Random Inspirational Quote

Loops aroundneighborhood in the slush until attacked by another F- ing dog! :( bit my leg and drew blood. Had to punch the dog in the face as he was coming back for seconds.  RIDICULOUS. 

Finished on TM.

5:45 AM - gym TM. 5miles - 40 min. Core and legs after

Lunch time gym TM - 5miles-39min. Core and legs after.

Threw some short change of elevation to break up the monotonous movement.  Kindle fire to keep me sane.

Time to tighten up - started counting calories again.

PM: Run to meet the group at Walgreens on 46 People Trail, 6x800 LT with 45 sec. standing rest.  2:42, 2:42, 2:49, 2:42, 2:44, 2:47.  Every third rep was in to the wind.  People trail was one big puddle it seemed. 

Ran home for 13.2 miles total in 1:45:34

Easy spinning AM - 30min. 

Lunch run TM - 4miles- 32min.

AM series race. 20degrees. And windy with some icy spots on the paved trail.  Ran from house over to race, and signed up.  Conditions / Excuses aside, felt very uncomfortable at 6:00 pace today.  5:51, 6:00, 5:59, :58.   Ran home from race the long way and enjoyed some warmer temps.

early PM: Grandview long run w/ 15mi. AT/Steady State (~90%MP).  This equated to about 6:50 pace and feeling reasonably comfortable.   BEAUtiful day -- 45 degrees and sunshine.  shorts and a short sleeved shirt outside for first time in a while.  2 gels and handheld of water consumed.  Just about perfect on the fueling.

19 mi. total - 2:13:00

AM - jog/power hike on TM - 25 minutes

Purdue Campus for work - PM1 - misty and warm outside - 7mi. w/ 4x0.25mi. LT, and then ~2 mi. AT. total 7mi. - 50:33 

PM2 - run with Nathan around Purdue Campus.  Fun to tour and see some of the campus with Nathan.  Made an extra special stop at the dorm Nathan lived in... :) 5.1 miles - 42:34

Easy 3.2 miles at Purdue for second day of Road School - 27min.

Lunch run - back at work today - 3.9mi. - 29:32. Beautiful weather - sun and 60 degrees

AM TM run at gym - 2.5 miles at AT/MP ish pace.  I sweated a lot.  I've picked up some weight.  4.5 total - 32:50.

O

ff to the Grand Canyon and 2 weeks of vacation.

pm TM run 5mi with 2.5 mi AT

2

driving cross country to Grand Canyon with Dad. van broke down on interstate - stuck in West Frankfort, IL for the night until repaired. 6mi easy in the small town

still stuck in IL.  van computer fried apparently.  1wk to get part and repair.  we have rented a pimped townand country minivan to complete the trip.  6mi easy again while waiting for rental

Grand Canyon start of Gems hike with Dad from South Bass TH.  This was am epic jounrey to get to the start of the hike.  Dad and I drove through the night to meet our ride out to the Trail Head (TH).  Fully loaded pack hiking starting at 4p.  Counting it as run miles - 2.5 miles in about 90 min. moving time.  We camped at the first flat spot just in time to beat the darkness in time to set up tents and get food cooking.  About 45 ddegrees and dropping down to 35 degrees by morning.

Start hike close to dawn.  Dad tweaks his knee about an hour in to hiking.  I watch his leg shakily limp and lean on his walking sticks.  We are in trouble.  The nearest bail out is not back to the TH - there is nobody there.  We are forced to continue to the planned meeting spot.  My dad rests a bit and the knee seems to restabilize.  We make a good push and get to Serpentine Canyon by 6p.  My dad's pace is frustratingly slow, so I am extra tired and metally drained.  Actually get aome trail running without the pack while dad is resting midday - 4.1 miles run in addition to the hike miles.  Actually turned on the GPS watch for these.Serpentine is cool - we find lots of water and consequently lots more critters.

Day 2.5 of hike - Dad's knee is progressively getting worse.  We make it through several more of the Gems (each of a series of slot canyons is named after a gem) and almost get to our goal destination.  We hike about 10 miles and get to 1.5 miles short of our goal.  Unfortunately this leaves us with 15 miles tomorrow to catch up.  10 miles has been a struggle for my dad.  Jogged up Ruby Canyon without pack in search of water/exporing.  10 minutes for about 0.8 miles is a battle on rocky grade.  I pump/filter more water and carry a heavy load with 8 liters of water on back, since we are uncertain of available water sources in the next days' section of route.   

Today was the breaking point for the hike.  We wake up early and try to get after it to make our goal for the day.  Midday or so, we stop in Turquoise Canyon to try and filter some more water, as we are surprised to even find it here.  To my horror, I find out that the suction of the intake pump and consequently entire device is useless.  We can no longer filter water with primary pump.  In our rush to drive through the night and get to meet our ride out to the TH, we also have discovered that a backup (as well as other needed items) was not brought.

