Sunday, December 20, 2009

Here is my run from the other night. It's kind of hard to read but the stats are as follows:

Date 12/12/09 - run started at 9:15 pm
Distance - 33.51 miles
Average pace - 8:09
Max Pace - 6:37

Not too bad of a night's run. My achilles was starting to hurt at the end, it wasn't really that bad, but I didn't want to push anything. I still have quite a few 30 mile runs left before the hundy. Right now I am in the middle of a lower mileage (38) week which is doing wonders for the body. All my aches and pains are disappearing, and the other night running with Glen B. we actually ran soem mileage at 5:31 per mile, which felt fast but it was good to get down and run that fast, as it's been months since I've run that fast.

The training has been going really well. I've done some 80+ mile weeks and don't even get sore from back to back weekend runs of 30 and 20. I follow that up with a couple of 15 milers during the week (along with some maintenance miles) and recovery from the daily runs has been awesome. I am getting pretty excited to run the Rocky Raccoon 100 in TX in February.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Tax this!! Love it!

This is not my thought, but I read it and loved it. Why the hell is the church tax free? We have to pay taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to poison our bodies...why shouldn't the churches that poison our minds be taxed?

Here is a comment in response to a newspaper article about the state of WA increasing taxes...good stuff.

"Here we go again, how about taxing things that are bad for you? Churches that put forth unproven b.s. and fantasys should be subject to entertainment taxes."

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Would You Could You on a Train?



Gas prices are going to go up. It's a simple fact of life. The price of milk has gone up. The price of clothes (not made in a 3rd world country) has gone up. Car prices go up. A loaf of bread, a can of soup, soda, beer, as time passes all the prices increase. So why does everyone think that gas should be exempt from these rules. In the good ole USA we pay less for gas than Canada and Europe. Europeans have evolved and have created alternate means of transportation - say hello to high speed trains! Canada just piggybacks the USA - so do they really count anyway? Our country on the other hand, sits back and complains and thinks we are owed cheap gas by everyone out there. Sure, the oil execs are making a buttload of money. But so are the execs from every other company. Are they overpaid? Of course. Are they a bunch of crooked pieces of crap? Most likely. I am not here trying to defend them. I think only a crooked lawyer with no small degree of ethics could comfortably do so. But why do we think we should have 99 cent per gallon gas forever? If it was up to me I would increase the taxes on gasoline right now. And put the money to alternate uses to create a new and more socially responsible transportation network.


Trains are up to 3 times more energy efficient compared to airplanes

Would you take a train from Seattle to NYC if it took only 14 hours? Yes, you can take an airplane in 6 hours. Wrestle with airport security. Pray your luggage doesn't get lost. Have 6 inches of leg room and be the meat of a fat person sandwich that reeks of stale potato chips and cheap beer. Or you can stretch out on a high speed train, take a nap, watch a movie, have a warm meal, have direct access to your luggage, uninterrupted Internet and enjoy a quiet and peaceful commute while seeing the beautiful country. It's possible in many other countries in the world, why not here? London to Paris is a fairly quick trip. Japan has many high speed trains. There are many places in the world building more infrastructure - Russia and China are two prime examples. Of course the cost of this would be enormous - in the billions- but if we add a tax on the gas the average gluttonous American uses and put all the money into this endeavor it will help us in the future as gas prices inevitably rise. How about Seattle to Portland? NYC to Chicago? LA to San Francisco? Washington DC to Philly and NYC? Oops- that already exists and is hugely popular.


Will it happen before it needs to happen? Probably not. We have turned into such a reactive country as opposed to a proactive one. People do not start saving money until they don't have any. They don't exercise until they have a heart attack. They don't change their diet until their arteries are clogged. They don't change their driving habits until they are forced to pay $4.25 per gallon. What happens when it becomes $ 7 -8.00 per gallon? What will happen when we are forced to drive our Tahoes, Expeditions and the like when it costs $165.00 to fill the tank. Of course the public will cry foul. Scream about how we are being ripped off. Which may or may not be true. But the world is going to run out of oil someday, that is fact. The world is suffering horribly for the pollution of the world's oil consumption. I could forever argue this but don't have the time nor the typing skills to write as quickly as my mind emits facts (there are tons of books out there already).


