Day 267, 98 To Go

September 24, 2013

I will dispense with the misery that is my running this week.  Although my time was not horrible, it was the fastest I was able to go.  If I were being chased by a lion, I would have been eaten in the first 30 seconds (as opposed to maybe a minute or two in a normal week).  The lion would have been extra happy since I am a bit more plump than normal.  Maybe only about 5 pounds, at most, heavier than when I left for Brazil, but 5 pounds nonetheless.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.73 miles

Pace: 9:09/m

Max Pace: 7:56/m

Calories: 264

Avg HR: 127

Max HR: 138

I know this is a bit late, but I finally decided to put together my monthly numbers for August.  Sure, it is about a month late, but I had no choice!

So, here are my monthly numbers:

              Total Miles | Total Time
January          52.24    |    9:25:00
February         52.01    |    8:40:07
March            74.57    |   11:30:00
April            75.59    |   12:00:16 
May              79.51    |   12:31:00
June             82.35    |   12:40:19
July             92.09    |   15:01:00
August          100.52    |   16:15:00      

Here is a week by week breakdown:

Steve's Total Miles Logged: 100.52
Partial Week 1: 17.38
Week 2: 23.03
Week 3: 24.38
Week 4: 22.34
Partial Week 5: 10.81

Total Running Time: 16:15:00

Honey's Total Miles Logged: 21.17
Partial Week 1: 4.28
Week 2: 6.42
Week 3: 6.30
Week 4: 4.17
Partial Week 5: 0.00

Total Running Time: 4:10:00

Once again, I have surpassed my overall total miles for the month!  I had three weeks where I surpassed 20 miles and I almost surpassed 20 four weeks in a row.  Laziness was the reason I didn't do it four weeks.  This is significant only because this means that I have a good enough of a base to start training for a marathon...should I choose to do so.

Not sure yet...

Oh, and Honey had a decent month as well.  It was not her best, but her second best.  Still a good month!!

Run for Life!!

Day 266, 99 To Go

September 23, 2013

I can't even say it.  I can't bring myself to say that it is Mo...Mon...Maaaaaaa.  You know what day it is.  After three weeks of bliss, I am back to work.  I only have about 1,200 emails to go through.  Luckily I used rules to put a few thousand emails directly into my trash or I may have quit the second I came back to work.  It looks like the place didn't fall apart while I was gone, which is good, I guess.  It is only Monddd...you know...so it could get worse.

By the end of the work day, I am pretty tired.  Every muscle in my body is aching.  I wonder how it will feel when I am running?  Why am I wondering?  How about I just go run?  Ok.  Why am I talking to myself?

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.74 miles

Pace: 9:07/m

Max Pace: 8:13/m

Calories: 264

Avg HR: 128

Max HR: 136

You may think, "Hey, that's not so bad after a long flight, full day of work and pain in every joint in your body," and you would be right.  What you don't realize is the misery that accompanied that run.  I tweaked my left thigh pushing a cart full of luggage, and that hurt.  My calves felt like they were balls of iron and every step was agony.  My right hamstring had a knot in it that moved up and down and all around.  And that was all within the first five minutes of the run.

I think it might be worse tomorrow!  AHHHH!  Maybe not.  All I know is that I am tired and ready for bed and I have nothing else to say.  Maybe tomorrow I will get back to our regularly schedule program.

Run for Life!!

Day 265, 100 To Go

September 22, 2013

Let me start today's blog by stating that of all days I have had to run, today I wanted to run less than I ever have before.  You'll notice that my numbers seem to be missing some information.  That is because my GPS, for the 2nd time...3rd time...who knows froze on me again and lost my times.  I remembered seeing that I had just made it to 2.5 miles so I knew I ran 10 minute miles, but that is all I remember.  I barely remember running.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.50 miles

Pace: 10:00/m

Max Pace: x:xx/m

Calories: xxx

Avg HR: xxx

Max HR: xxx

The little angels went to bed around 7pm, and we finished up all our packing.  We packed up the cars (three of them...cars are small in Brazil) with only 5 bags and four car seats.  Now it was time to wake up the babies and pack em in the car too.  There was minimal crying except for Kaylee who wailed until the cars started moving.

We made it to the airport without any issue and loaded up some carts (three) with the bags and car seats.  Me, Honey,. Honey's mom, my Mom, Renata (Fluffy's girlfriend) and Renata's father got everything into the airport and up to the counter.  The babies were all away now and not too happy about it, but they were just being a little fussy.  It took the guy at the check in counter almost an hour to get everything all settled.  Moron.  All our luggage passed weight inspection (barely) and we made our way to the gate.

I have to say, I was already tired.  None of the babies wanted to walk, so we had to carry them and our carry on luggage.  We got to the gate, hung out for a little bit, then we boarded and did the ole stand in your row until everyone got on and you could get yourself settled and perhaps swap up some seats.  Our seats were all separate, so we had to beg and plead the other passengers to move for us.  Thankfully, they did.  Then we set out to thank them with a few hours of misery.

The first leg of the flight was 6 1/2 hours.  It was 2:30am when the flight started and the babies were restless, tired and hungry.  Nothing really appeased them and they all cried on and off for about the first couple of hours before they all finally fell asleep.  Honey held Kaylee (she had to take her from my mom as she was having a hard time holding her) and I held Ayla and Joshua slept in the middle seat between us.

For the next four hours, I sat in the same position holding a squirming, sleeping baby.  I didn't sleep, but at least it was quiet.  I couldn't feel my ass anymore though.  My arms took turns falling asleep, and my allergies and congestion had gone haywire.  I have been abusing nasal spray for the past month (or two or three) or so.  And wouldn't you know, my spray got squished in my bag and I had none left.  So, I was completely unable to breathe through my nose and the sinus pressure was intense.

We made our way down and landed in Santo Domingo again.  Remember, we had to do this on the way here and we had switch planes.  Actually, I found out that we didn't actually SWITCH planes.  No, we got off the plane, went down an escalator, down some halls and back up and sat in a terminal and got back on the SAME FUCKING PLANE!  Apparently, we are not allowed to stay on the plane when the refuel.  Gol Airlines airplanes are too small to fly the distance they are flying so they had to refuel.  They suck!  I can understand that, at least, but why did we have to go through the process of going through the metal detectors and taking our shoes off and all that crap.  Why!

The babies were not happy to be woken up since it was early for them, but once they were awake, they were awake.  They were also wet and dirty.  We changed the babies and realized that we were out of diapers!  Where did they go?  We had more than enough when we started!  Apparently, they fell out of the bag at some point and now we were hoping they just kept there pee and poop to themselves for the remainder of the flight.  Yeah.  That didn't happen.

We had enough time to get some water and soda in the terminal and we got back on the plane.  We had to show our passports again to get on the plane and then we boarded and went through the seating process again.

Finally, we were on our way up again and we only had 2:20 left before we landed!  And then, Ayla started.  She started screaming.  I can't begin to explain the power of this little baby's voice.  I believe she could out decibel a jet engine.  She tried her hardest for over a half an hour.  She screamed, inconsolably, in Honey's lap (who already had a vomit inducing migraine) for 30 minutes before she fell asleep.  She woke up every 5 minutes and screamed a little more, just for good measure.

When we finally landed, everyone was awake, and Ayla acted as if nothing had happened...as if everyone on the plane didn't hate her.  Although no one said anything, I could tell.  I could feel it!  Screw you people, she is my little angel (devil).

Now, all we had to do was pick up our luggage and go through immigration.  We went through immigration without too much trouble, picked up our luggage and started toward what we thought was the exit.  No, it wasn't.  We had to drop our luggage off on a belt and then go on the tram to get to the terminal where we had to pick up our luggage again.  Now, we only had to pick up our rental car from Budget.

They call it Budget for a reason.

We landed at around 12, but we didn't leave the airport until 3:15 and we weren't home until 4:30.  I still had not slept, of course.  We got home and I lugged all of the luggage into the house, put the kids to bed for a nap which they apparently didn't want and put Honey to bed to sleep off the affects of her migraine.  When the kids finally went to bed at 7:00, that is when I went for my run.

As you can imagine, I didn't want to run.  But I did it.  And then...only then, did I go to bed.  Good night folks!

Run for Life!

Day 264, 101 To Go

September 21, 2013

Oh crap.  It's Saturday.  I have to get on a plane with these monsters tonight.  Our flight leaves at 2:30.  That is 2:30am!  What!  How did that happen, you ask?  Well, they (as in the airline, Gol Airlines...and I highly DON'T recommend them) called and said that our flight was cancelled and they needed to move us to a later flight.  We had to accept it, but we weaseled an upgrade to "Comfort" seats.

