Tired Shoes

Them's some tired running shoes. It's about time to replace them...

Just finished a quick sunset-ish run, Boulder is gorgeous at that time of night. Running tune of the night: Five Minutes to Midnight by Boys Like Girls.

Time for some din-din and a glass of vino...

Oatmeal Festival Motivation

Well, I've been a bit under the weather this week. I feel okay in terms of sore muscles and the fluish symptoms that have been going around, so I don't think that's the problem. Just had a bit of coughing, it seemed very bronchial. The few days that I was forced to take off were actually probably needed, as I really didn't take any extended time off when I was on vacation, and speaking of, my vacation was a lot more active in general than I'm used to. Running after 8 year olds is a pretty monsterous workout in and of itself.

I started feeling better yesterday around lunch, so I went for a pretty good lift last night. This morning was the annual Lafayette Oatmeal Festival (yep, Oatmeal), and the 5K course came right through our backyard. I took some coffee outside and cheered the runners on. Seeing a group of runners like that makes one want to run. And not the really elite runners, don't get me wrong, they're cool to watch, but the best to watch are the middle of the packers who are truly enjoying the run and actually pushing themselves to do something that might not be second nature to them. Three miles might not be difficult for me, but to watch someone accomplish something that they may never have before really makes a) want to go slap them on the shoulder, and b) get out there and run myself. So I went for a run. Guess what? I'm still a weeeee bit sick, and my breathing was brutal. I still managed to get about 3 miles in, not the 5 or 6 that I was hoping for, but such is life. It was a good morning, and now I'm just relaxing, watching some sports (Avs and then playoff football) before Ellie and I go bowling with some friends tonight.

If it's dry enough tomorrow, I'm going to try to get out on the bike. Time might be an issue, so if that's the case, it's either the pool or the trail. Any of which is good with me. I'm just glad to be moving around a bit. Hope everyone has a great weekend...

E

Goals

Happy New Year's everyone! Ellie and I have been traveling since the middle of December, and I haven't had a chance to get on here much. I've been working out quite a bit when I can get it in. I went for some beautiful runs in Leesburg, VA and South Windsor, CT. My final run in South Windsor (my dad's house) was one of the best runs I can ever remember. There were far too many hills, and I left the biggest, longest hill until the very end of my run, and was hurtin when I crested it. Much to my surprise though, I had a lot left in the tank, and probably held right at a 6:10 pace for the final mile of the run. It felt good to have some left, especially since I thought I was dead in the water. I just got off the bike (it was nearly 70 degrees in Denver today!), and I'm glad I rode today as it's supposed to snow tonight, which will force me into the pool tomorrow. Such is life.

Anyway, I wanted to use this as a place to put up a few goals for myself for 2009. Some are training related, some are not, but I think it's important for me to get them down. So, here we are:

1. Finish first in my age group - I met a goal from last year by placing in the Oktoberfest Triathlon in September, and want to push myself to win one this year. I think the new bike will work wonders, and I'm going to really work a lot this spring and early summer on running off the bike. Hopefully, that'll get me there.
2. Fine tune my diet - This is kind of subjective, but I really need to hone in on my eating. This means stocking my desk at work with good options, and taking more time each day to plan for tomorrow's meals. I'm really at the point where the changes are minor, but they are still going to be tough. Off the top of my head, reducing caffeine intake, eating more organic meats and veggies, and having at least one cup of tea per day.
2a. Cut back on the drinking - this goes with the diet, but I need to put it separately. I've been drinking too much, usually around 2 drinks per night (beer or wine). I don't usually go nuts on the weekends, as I view these as my prime training time and I HATE being hungover. But, my goal is to not have a drink more than 4 nights per week, eventually by the end of the year getting it down to 3 nights per week. I want to enjoy my wine, rather than just mindlessly going for it after I get home. So if I can look forward to having it, I think I'll savor it much more.
3. Work on paying off my car - I freaking hate car payments. Last year, I wanted to get all of my credit card debt paid off (DONE!!!!), and now I really want to get a little ahead on my car. Money is a bit tight, but I think if I tweak a few things (and spend less on booze), this will be a very attainable goal.
4. Stop saying no - I need to just start saying yes and trying things. Even if I don't feel like going out, if I say yes, I'll probably enjoy myself. Typically, when I say no, it's because it's something that isn't familiar to me. I need to expand my horizons a bit and just start doing new things, or just re-doing old things that were fun.

