Waking and Baking

June 28th: 6:20am wakeup. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Double decker PB&Nutella sandwich (my mom brought me two things of Nutella, chyeahhhh!) for lunch. Homemade brownie (from my mom as well). Other goodies. Work 7:30am-4pm.

Home by 4:15pm. I already had a plan to not run until later. It was a little warm and I wanted to do some baking. So I put away some dishes before making some banana bread. I had 4 overly ripened bananas and the rest of the necessary ingredients. Grabbed the recipe from simplyrecipes.com. Prepared the mix (added in an extra totally essential ingredient) and tossed it in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees (5pm). Done just before 6pm. Cooled off for 20 minutes and slid right out the pan. Cut off a slice for a prerun snack/fuel with a thin layer of butter. Mmmmm.

Out the door at 6:30pm for a relaxing recovery run. 9++ miles (64:25). Solid run. Back by 7:30pm. Lots of foam rolling. Stretching. Protein shake. Sat on the couch and iced for about an hour. Nothing really for dinner. Leftover Italian donuts from this past weekend. Heated them up in the microwave. Olympic Trials 9-11. Donn Cabral makes it to London in the steeplechase! Bed after watching.

Double Whammy!

June 27th: 5:30am wakeup. 3+ mile (NT) shakeout with Goupil. Back to stretch and eat breakfast. Fruit Blend (Raspberry and Peach) with the local milk. Delicious. Work 7:25am-3:55pm. Easy day at work and things went smoothly. A couple meetings to break up the day.

Home by 4:20ish. Chilled for a bit. Changed up early for the workout to get it out of the way. My runningwarhouse package came into today. I ordered Nike Matumbos for Goupil because I borrowed his for the Umass Lowell 2 mile and one of them was spiked. I also bought a pair of CEP compression socks. Before ordering them, I needed to measure my calf muscle. I used my iPhone USB cable to get the circumference of the largest part of my calf. I lined up the USB cable next to one of my Sanuks (I know my size 10 shoes are roughly 12 inches). It was a couple inches longer so I went with size 3 (12-15 inches). Worked out perfect because I am that awesome.

Tossed those on and headed out for the workout with Goupil at 5:20pm. Arrived with time to spare. Warmup at 5:50pm. 2.5 mile (17:30) + strides. Workout was Goupil's idea. 2x200, 2x400, 1x800, 1x1600, 4x200 (fast). 36, 35, 71, 72, 2:27. Felt smooth through all these intervals. Weather was wayyy better than last week and the compression socks were working wonders. Only 400 rest in 1:47 before the 1600. I cruised through in 2:30, then I wasn't feeling it. Finished in 5:03. The goal was sub 5. Oh well. 4x200, 33, 32, 30, 29. 2.5+ mile (19:12). A mile on the roads and another 1.5 on the grass football field. 10 for the evening and 13 on the day. Great start to the week.

The team decided on Five Guys for post workout food. I haven't been there in a while. Regular (double patty) cheeseburger with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce. Mmm. The best part was the fountain drink machine. Touch screen and anything you wanted. I was overly excited. I went with vanilla Barq's rootbeer as my first drink. Next, I went with raspberry Sprite. Yeah I said it. I wanted to go with lime Coke after but we moved on next door to TCBY. I was full, but never too full for TCBY. I went all out and piled in 8+ dollars (new record) of strawberry and mountain blackberry frozen yogurt topped with raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, mango pellets (tapioca shell with mango juice), sour gummy worms, and milk chocolate chips. Bam! Ate it all up with ease.

Home by 9pm. Stretched. Sat on the couch while Goupil was showering. He headed straight to bed. I got comfortable (not good). Started watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall (great movie) and then Kimber called. I accidently feel asleep while on the phon with here. I woke up and got off the phone. Didn't move a muscle and passed out for an hour. Woke up around 11:40pm and popped into the shower. Bed by 12am. Too late, but I luckily don't work too early.

Long Time No See

June 26th: 6:20am wakeup. Bathroom. Bowl of apple cinnamon Cherrios for breakfast. Watched some ESPN. Some segment on soccer and Hitler that had Goupil and I kinda glued to the television (both of us had finished our breakfast and didn't feel like getting up yet was the real reason). Put together the lunch and off to work for 7:20am-3:50pm. Busy day in a good sense until the last couple hours. Slowed down overall.

Stopped off at Da Choppa after work. Deposited my huge winnings from the Bedford 12k ($25 dollars, didn't even cover the race entry fee). Picked up some things to survive the week. Orange juice, mozzarella cheese, Nature Valley bars, egg noodles, an onion, a green pepper, and the last two items I cannot wait to combine and enjoy. Some local milk from Salem, NY and Honey Bunches of Oats Fruit Blends (raspberry and peach, had a $1 off coupon). Home by 4:30pm.

Run with Derrick at 5:15pm. We hadn't run/see him since the Memorial Day Mile about 4+ weeks ago. Solid run. Ended up with 9+ (64:10) and the rain held up.

Back to stretch, foam roll, and start making dinner. Chicken quesadilla with avocado, green pepper, onion, and mushroom. Seasoned with cayenne and chili powder. Shreddded mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheese. Toppped with pineapple salsa. Made two half ones. One for lunch the following day because that's what I do best.

Big Bang Theory and bed by 10ish. Morning run to shake out the legs for the workout.

Boom Baby!