The bottom line is we, as a country, need responsibility to be thrust at us. We need policy change. We need someone to hold our hand and tell us that we need to do this, or that, and that acting in a certain way just isn't the right way. We need responsible leaders that can tell us why and lay out the groundwork so idiot America can comprehend the whys and
and hows we need to change before we are forced to. There is no crystal ball to tell the exact price of oil in 5, 8 or 10 years. But we do know that we will run out. We do know prices will go up. We do know oil consumption is a huge factor to negative climate change. Let's be ready for it before it cripples us a nation.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Carbon Offsets Losing Momentum

Carbon Offsets Losing Momentum

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/science/earth/18offset.html?em

As seen in NY Times today, check out the above link for more detailed information.
All I have to say is, "It's about time." This program is nothing more than a way for rich selfish people to feel good about making a contribution to the environment - without actually changing their behavior. Of course it could be argued that there has been some positive effects of these programs, and there will continue to be more positives. But it's not doing anything to change people's behavior. It boils down to policy change. In order for anything to happen on this affront, we need policy makers to instill positive change. There are just too many passive people in this world that just aren't going to do anything until they are forced to. this country used to be so progressive, a leader in all new technology and policy. Not anymore. We have become a reactive country. No one is bold enough to do anything new that will actually make improvements. Good thing George Washington or Abe Lincoln never thought like that.

Trail Run in the dark (and wet)




Can't see much in this picture? That's because this is a perfect example of what it's like running trails in the pitch dark. Well...maybe not quite that bad, but it sure is a lot harder to run fast then in the day time. But it's pretty cool at the same time. The trails were soaked. The hardest part was not stepping in a mini lake as the leaves that floated on top of the water perfectly camoflaged the puddle. We ran for 1:10 and only covered 7.5 miles. But we were seriously running as fast as our eyes would allow without falling on our ass. It's good training for the 100 mile races though, as much as for ourselves as for our equipment. Lord Hill has some pretty good litte climbs, so we got to work on the hills at least. Running downhill is more a delicate feat of trying not to fall on your ass or trip on a rock or stump. It was a great way to change up the monotony of running on the roads for training. I just wish it was warmer. 42 degrees and a rain is not the best of conditions for a run, but the undulating trail is enough to keep you warm.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Obsess Much???


I do. I obsess about everything. I love having something to obsess about. There is no other way to do something. I am running a 100 mile race in February. I can obsess about the training. I can go over every run with a fine tooth comb and see if what I'm doing is enough. Or too much. Or just right. It's not necessarily the race that makes everything worth it. Not at all. It's the journey. The running with friends while training. All the great runs on the great trails of the Pacific Northwest that I'll play on while preparing for the race! The animals I share the trails with. The people I will wave to. The people I will meet. The early mornings when I am one of the first people on the trail. The satisfaction of each long run. Did I mention that apple fritters I can justify eating after another 30 mile run?

Ron Herzog 50K




Holy crap that weather sucked. I think it hailed, rained, snowed, windy, rain some more, on and on and on - all at the same time. Only for about 20 of the 32 miles, so I guess it wasn't that bad. Or more accurately, it could have been worse. I couldn't see that during the race though, maybe because of the fog.

I ran with Glen for most of the race, he was keeping me in check and making sure I didn't go too fast for a training run. Although I think I can actually thank the chocolate milk he drank before the run more than anything. Glen marked the trail like a dog at a dog park. He now owns Forest Road # 41. Or as the cool kids would say pwned... got me, I'm old, balding, ugly and definitely not too hip on what's cool. Hell, I ride a scooter dubbed "Little Blue Flame(r)." Nuff said.




Glen and I started pretty easy. Hurdling the puddles like Jenny Barringer (no relation that I know of) in the 300 steeplechase. We had a good time and were running 3rd and 4th to the 1/2 way point. It was pouring like a sonuvabitch at the top and they had a tarp over our drop bags. The volunteers filled my bottle because my hands were numb. I thanked them profusely and waved my flaccid stub goodbye as I started my return trip. It was really fun going back with most of it downhill, until the numb fingers attempted to open a Clif bar. It was pretty pathetic sight watching me for 5 minutes wrestle the wrapper. I couldn't grasp the paper, I couldn't bite the thing open. Glen tried and couldn't get it either. I actually stopped for a minute and tried to use a rock to rip the damn thing out. No luck. Eventually I did get it open but ended up eating it while running uphill, which is not the best place to do it. After about 1/2 way through the thing it tasted like sand and was all over my mouth and not giving into gravity. Other than that it was pretty uneventful. I picked up the pace with about 8 miles to go and ended up crossing the line in 4:22. 5th place. Way faster than Baker Lake, but this course is basically a road race with zero single track and is pretty conducive to a fast run despite the early elevation gain. You gotta hand it to the volunteers at the 1/2 way point as they weather there was the worst of the day. Thank you.