I don't want to set too many goals, because I really want to focus on these ones. The year is off to a good start. Since Ellie and I got back from our trip, we have really focused on eating much better, and we both feel a lot better. I didn't drink much in our trip to Aspen for New Year's, and I still had a GREAT trip. And to make it even better, I don't want to die today!

I hope everyone has at least a goal or 2 in mind that they can use the new year as an excuse to start. Good luck, and happy 2009.

E

I have your sign....

Don't worry, it's being taken care of. If you ever want to see it again, it'll cost you $100 MEEELLLION dollars.

Look out Boulder...

So my family and friends presented me with the greatest surprise I've received in quite some time. Our friends Sarah and Kevin (from Chainwheel Bikes in Little Rock, AR) road tripped it out here for some great early December mountain bike training, and to bring me a new ride. And my Lord is it beautiful. It's a Giant TCR A0 with SRAM Rival components, and some freaking ridiculous Blackwell Research racing wheels. First off, I've never raced on race wheels, so the difference is going to be obscene. The difference in the beat up old Schwinn and this beautiful Giant is going to be so much fun to see. Anyway, we're going for a ride tomorrow, I'll take the race wheels for a block or two just to see how they feel, and then they'll live under my bed until the 5430 Sprint in June. I've threatened Ellie that the bike gets the bed, and we'll take the floor, but that was shot down quickly. :-) Without further ado, here she is. I need help naming her. And just another big big big thank you to Sarah and Kevin, and my family and friends who chipped in on this. You're all the best.

Wheels:
The ride:
I'm in love.

E

Cold!

I'm not sure that these posts every 3 weeks are a good thing, I need to get back here more. I've been busy with things, and recently Sarah and Kevin have been visiting from Arkansas (along with 4 ridiculously badass bikes...Orbea Alma anyone?). These bikes are awesome, and are really really getting me the mountain biking itch. We're going to try to get a ride (road) in on Sunday, I'd love to show them some of the great roads CO has to offer.

I've been doing a lot more lifting, and feel myself leaning out a bit. I've tried to run a few more times after work, headlamps and all. Wednesday night, I went out and it was about 12 degrees, nice to get out and breathe some fresh, crisp air. After about 4 minutes, the fresh, crisp air turned to pretty freaking cold air, so I hustled the last mile and a half home for some warm dinner.

I'm loving the weather, I love snow. I'm going to try to get some snow shoeing in soon, and that's all I know.

E

Ho hum...

Just a quick update, I'm working into winter training mode. The morning usually goes like this - alarm goes off - "Man, it's dark out. My bed is so warm. How cold is it out? 27 degrees?!? Maybe I should just hit snooze and cuddle up with my warm bed. You'll regret it later if you don't go. Shit, I hate you voice of reason. Here we go, gotta get ready, it's cold out of this bed. And GO!!" At this point I'm half running, half skipping to my closet in the other room, jumping into my tights and wool socks. And then I'm loving my life. Getting out for a morning run in the autumn/winter is fantastic, and I usually float through the rest of my day. Now I've been on exactly 2 morning runs since daylight savings time ended, and I'm trying to get better at it, but the bed has been a constant winner lately. Meaning, I've been in the gym about 4 times this week lifting. So in the next few weeks, I'll be running more and still trying to lift a few times per week. We'll see how she goes. I'm also seeing if I can recruit any friends to run a fall marathon with me next year, but I've had no luck so far. Anywho, winter is setting in, and I'm trying to adjust. I just stumbled upon one of my headlamps tonight, so there are certainly some evening runs in the dark in my near future. Holler.

E