June 25th: 5:30am wakeup. Out the door for a 3+ mile (23:52) shakeout with Goupil. Back to stretch, shower, and get ready for work. Work 7:30am-4pm. Quick day at work with no problems. Back to the apartment to change up for the run immediately to avoid sitting on the couch and getting comfortable (falling asleep).

Goupil and I headed out just before 5 to hit up a 7 mile loop we had done as a tempo. We thought we would do it backwards. We had only done the loop once before so we ended up doing the first half wrong. Ended up being just short of 9 miles (61:30). 12 on the day. Ca-chang! Both runs we got caught in the rain especially the afternoon run. From about 5.5 to 8, it was pouring. Luckily it was warm out and we only had a mile left after we ran out of the storm.

Back to the apartment to foam roll, stretch, protein shake, and showered up to avoid catching a cold. Made dinner right after because I was starving. A couple of tortilla hamburgers with avocado and portbella mushrooms. Spicy ketchup. One was for dinner and the other for lunch the next day. I love me some "leftovers." Watched some Big Bang Theory. Started watching the Olympic Trials and they did not show the steeplechase. I was pissed. That's all I really wanted to watch. Bed by 11pm.

ADIR Distance Run Race Report + More

June 24th: 4:55am wakeup. Ughh. Out of bed. Immediately started to make breakfast. Boil some water for oatmeal. Mom ripped open the bathroom door to greet me with lots of questions and loudness. My eyes were still half closed. Oatmeal made with maple syrup and milk. Changed up and gathered everything for the race. Left at 5:30am.

Arrived in Lake George at 6:15am. Joe Benny greeted us and told us the best parking spot for my parents to be able to make it to the finish line (10 miles away because it was a point A to point B course). Used the port-o-potty first thing. Back to the car to situate everything. Warmup at 6:50am. 2 miles (15+ with a bathroom break in the woods). Almost attacked by a dog. Back to the car to change into flats (the new Streaks), jersey on, and take a Clif Bar energy shot. To the starting line at 7:20am for strides and scope out the competition. A Fleet Feet guy and some other kid.

7:30am start. A quick neighborhood loop and onto route 9. A slight right onto route 9N at a 1/2 mile to remain on this road for the rest of the race. Hung out with the two guys for the first two miles. 5:19, 10:50. Too slow so I decided to take the lead and not look back. Started dropping 5:05s-5:10s for the next 5 miles. 16:00 at 3 miles, 21:07 at 4 miles, and 26:19 at 5 miles and a 30 second lead (my dad let me know). 7 miles I think was 36:40. Relaxed from mile 7 to 9. 9 miles in 47:25. Finished up strong in a time of 52:39. Even splits and won by over a minute. Happy with the race and the consistent effort. Rolling hills through the entire course and with nice downhill sections. Beautiful course and great weather. The lead bicyclist was keeping me motivated as well (he let me know I had great moral support because my parents stopped and cheered for me at mile 5 and 7). Cooldown with Tom O'Grady 4++ miles (34:58). 16+ miles on the day and 71 miles for the week. 78 miles last week. Solid two weeks after a a down week after the Kansas City Half Marathon. 4th of July Firecracker in Saratoga and Boilmaker on July 8th are the next two races. Feeling strong and fresh.

Soaked my feet for a 5 minutes before the awards ceremony. A foldable chair and a bouquet of flowers (I gave them to Goupil as a welcome home present). Not ideal, but its cool. This was a Adirondack Grand Prix race so it gave me 10 points. Went for a swim in Lake George for 20 minutes or so after to work out some lactic acid.

Headed across the street to breakfast with the parents. A couple pastries. Italian soda. French toast with shredded almonds. All so good. Did some window shopping along the main strip and made it back to Clifton Park by 2:30pm. Chilled out for a bit. Parents headed out around 3ish.

Relaxed hardcore for the rest of the day. A bunch of television watching. movie return had to be completed. I felt bad driving the quarter mile to Hannaford's to drop it off. I decided to walk. It was good for the legs. Ended up grabbing a couple things. Bread pan, Snyder pretzels, and Stonyfield yogurt. Home to relax. Goupil was home by this time (8:15ish) and we caught up on the week. Leftover pizza for dinner. Saved a couple pieces for lunch the next day. Bed at a decent hour to start the week off right with a morning shakeout.

Oh and I cut my finger washing dinners on Saturday morning. It sucked and you realize how much you use your thumb when you have a cut at the end of it. Also, flies swarming the back of your head and hitting the back of the upper arms has to be the most annoying thing on a run. I don't know how cows and other animals do it. I get so frustrated and start to run through tree branches to try to slow them down. It never works.

Arrival of The Parents

June 23rd: 9am wakeup. Felt great to sleep in. Alarm went off at 8am, but I had no problem turning it off. Talked with my mom to see when she would be arriving. 12:30ish so I had some time. Decided to head over to the Kinns Road Park for a secluded trail run in the shade. Ran around and did some serious exploring by getting lost. Worked out well and put me at 6 miles (44:34). Good with the 10 miler on Sunday.

Drove back to my apartment to begin cleaning/organizing/laundry. Started with breakfast. Finished my Wheat Chex (with the addition of maple syrup). Washed some dishes. Cleaned my room. When I showered, I sprayed the tub with Clorox bleach so I could scrub before I got in there. Cleaned the toilet. Wiped down the sink. Threw in a load of laundry (towels and sheets). Put the line of recyclables into two garbage bags. Windexed the bathroom mirror and the sink (my mom would be proud). Organized the living/stretching room. Folded blankets. Removed all the dirty running clothes. Organized the shoe rack. It was a productive cleaning session that was totally necessary.

