Learn To Properly Use a Gas Station

March 30th: 5:15am wakeup. New Go Lean Cinnamon Crisp for breakfast. Lunch already packed from the night before. Salad with chicken divided into multiple tupperware containers. Reasoning behind this is obvious. Keep the tomatoes seperate to avoid making the lettuce soggy and the chicken can be heated separately. Work 6am-2:30pm. Slow day overall and it felt for a Friday. Realized I probably walk about 5-8 miles a day at work. Solid cross training. Home to pack up and run a bit. Talked with my sister, Katie (One of two that reside in California), before heading out for a run.

Easy 4+ miles (29:39). Ran through the high school/middle school campus with my purple short shorts and blue tye-dye long sleeve. No comments. Back to stretch, finish washing the dishes from the night before, and foam roll. Showered and shave before gathering up everything for the weekend. Made a list at work in order to avoid forgetting any essentials. Helped a bunch. Goupil home at 4pm.

"On the road" at 4:45pm. Attempted (key word) to fill up my tank at the local Sunoco in Clifton Park. Terrible idea. It was a madhouse at the pumps and this was all to get 10 cents off a gallon with my Fuel Advantage card from Da Choppa. After waiting a solid 7-8 minutes, I was able to pull up to a pump. Slide my card. Not accepted. Worked a second time because I had to press the "I have a Fuel Advantage card" button on the screen. 10 cents off. Bring the nozzle over my car's gas tank. Nozzle didn't reach. Short by a foot or so. A truck (facing my car, hood to hood) was at the pump adjacent to mine so I couldn't pull up any closer. Put the nozzle back down. 10 cent discount eliminated. I was fed up at this point and as I was retreating back to the driver's side door, the owner of the truck exited the convenient store and began to fill up his truck. You got to be kidding me? What was he doing all that time inside? Proper gas station ediquette is not emphasized in New York. Left in a huff. Back on the road 15 minutes later and stopped off at another gas station in Troy, NY. Success, but expensive since I lost my savings from my card.

Officially en route to Keene at 5:30ish. Arrived in Swanzey at 7:30ish. Dropped off Goupil and headed to Jaffrey to stay the night at Kimber's apartment. Chicken parmagina with green beans and yellow squash over spaghetti for dinner. Mmm. Relaxed the rest of the night and bed by 10:30pm. Shooting for a 6:30am wakeup.

Routine

March 29th: 5am wakeup. No cereal so I settled for oatmeal. Made it with milk. Extra creamy with maple syrup and sugar. Packed the lunch. Out the door at 5:40am. Work 6-2:30pm. Work was smooth. No tool sign-offs and standard safety walks throughout the day. PCW "explosion" at the end of the day. Gallons and gallons of process chilled water pouring out of a pipe in the back of the subfab. Other than that, normal day. Stopped off at Target before heading back to the apartment. Cheese grater, cereal, and ACT mouthwash. Home to take off the shoes and socks. Slip on the Sanuks to let the feet breath. Pooped. Took some chicken out of the freezer for dinner/lunch. Relaxed in front of the television with the iPad until Goupil got home. He had a meeting scheduled until 5 so later run.

Out the door at 6pm. 10+ miles (70:21) with a 6:00 last mile. Solid run. Relaxed. Calves actually weren't sore in the 1st mile. Progressively more sore through the run. Survived. Foam roll, stretch, and prepare my dinner. Chicken with salad. Avocado, tomato, and cucumber. Shredded cheese and carrots with the use of my new grater. New Big Bang Theory finally. No March Madness tonight. Ate my dinner after the new episode. Packed the remains for lunch tomorrow. Shower and iced the calves before falling asleep. Bed early to rest up the legs for the Fast Friends 4.5 miler in Keene, NH this Saturday. Should be nice weather and good competition.

Work It Out Now

March 28th: 5am wakeup. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Finished off my Honey Bunches of Oats. Double decker PB&J for lunch with snacks. Work 6-2:45pm. Work went well. I officially have a computer at work now because I am part of the tool sign-off team. Pretty exciting. Still doing the safety for the most part so its about 25% tool sign-off. Home to relax before getting ready for the workout. I started to wash some dishes and it led to cleaning the entire stovetop. Removed the coils and everything. Windexed the whole thing. I can tell my mom has rubbed off on me a little bit with the OCD cleaning. I don't mind :)

Drove to the track at 5pm. Planned workout 3xmile and 6x200. 3+ mile (22:29) warmup. Lacrosse game set to start at 6pm so we got right on the track to begin. I rocked my extra short shorts (no comments luckily). 4:50, 4:46, 4:42. 31, 31, 30, 29. Calves let me know they were still feeling the half marathon so I ended it at 4x200. 800 rest between the miles. 200 rest on the 200s. 2.5+ mile (19:28) cooldown. 11+ on the day.

Back to foam roll, stretch, and pop my dinner in the oven. Boneless pork ribs with chopped garlic and onions. Some sweet and spicy rub on the pork. Iced while I waited it to cook. Cooked up some angel hair pasta and divided everything into two portions to have some for lunch tomorrow. Big Bang Theory and Family Guy. Shower and bed early.