Glen ran 4:32.
150 miles in 15 days and my legs responded pretty well. I actually ran 12 the next day and felt decent too.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Halloween Marathon Training Run

Wow. What a fun little training run. Some of it was a little messed up just because it was kind of a pain in the ass to check in every lap for 10 laps, and I had to run to my car a couple times to get food among other things. But I really like Bellingham. It is such a great little athletic town. And Lake Padden is a gem of Bellingham - so it's a great little venue. I've run around the lake a few times, and of course ridden the mountain bike on the Galbraith trails, and raced here also so I'm familiar with the area.

Round and round we go. There's the lake. There's a couple with a dog. A little hill. A duck. A goose. Another runner. The gorgeous lake. HOLY CRAP!!! I think I see the sun. Wooeffinhoo!!!! Although it's a short lap, and we had to do it a bunch of times I never got bored. For one, we were running on dirt. I love dirt. I've always loved it. From the time I was first raced motocross, to running XC in college, BMX dirt jumping, mountain bikes, Cyclocross (CX), any excuse I get to play in the dirt I'll give it a whirl.

Anyhoo, I dressed like a nun as it was Halloween. It was a pretty cool costume, and also the closest thing you'll ever get me to that is church related - but my weekly longish runs are sort of like my mass anyway. But running in it was a little tough; I had to hike up my skirt, or whateverthehell it's called, and it was a bit warm. So I did one lap in that, took it off and ran in the usual getup for the rest of the run. My legs were absolute crap at the beginning of the run, but I'm not really used to 60-70 mile weeks yet, but I'm getting there. To make a long story short my legs vastly improved by the 15-16 mile mark and by the end of the run I was just on autopilot and feeling really good. I felt like I could have kept on going forever.

I ran solo the whole way as I don't really know that many people in the running community. That's what I get for racing bikes the past 4 years. Plus the run was so small sort of felt like I was infringing on a group of friends' training run. But everyone was certainly nice enough, the money was donated to a good cause, I got a good training run, and I did meet a few people. I have no idea what my official time was, but I know my running time was 3:26. Not too bad for someone who has been running less than a year and ran a marathon the weekend before.

We'll see what the 50K will bring next weekend.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Punk Rock Environmentalism

Lyrics by Bad Religion. In case someone is unfamiliar with them, their singer has a Ph. D from Cornell in cultural studies. And the bands lyrics are gernally considered some of the smartest in all of music...period!

The song is called "Kyoto Now." Some very deep and well thought out verse.

It's a matter of prescience

No, not the science fiction kind

It's all about ignorance, and greed, and miracles for the blind

the media parading, disjointed politics

founded on petrochemical plunder

and we're its hostages

If you stand to reason you're in the game

the rules might be elusive but our pieces are the same

and you know if one goes down we all go down as well

the balance is precarious as anyone can tell

this world's going to hell

Don't allow this mythologic hopeful monster to exact its price

Kyoto now!

We can't do nothing and think someone else will make it right

You might not think it matters now

But what if you are wrong

You might not think there's any wisdom

in a fucked up punk rock song

But the way it is cannot persist for long

a brutal sun is rising on a sick horizon

It's in the way we live our lives

exactly like the double-edge of a cold familiar knife

and supremacy weighs heavy on the day

it's never really what you own but what you threw away

and how much did you pay?

In your dreams You saw a steady state a bounty for eternity

Silent screams but now the wisdom

that sustains us is in full retreat

Don't allow this mythologic hopeful monster

isn't worth the risk Kyoto now!

We can't have vision for the future if it can't be fixed

We need a fresh and new religion to run our lives

Hand in hand the arid torpor of inaction will be our demise

Oh, Kyoto now!
Do I really need to say anything else after this?
Think for yourself, and think of the result of your actions.

Monday, October 26, 2009

26.2 Mile training Run

Perfect weather. Great trail. Good company. Awesome day for running.

