DID IT!!!!

87.6 and counting

Well today is October 30th leaving me just over 35 & 1/2 hours to get in 12.4 miles.  Now before all of you Ultra-heads starting rolling your eyes, I need to try to figure out if I can pull this off and not have it knock me back in November.  My longest run this year has been (one sec - have to go to runningahead.com to check - be right back.......) just under 4.3 miles.  I have to referee 3 games on Saturday, which at calculating 2 miles per game (although on line they say it is between 3.5 and 5 miles per game - I just dont see that so I go with 2 miles per game), but I digress.  I have been fighting the hamstring tweak, my IT band (which is about 95% healed), and a crazy like/work schedule.  But excuses are easy to find..........

ANYWAY---- Ref'ing will give me 6 making the total 6.4, you know I actually think I can pull this off.  If I run my King Arthur/Nelson loop that will give me 3.1 miles for tonite (when I get home) that will leave me 3.3 miles to do early Saturday morning.

Well wish me luck, though all I really need is to stop making it a big deal in my head and JUST DO IT. 

I know this pic is a tad crude, but when I was googling JUST DO IT images, this one was screaming to me to use it.  And sometimes you just have to listen to those little voices in your head :)



3 games on Sunday and I will have a nice start to November. 
Not to mention that I am breaking in the new Garmin tonite - SWEET!
Happy Friday all - be well - Sank

UPDATE:  THE GARMIN 405 ROCKS!!  I love it

View from outside my office - no cubicle for this kid

It is a beautiful day here in Sunny Boston today.  This is the great view of the Christian Science Church Plaza headquarters that I get from my office window EVERYDAY. 

If you have never had the chance to walk the plaza it is breathtaking.  For all of you that are running Boston, you really should make a point to do it while you are here.  It is just a couple blocks from the finish line.

I am very lucky in that the hotel that I manage is a VERY short walk to the finish line.  I usually try to get over to see some of it every year. 

Message me if you are planning on running it and need a room and I will try to get you a good rate.

Take care all, Be Well - Sank

Back

Seems like forever (well actually just a week) since I posted.  Tons of refereeing this weekend and the herniated discs sparked back up the migraines.   That coupled with the fact that eating whatever and as much as I felt like and a way to many beers, so kind of a lost couple of days and feeling pretty crappy.
Oh well poor me - I really need to get going on the roads.  I still have an outside shot at hitting my first 100 mile month (in about 15 years), which I am really going to try to do, but I just wish I could get out there consistently and feel good.  Not just mentally but a good stride, pace, breathing; without having to think about what I am doing.
My goal a little while ago was to:
1. get the little nagging legs issues under control (which thankfully I seem to have), and
2. stay on the roads only to try to get some consistency
But I just cant seem to get that flow going while running.  Oh well, just need to keep sticking to it, and stop whining about it I guess. 
My replacement Garmin 405 shows up today, so at least I will have a new toy to go out with me while I figure it out.  :)

Thanks all - if any New Englanders are out there that know of any good running clubs that do a fair amount of Trail Running - PLEASE comment me their information.

Take care, be well - Sank

Lost outside of the Woods

Somehow I have lost myself outside of the woods.  With the days getting shorter, the weather getting colder, the rush to get the outside jobs wrapped up, with the hotel business getting slower, the work day getting busier, kids back to school and head first into activities, and the basketball refereeing availability going from nothing to tons; I have not been able to get out on the trails in what seems like forever. 
Perhaps in hind-sight it is helping me with my knee and hamstring, but I have to say that I, along with Belle, are missing it.  I really am going to have to make the effort to either get up REAL early and get out there before work or cut back on the weekend refereeing and get at least one run there.
Funny, before August I had never done an trail run.  Obviously I am not talking about my pre-high school days when running; and pre-mountain bikes when riding; was just what you did.  FOR FUN!  No Garmin, no tempo; just fun.  Be nice to be able to go back to those times wouldn't it?

Happy Boss's Day

Not to much to report. Been holding back on the running end as my left hamstring is still not very happy. I am refereeing again this weekend, 3 Friday, 2 Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Probably not the best running career move but I need the cash (like all of us dont).

Nancy and I are going to this bellydancing thing on Saturday night, with a girl Nancy works with and her husband. They went last year and said it was a blast.

Wish me luck with the refereeing. Once again looks like nagging little injuries will keep me from my 100 mile month. There's always next month.

Be well - Sank

To all you hockey fans out there....check out this kid.

Bicep Femoris, 229 and Zero

My left hamstring has been acting up the past several weeks, starting up after I had done a 7 basketball game refereeing weekend.  I have tried stretching it out, don't really have any decent stretches just doing what seems to feel like it is stretching it out and going from there. 

Looking at the diagram I reckon its my lower Bicep Femoris. 

But it is really restricting me today, so if anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE send them on over.

I stole some of this post, expecially the jpeg from another blog site (Mark's Marathon) for the hamstring portion.

Now for the 229, I actually saw gas today for sale at $ 2.29 - not that it is that big a deal but what a very pleasant surprise.  Note:  I am not holding my breath thinking that I will see under $ 2.00 again in my lifetime.

