A Balance, Redefined

November 2008

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Location:

Vestavia,AL,USA

Member Since:

May 31, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon Top 10 Finishes: 7 Bridges ('15), Utah Valley ('13), Salt Lake City ('08), Top of Utah ('07), and St. Louis ('04). Ran around the equator (24901.55) in 4,388 days.

Personal Records
Marathon 2:39 (SLC '08)
1/2 Marathon 1:12.30 (Provo River, aided '08)
10K 34:16 (Track, sea level '00)
10K 33:15 (Des 10K, aided '08)
8K 25:32 (Crack of Dawn, aided '13)
5K 16:44 (Track, sea level '00)
5K 16:07 (Running of the Leopards, aided '12)
 

Short-Term Running Goals:

NYC Marathon November 3, 2019 done 

London Marathon October 3, 2021 done

Tokyo Marathon March 3, 2024!!!

And my largest challenge to date, raise $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my cancer survivorship and in memory of those lost to blood cancer...
DONE! $26,403.70

https://pages.lls.org/tnt/al/london2021/awende

Long-Term Running Goals:

Enjoy being a Masters Runner.

Get under 3 hours one more time...

Personal:

Grew up outside Chicago and joined the blog while I lived in Salt Lake City. Now living outside Birmingham. I am married with two daughters. Wife thinks I'm crazy for doing marathons. And yes I am crazy I'm a scientist for a living...

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 331.25
RM 090416 Lifetime Miles: 136.06
Saucony Type A Lifetime Miles: 200.18
Nike Vaporfly Pink Lifetime Miles: 122.22
Saucony Ride #37 - Black Lifetime Miles: 56.50
Saucony Ride #38 - Neon Lifetime Miles: 53.50
Saucony Ride #39 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 59.50
Brooks Launch #38 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 65.25
Brooks Launch #39 - White Lifetime Miles: 57.50
Brooks Launch #40 - Blue Lifetime Miles: 54.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
37.000.000.000.000.000.000.0037.00
Asics DS-Trainer #3 Miles: 2.00Saucony Rides #2 Miles: 3.50Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 24.00
Night Sleep Time: 148.50Nap Time: 7.00Total Sleep Time: 155.50Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.000.000.000.005.00

Long run, all things relative. Full night's sleep and then breakfast with the family. Kaitlyn and I then went for a run to the park. We stopped to feed the geese and watch a guy fly his model airplane and helicopter. The weather was perfect today. I'm now in lab as I have a mock up of my next meeting on Monday and have to have my poster prepared (including a new set of data that I didn't even get until last night). So I'll have a work filled weekend. The run overall went fine. We kept it very slow and my knee is definitely tight now I'll stretch a second time tonight.

 Asics DS-Trainer #2: 371 / / Asics DS-Trainer #3: 155 / / Saucony Rides #1: 445 / / Saucony Rides #2: 448 // Saucony Rides #3: 300 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 205 / / Adidas Adistar-2 (flats): 4 / /   

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Well what can I say when it rains it pours. I ended up having to work most the day. In the AM I had house chores to take care of. Moving around some more furniture and trying to back away more stuff to finalize the prep for "Little Sister". I was trying to move the treadmill and threw out my back. It has wheels on the front but for whatever reason my back just locked up anyway, boy I am an old man now... In the PM I did get to spend a little family time but had to work most of the afternoon and evening. Oh well, I guess that is life sometimes. Remember to be thankful for what you have. In this economic climate I have to remember at least I have a job, it may be too much  but it is work... With all of that going on, the lingering cold, and an ache in my knee from yesterday's run today was a day of "rest"...

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Even working until 11pm last night I didn't get done everything I needed so into work before 6am again. After a long day with a sore back and then an even longer work night (done at 11:30pm) I finally finished one of the three things I had on my to do list and called it a night. With the weather turning south Sandra will need the car more so before I went to sleep I dropped off a change of clothes and my work stuff in lab. No run, wanted to give my back another day rest and knee about the same. Good news is today is the first day I didn't have to take Dayquil, so at least the cold seems like it is gone.

Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.500.000.000.000.000.000.002.50

Miles are miles and I will take them. With the car situation I ran into work today. Door to door it is 2.5 miles. Luckily I missed the rain but I was super over dressed. I took some Aleve for my back so I can't feel my knee but the knot in my back is still there. Well I have a meeting with my boss in an hour and then another full day. One of these days I'll get to type about running again instead of this complaining about "life" stuff...

 Asics DS-Trainer #2: 371 / / Asics DS-Trainer #3: 155 / / Saucony Rides #1: 445 / / Saucony Rides #2: 448 // Saucony Rides #3: 303 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 205 / / Adidas Adistar-2 (flats): 4 / /    

Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.000.000.000.002.00

Today was just a good day. My aches and pains didn't seem too bad and work went by like a breeze. I even managed to get twice as much done this morning as I had predicted so I don't have to go in early tomorrow. Between the weather and not wanting to push my luck I just did two easy miles on the treadmill.

Asics DS-Trainer #3 Miles: 2.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Well I spoke too soon. At about 2am in the morning I woke up getting sick. Then about every hour thereafter. At 6am when I was supposed to have already been in to work I started thinking about not going in. This would be my first sick day in a decade. By 8:30am Sandra told me to go back to sleep and she took Kaitlyn to school. I didn't wake up again until about 12:30pm. I went into work because he had a visiting speaker coming this afternoon but by about 3:30pm I was done and just packed up and went back home without going to the talk... I sure hope this passes quickly. It isn't even funny how weak my body has been the last few weeks, between not running, throwing out my back, a cold, and now a stomach flu I'm convinced I'm falling apart... Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Night Sleep Time: 5.00Nap Time: 4.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Well I thought I was feeling better. Had a busy morning then went to a post-doc retreat. However, an hour in I was feeling horrible again and left early. Took a two hour nap and then lounged around. Sandra has now been having some of my same symptoms...

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 2.00Total Sleep Time: 10.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Sometimes good things happen for bad reasons. Since Sandra was now feeling under the weather I got to spend the day with Kaitlyn. We spent the morning running errands. However, Sandra got worse and due to being 35-wks pregnant we had to take her in for tests. So we spent three hours of the afternoon at the hospital. Good news is she and the baby are fine. Better news is that Kaitlyn took her nap in my lap while waiting for the tests. Bad news, well the obvious we are all sick now...

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Just focusing on sleep. Had a few loose ends to tie up and then in the afternoon was off to the airport. I'm actually now in New Orleans. Everyone on the homefront and myself included seem to be getting back to normal. No running while I'm here. I didn't want to push my luck so I left my running stuff at home. This is the first time I've ever done that. Really stinks as this meeting has 40,000 attendees and has a 5K race on Tues morning but I didn't want to tempt myself as I know I have no self control. Right now get healthy and when I'm back to my "normal" routine next Monday I'll give it another go... So I may not bothering updating until then. But then again why not at least it allows me to think about running for a few minutes each day even if I'm not doing it. Hey at this point I'll take what I can get...

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 1.00Total Sleep Time: 10.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
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Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
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Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
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Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
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Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
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Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
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Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.500.000.000.000.000.000.002.50

What can I say? Been busy, New Orleans, then home to take care of my daughter as my wife was sick, then to Chicago and back home. Needless to say in addition to some continued pain in my knee other things have been weighing heavy on my mind. However, I was jolted to a reality that no matter how hard you work that if you do not take care of what is important to you there is an emptiness. The good news is that I've been able to take care of what my family needs, the bad news is that I have been able to take care of my self. Again to The Balance, find it again and do what I can when I can without worrying about what hasn't been finished... Today's run was just a commute run into lab as Sandra needed the car.

 

Saucony Rides #2 Miles: 2.50
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
1.000.000.000.000.000.000.001.00

Treadmill run to get the muscles warmed for my stretches. Today talked with my boss about my grant plans. Big deadlines coming up as well as 3-weeks to our due date so things are going to get interesting... balance is all I can chant to myself. 