Glen and I started out slow running 8:15's or so, talking about running (what else?) and bits and pieces of everything else. I tried to slip in the "you should run the 100 with me" whenever I could as Glen is probably the one I could most likely talk into doing this with me. We planned on running 25, but figured we might as well run a marathon since we were close enough. Eventually we settled into a decent pace of about 8:00 per mile - not bad for a training run - and occasionally ran a bit faster. My legs were feeling pretty good as I was sick for most of the week. There were quite a few people on the trail considering it was kind of cool and a bit foggy. I was pleasantly surprised by this. Just before and after the turnaround of 13.1 miles there were a bunch of people on the trail for some sort of organized walk. I never want to discourage people from being outside and being active, but walking three abreast on a trail is not the best of trail etiquette. No matter, we weaved in and out of the walkers, crossed the bridges and made our way back to Duvall. It's funny how the longer you run the less and less the conversation there is. In the beginning it was nonstop, at mile 24 it was nonexistent. We finished in 3:28 or so according to my watch, Glen had some coffee at his in laws while I tried to get some of the kinks out of my legs. Overall I felt really good the entire run. And it's a lot easier to do with other people.

Sunday morning I wake up, look at the clock and see it's 7:30. Then I get to thinking....Shit! When I do a 100 mile race there is a chance that I may not even be done by this time, if I started the race yesterday morning when I started my 26.2 @ 0815. I'll just have to put the longevity of a 100 mile race out of my mind. Of course it's long distance to run, it's long in a car or on a bike too.

Sunday afternoon I ran with Glen and Joleen on the trail while pushing my baby girl in the jog stroller. It was her first run so I was a bit nervous on how it would go. She slept through it all no problem though. Joleen and Glen ran a bit quicker than I was ready for, especially pushing the stroller. I think we probably did the last 5 at about 7:20 pace. It was easy for the lungs to handle, but the legs were tired from the previous day.

Great weekend of running though. Lots of fun and the training was good.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Bouncing Souls


I finally got to see these guys live. It was pretty cool. They sounded about how I expected them to sound. The singer kind of has a monotone (baritone) voice, looks like he just crawled out of bed and threw a tie on, has dance moves like me and nonetheless it was a fun time. They played lots of older songs, which is what I would expect from a band that's been around for 20 years. The crowd was really into it, jumping on stage all throughout the night before front flipping into the crowd. Broadway Calls and Bayside were the openers, I liked Broadway Calls, Bayside was kind of lame - sounded a bit too emo-ish for me. Now, if Bad Religion would just come back to Seattle, or face to face if during their off again on again retirement/reunion would somehow make it up here.
4 hours of sleep and I made it to work. Still getting over a cold though. Have to run 25 miles on Saturday; legs should be fine as I haven't done crap this week. February will be here before I know it - that's what I'm afraid of.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Interesting Project about the existence of God

http://www.cornellevolutionproject.org/

There is a definite correlation between education and believing in the existence of God -at least in terms of the people with science backgrounds. It appears that almost 60% of the people polled in this PH. D paper from Greg Graffin at Cornell University believe there is not a single God that exists. Of course these people all have science backgrounds, and if you try to use science to prove the existence of God it will make things difficult. I'm not saying I believe one way or another, I just say I don't think any religion or going to church is for me. But I am interested in this topic when it is looked at by people with an education, and not just some zealot with a view that cannot be changed one way or the other. Anyway, check this out if you're bored, and you must be or you wouldn't be reading this. I'd write more, I could probably write forever about this subject but I gotta run, and chances are I wouldn't be able to explain anything concisely, instead I'd end up tripping over my words like a drunken teenager walking through the woods on a Friday night. So take it however you want, but keep your mind open and think for yourself.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Baker Lake 50K - 10/3/09




Here is me and my Baker Bear. I was pretty excited to get a bear. I wasn't real excited about my time. But then again I never am and that's what keeps me coming back to races. And now I know what I look like when I'm holding my daughter...a dork!

The Baker Lake 50K is an awesome race. Very low key but lots of fun. The weather was perfect. 40 at the start, 50 at the finish - sunny! With a quick chat from the race directors and final instructions of "Do not feed the bears" we were off. Great course- no pavement except for running across the top of the Baker Damn, great views, nice people, and a lots of "undulating" hills. With a bridge out from flooding the previous year we had to run up a fire road for the first 4 miles, it was a nice 1100 foot climb to get the body warmed up. We turn around and bomb down the same fire road to the single track 2.5 miles later. And then the trail will turn, go up, down, over a log, across a creek, again and again, never flat or boring, for the next 23 miles. It was awesome! The wooden bridges were wet and covered in moss, pretty treacherous - I was using wet leaves for traction -never thought I would resort to that. I ran alone for most of the race in 3rd or 4th place o/a, passing some of the early starters with a quick wave and a smile. It was pretty uneventful for the most part - but memorable for sure. The only problem I had was losing 2 gels somewhere. I still can't figure where they went; running the last 13+ miles on a single gel. Oh well, I bonked a little bit, but it didn't diminish the experience much. I fell once (now called either Wrayed or Layed out) because I'm a klutz and was getting tired, my handheld water bottle cushioned my fall. The finish is at the Kulshan campground and I believe there were about 12 people there to cheer me on. Lots of great food, Subway sandwiches, cakes, cookies, everything you could ask for after 5 hours of running. I ended up 3rd overall and 1st in the Male Open 39 & Under group - the Masters guys rock at the long stuff. I'll never understand why trail running isn't more popular - it is so refreshing to get out on the trails and be miles and miles from electronic leash.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Conundrum + other notes

I.

