Dirrty Girl Ages

Dirrty Girl turned 13,505 days old today or in simpler terms 37. Being 5 years older than me does have its privileges such as getting to retirement sooner, eagerly awaiting the first AARP contact, looking forward to Senior Discount Day at the local restaurant and getting cool gifts like getting to make your own handbag, that i secretly remembered her telling me about once a long time ago.

Since it was her birthday, her mom said that she would keep the kids last night for the first time since July. Woo Hoo....we should have burned the midnight oil, closed some joints down, or taken in a movie.

No, you know you are a parent when sleeping for 5 hours uninteruppted feels like 8 hours and instead of sleeping in you get up to go running together like old times.

Red Dragons

Having missed little dirt dawg's game last week for my 50 miler, I was making darn sure I didn't miss this weekend's edition of squirt ball. Apparently last weekend, his team the Red Dragons (in maroon shirts) stung the Bumblebees who were unable to field a full 3 person team.

This weekend was different. Facing the Little Rascals who had a full complement of players, I somehow got roped into being the timekeeper since i was the only one with a stopwatch (go figure). The rules told to me were: four 8 minute quarters with substitutions halfway through each quarter, 2 minutes in btwn each quarter, and then a 5 minute halftime. Dilligently, I set my watch.

Having some resemblance of time kept squirt ball chaos to a minimum. There was a steady flow of substitutions well before and after the proposed times as parents cajoled, begged and bribed their kids to get out there, or took them for potty breaks, or held them on the sidelines and dried their eyes after falling down or after scoring a goal.

In the end, the Red Dragons emerged victorious even if nobody was really keeping score and feasted on chewy bars and capri suns. This is what play should be all about.

Recovery

I thought that after the race i would be nearly imobile and walking around like a drunken fool for the better part of a week, but that has not been the case. Maybe because i ran on trails, or so slow that i felt better than after my disappointing, stupid 34 mile attempt in Badwater like conditions but a little sorer than a road marathon.

A few days of walking brought me to my massage today. Hanson's Massage Therapy is run by two members of the Hansons/Brooks Olympic Development program. The great thing about having a massage therapist/elite runner work on you is that when you tell them your quads are a little sore and your knee is tight, they know what you are talking about and why your probably are sore there.

An hour later, I was feeling pretty good, but not 50 mile ready good. It will be a few more days before i will be back running with any vigor, but then again, tomorrow is Thursday and there is a Fun Run!!

Official Results

Official Finishing Time: 8 hr 39 min 59 sec

14th out of 66 participants

3rd place in Male 30-34 age group (Note: the 2 guys ahead of me finished 1 -2 overall with a winning time of 6 hr 26 min 11 sec....and I thought i was flying!!)

* Just for the heck of it, i checked out the qualifying times for the WS 100. I was well under it, but Dirrty Girl said I had to wait until Dirrty Feather was 5 and Little Dirt Dawg was 8. By then, I should have some great base mileage built up!

North Country 50 Mile Race Report

8 hr 39 min..Not DFL or a DNF.

I had spent the night before with my crew, myself, going to Pizza Hut for some grub and a quick stop at the local casino in an attempt to kill some time and keep my mind off of thinking of the race. Had I trained enough? What will be my fueling strategy? Should I put a drop bag at the 13.2 mile mark? and so on...

A wet, chilly morning gave way to clear skies and the prettiest course I have ever run. Just prior to the start of the race, I ran into fellow blogger, Brian Thomas, and we ran together for about the first 10 miles before I motored on. My pacing strategy was to walk any of the major hills and then as best I could keep a 9 min running/1 min walking pace.

I was flying. I have never felt that locked in or more sure of a strong finish. The night before I had been reading a back issue of Runner's World and found a short mantra i kept repeating in my head; "Define yourself". At each aid station I would refill my bottle with half gatorade and half water, grab some m&m's,cookies, or my new favorite, boiled red potatoes dipped in salt and kept moving. The first 25 mile looped seemed like nothing and I completed it in 4 hr 17 min.

With a steady rain at the halfway mark that definitely kept it chilly, I began boldly thinking that I could get a sub 9 hr finish. There was never a doubt that I would not finish even though my longest training run was 25 miles. Just passed the 32 mile marker, the ipod came out, and the tunes kept me motivated till just about 48 miles when I took a pretty good spill and the playlist ended. Nevertheless, I just finished the second lap in 4 hr 22 min, only 5 minutes off the first loop and about 12 seconds per mile slower.

