I'm Behind my Schedule

Wow!  A ton has happened since my last post - I'm not suprised to see that it's been almost a week since I last wrote something.  Running has been minimal not for any particular reason, but just because life has been getting in the way.  It's kind of thrown a wrench in my 10k training plan, but what can I do except pick myself up and start working hard again.

What's been keeping me busy?  Well job interviews have been on my plate last week - I was expecting an offer sheet on Monday but it didn't come, instead I got a voicemail indicating that I was over qualified and the company was going another direction.  I've heard this three, four times in the past few weeks so it's getting a little frustrating.  I really liked this prospect, in fact, this was where I had my 9 person panel interview I mentioned last week that I thought well pretty well.  I'm wondering if I'm missing something in my presentation.  So I've been mentally reviewing my 'interviews' trying to see what I might be saying that is scaring off potential suitors.......

P90x has suffered a little also just because Beth and I have been short on time - she's picked up a few more hours at the office, and is also cramming for her Real Estate test later this month.  I've been struggling with finishing our taxes, which were fairly complex this year - mulitple homes, rentals, 401k transfers, unemployment, mulitiple 1099's, 1098's, home office, and a refi.  I'm so glad I finished tonight.  Still, we've only missed two days so far, and I on't see it getting any worse.

Abby's been sick over the last 48hrs with the flu, so that's taking up a little more time also.  Hopefully the rest of the house doesn't come down with it, but I'm not going to bet against it.  The poor girl pretty much slept the whole day away today.  Hopefully tomorrow she'll feel better.

The four-day weekend was jam-packed with stuff to do.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I Coach AYSO soccer also (Abby's team) we are just getting the Spring season started and had a full game scrimmge this past Saturday.  Since we'd only had once practice due to the weather, I was afraid we'd get crushed against this "particular" coach - you all not the type, just a little overzealous.  We my girls came out and listened to my instructions very well and we destroyed this guy's team., 6-3.  After our 'regulation time' was up we were leading 3-0 and he wanted to 'keep going' so I said "sure" - they scored a quick two goals but them my girls reponded.  I got a good feeling of what they can do and what I need to work on with them so overall it was a good practice session.  I love coaching, and this enables me to keep close to the game along with spending time with my daughter.

Damm - I still have to lose some of my beer gut...

Sunday, Valentines Day I took the family up to Big Bear - it's only two hours away and the kids had a blast playing in the snow.  It was their first time ever seeing snow in person, too bad they only lasted about an hour in it.....  So we made our way back home.  Still I think it would be nice to spend a whole weekend up there in the future.

Watch out!

Sledding fun

Keep Steppin'
Bob

Wonderful Weekend!

I can't believe how good this weekend was both for workouts and family!  Where should I start?  Let's see, I'll start with my running stuff - Friday I did 7.5 mile total, a bunch of that was fairly slow in fact Beth joined me for 2.3 miles!  She's going to try to get some running in an maybe run a race coming up.  It was nice getting out with her, we took Bogey, Cade in the stroller, Abby was on her razor with her friend from accross the street.  I enjoyed getting out of the house and spending time with Beth.  She always seems to handle running easily and she ended up doing the distance at a 12:06 pace.  Not bad for someone who doesn't really run. My main run on Friday was only 2.6 miles and most of that was downhill.  It didn't worry me though because Friday's are actually my rest day when it comes to my planning schedule, so getting in these miles were a bonus.  My legs feel pretty good and overall I feel strong.  Pace was a pretty quick 9:15 per mile so I'm very happy since the run itself didn't take too much effort.

Saturday was another good day - I picked up Alex from his Mother's and he wanted to run with me that night, so after giving him my old New Balance shoes, we went out he front door for an easy 5k.  This kid is fast, but having him there really helped me.  I was able to talk with him while we ran and the time flew by.  Before I knew it we were going up our last hill for the finish.  At that point Alex wanted to 'stretch his legs' and picked up the pace.  Me being his old man tried to limit him pulling away from me.  Over the final half mile he got about a :45 seconds on me and I fnished in 28:24 only :20 slower than my personal best.  WOW!  This run felt so easy paced for me so I know running with him will help me a ton.  Hopefully he'll stick with it.