There are all these books I want to read. I don't really like going to the library because it is very difficult to get to; unless I start incorporating some training runs by there.

Am I being wasteful purchasing a book, which obviously comes from trees, about the environment? I like to purchase the books because after I read them I go back and use them as references for other things. Also, I like to pass them on to friends and family members to read. So is this selfless task of passing the book and knowledge outweighing the fact that I'm wasting resources purchasing paper copies of books? Should I really be that anal? This really does bother me.

Also, much like eating healthy, being conscious of my actions in terms of the environment (I could have just said green, but I don't really like that buzzword - it makes doing the right thing sound trendy) it can be expensive to make the right decisions. For example, at work we have 5 gallon water jugs - I do not drink out of them but instead walk 100 feet and up some stairs to the water fountain and fill my bottle, which is really getting gross no matter how many times I wash it. But I could buy one of those fancy aluminum ones, but that is 25 bucks. For a water bottle? Are you serious? I work with metals all day at work and know that it doesn't cost anywhere near as much as that to make an aluminum jug.

II.

I have been getting about 108 miles per gallon on my scooter driving to work though. I'm tempted to drive it to Baker Lake for the run but at 40 mph it would take me a long time. I would also most likely freeze my ass off on the way home after my core temperature drops. Being sick wouldn't help anything I guess. I have almost 4000 miles on it since April though, and barely 5000 on my family truckster I bought in January. I am trying to make a difference in spite of the world we live in and the public attitude I face. But I can sleep well at night knowing I'm making what I believe to be the right choices.

III.
Baker Lake 50K is this weekend and I actually feel really prepared. My last tough weekend of training 3 weeks ago I did 27 miles in 3:39:00 and followed it up the next day with a hilly 10 miles @ 8:01 pace. Recovery went great. I've been sleeping too. Well, 6 hours or so a night which is a bit above normal. I don't have the turnover right ow to churn out many 6 minute miles, but I feel like I can run 8:00 minute miles forever. I'm anxious to see how that translates to the trails. As long as I pay attention to my nutrition during the race I should be OK. It should be really fun anyway.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Green Days


I actually accomplished some enviro friendly things at work. But man, what a pain in the ass it is. Seriously. Management jumps on the bandwagon because it makes the organization (or more importantly themselves) look good. But they sure as heck don't want to lift a finger to do anything, and most of the time they are more of a hindrance than anything. This is how a typical conversation goes:

Me: "Hey Mr. Manager, can I do such and such that will save: 1) a bunch of money 2) a bunch of time 3) reduce waste 4) make things reusable, etc."

Mr. Manager replies without every bothering to stop and look at me, "Sure, go for it."

I should ask them if I can have the next 4 months off of work w/ pay to train for a 100 mile running race to see if they are paying attention. I understand they are busy, I am in a meeting with them every morning so I know what the work load is. I'm not asking them to physically do anything though. I'm just asking them to support me 100% as I make process improvements that are in line with the board of director's itinerary. Maybe mention once in a while to their employees that the so called green movement is not really a movement but something everyone from the CEO (who talks of it frequently in the press…greenwash or not) on down should be interested in. The company has all these goals they want to accomplish by 2012. It will be here before we know it and then when time passes and the goal is not met…do we make up a new timeline like other more media intense endeavors? All of this is for the good of the company, the community, and the individual. It's a win win situation for everyone. Stop being so apathetic and help out, do your part, every little bit is welcome.

I know Auden Schedler (Getting Green Done) frequently mentions how hard it is tomake headway in this fight. And I can relate to the fact that more grunts are needed - which is what I am and am comfortable being, but I wish I could just get a couple more people actively involved. Yes, the job we are paid to do is what we need to be focused on because if we do not sell our product we do not have jobs. But there has to be some way that you can become engaged and still do your job well. I don't really spend too much time working on the "green team" stuff, but I feel like I'm making a difference. And I am very thankful for the one person at work that has been so helpful.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

80 bucks DOR? WTF?