Comfort my ass.

Comfort seats are the same size as regular coach seats (and small coach seats at that) except that the middle seat (there are three seats per side) is kept empty.  Whoohoo!

Anyway, this means that we have to put the triplets to bed, then wake them up and bring them to the airport, get them on the plane, and try to get them back to sleep.  Simple.  Stay tuned to tomorrow for the trip details.

Today, I ran nice and early to get it out of the way.  I ran easy and on as flat a surface as there is here.  I am feeling my vacation in my body everywhere at this point. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.60 miles

Pace: 9:37/m

Max Pace: 8:22/m

Calories: 240

Avg HR: 124

Max HR: 146

After the run, Honey and I went for a nice dinner at a Japanese restaurant.  It was a restaurant that she frequented when she lived here.  The food was good, the atmosphere was nice, and we had a nice, "Last Supper", before we left for our flight.  I gotta go now though.  Sorry for the short blog today...I have to pack!

Run for Life!!

Day 263, 102 To Go

September 20, 2013

I didn't get much sleep.  I did get a lot of cardio exercise last night though. ; o )

Now, I am tired, still not feeling well (sore, allergies, heartburn) and I added insult to injury and went to lunch at a Brazilian BBQ.  I ate a LOT!  Here is a small sample of what I ate:

Meat, meat and more meat...and some rice and beans...Yum!

I had a few dishes full of meat.  It was soooo damn good.  I want more right now, except I have to run.  Damn it!  I imagine that I will not be able to run very well and I don't really care.  It is Friday and I only have one day left.  Then...I will have to get on an airplane with four children again.  I am anticipating that it will be much worse this time!

Anyway, here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.28 miles

Pace: 10:57/m

Max Pace: 7:33/m

Calories:196

Avg HR: 109

Max HR: 125

I felt like a cow running.  I am guessing cows can't run fast and I know they have a lot of beef on them, because, well, they are cows.  That was me today.  Whatever.  I'll run again tomorrow.  I'm done for today.  Good night!!

Run for Life!!

Day 262, 103 To Go

September 19, 2013

Ok, I am tired.  I knew this would happen, but I did it anyway.  Yesterday's run kicked my ass.  Its all my fault and I have only myself to blame.  Damn you me!!

I'm sure I'll feel better in a few days...well, I would feel better in a few days if I had any intention of resting.  Instead, tonight, Honey and I will be spending the evening at a Motel to enjoy some one on one time.  Now, I should explain that a Motel in Brazil is not the same as a Motel in the US.  In the US, a Motel is just another type of Hotel, but usually not as fancy and usually it is a smaller, two level, dingy, cheap place to stay.  In Brazil, a Motel is for one thing: Sex.

That's right, there is a whole slew of Motels that are all dressed up to attract couples who want a night out to have some hot, steamy, monkey sex.  Sure, I bet these establishments cater to people who need a discreet place to cheat on their significant others as well as those who want to pick up a lady of the night for a few hours of fun.  At the same time, the good Motels, like the one we stayed at, are for lovers who want to connect, have fun, and do it all in a sexy, dynamic atmosphere.  For instance, our room had a private pool.  Yeah!!

Here are some pictures:

Seriously, a private pool!

A little hot tub action and sauna

This is where (some) of the magic happens

Oh, and I ran today too.  Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.46 miles

Pace: 10:10/m

Max Pace: 8:02/m

Calories: 203

Avg HR: 112

Max HR: 138

Acceptably pathetic numbers.  What did I expect.  It was a recovery day.  Now, it's time to have some fun.  Peace!

Run for Life!

Day 261, 104 To Go

September 18, 2013

Hello folks, its Wednesday and I have only a few days left here in Brazil. I won't have another chance to run hills like this, so I am going to do it today.  This is a bad idea, of course, as I am not feeling 100% recovered from my more intense runs these past few weeks and I am also not feeling all that great.  I have heartburn from eating too much meat, chocolate, fried foods, ice cream and Zeus knows what else I have been stuffing down my pie hole these past few weeks.  Add to that my allergies are kicking my ass.  So, of course, I am going to do a difficult workout.

I'll regret this next week.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 30:00

Distance: 2.87 miles

Pace: 10:27/m

Max Pace: 8:05/m

Calories: 250

Avg HR: 116

Max HR: 155

As I was running down my last hill, Honey and Derek found me and Derek ran with me for a couple of minutes at the end of my run, so I extended my run to 30 minutes so it would be my second run of the week at 30 minutes.  As I have stated previously, I need to boost my daily run to 30 minutes a day starting in October and I normally slowly build to it.

I ran up a long hill, about .2 miles up and then down the other side.  I did this twice, although the 2nd time, I ran back down the way I came since the way down the other side is straight down and really hard on my knees. 

I used my GPS to try to get elevation and the grade of the hills, but the grade did not work.  The elevation was slow, but it may be accurate.  I started at 2,613 feet and the top of the hill was 2,753 feet.

Here are a few pictures that really don't capture the hell I endured.  Enjoy!

Bottom of the hill.  It continues around the bend at the top of the picture.

View from the top before the bend.  It looks worse looking down!

The rest of the hill after the bend.  It only gets worse!

The view from the top after the bend.  This is the top!

The way down on the other side.  This is a knee killer!

 

Day 260, 105 To Go

September 17, 2013

I'm a bit lazy today.  I've been on vacation for a few weeks and I am getting more and more lazy as the days go by.  If I ever go on a vacation longer than a month, I may actually stop moving completely.  On the bright side, I have been able to read three books so far and I am on books four and five at the moment.  The problem is that I have been getting up later and later in the morning and I find that the later I sleep (and the later I go to bed) the more lazy I feel throughout the day.

I'm not really complaining, I'm just explaining.  I am really happy that I have finally been able to catch up on my reading as I have had no time to read anything this year.  I am normally an avid reader but life has gotten in the way this year and I have not been able to read as much as I like.  I will return home refreshed and ready to take on work again.

I may be lying.

This talk about recovery reminds me about the next lesson in the 22 Essential Pieces of Marathon Training Advice from Active.com.

Invest Time in Recovery

Every runner needs to follow the principle of progression and if you don't, you may find yourself unmotivated, overtrained and even injured. A dramatic reduction in performance with significant, lingering fatigue is a clear warning sign of overtraining. Don't treat this problem lightly or try to "run through it." Start by taking a week off and really focus on recovery: Get a lot of sleep, eat healthy, and, if possible, take a few naps. —Jason Fitzgerald

Recovery is so important for runners, especially those training for a marathon.  A marathon is such a monumental task, so you need many things to be aligned by the time you run the race.  If you have over trained (this is an actual condition) or you have not recovered properly, your race will be a nightmare.

The above article gives you a few ways to check yourself to see if you are pushing yourself too far.  Never underestimate the value of a day off.  I can tell you, I miss them terribly.  I know my mission is different than most and I am not (currently) training for a marathon so a day off is not in the cards for me, but don't let that stop you from taking a day off!

Honey ran with me today.  Here are our numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.10 miles

Pace: 11:54/m

Max Pace: 7:05/m

Calories: 150

Avg HR: 98

Max HR: 116

Honey's knee was aching today.  I have repeatedly told her that she needs to rehab the knee by strengthening it, but she ignores me.  Running on a hilly terrain, as we are, will stress the knee much more, especially running downhill.  So, we had quite a few stops and starts today.  She ran well when we were running and we will soon be back in flat Florida where it will not be as much of an issue...but she should still work on it!!  Hear that, my love!  ; o )

Run for Life!!

Day 259, 106 To Go

September 16, 2013

My last Monday before I return home and go back to work has arrived.  It is also time to start incorporating 30 minute runs into my week as the 4th quarter is just around the corner.  Once October begins, the plan is to run 30 minutes a day.  This does present a bit of a problem for when I return home.

My goal was to race on 9/29.  To do this, it would be a good idea for me to try and taper my workouts.  I can easily taper the intensity and I can even do a short Sunday run (especially since I will have just returned home and I will be tired from traveling) but if I follow the pattern I have used for quarter 1, 2 and 3, I will need to run 30 minutes 4 times next week.  That doesn't help in my taper.  I may just do 2 days instead of 4 and that might work.  Compromise.  I will still start running 30 minutes starting 10/1, I will just not be smoothing my way into it like I did in previous quarters.

You have to learn to be flexible in your training when life gets in the way.  Speaking of flexibility, lets talk about lesson 8 from the 22 Essential Pieces of Marathon Training Advice from Active.com.

