Crushers Update

The Crushers were on fire yesterday. Kyler got his new ball and was knocking pins down left and right. In his second game he had two strikes. Kurt wasn't rolling the strikes, but he was picking up the spares in the clutch. Combined scores: game 1, 200; game 2, 230 for a total of 430. Were hoping this brings us up a few places, but we'll take 9th place out of 10 places for now. We're lulling the competition into a false sense of security, then we'll make our move...or not.

The Road To Boston VII

This was a roller coaster of a week. It started with ART and a four mile run that had me in pain on Monday and ended with a five miler yesterday. After Monday's run, I decided to defer to 2009, but another ART session and a run on Thursday had me back in the race. On Wednesday I swam 2000 yards and did some core work. Thursday's run was 3 miles and I have determined that I can maintain a fairly consistent running schedule if I stretch and walk before I run. I also have to watch my pace. Right now it seems that 8:00 to 8:30 is optimal for keeping the plantar fasciitis from flaring up. I skied on Friday night an ran five miles at 8:23 on Saturday morning. Today I biked for an hour at 17.5 mph and then took the boys and went rock climbing at Chiques Rock for a little upper body workout.

Up this week: Rest on Monday; hill work with strength training on Tuesday; swimming on Wednesday; 5-6 miles with strength training on Thursday; rest and skiing Friday; 7-8 miles on Saturday and either biking or the bike trainer on Sunday.

The Road To Boston VI

Earlier this week I reported that the road to Boston was under construction. I thought it was closed, but it now appears that there is one lane open.

I went in for another ART session yesterday afternoon, and decided to run this morning. Amazingly, I had little pain, or discomfort. I followed this routine: 1) stretch; 2) walk about a 1/4 mile before running; 3) reduce pace and distance (I went 3 miles at @ 8:30); 4) walk a 1/4 mile after running; and 5) stretch after walking. I also rolled a hardball under my foot while working at my computer. Even though I wasn't training hard, I was training. The relaxed pace also made for an enjoyable run. I was able to be more aware of my surroundings and the night sky. I'm going to throw pride to the wind. If I can cruise 26.2 miles at an 8:30 pace I'm running Boston. First, I will have to see how much I can increase mileage. So, my plan will be easy runs and vigorous cross-training and a gradual increase in distance. Essentially, I'm reverting back to my "first time marathon" experience.

Yellow Springs Rendezvous

This past weekend was the annual Yellow Springs Rendezvous in Stony Valley. Our roster was up to 17. This was a new record.

We got on the trail around noon on Saturday and hiked in 3.5 miles to the abandoned village of Yellow Springs. We camped just a few hundred yards from there. There was a about an inch of snow on the ground. The temperature was in the 30s during the day with no wind. It got down to 19 that night, but that was far from our record of 5 degrees. The one inch of snow was also far from our record of about 20 inches.

After camp was established, a roaring fire was built. Some of us went for a hike up to see the remnants of an abandoned coal mining operation. Others began the yearly ritual of "busting caps." We concluded by firing the FPF.

Supper was great as members of our party brought venison and caribou from this past falls hunting season. We also had plenty of fry bread and other snacks, but sadly, no boilo.

Had a great time spinning yarns, shooting, and partaking in revelry. I'm already looking forward to next year's rendezvous. Below are some Pictures of the weekend.

The Road To Boston V

The Road to Boston is under construction. Last week I successfully cross-trained and lifted weights, but I didn't run. Yesterday, I went in for ART, and then ran later in the evening. This morning I could hardly walk. I have decided to defer to 2009.

Looks like my next event will be the "Got the Nerve" triathlon in Gretna this coming May. I'm actually looking forward to a little rest after almost 6 months of marathon training.

Crushers Update

The Crushers bowled four games today. Our first two games were a combined 386. we fell off a little in the second set, 366. Kyler was fitted for his bowling ball today. I can't help but think of Roy Munson:

The Road To Boston IV

I got back to running this week, but it may be short lived. On Monday morning, I swam 1600 yards, then later in the day I did 4 miles at mid-tempo pace, 7:25 per mile. Foot felt good, so I decided to plan a track workout for Thursday. Tuesday I did intervals on the bike trainer in the morning and lifted in the afternoon. Wednesday morning I was back in the pool for 2150 yards. Thursday at lunch I went out to the track for 6x800s @ 3:10. Started out well enough, but the fast running aggravated my arch. I'm going to have to train without doing speed work for at least a couple of weeks. I'll probably just run tempo runs and a weekly long run from here on out. Wrapped up Thursday with lifting in the afternoon. Rested Friday. Saturday I was up at my dad's and step mom's in Perry Valley (Liverpool, PA). I did a very hilly run in the Appalachian foothills. My foot didn't feel too bad, but it was still a bit sore when I started out because of Thursday's 800s. If it wouldn't have been for the speed-work, the long run would have been much better. Consequently, my foot is a bit sore today. I'm going to lay off for a bit, and stick to cross-training. I'll resume my running again after next weekend's backpacking trip.