I realized after some research that online registration was closed and I had to drive to Lake George to register between 5pm-7pm. My parents arrived at 2:30pm. Gave them the tour of the apartment. Ate the last of my eggplant parm. They were proud of my cooking and devoured it. Chilled out until 3:30ish before heading up to Lake George.

Arrived at 4:15pm. Walked around before hitting up registration. No line and no problems. Walked along the water to check out the scenary and enjoy the stellar weather.

Made the final decision to head back to Clifton Park for dinner after not wanting to eat the main drag food of Lake George. Ended up at the Pasta Pane (my original choice, but my mom thought it was a franchise). Turned out for the better. 3 course meal. Fried calamari (first time having it and it was delicious, lightly breaded). Rigatoni and a single serving cheese pizza pie. Mmm. Vanilla gelato and Italian donuts. Combined the flavors. Bomb! Stuffed, but not overstuffed.

Walked off dinner by walking over to Price Chopper to get a redbox. I decided on 50/50. Back to the apartment by 9ish to set up everyone's sleeping quarters and gather my race day attire. Started the movie at 9:30pm. Great movie, but a real tear jerker. I'll admit that I was sniffling a bunch and sporing the full own waterworks at times. A solid cleansing before the 10 mile race (Adirondack Distance Run).

Bed by 12am to wake up at 5am for the 7:30am start. Gonna be a beautiful day.

Olympic Trials

June 22nd: 6am wakeup. Snooze til 6:15am. Out the door for a morning shakeout of 3 miles (22:39). Felt good. Back to shower and get ready for work. Work 7:45am-4:15pm. Things scheduled later in the day. Lots of tool sign-offs that helped move the Friday right along.

Home by 4:30ish. Out for another run at 5pm. 7 miles (49:50). Another good run. Almost got lost, but I didn't because I have a keen sense of direction.

Back to Facetime for a little bit with my Dad. Showered up and headed out to a teammate's house for the Olympics Trials at 7pm. Veggie pizza and Dr. Pepper. Almost drank the 2 liter bottle by myself. I don't drink soda that often. Friendly conversation. Watched the 2 hours of Trials (10k's were baller) and back by 11:30pm. Bed at a decent hour to sleep in on a Saturday and tidy up for my parents arrival for the weekend.

Nappy Time

June 21st: 5:30am wakeup. I was gonna run, but decided not to this morning. 6:30am out of bed. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Work 7:30-4pm. Just another day. Kinda tired when I got home. Sat down on the couch. Talked with Kimber on the phone for a few minutes and then conked out hardcore. 5pm-7pm. Nap was perfect. Just what I needed. Woke up in a blur. I hadn't run yet and I didn't really feel like it. I knew I was gonna, but didn't know when. I mustered up some motivation and ate a freezer pop for some pre-run fuel.

Out the door at 7:50pm. Semi-adventure run on roads I have run once or twice. Ended up with 8.5++ (58:23). Cooled off half way through the run and it was a relaxing run. Cruised right through it. Back by 8:50pm to have a protein shake and no appetite for dinner. So I didn't eat anything. I was gonna eat my eggplant parm, but I decided to save it for lunch the next day. Showered up and got ready for bed.

Bed by 10pm.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

June 20th: 6:00am wakeup. Planned shakeout run at 6:05ish. I was shooting for a 20-25 minute run, but the egg parm was running through me faster than I thought. At about 10 minutes, it started to hit me. I made my way home and as each minute passed, I was seriously debating as whether as I was gonna go in my shorts. No woods anywhere. The last 50 meters I was waddling to the front door of my apartment. Two doors preventing me from relieving myself. Two keys tied within my shoe laces. Deep breathes and made it with no time to spare. 2 miles (15:21) in the new Nike Streaks. Flats didn't feel that great, but I think it was the fact that I wasn't feeling the run and it was early in the morning.

Another bowl of Wheat Chex with maple syrup for breakfast. Eggplant parm for lunch. Yogurt. Nature Valley Bar. Two Nalgene bottles. One with water. One with peach iced tea. Hydrating for the workout later in the day. Work 7:15am-3:45pm. Another day down.

Home by 4:15ish. Chilled out until about 4:45pm. Changed up for the workout. Left around 5:10ish to make it to the workout by 5:30pm. Met at the track. Warmup 2.5 miles (18:34) with Nick Webster. Much needed bathroom break inside the gym. Strides and started the workout. Goal was 2 sets of 1000, 800, 600, 400. 3:06, 400 rest, 2:28, 400 rest, 1:51, 200 rest, 73. 400 rest before the 2nd set. Quick water break. 3:11. Mmmm, not so good. 4000 rest. Treadway passed me through 600 of my 800. 1:52 through 600, then I closed in 40. 2:32. Stick a fork in it, I'm done. Core with Jodie Robertson (Olympic Trial qualifier for the marathon, 2:42). 2.5 mile cooldown (19:00). 11 miles total on the day.

Stopped off at TCBY by myself to grab 15 ounces of amazingness. Mountain blackberry and strawberry frozen yogurt. Raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, these mango pellets filled with juice or something, and chocolate chips. No picture because it was too crowded in the store.

Back to the apartment by 9pm. Relaxed. Showered eventually and vegged out. Bed by 11pm. I need to go to bed earlier. The problem with no roommate telling you to go to bed.