Balance Your Training With Life

No matter how well prepared you are for the training season, disruptions will occur. Illness, schedule conflicts, bad weather ... you just can't control such things, especially over a multi-month period. The key is to look at such disruptions as opportunities to enhance your training where possible or, at the least, to avoid letting them become sources of stress. —Greg Strosaker

The article above gives some tips on how to be flexible with your training schedule, although the focus does appear to be more geared towards keeping your workouts interesting while slowly pushing your workouts throughout the training period.

While I think it is important to come up with a plan, even a detailed one, I think you need to not stress out when life gets in the way and keeps you from completing some of your workouts.  Maybe you had a late night because your kids kept you up.  Maybe you had a long week at work.  Maybe your wife is a pain in the ass and she complains about all your running.  Whatever the issue is, sometimes you have to stray from your plan and either skip a workout or alter one.  This is fine.  Sure, you need to try to hit your milestones and your key workouts, but doing so a little late won't kill you.  Just adjust your schedule, relax, take care of any roadblocks to your training, and move on!

Here are my numbers:

Time: 30:00

Distance: 3.17 miles

Pace: 9:29/m

Max Pace: 6:53/m

Calories: 279

Avg HR: 123

Max HR: 139

Today was interesting.  I hadn't intended on running 30 minutes.  In fact, I just remembered today that I have to start doing that.  Honey and Derek accompanied me down to the lake to run and Derek wanted to run with me.  Normally, I tell him he can't run with me because he is 4 (will be 5 on 11/2) and he runs too slow.  It is one thing to run with Honey, but quite another to run with a 4 year old.  Not only that, children that age should not do too much endurance running.  Today, though, I am running around a lake where the loop, if I take the long way, is only .35 miles.  The shorter loop is closer to maybe .2 miles.

So, when he first asked me to run, I said ok and I turned off my GPS so it wouldn't affect my time.  He ran pretty good.  Then I ran a lap by myself and when I came around again, he wanted to go again.  This time, I turned my GPS off again, but halfway though, I turned it back on because he was running pretty fast.  His little legs were going so fast to keep up and he was, at his fastest, running close to 10 min miles.  He couldn't maintain that pace, but he put in a really good effort.  Not only that, the little guy was barefoot running on asphalt!  I was impressed with his effort!  Perhaps I have a little endurance athlete on my hands!

When I get back to Florida, I will have to come up with a way to let him run with me.  Normally, I run an out and back loop that would preclude him from running because he would not be able to go that long or keep up.  Maybe I can run shorter loops while he remains interested and then go from there.  Great job little Derek!!

Run for Life!!

Day 258, 107 To Go

September 15, 2013

Ugh...Sunday run.  I have a small hangover...going to be tough...

The wedding was beautiful and the party was fun.  I drank a little which for me equates to a lot.  I didn't drink a lot of water before bed, so it isn't all that bad so the run shouldn't be that bad.  The morning was not fun though.  At least Honey let me sleep in a bit.  That helped out a bit.

Although I should be increasing my long run at this point, due to my overindulgence while on vacation, the slight hangover, and my general laziness, I have decided to keep the run to an hour.  That is long enough.  I'll push the envelope when I get back home.  Sure, running here is more interesting, but for all the reasons I stated above, I am keeping it to an hour.

Honey is going to run the first 25 minutes with me today and I will finish off the hour without her.  I do have a goal of hitting at least 6 miles, so I may find it challenging to push the pace for the last 35 minutes to hit this goal.  We'll see how it goes.  We drove to a new spot today to run because the loop is longer (about .95 miles) so it is not as boring.  Also, the scenery is pretty with beautiful trees surrounding a lake, gorgeous houses hang over the road up on the hills and the running path winds up and down in a pleasant way.  Honey begs to differ about the up part, but I happen to like it.  Basically, it is halfway up and halfway down.  The up is steep and short while the down is more of a gentle slop and it winds its way downward for a longer period.  Of course, the overall up and down is the same elevation, it just feels different.

Here are the total numbers:

Time: 1:00:25

Distance: 6.06 miles

Pace: 9:57/m

Max Pace: 6:15/m

Calories: 490

Avg HR: 115

Max HR: 159

I had to add on 25 seconds, not to finish off the 6 miles as I hit 6 before I hit the hour, but because I had to run up one last hill at the end.  I will have to take a picture of this monster.  It is a straight hill about, oh, 75 yards, that goes pretty much straight up.  It mind as well be vertical it is so steep.  I'm pretty sure I could not ride my bike up this hill, even in the lowest gear.  I just had to run up it once, just for the hell of it!

I was feeling pretty good on this run once I got going.  Considering the uphill portion, I was happy with my pace.  The overall pace doesn't tell the story as the first 25 minutes were with Honey, and she has never run hills before.  She did NOT like them.  I tried to tell her that hills were her friend, but she said with friends like these...you know the rest!

Here are the mile by mile paces:

Mile 1: 12:32
Mile 2: 12:19
Mile 3: 9:49
Mile 4: 8:50
Mile 5: 8:04
Mile 6: 7:53
Last 337 Feet:  14:24

I was very proud of mile 6 as I was feeling strong and I was not even winded.  Of course, that last 337 feet included that hill.  That was as fast as I could go up that monster!  I walked back down...slowly!

What was odd about the run today is that my HR was really low to begin with.  I am talking about my resting HR.  So when I started running, I had a hard time getting my HR to go up.  I'm not sure what that is all about, but I will be monitoring it over the next few days. I suspect is has something to do with the allergy medication I am taking and perhaps the drinking.  I felt great on the run, so I am not all that worried, but I have been getting chills all day, so it is strange.  Stay tuned my friends...

Run for Life!!

Day 257, 108 To Go

September 14, 2013

Today, I am going to a wedding.  Relatives of Honey are getting married.  Congrats to Patricia and Carlos!!  I hope you have a lifetime of happiness.

Before the wedding, of course, I have to run.  I ran in the afternoon today, so it was a bit hot.  That wasn't the issue though.  Holy crap, my legs were like lead.  I guess the hill run yesterday worked.  They say running hills is like weight lifting for runners, and that is absolutely true.  I miss these types of workouts in my weekly routine.  I have a couple of options when I am home to do some hill running, I just haven't taken advantage of them because they are not convenient, but maybe I will change that.

First, let's take a look again at the 22 Essential Pieces of Marathon Training Advice on Active.com.  Today we are at lesson 7:

Set Goals, But Keep Them Flexible

Past marathon performances are the best source to use when setting future marathon time goals. In many cases, the most sensible goal is to beat your previous best time by a slight margin. How much of an improvement is realistic depends on how much better your fitness is during your current marathon ramp-up than it was in previous ones. —Matt Fitzgerald

The linked article is all about pacing.  You have to be flexible in your goals because there is a good chance that by the time you are 20 miles into your marathon, your goals could be well on their way to being shattered.  You may hit the wall.  You may find that you lost your legs somewhere in mile 18 and you are running on pure adrenaline that this point.  The article gives you some good strategies to learn how to pace well.  The best strategy is that you need to run a marathon!  Your best indicator of how to pace will be how you have done so in the past.  You can always use shorter races, but is is very hard to mentally calculate how much energy you will have by the time you hit the last 10k of the marathon.

Here are my numbers for today:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.58 miles

Pace: 9:42/m

Max Pace: 7:31/m

Calories: 210

Avg HR: 126

Max HR: 162

I ran today pretty easy.  The high HR is due to the end of my run where I need to run back up the hill to Honey's house.  This was more of a crawling run than an actual run, but my heart was beating like I was sprinting.  My legs were shot at this point, so I couldn't do much more than walk, really.  I made running motions, but I was moving at a slow walk.

Run for Life!

Day 256, 109 To Go

September 13, 2013

Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to ME!
Happy BIRTHday to MEEEEEEEeeeee!
Happy BirthDAY to ME!

Yes, today is my birthday.  Contrary to my ebullient song above, it is a sad day, indeed.  Why, you ask?  Because I am getting fucking old, that's why!  Sure, when you are 17 going on 18...whoohoo! Or 20 going on 21...WHOOOHOOOOOOO!!  Even 29 going on 30...yayyyy.  But 40 going on 41...BOOOOOO!!

On the bright side, there was...um...we had...er....we did....of forget about it.  The only good thing was the cake.  It was a delicious Prestigio cake (I am sure I am spelling that wrong.....basically, it is a coconut cake).  It is my favorite cake here in Brazil and I ate a HUGE piece.  I will be sure to finish off the cake the rest of this week.  I plan on gaining 15 pounds eating this cake alone.  This would be 15 pounds on top of the god knows how much I have gained already.  I am eating like a pig.  I have about a week left and I will probably add to that total.  I know I am on vacation, but I am pushing it!

