Day 15.7 - Montessori 5K - 26:43 - 8:35 / mile pace!!

Well, I was shooting for an 8:30 / mile and came in at 8:35 / mile so I'm happy with that. I foolishly forgot the exta .2 miles and expected to finish around 25:30 but upon reflection, I see where I went wrong and I'm pretty happy w/ my time. I've been training at a 9 min / mile pace so this is a nice improvement, especially considering the screwy terrain.

I wore my Asics, shorts, and t-shirt. I forgot my hat and it was wicked sunny, but I survived :-) Can't wait for the next one - and hopefully I'll be down to 210 by then!

Day 15.4 - 4.1 miles - 37:03 mins - 9:02 pace

Ran from the Y to Bridge Street, up to Pulteney, and down to McDonald's. I thought it was 4.2 miles, but nah - just over 4. I had anal retentive issues about 2 minutes into the run and it really took a lot out of me. The hardest part was around the 25th minute - I came extremely close to walking but persevered.

I ran in tights, t-shirt, and Asics. I wasn't too hot but it took me forever to cool down and stop sweating - nearly 20 minutes. I now take 2 days off before running the chemung valley montessori 5K on Sunday (http://sites.google.com/site/cvms5k/).

Day 15.2 - 2.6 miles - 23:16mins - 8:57 pace!!!

Wow! My first sub-9-minute mile in quite a while! I did NOT want to run today. I was up late, I ran yesterday, it was a wicked long weekend, etc... But I told myself that these are the days when I have to be disciplined and it will pay off in the long run. With my weight dropping continually, I need to continue to train, too.

So I dropped the kids off and hemmed & hawed, stopping to buy a water & powerbar since I'd forgotten mine, and drove around a bit going back & forth in my head about running or going to work, having to change, where to run, etc... Finally I parked at Kinsella park, changed, and got warmed up.

I decided to go with a t-shirt under a long-sleeve shirt, a combo which works well on these chilly & windy mornings when I forget my jacket. I work my NB sneakers and my Brooks shorts. I started at the park & ran up Canada Road to the intersection w/ South Hamilton street. At first I was jogging in a 4/4 breathing pattern and when I realized what I was doing, about 2 minutes in, I upped it to 3/3 and my speed picked up, too.

The first mile was about 8:40 if I recall & calculated correctly. That was surprising when I looked at my watch. I knew there was a big hill at Healthworks so I just tried to keep a steady pace going. Around the Walmart entrance by Spring Pond I noticed my shorts were chafing my left inner thigh. I tried to move the shorts up, down, sideways, etc... but nothing helped for long. I considered stopping but I recalled the words from "Once A Runner" that says all runners deal with pain eventually - there's no finessing it. Those words kept me going.

The hill outside Healthworks was indeed tough, but for the most part I kept my rhythm the same only switching to 2/2 near the very top. I didn't slow down on the downside, keeping the pace up and just using the easier workload to regain some energy and then I was able to really pick up the pace when things flattened out again. As tired as I was during the run, when it was over, I felt like I could have gone longer / faster. Tomorrow is an off day and since Annie is away on Friday & Saturday, I'm planning to run on Thursday & Friday mornings. Gotta keep up the good work!

Day 15.1 - 2.1 miles - 19:15 - Memorial Day

With the baby stroller, uphill mostly, I ran 2.1 miles at 9:10 pace!!! I was down to 214 this morning, too. I haven't eaten that great this weekend, but with all the family & kids around, I have definitely been more active. I was happy with my effort today, especially given the night the baby had, but hopefully I can get below a 9 minute mile soon. Now that lax refereeing is over, I'm hoping to run 4 days a week and tomorrow will be a longer run.

I ran in my Asics, Gear shorts, t-shirt, and Adidas hat. I hit the road right around 8am -- again, I was happy w/ the effort.

Day 14.4 - 1hour - 6.2 miles

I did my long run - FINALLY! When was the last time I ran for an hour? Back when I still lived in Rome I think and that was almost 10 years ago. I was going to run long yesterday, but Brennan was up so much the night before that I couldn't. Last night he only woke up once so I grabbed the chance. Unfortunately he woke Annie up at 5:30.

I wore my Adidas hat, Asics, tights, and a new twist - a t-shirt underneath a long-sleeve shirt. It was about 50 degrees which wasn't cold enough for a jacket, nor warm enough for just a t-shirt and the 2-shirter worked perfectly. I did get really sore nipples, though...I don't think it was chafing necessarily, but they were quite bothersome.

The run was good. I started at the Y, went to Bridge, and then onto Pulteney all the way to route 86 near Denny's. I made the turn at 29:30, intentionally giving myself some extra time on the return trip as I considered that hill near West High. I ended up having an extra 15-20 seconds upon the return to the Y so I just ran a little farther into the parking lot. I guess that means I was a little slower on the return, but I'm okay with that. My pace works out to 9:40 per mile which, given my usual 9:30 per mile, was pretty good.

For the first time that I can remember, I was actually questioning myself as to why I was running so far / so long. It started around minute 40 and though it seemed like a long conversation in my head, it probably only lasted 20 seconds or so. I got rid of it by doing my old Army cadence - "One mile, no sweat, 2 miles, better yet, 3 miles, easy run, 4 miles, lots of fun, 5 miles to the sun, 6 miles, almost done, 7 miles, for the run, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!". Okay, I added a couple there, but that's what I was saying to myself. It really threw off my breathing :-)

Besides my nipples, there really wasn't much pain anywhere, but there was a ton of discomfort! I could feel the acid in my legs and my right achilles wasn't thrilled, but it never complained so much that I felt the need to stop. My left middle toes started feeling like they were bleeding around minute 45 or 50, but I didn't stop.

I never found a consistent rhythm with my breathing or my stride, but that didn't faze me much. For the most part on the way out I was breathing in & out every 3rd stride. The way back was all over the place as I reverted to breathing in for 3 strides and out for 2. Then when I started doing my cadence I was in and out every 2. Once I realized that, though, I forced myself to calm down so I didn't waste myself. I did some stretching at the end because everything felt like it needed it. Next week I'll run fast instead of long and see how I do - I still haven't found a decent workout plan for that yet.

Day 14.2 - 36 mins - 3 miles on Highland Hills

I wanted to run long today, but the baby woke up just as I was heading downstairs - the little bugger! I tried to get him back to sleep but he cried which woke up Annie and then it was either argue or just get out of there. I had to really bundle him up because it was only 31 degrees when we started - below freezing!!!

I zig-zagged down the hill to first street and back up to our house. From the house to Lexington and then right onto 3rd, down Hamilton, left onto the alley between 3rd & 2nd all the way down to Field, then right onto 2nd back to Hamilton, left onto Cintra lane, then right onto Field and right down 1st to Hamilton. There I turned around and went on the same route, but it was mostly up hill this time. The stroller was a pain - it wouldn't stay straight & I kept having to use both hands to get it back on track. Brennan, of course, fell asleep pretty quickly, just to tick me off.

The NB 1224's continue to feel better and better. I wore tights, knit hat, mittens, and a jacket and I needed it! It wasn't a great run or a bad run, just a run. At least it was 37 minutes long so I know I worked off a few calories. I was 217.8 this morning -- can 215 be far behind?