Saturday is my week ending date so I put together a solid week - I ran everyday this past week and logged 38.2 miles doing it.  Beth and I ran, Alex and I ran, and Beth and I did the pretest on P90x.  (more on this later)  Overall it was a great week, I'm feeling really strong right now, and my workouts are going great!  I still can't believe that I'm pushing myself into new territory here.  I can't wait for P90x to get into full swing......

Sunday I did my long run for the week (5 miles).  Alex joined me again.  I thought maybe he was going to be tired from the night before, but the three miles didn't seem to bother him at all.  We did just over 5 miles at a 9:24 pace.  A little fast for me, but once again I felt good running with him, and he takes me out of my confort zone just a little.  Not so much that I'm struggling, but just enough to give me that 'next level' of training that I need.  Overall with our warm up and cool down we ended up logging 6.5 miles.  This Wednesday he's has his first track day; 9+ miles on a track!  They do 10 laps, 9 laps, 8 laps, etc.  What an introduction to track running!  No timing, but they have to finish before they go home.......  This season could be interesting for him, but after doing 5 miles with me, it shouldn't be a problem him as long as he paces himself.  BTW he logged a 6:15 mile for his PE final last week, I wonder what he could do with solid training?

Monthly totals: 179.9 miles, three new PB's, started weight training, did pretest for P90x.  Pretty solid month if I do say so.  Too bad for that three day rain stretch otherwise I might have had 30 days of straight running.

Family stuff this weekend was wonderful.  Beth had to put in some hours at the office, but once she was home we made the best of it.  Like I mentioned, she went running on Friday, and Saturday we had fun just hanging out together.  Sunday we took the family down to San Diego (about a 45 min drive) and spent about 2.5 hours on the Midway.  Yes the Aricraft Carrier Midway from WWII.  The carrier is now decommishioned and is a floating museum down in San Diego.  Beth's Uncle works as a tour guide / safety staff on the ship and gave us some free passes over Christmas.  We had a blast.  If you're in the area, I'd recommend this site to anyone even if you're not a big history buff.  This boat has such a rich histoy and was so vital to us winning the war in the Pacific, you can't help be feel in awe when you step aboard.  They are continusously opening new rooms so there is always something new to look at.

 Cade with his Monkey Leash

Eject! Eject!

Just one of several planes they have on display, this is INSIDE the Midway.

Go Navy!  Mr. Speedy himself.

Abby and Cade

Beth and Cade

Helicopter tansport - Alex knows it from Call Of Duty for XBox.  Scary thing is Abby and Cade knew it also.

The kids

Check out that anchor!  That only one of two in the bow.  Taken from the flight deck.

Downtown San Diego skyline - taken from the flight deck of the Midway.

 

Abby the Fighter Pilot

After a late lunch in Old Towne.

Keep Steppin'

Bob

Lazy Weekend

I didn't get a run in this weekend at all - I spent time with the family, and just never got out. Saturday Beth and I went out to dinner for her Birthday. It was nice getting out by ourselves without the kids (Mas and Papa watched them overnight.) We went to a great place in San Clemente (El Mariachi) and had just a little too much to drink. There was a nice couple next to us out on the patio who kept eyeballing out margaritas and finally asked what out bill was (they were $16 each!) A little more than what we'd normally spend, but it was good for us to get out.

Saturday morning/noon we spend at Abby's soccer game. I don't know if I've mentioned this but I've been coaching her for about 4 years now. They played really good, but fell apart in the final 5 mins of the game. After missing several chances to score early on they gave up three goals in a 5 min span and lost 3-0. Much better than the 9-0 skunking from last week. Even with the loss, I was pleased with the girls effort and they played much better this week. For practice this week we'll work on scoring more.

Sunday was spent cleaning, picking up the kids at the Grandparents and then watching my Chargers blow a game. I can't remember such poor play calling from the coaching staff in the past 10 years. I really hope they fix that problem.

Running this morning was great. After walking the girls to school, Cade and I went for a short run. I originally wanted to get in about 2 miles, but once we started I changed the course a little and it turned out to be 3 miles once we were finished. Pace was roughly :30 seconds faster per mile than we have been running so I was pleased with the effort. The only issue I had today was my feet. Both were cramping up a little, so I'm thinking I needed to stretch them out a little before my run. I'll keep an eye on this because my shoes are getting up there in miles (260 miles). I'm hoping to get closer to 500 mile though, but this is the first time I'm running with Brooks so I'm going to monitor this closely.

Keep Steppin'
Bob