To celebrate my birthday, I decided to torture myself with a difficult hill run.  I did not do hill repeats, but I ran some insane hills repeatedly.  Normally, the best way to get the benefit from running hills is to run up a short, steep hill at a quick pace, rest, and repeat.  Because of my self imposed limit of 25 minutes of running, I decided to do a continuous run that incorporated hills instead.  I figured I could still get a lot out of the run and also run my 25 minutes.

As I have not taken any pictures of my running routes, I can not post them here, but let me tell you, the hills are formidable!  I will attempt to take some pictures so you can appreciate my birthday suffering.

I warmed up a short while and then I tackled my first hill.  The worst part, actually, is running down.  I should clarify.  It hurts going up, no doubt, but running down hills that steep is probably more difficult and actually more apt to causing injury.  You either have to run full on down the hill which is a bit reckless because you would be unable to stop if you needed to, or you have to run braking all the way and this puts a strain on your joints.  I chose the latter method mostly because there are often cars on the streets and the drivers have right of way here.  By that I mean, you get out of the way, or they run you the fuck over!

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.40 miles

Pace: 10:26/m

Max Pace: 6:16/m

Calories: 292

Avg HR: 135

Max HR: 164

One thing I realized during this run that I had not notices previously is the elevation.  Sao Paulo is about half a mile above sea level, according to google.  Average elevation is 2,493 feet.  I have been unable to ascertain what the elevation is here in Aruja though, and where I am exactly, is even higher as the whole condominium complex (not like condominiums in the US, here it more like a gated community) is built on the side of a hill.  Not quite Colorado, but still considerably higher than Florida!

The point is, after the run, my breathing was all ragged and it felt like it does when you run outside in the cold for a while.  This could be partly the elevation and partly the allergies I have been dealing with since I got here.  Whatever it was, it was a hell of a workout.  My legs were wasted afterwards.  It was a great birthday run for me!  I think I will make it a habit of torturing myself on my birthday with insane workouts!

Run for Life!!

Day 255, 110 To Go

September 12, 2013

Honey went shopping yesterday.  I'll let that sink in a bit.  I am preparing the papers for bankruptcy as I write.  Ok, I'm being dramatic.  In fact, her shopping wasn't that type of shopping.  She was shopping for supplies for her business where she creates Step by Step instructions on how to make cake toppers.  Check out her work here: Cup n'Cakes Gourmet Step by Step Gallery

The supplies are heavy.  She ended up carrying 30 kilos, or about 60 pounds, up and down stairs, and around the city of Sao Paulo.  Today, she is sore like she did a leg workout.  She can hardly walk up or down stairs.  It is really quite funny.  She is sore from shopping.  More sore than I have ever seen her from working out.  If it didn't cost so much, I'd have her go shopping every week.  She'd be in the best shape of her life, but the rest of the family would starve and be homeless!

Of course, I am making her run today. But first, lets get to the next lesson in the 22 Essential Pieces of Marathon Training Advice.

Choose a Plan Based on Your Fitness Level

Focused running is more important than long useless mileage. Longer endurance events need more aerobic work than shorter events. The key is to not overtrain. Make sure you are logging workouts to assess your volume week-by-week, month-by-month and year-by-year. When an athlete approaches me about training for a specific event, I always lean towards the conservative end of training. —Justin Levine

This sounds like common sense, but how many of you know someone without any common sense?  How many of YOU have no common sense?  Do I even have common sense?  What the hell is common sense anyway?  I digress...

You need to pick a training plan that you not only can handle, but you have time for.  The plan should include more than just running and the plan should be long enough for the specified event.  Take a look at the link above for some great advice.  What stood out to me was the length of time we should be training for specific events.  For a marathon, the recommendation is 36 - 52 weeks!  Wow!  Most training plans will top out at 24 weeks.  Again, planning is the key element here.  If you really want to do a marathon, make sure you plan ahead!

Now, for our numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.02 miles

Pace: 12:24/m

Max Pace: 9:45/m

Calories: 131

Avg HR: 95

Max HR: 119

Honey did a good job today considering her pain and continued whining while she ran.  One would think that if you spend so much time complaining, you would not have enough breath to run, but she did it!

The bottom line is that running today will make her feel much better tomorrow.  She will still be sore, but nowhere near as sore as she would have been if she had not run.  She ran easy and didn't push too hard which is what you are supposed to do when you are sore.  It was a good run!

Tomorrow is a special day, so tune in!  Good night, or should I say, Boa Noite!

Run for Life!

Day 254, 111 To Go

September 11, 2013

Hello folks.  This day always evokes mixed emotions in me.  This is the first year that I am out of the country, so I feel a little distanced from the whole thing.  I am not going to say much about it or talk about my experience with the day.  It wasn't extraordinary for me as I didn't lose anyone close to me, although I did have close friends who did and who were there.  Hindsight being 20/20, as they say, has changed my views considerably about the whole debacle, but the thing that will never change is the horror, sadness, anger and hope that I felt on that day.  We all have our memories and it is important to hold on to them, good or bad.

My day went by just like any other day today.  Other than the myriad of posts I saw on Facebook, it was as if it was 9/10 or 9/12, not 9/11.  There was very little on TV about it (at least that I could understand) and no one was talking about it.  So, I did what we are supposed to do in the face of terror...I lived my life.  I hope you all did too!

Now that I got that out of the way, I can talk about running again.  I think I can jump back into the 22 Essential Pieces of Marathon Training Advice with lesson 5:

Define Your Current Fitness Level

Start your new training cycle by assessing your current level of fitness. Coach Greg McMillan has his runners complete a detailed self-assessment of their strengths and weaknesses as a runner, what types of runs they do and don't enjoy, as well as previous PRs and reactions to training cycles. Look back at your training log to help complete your own self-assessment. —Sabrina Grotewold

This lesson is really geared towards more advanced or experienced runners.  The reason is that to implement the strategy explained in the link, you need a history of running and one that you documented.  This is something even some experienced runners might not have.  So at the very least, the lesson you should take from this is that you SHOULD keep a detailed running log.  You should record all the particulars such as pace, distance, HR, weather, how you felt, what type of workout it was (aerobic, anaerobic, speed, VO2, etc.)  Once you have this, you can better judge how your body reacts to different training stimuli and you can better create a plan that will help you improve and get through your marathon.

This blog is probably the most detailed running log I have ever kept.  I have kept a running log before, but it was not for an entire year and I lost it long ago, so it is as if I never did it.  This blog isn't even the best running log as I would have to read each blog and take notes and who wants to read a blog every day...uh...hopefully you do, my loyal readers ; o )

Anyway, I ran with Fluffy today and his friend Fish.  That isn't his real name, but I don't know his real name.  Fluffy calls him Fish.  He calls a lot of people Fish, actually.  He likes nicknames, as you might have guessed.  Fish is trying to get back into shape as well.  So the three of us ran in the morning.  It was probably about 15 hours after my previous run, so I was tired, but the pace made it easy to keep up even though I was sore.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.27 miles

Pace: 11:02/m

Max Pace: 7:16/m

Calories: 235

Avg HR: 119

Max HR: 147

We took the last lap of our run as a nice quick pace to get the blood flowing.  By then I felt good and would have liked to run more, but my 25 minutes were up.  There is always tomorrow!

Peace, everyone.

Run for Life!!

Day 253, 112 To Go

September 10, 2013

Today is sort of a sad day.  I think I would describe it as bittersweet.  I would think more so from Honey's perspective, but I feel it as well.  We are leaving the beach today.  We stayed at Honey's grandmother's house.  She passed away a short while ago, so every time we visit, it brings up happy and sad memories for Honey.  Her grandmother was very sweet and I could tell this even though I could not understand anything she ever said to me.  She used to talk to me...and loudly too, assuming I would understand her if she yelled.  I would just smile and look pleadingly at Honey to help me out.  She did.

Today, we left the beach and we don't know when, or if, we will be back.  The optimist in me says yet, but the realist tells me that next year, my triplets will be 2 years old and that means we will need to buy 6 tickets if we want to fly anyway.  At at least $800 a ticket (unless you get really lucky) you are talking $4,800 in plane tickets alone!  That is a tremendous amount of money.  I don't know if you realized since my life is so rich in other areas, but I am not rich financially.  So, it may take some saving to bring us back to Brazil anytime in the future.  With four kids, expenses rack up at an alarming rate, so saving isn't easy either.

So, bittersweet.  However, as I am an optimist, I am hopeful that my fortunes will improve.  I work hard and I will move up in my job and make more money.  Honey is creative and she will eventually find her niche where she can make some more money than she is now.  I also play Powerball every week, so there is that too!