Nap Time

March 27th: 5am wakeup. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Took some Mucinex and a multivitamin. Kinda groggy this morning. Chicken with salad for lunch. Out the door before 5:40am. Work 6-2:45pm. Good day at work. Meeting with our boss in the morning. Tool sign-off again today. Starting to get the hang of it and it breaks up the day fairly well. Home to relax. I dipped into the box of Oreos. I started with just 3. Then another 3. Then some more (this is why I don't buy Oreos because they are my weakness). Ripped open the hot and spicy beef jerky my sister got me for Christmas. Food coma and fell asleep at 4:40. Goupil home at 5:15pm (he told me that because I was passed out cold). Attempted to wake me up. He thought he did. I opened my eyes, threw on my glasses and responded with some mumbles. Back to napping on the couch. Shook me again and I sprung up as I always do in total confusion. Got ready super quick and out the door at 5:45pm.

10.8 mile loop (73:04). Goupil had to stop at one point for some abdominal pain. Just some gas build up. Stopped again at 8ish. Gave me the apartment key and let me finish up the run while he figured out what was going on. He said I should come and pick him up in case he wasn't gonna make it. 5:02 last mile. I was feeling good and needed a confidence booster for the workout tomorrow. Jumped in the car after and found Goupil a mile out and he was okay. Bathroom break required and he completed the run with flying colors. Backto stretch, foam roll, and shower up before making dinner. Terrible gas from the beef jerky. Luckily it didn't affect my run at all.

It was already 7:30pm so I went with a 4 egg, 1 onion chopped and sautéed, cheddar cheese omelette for dinner. It was delicious. Big Bang Theory and bed early.

Daily Grind

March 26th: 5am wakeup. Goupil coming back to NY this afternoon. So the last morning I can turn on the bedroom light and be semi-loud scrounging around before work. Oatmeal for breakfast. Double decker PB&J for lunch with some snacks including black licorice. Work 6-2:30pm. Went by real quick for a Monday. Da Choppa for some necessary grocery shopping. Back to drop off the food. Back out for a Walmart run to grab fluids/equipment for my Subie. Windshield wipers, power steering fluid leak stuff, power steering fluid, 5 quarts of oil, and windshield wiper fluid. And some ice packs. Back at 4:30pm. Filled up my power steering with the leak stop fluid. Goupil home at 5pm.

Run at 5:30ish. Shy of 10 miles (67:14). Felt good. Solid time for a Monday. Stretch, foam roll, ice. Dinner eventually after a shower. Chicken on salad with red pepper, cucumber and tomato. Thousand islands dressing. Kept the dinner light after the heavy (yet ridiculously delicious) food over the weekend. And the 6 Oreos right before run. My mom sent me home with a box of em. The regular size one, not the 10 sleeves of 11 cookies.

Bed somewhat early.

Last Day In CT

March 25th: 8am wakeup. Relaxed in bed. Upstairs at 9am. Mom made German pancakes for breakfast topped with heated up strawberries and peaches and a side of bacon. A German pancake is a hybrid of a pancake and a pastry. Can't beat it! Chilled for a while by playing Bananagrams. ALOT of Bananagrams.

Sarah and I went for a run around 2:30pm. 10+ miles (83:28). Great run. Talked to the whole time and Sarah killed the run. She wasn't even close to out of breath at the end of the run. She's doing a half in the beginning of May. She's gonna destroy it. I was gonna go another 5 miles, but my body was telling me don't do it. So I listened. 55 miles for the week.

Sarah and Bob headed out around 5:30 or so. Gathered up my things plus my slow cooker and scale. I finally headed back to NY at 7:40ish. Pork roast sandwich hit the spot at around 9ish. Smooth ride and back by 10:15pm. Bed soon after.

New Phone! Chicka Chicka Yeah!

March 24th: 7:50am wakeup. Jumped into bed with Kimber to wake her up. She was Mr. Grumpy Gills. Upstairs to get people moving for a run through the Huntington State Park trails. Group run in the trails at 10:30am. 8 miles (66:37). Some with everyone (mom, dad, Sarah, Bob, and Kimber) and extra with Sarah and Bob. Beautiful weather. Photoshoot before and after the run.

Back to the house for breakfast. Made omelettes for everyone. Relaxed for a while at the house. Eventually everyone showered. Outdoor shower. We had an agenda for the day and we finally started on it around 2:30pm.

Verizon Wireless for a new phone. iPhone 4S. Ka-pow! Interesting characters at the store while we waited. One woman was extremely impatient to seek help from a sales associate. She had a party to attend. She let everybody know! Another guy seemed to be drunk or something. Deliberately hitting on one of the woman working for Verizon. Then out of no where, the guy ripped ass mad loud! Didn't smell, but just shocked us all. Stopped off at Trader Joe's. Kimber parted there to head back to Higganum, CT.

Home for dinner. Pork roast with onions, potatoes, carrots, rolls, homemade applesauce and a New Castle. Stuffed my face. Sooooooo good! Can't complain ever with my mom's cooking. Relaxed the rest of the night updating the phone with contacts and whatnot. Watched Blindside on tv. Bed for a long run tomorrow.