I was pumped, jacked, elated. Redemption was mine after a failed attempt last year, and the summer of dirt dawg had produced and even better time than i could have predicted. It all came together yesterday. I was so esctactic that i hopped in the car and made the 3 1/2 hour drive home like it was nothing.

I would like to especially thank Dirrty Girl for allowing me the time to train this summer, and Little Dirt Dawg, Dirrty Feather, my dog Nemo, Twinkle Toes, Fritz, my neighbor, Mary, Buzzkill, the Fun Run Gang for joining me this summer on the road.

Race Mantra

My training is complete. The bags are packed. Tomorrow, I will embark on a solo effort in an attempt to complete my first 50 miler. Who knows what will happen.....

Unrequited love

I had fallen too fast and too hard. I had spoken eloquently of their plush ride and innovative lacing system right out of the box like they were the greatest thing to be wrapped around my feet since my Goofy slippers from Disney World.The shoes I had imagined myself running in my race in this weekend have lasted all of 250 miles before developing a defect that left me with a quarter size blister and being reduced to nothing more than church donations or grass cutting duty.

As a country song once said, " You can love somebody(love somebody) you can love somebody Thats a natural fact you can love somebodyBut the hard part is finding somebody who'll love you back.Yeah finding somebody who will love you back"

Against my better judgement....a rambling to wet your appetite

You want it, You got it…..


Fueled by the excitement of the first fun run of the year, Big Red’s disappointment at not reading the weekly ramblings of a pro ass out for a run, Twinkle Toes questioning why even come into work on Fridays without a weekly update, patience young charge you will soon be able to slip into PE obscurityin a few years, and a 28 oz Orange/Coke Slurpee after my son’s soccer practice I sit in my basement breaking my word already that there would be no weekly fun run updates. So here goes…


Always great for fodder, Einstein again stated he was going to run but then provided a like NR'er answer with I don’t know why……but in a breaking news alert apparently started the run, vomited blood and then went to hospital….diagnosis…pneumonia

Short Stack who earlier had asked if we were doing the Fun Run on Thursdays, because she had latchkey papers to commit her young charges for an extra half an hour was a no show……

Huff N Puff ran by himself but his breathing was like a Tibetan chant as we passed, “ I think I can, I think I can”

J-No and Abstract thinking it was Halloween already or just falling in love with Olivia Newton John all over again ambled along and welcomed a new member tentatively named Chai Tea Latte…..

As for Dirt Dawg and Twinkle Toes confusion reigned as one looked for another to begin the run but soon gave way to mindless chatter like old ladies at the retirement home…

Alas, no weekly standings or point updates….that will come in the NEWSLETTER :)

It Begins Tomorrow

*Below is the shameless plug sent to staff in my building as the second annual Fun Run/Walk Series gets ready to commence.

You could be one of the few,
The proud,
A Fun Run/Walk participant!!

“Fitness has to be fun. If it is not play, there will be no fitness. Play, you see, is the process. Fitness is merely the product”

Dr. George Sheehan

Last year, 12 participants took that message to heart and rambled over 400 miles in a weekly, non competitive run or walk all in the name of fun, but in the end discovered camaraderie and improved fitness. The course which measures 3.25 miles is a relatively flat pedestrian path meandering along the Clinton River. You don’t have to cover the entire distance, but getting out even for 15 minutes can clear your head after a long day and give you a chance to get in some play (oops, I mean fitness).

Other benefits include:
1. A really cool nickname
2. Monthly prizes
3. Newsletter
4. Exclusive events such as:

GobbleDash
Snowman Shuffle

When: Thursdays @ 2:30 pm

“I’m just asking you to maybe take a run/walk, take a chance”
Dirt Dawg

We got the jazz

Day 2 of the Labor Day wknd found us down in the "D" to soak up some rays, food, and jazz at the Detroit International Jazz Festival. Little Dirt Dawg was adamant about hopping on the People Mover to see his Ba who was working as a crew member on one of the stages. Note to self, do not get off @ Ren Cen with 2 kids and strollers. It is like a labryrinth to get out of there!


Along the waterfront, throngs of people took in the sights, sounds, smells of a gorgeous summer day, but even amongst them are treasures like the Gateway to Freedom Monument.

A quick hop on the mover got us back to where our journey started and our stomachs were filled.

A Special Teat

The end of summer is near in the Metro Detroit area, but that doesn't mean the "D" doesn't know how to put on a party with Labor Day weekend featuring not only the Michigan State Fair, but Arts, Beats, and Eats, and the Detroit International Jazz Festival. Today, the state fair was on our to do list, and Little Dirt Dawg enjoyed all the animals including a chance to "milk" a cow.
High above the fair, on our overpriced ride coupons, we scouted for rides, food, and animals.

