2012 Flying Pig!

After 5 years, I am going to tackle the Flying Pig to help celebrate my 50 years on Earth. I have had a successful 4 months of training, so I am hoping it will pay off on Sunday. Temps are expected to be warm and humid...yuck!
Anyway, for all you readers in Cincinnati, c'mon down!

Yes, I am alive!

Been almost a year since the last post, but things are great! Lots of dogs in our life and, yes, I am running in the Flying Pig this year. Final long run is this Saturday! Wish me luck on May 6!

Good Thing Come To Those...

...who wait for homegrown tomatoes!
After fueling the soil with plenty of veggie and fruit table scraps, old mulch and worm-infested soil, we put our 'mater plants(4) in this pot just after Mother's Day, and they are lookin' great! The largest fruits are about 2" in diameter so far. Probably late July before the first harvest.

Running-wise, I've had some great weeks, but I have developed Runner's Knee over those weeks. The tendon above the knee cap gets swollen and stiff, and like all injuries, seems to drag on and on. I've also developed some left shoulder pain as well, which has reduced my swimming regimen. So...I'm just trying to ease back into the workout routine, but added more ice and ibuprofin into the mix.

Rollling River

Catch Me Run Fun

It was wet, cold and windy, but where else can you show up dressed in shorts and a dry-cleaning bag and not feel out of place? Lunken Airport for the annual Catch-Me run.
Rain was heavy for the early start, but tapered off once the race began. In fact, after the first mile, I shed my plastic bag and kept up a great pace throughout. Nice speed workout.
Thanks Doug!

TTFN

COLLLLD January Run

Ouch, it is cold today, but I managed to get my butt out the door and run an easy 5 in the snow. Headwind going out, but nice and warm on the way back.
Mileage these past few months has been meager due to the weather, but I'm cool with that. There's always the pool. :o)

Merry Christmas to All!

Well, Merry Christmas to all my readers (2 on a good day?) and hope it was full of joy and happiness. The presents were mostly well-received, and we have now entered PCD...Post Christmas Depression, when the kids realize that this holiday is not going to last, and it's back to school in only 10 days. Of course, the parents feel the same way :o(. Fortunately, I am off next week.
Anyway, running is not going well, again. After Thanksgiving, my knees really started bothering me, so mileage is way down this month, but I am hitting the pool regularly, so my cardio isn't totally shot!

TTFN,
A

November 10-Double Rainbow!

So, how ofter do you get to see one (two?) of these? Saw this on the way home last evening and it seemed like everyone was peering up through their windshields or stopping to take a photo.
Anyway, very cool to see.

Busy Day In The Sky

Shot this on the way to work on Monday. For some reason, the whole sky was just covered in jet trails; busy travel day I guess.
Training-wise, things are gong OK, though seems like as soon as I try and increase mileage, little, nagging injuries start to surface. Probably need a little more strength training.

First Day of School for Greta

Wednesday, August 25th. Finally...after a long, hot Summer, school is upon us, and it was dark outside! At 6:40, Maura and I walked Greta to the bus stop to delver her to the yellow monster...the school bus. Needless to say, we were all happy! Hanley started the following week on the 30th, though I think I slept in that day...sorry.

Anyway, Greta is a star player on the Nagel volleyball team and Hanley is working as a Manager with the Ursuline team, and my god, there is a lot of travel involved for poor Maura!

Anyway, running is going fairly well and we are all surviving.
TTFN!

New Design!!

I am lovin' these new Blog templates and I kind of like my header photo. Looks like I'm in Seattle thinking about what kind of song to write for my next album as I stroll along the path of inspiration.
Actually, I was in Michigan and my daughter, Greta snapped this. She's so talented.

More to come.

Another Age-Group Placer

Yesterday morning I ran my second annual Newtown 5K and won a third place in the 45-49 age group with a 22:20 finish! WOOHOO! The sticky, hot weather made it uncomfortable for everyone, but we all toughed it out and were welcomed with good drinks and food afterwards.

Following the race, I went in for a contact lens fitting, which did not go well. The doc was creepy and the lenses are not the correct prescription. I put them on this morning hoping I could get used to them, but it ain't working! So, back I go for another try.

Anyway, off to the pool for a good swim!
TTFN

Exhausted!