Home For The Weekend

March 23rd: 5am wakeup. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Decided on a cold cut sandwich for lunch, then realized (after I had servhed the entire fridge) that I finished up my spiced ham the day before. Settled on a grilled cheese with muenster cheese. Work 6am-2:30pm. Back to the apartment to finish up packing my things before heading home. Basically laundry and foam roller. Quick 2+ hour drive home. No traffic. Day off from running. Dad called up when I was about 1/2 hour away. He was hitting up the driving range with his carpool buddy from work. Joined in. Kimber arrived at the house at 6:45pm. I still had golf balls to swing away at. Met back at the house around 7:15ish. Filet mignon and pasta salad. Delicious. Can't beat home cooking. Sarah and boyfriend Bob arrived around 9ish. Late night talking. Bed at 12pm. Surprised I had a ton of energy past 10pm.

Warm One Today

March 22nd: 5am wakeup. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Made my lunch. Two ham and cheese mini sandwiches in rolls. Work 6am-2:45pm. Good day at work. Another SL1 signoff for a tool. Lunch at the normal time. Made my phone calls to all my sisters after work plus my mom. Swung by Verizon Wireless to check out a new phone. After talking with my sister Sarah, I have decided on the white iPhone 4S. Buying it this weekend. Stopped off at Marshalls/Homegoods for a bit. Home before 5pm.

Run at 5:15pm. 11+ miles (77:21). Ran to the Kinns trails, a few miles on dirt, finished up through the high school. Clifton Park residents are not the friendliest. No one yelled me, but I greeted 4 or 5 different people. Minimal response except for one person. Just strange to me. I was running through a quant little neighborhood and a little boy stated "Mommy, he's naked!" All I could do was laugh as I passed. I did sneeze during my run and that was super weird.

Home to stretch, foam roll, shower and start making dinner. Two open face sandwiches. Chicken sausage. Cheddar cheese. Sautéed avocado, onion, and red pepper. Wolfed it down. March Madness. Bed.

Clean Rooming It Up

March 21st: 5am wakeup. Made my lunch. 3 mini roll sandwiches with spiced ham and muenster cheese plus some hot pepper jelly. Breakfast alongside Goupil because he was working my shift to make the 5 hour trip back to NH. Work 6am-3pm. Clear room for 3 hours (Fully gowned and overheating). Two more SL1 sign-offs with Alyssa. I had to eat lunch at 12:30pm (about an hour and half later than I usually do). I was beyond starving. Home to relax and update the running schedule for the next couple months with the hold on the marathon this spring. Out for a run right before 5pm.

10.8 mile loop (73:34). Legs were still sore (just the calves). Felt smooth clipping off sub 7s. Bathroom break at 4 miles. Last 2 miles in 12:39. Back to stretch, foam roll, and pushups/situps (on my 4th week of em). Protein shake. Shower. Big Bang Theory. Burger with sautéed veggies for dinner. Bed at an early hour.

Tuesday

March 20th: 4:40am wakeup. Rolled out of bed. Made my lunch to get that out of the way. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal with a tall glass of orange juice. Got dressed. Filled my car with power steering fluid. Work 6am-2:30pm. Normal day. Home to relax. Talked with my mom for a bit. Called up Pete Thomas (colleg coach) as well. Gave me the advice to hold off on the spring marathon and run my next one in the fall. Thought about it and it makes sense. He said I should lower my times in the 5k, 10k, and 10 miler first before attacking another marathon. I agreed and relayed the information to Goupil. Changed up for a run. Decided to go shirtless for the run. Goupil home at 4:45pm.

Out the door at 5ish for 10 miles (72:00). Expecting more people to be shouting at us or beeping horns at us. It happened. At around 7 miles, some middle school or high school kids on a porch with their mom made the terrible decision to "Woo woo!" at us. I had a few choice words for them plus a certain finger. They yelled at us again. Idiots! I had a slightly more vulgar comment to exclaim to them and continued on with our run. Pumped me up a bit. It was actually my first true time that I responded back to the verbal abuse us runners receive on a daily basis from the non-running community.

Back to stretch, foam roll, and drink a protein shake. Called up my dad and ended conversing with him about everything (mostly running and my next possible phone). 77+ minutes later the conversation ended. It was nice to catch up with him since I haven't seen him since I left for NY on Janaury 8th. Showered and dinner preparation. Sweet apple chicken sausage sandwiches with sautéed red peppers, tomatoes, and melted cheese. Sooooo good! Tall glass of milk. Big Bang Theory and much earlier than yesterday.

Ouchies

March 19th: 5am wakeup. Sore only begins how my legs felt. Calves were the most sore followed by the quads. Hamstrings were not sore at all so that let me know I didn't over stride and the downhill wasn't too steep. Bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. No grocery shopping over the weekend so I had no milk or orange juice. Double decker peanut butter and banana (bananas from the race) for lunch. Work surpirsely flew by for a Monday. Alyssa and I signed off on SL1 on our first tool all by ourselves in the morning. High fived in our clean room suits! Home by 3pm. Relaxed. Foam rolled.