80 bucks DOR. Are you kidding me? It's not like I've been living a completely sedate lifestyle the past 4 years. I've just been racing bicycles. Pretty much every bike race is 20 bucks. You may see 25 bucks every now and again. And a lot of my races were 75 - 80 miles. Which last a little more than 3 hours. And bike racing does not get the numbers that running does. Stage races, with 4 stages and about 230 miles of racing over 3 days, with support cars, neutral feed zones, etc, and those were 80 bucks. That makes more sense to me.

I know I've been doing this stuff for a long time, and from the prices I remember paying it may seem like it's been a lifetime. I think the first marathon I ran in Virginia Beach in 1993 was 20 bucks. Now I realize I only made about 6 bucks per hour back then, so I had work over 3 hours to pay for entry. Nowadays the 80 dollar entry is earned in a lot less time. However, 80 bucks is still 80 bucks. Early entry does save money and from the price increase I would assume it is highly encouraged. But please…80 bucks is a little steep. And there are races that are plenty more expensive out there. Which is why I run so few races. I don't want to run with 20,000 people, and I prefer to do it off pavement if possible - I assume a lot of people run for the socialization of the event, which is fine, the more active people the better- it's just not my preference. Anyhoo, the 80 bucks thing is a rip. I wonder if I went to the race director 5 minutes before the start and said, "Here's 50 bucks! Can I run?" It's 50 more dollars in his pocket or to a charity or whatever. It's better than running as a bandit which I probably could get away with, but wouldn't feel comfortable doing. I don't want any awards, I don't want a shirt, I just want to make a training run a bit more enjoyable. Is this contradictory to everything else I said? Maybe.

I think I got soured on the whole entry fee inflation a few years back while doing triathlons. I put a comment on one of the checks I wrote to the Kirkland triathlon stating that I thought their race was way overpriced. The promoter, I think her name was Carolyn or something from AA Sports called me and told me to stay home. We then had a pretty lengthy conversation about everything involved, which didn't really shed any light on anything I didn't already know. The one comment she made that pissed me off though was, "I'm sure in whatever your job is you want to make as much money as possible." Well, not if I have to sacrifice my integrity to exploit a chunk of the population for the money, that's just not my style. I haven't been to an AA Sports race in 6 + years, and don't plan on ever going back. They can time the race, just not promote it. I'll never have a problem with paying a large sum of money to race if the entry actually goes to a charity. Earlier in the year I ran a 5K that cost 30 bucks, which is a lot of money for something that won't even take me that long to run. But 100% of the proceeds went to a great cause, so think that is a great thing. When the race benefits the chamber of commerce or the promoter, that's when I draw the line. I understand they need to make money if that is their only job, but for the same reasons I won't go to a Mariners game I won't do an AA sports race, those people are not getting my money.

I was thinking of running the _________ _________marathon as a training run this coming weekend. But after seeing the $80.00 price tag I decided I would be better off doing a solo run on the Centenniel Trail in Snohomish and pocketing the money. I will just carry some Gus, a powerbar, and some water bottles and be ready. I can also spend a lot of the time running on a dirt surface, lost in my thoughts as I plod along for 3 1/2 hours at 8:00 pace. I also don't have to worry about getting caught up in the race as I know I'm in pretty good shape right now. But this is not my goal race.

Friday, September 4, 2009


70 miles running last week. I didn't even realize I ran that much. And then on Wednesday (9/2) I was ran12 miles, it was about80 degrees and sunny, and I just felt like I had no turnover. Usually on an easy day I can run 7:15-7:30's no problem, but on this day I was cruising at 7:45-8:00's and my HR was in the mid 130's. I was starting to try and figure out what the deal was, so I looked at ye olde training log and noticed I did 70 miles in the past 7 days. That will do it as I'm used to running closer to 45 miles per week.
Plus I don't get enough sleep. I read about how Deena Kastor gets about 12 hours of sleep per day. That has to be the biggest benefit of running for a living. I'm lucky to get 6 hours per night. What kind of recovery am I getting? I'm trying to eat better though and my weight has dropped to about 165 pounds, which isn't too bad. But it's really hard to get enough rest with waking up for work everyday at 0430 and getting to bed at 2200.
Last night was an easy 5 miler for recovery - legs felt pretty good. Today I may just inline skate for 30 minutes and then tomorrow morning run 16 or 17 and with the last 1/2 dozen miles at 6:40 pace. The pace will be adjusted depending on HR and how I feel. The last thing I want to do is run myself into the ground.
Next weekend I need to run a 25 miler. I love the long runs. They are nice and peaceful and relaxing. And I try to run them slow enough, around 8:00 pace, so they don't leave me too wasted.
3 day weekend too. Woohoo!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Running some Trails



