Random and occasional thoughts on

During my run this morning, I was thinking about how much my life has changed over the past year.  In January 2010, I was married, though the marriage was dying and had just finished with probably the worst Christmas season I can ever recall, (with few bright spots).  My fitness had dropped off from my Ironman race in 2008 to a total running mileage for January of barely over 30 miles and I couldn't run for more than a half a mile without taking a walk break.  I only rode my bike once and hadn't been swimming (which I love doing) in several months. So what will 2011 bring? By October of last year, my divorce was finalized and I had started running more consistently.  Now, after a good Christmas season I am in my fourth month of steadily improving running (already have almost as many miles by the 9th as I did all of Jan last year). I am registered for a relay race in Feb and planning several other races during the year.  I would like to get a new marathon PR ...

Most runners I know use running to occasionally "clear their head".  You know, when the pressures of life build up and you feel like you can't get ahead, a good run will help to prioritize the important things and start making progress on them.  A few nights ago, I was at that point and ended up going for a run around midnight.  Nearly full moon and lots of streetlights made this a pretty safe thing to do for me, and while I was not able to fall asleep as soon as I got home, I was able to sort out my thoughts and feelings a lot better.  When I did fall asleep around 3, I slept so soundly that when I woke up at 6, I felt more rested than I usually do after 8 hours of sleep.  That run was more of a "release-valve" type of run.  It just let me vent some emotions on the pavement instead of on my family.  This morning was more of a "clear my head" kind of run.  I decided to use a regimented 3/1 run/walk ratio rather than the "run till you are ready ...

It was beneath an overcast post-dawn sky that this epic ride was started.  OK, maybe most people wouldn't consider it an Epic Ride.  Alright, I wouldn't even have considered this an epic ride a few years ago, but hey, I just doubled my 2009 bike mileage in a single morning.  Pretty embarrassing to admit that my total logged bike miles for 2009 was 4. It did feel good to get out for a bit over 30 min this morning and I hope to get more rides real soon.

(or: Why some pets attack their owners) I saw lots of costumes yesterday, but only a few pets in costumes. I always wonder if other dogs that see dogs in costume laugh when they see their canine friends wearing things like this: Well, these guys didn't seem too upset about their outfits.

My 2 dogs like to play. The 8 year age difference and 60 pound advantage make no difference to the Young Pup (YP) and he will still try to to get the toy away from Old Dog (OD). Sometimes he even wins, or maybe OD just lets him win or gets tired. Maybe it is true what they say: It is not the size of the dog in the fight It is the size of the fight in the dog that matters most Remember that the next time you think you have bitten off more than you can chew.

Ever see a business leader that seemed too young to know what they were doing? They take charge of meetings and projects and lead the charge on new initiatives. Sometimes they don't seem to know what they are doing and sometimes their bold initiatives do not make any sense. I went for another run today with the dogs. Well, run, walk & sniff would be a better description of the activity. While I like the enthusiasm of Young Pup (YP), I really appreciate the more relaxed approach that Old Dog (OD) takes. OD usually stays right next to me with only an occasional foray into the bushes after some exciting new smell. YP likes to charge to the full length of his leash and tug the whole time. He usually doesn't stop to sniff things and instead prefers to charge ahead as fast as his leash will let him. YP like to lead, but keeps looking over his shoulder to make sure we are still following him, like the strain of the leash isn't enough of a clue. Some leaders (in busines...

I decided to give running another shot, even though after my little 2+ miler on Saturday, I got sicker than I've been in years. I think it was just my turn for the flu, but I felt fine. Went for a little run, showered, had breakfast and got sick within an hour of my run. Maybe the raspberries had gone bad (tasted and looked fine) or maybe it was just a coincidence, but I've been nervous about running again. In spite of that, I know running does not make me sick, so I decided to just go out and take it easy today. So here is the story: CAST: OM - Old man (i.e. me) OD - Old dog, our 8 yr old border collie/black lab mix YP - Young pup, our about 6 month old shephard mix OD was content to start with a warm-up walk with me, but YP wanted to run, so we gave in and let YP set the pace for the first 1/10 of a mile. We slowed so OD could smell some scents left by his neighborhood friends. YP kept the leash tight trying to keep running. You would think that he didn't have a nice...