Drove to Kinns Road to run on the soft trails. 5+ miles (42:06). Felt better to run, but as soon as I stopped my legs began to throb. Found some nice hills to possibly workout on in the future. It was nice to just run short and slow. Stretched and back to the apartment.

Did some "couple's" shopping at Da Choppa with Goupil. It was pretty cute. Back to make dinner. Chicken and pasta topped with cheese. Showered. Bed kinda late. 10:30pm.

New Bedford Half Marathon Race Report

March 18th: Woke up a few times in the early morning hours. I don't know if I was nervous or just used to waking to early, but I was wide awake at 6am. Easy jog with Treadway and Goupil at 7ish. 1.5 (12:xx) up to starting line and back. Hotel was less than a mile from the starting line as well as packet pickup. Couldn't ask for a better location. Breakfast downstairs in the lobby at 7:45am. Two instant packets of oatmeal with a splash of milk and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Glass of water to wash it all down. Back up to the room to change up and pack up to check out of the hotel. Brought the overnight bag down to the hotel at 8:15am and headed back up to the room to take a quick poop to empty myself out. Packet pickup with the team at 9am. Chilled at the van parked a few blocks down from the starting line until about 9:30ish. Met up with Fyffe dog, Hammet, Big George, and other randoms. Warmup with those guys plus some ARE members at 10:15am. 2+ miles (16:20). Back to the van to get race ready. Switch up the socks, shoes to racing flats, calf sleeves, and the sweet orange racing jersey. Somehow I matched my shoes and shorts with the orange of the new jersey. Jogged to the line with the team and did a modified limbo through the barrier to grab a spot towards the front. Race off at 11am.

Out strong and to the front of the race to tuck in with Fyffe and others. Cruised the first half mile with a pack and then took the lead through the mile in about 8th or 9th place. First 5 miles were tougher than the next 5 miles. Splits from what I remember 5:08, 10:15, 15:35, 20:55, 26:00, 31:00, 36:06, 41:1x, 46:40, 51:43, no split for 11 or 12 miles because they didn't have clocks there. Ran with Dan Hocking from about 4 miles to 12 miles. My 10k was 32:14 (split on the results and in 5th place). Negative splited the race overall. A slow 9th mile because I was kinda tired and some windage along the shore. Killed the last 1.1 miles with the uphill and downhill to put 17 seconds on 5th place in that short distance. Happy with the result. Over a 6 minute PR and broke 68 minutes. 67:56 officially. 4th overall. Another top 10 finish in the New England Grand Prix Series race (10 weeks until the full marathon in Vermont). Cooldown 3 miles (22:50). 20 for the day. 73 miles for the week.

Post race consisted off a Balance bar, Nature Valley bar, two bananas, codfish sandwich, and a grape seltzer. Headed back to Albany at 2pm. Stopped at Applebee's for a huge early dinner. Honey BBQ boneless wings, Oreo milkshake, fiesta lime chicken, and a brownie shooter. Hit the spot and went into a food coma for the rest of the van ride. Back to Josh's house by 7pm. Goupil ran a red light on the way home because he got off an exit early. I told him to just hop back on the highway straight ahead. So he looked both ways and proceeded through the red light. Didn't phase us and we made it home safely. Protein shake. Foam roll. Bed early for a Monday of extreme pain, but pain that is worthy.

Down week and a trip home this upcoming weekend. Maybe a workout and a longer run on Saturday or Sunday.

Travel Day

March 17th: 8:30am wakeup. Felt amazing to sleep in on a Saturday. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Cleaned up the house a bit. Laundromat to wash all my race day attire plus other items. Filled my car up with gas. Picked up some naproxen sodium (Aleve is the popular brand), a banana and a couple Balance bars (cookie dough and caramel nut blast). Home to finish cleaning the room and get ready for an easy run. Goupil ran in the AM before volunteering at the Green Island road race.

Out the door at 12:30pm. Just shy of 7 (46:17). Amazing weather out. Sunny, 60's and a light breeze. Cruised right through the run. 6:30s for most of it. Nice to run on my own. Back to shower, pack up the weekend bag and prepare some lunch. Salad at the apartment. Peanut and banana double decker sandwich for the van ride and Nature Valley bars.

Travel to Albany to meet at Josh's house. 3+ hour ride to New Bedford in a 15 passenger van. Felt like I was driving with my college coach. I was glad to set foot on solid ground at the hotel. Drove the course. Out to dinner with the team. Chicken Parm for dinner. Back to the hotel to chill. Green Lantern on HBO. Bed by 10:30pm. 1/2 marathon in the morning at 11am (Sunday).

Just Like High School

March 16th: 5am wakeup. Breakfast and orange juice. Work 6am-3:00pm. Responsibilities increased due to a suspension (eventually termination) of a full time employee. He will most likely be canned so I will doing tool sign offs. Home to just chill on a Friday afternoon. FaceTimed with my mom for a bit. Changed up for my run before the pasta party in Albany. I was ready to go at 4:25pm, but no sign of Goupil. Ran a mile loop around the complex and then Goupil was home. He joked that he was pissed that I was running without him.

