Back to the Track

After a successful inaugural run on the Advanced 10k Training Team last year. I came back this year with a fire in my belly. Last year I learned that I love track training and speed work. More so than any distance training that I'd ever done. Unfortunately snow has kept us away from the track for most of the our training so far. Two weeks ago there was a break in the weather and we went out for the first time. I ran hard and at the front of the pace group the whole night. Then it we got snowed out again last week. Remember the snowpocalypse that wasn't? Thanks Wxrisk!

In any case this week was short sleeve weather and I showed up prepared to run just off the front and take it a little easier. We finished our strides and just as I was noticing that one of our two coaches hadn't made it out, I heard the coach that was there call my name. I looked around a bit bewildered at first. Of the 40 plus people on our sub team (45-47:00), maybe 4-5 people know my name. The second time I got called, I made my way up to the front of the group to find that the other coach had nominated me to the lead the front pace for the night.

Baaawhhaaaatttt?

I am awful at setting and holding a pace. It is part of the reason I do training teams. I got a Garmin 220 a week ago to start working on it. I'd run twice with it, but not on the track yet. I mashed buttons wildly after agreeing to the task put to me. I got the GPS up and running and we were off like a flash. For the first 200m I was out ahead of the group. Adrenaline pumping I assumed the rest of the group was just starting slow. Till I heard the cries of "Too fast!". I looked down at my watch and I was running at a 5:50 per mile pace. I was supposed to be between 6:25-35.

I popped my chute and faded back to the group. After that I worked with the other front regulars and had a much more consistently paced evening. I owed it all to them and told them so, but still got thanks at the end of the night. It was not as bad as I assumed it would be and made me think about coaching some year that I want to take it easier.

Weekend Review: Apr 27th & 28th

Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!

Hardywood Twilight 4 Miler
Post 10k I have been lazy piece, not exercising, not stretching and subsisting on a diet of beer and sweet sweet pastries. As a preventative measure I signed myself up for a trillion events this Spring and Summer. The first of which was a 4 mile run out from Hardywood and back by way of the Fan. It was a fun run so the pressure to finish quick was only in my head and the reward afterwards was beer. Specifically the Twilight Weiss, brewed for the event. The whole thing was a blast, it seemed like all of Richmond was there, well except for the angry Richmonders on Broad St. That mess was blocked for an hour plus for the run.

Fort Harrison Loop
In preparation for my next event (Cap 2 Cap), I needed and still need cycling miles on my legs. Sunday morning Mike and I met at my place and spun our way out to Rocketts Landing to meet Whitt. From there we made our way East to Fort Harrison, where we turned around and crossed the river to Whitt's place for bottle fills and a cold beer (best idea ever). We departed Casa Clements and crossed the river again to head home. Less than a mile from my house, Mike and I were singing our victory hymnal when he hit a painted line that was not a painted line, but a 6 inch tall concrete strip. I watched as he tumbled in slow motion. His body fighting gravity at every turn and ultimately losing. It looked painfully, but hope the worst of it was scrapes and bruises. We limped our way back to my place for scones, beer and band-aids. Not a great way to end a good ride, but them's the breaks.

Problem & IamSu!

Mixtapes are the best. They are free, come out more frequently than full studio releases and are great exposure for new artist. For the past three weeks I've been listening to Problem and IamSu's Million Dollar Afro. It super heavy on the bass and features Juvenile of all people. Pretty dope all around and no barrier to entry. Give it a try.

Weekend Review: Apr 13th & 14th

Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!

Monument 10k
Success! 48:10 is right down the middle on my goal time of 47 to 49 minutes. I started the morning by picking up Mike and his bike. For the second year in a row we parked 30 some blocks from the start line and road our bikes in. We avoid the traffic/parking nightmare and get a nice warm up in before we have to run. At the start line I was a ball of adrenaline, coming out at 7:15 in the first mile. I settled in at around 7:45 per for the next two and put in a split time of 23:52. Faster than I wanted for the first half and I suffered on the back half because of it. Five to Six was a wall of pain and exhaustion and the last quarter mile sprint was agony (pictured). Then it was over, I ate a banana, a sugary sports drink or two and I felt fine. I was really happy with my effort and credit all of it to the Advanced 10k team. I have the Hardywood 4 Miler in less than two weeks and the Carytown 10k in three. I don't plan to beat my new PR, but who knows. I'm in the best running shape of my life and only spent two nights chugging beers and eating cake post Monument.