Day 13.7 - 30 mins - Massachusetts

Ran around Eric's neighborhood on Sunday morning. It was humid and rainy. My Asics were great, but soaked. I didn't run hard or too long - just enough to work off one of the Cinnamon Buns I ate the night before :-)

Day 13.5 - 26 mins - 2.8 miles

Still recovering from flu / cold so I haven't run since Monday. It was also a rough couple nights with the kids lately, too. I have been having breakfast before my runs because I've been running after dropping off the kids and just before work. Today I had some banana, yogurt, cottage cheese, and an energy bar.

It was a quick morning so I actually hit the road just before 8am. I ran the beartown loop in my Fitness Gear shorts, NB 1224's, a t-shirt, and a fleece - I think that's the first time I ever wore that fleece for running. I started w/ my Nike hat, but removed it shortly into the run as I was too hot. I felt really slow at the beginning but coming down the backstretch towards the Fire Department, I felt great. My pace had picked up a bit even though my breathing was in 2, out 3, I was able to keep the pace up for .5 miles. I ran past my intended stop point and was starting to feel pretty fatigued in my quads when I stopped. I didn't feel the acid build-up in my muscles, but I didn't want to push myself too much. I did have to slow down a couple times to cough or blow my nose - it was annoying. It felt great when i got done, though. My weight was down to 216 yesterday and back up to 217 this morning, but I expect there is a chance for me to be down to 215 by the time we go to MA tomorrow. I ate fish for lunch even :-)

Day 13.1 - 40 mins - 4.2 miles

Very tough to get out of bed today. Didn't get to sleep until 11, baby woke up at 1 & 4. By the time I finished feeding him at 4:30, it was time for me to get up and get ready for the run. I'm recovering or in the middle of a cold and it was only 37 degrees when I started. I wore a knit hat and gloves it was so cold.

I started at the Y and ran up Williams and merged onto Pulteney. I got to the 4-corners in Painted Post and took a right up Hamilton street and another right onto Platt Ave. I took Platt down to Delaware then then left onto Pulteney back to the Y. I think there was a headwind going out and not going back, but nothing serious. My pace works out to 9:34 which isn't great, but I was down to 217 this morning which means I'm continuing to make progress. I didn't eat much dinner last night (Sunday), refereed 3 games on Saturday, and was up from 11-2 with Brennan on Saturday night so my sluggishness may just be from the exhaustion of a long weekend. I had some yogurt and cereal before the run - I've been eating before the runs lately which is also probably affecting my times and energy. Definitely need to rest up tonight. I'm going to try to up my load to 4 running days per week - 1 long, 1 easy, rest day, hills / speed, easy, rest day. Not sure how that schedule will work with the family, but I am so close to getting so much better!

Day 12.5 - Saturday - Beartown loop

Ran early this morning before work and it was actually a bit chilly which I didn't expect. I wore a Starter t-shirt, Asics, and tights. I ran the loop (2.6 miles) in 24:32. I tried to take it easy because I have a 3-lax game day on Saturday and I really didn't want to drain myself. I think I may have gotten a cold from the run. Should have brought a hat.

Day 12.3 - Wednesday - Creekside 1.9miles

I thought I was running 2 miles, but after completiong, turns out it was only 1.9. I was wicked tired / sleepy because Brennan has a newfound appetite for midnight waking. I ran in shorts, t-shirt, Adidas hat, and my NB sneakers.

I've learned that I LOVE running w/ a hat on which is weird - it feels like it helps me focus and I don't squint at much.

I started at the FD, ran onto Creekside and did the loop back to Forest. I intentionaly tried to run faster, especially at the beginning and completed the first 1.1 miles (corner by Peaches-n-Cream) in 9:04! I then took a few slow down breaks and picked it up when returning to Forest and happily, I kept my breathing at 3/3 almost the entire time. After I got to the Creekside intersection again I then sprinted at about 80% to a driveway that I thought was 2 miles but obviously, I was just short. I have lax games tonight & tomorrow so I'll be doing my hill workout on Friday and maybe an easy jog on Saturday.

Day 12.1 - Monday - BFC - 4.4 miles

Didn't hit the road until 8:30am - shorts, no jacket, my blue Nike hat, and a long-sleeve shirt. Really throwing things crazy, I wore my NB sneakers instead of my Asics. I started at the fire dept, went right up Forest, left towards Walmart, and back up the Beartown hills - but not ending at the Fire Department. I then took a left onto Creekside and ran what I thought was a 2-mile route back to the FD, but it ended up being 1.8. I ran the Beartown 2.6 miles in 24:49 and the 1.8 in 17:06 for a total time of 41:55 which is a 9:32 pace. Not bad over 4 miles at this point. I'm dissappointed though because I thought I was running 5 miles. I felt great during the run and was glad to get out there as I'd taken off Saturday AND Sunday.

My left shin was hurting on the inside but it went away when I switched sides of the road and ran WITH traffic. I also spent some extra time warming up doing jumping jacks and lower-leg rotations - something I should definitely continue.

Day 11.5 - Friday - Beartown Road

I dropped off the kids today and parked at the Fire Department. I ran counter-clockwise up Forest, left onto South Hamilton, left onto Beartown, and left again onto Forest. I made it back to Fieldview at 24:27:95 which I clocked at 2.6 miles for a pace of 9:25 per mile - a nice improvement over my 10-minute pace. I then jogged another tenth-of-a-mile down Fieldview to Jacob and walked back as a cool down.

It was a good workout with some nice up-hills on Beartown. I definitely think I run faster when I have more of a warm-up. I need to get back to my jumping-jacks & joint rotations prior to running - maybe that will help my calves. I feel pretty good now, but did have to ice up my left shin. My legs hurt as soon as I moved, but it felt good to have pushed through it and completed the circle. I'm surprised my shins hurt, but I did have a game last night with a lot of running.

My weight was 219 this morning and unfortunately I went out to lunch (& dessert) for Regina's going away party so that might go up a bit tomorrow. But I am continuing my downward trend and just need to stay active and keep sleeping.

I wore my Asics (I've GOT to get another pair!) and they were great. I wore shorts for the first time this year and I think it definitely made a difference over the tights. Tights do support the legs & circulation and all, but I think the spandex makes the muscles work harder, too. I wore a long sleeve shirt and my Nike jacket but the jacket was overkill and I ended up carrying it for 1/2 the run.

Day 11.3 - Wednesday - Williams Street

I tried to get up a bit earlier (4:40) this morning to give the body more of a warm up, but I fell back to sleep and awoke at 4:57 so that didn't work out too well. I did tru to do some stretches & rotations to loosen things up and that seemed to work a bit. I started at the YMCA and ran for 17:30 out and then back. I wore my Asics, Nike Jacket & Nike tights, hat & gloves - it was pretty chilly this morning.

I felt great on the way out. I had eaten poorly on Tuesday while being home with Brian & his ear infections, but still weighed in at 219 to start the day so that probably helped my perception that I was feeling good and going faster. I made it all the way to the intersection of High and First streets in Painted Post before turning around. The return trip seemed to take longer and much more energy, but it ended up being faster by about 20 seconds. I did some "bounding" strides and took some liberties with my stride in the "sitting" motion that I do to alleviate the stress on my calf muscles and I also did a few sections running on my toes.

All in all, it felt good. As the day wore on though, my knees were killing me much more and I was getting up and down like an old guy, putting a lot of weight on my hands / arms to assist. My shins & calf muscles are better, but at what price?

Gotta love the Asics, though. They feel great when I run and seem to be the easiest on my lower legs of all my sneakers.