Headed out around 4:35ish. Back before 6pm. 9.5 total (68:xx). Solid run. I had to poop at 5 miles. Jumped a fence into a golf course (no trespassing sign) and relieved myself right on the green. Just kidding. The woods. Showered up and stopped off at Da Choppa for E.L. Fudge Striped cookies and Gatorade. Pasta party for 3+ hours. Watched Duke lose (made me happy). Home by 10pm. Passed out soon after.

Rain Rain Go Away!

March 15th: 5am wakeup. I know, nothing new. Bowl of cereal and orange juice. Double decker peanut butter and banana sandwich for dinner. Good day at work. Smooth day. Home around 3pm to relax. Washed some dishes. Goupil home at 4:30pm. My runningwarehouse package with BOA shorts (hoping to match my new uniform) and smartwool arm warmers was delivered today. Shorts, not even close. More like a gold yellow. Official color: Saffron. Arm warmers are saweet and actually stay on my skinny ass arms. Decided to wait out the rain/thunderstorms instead of trudging through it. We delayed until about 6:30pm. Easy run. Rocked my new shorts. Super split and super short (Najem would be jealous), but had to throw the half tights on over because it was raining/chilly out. Doubled up on hats to keep the body warm. Drenched by the first couple miles. 5.5 (40:25). Back to shower immediately. Stretch, foam roll, and ice after for obvious reasons. 

A chicken salad for dinner. Threw in avocado and tomato for veggies. Thousand islands dressing. All set before the new Big Bang Theory. Friggin March Madness was being covered on all the channels. No new episode. Found something else to watch until I Skyped with Kimber. Bed before 9:30pm.

Classic Pete Thomas Workout

March 14th: 5am wakeup. Bowl of cereal for breakfast with a side of orange juice and vitamin. Work 6am-2:30pm. Double decker peanut butter and banana sandwich that I constructed at work for lunch. Shadowed a tool sign-off with one of my co-workers from about 1:30pm-3:30pm. Out of work later, but it was productive. Home by 4pm. Goupil home at 4:30pm. Planned workout at the Chen High School. We drove to the track. Warmed up 3+ miles (22:20). Switched into the flats. Some strides and drills. Girls lacrosse practice on the infield. Made it motivating to run a bit faster in my purple shorts and calf sleeves (looking bad ass, not). Mile, 2x800, 4x400. 4:53, 2:23, 2:22, 67, 68, 66, 65. 25:01 total for the 4.5 mile workout (half rest on everything). 5:33 pace overall. Kept most of the rest at 7 minute pace or better. 3.5 mile cooldown (23:55). 11 total for the day. Happy with the workout. Under control.

Back to stretch, foam fool, ice, and throw my sweet potato in the oven for dinner. Sweet potato quesidilla with black bean salsa. Yummmm! Washed some dishes and showered. Goupil and I rewarded ourselves with Friendly's sundaes at around 8:30pm. Forbidden fudge brownie sundae. 940 calories in about 10 minutes. Bed early with some icing. Calves a bit sore. Just gotta keep stretching and icing. Maybe some heat.

Important Day

March 13th: 5am wakeup. Bowl of cereal and orange juice. Work 6-2:45pm. Quick day. Met with my supervisor and the head of Colden for a couple hours about a possible full time offer with the company. Productive meeting and conversation. Gonna think about it, but most likely take it for the experience. Home right before 5. Goupil home right after.

Out to run an easy 9.5 miles (68:43). Hit up the dirt bike paths close by. Figure 8s for a few miles before heading back. Back to stretch, foam roll, ice, and FaceTime with my sister Sarah. Tortilla burger with sautéed avocado, tomato and green pepper. Showered right before bed and brushed my teeth while in there. Yeah, I did that. Bed sorta early.

Monday Nitro Time

March 12th: 5am wakeup. I wanted to go back to bed so badly. I woke up at 11:45pm last night and another time this morning. Managed to push myself out of the sheets. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Lame lunch (egg salad sandwich, Ritz crackers, and almonds). Work 6am-2:45pm. Out at a decent time for the beautiful weather. Stopped off at the apartment to pick up my race winnings to deposit and make a grocery list. To the Choppa and TD Bank. Check wasn't accepted because the wrong name was on the check originally and crossed out to put my name on it. I was pissed, but shook it off. Grocery run for the week. Home to stretch and foam roll before heading out in just shorts and a t-shirt. Great run with Derrick and Goupil. 10.5+ (71:06) with a 5:0x last mile. Solid run and it was just amazing weather.

Stretch, foam roll, some pushups and situps, ice and starting making my sausage, pepper, onion, mushroom and mozzarella cheese sub. Big Bang Theory. Bed early.

Pancake Run @ Joe Benny's

March 11th: 6:45am wakeup. More like 5:45am because of daylight savings. Can't sleep in. Oh well. Oatmeal with sugar and maple syrup. Changed up for the long run of 15 miles in Albany. It's called the Pancake Run and it happens a couple times a year. Starts at Joe Benny's house and anywhere from 30 to 80 people show up to run. There's a 7.5 mile loop that people can cut short to make 4 miles, cut short on the 2nd loop to make 12 miles, or double up to make it the full 15 miles. Tons of food (blueberry or plain pancakes, sausage links, pastries, donuts, and other breakfast items) and drinks (Gatorade, chocolate milk, orange juice or water) for afterwards.