Planet Money
For some reason I have been avoiding my next audio book (The Twelve) and listening to loads of podcast instead. Probably because once I get into it there will be no time for podcast. Planet Money is not new to me, but I eventually burned out on it when I was fully subscribed. This time around I have been selectively picking episodes that sound interesting. So far so good, some great examples follow:

• Ep. 449: Hidden Digital Wealth
• Ep. 290: North Korea's Illegal Economy
• Ep. 435: Why Buying A Car Is So Awful

Weekend Review: Feb 9th & 10th

Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!

Mistborn : The Final Empire
In late 2007 and early 2008 I discovered Audible and rediscovered audio books in the process. I churned through a massive collection and then stopped. This week I went back to the audio book with a recommendation from Ethan. I dropped my podcast habit cold turkey and dedicated that listening time to Mistborn. The Final Empire is more or less Dark Sun, but with cooler magic system. Setting does not make a book though. The story told is one of intrigue and character arcs that really drew me in. So much so that I started the second book the day after I wrapped up the first.

NIKE Men's Element Half Zip
Getting nice gear for my bike has always been secondary to my other hobbies. I still make do with a cheap windbreaker I bought 7 years ago when Winter riding comes round. Picking up a long sleeve Road Holland this Summer taught me the value of good gear this Fall though. Now that I am dedicated to running this year more than ever before it was time to gear up there too. My first and best purchase was the long sleeve shirt above. With a short sleeve base layer and it I have braved low 20 temps and windy evenings. It is super light weight, minimal seems and keeps me toasty. I forget it is there, which is exactly what I want from my athletic gear.

Nardwuar
I visit a number of different resources while hunting down new raps (e.g. stereogum and rapgenius). The Reddit /r/ hiphopheads is the most recent as of the Fall. Last week I saw a number of links to interviews by Nardwuar there. He a loud, awkward, but self confident interviewer dressed like an eccentric golfer, interviews some of the biggest names in hip hop and brings along gifts (usually vinyl) that speaks to their origin and musical influence. It makes for some really candid moments, something usually not seen in music interviews. His rap interviews have been collected in this Google Drive doc, but the link above is enough to get started with.

13 in 13

Friend of this blog and friend of me, Mike put a bug in my ear last week about his goal of thirteen hobbies in 2013. A noble, if not dangerous endeavor. Considering my life is already stupid full of hobbies I don't have enough time and money to keep up with. So add thirteen new ones to the mix you say. Sure, what could go wrong. Note: most of these aren't new, that would just be crazy!

1. Running
I started back up with running in 2011 and full on committed to it in 2012, but I plan to take it even further in 2013. I am already signed up for more events and more miles than last year and will have to commit even more time to training for those. My gear situation is in a better space and I should have more time to get out and pound the pavement as Ward gets older. Richmond half here I come!

2. Drawing
I've drawn more in the past year at the request of my three year old than I have in the past ten years. I used to always have a pad of paper close at hand. From grade school through sometime in the middle of college I logged thousands of hours doodling. Then I stopped, almost cold turkey. I think it is healthy for me to get stretch my creativity muscles. It is why I write here and why I will try to start up drawing again this year.

3. Table Top Gaming
Another thing I already do, man this is straight up cheating. I barely rolled any dice in 2012 though. I wrapped up my last campaign in January and went dark till a single game of D&D Next that I hosted in the summer. There were a handful of games at Chuck's house too, but I have been missing my roll as DM all year. 2013 should see the return of my DM cape. Though I have no clue under what system and with what group of regulars.

4. Mountain Biking
I spent a large portion of the early aughts on a mountain bike. Either as a weekend warrior on local single track or traveling a regular amateur racing circuit. It is what started my adult love affair with cycling. I already have a regular road group every Sunday, but in 2012 we dipped our toes into trail riding. I only got out for three rides, but it sparked that flame again. In 2013 I need a working bike, but I plan to get out more frequently.