Saucony Rides #2 Miles: 1.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.500.000.000.000.000.000.002.50

Trying to get back into the groove. It is amazing that in the past I was running 80+ miles per week and made it work. While right now I don't feel like I have enough time to get the work and family done much less run. It is a strange thing time and our perception of what to do with it. Or maybe it is just that I take on too much. In any case I will do what I can as that is all one can do. Commuter run into lab.

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 2.50
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(7)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
1.000.000.000.000.000.000.001.00

Treadmill run to get warmed up for stretching... Nothing too noteworthy today, just taking it one thing at a time.

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 1.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.000.000.000.004.00

Longest run in three weeks. I took it off from work-work and did home-work. The day was good in that I spent it with family. In the morning Kaitlyn and I did errands and chores. She helped me rake the yard and make sweet potato stew for guests we had tonight. During her nap I did a run up and down Foothill. 

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Focused on sleep and recovery today. Was supposed to be working on my grants but mostly did family stuff. We slept in and went to the late service at church then I had the afternoon alone with Kaitlyn as some of Sandra's church friends threw her a baby shower. My legs were substantially sore between the squatting with the raking and the "long" run yesterday. Tomorrow I will try 2-4 in the evening and then Tues and Wed are going to be commuter runs... Slowly but surely...

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.000.000.000.002.00

Typical Monday. Too much work built up over the weekend and not enough time. Just did two miles on the treadmill and then stretched. 

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 2.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.500.000.000.000.000.000.002.50

Just into lab in the early morning so Sandra could have the car. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually wear my Garmin and add on to a full three. I know it is crazy but I might just have to do it. The day was way to long and I had a bad start. It didn't turn around until about 3pm and then it was almost over. I'll be working more tonight but need to have my aims outlined before the end of the week...

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 2.50
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.000.000.000.000.000.000.003.00

Well I didn't wise up and went crazy with the full 3 miles. It actually felt pretty good. My knee felt the best that it has in awhile. However, I will not mention what pace the run was at...

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.000.000.000.000.000.000.003.00

Happy Thanksgiving. I had a horrible time getting to sleep last night but finally did at midnight. The day went well. Despite being a holiday I had to work the morning. However, I came home early to make some side dishes for dinner and go on a run with Kaitlyn. Then we ate dinner at a friend from church. They also have a two year old and just had a new baby. It was a good Thanksgiving all around.

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.000.000.000.004.00

The good and the bad of it all. Well yesterday my leg felt great and today started the same. I ran to the Firehouse. It was my first time going that way in about 2-months. It is hard to believe that there were weeks this summer that I ran that way 6-8 times per week... In any case the run went fine but by about noon my knee was acting up again... Very disappointing :(... 

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.000.000.000.002.00

Not sure if I'll run a little on the treadmill or not. Knee still acting up from yesterday. I really thought all the time off, the stretching, and the NSAIDs had done the trick. 

Spent the morning with the family putting up Christmas lights. Now in work trying to get my grant outlined and a manuscript abstract done by Monday...

Ended up on the treadmill for two miles and then a good stretch. Tomorrow off and then seen what happens next week...

Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 2.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest? Woke up early to work on my abstract.Then when the family woke up three hours later made them pancakes and we decorated the rest of the house. Good news is that we are 100% ready with house and Christmas for whenever baby 2 wants to arrive. The rest of the day until 1:30am was spent finishing the abstract and aims. Unfortunately, I had a lot of primary data analysis to do and that took a lot longer to crunch all the numbers than I thought. That and my OCD gets in the way when it comes to making figures...

Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
37.000.000.000.000.000.000.0037.00
Asics DS-Trainer #3 Miles: 2.00Saucony Rides #2 Miles: 3.50Saucony Rides #3 Miles: 24.00
Night Sleep Time: 148.50Nap Time: 7.00Total Sleep Time: 155.50Weight: 0.00
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