event to see the Appalachian Trail get publicized like this. Usually record attempts are done in relative anonymity.


Also - check out tomorrow's Patriot News for an article on Karl.

Week Log August 25-31 & A Weekend Away

Monday & Tuesday: Off - Sore knee. Besides, a little extra rest couldn't hurt.

Wednesday: Bike 16.6 miles, 58 min. My fastest commute ever. The time off gave me fresh legs for this ride.

Thursday: Run 5.2 miles, 48 min. A fast(ish) run through the neighborhood. Knee is still a little shaky, but improving.

Friday: Bike 16.7 miles, 1:01 Commute. Rode home in a drizzly rain. Even had some traction issues.

Saturday: Run 7.0 miles, 1:10 A perfect 10-minute mile pace. Felt a little achy and stiff, which is pretty typical for a morning run.

Total: Run 12 miles, Bike 33 miles.

After my run Saturday morning, Beth and I headed up to Pittsburgh for her friend Sarah's wedding. Which was quite the bash. In fact, I think Beth would be remiss to not mention it in her blog so you should check there for her details.

I'll just focus on the fact that there was a candy table at the reception. In case you're not familiar with a "candy table", it's not euphemism for anything. It is exactly what it sounds like, a table loaded with candy. Me at a reception with a candy table, is like Robert Downey, Jr. at a reception with a "cocaine table." As would be expected from Mr. Downey, I overindulged and was fully prepared to wake up the next morning feeling like I had been by a truck (from the sugar crash). (You may remember that I like candy.)

I was pleasantly surprised the next morning, when I woke up feeling pretty good. Beth's parents came down to our room for breakfast (no way were we going to pay for breakfast at the hotel - The Omni William Penn) and we spent the afternoon at a Pirate's game. My thoughts on this game will soon be posted on Peanut Vendors.

Unfortunately, Beth had to work today, so I'm spending Labor Day on my own. I've already gone for a run on the Appalachian Trail and picked up lunch from Juice & Java (Neato Burrito is closed today)...and in 45 minutes I'll be doing my third (and final) fantasy football draft of the year. After that I should have time to do something productive before Beth gets home...we'll see.