Dipping in the mustard and can't Ketchup

So it's been a few weeks, huh?

Lets recap....

Breaking Bad ended - WOW!!!!
My Daughter turned 1 - Double WOW!!!
I went fishing in Idaho for 4 days - Boom!
I was picked to be a brand ambassador for EnduroPacks - Boo-Yah!
I ran the worst 13.1 that I ever have....ever.... - Major SUCK.

Breaking Bad Finale

I'll leave it at WOW....just in case any of my readers aren't caught up or want to watch the series

Reese Turns 1

We had her birthday party on 10/6 when we had everyone in town for our annual State Fair of Texas gathering.  Reese had such a blast.  It was great to have loving family in town and neighbors come over to hang and celebrate her birthday.  She was the most hugged and loved on person ever.

Fishing the Snake and Salmon River

I could dedicate 3 posts to this alone....but the words and the pics wouldn't do it justice.  I was asked by my boss to go on a 4 day fishing trip (paid for by a vendor) to Lewiston, ID where we ate, drank, and fished.  The scenery was spectacular, the accommodations were great, and the fishing was something that I had never experienced on that level.  8 - 18 lb fish fighting and tugging, reeling and fighting taking over 10 minutes from setting the hook to getting it into the boat.  I caught several fish (Steelhead Trout and some salmon). 

 

Worst. Race. Ever.

So....anything you read here is partly an excuse but partly justification (make sense)......

I had been pretty spastic in my training the three weeks leading up to the race.  And the last week was the fishing trip so I missed some volume runs and had a little too much fun eating and drinking as well....and lack of sleep too.

Race morning it was 75 degrees with 90% humidity and it stayed around that for the race.  After about the first 3 miles, I knew it wasn't going to be fun anymore.  I started fading and walking....and walking more....then around mile 11, it was cramps.  I rarely get cramps, but wow....they suck.  I finished in 2:41 (which was 30 minutes SLOWER than my slowest time.  I have a new PR in the "what's your worst race" category).  The course was pretty hilly too, which I don't train much on.  If I go right out of my neighborhood, I get hills....if I go left, it's pretty flat.  I normally go left.  Guess I should go right more.

The race itself was great.  Average Joe Racing puts on a hell of a race.  Great support, great volunteers, lots of schwag, lots of information leading up to the race....and at a very cheap price.  If you're in the Dallas area and looking for a well run race....check them out.

My splits were:

1 - 10:03
2 - 10:33
3 - 10:34
4 - 11:07
5 - 11:49
6 - 12:55
7 - 12:08
8 - 12:54
9 - 13:29
10 - 14:29
11 - 13:50
12 - 13:55
13 - 12:40

Uggh....just typing those out made me vomit a bit in my mouth.  I need a redemption race and one that doesn't conflict with major holidays, birthdays, fishing trips and anything else.  HAHA.

Running Randomness

Out for my solitary 4 miler this morning (which sucked butt, btw...more on that later).  When I'm about a mile and a half in, I see something in the grass.  Normally it's a rabbit and will scurry off.  And sometimes they'll run in the direction I'm running....then dart across the sidewalk....then back....then sprint ahead.  I'm all like "I'm not chasin' you lil' bunny fo-fo....just stop" but they don't seem to listen.

Anywho...in the grass.  I see something that appears to be crouched down.  I could tell it wasn't a rabbit and first thought was a bobcat kitten/cub as it was small.  Shortly there after, I got a little nervous as a kitten will have a momma near.  Now....being from the country, I know that if I'm not a little animal/rodent or a chicken....I'm fine.  But still, coming upon a bobcat isn't the most fun thing on a jog.  I did have a quick thought of "well....this can be my interval training".  As I get within 10 yards, it starts across the sidewalk and I hear *click-click-click....* and I realize that I'm coming upon an armadillo.  They're docile and more scared of you....and they are the worlds worst animal at getting across the street.  So....the armadillo realizes that I'm coming up and quickly heads back the other way.

That interaction and the thought of the senseless murders of armadillos every year on Texas streets by out of control cars and truck.....brought me back to a FB post I saw not too long ago.

The Balloon says "Get Well Soon"

Then....with the armadillo being the State Animal of Texas (actually the Nine-Banded Armadillo), I thought of all the cool facts of the armadillo that we were taught in school.


**Armadillos have four babies at a time, always all the same sex. They are perfect quadruplets, the fertilized cell split into quarters, resulting in four identical armadillos.

**Armadillos get an average of 18.5 hours of sleep per day.

**Armadillos can walk underwater.

**Armadillos are the only animal besides humans that can get leprosy.

**When an armadillo is frightened it jumps straight into the air.

**Armadillos can be housebroken.

**Armadillos have a very low need of oxygen. Even when burrowing they can stop breathing for 6 minutes by storing air in the trachea and wide bronchus.

**The name "Armadillo" comes from the Spanish explorers word meaning "Little Armored Thing"


So that was my morning.  Oh....and the run sucked because I ran slow and it was hot (80 degrees) and humid and no wind to cool the body down.  Ran 4.01 in 44:45.  That's absolutely horrible.

Happy Gnu Year (or Happy Nude Year)

On 12/31, the plans we had that night were a little thrown off.  My 11 week old was diagnosed with RSV and my wife had the same crap I had (haha!!!! - no....just kidding).  So I texted the people we were going to hang with and they got a little freaked out because their BIL and SIL didn't want to expose their 3 week old to anyone that had been in contact with someone who was sick.  Ummm....okay.

So....we did Family Movie night and watched the Avengers....and J fell asleep at 10:45, I went to bed with the baby around 11:30....and my wife came in aroudn 12:15 and said "Happy New Year" *kiss*....and that's about all I remember.  Meh....when you're in your mid-30's and have kids, the whole NYE thing is different.  I'd rather do that then get shit face drunk and regret the morning.

I had 11 - 13 miles planned for 1/1.  Well....being off for a little over 2 weeks and the fact that it was 28 degrees with a wind chill of less than that, I got a whole mile in.  I started coughing due to the cold and thought....no way I can do this.  Went home and did Power 90, did stuff around the house, watched football, cleaned up some Christmas, went to the store (all produce was picked WAY over....it's like the gym....it'll be like that for a while, then people will think "making a salad is hard" and "fruit goes bad" and it'll be okay again), then we watched X-Men 2 last night for our Tuesday Night Family Movie Night.

137 Days to IMTX!  Better get on the Ball!

Worst. Run. Ever

Okay....maybe not the worst, but top 5 all time worst runs.

3 miles at a 12 minute mile pace.  About 50/50 walk and run....and the run was more of a shuffle at times.  I will give myself one thing.....it's a hilly course.  With the new house location, it's in a very hilly part of town.  I'm used to running flats so this training is more beneficial (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

3.5 tomorrow.  Hoping it goes better.