Life is full of bittersweet moments like this.  It is full of sad moments.  It is full of happy moments.  The one constant, at least now, that I have in any of these moments, is my family.  I have my Honey and four beautiful children.  I have my extended family and my friends.  I am rich in so many ways.  And last, but not least, I have my running.  It is my escape from reality for a little while.  For Honey, it is an escape into more pain, so it isn't for everyone!  I'll convert her yet!!

We were back at Honey's house in Aruja, Sao Paulo when it was time for my run.  That means that my easy Tuesday run turned into a mountain climbing expedition.  Holy crap there are hills everywhere.  So if you are wondering why my HR is so high and my time so slow, now you know.  I crested Everest like three times.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.57 miles

Pace: 9:44/m

Max Pace: 6:52/m

Calories: 273

Avg HR: 142

Max HR: 175

Assuming I sign up for The Battle of the Bridges Triathlon when I get back, I will be ready for the hills on the run, that's for sure.  The question is will I sing up?  I think so.  I think so...

Run for Life!!

Day 252, 113 To Go

September 9, 2013

Happy Monday!  What a wonderful day it is today.  I think I'll go to the beach.  What do you think?  No?  You think I should work instead?  Screw work!!  HAHA!

I love saying that.  Too bad I can only say that one more Monday then it is back to work.  For now, I will revel in the feeling of a long deserved break.  I didn't get a vacation last year.  I just used my vacation time a day here and a day there.  The bulk of my time was spent going to doctor's appointments and being in the hospital while Honey gave birth to our triplets.  Then, I used the remainder of my time to move down to Florida.  So, I deserved some time off.

Today, we had another nice day at the beach.  I had to wear a shirt because I was pretty cooked.  Even if I wore sunscreen, I would have burned more.  A tan is never worth the pain of a burn, I think.  It makes everything uncomfortable right down to a hot shower.  When you can't enjoy a hot shower, it is time to reassess your priorities.  My older son, Derek, was in a mood where he decided that listening to his parents was passe, so he ignored us.  So, he didn't come to the beach.  Honey stayed home with him while I went with the two grandmas and the three babies.  Eventually, we let him come, of course, but hopefully, the experience will keep him in line for at least the next few days.

I took all the kiddies into the water.  It was really my first time in the water other than a quick dip yesterday.  The water is cold.  Not cold when you compare it to the water in the Northeast even in the summer, but not warm like it is in the summer here.  We are in winter, so the water temp is expected.  Once you get in though, it feels fine, and I took my time and eventually got in.  First I took little Kaylee who, although a little scared, loved it.  Then I took Ayla who loved it as well, but she was shivering after a few minutes.  Then I took Joshua, and he screamed from the second we went in, to the second we got out.  Two out of three ain't bad.  Derek went in with grandma and had a good time.  The rest of the time was spent digging holes and playing in the sand.

Once night came around, Honey and I went for a little run.  Here are our numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.20 miles

Pace: 11:21/m

Max Pace: 7:58/m

Calories: 197

Avg HR: 107

Max HR: 119

We had a nice, peaceful run with just the crashing of the waves as our company.  Kind of romantic, if you ask me.  I wanted to get frisky in the sand, but Honey didn't want to go home covered in sand as it might be a bit conspicuous and both her mom and dad were waiting back at the house for us.  Oh well...maybe next time.

Run for Life!!

Day 251, 114 To Go

September 8, 2013

It was a beautiful day.  I spent the morning on the beach soaking up the sun.  I soaked up so much, I now look like a lobster, but a freshly roasted one.  Tomorrow I will need to take some precautions so I don't really burn bad.  Right now, I am just lightly roasted.  It has not really been warm enough so far to necessitate sunscreen.  Today was different and I was too late in applying sunscreen.  To be honest, sunscreen bothers me.  On one hand, too much sun can cause bad burns and skin cancer.  On the other hand, they use so many horrible chemicals in sunscreen, that they can cause cancer.  I think I'd rather contract my cancer the natural way.

Anyway, my little ones had a great time at the beach today.  They meant business.  They were ready for action and nothing was going to get in their way.  Don't believe me?  Take a look:

Are they just ridiculously cute, or what?  Yeah, they are mine, but come on!

Anyway, today was Sunday and that means it is time for the long run.  I found myself sitting on the couch, relaxing after a big meal thinking about my blog and what I would write.  Then I realized: Oh shit!!  I haven't run yet!  It was only 6:30, but it was dark out and there is almost no moon.  It is in the crescent phase and barely at that.  There are no lights on the beach other than the lights that bleed from the homes on the street.  

I got ready quickly and headed out.  My biggest fear for this run (other than running in the dark on a fairly unfamiliar beach or getting mugged by some random gangs of teenagers) was stepping in a hole dug by some child during the day.  I know I dug a few for my kids today and pretty much every other kid on the beach dug one.  I am fairly certain I would snap my leg in half if I accidentally fell in one while running.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 1:00:00

Distance: 6.31 miles

Pace: 9:30/m

Max Pace: 7:33/m

Calories: 607

Avg HR: 127

Max HR: 145

I ran nice and easy tonight and it felt great.  I misjudged the length of the beach because I ran about 2 miles down before I hit an area that was a little lower and the ocean had crept up and it was too wide to cross without getting my shoes wet (wetter than they already are...and they stink bad enough).  I figure the beach must be at least 3 - 4 miles long.  I would love to try in the daytime, but it will have to wait until my next vacation here.

I only ran an hour even though I felt good enough to go longer.  I was just bored running in the dark and I had had enough.  If I had started earlier, I would have gone longer.  Next time.  Later folks!

Run for Life!!

Day 250, 115 To Go

September 7, 2013

I woke up to sunny skies this morning!  I would like to thank all of you for your fantastic reverse rain dances.  It worked.  The sun didn't last very long, but it was nice enough to get us out to the beach, and that is progress.

We didn't stay very long at the beach because, bottom line, we are bunch of pussies.  The kids didn't care.  It could be snowing and they would probably be content in their little bathing suits as long as they could sit in the sand and get super dirty.  Us big people care, and since we are bigger and can push the little ones around, we left the beach.  We did get a couple of hours out there and it was nice.  I have on good authority (my AccuWeather App) that tomorrow is going to be glorious, so we have that to look forward to.

Honey put on her running shoes and my running shorts and accompanied me today for a beach run.  It was a pleasant run.  The weather was perfect and the beach is still a fantastic place to run.  It is so peaceful.  It isn't as empty as it was during the week as this is a holiday weekend in Brazil (it is their Independence Day) so we did pass a few people out for a walk.  Still, it feels like you have most of the beach to yourself.

Here are our numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.10 miles

Pace: 11:55/m

Max Pace: 10:35/m

Calories: 168

Avg HR: 98

Max HR: 114

After the run, Honey said that the run was really easy.  She basically admitted that she was slacking off because as you can see, our time was not all that great.  The thing is, this is the perfect pace for her and the perfect weather.  No runner should be struggling every time they go out like Honey often does.  Granted, she is running with a much faster runner in me, and I can only slow down so much.  So she tends to have a hard run most of the time.  It was great that she had an easy run and I have no problem with her slacking off.  As I have said previously, most of your runs (80%) should be easy.  It even seemed like she enjoyed it a little bit.  That is the best part of having an easy run.  It is amazing how much you can enjoy a run if you take out the pain!

Run for Life!!

Day 249, 116 To Go

September 6, 2013

Rain, rain, go away.

Come back on another day...

I can't remember if there is more to that child's rhyme, but that sums up how I feel.  No, that is a lie.  This is more like it...

Rain, rain, go away.

Get the fuck out of my god dam hair and get me out of the fucking house and shut up these little bastards PLEASE!!!!!

That's more like it.

We did get out for about an hour to go for a walk.  By we, I mean, Honey, Honey's mom, Ayla, Kaylee and Joshua.  We took a walk over to a small nature conservatory where you can see blue crabs (we didn't see any) and some tropical plants (I couldn't read any of the descriptions, so I can't give you any of the descriptions).  It was a sllloooowww walk since little babies walk kind of slow.  My triplets are only 18 months old now, so they can only go so fast.  What I was impressed with was Joshua.  That little monster walked the entire way there and the entire way back.  It was a long walk for a little guy like himself!  Perhaps he is my future endurance athlete?  I would prefer he be a baseball player (I love baseball and there is WAY more money in that...papa wants to retire in luxury!!) but I will be happy with whatever he chooses as long as he is happy.  Kaylee walked quite a bit too, but she walks very slow and she needs help over the smallest obstacles...like two pebbles laying side by side, for instance.  Such a little princess.  Ayla walked sometimes, but more often than not, she just wanted to be carried.  She couldn't be bothered with all that walking stuff.