This guy suggested that we try turkey, the other white meat.

In the end, even Dirrty Feather had said enough is enough and faded out.

Bend It Like Little Dirt Dawg

Orange slices and Capri Sun's secured, Little Dirt Dawg began his foray into organized sports today with his first official soccer practice. Standing an impressive 3'6 and 34 lbs, L.D.D. looked menacing in his black Umbro's and cleats and looked to impose his will on both the ball and opposing players in what i have determined will be a season of "squirt ball". Players will converge around the ball, it will squirt 5 -10 yds and repeat.

In all honesty, I am not worried with L.D.D.s ability to pick up dribbling, passing, or slide tackle, but Dirrty Girl's ability to rein herself in when the games begin. As if he was reading my mind, Coach D passed out a code of ethics for parental signature that stated I will place the emotional and physical well being of my child ahead of my personal desire to win.

Let the games begin.

Love is.....

New Nike Air Pegasus purchased via Road Runner Sports. One might inquire, hey, what were they like anyway? They looked pretty good, are they real? Are they built for speed or comfort? What'd you do with them? Motorboat? You play the motorboat?

No, but I think I will take them out for a run. :)

Back to the Grind

I should not complain. I am lucky to have a job in Michigan given the state of the economy that can provide for my family and to be in a profession where I only have to work 1/2 the year.

However, that being said, after working myself back slowly into the school routine the last 2 weeks, it was a bit disheartening waking up @ 5:15 this morning to the stark realization that my summer was over!

Back 2 running @ 4:30 am, leaving the house by 6:10 am with 1-2 kids to make it to day care and work by 7 am. Back to the grind.

And I'm Spent...

This was supposed to be my last big week of mileage (68) and last long run (34), but with work, family obligations, and an oppresive front hanging over us, a large part of my week was chewed up and the only block i had to try and sneak 34 miles in was tonight. That was a mistake.

It was only 87 degrees with 56% humidity making it feel like 92 degrees whenI left @ 4:33 pm. I figured I would do loops of 14, 10 and a couple of 5 mile loops to try and get it in. Heading out the door with 40 oz of water, gatorade, a credit card, and some ice cubes in my hat Dirrty Girl said "Be careful, remember you have 2 kids @ home." I told her not to worry as I bounded off.

Thank goodness we have urban sprawl here in SE Michigan because the water and gatorade were both gone at about mile 7 and I had to stop into a 7-11 to refuel. Walking into the store, it felt like an igloo as my shorts and top stuck to me and the employees looked at me with that odd twist when there like "hmm that's an odd one" especially as I stood outside and poured purchased water over my head to try and cool down.

I kept plodding along until about 12 miles and then my body did the biggest FU I have had in recent memory. My legs felt like they were stuck in concrete and hurt worse than any of my long runs this year. My plodding was reduced to a walk. At this point, my mind starts racing. Thoughts come pouring out like: "This was a really good idea" "Maybe it is just a bad patch, and you can get back on the horse and finish the run" "Have i reached the breaking/overtraining point in my training?" "How will I finish 50 miles, if i can't run 34?".

Common sense finally won the battle, and I decided that yes, this probably wasn't the smartest idea to try and get 34 miles in in conditions that i have not really trained in, and listening to my body is the smartest thing i should do at this point.

I knew this really wasn't my day to run as I stopped at another 7-11 close to home to get a slurpee and spilled it on the concrete a mere 1/4 mile from home. Licking my wounds, a severe thunderstorm warning dropped some heavy rain and some hail at a time when I should have been out there.

With 23 days before the race, I think I will turn my attention to tapering and getting ready. One bad run is not a fair assessment of my training or how I will do.

B 4 all the B.S.

As I began the slow transition(1/2 last week, 1 day this week) back to being a pro ass, Dirrty Girl took little dirt dawg to his school for a little play date and meet his new teacher for the 3 year old room.

Still carrying a torch for his teacher from last year, little dirt dawg hugged and held his teacher from last year for 10 minutes while she chatted with new and old students and parents. Soon enough though, L.D.D. got into play mode and ran!

@ home, Dirrty Girl and I discussed his play when she dropped a most noteable observation "You know, there were some girls who were running around and then would fall down and he just went and joined in. He thinks that anyone who he plays with is his friend. His whole world is open to him with innocence. There are no cliques, no B.S."

On my early morning run with the dog, I began to think"When does it change for a child? When do we lose the innocence of play and can we ever get it back?"

Is a wet dirt dawg a dumb dawg?