Started at 8:30am. Huge crowd of people on the street. Everyone at different speeds. Finally thinned out around 1.5 miles and started to cruise. Just an awesome run overall. 15 miles (1:39:32). First loop 52:14. Second loop 47:18. Started rolling the last 4 miles or so (sub 6 eventually). Beautiful day out. The best thing was to come back to delicious food and people enjoying the exact same thing I enjoy, running. Relaxed and chatted with the group for over an hour.

Back to Clifton Park to just relax after a 77 mile week of pure work. Solid workout, tough win in a race, and an amazing long run with the new team. New Bedford in a week.

Made egg salad for dinner and lunch tomorrow. Watched Jack and Jill. Bed early.

Tipperary Hill Shamrock 4 Mile Race Report

March 10th: 6am wakeup. Obviously before the alarm that was set for 6:15am. Bathroom. Made real (not instant) oatmeal this morning with sugar and maple syrup. Gathered my things for the race in Syracuse. On the road at 7:15am. Easy drive along Route 90 West. Arrived at the race venue at 9:30ish. Picked up our numbers. Necessary port-o-potty stop. Back in the car to stay warm and change up for a warmup. 2.5+ mile warmup (18:28) at 10:15am. Changed up for the race. Half tights, new ARE jersey, gloves and Nike drifit skull cap. It was definitely chilly out. Temperature was mid 20s at the start with some wind gusts. Made it to the line with 10 minutes to spare for strides and stretching. 5 minute delay due to a funeral passing through the race course. Relieved some of the pressure with the 4 Stotan Racing (Syracuse based running club) guys doing strides along side me. Peter Najem (college teammate) ran for this team last year so I knew I had my work cut out for me. Airhorns went off at 11:05am. Got out well. Settled in the first 1/2 mile with the Stotan guys. Downhill overall first mile so we were moving. After about 3/4 of a mile, I decided to just attack the first hill and just not look back. 4:30 first mile. Bam. Just kept running in fear of being caught. 15:03 3 miles (still in the lead, but being hunted). 2 solid climbs in mile 2 and 3. Lips, arms and hands were frozen and numb at this point and had been for a while. Last mile was flat and finished up by passing through the start line and looping into Burnett Park (all pavement). The tall Stotan guy came up next to me with ease at 3.5 miles. I had to make a decision. Should I pack it in and take second? Or should I give him a run for his money and kick hard? My motives came down to 3 things. 1. $200 for 1st and $100 for 2nd. 2. I need to report positive news back to Pete Najem. 3. I am repping ARE for the first time in the new jersey. I latched on right behind Foxenberg and kicked hard with about 30 meters to go. Grabbed 1st by a second. 20:06. Hard effort and it felt great. Talked with the Stotan guys after for a bit. Goupil and I cooled down 2 miles (15:25). Threw some dry clothes on before the awards ceremony. It was a indoor soccer/hockey rink with no heat. We ate some free food, received my check and prize bag (pint glass, calendar, trophy), and bounced quickly. We felt bad, but it was cold and we had a 2+ hour drive back to Clifton Park. Back before 3pm.

Chilled on the couch before heading out at 5pm for a shakeout. 6 miles (43:15). Soreness didn't set in yet so the legs felt fine. Surprising, but didn't complain. Back to stretch, pushups, situps, foam roll and shower. Big 4 egg mushroom, green pepper, onion omelette with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Topped with ketchup and hot sauce. Hit the spot. Relaxed until bed before 9pm. Pancake run on Sunday at Joe Benny's house in Albany.

Good tuneup before New Bedford on March 18th. 15 miles on the day and ready to roll. Need to get my sleep and a short workout in the middle of the week.

Friday

March 9th: 5am wakeup. Honey Bunches of Oats. Work 6am-2:30pm. It's Friday so good moods all around. Mended some bridges with contractors in the subfab. Out at 2:30pm. Home to relax. Mom stopped in around 4:15pm. She's hiking up in the Adirondacks this weekend. Goupil and I finally left for our run after 5pm. Just shy of 9 miles (62:14). Flash flurry at the end of our run. Strange weather especially compared to yesterday. Had to bundle up today.

Back to stretch, foam, ice, make dinner and try to watch South Park on Netflix. Passed out immediately. Bed soon after with a 4 mile race in Syracuse tomorrow. Should be a good tuneup before New Bedford. Big weekend of mileage coming up.

Easy Day

March 8th: 4:45am wakeup. Straight to the bathroom. Got dressed. Honey Bunches of Oats, a banana, and a glass of orange juice. Packed a small lunch. Out the door at 5:35am. Car was riding rough so I knew I needed more power steering fluid. Stopped off at the gas station to pick some up. Filled it up in the parking lot. Texted my supervisor to let him know I might be late. Still made it on time. Yeah buddy! 6-2:30pm. Home to relax. Updated the blog from yesterday.