Day 10.7 - Sunday - Canada Road

I took a couple days off to rest the knees & calf muscles. I was still a little sore on the run, but I pushed on because my weight was only 219! Yeah, I'm in the teens!!!

I parked at the Small Fry Football park and ran up to route 417, then right towards Walmart, then right again down Daniel Zenker Drive, and right again past Healthworks. I wasn't up to 30 minutes so I turned up Canada road again. It ended up being 2.9 miles I think which I was happy with in the end.

I wore my NB sneakers and my InSport tights which weren't that great. My Nike shirt was a good choice, too. I didn't get onto the road until 7 am so it was much warmer than normal.

day 10.4 - Thursday - Highland Hills

Finally down to 220 today!!!!!!

Didn't run until 8am this morning because it was cold and I was up a little late. After dropping off the boys I went home - I thought of running at Sullivan Park, but I didn't want to walk into the building in my tights - TMI, ya' know?

So I ran from the house down Lexington and took a right onto 3rd, then a left onto Hamilton (downhill), and then a left onto 2nd. Then zigged back down Lexington and went right onto first down to Washington using the Alley to come down the little intersection between Bridge, Denison, and Sunset. I ran up Sunset - with a headwind no less - to Field, left onto Field uphill to Cintra Lane and then down the alley to Lexington. Up Lexington with a right onto first continuing to Field...eventually I ended up in front of the Balcerek's house at 30:10 and at about 2.7 miles.

I ran in my NB sneakers, & nike tights & jacket. I was cold in the wind but eventually had to remove the hat & mittens because of overheating. I plan to run again on Saturday. Now it's a few hours later and I'm preparing for the varsity lax game at the stadium. Surprisingly, my legs are feeling better and I've been fueling well. I didn't do much stretching this morning, but I've been trying to make up for it in the office.

Day 10.1 - Monday - noon - Highland Hills

Brennan kept me awake for over 1.5 hours last night. I'd been up late on the weekend watching TV. My left knee hurt, my calves hurt, and it was cold and rainy. So when my alarm went off at 4:50 am, I turned it off and went back to sleep and resigned myself to missing my run today, even though I'd planned on doing some hills for the first time in forever.

Then, my 10-11 meeting ended and I didn't have anything else going on until 1:30 so I stepped out to talk to Applebee's about the league sponsoring and went home to grab some lunch. On the way, I realized that I had enough time to get in a run and since I had to referee Tues, Thurs, and Friday, it made more sense to skip my Wednesday run instead. So I grabbed my Asics, my blue Nike tights, my Nike jacket, a long-sleeve shirt, and ran out the door.

Getting to the bottom of Lexington was the easy part - but it was tricky with a wet surface and my muscles still hurting. But I got down there, and took a left running up Sunset all the way to Field. Then I turned around and ran all the way down Sunset to Bridge, and then ran up Sunset to Field again (I think - it's a little confusing trying to remember at the moment). Then I jogged down Sunset to Fox, and ran up Fox to Cintra Lane. I went left on Cintra to Hamilton,etc... whatever. Eventually I got home.

There were a couple walk breaks in there and I wasn't setting any speed records, but if felt great that I was so excited to run and that I put as much effort into the run as I did. My shins are shaking - sewing machine leg you might say - but my calf muscles feel a lot better than they have in a while. Hope I'm not too sore to ref tomorrow!

Day 9.6 - Saturday - Jones Rd - 35 minutes

I didn't get to run until 10:30am because Annie didn't feel well and Allison woke up early. I had to worry about heat for the first time in recent memory. I still wore my tights because I feel they help my legs and they feel great, but I definitely suffered some extra heat because of it - glad I wore a short-sleeve shirt. My Asics Kayanos were fabulous as usual - I should get another pair.

I parked at the Fire Dept and ran up Forest, onto Jones, and all the way to the metal gate in 17:30. The return trip was nearly identical. Right off the bat my calves hurt, but I stuck with it. My left shin, again, was an issue but it went away. It's sore now a few hours later - I did NOT take Alleve prior to the run so that may have something to do with it - I'll have to track it. Taking tomorrow off and then running on Monday. Not sure what the schedule will be since I'm reffing Tuesday & Thursday. I like the current rotation though - easy 30 min run day 1, timed fast run on day 2, and long run on day 3. I do have to keep my shins in order, though. Hopefully I can drop some weight and have a positive effect that way in addition to the stretches I'm doing. Maybe if Annie doesn't go to Florida I can add some strength training, too.

Day 9.4 - Thursday - West High 2 miles

I refereed in Horseheads last night but still got up to run today. I was a little tired as Brennan is still teething and I was up quite a bit. I even gave him a bottle at 5 so I was a little late getting out the door. I wore my Brooks ASR trail sneakers w/ tights and my RRS jacket - good thing because there was quite a chill this morning.

The first mile was 9:07 and mile 2 was 9:13 which is pretty good consistency for a total time of 18:21. It's short of my time a couple weeks ago when I ran in under 18 minutes, but not too bad considering. My weight was 223 this morning so I'm going to try to focus on getting lighter and faster. I'm only running 3 days a week now due to refereeing in the afternoons so I need to pick up the intensity.

Day 9.2 - Tuesday - Jones Road

Just got back from VA last night and stayed up late, but my body wouldn't let me sleep in today. I had an easy run in my NB1224's along Jones road. As usual I parked at the Fire Dept and ran up and back. It felt a lot easier than my last run out there, but I think I covered about the same distance. My weight was up to 223.4 after the trip which wasn't too surprising, though I did do a good job of staying away from junk - didn't eat a single piece of cake!

During the run not much bothered me until about the 18th minute when my left shin - I know the spot - which I hadn't felt all run, suddenly was stabbingly painful for 2 strides, and then it went away. It felt fine thoughout the day so maybe it finally "popped" itself back into place. I'll find out tonight as I have a game to ref.

Day 8.5 - West High Track 2 miler timed

Today we leave for Virginia so I didn't want to take too long, but I also wanted a decent workout because I was down to 221.4 today! I changed my mind a couple times on the way out there - should I run 30 mins on Jones road again, or should I go to the track. In the end, I chided myself for being so indecisive and went with what I had planned to do.

I ran in my Nike tights & jacket which was a perfect compliment to the conditions. My Asics were great, too. My first mile was 8:59 and my 2nd was 8:58. My first lap was 2:10 and it went downhill from there. I'm surprised that my 2nd mile was as fast as my first since I specifically didn't allow myself to sprint or pick up the pace - I didn't want to be exhausted for the drive. In general, at this stage in my return to running and considering my age, I was happy with 17:57 which shaved a whole minute per mile off my regular jogging pace.

Thursday 7:14am

Brennan woke up at 11 for milk and since he didn't want all 4 oz, I just left the bottle in his crib - that was the only time I saw him and he is still asleep at 7:14!!!

Brian woke up at 5:30 with what sounded like Croop cough. I gave him a drink & he went back to sleep.

Alli came into the master bedroom at who knows what time, but not only woke me up, but also fidgeted / complained enough to keep me awake for a while until I got smart & went to the spare mattress on her floor. She just woke up.

I emailed work & school letting everyone know to expect me / us late, but I'm still going to try to get Alli to school on time.