Ketchup Is My Middle Name

June 19th: 6:30am wakeup. Bowl of Wheat Chex with maple syrup (no, not substituted for milk). I liquidated the two milk containers in the refrigerator. Both from last week. One was Goupil's and for some reason it almost completely frozen. It got the job done for my cereal this morning is all that matter. No chunks and didn't taste bad.

Work 7:30am-4pm. A very productive day in tool sign-off because I had the ability to focus on tools for a day. Catch up on any paperwork and sent out the necessary emails to tool owners and HACs (hook-up area coordinator).

Out of work to make the drive back to Clifton Park. I decided that tonight was the night I was gonna make the full effort at eggplant parmesan. I had never made it before so I didn't really know what I needed. The iPhone came to the rescue and I looked up a recipe on Google. Clicked on the first one from simplyrecipes.com. I picked up breadcrumbs (garlic and herb), all purpose flour, shredded parmesean in the bag, milk (since I had finished it off this morning), a second eggplant, and a 28 ounce jar of peeled tomatoes.

Back to my apartment by 5pm to jump right into preparing the dinner dish to have it ready to toss in the oven after my run. I cut up the two eggplants fairly thin (though not paper thin). Washed two frying pans and put olive oil in them. Medium heat. Made a breadcrumb/flour bath and an egg bath. Dumped the peeled tomatoes into a bowl and added salt, pepper, a splash of olive oil, and garlic salt (a decent amount). Taste tested it. Mmmm. Started with the dry bath then the wet bath. Cooked about 8 pieces at a time between the two pans. Laid them out on paper towel. Here begins the layering. The hard work is over. A layer of sauce, eggplants (slightly overlapping), a sprinkle of parmesean and mozzarella (preshredded in the bag), another layer of eggplant, sauce, cheeses, eggplant, etc. I think I did about 4 layers and ended with sauce and cheese. Covered it with tin foil and put it in the fridge. Prep time: approximately 45 minutes. Clean up was a little crazy, but it gave me a chance to catch up on serious dishes.

Changed up for my run and out the door at 6:45pm. I mapped out my run after and was surprised. So surprised, I mapped it out again to make sure. 9.9 miles (60:04). Last mile in sub 6. I had a planned route and altered it a bit through the run. I warmed up 2 miles (13:48). 3 minutes on, 1 minute off. For 6 sets. Jogged off about a mile and brought it in for the last couple miles. I was expecting 9+ miles, but basically got 10 in. Sweet deal.

Back to the apartment at 7:45pm. Preheated the oven. Stretched while it was preheating. Put the dish in the oven once it was preheated. Iced and watched Big Bang Theory for about 30 minutes while it cooked for at 350 degrees. Took it out with the cheese melted and slightly browned. Let it cool on the stovetop for above 10 minutes. Cooked up some spaghetti. Not gonna lie, it was ridiculously good. For not making it before, it came out pretty f****n bomb. The recipe says it serves 8. I limited myself to one of the 8 pieces, but 8 servings is only if you are a b***h. Sorry for the swearing, but I am pumped for my eggplant. Divided the rest into Pyrex and tupperware for leftovers. Freezed three pieces so my parents can try it this weekend.

Talked with my parents and Kimber before bed at 10:30pm. Workout tomorrow in Albany. Hyrdate like crazy with the heat. Morning run for a shakeout. All caught up with everything and feeling good. Hopefully the weather isn't too terrible around 6:30pm tomorrow.

New Hours @ Work

June 18th: 6:15am wakeup? Awww yeah. I didn't shave over the weekend so I popped right into the shower (obviously after I completed the first S). Worked up a appetite while shaving my face. Boiled up some water to make oatmeal. I didn't have any bowls so I used a mug for my oatmeal, with maple syrup of course). I was able to enjoy it slowly in front of the television instead of shoveling it in my face while I make my lunch. I like these later hours already. I even lotioned up the body and put deodorant on. Left for work at 7am.

Work 7:20-3:50pm. Solid day with tool sign-offs and safety walks. Didn't feel long at all because it was still only an 8 hour day. Lunch was a single decker PB&J, Nutrigrain bar, and a Nature Valley bar.

Stopped off at Da Choppa because I didn't over the weekend. Picked up yogurt, cereal (apple cinnamon Cherrios and wheat Chex), mozzarella cheese, and a few bananas.

Back to the apartment by 4:30ish. I wasn't in any rush to run so I sat down on the couch. I did have a bowl of cereal (Go Lean Crisp and Frosted Flakes together) in a glass because I hadn't done dishes yet. No bowls. Living like a true slacker. The eating followed by laying down on the couch might of been a mistake. Told myself 5:30pm was the time I was gonna run. Feel asleep until 6pm. Woke up and dozed off again until 6:30pm. I received a text from Kimber and that woke me up.

Forced myself up and out the door at 6:45pm. Exploration run but only for 9+ miles (62:05). Found the connection of some trails to the side neighborhood roads. Woohoo!

Back to stretch, foam roll, start making dinner. Sautéed onions, portabella mushrooms, green peppers and tomato. Chicken marinated in chicken rub, italian dressing, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, chili powder and hot sauce. Egg noodles. Mozzarellla cheese. Enough for two servings. Leftovers for lunch. Wolfed it down at 8:30pm in front of television.

