RunStreak day 9

3.00 miles in 24:45 on the schukyll path

RunStreak Day 8

1 mile in 9 minutes on the perkiomen trail

week 1 thoughts

-Going for a run was a lot easier than expected. I never dreading going out to run, even when it was raining.
-I ran 29 miles, the most in one week since I ran a marathon 4 years ago.
-I didn't plan any runs out, and ran more than expected every time.
-My legs have been tired walking up stairs, but weren't when running.
-I weighed myself after my long run on Sunday and had lost 2 pounds since I started. (184.5-182.5)
-My left knee was hurting after my run yesterday, felt fine this morning, and is now killing me. Could derail this whole thing early.

RunStreak day 7

2.04 miles along the schukyll in 17:20

The Schukyll Trail is a paved path that runs from center city philly to about 30 miles outside the city along the Schukyll River. I've run the "trail" 100 times. During my run the other day I noticed this dirt path next to it, and tried it out at lunch today.

RunStreak Day 6

10.10 Evansburg trail miles in 1:36:42.


Ran through this calf deep/knee creek twice

RunStreak Day 5

1.4 miles in 12:07 around the neighborhood



My day: running and brewing



And a bonus lap around the block with my favorite 2 year old

RunStreak day 4

4.00 miles at Evansburg in heavy mud in 38:35

I took a landscape pic, but then though I'd be doing an injustice to trail running to not show how muddy you get after it rains

RunStreak day 3

2.05 miles in the pouring rain on the schuylkill in 16:01

RunStreak Day 2

4.98 trail miles, 46:56.
Day 1 was was 4.35 miles, 41:56

I made the mental commitment to do this yesterday, so I'm counting that too.

I've decided to try a few things, not sure how well it will work out.

- I'll try to take a picture of every run
- I'll try to run 46 unique experiences. Never running the same route more than once.
- Unless it's a treadmill
- Unless I'm running with someone. A few friends are doing Tough Mudder, so I may train with them a little and won't make them bend to my rules.

Today's pic:

This bridge has been out for months. They were tring to fix it, then ended up tearing it down. It cuts the park in half, so I can't get to half of the trails in the park unless I run through the water. Which I'll be sure to do at some point in the next month.

RunStreak

As a not-so-devote Catholic I've skipped the "giving things up" Lent tradition for the past 20 years or so. Inspired by some crazy people, I've decided to give up NOT running for Lent this year. I will try to run at least 1 mile everyday for the next 45 days. (Is Lent 45 days? So, Jesus went to the desert for 40 days, but we're supposed to do something for 45? Doesn't seem fair to me.) I already know I've got a tough task ahead of me. I'd love to not use a treadmill since they're the devil, but with 4 inches of rain expected starting tomorrow, I might be getting off to a tough start. Also, Kym going away for a weekend in April means I'll have to run with Kenslee riding a bike and with Colin in a stroller at least twice. Then, my toughest task will be the 6 days we're spending in Disney the 2nd week of April. Why am I doing this again?

Trail Running

On Halloween of last year I ran a 10 mile trail race and pretty much was instantly addicted. Running through the mud, over rocks and down trees, through rivers and choosing my way through different paths as I go is so much more fun than running on streets. I find myself going out for a 3-4 mile run, then choosing to take paths that I know make my runs closer to 6 miles. I've woken up and happily gone for a run before work in 20 degree weather. I've run in the rain, in the snow, and while snowing. I've run two days after 8 inches of snow fell. I'm finding myself having no desire to do the normal road races I've been doing for the past few years. Just not much interest in that. While running after a snow fall a few weeks ago I snapped some pics in Evansburg Park.


I wear an orange hat when I run so hunters don't shot my ass.









Today I ran the Chilly Cheeks Trail run in Reading, PA. Billed as the hardest (per-mile) race you'll ever do. Climbing hills you have to use your hands to get up, and going down hills you simply can't stop on. Good times






A quick 80 foot hill to finish it out.




Here's my GPS if any future trail runners are looking for info on the race.


600 feet of climbing over 3 miles in the middle then you fly right back down the last mile.

After 17 days out of work

I'm like Jack in LOST. I need to go back. I don't like this world.

Spew

My best friend died today. My best friend from high school more specifically. We played basketball everyday. We inspired each other to play better, to jump higher, to dunk. We played video games until 5am. I brought him on family vacations. We had more fun than you can imagine. We got in more trouble than you can imagine. I grew out of it. He did not. He became an alcoholic and could not stop. He had a son 6 months ago and could not stop. I don't even know how or why he died right now, but he is gone.