Wednesday 11:03pm

Brennan went to sleep around 8:10pm. Brian went down around 8:30pm. Alli went down around 9:15pm - she was watching TV w/ me. Brian has since been up and awake nearly the entire time. I went in there once around 9:30 and he was totally naked because he had peed a bit in his pull-up and wanted a new one, and also wanted his Batman PJ's on. Another time he had pushed his pillow off the bed and knocked his water against the frame which made me think he'd gotten a boo-boo. Another time he actually did get a boo-boo while playing w/ his Spiderman toy. I think now he is asleep.

Brennan just woke up and would only eat 2 oz so I left the bottle in w/ him. I've got a little more clean-up in the room here, and then I'm crashing for the night. Not planning on waking up before 6am.

Forgot to give Brennan Tylenol and Alli her eye drops tonight.

Wednesday 8:15pm

Of course, Mrs Santilli dropped off Allison while I had just finished changing Brennan's poopy diaper and I was just about to change Brian's! Brian was funny - I told him I had to go upstairs to change Brennan's poopy and he looked at me and said, "Dad! Look at my poopy tail!" Can that kid possibly be any sweeter or cuter????

Georgina said that Allison was good and ate a good dinner. The boys had mac & cheese and choc-chip cookies. Brennan only had a couple bites, but it gave me a couple minutes to poop in peace. Guess it was just that time of day for the Nordman boys.

Wednesday 10:28am

Everyone got dropped off fine. Alli was done crying by the time we got to school - she cried AGAIN, this time because she couldn't be in the seat next to Brennan. It was not a fun morning and I think there's too much excitement in her life these days so I'm looking forward to her relaxing at home & watching a movie. Tonight is her night at Salsurita's so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Miss Linda has a full house w/ Brendan & everyone. After dropping off the boys I had a jog along Forest Drive & Jones road. I made it to the Y for a shower & to get my card scanned - gotta keep track of my Y visits so we can get reimbursed. I'd like to start going every weekday and when I don't run, I can do abs or something.

Day 8.3 - Jones Road

Annie is in Germany this week so I've been waiting for a chance to run. It was wicked cold & windy yesterday so although I worked from home, I didn't go - plus I was still resting my shins. Today it was snowy, but I'd made up my mind to get it done. After dropping off the boys I parked at the Forest View Fire Dept and ran from Fieldview to Jones and then down Jones until I got to the last "turnaround" before the gates. In total it was 3.2 miles and it took me 31:13. Wow - a palindrome!

I wore my Brooks Adrenaline 8's which already have a few miles on them, some starter tights, and my army jacket & shirt.

I'm going to try to keep on the grass / dirt trails for a while as it definitely seems to be helping my shins. Today was a hard run as there was a nasty headwind on the way out, and of course, I was too hot on the return. I specifically threw in some run hard / jog soft moments as I was trying to do more than 3 miles in 30 mins. My breathing was, for the most part, 3/3, but once I got to the pavement on Jones on the return, I was going 2/2, though I'm not sure if I kept that up the entire time back. It was a good run and I could really feel it when I finished. I walked around the Fire Dept a couple times to cool down, and then did a slow jog on my toes once around, followed up by some light ballet stretches. I started thinking about incorporating some speed work once a week, but I need to maintain my 30 mins, 3 times per week for a while to make sure I'm okay with it. Besides, my refereeing should give me some extra work & sprints, too.

Wednesday 7:02am

Not good so far. Everything tickles Allison and she's kicked me several times. Refusing to listen, too. I almost put her outside when she was screaming, but it's only 30 degrees and I thought better of it and gave her some hugs to calm her down instead. Now onto the boys...

Wednesday 2:44am

That was weird. Brennan woke up, not crying, just doing that "uh-uh-uh" thing he does to get attention. I made him a bottle and he only drank 1 oz. Maybe it was cold? After 10 minutes of trying to get him to drink it, I gave up and put it in bed with him. He had no problem with that and lay right down. Hopefully I won't see him again until 7, but I'm skeptical.

Tuesday 10:40pm

Brennan just woke up and decided to have 3 oz of milk. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. I was impressed that he ate a whole piece of pizza, but I forgot to supplement it with yogurt or anything because he stopped wanting the pizza. If he wakes up every 3 hours, that's going to be another trip at 1:30am and 4:30am........yeah......

Tuesday 9:04pm

Not a whole lot different today from yesterday. The boys were good initially, but little B was whiny from 6:30 until tub time. Alli didn't want a tub but she didn't give me any hassle. Brian didn't want a tub because we were watching Evan Almighty but when I agreed to carry him up he was fine. Brennan got Tylenol at 7, and 4 oz of milk at 7:45. Why is it Brennan can have yogurt and cheese, but not milk???

The boys had Red Baron pizza for dinner and I ate over half of it by myself - I was starved for some reason. Mrs Santilli said that Allison didn't eat much of the grilled cheese she was provided, but Alli was eating cereal the second she walked in - I even let her have cheese crackers in bed. Hey, I'm tired.

It's 9:08 now and I'm going to take out the garbage and then go to bed.

Tuesday 8:39am

Kids weren't bad this morning, but not good either. I planned to take off this morning so I slept in . Brennan tried to wake up at 6:15 with a couple "uh-uh-uh-uh" remarks, but there was no crying so I let it go and he stopped by 6:19. Alli woke up by herself at 6:55 and started getting herself dressed. In general, the kids didn't immediately do what they were told / asked to do, but found other things to do instead. Alli decided to clean up her room at one point - what's up with that?

Got Alli to school at 7:55, got the boys to Linda's around 8:10. Gonna work at the house (dishes, vacuum, trash, etc...) and then go into work.

Monday 11:05pm

Brennan woke up and had 3.5 ounces.

The big kids were good going to sleep. I read 1 book for each and that was it. Everyone was in bed by 9pm.

Monday 7:59pm

Brennan is down just now. I tossed him around playfully before putting on his diaper and he loved it. He also sat still while I got him dressed which was nice. I gave him a 4 oz bottle and around 2.5 oz I realized that I hadn't given him Tylenol and he immediately stopped drinking and put in his paci. We came downstairs and I attempted to feel his top teeth which made him reel. I gave him the Tylenol and we went back upstairs where he finished off his entire bottle without hesitation.

While doing that Allison decided to wash her hair with conditioner - oh Lord. Not sure how much she used, but the tub water feels like blood it's so thick. She & Brian don't want to get out just yet so I'm doing this. I hope to have them down by 8:30. Just by typing that, I'm sure I'm jinxing myself.

Monday 7:03pm

Georgina just dropped off Allison - both girls were pretty happy / excited. Alli had an accident and Georgina put some of Catherine's old clothes on her - overalls & panties. I'll send extra's tomorrow. G said they'll be later tomorrow as it is their Salsurita's night.

Brennan had a little more yogurt after my last post. I think I'll bring it up to the bathroom and see if I can get even more into him. Alli & Brian are eating Cheez-its while watching "Kid Songs" now. Brennan is eyeing them and.......yes! He reached in the bag and took his own cheez-it. WHen I was feeding him earlier, he kept wanting to alternate between having a bite of food and taking a drink. Is he imitating us or just learning to "wash it down"?

Monday 6:41pm

Just finished dinner w/ the boys. I had chicken fries, but Brian didn't want any. Brennan had 1.5 himself. Little B also had strawberry yogurt, some bagel, and some formula. Brian only wanted Blueberry yogurt, but I gave him strawberry because that was leftover from Brennan. He had about 2/3 of it, but then wanted Blueberry - the "white" kind. He meant vanilla and fortunately I figured it out. He had 1/3 of that so 1 full yogurt for Brian at this point. No news on Alli so I'm assuming Georgina picked her up okay. I'll put the kids in the tub around 7, and then try to get Brennan to eat some oatmeal before bed. I'll try to give Brian some more, too - doesn't seem like he ate enough.