Talked with Kimber on the phone for a while. Skyped with her. Showered up before heading to bed. Talked with Kimber some more before passing out just after 11pm. Late night, but worth it because I was conversing with my awesome girlfriend :)

Long Run In Latham

June 17th: 7:00am wakeup. Bathroom. Pooped out my Chinese food. Oatmeal for breakfast. No bowls left so I used a mug. Maple syrup and a splash of milk. Changed up and got everything together for the long run. A Clif Bar raspberry energy gel, peach iced tea in a Nalgene and a change of clothes. Left the apartment just before 8am to make the trip down to Latham.

Arrived at his house by 8:12ish. Greeted by Connor at the glass door. Out the door at 8:20am for the 18 mile "loop." It was great to run somewhere different and with somebody other than Goupil (no offense). A couple of urine breaks in the first 7 miles. Relaxed pace just over 7s for the first 12 miles. A bunch of side neighborhood loops or out and backs. Mixed up the run very nicely. Conversation the whole time to pass the time until the last 6 miles when we started the paced miles at 6s. Last 6 miles (roughly, give or take a second or two): 5:59, 6:02, 5:55, 5:57, 5:56, 5:51. 35:42 for the last 6 miles and 1:59:47 total time for the 18 miles. 6:39 pace overall. We ended at The Crossings where Tom's son Connor was running a kid's fun run. AREEP (Albany Running Exchange Event Productions) was timing the 5k. Saw some teammates. Refreshments table was calling my name. Diet Snapple and a sugar free Redbull. Both downed in seconds. The weather stayed cool for most of the run until the last couple miles. The liquids were definitely necessary. A indivdual Twizzler and a piece of Dubble Bubble. Hung out for a bit then back to Tom's house for a glass of water.

Back to my apartment by 12:30ish. Decided on watching a Netflix movie. Ended up watching The Vicious Kind after careful research. Adam Scott (the older brother from Step Brothers) was the main character. It was pretty intense. Another good selection on my part. Finished off my Chinese food at 2:15ish. Cold pork lo mein and crab ragoon. Mmmm. Showered up. Called up my laundromat and asked about the hours. He said late, don't worry. Okay dokey. Sounds like a plan.

Headed to the laundromat at 4:30pm. 4 decent loads and still had a load that I left at the apartment. Listened to Pandora and folded all my laundry. Stopped off at TJ Maxx/Homegoods to check for any good deals. Walked out with spicy ketchup and raspberry granola. Gift card swiped. Ka-pow!

Back to the apartment to relax for a while before making a burger for dinner. Tried out the new ketchup. Definitely added to the burger. Portella mushrooms, carmelized onions, and fresh tomato. Full stomach and began attacking my room for a couple hours before bed. Organized all of my clothes and put everything away. Windexed my floor lamp. A productive day. I almost forgot it was Sunday and thought about what I was gonna do the next day. Nevermind. Work it is, but start time is later. Sweetness!

Couch Potato

June 16th: 9:00am off the couch. I had woken up a couple times before this, but never made it to my room. Goupil had headed out for a morning run while I was sleeping. I ate some breakfast (bowl of cereal) and Goupil was back from his shakeout run. My morning plan was tag sales. I eventually got out the door at 10:30am to hit the neighborhoods. I did do some craigslist research and wrote down the addresses of ones I wanted to definitely visit. I ended up stopping at about 10 tag sales. Purchased a slow cooker and a floor lapp for $4 dollars. Ca-chang! And I grabbed a glass baking plate for free.

Back to the empty apartment by 12:30pm. I had all intentions of cleaning/organizing the apartment and doing all my laundry. I sat down on the couch and didn't want to do anything. I have traveled the last 3 weekends and I just wanted to veg out! So I did. Hardcore. Watched some television movies. I was switching between many of them (I am a constant channel flipper, I don't like commercials all that much) so I don't even remember what I was watching. Made myself a scrumptious tomato and avocado grilled cheese with peach iced tea. Nutrigrain bar and a banana as well for a snack.

Finally mustered up the motivation for a run at 6pm with nothing accomplished on the day. It gave me a mindset of doing something faster for the run, but I didn't know what. I was just running a random route. I found myself at 4.5 miles (28:45) in front of the Shen High School track. I decided on a paced mile. No wait, a paced 2 mile at a controlled effort. Stretched the calves and was on my way. 77, 77, 75, 76, 76, 77, 76, 76. 10:13 (5:06.xx, 5:06.xx). Sweet. Felt good, relaxed and the calves felt the healthiest yet so far. Positive thoughts. Cooldown of 3.5 miles (22:10). Overall just shy of 10 in 61:08. Cool.

Back to foam roll, stretch, ice, shower, protein shake and ate some pork lo mein for a late dinner. Netflix movie, Half Nelson. Good movie. An independent film with Ryan Gosling. Drug addiction as a teacher. Once that was over, I continued to watch television. Watched the end of 8 mile to get pumped for a Sunday long run with Tom O'Grady. 18 miles in Latham. Paced last 6 miles in 6s. Should be fun. Bed by 12am.

Group Run in Troy

June 15th: 5:10am wakeup. Bathroom first thing. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Lunch already made again, which helps so much in the mornings. Work by 5:55am. Forgot my badge so I had to get a temporary one for the day. Work 6am-2:30pm. Good day. Shadowed some tool signoffs with same since I am starting up full time in those responsibilities next week. The only thing we have most of our team off site or vacation. So it's basically Alyssa and I for Colden next week. Should be interesting covering other people's modules for tool signoffs. It will be a quick week I feel like.