By the end of the day, I was ready for my run.  Again, I went out pretty fast but it, again, felt pretty easy.  It was a little slower that yesterday, yes, but considering it was back to back days that I ran at this pace, I feel good.  Tomorrow will be another story, I'm sure.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 3.10 miles

Pace: 8:03/m

Max Pace: 7:04/m

Calories: 319

Avg HR: 138

Max HR: 154

Tomorrow is Saturday and I need everyone to do a reverse rain dance so I get some good weather (I do realize that I am posting this after Saturday and unless you can travel back in time, this is a useless request, but just humor me and dance like and idiot...thanks!)

Run for Life!!

Day 248, 117 To Go

September 5, 2013

It was another rainy day at the beach.  It was a bit warmer, but still, we were trapped inside most of the day with all the kiddies.  I'd rather be in prison, to tell you the truth, but like prison, there was no escape.  We did our best to keep them occupied.  This was basically accomplished with a liberal dose of cartoons, cookies and hiding under the bed when things got really loud.

According to the forecast, it could potentially rain for the next couple of days.  It might not be until Saturday when we can go back to the beach.  That means another full day after today in the house.  We may try to get out and take some walks in between the rainfall or perhaps we will visit Honey's father who lives a short distance away.  One way or the other, we have to find a way to keep our sanity.

My favorite way of keeping my sanity is running.  Tonight, it was not cold and the rain had stopped, so I took advantage of the cooler weather and opened it up a bit.  Actually, I didn't push hard at all, I just ran.  I didn't pay attention to my GPS and I was moving pretty well.  I think the key variable is the cooler weather.  I know it was raining, but without the heat, the humidity didn't affect me at all.  It felt great out there.  It really was perfect running weather.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00
Distance: 3.16 miles
Pace: 7:55/m
Max Pace: 7:11/m
Calories: 312
Avg HR: 139
Max HR: 153

I felt good the entire run and I never felt like I was pushing.  I can see that my HR eked into the anaerobic zone for a short bit, but it didn't feel like it.  I guess when you are used to running in very high heat and humidity and all of a sudden you are running in perfect conditions, you don't notice an elevated HR or anything else for that matter.

My hamstring is still hurting a bit, but I've come to realize that as long as I don't make any sudden moves, I should be able to run through the healing process.  The bigger issue I have been facing is my lower back.  Ever since the first run on the beach and my first night sleeping here (the beds S.U.C.K.) my back has been hurting.  It will not stop me from running, it just makes most of my waking hours painful.  No big deal.  At this point, I am used to constant pain.  I have been dosing myself with ibuprofen in the morning to help loosen up and reduce the pain, and generally, that does the trick.  By the end of the day, it is bad again.

Honey, I need a massage!  Honey...Honey...HONEY!!!!

Damn that woman!

Run for Life!!

Day 247, 118 To Go

September 4, 2013

Due to being cutoff from civilization for this week and most of next, I am going to make my blogs short and sweet.  This isn't a promise that they will be short or sweet.  It is a disclaimer for my faithful reader(s?).  My access to the Internet is dependent on the goodwill of my in laws and their data limits.  They all have Internet access through their phone and they can make their phone a hotspot so I can access the Internet.  The problem is their limits are getting reached and I have been cutoff!

No email.  No Facecrack...uh, Facebook.  No news (this is kind of a good thing...did we bomb anyone yet?)  And, lastly, no blogging.  So, I am reduced to writing my blog in Notepad and waiting until I have access so I can load up what I wrote.  This will limit my ability to add links or pictures or anything else of interest.  So I apologize again to my reader(s?)

Today, Honey agreed to accompany me for my run on the beach.  I am sure she regretted her decision the second we stepped outside.  I knew she would, but she seemed intent on going out with me so who am I to argue.  You see, it has been raining all day and it will probably rain for the next couple of days.  It is late, dark, rainy, windy and cold.  So of course, Honey wants to run.  She may not be aware of all of these things though.  Too late!

If it were a bit warmer, this would have been quite a fun run.  I like running in the rain and running in the rain on the beach is even cooler.  However, I am guessing the temperature is somewhere around 55 degrees.  Maybe it could be 60, but I doubt it.  I only have regular running shorts and shirts, so nothing warm at all.  Honey doesn't even have that so she is wearing mine.

Needless to say, it was quite an unpleasant run, but I made the most of it.  I was laughing a lot at Honey's distress and the myriad of complaints that were flowing from her mouth.  Eventually, her chattering teeth and shortness of breath shut her up, but I could still feel her withering stare as we finished out our run.  The hot shower afterwards was heavenly.

Here are our numbers:

Time: 25:00
Distance: 2.11 miles
Pace: 11:52/m
Max Pace: 9:01/m
Calories: 178
Avg HR: 107
Max HR: 120

All I can say about this run is that we got through it.  Another day in the books.  See you tomorrow for a, hopefully, warmer and dryer run.

Run for Life!!

Day 246, 119 To Go

September 3, 2013

It is the third day of the month and you may be expecting my monthly summary.  Forget about it.  All of that information is in my work computer and I don't have my work computer.  My work would not allow me to work while I was in Brazil, although I have worked here for the past three years.  I always asked and went through the right channels, but this year, the channels have changed.  They are being very strict and following the letter of the law.  If I were to get a business visa (very expensive) or if I were to have citizenship (would need to live here for a year) then I could work here, but still for only 30 consecutive days and only 60 days out of the year.  Its not like I would ever get caught.  Not only that, if I did get caught, I could slip the guy a large bill, say 100 reias, and I would be fine.  Oh well.

So, I don't have my computer and I can't record all my numbers for the month and I can't get my totals.  It will have to wait until I return.  So for now, I will just continue with The 22 Essential Pieces of Marathon Advice with lesson #4.

Move Dynamically Before You Run

For ages the typical routine involved standing and sitting passively and yanking on various limbs to lengthen stiff muscles. Today's research suggests that approach isn't just ineffective; it can actually have a negative impact on your running performance. Dynamic stretching and plyometrics are now thought to constitute the best warm-up routines for runners. -Mackenzie Lobby

The key element to get here (read the entire article for specifics) is that static stretching (the kind were you bend over and touch your toes, etc.) should be avoided at all costs.  Instead, you want to use dynamic stretching an plyometrics to get the most out of your workout.  Static stretching will actually hurt you, not help you.  Exercise science has proven that dynamic stretching is much better for you and it will improve your performance, help you resist injury, and allow you to have a better workout.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.75 miles

Pace: 9:04/m

Max Pace: 7:28/m

Calories: 283
Avg HR: 134

Max HR: 147

Today, I ran on the beach for the first time in a long time.  It was great and hard at the same time.  It was windy, but not too hot and a good portion of the beach is flat with hard sand.  This makes it easy to run.  Part of the beach was slanted and the sand was softer.  This was harder to run on.  Overall, I'd say the beach is probably 1.5 miles all the way across.  About .75 miles of it are easy to run on.  I will probably run on this part in the future as it is not only hard, but physically uncomfortable to run on the steep part.  My back will thank me as it currently hurts.  Here are some pics of the beach.  As you can see, it is empty.  This is because it is during the week, it is winter, and it is not sunny.  I had it almost all to myself!!

Panoramic view of beach

Run for Life!!

Day 245, 120 To Go

September 2, 2013

Happy Labor Day everyone!  You can thank your unions for weekends off, vacation time, sick time, a 40 hour workweek and a host of other benefits...oh, and Labor Day too.  But don't forget, unions are evil and must be destroyed.  Anyway...

Happy Monday!  Even if I were home, I would have off today as it is Labor Day, so it is a great Monday either way.  It is better because I don't have to work tomorrow either.  All I have to worry about is packing up a small bag and getting the car loaded for the trip to the beach.  It is about a 2 hour drive and since we only have two smallish cars, we can't bring too much stuff.  How much do you need, anyway?  For the most part, I'll be wearing a bathing suit (a little Brazilian one, at that) and shorts.  I can wear the same thing every day.  What is taking up the most space is my running clothes since I need a lot of them.  I will still need to wash at least once since I never have enough shorts.