Monday 8:32am

It's 8:30, I'm online and "working" so the morning went fine. I actually had all the kids down in the kitchen at 7am, though they were pretty finicky eaters. Alli spent a lot of time entertaining Brennan which was extremely helpful since I had to run around looking for her Barbie - we never did find it. I also got the Easter Baskets into your car, clothes for Brennan, and diapers & pull-ups for the boys. I should have done that last night, but I was tired and figured I'd be up early enough to do it.

Alli didn't want to buy and since she was doing so well w/ Brennan, I had time to make her a lunch and a snack for stay-n-play. When we got to school the green flag wasn't out yet, but Allisons assistant teacher - Mrs Jones? - got out of her car and walked right past us so I enlisted her help to get Alli inside and Alli had no problems with that. Actually, she's the one that shouted - Look! It's my teacher! She did her hair today, too :-)

Monday 5:40am

Brennan woke up at midnight and 3am - right on schedule. He ate almost 4 ounces each time. Alli was kind enough to wake up at 3am as well so I didn't have to make a separate trip. She wanted to sleep with me, but I still find the master bed / mattress uncomfortable so I slept on her spare until she decided to climb in as well. Now I'll get ready for the day.

Sunday 9:22pm

After dinner we played in the basement for a bit. Then Alli & Bri watched a Strawberry movie while I got B to eat some oatmeal. The big kids were in the tub by 7:10. I washed both of their heads and then let Brennan in. At 7:30 I took Brennan out, gave him some Tylenol, and tried to give him a bottle. He drank 3.5 ounces and appeared ready for sleep when Alli butted in to ask for help getting a dress. Yes, I was pissed, but nary a naughty word nor a cross tone escaped my lips. I put B down & tucked him in and he went right down. After getting Alli dressed I went to get Brian. We brushed teeth and that's when I heard Brennan. I lightly scolded the older kids for making so much noise that they woke up the baby and told them to pick out a book and I'd be in to read to them after I got B to calm down. B didn't want to calm down so after a few minutes I just put him back - he cried for a couple more minutes, but I didn't check my watch when it stopped. I snuck downstairs because I was tired and didn't want to read to the kids. Alli came down in 10 minutes with a nasty look on her face, wanting to knwo why I hadn't read to her. She snuggled under a blanket while we watched "Newhart" on channel 9, and "Extreme Home Makeover" on channel 4. At 9pm we came upstairs - Brian was fast asleep!!! I read Alli one book, got her some ice water, and here I am. Night-nights. I'm goign to get up early and clean up the room a bit. I did get the dishwasher run and swept the floor, and most of the laundry got done yesterday, but it'd be great if I can clean up a bit. I'll probably take a half-day on Tues or Thurs to get ready for the trip, too.

Sunday 5:10PM

Just finished "dinner" after playing outside w/ the Z clan. ZBrennan went down the slide and caught his leg, but he's walking on it fine now. Owen didn't listen to his mom and right away she said, "That's it - we're going home." Good for her - you should have seen how tight her grip was on his wrist when he was trying to get away.

Brian had most of the chicken from a lunchable; Brennan had some cheerios, 1 oz of milk (formula), half a yogurt, and a couple little pieces of chicken nugget from Brian's meal; Allison had 3 or 4 french fries leftover from this afternoon and some little pieces of chicken left over from the piece I tried to feed Brennan. At 6 I'll go with grilled cheese and see if I can get them to eat more.

Sunday 3:29pm

I just got off the phone with you and went upstairs to get Brian. Alli followed me upstairs and was reading "The Missing Tooth" book while I changed Brian's poopy diaper. When the change was done Brian got up and was walking over to his train table when he said, "She's ruining my life".

'Nuff said - I just spoke toyou on the phone.

Sunday 2:22pm

Just got back from Sams. Actually went in twice because I forgot the $5 check / coupon for Enfamil. Got diapers, wipes, pull-ups, and 1 pair of pants for work to replace cargo pants that have blue stain. After 2nd trip I got fries at Wendy's for the kids and gave Brennan bottle that I had along. He drank 3 oz, but still started griping around the country club all the way home. I gave him a paci - it disappeared. I gave him another and same thing.

Right now the kids are eating their fries - they were too hot at Wendy's. Brennan is having cheerios because he turned his nose up at yogurt, Kidz bar, french fries, and chicken nuggets. He slept until 12:30 - a 2.5 or 3 hour nap!!! I thought it would only last 45 mins or so and I missed out on a chance to play with the kids who spent a lot of that time outside on the swing set / trampoline. They also watched Strawberry Shortcake & had pop corn for lunch :-)

Expect B to go down again around 3 or 3:30 - maybe he'll sleep in the stroller if we go to the park. Brian warned us that it's really muddy, though, so we may stay here.

Sunday 10:01 am

Had a quick shower after "helping" Alli spell Brian, Brennan, Mommy, Daddy, and Nordman. Just as I finished Brian poked his head past the curtain : "There you are daddy!" He told me that Allison was calling me because she needed more ice water. I told him to tell her I'd be right down. He left the bathroom, maybe got to the top of the stairs, and came back, "Daddy - are you dry yet?" It was pretty cute.

Time to get teh diaper bag ready - heading to SamsClub shortly for diapers, wipes, pull-ups, and yogurt. Happily, I found a 1/2 full baby Tylenol so that can wait until tomorrow.

Sunday 9:27am

You left not long ago. The kids played nicely together. I turned off the TV because Brian wanted me to read Johnny Appleseed to him, but he kept insisting the guys name was Eric. Allison finished a painting in "her" craft room - I had to close the door because Brennan kept trying to eat paint brushes. So far this morning I've given Brennan a 2 oz bottle 3 different times and he has nearly finished each one. He also had Eggo waffle, Cinnamon/Raisin bagel, and Honey Graham Kidz bar which he loved. I just put him down for a nap.

I've been harping on Alli & Brian to eat some shredded wheat cereal, but had limited success. I'll push it again when I'm done with this because if they get too hungry, the day could turn ugly, quicly.

Day 7.6 - 30 mins @ West High

I haven't run since Monday due to shin splints and today I went crazy wearing my new Asics Kayano 15's. I ran 30 minutes non-stop on the dirt track at West High and my legs feel fine! I slept well the night before and got to the track around 7:30. There was a nasty head-wind on the back stretch (I ran counter-clockwise) but I made it through. I still had 25 seconds to run when I completed 3 miles. There were some puddles on the track and a few soft spots, but I'll take that over shin splints anyday.

Love the new Asics!

Day 7.4 - Thursday - no running

Haven't run since Monday I think, and my shins are a LOT better. I've been stretching a lot and doing the heel-toe walk recommended on Runners world. I might run tomorrow, or may just ref on Saturday and see how that goes.

My weight has been 222 the last 2 days in a row and I was pretty active today so both my belts are getting too loose :-)

Day 7.3 - Wednesday - Lots of shin / calf pain

Didn't run today because my legs hurt so much. I did a game in Bath last night and my shins / calves hurt so much I was frequently out of position. I walked for 10 minutes and will try to do that a couple times today as well as the lower-leg exercises recommended on Runners World. I'll keep you posted. I wore my new InSport tights and the new Asics Kayano 15 and they were great - at least for a walk they were.

day 7.1 - Monday - 20min run, 1 min walk, 9 min run

Another hard day of running. I'm definitely connecting the dots to lack of sleep at this point as I was up until 1230am doing the closing for work. I did sleep in, but in general, I didn't get enough rest 2 nights in a row.