Home by 3pm. Planned run with Tom O'Grady and Chuck Terry along the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway at 5:30pm. Relaxed and snacked on a single tortilla before heading out at 5pm. Pat Cullens joined us for the run as well. All local guys and I felt like it was gonna be a solid run with 5 people running together. 8 miles (52:19). Out in 27:40, back in 25:10. Great run. Mostly flat along pavement, but it was fun. Back to stretch and whatnot in the parking lot. Pat was talking about ordering pizza and stuff. I put the idea of Chinese food and Redbox in Goupil's mind. No retaliation.

Back to the apartment to foam roll, shower, and order Chinese. Picked up our food and Redbox. Pork lo mein and crab ragoon. The move Drive. Intense movie. Different, but good overall. Ending up crashing on the couch after Goupil headed to bed.

Adventure Run (To A Certain Degree)

June 14th: 5:15am wakeup. Still not getting up earlier, but my lunch was made already. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Work 6am-2:30pm. Tool sign-offs left and right today. Next week, I officially shift my hours to a 7am-8am (depending on what the day has scheduled with tool signoffs) and 100% tool signoff. No more walking around in the subfab for 5-6 hours a day. This will be super beneficial when I begin my marathon training in the middle of July. Morning runs will be wayyyy easier. I will probably wakeupp roughly at the same time, but no rushing around at all.

Home at 3pm to just sit on the couch. I had intentions of doing dishes and whatnot. It did not happen. Goupil home around 5pm. I ended napping on the couch for a bit. Woke up at 5:50pm and I thought Goupil was getting ready to run. Nope. Planned run at 6:30pm. 10+ miles (73:01). Explored some side neighborhoods along Plank Road. Popped into the Kinns Roads trails for a short loop. I just wanted to hit the one hill in the woods. Goupil wanted nothing to do with it and continued to the main entrance of the trails and waited for me at the picnic table. Met back up and continued back. Relaxing run. Wore my backup shorts because I probably have 5 loads of laundry I have to do this weekend. It's kinda pathetic.

Did the right thing and prepared my dinner before leaving for the run. Chopped up onion, broccoli, avocado, and portabella mushroom (big thing of it was on sale, I usually just buy regular mushrooms). Cut up chicken and seasoned it with chicken rub, chili powder, italian dressing, and hot sauce. Laid out a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese on a plate. Egg noodles first to melt the cheese, veggies then chicken. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Showered before dinner. NBA finals. Bed by 10:30pm.

This is my system. No picture of the final product. Sorry.

Workout, Sure Why Not

June 13th: 5:20am wakeup. Lunch already made and packed from the night before. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Work 6am-2:30pm. Normal day at work. Some tool sign-offs to break up the day. Some frustration, but a positive day overall.

Home to relax for a couple hours. Washed some dishes. Chips and salsa. Prepared my dinner before heading to the workout in Albany so I could just cook it up when I got back. Headed out down to the UAlbany at 5:15pm. Figured out I can decelerate while I am on cruise control. I was pretty pumped because I thought I couldn't. Oh, and I love cruise control. I use it on my commute to and from work. I'm only on the highway for maybe 5 miles, but it's worth it. Put heat packs inside my calf sleeves for the ride over to loosen up the calves.

At the track by 5:45pm. Warmed up longer with Goupil and another teammate, Nick Webster. 2.5 miles (17:44) around campus. Bathroom break. Started up the workout after a couple strides. Goal was 800's between 2:40-2:45. Calves are still pretty sore (I am able to pin point the spots), but getting better. The controlled pace will be beneficial and basically do as many as I can up to 8 reps. I started up on the 2nd interval with the group. 2:39, 2:38. After these two, Josh Merlis was working out by himself at 2:30's. So I paced him through his 4th one in 2:31. Went with it and did the next 4 with him. I couldn't leave him out to dry the rest of the workout. Switched to 200 rest after this one (400 between the first 2 reps). Last 4 (with 200 rest between each were 2:30, 2:30, 2:28, 2:24. Josh finished with 2:22. Calves felt good surprisely. I think I needed the faster running to loosen up the legs. Happy with the workout for not expecting much. Glad I could help Josh out with his workout. 2.5 mile (18:09) for a cooldown. Chilled for a bit and packed up while we stretched. Munched on girl scout cookies that Josh brought for post workout.

Home just after 8. Tossed the burger on the stovetop. Sautéed up my choppped up portabella mushrooms and vidalia onion. Peppercorn ranch dressing and ketchup. Peach iced tea to rehydrate. Bed by 10:30pm.

Flashback To My Marathon

June 12th: 5:20am wakeup. I really need to make an effort to get out of bed at 5am-5:10am. My alarm goes off, but I just don't wanna get out of bed. I will force myself tomorrow to do this. Oatmeal for breakfast with maple syrup. Double decker PB&J (with homemade jelly from my mom) and a Nature Valley bar. Another exciting lunch. Work 6am-2:30pm. Solid day at work. Went by much faster and walked down some tools at the end of the day. Split up the day.

Stopped off at Da Choppa for the biggest grocery shopping spree. 86 bucks. Bam! A whole bunch of veggies, chicken, ground beef, egg noodles, yogurt, milk, Nutri Grain bars, black beans, tortillas, orange juice, eggs, etc.