I asked myself this question as I am standing @ Woodward and 11 Mile road awaiting the light to change and my clothes sticking to me in the most uncomfortable way as the rain pelts me and the wind is blowing like it is late October and not the end of August.

An hour earlier I had been sitting in my dry basement eyeballing the treadmill and looking at the weather radar on my computer screen. There appeared to a break in the deluge that has covered SE michigan for the better part of two days and I was gonna make a break for it. I did not want to concede to the treadmill just yet that the weather was to inclemement.

Lacing up quickly, I headed out the door and besides a few sprinkles and a cool breeze it wasn't bad. It was ike Mother Nature was laying a trap. Sure enough about a mile in, the rain starts falling a little harder and the wind swirls a little more. At that point you have to decide: (1) Turn around and go home, change clothes and get on treadmill to finish mileage (2) Solider on knowing you keep this run in mind when another inclement day comes up and tests your worth.

I choose # 2. Not sure it was the smartest thing to do, but then again running 50 miles in couple of weeks isn't either! :)

Runnin with T.T.

Twinkle Toes, the 2006-2007 Fun Run Series Winner, has decided to go "Diddy Style" and prepare for the upcoming Detroit Free Press Marathon in a matter of just 11 weeks. However, unlike Sean John who is better suited to Making the Band and sipping Cristal, T.T. is no slouch or slug when it comes to the world of endurance. T.T. is a formidable 2 wheeled, skinny tire riding, spandex wearing roadie who's huge engine should propel him to a finish albeit with a few different tweaks and discomfort then he is used to on that heinous two wheeled asphalt gobbler.

As his unofficial "coach", his long run today called for 10 miles and i said i would join him. We decided to meet up @ Stoney Creek @ 8 am after i had completed a little over 10 miles and then do an out and back loop for his 10.

A cool morning and multiple deer sightings had me cruising along and stoked to pick up someone to run the last 10 with. Admitting earlier in the week, that he felt like "that guy" as he picked up some apparel at the bulls-eye store as he began his venture into endurance running, T.T. also learned an important lesson today that he does not like the Ultimate Direction Access Hydration Pack and was eyeing and coveting my Ultimate Direction FastDraw Plus. Fueled by the good conversation and the stark admittance that T.T. did not want to come out openly to his skinny/fat tire friends that he was attempting this "marathon" thing for fear of heckling and needling from the pack, we cruised through 10 miles in just over 1 hr 24 min.

A hearty run by a newbie but not nearly as entertaining as his gf who we saw on the circular bike path at 3 miles and then again at 9 miles who said she "got lost".

So here is to T.T. and his noble pursuit of losing his virginity at the Detroit Free Press Marathon on October 21, 2007!!

Paci Fairy

Nub, nook, binky, plug, or paci. Before little dirt dawg was born, we as newbie parents were like "no way, no paci's!" That lasted as long as the first few hours @ home and he began wailing. Insert paci @ it was like a sweet elixir...good night.

Since that day, it has been the go to for little dirt dawg @ night or in times of distress. We have been talking about giving them up when I mentioned that maybe i should just cut the paci out and then there would be nothing. Dirrty Girl said "Nice, so when he finds them like that he knows who to blame."
So instead she tells little dirt dawg if he had ever heard of the Paci Fairy.

The Paci Fairy, little dirt dawg wondered? Dirtty Girl explained that the Paci Fairy came and took BIG BOYS paci's and took them to little kids who did not have them. You put them in a bag on the front porch and the Paci Fairy takes them and leaves you a great big prize! Little Dirt Dawg excitedly babbled on about the BIG CRANKY the CRANE (Thomas and Friends) that he wanted if he gave his paci's away and that he was ready tonight! Dirrty Girl is looking at me like I had better run to the store @ 10 pm and find Cranky! She thought better and told little dirt dawg that the Paci Fairy did not work on Wednesday and would come tomorrow night and that we had to make a bag first.

So little dirt dawg boldly slept w/o his sweet elixir's last night and this morning got up ready to make his bag. Tonight is the night. Paci Fairy is on speed dial & I had better run and find CRANKY!

Are they the answer?

Picked up a pair of SofSole Adept Insoles today to try and sure up the cushioning on The North Face Anurva Boa 50. Not just any insoles but heat moldable ones!

(1) Trim insoles
(2) Preheat oven to 225 degrees
(3) Place insoles oven for 2 minutes
(4) Remove from oven and place in shoes....please remember they are hot!!
(5) Stand on insoles for 2 minutes
(6) Race little dirt dawg up the block to test them out

Did they improve the cushioning? I will report back after I run in them for a few hours......