Fluffy (that's Honey's brother) wanted to come out for a run with me this morning.  He wanted to go early since he had some work to do later in the day.  He is not coming to the beach with us today, but will meet up with us later in the week.  Fluffy, who is about 33 and used to be a world class athlete, has let himself go a bit lately.  He is gorduchinho as we like to say.  This means a little fat.  In his heyday, he would race open wheel race cars in Europe and Japan and pretty much all over the world.  To do this, you need to be in tip top shape.  Since the last couple of years he has been racing stock cars, he has let himself go a bit.  Still, I figure I had better be on my game to keep up...

Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.21 miles

Pace: 11:19/m

Max Pace: 6:56/m

Calories: 204
Avg HR: 112

Max HR: 153

Well, I am either a world class athlete myself, or Fluffy is now Super Fluffy.  I felt like I was running with Honey today.  In fact, I think if Fluffy and Honey had a race, it would be a close one!  Ok, in the end, I figure the competitive spirit inside Fluffy would prevail and even if he was about to pass out, throw up and die, he would still win, but Honey would give him a run for his money!  Fluffy needs to get with the program and leave the gorduchinho behind.  No time like the present Fluffy!!

Of course, I am just writing this to annoy Fluffy.  He will be back in shape in no time.  It does bring up an important lesson for all you runners out there.  You have to be consistent in your exercise. Sure, you can take some time off, but even if you are a top athlete, if you take too much time off, you will lose all of your athleticism.  You CAN get it back and it probably won't take as long as someone new to exercise, but you will still need to do the work.  It only takes 3 weeks off for your body to start to loose fitness.  Imagine what happens if you take a year off!  So, don't!

Run for Life!!

Day 244, 121 To Go

September 1, 2013

Its Sunday, and y'all know what that means.  Yes, it's time for the long run.  The problems I will face on this run are multitudinous (I'm pretty sure that is a real word.)  First, I got almost no sleep.  You know how it is when you sleep in a new place in a new bed.  On top of that, my allergies were abating, but they were still bothering me.  So I had congestion which was helped by the nasal spray along with an itchy throat and sneezing which was helped a bit by the allergy medicine.  Worst of all, was the cold!  It is still winter here, and although it doesn't get as cold as, say, in the Northeast of the US, it does get down to about 50 degrees.  That might not be that bad if you had HEAT!  Houses in Brazil do not have heat or AC.  So you need to use lots of blankets.  We did along with a cozy electric blanket.  The problem was my head was out and it didn't like the cold one bit.

Most of the day we lazed around doing nothing except playing with the kids, having lunch, talking, etc.  By the time I knew I needed to go for my run, I was feeling miserable with a huge headache.  Of course I never considered not going, but I decided to go for a short 25 minute run instead of the 60+ minutes I was scheduled for.

Since we traveled to the future yesterday (queue trippy music...you get the picture) you know about my GPS debacle.  I'll spare you a rehash.  Once I got myself ready, I got moving.  I had no idea where I was going, so I just ran.  About 20 minutes into the run, my sinuses started to loosen up.  I decided to do more than 25 minutes.  I figured by the time anyone got nervous about me being gone, I'd be back and all would be well.  As you can see, I ended up doing 46 minutes.  I could have gone much longer, but I didn't want anyone to worry since I said I would be back in 25.

I ran up and down towering hills and I did a bunch of the distance in the circuit I ran on Saturday which consists of a loop which is about .35 miles long.  Half of it is slightly uphill and half is slightly downhill.  It gives you a nice workout, certainly better than any roads in Florida.  The run also circles a small lake with ducks and other animals.  It is very peaceful.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 46:19

Distance: 4.80 miles

Pace: 9:38/m

Max Pace: 7:24/m

Calories: 479
Avg HR: 133

Max HR: 168

Considering the terrain, I am happy with that pace.  The weather is much cooler here now so there is no humidity to worry about and even in the middle of the day when it is hot, it is only about mid 70s.  I love it.  I could do without the cold nights, but the days are pleasant.
Tomorrow I go to Honey's beach house in Ubatuba.  I will get to run on the beach which can be very challenging.  I am looking forward to it!!

Run for Life!!

Day 243, 122 To Go

August 31, 2013

Hello from far away!  If you read yesterday's blog, you know that I made it safely (if not sanely) to Brazil.  We are all settled and unpacked (sort of) and ready to begin enjoying our time visiting family and relaxing (again, sort of).  Chasing three babies around a huge house that has as many booby traps as a Goonies adventure is not easy!

First, there is the kitchen.  It contains all the dangers of a normal kitchen with the special added bonus of a steep marble staircase.  If any of the babies fell down these stair, we would be picking up baby pieces for days.  So, we constructed a makeshift barrier that should hold as long as Joshua's attention is kept elsewhere (we tried to buy a baby gate but they cost over 300 reias...that's the Brazilian money which equates to about $150 dollars!)  Then there is the glass table which is just high enough for the babies to bang their heads on.  Add to that the various knick knacks on every counter and tabletop and you have a recipe for laryngitis from saying "NO" 8 million times every minute.

There are a bunch of heavy wooden doors just waiting to crush little unsuspecting fingers along with windows that open to a garden in the center of the house which is a precipitous drop of at least 20 feet.  Then, surrounding the house on the outside is a balcony with a fence with beams just wide enough for a baby's head to slip through.  If said baby decides to slip all the way through, about a quarter of the balcony drops off 20 feet onto cobblestone, a quarter onto grass, and the rest is just a short drop.  Yikes!

There are many more obstacles to be sure, but we have two grandmas helping out Honey and me, so it isn't all that bad.  I did have time to get out for my run, so that is a good thing.  Honey came out for the run, but she dropped out after about 5 minutes.  She was tired and feeling a bit sick.  To tell the truth, so was I.  My allergies were getting better thanks to some Clariton I borrowed from my mom, but the sinus pressure was intense!  I was hoping the run would clear it up a bit.

Now for the bad news.  I have NO numbers for Saturday's run!!  The horror!  You see, my GPS worked perfectly.  It recorded my every step, as usual.  I ran down a steep hill, around a .35 mile loop a few times, and then back up the steep hill (the hills are insane!!)  So what happened?  We have to travel into the future for you to find out...queue trippy futuristic music...wooooooooooo....

It's Sunday, and I am outside and ready for my run.  I turn on my GPS and wait.  The home screen stares back at me for a long time.  It appears to be stuck.  I turn the watch off and turn it on again to no avail.  The home screen does not change.  So, I reset the watch by holding the power button and the start button (at least I think this is the reset...considering the outcome, maybe not!)  Finally, the home screen goes away and I have my regular screen.  I remember that I did not save my Saturday run.  You have to hold the reset button down for three seconds and it commits it to memory. So I go to the history and low and behold, I do not see it.  Not only that, it appears that all my prior runs have the heading "Today".  You see, the history screen will show "Today" or "Yesterday" or the day of the week or a date if it is further back.  Now every day says "Today"  Shit.  On top of that, Saturday's run is gone!

Queue trippy futuristic music to go back to the past....woooooo.....

Since I do not have my numbers, I will have to guesstimate.  I know I ran faster than 10 minute miles.  I think I ran about 9:38, but since I am not sure, I will stick to 2.5 miles which is a 10 minute mile.  I don't have max pace or distance or HR or calories.  This is kind of a disaster since I have a digital record of every day I ran this year except today.  I am very disappointed.  Screw you Garmin GPS watch!!

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.50 miles

Pace: 10:00/m

Max Pace: x:xx/m

Calories: xxx
Avg HR: xxx

Max HR: xxx

Since I have traveled to the future, I know that my watch worked fine on Sunday.  At least I have that to look forward to.

Run for Life!!

Day 242, 123 To Go

August 30, 2013

It's here. Travel day.  Time for vacation.  Time for hell on two wings.  Yes, it is time to fly with the triplets!  Are you scared?  I am.  Seriously, how bad can it be?  No matter how bad it ends up being, I will do my best to be positive, because the alternative for the next three weeks would be me working.  No matter what hell I must fly through to get some time off, I will do it!

But first, let's get the run out of the way  Here are my numbers:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.74 miles

Pace: 9:07/m

Max Pace: 8:19/m

Calories: 326
Avg HR: 140

Max HR: 150

I felt good, but I held back, blah, blah blah.  Who cares.  It's day 242 of the same shit.  I ran, no I am done.  Now I need to pick up our rental car.  We rented a mini van because we figured that would be the only car that would fit 7 people and six full size suitcases, two carry-ons and a variety of smaller bags.

We made our way to Budget rental car at the Melbourne International airport.  No, not the Melbourne in Australia, the one in Florida.  We get there and attempt to check the car out, but they will not accept the credit card we actually paid for the car with for the deposit.  Unfortunately, that is the card we had all our money on.  Fuck you Budget.  I have never had to put a deposit on a rental car.  So, we had to drive home, get my mom, and use her credit card.  Once again, I say, fuck you Budget.