Home to put away the groceries and watch some television. Goupil home at 4:15ish. It was raining so we waited it out. Goupil got hungry so he decided to eat and run at 7pm. I headed out at 6pm. 10.5+ miles (70:26). Good run. Calves felt better, but still not there yet. The steady rain and warm weather brought me back to my marathon this past fall. My legs were junky the first couple miles, but I smoothed things out throughout the run. Poor choice on my part to wear my glasses and a shirt. I ended up wrapping my glasses into my shirt and tucking the shirt in my waistband. Worked like a charm for a few miles, but I was afraid my shirt would fall and my glasses would smash on the pavement or I wouldn't hear them when they fell. So I threw my glasses back on at around 6 miles. I took a quick loop in the Kinns Road Trails. Blasted up the steep hill. Calves actually felt better after doing this. I finished up the last 4 or so miles on a road I thought I wasn't on. I was supposed to make a right turn onto Bruno Road. Didn't happpen. It didn't change the distance, just the route. It confused me once I realized where I was. All good. Made it back. It might of been the foggy/wet pair of glasses.

Immediately jumped in the shower. Started making dinner in my towel. Lettuce with marinated chicken, fresh avocado, tomato, green pepper, and cucumber. Peppercorn ranch dressing. Delicious. Made enough chicken to make a salad for lunch the next day. Big Bang Theory and bed by 10pm.

Blah Monday

June 11th: 5:20am wakeup. Extremely difficult to get out of bed, but I did. Go Lean Crisp with questionable milk for breakfast. Protein shake to try to bump the protein up to help with the recovery of the calves. Double decker PB&J and a Nature Valley bar for lunch. Work 6am-2:30pm. Day dragged on most of the day, but I got through it. Home to just sit around. I didn't feel like grocery shopping or really anything. I did stop off at Target to pick up a planner for a new running log and a yoga mat for stretching/rainy days. Purchased fruit snacks while I was waiting in line. I just sat on the couch and watched television. Goupil wasn't in any rush to run so we left around 6pm for our run.

11+ miles (73:14). Goupil turned around at 4 because it wasn't feeling it. I stopped at 4.5 miles and 7.5 miles to stretch the calves. Still sore. Slowly getting better, but still not totally healthy. Ripped the shirt off half way through because it was a bit humid out. Surprised to still roll out 6:30's for the run.

Back to stretch and foam roll like crazy. Iced the calves. Protein shake. Showered. Quesadilla with mushrooms and green peppers. Pineapple salsa. I didn't have anything else to eat. Bed by 10:30pm.

A Weekend Away With The Girlfiend

June 8th: Normal routine for a Friday. Work 6am-2:30pm. Nothing special. Back to the apartment to clean up and pack up for the weekend with Kimber. Redeeming my marathon winnings from the Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon back in October 2011. One night stay in the jacuzzi suite at the Royal Crest Motor Inn in Hampton Beach, NH. Headed out of Clifton Park around 4:30ish to make my way to Jaffrey, NH. Cruised on over the mountains through Vermont. Made myself a 3 scoop protein shake (I usually do 2 scoops) for the ride. Arrived at Kimber's around 7:15pm, hungry. Kimber surprised me with stir fry for dinner. Mmm. Sugar snap peas, shredded carrots, onions, mushrooms, red and green peppers and beef marinated in tereyaki sauce. All over brown rice. Hit the spot and saved some for the end of the weekend when I don't feel like preparing anything. Cleaned up half the dishes and relaxed on the couch. Bed somewhat early with a travel day up to Hampton Beach, NH.

June 9th: 8am wakeup. Rolled around in bed. Up eventually to get ready for a run. Kimber ate breakfast. I ate the other half of her banana for a snack and some chocolate chips for a sugar boost. Mapped out a loop I've been wanting to do by Kimber's apartmment. Turned out to be 7.5 miles and I had plans to add on another 2 or so after. All set to go at 9:45am.

Out the door running. Calves didn't feel terrible, but still sore in the soleus. Very scenic run around Gilmore Pond. Making my way through my planned route and onto Route 202 for a short period to quickly pop onto the rail trail back towards Kimber's apartment. No dice. Couldn't find the road/trail that connected. The map said a straight shot. I continued down 202 to try to discover it and was having no luck. I eventually turned back towards the road I turned off of to reach 202, but I decided to explore this trail that I thought might lead me to a solution. It ended up being a decent trail, but not the one I wanted. It started to get soggier as I got closer to the water. I had to turn back, but the trail system was leading my nowhere fast. I began to panic a small amount at this point. I told Kimber I would be back at 11ish and it was about 10:45am. I somehow found 202 again and trudged my way back towards Jaffrey (I was on the townline of Rindge and Jaffrey. It was 11:02am at this point so I stopped off at the Monadnock Boat House to make a phone call to Kimber stating to pick my up along 202. I knew her cell phone number, but both times it did not work. Well it connected, but to a voicemail of a Carey. Hmm. So I continued back on 202 and explored to try to find the trail to the rail trail. To my luck, I found it pretty easily. My only debate was that I told Kimber I would be back by 11am. It was 11:20am now. Is she looking for me? Should I stay? Should I run back and find that she is driving around the route I ran? Maybe she doesn't have her cellphone and I can't call her to tell her I am alive and back at her apartment. I decided on sprinting back. About 5:20 pace (1/4 mile marks on rail trail) for the last mile or so of the run. I checked the back of the apartment and found Kimber's car still parked there. Trotted up the stairs with the apartment door wide open. Kimber was just finishing up getting dressed. She didn't have much concern that I wasn't back by 11am. It was 11:30am and she hadn't been paying attention to the time. Awesome (kidding). Oh well, I made it back safely. 12 miles (84+).