Ran with Derrick and Goupil at 4:45pm. Derrick was actually at our intersection that we are supposed to meet. He was wearing friggin full tights, short sleeve and long sleeve, and a skull cap. Damn! Easy 8+ miles (58:57). Calf sleeves helped the soreness reside. Shorts and a long sleeve felt amazing to run in on a warm 60+ degree day. A passing shower in the beginning of the run. Clear the rest of the way.

Back to stretch, foam roll, ice, shower up and make dinner before the new episode of Big Bang Theory. Steak and cheese with mushrooms and onions. Two tall glasses of milk. Bed before 9:30pm.

Albany Running Exchange Wednesday Workout

March 7th: 5am wakeup. Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast. On the road the same time I woke up the day before, 5:35am. Much smoother morning. Work 6-2:30pm. Stopped in at the Publik House (that's how its spelled) for a few drinks (water) after work. Conversed with my co-workers for a bit before heading back to Clifton Park. Swung by GNC and found Goupil buying some protein powder. One of the employees attempted selling me the better (and more expensive) protein powder. I let him talk his spiel, but stuck with my original choice. I held my ground because I've been using the same stuff since high school and it works (and it had my favorite flavor that I can't find anywhere else, chocolate caramel). Ain't changing it now in the middle of marathon training. Goupil bought the pricey stuff. Back to the house to change up for the Albany Running Exchange (ARE) workout in Albany at 6pm.

Left at 5:10ish to arrive for a pre-warmup. 3 mile warmup total (20:55). 2 with Goupil, 1 on my own (I had to poop right before the warmup, so it would of been with the team). 3x800 (400 rest), 3x600 (200 rest), 3x400 (200 rest). 2:26, 2:25, 2:22, 1:47, 1:44, 1:44, 70, 68, 65. Total distance 7800 meters (4.85 miles) at 5:40 pace (27:28). Solid workout. Wore the flats. Lots of people on the track going all different speeds so it kept my mind off the workout. Each lap was focused more on how many people I could pass before the interval was over. Some slight bobbing and weaving, but nothing crazy. I didn't even have to say "Track!" or "Lane 1!" once. Great atmosphere overall. Cooldown 3 miles (22:53). 11 miles for day. Protein shake and Josh's (Team captain/sponsor/organizer) house for dinner and racing team meeting.

Spicy Italian subs and cookies (someone even brought a box of Girl Scout cookies). Powerpoint presentation (presented by Josh, former teacher) about the team and upcoming year with races. Fun time and officially joined the ARE team (received a jersey). Race entry fees and travel paid for the team races. Sweeeeeet!

Home at 9:30pm. Signed up for the New Bedford Half Marathon (March 18th). Shower. Bed before 11pm. Ouch, late. Oh well. Just can't make a habit out of it.

Crazy Late Morning

March 6th: 5:00am wakeup. Wait, dismissed the alarms. Counted to 20. Fell back asleep hard and woke up at 5:34am. Ripped myself out of bed and immediately started whipping up my lunch (interesting that is what I gravitated towards first). Single decker PB&J. Yogurt. Granola. Nature Valley bar. Banana. Grabbed a Balance Bar and a banana for the car ride to work. Still not dressed at this point (just boxers). I think I threw on some pants and my long sleeve purple polo, then brushed my teeth. The morning was slightly a blur. All I know I was on the road hauling ass by 5:46am and to work only 5 minutes late. I didn't really speed either. Work was easy. It was a blah day and all I wanted to do was go for run. I realize that any stress I have is so easily relieved by running. I couldn't imagine coming home to work and just do nothing. Prepped my dinner and lunch for tomorrow because I knew it was a late day for the roommate.

Goupil was home at 5:30ish. Out the door at 6pm. Just shy of 9 miles (61:55). Recovery run with the workout in Albany tomorrow evening. Back to stretch, foam roll, ice, and toss my dinner in the oven. Steak with minced garlic on top, onions and mushrooms. Laid it on some pasta and chowed down. Big Bang Theory.

Shower after 9pm. Bed before 10pm.

Quick Day Overall

March 5th: 5am wakeup. Bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds for breakfast. Standard lunch packed. Double decker PB&J. Banilla yogurt with granola. A banana and a Nature Valley bar. Out the door at 5:37am. A couple minutes later than usual. Work 6am-2:45pm. Day passed by fast. Home to relax and eat a s'mores Balance Bar. Goupil pulled into the complex at 4:30ish. No rush to get out the door.

Killing pavement just before 5pm. Made up the route on the fly and it worked out pretty well. Some hills and secluded roads. 10.2 miles (66:33) with a 5:44 last mile. Goupil felt better than yesterday so we rocked it together. Good way to start the week.

Back to stretch, foam roll, and ice. Caught up with my roommate from senior year, Tim Pipp. Showered up and prepared dinner. George Foreman cooked hamburger with a half an onion chopped up in the meat. Cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese melted on a tortilla in the oven. Topped with ketchup and Texas Pete hot sauce. Mmm.

Bed early for another go at the daily grind.