Well, I haven't done three workouts in one day since I was in my 20's, but today, I thought I'd go for a 20 mile bike, followed by a short run, just to see what it felt like. I dragged for about two miles then called it quits. Later, after cutting the grass, went to the pool for a refreshing swim, but still dragged. We had a late night last night...friends came over and stayed up too late, so I'm going to blame my draggyness on that!

The girls begin volleyball tryouts tomorrow, so everyone is a bit nervous. We find out on Wednesday if they both made their teams. Ack!

Anyway, it's 8:30 PM and I'm ready for bed.
Night, night!

Running Back on Track

On Sunday, I was fortunate to participate in the East Fork trail run with some of the other Echo Running Club folks. My race was a 5.6 mile loop through some beautiful trails, which certainly rival Mt. Airy as far as terrain goes. Being on the mend from a tendon injury, I opted for the single lap race vs. the 10.5 mile double.

Weather was hot and very humid for my 9:25 start time, but once I warmed up to the race, things felt pretty good though still a little testy in the ankle. The heat definitely took its toll on my speed, but I was happy just finishing with a respectable 49:50 without any discomfort.

Brian Nash, 3rd from left and the ECHO organizer, did the ten mile run after surgery in March to repair a faulty heart valve...good to have him back on the road. He's a great ambassador for the Cincinnati running community.

Feeling good the day after, I ran 3.5 the next day with no ankle issues....

I'm a happy boy!

TTFN

Finally! Tomatoes are Ready

A home grown tomato is, without question, one of the best things on earth. On our deck, I have a large pot with three massive tomato plants, one of which is called "Early Girl." After two months of waiting and watering, we finally have some ripe ones coming with more on the way.

This fine fruit sacrificed itself for a couple of BLT sandwiches...toast, a little mayo and plenty of bacon.

We ate well tonight!

Swimming and some work in the office tomorrow, but I'm excited about my first trail race since my tendon injury.

TTFN!

Slow Recovery

Well, I'm back on my feet and running a little bit...3 miles here and there maybe three times a week. The ankle is still a little stiff and sometimes a bit sore, but manageable. Sitting in front of the computer at work for hours on end doesn't do much for the muscles, but I gotta make a living! Anyway, I signed up for a 5.5 trail race this Sunday at East Fork. It's a great event and I did pretty well last year, but I plan on taking it easy this time. I think I have enough strength to get through it OK. I've been hitting the pool and the bike a few time over the past 2 weeks, so my cardio is not totally whacked out.
We'll see what happens on Sunday.
TTFN

Them Pike is Ripe for the Pickin'

OK, so on a normal day of fishing here in the UP of Michigan, catching a decent Northern Pike is something to brag about, but today we were invited to cast our lines off the Edward's dock on LaSalle island into a Pike hotbed. I caught the first one...maybe a 22-incher.

Rachel Sexton followed with an even larger one.












Hanley was next with another good sized fish,














then Greta, with the smallest of the group (unfortunately, here's wiggled off the hook before we could snap a photo).


The interesting thing about this is that they were all caught within the first 15 minutes!
Anyway, I was amazed. More to come...

2 Weeks...and I'm Grumpy

Ok, so it's been about 2 weeks since my last run, and while I'm more fortunate than others who have suffered a running injuries, it's still frustrating. My ankle is much better...little or no pain, but I miss the freedom of running terribly. Fortunately, I have been able to ramp up my swimming, so I haven't lost my cardio conditioning too much.
Anyway, I see the doc tomorrow afternoon for another assessment and hopefully get a green light to hit the road again.
Fingers crossed...

TTFN

I Got the Boot...

...and it sucks. I'm not sure how this all started. I went for a good run on Monday after work then for a good swim for following morning. Wednesday AM, I could barely walk. The Physician's Assistant says it may just be an inflamed tendon, but I see the doc tomorrow afternoon for more evaluation. Thank god it's not a stress fracture!

Wish me well...I'm hoping for a very short recovery.

Hanley had her last exam today, so both girls are out of school! Woo hoo!

ttfn

Clouds

After a short swim at the Y, I was heading home and noticed this amazing cloud formation. I grabbed the iPhone and snapped this shot at about 6:15 pm...

That's about it for now!