We fill our 2L bladders and bottles with water straight from the pools of water.  They appear to be clean, and relatively bug free...

After an hour more of hiking, it has become clear that dad cannot continue with his knee carrying the weight of his pack down and back up out of the slot canyons.  This is where the fun began today.  We attempt to have me hike ahead quickly, drop pack, and come back to carry Dad's pack.   By the time I have powered thru 4.5 miles and run back 2.5 miles to Dad and we begin discussing our status, we realize that we are so far behind at this point that we will not meet our rendezvous goal point with our other group in time for them to not be very worried about us.  Even with Dad not wearing a pack, his knee is done.  Fortunately we have a SPOT rescue device.  Dad decides to use it and abort the hike.  At this point (After Dad has already pressed the SOS button on the SPOT) we realize my pack is 1 mile away on a difficult path - so about a 30 minute trip for me to run over, repack, and power back with the pack.  Fortunately it takes the rescue helicopter about an hour to get to us after we have pressed the button (would've been unfortunate if it was life threatening), and I make it back in time.  After another 20 minutes of anxious waiting, the helicopter circles and finds a flattish spot on the ridge about 500 yards from us.  We discover that the med evac. helicopter will graciously allow me to ride out as well even though I am not injured.  Dad I discussed the options I would have if I had to hike out... Would've been an adventure!... We ride a helicopter out of the Grand Canyon.  We rise 3000' vertical in about 5 minutes and are back at the helipad at GC Airport in about 15 minutes.

Off - I am exhausted from the GC hike even after a night's sleep in hotel and a shower.  I also spend all day flying back home.  Pheonix to Charlotte to Louisville and picked up by the wife and kid and drive home an hour to Indiana.   This last week was quite a journey! 

6 mi. easy - Terrace Lake out and back - 47:30.  Worn out from the trip still.

Pm - easy 3 miles

PM: 4 mi. cutdown around the neighborhodd.  Down around 6:00 pace and I'm taxed.  Poor fitness level currently. 6mi. total - 43 min.  Some calistentics afterward.

PM1: 3x1mi. LT - 5:41, 5:33, 5:37.  Its cold at the end of March. Snow coming? :(

PM2: easy 2.4 mi. - 1st of series of biweekly slow group pub runs from new running store in Columbus.  Yah! - A running store in Columbus, IN... finally!!

Go Cats!!!

AM: CR series 5k at new church close to the house.  ~5mi. jog over to race with some strides.  Cold moring - 20 degrees, but, sunny.  Flat course through some familiar neighborhoods.  In the first half mile a younger legit looking guy shoots out to a 30-40 second lead.  As he and another more well known fast starter come to me, I realize that the same thing has happened as most of the other series races.  I blow them at mile 1 and hear footsteps quickly fade.  None of the real legit guys have made it out this mroning, so I am solo the rest of the way.  With current fintess, this was a great effort for me.  I calculate I am about 10 lbs over weight and have not had a great deal of mileage recently.  Splits - 5:52, 5:38, 5:45 and a decent kick at about 5:20 pace for the partial.  17:53 5k is encouraging right now.  Slow jog home as it warms up outside.

PM: Another series race - double day today.  Run slightly farther over across town - about 10k, with some strides.  Pretty sore and tired legs to start.  The start is very similar to this morning, but, with different people.  One guy is 20-30sec. ahead by half mile, and he has come back by 1.5 miles.  I'm not as strong going by as morning race and he hangs around for a little bit.  Interesting course with a double loop around a baseball park and highschool football field.  We are forced on to a last minute alternate route as a construction job has decided to break ground on the previous route 3 days previous to race - running through grass and lots of tight turns, but, well manned with volunteers and support.

Solid effort, but, very sore and fatigued - 6:03, 5:50, 5:56, 6:06 pace for the partial :)  Yikes - I am pretty tired.  5k #2 - 18:48.  Hang around and chat with some folks and jog very slowly home.  Big mileage day - now, time for some basketball.  Go Cats!!!

Easy 2 mi. Shakeout

lunch - 30 minutes of circuits: PU, core, rowing machine, squats and lunges.  Heart rate got up and stayed up.

PM: evening - 60 degrees and sunny with some wind.  3 x TH efforts - 2, 2, 1 mi.  Pretty slow.

7mi. total - 50:20

PM - Track Tues. - 2k,400 / 1200,400 / 1k,400 / 2k,400 - Alt. between 10k and 1mi. pace

This was about 5:40 pace and 5:10 pace.  Last 400 was 70s.  Great group today.  I fell off near the end of the longer intervals.  5:40 probably a bit faster than my 10k pace.

A bunch of people out in the nice weather today.  Windy, but, sunny, and 60 deg.

7.5 mi. total - 49:37