5. Stretching
The only time I stretch regularly is when I get hurt. Pull something in my back, stretch till it is better. Fuck up my knee playing basketball, stay off it and stretch till I can go again. I know stretching and strength training regularly would probably help prevent these sort of injuries in the first place or at least make them not as bad, but I never make time for it. 2013 is the year of the loose hamstring!

6. Gundam
In the back half of 20 doz I finally scratched my Lego itch with Gundam. I want more of that this year, maybe a model a quarter? Making for a collection of five total at the end of the year. I could totally get down with that.

7. Data
Capturing data for my 2012 annual report was done with very little of the year left. I was beholden to what services I use that capture data for me (Steam) or those that I log as a matter of course anyway (GoodReads and DailyMile). In 2013 I plan to capture more and better data. The Fitbit was my first stab at that and already was a failure. I'm looking at Daytum right now and a few other options to make this goal as pleasant as possible. There is always Excel.

8. Camping
Crystal and I used to camp. Then we had kid number one and took a hiatus  Just when we were getting into the sweet spot of camping with him we had another one. It turned out last year that I camped for three days, thanks to Cycle NC, but our family did not make it out. This year it might be a segmented portion of our family out and camping, but we will set a few tents up either way.

9. Hiking
Unlike camping we can get out and hike with or without the overnight stay. There are plenty of places to go locally and even more when you expand the radius to within a hours drive. It is great family exercise and even more so for me when I throw Ward on my back.

10. Fish
When I told Crystal about this one she thought I meant fishing and turned up her noise like I was describing my last trip to the restroom. I quickly corrected that I meant cooking fish. While I will never claim to have mastered the other core proteins (chicken, beef, pork), I certainly have a firm enough handle on them. Fish however escapes me. I want to grill it, smoke it and bake it in 2013.

11. Bike Maintenance
Rolling in from a long bike ride and shoving my bike into our sun room for another week has become a bad habit for going on two years. The most love my bike gets these days is a few gasp of air in the tires 15 minutes before I am supposed to ride. I'd like to start a regiment of regular cleaning and care on my road bike and full on repair for my ageing mountain bike.

12. Brunch
Many of these activities require that my lovely bride either participate (see: Hiking) or in many cases facilitate my time away from the family (See: Running). So this one is for her as much as it is for me. When we don't have a 1-3 month old in the house we occasionally are gifted a date night by from our parents. Post date night we occasionally get brunch and it is fucking great. I don't know how many date nights we will see in 2013, but when we do we will brunch. And when we don't I will make it!

13. Music Exploration
I like raps. Besides not listening to rap because my children are in the car (I introduced the eldest to Beastie Boys this Fall) I exclusively listened to rap in 2012. That is a bit limiting, I guess. I don't exclusively watch shows about spaceships or only read comics about super heroes, so why just rap? In an effort to expand my cultural horizon I'll reach out this year and sample what the music world has to offer.

Annual Report 2012: Exercise

(Click to Embiggen)

My year in exercise has been up and down. Always maintaining a through line of running and riding, but plagued by injury and life events that left me a little disappointed by the end of 2012. Overall miles were up over the prior year, but 2011 was a diet and return to exercise year. If you compare both years from May to December, 2011 is up 275 miles on it's younger brother.

Running
I had a banner year in running events in 2012. Participating in 4 times as many as I did in 2011 and improving my mile pace in each event. Shaving 10 seconds per mile from March to November. On the other hand two knee injuries (stupid Basketball) to the same knee (stupid Football) took me out of the game for multiple weeks at a time and even kicked off a month of physical therapy in June. I might have gotten back on the streets in the late fall in winter, but instead there was a steady drop in all activity and a rise in cookie and beer consumption (not pictured).

Riding
I have never been an event/charity guy for bikes (mostly racing), but April was the most miles I've ridden in three years running (Sept. 2009: 200+). I have Cycle NC to thank for that. It made for a great weekend of cycling and some intense long miles at fast paces (mostly flat). When the knee injuries took me out of the running shoes they took me off the saddle too, but I was pretty consistent with Sunday rides all year. Something I have to give big thanks to my regular group for, I hit a 9 Sunday streak from March to April. 2012 was also my return to mountain biking. A sport I miss all the time and want to do more of ever time I get out on the trail. Two crashes this year too, but lets breeze by those before my wife bans me from the bike.