I ran at the Y on the track and my lower legs were painful / sore right away. I'm going to try to incorporate more of a warm-up routine so that hopefully it will stop happening. I'm running and refereeing tomorrow so I might have to take Wednesday off. Annie leaves on Saturday so fitting everything in could be a problem. Next week will be even worse as we're traveling to VA, but in any case, I think it's close to the point where I need to take off a week.

Day 6.7 - Sunday late morning

Didn't run until 7:30am this morning and it was a very hard, tiring run. Two minutes in I wanted to stop. Maybe because I ate poorly yesterday, or stayed up late, or because I was up four times in the night - whatever the case, it wasn't an easy run. I also started out with too much clothing and was too warm, but when I turned around I realized I had been running with the wind and I was glad to have the hat & gloves going into the breeze.

I ran w/ tights, supporter, Army jacket, and my NB 1224's. It was comfy. I should get my new Asics this week and I'm anxious to give them a try. Tomorrow I'll probably go w/ my Brooks one last time before the new pair arrives. The schedule for week 7 is pretty whacked - supposed to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday. Friday & Sat aren't a problem, but I'm reffing on Tuesday and I think that's going to be too much. Unfortunately, w/ Annie leaving for Germany on Saturday afternoon, I don't think there's any way for me to offset the schedule. It means running 4 days in a row plus one refereeing night, but if Monday is hard, maybe I'll get someone else to ref for me.

Day 6.5 - Friday morning

God Bless that boy, Brennan! He woke up once at 11:45 and after 2 ounces went back to sleep for the night. I had to wake him at 7:30am to get him ready for Linda's!!! He couldn't have picked a better night for it as I HAD to wake up early today for my run as I've got closing, Darla's retirement party, and a varsity game to ref this afternoon.

I finally bit the bullet and will be returning my Saucony Hurricane 8's. They just never got any better no matter what I did. Today I ran in my Brooks Adrenaline and felt awesome. Wearing just tights & no underwear caused a bit of a chill in the wind that I'll have to watch out for in the future, but I got through it. I ran 1.6 miles in 17:10 which is under my previous 10-minute-mile pace, perhaps because the weather is so much nicer, or perhaps because I was under 223 pounds for the first time in over a year! I was wicked psyched today and I can't wait to run tomorrow, too. I'm exchanging the Saucony's for some Asics Gel Kayano's. I tried Asics back in the 90's and got blisters, but they are so well liked by so many, I thought I'd give it another shot. Tomorrow is a 19-min run, 1 min walk, and a 10 min run. It's 2 miles from the Y parking lot, up Williams street, to the intersection in Painted Post. Hopefully I'll be running 4 miles (2 out, 2 back) by summer. Looking at that trend, it's probably not a good idea to try for the Boilermaker in July, but if I can find a good plan, I'll be looking into it more seriously at the end of April.

Day 6.3 - Wednesday - late morning

Night started out bad and I again slept through my alarm - this is really starting to tick me off. Friday I have a game to ref so I must get my run in prior to the family wake-up or it may not happen. It's become quite fun for me and I miss it on days I don't run. I was on the road today by 8:05am after dropping off the kids. I wore my Saucony's 3D Grid Hurricane 7 sneakers with the RRS insoles in them all day yesterday and they felt fine. This morning they felt fine during the run, but my legs were noticeably weaker when done. Not sure what's up with that, but they will likely be relegated to the "yard-work" category after this. I don't have that problem with my Adrenaline's which aren't even made for a large body type so it must just be a crappy model year for them.

I started at the Y w/ tights, Army shirt, Nike jacket, hat, & mittens which was perfect for the weather. I ran out 16 minutes, turned around and ran for a minute (17 total), walked 1 minute, and then ran 12 more. I didn't get all the way back to the Y, but close enough that my cool down walk didn't take forever. My weight was 223.0 this morning so I'm trying to be conscious of what I eat / do so hopefully I can be under 223 tomorrow - lots of dairy, water, and meetings today to keep me moving so it's a definite possibility. I had leftover veggie lo mein for lunch - not sure how nutritious that is or how fatty, but everything else today has been & will be good.

Day 6.1 - afternoon @ the Y

Rough beginning to the night with Brennan, so I slept in - slept through my watch alarm, actually. I'm glad I did as the rest of the day was light enough that I was able to fit a run into the afternoon. It ended up being a longer than usual lunch, but it was worth it. I wore my new Starter insulating tights which were great on the way out due to the headwind - wore my Army jacket, too. On the way back I didn't need the hat and gloves and my breathing definitely was easier. It definitely seems that I'm breathing 3 in and 3 out which used to be my race pace. My weight isn't great as I was down to 223 yesterday but back up to 225 this morning. I am continuing to eat better, though: leftovers for dinner (not fast food or frozen pizza), bagel w/ cottage cheese & yogurt for breakfast, Kashi bar for post-race recovery, and salad for lunch. I hadn't planned on the salad, but I had to go to Applebee's to see if they'd sponsor the league and since I was waiting, thought I'd look like a supporter, too.

The issue I'm finding is the Saucony Grid Hurricane 7's. They felt lumpy right at the edge of the heel before the arch - maybe it's because I've been wearing shoes instead of my orthotics? At any rate, it's the second week for them and I recall the first week wasn't so good so they may become my grass-cutting sneakers if things don't improve.

Day 5.6 - Saturday afternoon

Actually, not sure if Saturday has been day six or day seven in past posts, but from now on, I'll try to remember that the "running" week starts on Monday so indeed, today was the 6th day of the week.

Today I ran around 2 or 3pm because of the hectic birthday & playdate schedule. I had it pretty easy, really, as Annie did all the running around. Because it was so late in the day I didn't know where to run to avoid traffic and on my way out to Forest Drive I settled on Old Canada road which turned out to be perfect. The jogging stroller affected my stride a bit, but the mileage was comparable. I used my NB 1224's without the RRS inserts and my legs don't feel nearly as tired as the other day. My calves & shins were painful at the start, but probably because I just spent 10 minutes crouching while giving Brennan his bottle.

Aside from that, it was fine. The tights & Nike jacket w/ short sleeve shirt were the perfect combo as there was a headwind at times that required me to zip up all the way, but on the way back I was so hot I nearly took the jacket off. My weight is still at a 224 or 225 plateau but I got some more nutritious food and will start taking Fish Oil supplements - hopefully that will help, too. I do keep reminding myself as well that I'm still not at the point of my runs where weight loss should occur - I need to be running longer and faster to make that happen.

Day 5.5 Friday Afternoon

Not a great run - a lot on my mind and the baby kept me awake until 2am - hence, no morning run. Turns out when I went to the Y around lunch, I didn't have my tights and although it was windy, the clothes I had were too warm otherwise so I ended up running on the track. There weren't a lot of people there, but they kept getting in my way which really screwed up my rhythm. But I did the run and feel good about it. I didn't refuel very well - chicken wing and meat lovers pizza. Too much fat, but I was obviously not well prepared for the afternoon. Hopefully I can run on Saturday morning and get back to normal.