Anyway, since we had done most of our packing and it was still early, we were ok.  We finished up the packing and we had a couple of hours to rest before we left.  Throughout the day I had slowly packed the van.  I first put in the four car seats, then I packed the trunk.  Then when that room was filled up, I put suitcases in between the seats.  The in front of the seats.  Then, I was done.  The only problem was, how do we get babies in!  Well, Honey climbed over the suitcases, and I handed her one baby at a time.  Before we knew it, we were on our way.  But first, we stopped at McDonald's for a dollar menu meal.  I figure, if you are flying, you mind as well eat the worst possible food for you because it not only may be your last meal, but it tastes good and you are not likely to get anything close to good food on the plane.

We get to the airport without any issues and unload everything and everyone onto the curb at the Gol airlines terminal.  Never heard of Gol?  Me either, but they were cheap.  You get what you pay for, I suppose...

My mom returned the vehicle while Honey and I, Kaylee, Ayla, Joshua and Derek go inside to check in.  We fill up two carts ($5 each...really!) with the suitcases and three baby car seats (we left one near the garbage since it was old and crappy and we had a better one at our destination).  The line was not too long which was good, because it was hard to wrangle all the kids.  We had these cute little backpacks on each of them with a leash attached to it.  Still, it is like herding cats trying to get all of them to go in the direction you want.  It would have been easier, if not a bit cruel and illegal, to just drag them behind us.

We have like 100 passports since the kids all have US and Brazil passports.  Most of our bags passed the weight test (32 kilos or 70 pounds) but the two carry-ons were too heavy.  Seriously, they weighed the carry on bags!  They had to be 10 kilos which is like 20 pounds.  The bag itself probably weighs 10 pounds to begin with.  We were well over on one and slightly over on another.  If we had a third carry on, it would have been easy, but we didn't take any more because we couldn't fit them in the car and we didn't think we could handle another bag with all the kids.  So, we redistribute as much as we can and we finally pass inspection.  I will say, they let us get away with a little because both were slightly over and we were only allowed 8 bags (two each) and they counted the car seats as a piece of luggage.  Of course, most airlines do NOT count car seats as luggage, or at least, they didn't used to.  Nowadays, they find as many ways to screw you as possible.  So we had six bags and three car seats.  For those of you not mathematically inclined, that is nine.

We make our way to the gates and we have to go through the xray thingy.  Actually, it looked liked they had one of those machines that can see through your clothes so they basically see you naked!  They didn't make us go through that because we had 40 children with us.  It was a struggle taking our shoes off and to get all of our stuff in the little crates while holding onto the kids (they didn't make the kids take their shoes off at least).  We got through and there was a backlog of stuff on the belt and one of our crates turned over.  It caused something in Honey's carry on to leak which got all over me.  It turned out to be a pretty smelling travel sized disinfectant soap (you know, the one that evaporates when you rub your hands together).  That was nice.  I smelled pretty while I attempted to put on my shoes one handed while holding three children's leashes, all of which were trying to go in different directions.  Joshua was chocking himself with his leash around his neck, but he didn't care, because there was something that he just had to try to break in his sights!

We got through the security checkpoint and I had to pick up Kaylee because she decided that walking was beneath her.  Or, it was the fact that her diaper has gotten too wet because when I picked her up I felt something wet and warm on my stomach. Yay!  Baby pee.  Now I was sweaty, smelling like flowers from the soap, and now full of pee, and I hadn't even gotten on the plane yet!

Honey changed the babies on some benches while I got some milk and a chocolate milk shake for Derek at Cold Stone (so yummy).  We then walked to our gate, which was the last one, of course, and sat down.  They decided to board the plane early too.  So, we had no time to rest yet.  We got on the plane and made our way to row 21.  We got as settled as you can while the plane boards and finished unpacking the necessities for the flight.  The seats were not roomy, that's for sure.  The babies were being good so far, but they were getting whiny.  It was close to 9 now and that is well past their bedtime.

Then we took off and the crying began.  Now, I am not ashamed to admit that we did give the kids some cold medicine.  Sure, be judgemental, but they were still suffering from some cold symptoms (especially Kayelee who has a steady stream of snot running out of her nose...and onto my shirt to go along with the pee, sweat and flowery soap).  We gave them this before we got on the plane in the hopes they would go right to sleep.

They didn't.

For the next hour or so, we struggled to get them to sleep and finally, they were asleep.  Kaylee on the seat between me and Honey, Joshua on my mom, and Ayla with Honey.  Derek was sitting next to my mom in an empty seat, but he was getting tired so he started to whine and cry, now that the babies had finally shut up.  Eventually, it was quiet, but the plane was now descending to stop in Santo Domingo, which was our one stop.  We were staying on the same plane and the stop was only an hour, so we figured it wouldn't be that bad.  Actually, I figured that.  Honey decided it would be a good time to tell me how she TOLD me that it was a bad idea when we bought the tickets (I bought, actually...but whose counting...ok, me!)  "Relax," I said, "We'll be back in the air before we know it!"

So, as we are landing, they tell us we all have to get off the plane.  What?  Why?  The second flight had the same flight number which means it is the same plane.  It is the same fucking plane, why do I have to get off?

Because it isn't the same fucking plane.  Thanks Gol Airlines!  Seriously, we had to drag three sleepy, cranky babies, a super cranky four year old, two carry on bags, two other heavy bags (my carry on which was basically a laptop bag and Honey's diaper bag which as you can imagine, had a lot of diapers, etc.) out of the plane, down an escalator, up a flight of stairs (why!) and over to a NEW gate to wait to board another plane.  There was no milk to be found anywhere.  So unless we were going to give the babies water, Pepsi or beer (maybe not a bad idea) we were out of luck.

We dragged our circus onto the plan and settled ourselves again and we took off again.  Now everyone was wide awake, cranky and crying.  We got some powdered milk...they didn't like it.  We got some orange juice...they didn't like it.  We got some water...that sort of worked to quiet them down, but they weren't going to sleep.  So, it was time for more cold medicine.  I gave it to Joshua first.  It was a bit of a struggle, but he got it down.  Meanwhile, Honey complained that I should not "force" it on him.  Then she started to give it to Ayla.  I heard a few gurgling screams coming from Ayla, but she wasn't forcing it...noooo.  Then, She got Kaylee.  I was in the seat behind and across form her, but all I could see were two little legs kicking frantically in the air as Honey administered her the medicine (but she wasn't forcing it, of course).

In about 15 minutes, Kaylee was asleep in grandma's arms.  It was about an hour later and Joshua was still awake and playing with this three bottles (powdered milk, orange juice and water).  Ugh...finally, in about another 30 minutes, he started to get tired and I got him to go to sleep with only a few (150 or so) screams.  Then Honey mumbled something about how it would be a good idea if I took Ayla (who was still awake and intermittently screaming...and let me tell you: She.  Can.  Scream!!!!) and gave her Joshua.  For some reason, I did.  I was sleepy and gullible, I guess.

After another 20 minutes, Ayla finally fell asleep.  Derek had fallen asleep on the two empty seats next to me, so there was nowhere for me to lie down.  Honey was lying down with Joshua, but she had to hold his head in exatcly the right position or he woke up and screamed, and I sat upright while Ayla slept in various positions in my arms, like this one.

Needless to say, I didn't get much, if any, sleep.  None of us did except the kids.  But, we finally landed!  It was still a chore to get out of the plane with everyone, but we consolidated our carry on bags into our carry on luggage and we carried the babies.  When we got to immigration, they let us all go together.  Normally, as an American, I would go to a different line than Honey and the kids, but they had pity on us.  One thing I will say about Brazil, they treat mothers and families better than the US does.  Pregnant women or women with small babies go to the front of the line.  You know what gets you to the front of the line in the US?  Money.  That's it.  Anyway...

We got our luggage and loaded it onto two carts again (free!!) and we got through customs without any issue.  Not that we were carrying thousands of dollars of electronic equipment bought by Honey's brother or anything...um...but it is amazing what three babies will allow you to get away with!

We met Honey's mom and made our way to the cars (needed three of them since most of the cars are small in Brazil...you could fit all three inside some of the SUVs in the US) and drove to Honey's house!  Yay!  We were there!

I immediately start experiencing allergy symptoms.  It is either the cat or some flora here.  Whatever, I am here and oh...wait...that means it is Saturday...guess I have to stop now..this goes in tomorrow's blog!  Not much more to report, but I can say I am looking forward to going for a nice run today!  I need a nap first though...a long one!!

Run for Life!!