End On A Good Note

March 4th: Officially slept in today. 8:30am wakeup. Rolled out of bed. Immediately drank some Gatorade because I almost felt hungover from the late night fried food and the 2 beers I drank last night. Brandon and Mel left around 9am to head back to Mass. Goupil and I ran an easy 5+ (36:12) a little bit later. Back to stretch, foam roll, and shower. Leftover belgium waffle with jelly, butter and syrup for breakfast. Made a trip to the laundromat (2 huge loads full of running clothes, socks, boxers and other articles of clothing). I was low on the essentials. Right after, I scooted over to Da Choppa. Bought a ton of food because I basically had nothing in the cabinets. filled my tank with gas (20 cents off with the Advantage Card). Back at 3:30pm to just sit down for a bit before heading out for a planned progression 10 miler.

4:45ish out the door. Goupil wasn't feeling it from the start so I ran away with it at 5 miles. Goupil cut the loop to make it 8 miles or so. The run turned out solid. It was the 10.4 mile loop. First 5.25 was 35:36 (6:47/mile). Last 5.15 was 28:34 (5:33/mile). Total time 64:10 (6:10/mile). Felt smooth and relaxed. Back to stretch, foam roll, and ice. Goupil hit up the grocery store and Redbox. I cooked up some chicken quickly and laid it over a salad with cucumbers, tomato, and mozzarella cheese. Thousand island dressing. Diet back on track. The salad hit the spot while we watched The Change Up (grownup version of The Parent Trap). Funny shiznit.

Bed by 10pm.

75 miles for the week. Back up from the down week last week. 4 miler this weekend in Syracuse. Should be a good tune-up for the New Bedford Half in two weeks on March 18th. Chyeahh!

Long Day

March 3rd: 6:30am wakeup. Tried going to back to sleep, but the sausage, egg, red pepper and avocado sub from the night before was telling me otherwise. Up at 7:15am to use the bathroom. Chilled in the room surfing the net until about 9am. That's when Brandon and Mel woke up. Made waffles with bananas for breakfast. Watched television (Goupil and Brandon were playing NHL on XBox).

Run at 12pm. 10.8 mile loop (73:22). Beautiful day out and Brandon rocked the run even with the low mileage he's been doing. Last mile 5:28 for fun and the fact that I haven't worked out all week. I've been itching to run faster. Just a recovery week though with the 10 mile race this past Sunday. Back to the apartment to stretch, protein shake, ice, and shower up.

Drove to Stewart's for lunch (AKA a pint of death by chocolate ice cream). Back to the apartment to eat and relax for a couple hours. Installed the Words With Friends app for Brandon on his iPad. Mel, Brandon and I grabbed some groceries for sweet potato quesdillas for dinner at about 5pm. Didn't think they would anything special, but they were bomb! Brandon cooked em up on the griddle. Gonna need to add the item to the repertoire of lunches and dinners.

Saratoga Springs for a few hours (9pm-12ish). It was alright. Expensive beer ($7, tip included), fried food and way past my bedtime. It was nice though. Caught up with a few co-workers and then home to immediately pass out.

The diet took a day off.

Finally Friday

March 2nd: 5am wakeup. Another refreshing morning. No cereal so I finished off my instant oatmeal. Leftover eggplant, green pepper and tomato casserole with pasta. Out the door at 5:30am. Work 6-2:30pm. Slow day and no surprises. Home to lay down on the couch. Goupil home at 3:30. Planned run in Albany with Tom O'Grady from ARE at 5pm.

We ran through the UAlbany campus for 9 miles (65:40). Ran with a new member of the girls ARE racing team that has run 16 low on the roads. Finished up just after 6pm. Made it 10 with some strides in the parking lot. Back to stretch, foam roll, ice, and shower before Brandon and Melanie come over from the Boston area for the weekend. Woohoo!

Sausage and veggie sub for dinner kinda late. Bed at a decent hour.

Solo Run With Derrick

March 1st: 5am wakeup. Felt refreshed with the 8+ hours of sleep. Finished off my cereal for breakfast (Honey Bunches of Oats). Double decker peanut butter and jelly for lunch. Out the door at 5:33am, but on the road at 5:38am. Car covered with wet friggin snow. Roads were terrible the whole way especially on the highway. High speed of 45mph. Still made it to work by 6:04am. Slow day because a bunch of contractors called out due to the conditions. Out the door at 2:30pm. Home to just sit down until Goupil rolled in the door at 4:15pm.

Met up with Derrick for the normal loop. Goupil had to bail after a mile or so because of his knee. Just Derrick and I. Nonstop conversation the whole way. Good run with clear roads. We split and I made a last minute decision to do a paced mile on the 2 mile Chen High School sidewalk course. Legs felt the race from Sunday, but I pushed through it. 4:58 (73, 77, 74, 74). 10 miles (68:40).

Back to foam roll and ice. Prepped my dinner before showering. Marinated some chicken in Italian dressing, chili powder, and Texas Pete hot sauce. Chopped up red peppers and avocados. Showered. 3 sets of 15 calf raises. Made my sandwich in time for Big Bang Theory. Toasted the sub roll with the cheddar cheese on it to melt it. Threw in the shredded mozzarella cheese with the veggies to melt it. Constructed the sandwich and on the couch to watch the new episode.

Bed early to ready myself for the weekend.