I used my NB 1224's again, this time without the RRS cush insoles and I had no problems. Started getting wicked tired around the 22 min mark but otherwise, not significant to report. I spent quite a few minutes stretching and even remembered my heel raises afterwards. My shoulder is feeling better since I started stretching / rotating it on occasion, too.

Day 5.3 - after 1 week delay

I ran today at 11am in Big Flats just before lunch with Annie. As previously mentioned, I took a week off because of me & the baby. Things looked better this morning and the weather was beautiful. Annie had to head to work early so I had to get all 3 kids ready so I didn't run in the morning.

It was warm enough that I didn't need my tights - bummer - and I was actually a bit too warm with my long sleeve shirt and jacket. Thank goodness I was in shorts. The run was actually quite tiring to my legs which I can't ever recall happening. I was using my New Balance 1224's, but I had the RRS Cush Runner inserts inside - perhaps the extra cushioning sapped my strength. I'll hopefully find out on Friday when I run again. I'm refereeing tomorrow night (scrimmage) so I'll also take Thursday off and then get back on schedule Friday & Saturday. Today I ran 14 minutes and walked 1. I was a few minutes late to meet Annie, but she was a good sport about it thankfully. On Friday I'll run 14 minutes again and on Saturday it's up to 15 mins.

Hiatus Nearly Over

I ran last Tuesday & Wednesday and had a good time outdoors. Friday rolled around and it was too cold for outside and my shins were hurting so I skipped. Saturday was a no go because the baby kept me awake too late. And he's been sick ever since so I haven't gone running. I was up until 3am last night. Now, refereeing starts on Wednesday and I'm torn about when I should start running again. Wednesday? But I've got a scrimmage - don't want to do too much, too soon. Not tomorrow, Tuesday, either - it's 11:30 at night for goodness sakes, and that would throw my schedule off. I think I'll just go Wed morning at the 13 minute run level. My weight is okay - 225 - so I just have to be careful about not screwing up my legs. Knock-on-wood, my ankle feels nearly normal!

5.3 - Rainy morning

Today I got up late, was a bit tired, and was still recovering from running yesterday. Still, I put on the tights and went out. Seems like no matter which way I ran, there was a headwind. It rained hard about 1/2 way through the run, but then stopped and just left some puddles for me to avoid. The Brooks continue to work great.

A little upset at myself as I was 226 this morning and since I missed breakfast and didn't bring lunch, relegated myself to celery, peanut butter, and cookies all day. I had an Apple and Orange right next to me but I was so busy, I didn't eat them. Poor excuse as I found time for the cookies. Hopefully it won't affect me too much. Tomorrow is rest and then back on schedule. I really have to focus on not pushing too much too soon because I keep feeling I could go farther & faster...

day 5.2 - daylight savings time

I didn't run on Monday because Brennan had a rough night and I was still trying to get used to daylight savings time. Last night was even worse and since Brennan had me up at 4, 4:20, and 4:45, I decided to go running anyway. On the brighter side, I was able to start early because I ran outside instead of in the Y.

I started in the parking lot, went West towards Bridge, then left onto Williams - I think - towards Corning Gas. I made it all the way past the FastTrac before my 12 minutes was up. After walking for 1 minute, I continued to the Route 17 overpass and then headed back. I stayed on Pulteney until CMoG and ended my run at the Y. I had a relaxed few minutes to stretch, the shower was all mine, and I made it home by 6:30 on the dot. My shins bothered me only slightly and I wore my Brooks Adrenaline. I'm glad I'm tracking this so I can determine if the Saucony's are hurting me or not.

It felt good to run, but I've been going downhill ever since and I've got the kids all to myself tonight. I'm so beat I'll probably sneak in a nap before picking up Allison. And probably just get McD's for the kids.

4.6 - Outside Run because it was Warm!!!!

Not sure the temp, but it was at least 40 degrees outside. I had packed my stuff the night before and was able to put Brennan back to sleep before I left at 5:30am. I went to Wegmans, changed, ran, shopped, and relaxed for 10 minutes before Brennan woke up again around 7:10am.

I made 3 circuits of Market Street though my lower legs were quite bothersome. Not shin splints I think, but it definitely felt like a pounding. Maybe it's just the Saucony's because I think that's been the case all week. Next week I switch back to my Brooks so we'll see.

We went out for dinner & a beer last night and surprisingly, I'm still only 223.4 this morning. I'm a little disheartened that I haven't lost anything since last week, but I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm really not running much - not even 20 minutes at a time which is the fat-burning target. It's good that I'm controlling my diet (mostly :-) and if I keep increasing the running while watching my intake, I'll start to drop again.

Day 4.5 - Tired, sub 10-min mile

Pretty tired today even though Brennan only woke up twice in the night. Didn't really notice it until I was running and my eyes started tearing. Today was 10 minute runs followed by a 1 minute walk and ending w/ an 8 minute run. I timed & counted laps for each of the 10-minute runs and surprisingly, I ran miles at 9:35, and even faster the 2nd time at 9:30, even though the 2nd run felt like it was taking forever. It was a beautiful day outside and I could have run outdoors if I'd wanted to, but I'll do that tomorrow - it's supposed to rain which is my favorite way to run! The Saucony's were even better this time around and we'll see how they do on the roads tomorrow.

So looking at my 1-mile times, 9:35 per mile equates to a 4 hour & 9 minute marathon time. Remember back in 1993 when I ran 2 miles in 13:45?? That was my best Army time ever. Not sure if I'll ever get close to that again, but at least I'm running. The Boilermaker is 15K which is 9.3 miles so at a 10-minute mile pace that's 90 minutes which is 1.5 hours! Actually, that's about the pace I was running back in 1998 when I was running 8 miles per run in Rome. At least I haven't gotten significantly worse since then :-)

4.3 - Great Day

Wow - it's amazing how much better I feel & run when I get enough sleep. Little B only woke up once in the night at 2am and let us all get some much needed rest. I woke up before my alarm and was ready to go.

I was up to 224 lbs this morning, but considering I had to take all day off yesterday to be with Alli and her broken arm, not really surprising. It is still quite cold these days and I was glad to be in the gym. Today was 9 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking and I ran less than a 10 minute / mile pace. Not much less - we're talking 9:50 or so, but still better than my normal time. My shins didn't hurt and the only thing that bugged me was my right hip, but the track direction was clockwise instead of counter-clockwise so that's probably it. I cannot wait until spring when I can run outside. I need it to as my runs will start being longer so I need to start earlier in order to get back to the house to get the kids ready for school. The Boilermaker (15K) is just 4 months away :-)

Day 4.1 - vvveeeerrrrrryyyyyyy tttiiirrreeeddd...

The baby was up every hour or two in the night and I was up a little late helping Annie with her homework, too. I got my butt out of bed, though, and was glad to be running. The Saucony's were fine, but my lower legs were really uncomfortable - not enough to be called painful, but I was worried that's where things were headed. I think the discomfort was just due to being tired as my stride / timing didn't change at all. I stayed at 223.4 so I could be looking at 222 tomorrow, but I'm starving so I suspect I'll eat too much today and go up a little bit. No biggy - it's the overall trend that I'm shooting for.

3.6 - Crappy Outside Run

Crappy run today.

Yesterday it was in the 50's. This morning it was below freezing, there was a nasty headwind coming off the hill, and I didn't run until 8:30am instead of my normal 5:30am. To top it all off, it felt like I was constantly gliding down a hill (resting in other words) or sprinting up a hill which is not good for my achilles. I couldn't find any sort of rhythm to either my breathing or my stride. It was annoying. From now on I'll have to drive / bike down to Market street and start there. I hate to use the gas, but it's less important than my health.

