Every Race is an Adventure!

December 24, 2024

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Location:

Orem,UT,USA

Member Since:

Apr 03, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

HS/COLLEGE:
mile: 4:56, 2 mile: 10:21 (1978)
marathon: 2:52 (St. George 1982)
OLD MAN (20+ years later):
5K: 19:53 (Nestle/Art City Days 5K 2007)
10K: 39:55 (Spectrum 10K 2008)
half marathon: 1:26 (Hobble Creek 2008)
marathon: 3:07 (St. George 2007)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get back to a BQ marathon time (currently 3:40).

Long-Term Running Goals:

Have fun running, keep fit, and fight middle age spread. Run consistently and injury free. Maintain a healthy balance between running and other life priorities. Encourage my ever-aging running buddies to keep running so we can continue to share runs on the trail instead of rocking chairs.

Personal:

Blessed to be married to Karen for 30 years. We have six children (4 daughters/2 sons) ages 16 to 30, and one wonderful granddaughter.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00
Altra Instinct 1.5 Lifetime Miles:						83.50
Altra Lone Peak 1.5 Lifetime Miles:						21.80
Saucony Guide 7 Blue 2 Lifetime Miles:						376.95
Saucony Fastwitch 6 Lifetime Miles:						200.05
Saucony Guide 7 Black 1 Lifetime Miles:						271.15

Mon, Aug 25, 2008

Easy Miles	Threshold Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Track speed mileage	Hill mileage	Total
4.60	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	4.60

I felt surprisingly good this morning, except for some stomach trouble. Two of my daughters had upset stomachs last night, too. It must have been Dad's cooking. My 16-year old daughter has been doing the cooking (and a great job) since Karen left last Tuesday, but they asked me to make Tortilla Espanola (Spanish potato omelet) yesterday. I learned to make it while serving my LDS mission in Spain. It's one of the few meals that everyone in the family loves. My two adult children not living at home came for dinner yesterday, even without Mom there. The omelets tasted great, and the others didn't get sick, so maybe it was something else.

At any rate, I decided to stay close to home (and the toilet) just in case, so I just ran the 1/2 mile loop around the block in front of my house. I was just taking it easy at about a 9:00 pace and pondering. After a few miles I kept thinking about how I don't get to walk my dog after the morning runs now because of school schedules, and I started feeling bad about that. I also kept feeling bad about not selling Brittany Oriental Ave when we were all playing Monopoly last night. She had earlier sold me some properties I needed (that eventually won the game for me), but I kept demanding $1000 for Oriental Ave because I knew how badly she needed it. I was wrong. When I realized that all this guilt had slowed me to about a 9:30 pace, I cut the run short and stopped to get my dog. She and I ran one 1/2 mile loop together then I walked another with her so she could get her sniffing in. I then went in and apologized to Brittany. She was a little surprised and said it was no big deal. Maybe it wasn't to her, but it was to me. I had let my desire to win trump my love for my daughter. I could have let her into the game and made it more fun for everyone. Instead I let her basically sit and watch from the sidelines. Bad Dad.

Sorry for the rambling, but it is my blog...it's good therapy for me...it did affect my run this morning...and nobody's forcing you to read it. :)

I guess I should mention some pain I'm feeling in my left foot. Even though I felt fine all weekend after the race, and during the run and dog walking this morning, at some point after that my left foot started hurting near my ankle. It kind of comes and goes, but when it comes it's pretty painful. I decided to skip the noon run today. I'll have to keep on eye on it.

Comments

From Lybi on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 16:44:08

Good job on your run, Tom.

Hey, there is nothing wrong with beating your daughter at monopoly! I think you are really sweet to be that concerned, though. Tenderhearted. I think it would probably be a disservice to her to always let her win. She probably wants to really PLAY! Not just show up and have the outcome already decided. 10 daddy points for playing monopoly with your daughter.

From josse on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 17:10:51

I think you are coping me with that ankle/foot pain.

From Paul T on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 17:17:31

Lybi - With my last name being Thomas, I've been called Tom before, and Tom is an excellent runner, so I'll choose to take your calling me Tom as a compliment...or maybe just a typo.

I guess I should also clarify that I had no intention of letting my daughter win. I just wanted to give her a little hope to make it a little more fun for her.

In games, I try to extend mercy to my children as appropriate for their age, experience, mood, and personalities. My goal is to make it fun, and not have them get so discouraged they never want to play again, but I rarely let them win. All too often, now that they are older, I'm hoping for a little mercy from them. Even when they were very young they always schooled me on the memory game (matching pictures on turned over cards).

It's important to instill toughness and the will to win, and teaching sportsmanship, unity, kindness and mercy have their place, too...a pretty big place I think (as I'm sure you do, too). I guess I was just feeling a little bad that I'd let competition harden my normally tender heart a little last night.

Now, I have let Karen win on occasion (if she's not already beating me) depending on her mood. The challenge is doing it well enough that she doesn't realize it. It's just has hard to hit the ping pong ball barely off the table as barely on it. Sometimes when she wins the game, I'm the real winner. Happy wife. Happy life.

(I know you'll probably read this, Karen. But we have no secrets. Do we?)

From Paul T on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 17:28:49

Josse - I guess I hadn't paid enough attention to your blog to realize the ankle problem you've been having. I just went back and read the last week or so. I can see why you think I'm copying you.

I sure hope you can recover in time for SG. I won't know how to run without the constant fear of you passing me. Of course, the truth is probably that you've found a witch doctor that is now channeling your injury to me so you can beat me. :)

From Tom on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 18:35:18

Hey I feel very honored to be confused with you Paul, and to share my first name with your last name as even though I go by Tom I am really a Thomas.

BTW If I can be half the husband and father that you are Paul I believe I'll be doing pretty darn good.

From Paul T on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 18:58:56

Tom - I appreciate the compliment. I aspire to be what you apparently, yet mistakenly, think I already am. Someday I'll get there.

I have had a glimpse into your husbanding (as have most of the rest of the bloggers and blog lurkers) and I think Kim is pretty lucky...and I think she knows it.

And though I haven't personally witnessed your fathering skills much, judging by your children I think you are at least not messing up the good parenting Kim is doing. That's about as much as we men can hope for. :)

From josse on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 21:09:29

Ah yes you found me out.... I am into voodoo. HEHEHHEHEHEHE

From Clay on Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 22:27:01

Remind me never to play Monopoly with you, I hate to lose too! I enjoyed reading your blog, it made me laugh:-)

From Scott on Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 12:59:48

This blog is going to make me think about what I think about when I run. I don't think that most of my thoughts when I run are that substantial. Hope you're feeling better.

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