And finally the 0 (Zero). Not that I am a celcius guy, living in Boston, Mass USA, but the Title sounded better than Bicep Femoris, 229 and 32. Anyway, went out to the car today and the temperature was 32 degrees F (or for my canadien readers 0 degrees C). There goes everyones Global Warming fears, Global Cooling everyone - go out now and get all the down and flannel you can. 

and on another note - my Garmin 405 - arrived today!  WOOT!!!!!!!!!!! 

Be well - Sank

New England Craft Beers

Link to a posting from the Boston Globe.  6 local New England craft beers; enjoy the read, enjoy the brews.

It is also makes for a good starting place to drown our sorrows after the Sox get swept and the Patriots offense goes silent in the second half vs. the Broncos.  Life's to short to drink cheap beer! 

Be well - Sank

Click here for Globe article

In the words of Homer Simpson - D'oh!

Marge Simpson - Playmate ?  Yes it is actually true.
This is just too funny....... 

Refereeing and getting old!

I'm told that New Hampshire and Vermont are peak this weekend but the leaves are really starting to turn here in good old Massachusetts. The pool this morning had a fairly decent layer so I guess the pool guys will be coming out soon to close her down. That truly is the benchmark for the end of summer. Oh well.

Fall also brings the start of the AAU and Rec League basketball which is good by me as it helps to put some $ in my pocket by refereeing. The only downsides, it really gets tough on the body trying to ref somewhere between 5 to 10 games over a weekend and get in a run (trail or road). But the money is good and I try to consider it like a sprint workout. Last weekend I reverted back to my old habits and didn't stretch AT ALL. Big mistake as I tweaked something in my lower back into my left hamstring. I did a couple runs this week and once I got out a bit it warmed up ok, but the mornings were tough getting up.

 

Well it sucks to get old, but what are you going to do, they haven't found a cure for that yet.

Took this picture yesterday as I was walking down Boylston Street - yup this is the "needs to be painted badly" finish line of the Boston Marathon.  Right around the corner from the hotel I run.  Hopefully I will be running over that in just less of 200 days. 

Be well all - Sank

Another Reason I Love Dogs

On the Road again and I added a Beer of the Week section

Wow what an absolutely crazy 4 days.  Friday involved picking the rosters for 4 youth basketball teams, one being my daughter Hannah's.  Saturday and Sunday was refereeing and more refereeing.  I looked on line to see what the average distance coverered when refereeing a high school game and it said between 3 and 5.  Well I couldnt really see that so I put it in at 2 miles per game and 2.5 for this one beast of a game.  I say beast only in that these were two of the best 17 year old teams in the New England and my partner and I ran our asses off.  Fun game to do though, lots of action above the rim.  Now generally before I started up running a month or so ago, the next day I would be doing my best Walter Brennan imitation limping around the house but I have to say that both Sunday and today I felt pretty damn good.
So tonite I get home a bit late and after doing all the games I decide that I will do a short 2.3 miles.  I was little concerned as I had tightened up a bit as the day progressed sitting in the office chair for a large part of the day, coupled with almost a 90 minute extended ride home but I went out regardless.  As I started the back of my legs were keeping me in check, but as I finished the later part come over a small hill I was pretty happy with my run.  8.25 pace and I thought after last week's run that it was going to be closer to 8.  I guess I have to think that the 7.49 pace was an error somewhere either distance or the watch.  Oh well it gives me something to shoot for, breaking 8 again.
Ok now to the libation part of the blog.  I finally added a Beer of the Week section to the left, along with a past winners section.  Just a place to show what I am drinking at the moment, a different beer related type of post or just a beer that I tried and liked enough to take the time to add it.  If you have one that you particularly like, please send it on over and I will happily try it out.
Be well all - Sank

Watch issue or one hell of a good run?

I get home tonite and decide that I have to start kicking up my base.  Not to mention that I really want to break 100 miles this month (I know not a very worth goal, but we all have to start somewhere).

So I run some afterwork errands and rush into the house to get my stuff on and to do the Old School loop.  It's a 4.17 mile run with a short loop at the end on a fairly busy street, which isnt the best when the sun's going down but I go off regardless.  I stretch out the IT band (boy those exercises are starting to pay some dividends) and off I go. 

Now when I started off I felt pretty good and went out kind of hard, but after 3/4's of a mile I settled in pretty well.  Occassionally I would feel my quads tighten up a little so I would slow down my stride a bit, try to kick out my legs to stretch out a bit, and when they weren't bothering me I would just settle in.  Almost 3/4's of the way done and I am coming down this slight decline and I really felt great.  The stride was great, quick and my breathing was very smooth.  Well to make a short story long, I shut off the watch as I hit the end of the driveway and into the house I go to enter it into my runningahead.com account.  And as I am entering everything I look at my pace and I ran 7:49 miles.  Are you shitting me?   7:49's!!!!!!!!!!!!  I know I felt good and all but to take off that type of time, if and I repeat (in caps) IF that is true I am so psyched right now!

Well I'll take it, short run if any tomorrow.  This weekend is going to be kind of crazy as I ref AAU basketball and I am committed to a bunch of games AND I want to get out on the roads and trails. 

Well if you look in the sky and see a light coming out of the Massachusetts area of the US, it is me glowing from tonite's run.  God I hope that watch was right :)

On a very minor "I am so bumming" note - I missed out on a sweet ebay bid on a Garmin 405cx.  :(

Be well - Sank

It's Official .......

200 Days 'til the 2010 Boston Marathon