On the brighter side, I stuck with it and did the full 30 mins. I kept thinking of this weeks motivational quote by Henry Ford: "Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals". I also remembered reading that we should expect good days with running and bad days, too, just like with everything else so upon reflection, the thing to focus on is that I did it. My shoulder is feeling better, the pain in my back is gone, and my shins aren't bugging me. I did notice that when going downhill I tended to let my left leg take most of the impact and just slid my right leg alongside - sort of like going downhill sideways. Once I noticed that I switched and I think my left shin feels better than it usually does.

My weight spiked a bit as I'm up to 225.4 this morning, but we had a dinner party last night with some excellent lasagna and I even allowed myself some dessert. Plus I was famished all day for some reason and ate too many crackers w/ cheese and not enough fruit because I hadn't brought enough with me. Getting back on track today plus some smart planning next week and 220 is definitely in sight. The schedule gets crazy next week with repeats of 8, 9, 10, and 11 minutes so my intensity should be going up, too.

3.5 - Friday morning

Late night with Annie, but still managed to drag myself to the gym and ran 6mins, walked 1 min (4 times) and ended w/ a 2 min run. I picked up the pace a bit on some of my laps and before my last set felt / heard a small pop in my left shin. I immediately slowed it down and didn't feel any further discomfort, but that does seem to be the area where I might be developing shing splints, though 3 hours later, I barely feel any pain, even when pushing on the spot. I also have a sore spot on my back near my right kidney. I probably just slept wrong, but gotta keep accurate records.

All in all, it was a good run. I weight 223.4 this morning and I'm continually motivated by my weight loss. Hopefully I'll be down around 215 (or less) when referee season starts. Looks like I'll have a week of rest coming up as Annie is headed for a week-long work assignment out of the area. It might be a good idea to take a break.

3.3 - Afternoon run at the YMCA

Long couple of days this week with the database issue at work, so still a bit off schedule. Today I ran at 4pm instead of in the morning. It was nice enough that I could have run outside, but I chose to stick w/ the YMCA track. The place was a madhouse w/ kids, but I still got a good workout in - 5x 5 min run, 1 min walk. The last minute I sprinted, breathing in every two steps. It was quite the rush :-) I probably shouldn't have done that, but it felt good. I used the NB1224's again and they were great. Walk tomorrow and then run Friday & Saturday.

3.2 - off schedule, but back on track

This is off schedule, I know, but I ran today. It was supposed to be a walk day but hey, I hadn't run since Saturday and I was itching to get back into it. I used my New Balance 1224's and they were great as expected. Why did I ever try Under Armour????

The cycle today was 5 repeats of run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. I ran just under a 10 minute mile consistently throughout the workout. As I recall, this is the same sort of pace I was running back in the early 2000's - I used to run 8 miles at a time, ya' know. My weight is steadily improving and I'm happy to say I'm at 225.4 this morning - I think yesterday was 224.8 so no big deal and actually, pretty good since I hadn't exercised in so long. Sleep is definitely key. Brennan wasn't very good last night, but I went to bed early enough that I overcame it.

Today, a bagle w/ cottage cheese for breakfast w/ 8 oz of apple juice. At work I've been snacking on 4 x Polly-O 2% cheese sticks, some 100% whole grain wheat thins and an orange. I've got another orange and a pint of strawberries for later / lunch.

The schedule has me running the same cycle tomorrow. My shins didn't bother me this morning and I only felt them a few times so hopefully this won't be a problem.

3.1 - No run

What a crappy day. Sunday night was closing and I screwed up and deleted 15K records from the database. I stayed up until midnight to try to coordinate getting it fixed until I just gave up - no one was returning my calls. The baby woke up his customary 2-3 times to make things worse. Then I spent all day Monday at work trying to fix the problem and still (4pm) nothing. Almost time to pick up the kids so I won't be able to run today. Probably for the best since I'm beat and my ankle is bugging me a bit.

End of Week 2

Another week down I'm happy to say. It was tough today - the baby was up 4 or 5 times and we were up late getting ready for a birthday party. We woke around 6 and I griped about not being able to run before Annie basically forced me out the door - thank God for her! It was a tough run on the hills of Corning, but it was worth it to stick with the program. I continue to feel better and lose a few ounces each day - I'm down to 224.4. Not sure how the food at the birthday party will affect me, but I hope to drink lots of water and be conscientious about it.

I tried to run in my Under Armour Renevant sneakers, but again experienced the pain on my toes from yesterday so they never made it out of the door. My Brooks Adrenaline trail shoes were great, though. It's amazing the differences between running inside and outside. You can spit when you need to which is nice, but there are so many other variables - the road surface, the wind, the cold making your eyes tear...Week 3 starts on Monday with 5 min run, 1 min walk repeated 5 times. My shins are sore after runs, but fortunately that doesn't carry over - hopefully that trend will continue.

Down to 225!

Yesterday I didn't go to the gym for my 30 minute walk, but did several 10-min at work instead. Today, for the first time in probably a year, I weigh less than 225. Sure, by only .2 lbs, but I'll take it.

Little B had a rough night and I didn't get much sleep, but I did my programmed run today: 4min run, 1 walk, repeat 6 times. I was tired but motivated because my new sneakers finally arrived. I tried the Under Armour Renevant and was not impressed. It felt okay to put on, but not exceptional. And after 20 minutes or so, I realized that part of the lacing was actually chafing my toes. I thought about trying them again until I took them off and one of my heels was similarly irritated. Best to stick with New Balance, Brooks, and Saucony. I'm returning the UA if I can. Unless someone out there wants to try them - they're size 10.5 D.

Day 9

Yeah - I followed the program for the 9th day in a row. Big props to Annie who had to get up at 6am w/ the kids this morning while I was still at the gym. When I accomplish any of my goals, it will be in large part thanks to her efforts & support.

It was a tough run today - (3 minute run, 1 minute walk) x 7 followed by a 2 minute run for a total of 30 minutes. I can't even remember the last time I ran three full minutes without stopping. It felt good to be doing it, but it also left me a bit drained. I may have run harder than I should have because I actually put on 2 lbs between yesterday & this morning. Could it be the 1/16th piece of mint pie I had on Monday night? Maybe it was the spaghetti or the Wheat Thins from yesterday. At any rate, it was a bummer and I just have to keep plugging away. I have been very good w/ my eating lately - no eating out, no sugar (except for that little piece of pie), and lots of fruit and celery so I expect my efforts will yield results as my running intensity increases. Tomorrow is a walk and then on Friday & Saturday I do 30 minutes of 4min run + 1 min walk. Should be fun!

Initial Entry - My First Blog

Yeah! Day 2 of week 2 of the Runner's World 8-Week Beginning Runner's Training Program (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381-386-9397-0,00.html). It seems sort of silly given that I've been running on & off since I joined the Army in 1992. But given my recent weight gain (230 lbs!) and my ankle injury, I'm thinking it's best to take it slow. The baby has been good about sleeping well (finally!) and my wife has been a cheer leader even though it interferes with her sleep sometimes (I run in the morning). At this point, everything is going better than I expected. I'm still getting shin splints a bit, but hopefully stretching and the rest days will take care of that. My ankle bugged me last night for the first time in quite a while - maybe because I sprinted a bit on the track?