Trails. About time I ran some. Lord Hill is only 15 minutes from my house and I hardly ever run there. I actually got in a 60 minute run yesterday though, I only took one wrong turn. It ended up taking a couple miles off of my run. The downhills were pretty sketchy, it was like running on marbles. Some of the newer single track was great to run though, lots of traction, up and over fallen trees, hardly every stright. Good stuff for sure.

I didn't see any bears or cougars either. Although at the trail entrance they have the proverbial "what to do if you encounter a cougar while out on the trail" sign. Youmean, besides crap my shorts? I could offer one a gel or something if I have one on me. Would that be more tasty than...my throat? Not sure. Anyhoo, it was a great morning for a run. I need to get out there at least once per week at least until Baker Lake 50K is here.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Watch movie September 21st

http://www.ageofstupid.net/usa

Here's the link so you can find where it is playing wherever you live. Are we as dumb as a lot of so called expertws say we are? Probably. But watch the movie and find out why we don't do anything to save ourselves when we had the chance.

Here's a link to the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZjsJdokC0s

There are lots and lots of arguments that climate change for the negative either is - or is not -happening. Either way it is really interesting. I think global weirding, as coined by Thomas Friedman, seems to be the best description of what is going on. But I am not a scientist. I just read a lot of books. But with all the weird weather going on in the past couple years it certainly makes me stop and think about what is going on. The valley that sits below my house has flooded the past 3 of 5 years. Before that it used to flood once every 20 years or so. Tsunamis? Can we blame earthquakes? What caused the destabilization to produce the quake? New Orleans flooded. Hmmm. 109 degrees F in Seattle. We are the same latitude as Montreal. Something that isn't right is going on. It may or not be normal, but evolution of the earth is progressing whether you want to believe we caused it or not.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Tully's - I don't drink coffee...

but I sure eat donuts. I've been hovering between 165 and 170 pounds for the past 2 years. Last year I pedaled about 10,000 miles on the bicycle. This year I will be pushing 2000 running. I should be rail thin but people at work keep giving me Tullys cards for helping them, which is a nice gesture, but I just eat too many donuts. 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. What a waste of caloric intake! Sure, if I were 120 miles into a 160 mile ride it would probably be one of the best things to eat. Maybe even 30 miles into a run it would hit the spot. But at 600 in the morning it is something I should just not consume, yet for some reason I can almost never say no. I need to start giving these stupid cards away when they are given to me, and then I might just make it down to 160 and after that 2:55 marathons should be a bit easier to attain.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Baker Lake 50K here I come

Well, I think I'm going to do this race. I'm not exactly in ultra shape, but this is barely past a marathon. I ran it before, finished 10th overall after not having run more than 15 miles. Seriously. I was running that far pretty frequently, so I just decided to run 15 miles 2 days in a row 3 weeks before the race. I ran slow. But it worked. I survived. And did OK too.

This year I have time to get in a couple 20+ mile runs. I've been doing 13-14 mile runs at 6:40 - 6:45 pace so I should be able to go out and run these at 8:00 pace OK. It's only been a couple months since I last ran a marathon anyway. Although I still think like a bike rider where I think I can just jack up my mileage and not pay the consequences. We'll see what happens though. I'll run 20+ tonight and mail in the entry afterwards.

Hopefully my next blog heading doesn't say...No Baker Lake...or something like that.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Books I need to read + other comments

1. Cradle to Cradle by Michael Braungart

2. Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken

3. Plan B 3.0 by Lester R. Brown

4. $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better by Christopher Steiner

This is the short list right now. I'm currently in the middle of reading 2 other books, so I'm not about to engage myself in 3. Looking at the seriousness of these titles makes me realize I'm getting old; or maybe I'm finally starting to figure out my place and how I can make a difference. Naaa! I'm not really that philosophical, I must be getting old. It's just getting harder and harder for me to keep interested in books that are carbon copies of previously written books. Sure, the character development is a little different, the plot make twist "unexpectedly" every now and again. But the unpredictable nature of sitcom books as I like to call them is predictable.

