Just Focusing!!!!!

Yes I have been away from the blog for a while.

It has been a very crazy and productive couple of weeks.

Mary has went and came back from a week in Hawaii with the girls. I missed her horribly but needed to be here with my mind focused on Nov 23rd. and the suffering that needed to happen to get me prepared for the big day. Funny how the one week that I actually got to recover I felt much worse than when I am out there giving to myself everyday. Note to self, No more recovery weeks!! HA!

This week has been very eventful, I had Meg's big 10th B-day on tuesday, but not until I spent 8 1/2 hours on the bike and running first. Today I turned around and had my long run for the week of 19miles. Ran the first 7ish miles with Mary while she was doing her Tempo portion of her morning run. It was awesome to not only run with someone, but to have it be with my Mary made it even that much more sweet. See I Never ever ever get to run with anyone. The only recent time I can remember actually running with someone more that a mile was April IMAZ when I came up :11 seconds short of qualifying for Kona. (Needless to say this will NOT happen again), I have spent months with myself and finding that next level of suffering i needed to find. Being able to suffer beyond the point of suffering. It is that last 2% or so of suffering that makes all the difference. Just watch, check back here after Nov 23rd and I WILL show everyone!!!

Anyway back to this mornings run, One wish I have always had is that as I get older (slower), and Mary gets faster, that we will actually be able to spend my later years running together. It was so cool to see how far she has come with her running. I prefer to look at it only as Mary getting faster, instead of me actually getting slower. Mary has worked soooo hard for this marathon, she is without question going to rock the shit out of the Rock n Roll marathon in

Jan.

Well this weekend is kinda of a bonus weekend, I get to add a little extra mileage and intensity to my week. Soma 1/2 Ironman is sunday, i will plan on trying to really focus on the swim and the bike, the run will be a hard effort not a race effort. Need to save that for the day 4 weeks later!

On my run this morning I actually counted 4 or 5 niggles that I have going on when i run from my achilles on one side to my hip flexor on the other. So I must be smart enough to save it on the run!! ONE more big week next week, and then I can start to look towards the long awaited taper!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Happy Anniversary Babe!!!

So today is a very happy special day in my mind and heart. It is Mary and my anniversary.

It has been 4 years today that Mary and I finally got to know each other at the 2004 Chicago marathon. The Chicago Marathon needless to say, holds a very special spot in our hearts.

So tonight we will go have so Pizza at Mary's favorite place (NYPD), and just relax for a little while. I know it sounds very low key and simple for an anniversary celebration, but thats the way we like it. Hell, tomorrow we both have to do our long runs, and mine is a 22miler!!! Yikes.

So a little carbs will be helpful.

The down side of today is that tomorrow my beautiful bride leaves me for Hawaii for a week.

I know she will have fun will her sis, and mom, so i am happy for her, but I will be lonely without my Mary!!! I mean come on, who else will listen to my mindless talk about training paces and sore this and that!!! Not to mention the last time she was gone I had the worst bike ride of my life. You can read about that in my past blogs.

As for my training, well I am at the end of a VERY long three week cycle. by 3pm on sunday I will have done almost 900miles on the bike, 25miles in the pool, and 150miles running in just 21 days. I am feeling so strong, but am ready for a little recovery week next week before my final push to the taper.

Keep you posted!!

The Hunt for October!!

Oh Yes!!! It is finally hear. OCTOBER!!!!
What a great time of the year. I look forward to October every year. There are just many awesome things gong on this time of the year.
All of he great Fall Marathons are in October, Chicago being my personal favorite. You see Mary and I first got to know each other at the Chicago Marathon. If it wasn't for the fabulous fall weekend who knows if we would be together today!! Hawaii Ironman is in October, and is the pinnacle of the Triathlon world, the greatest Ironman athletes in the world show up in Kona for 140.6 miles of total hell on earth. Temps in the high 90's, humidity to match, and winds of up to 60mph. Not bad if you are going sailing, but hell if you are covering 140.6miles with nothing but your own body power and strength!!!
October also brings us the baseball playoffs and the World Series, which have always been very near and dear to my heart and always will hold a very special place inside me!!! Go Reds!!! Shit maybe next year (again)!!!
October is the month my one and only child was born (Megan), it is so fun to see her light up on October 1st, knowing her birthday month is finally here!
In addition the weather finally starts to break and in Arizona we have made it through another summer and can look forward to 7 months of near perfect days and nights, while the rest of the country, especially our families start winterizing the houses and getting the snow blowers ready for a long, cold, dark winter!!! Did I mention COLD!!! Ha! I lived in Wisconsin for 15 years, I know cold.
Now this time of the year finally means that here in Az we are only about 7 weeks away from our Ironman race, for Dan his 3rd Ironman of 2008!!!
This is gonna be the one that makes next October even more special than most of the others. I will be in Kona next October (Fingers Crossed)
Stay tuned.....