Imagine he biggest asshole you ever met and times it by ten. That was Lenny. Imagine the funniest person you ever met and times it by ten. That was Lenny. Imagine the best friend you ever had and times it by ten....

You think of someone and the dominate thought is that of alcoholism. I can't help but think that. But right now I think of the time in high school that he came to the shore with me. In about 3 minutes he convinced two girls we met to meet in the beach at 3am that night. They actually did. And we actually were sober for a change, making out with these girls under an astoroid shower until 5am when my parents noticed we were gone and found us walking home. We had to weed the entire beach property the next day as punishment. We could have cared less. The price of a good clean time as high schoolers.

I could tell a million other stories. My parents could tell many of those same stories, which ended much worse than two kids picking weeds. As a parent I know I will end up telling a lot of bad stories about my kids, but I pray there is never a story that ends up like Lenny's story has ended. I love you brother.

DOE!

The trail I run on is about 10 feet wide with a short fence on each side. There are often deer just on the other side of the fence, but today when I was running there was a deer in the middle of the trail. As I got closer and closer it looked at me with no intention of moving. I got closer and closer and he/she just stared at me. I veered to the far side of the trail, and just kept running. About 3 feet from the deer. So, this makes me question: Why the hell do hunters feel the need to hide in trees to shoot these stupid things?

Snip, Snip

About a month ago I had a vascetomy, so I figure I'd share the delightful experience. After much discussion and hearing a bit too much screaming and crying over the past few years, Kym and I decided we're done with kids. We love the ones we got and we don't need to add anymore madness to our lives. We went to the Dr., watched an awesome 80s film on the topic, and was scheduled for the procedure about two weeks later. Faster than we thought it would be, but we felt ready to make the step.

The appointment comes and I'm called back to the room. I was given the option to have Kym come in with me, but I declined, knowing she'd put some last minute thoughts in my head and I wouldn't get it done. So, I strip my pants off and lie totally uncomfortably back on the table. I hear some activity, then, whoa, the nurse is rubbing me down with some sanitary stuff. She then very carefully encases my nutsack in four pieces of operating paper stuff and tells me to not touch anything down there and walks out of the room. I'm left there for at least 10-15 minutes, unable to put my arms below my waist and regretting everything about the experience. Then the doc comes in and does his thing. There was a small pinch, then about 20 minutes of uncomfortable tugging and utter and complete awkwardness.

I go home, put ice on my balls, and look up stories of vascetomey regret on the internet. After a few days the hardcore pain went away, as did the regret. I'm now 4 weeks post procedure and I still don't feel 100%. I've talked to several people who were back to normal in a few days, but I've got lingering random pain in the nuts. It's annoying, but I'm told it will eventually go away. My superpowers will return to me before long.

Winter Ale and European Lager (and mix)

96 bottle of beer on my floor, 96 bottles of beer..

I think it's pretty safe to say my creative writing here is done, so I figure I'll write about homebrewing when I get the urge.

Tonight I bottled two beers. My 3rd time doing the same European Lager, and a Winter Ale I threw together.

When Kym got me the brewing equipment the guy at the store also sold her a simple Coopers European Lager and 3 lbs DME. It's a yellow beer drinker favorite and I've made it about every 3 months since I first started brewing early this year.

I wanted a Winter Ale and wasn't too into all the kits I looked at. They seemed too spicy or too dark. I wanted a mildly spicy Amber ale, so I made up my own.
1/2 Crystal 60
1/2 Carapils 20
6.6 lbs Amber liquid extract
1 oz Vanguard 60 min
1 oz Cascade 15 min
Wyeast 1028 London Ale
spices (10 min)
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t 1loves
1/2 t ginger
1 t vaniall extract
2 cinnamon sticks

O.G 1.050
F.G 1.016

When bottling tonight I decided to try something different. I took a gallon from each of the fermentors and mixed then and got about a case worth of a european winter lager/ale. We'll see how that turns out...


I love my homebrews but they don't taste as good as this Dogfish Punkin Ale did.

What I did on my summer vacation

Every Christmas since Kenslee was born I made a video much like the following for my parents and Kym's parents. The Christmas one is longer and more fine tuned, but some of the lyrics to this song I like so much (not the vulgar ones) I decided to make a summer vacation video.


I'm undecided as to if I want to put it on the Christmas video for the grandparents because of those few lyrics, so I'm just putting it here for now.

1000th Post Extravaganza!!!!!!!!

woohoo, 1000 posts!

So very close

So close