I'm recently read a Thomas Friedman book (well, most of it before I lost it somewhere : ) ) and Auden Schendler's Getting Green Done - which was a very engaging and somewhat frustrating read. Only frustrating because I can relate to so many of the obstacles to overcome and I am not in a powerful enough position to change policy. Books like this are opening my eyes up to a new America which is quickly marching itself into the new dark ages. Everyone is so caught up in the now that they forget that in 10 or 20 years some of the choices they make, or do not make or going to be severely impacting the climate, culture, and economy of this country. But this is America, home of the fat and out of shape, and I may start adding apathetic to my favorite descriptive gibberish of this country. But I don't have time to write about apathy right now, I can only control what I do anyway. But it could snowball for a while...maybe next time.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Fat Guy Gripe

If I see one more hot girl holding hands with a fat dude I am going to kill myself. Well, not seriously, but I will roll my eyes and wonder what the firetruck is going on here. I ran on the trail in Snohomish a bunch last week and I don't know how many times I've seen it. Or they are riding bikes together and the girl is just in super shape, awesome smile, and the dude she is with has a big beer belly, or is just plain fat. C'mon guys, if I had a super hot girlfriend I'd at least try to keep myself fit. Who hasn't seen an "Adult" movie with some big fat slob of a guy on some hot chick, it's disgusting. Are these guys that nice? Do they make that much money? Is personality really that much of an attraction? Seriously. We are such a superficial culture -just like my little rant is proving)- how can this make sense? Are the girls just humongo bitches that no one else will put up with? I doubt it. Maybe they just paid for the girlfriend experience. Yea, that must be it.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Job

I'm thankful I have a job that pays as well as it does, but it really, really sucks!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

ISO 14001 my A$$

Something that is very frustrating is working for a very large company that promotes itself to the outside world as being leading edge in the great green cause. This is a company that serves it's employees meals on Styrofoam. Every single day. Over 20,000 meals a day. Over 20,000 paper plates a day. ISO 14001 certified my a$$. I guess they just bought that distinction.

Working on environmental projects within my own work organization is another thing that has proved very difficult. Yes, the company does support this endeavor by its employees, even promotes it. But my immediate manager, one born back when it was cool to have cars that got about 12 miles per gallon and and still living in that era mentally, thinks it is a waste of time. There are a ton of examples I could use to support this, but for the sake of my crappy typing I will just use one. Not too long ago a couple of my fellow workers and I did a dumpster dive - which is exactly what is sounds like. We had two 5 x 5 foot dumpsters filled with garbage. We went through all of this garbage; and to make a long and stinky story short, we ended up finding that over50% of the items in the garbage were recyclable. When we were done we shrank the garbage down to less than one 5 x 5 and filled seven 90 gallon bags with recyclable material. And our manager told us this was a colossal waste of time. "We have product to build." Which is true, I understand his point, the product needs to be the number one priority while at work. But what this example proves is the company I work for has not created any sort of cultural change by adding the ISO 14001 tag to its name. Trying to do anything "green" almost feels like a waste of time at this company. Which of course it isn't, not in the least as we have made strides, it is just an uphill battle that is a lot of work met with a lot of resistance. We'll get there. Last week's 108 degree temperatures must make it obvious to even the dumbest and most naive of the workforce think there is some sort of a problem. I'm not if the majority of the company will fully embrace this sort cultural shift before they have to, but we are making some strides thanks to individuals and their teams. And I can say that I am learning a lot about the process of change and just how hard it is to implement.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, running sure didn't last long. I really wanted to run this year but my knee that I messed up a long time ago is just giving me way too many problems. I did get up to a 10 mile run, which was probably too much considering the amount of time I was running, but I wasn't sore from it so I figured I was getting used to the pounding of running. But the next week my knee was causing me to limp every running step I took. Bummer. I was really looking forward to running some races. Maybe I'll have to get my knee fixed now. I guess I'll be racing the bike again so I started riding to work again this week. I'm still not sure if I'm excited to ride or not, but I know it feels good to be riding to work again. The gas I used driving everywhere for the month of December sure felt like I was being wasteful, not too mention the money wasted on gas.

The snow we had in late December / early January sure made the roads a mess though. I am covered in sand every morning when I get to work. My bike is taking a beating I'm sure. I have to wash it nearly everyday just to get all the road grime out of my brakes and gears. I have seen a couple street cleaners out though, but I'm still stuck in the middle of the road for most of my commute. Most of the drivers though have been really good and have been giving me a decent amount of room. Much appreciated.

Also, what a great Xmas this year!!!!!