Sticked the legs. Showered up. Kimber drove the first half of the car ride to Manchester for a lunch break at 2pm. Chiptotle chicken sandwich with a Greek salad (without the olives). 1/2 and 1/2 deal. I finished up the drive to Hampton Beach. We checked in and headed down to the beach for some sun. Walked along the shore and snapped some pictures of seagulls. Back to our jacuzzi suite to change up for dinner in Portsmouth. I thought the Smuttynose Brewing Company was a restaurant as well. It wasn't. So no dice on using the 50 dollar gift certificate. We headed to Portsmouth anyways and searched around for a restaurant for dinner. Took us a while to find a parking spot, but we eventually found one. We settled on the Gas Light Company (downstairs section) for pizza. We each ordered a small pizza since we have different ideas of a good pizza. I went with mushrooms, carmelized onions and ricotta. A Long Trail Brown Ale. A couple next to us just got married and were from Jaffrey. Crazy. Walked around Portsmouth to digest and grabbed ice cream at a corner place. 2 scoops of Cake Batter on a sugar cone. Mmm. A bunch of bachelorette parties roaming around the streets. Annoying people as we were walking back to the car. Back to the apartment to relax and head to bed at a decent hour.

June 10th: 8am wakeup. Laid in the queen size bed for a while. Lindt chocolate balls (complimentary with the room) for a breakfast appetizer. Packed up the room, checked out and headed over to Hampton for breakfast. Tried finding the Hampton Eatery, but it was no where to be seen. Turned around and drove down the road to try to find something else. A bistro place advertising brunch was the best we found. Parked, kinda hestitated on the place (thought it would be too fancy) and looked to our left. Surprise, surprise. Same parking lot, we found The Kitchen at Depot Square. Small little quant place, but packed. That's always a positive. Seated ourselves in a booth. French Toast Special. 2 pieces of French toast, 2 eggs overeasy, 2 sausage links, and homefries. Plus 2 pancakes. Devoured it all. Ate the last quarter of Kimber's spinach, tomato, and ham omelette with American cheese. Mmmm. Stopped off at Rite Aid to pick up a frisbee, sun block and water.

We forgot our pizza in the fridge so we stopped off at the Royal Crest. Picked up the key at the office and swung by the room. The cleaning people were already in there. Checked the fridge and nothing inside. Snooped outside the room and there in the recycling bin, two boxes of leftover pizza. My box was sorta flimsy and semi-opened up in the bin. The pizza wasn't falling out completely. So I just grabbed both boxes and we were on our way to the beach. Just didn't think about it. Parked and throw our stuff in a tote bag. Beach for a couple hours. Laid out for most of it (obviously appplied sunblock) and in the water for maybe 30 minutes of it. Super cold. Played frisbee. Dried off in the sun (since we didn't have towels). Back to the car to grab our pizza and eat it on the bench looking out over the ocean. So romantic. Ate my recycling bin pizza and loved every bite of it. Ate one of Kimber's slices.

Headed out around 3pm to make it back to Jaffrey by 5pm. Slept most of the way. Helped Kimber clean up her apartment and relax on the couch for a bit. Leftover stir-fry from Friday night. Out the door to head back to NY by 7:30pm. Stopped at the Big Deal for gas and "dinner." A redbull and a Milkway. Kept me awake the whole time. At one point, I thought it was snowing because of the amount of bugs that were getting smeared on the windshield. Back in Clifton Park by 10ish. Bed by 11pm. A wonderful weekend with a wonderful girl :)

All Alone

June 7th: 5:15am wakeup. Bowl of cereal and a half of a bagel for breakfast. Work 6am-2:30pm. Work dragged on a bit. Feet were hurting in the morning hours. Out of there to head straight home. Goupil headed home for the weekend so I was all by myself. Hung out and watched television for a while. Applied heat to the calves for a while, then sticked them hardcore.

Easy run at 5:40pm. 7 miles (50+). Stuck to a plan today to run easy and shorter than yesterday. Ran on roads and some trails at the Shen High School campus. Broke in my new (ordered them maybe a month ago) Mizuno Wave Elixir 6s. Felt good and the calves are slowly getting better. Stopped at 4 miles at a free lemonade stand on a side neighborhood. Helped me understand I am running for the enjoyment of the sport. No workouts until next week.

Back to the apartment to foam roll and stick my legs. Gave myself a haircut. Naked. Because I could. Trimmed up my facial hair. Showered. Protein shake. Made dinner. Leftover steak whipped up into a steak, mushroom, onion and cheddar cheese sandwich with peppercorn ranch dressing. Uhhh! Pounded it. Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls. Bed early to rest up for a wonderfuul weekend in NH (specifically Jaffrey and Portsmouth with Kimber).

Whoops.

June 6th: 5:15am wakeup. Having trouble waking up at 5am. Hours will most likely be switching a later start like 7am or even 8am (depending on the day). Fine by me. Bowl of cereal for breakfast. Work 6am-2:30pm. Burrito for lunch. Yogurt. Nature Valley Bar. Cape Cod potato chips (cracked pepper and sea salt). Normal day at work. A couple meetings before lunch to break up the day.

Home at 3pm. My original plan was to go for a run immediately when I arrived home. I decided to wait it out a little. I was tired and drove through a passing shower on the highway. Goupil was home just after 4pm. He was heading down to Albany for the workout. I was not working out and wanted to just run from the apartment. So I sat on the couch until I wanted to run. Obviously, I passed out around 5. Woke up from my slumber at one point and Goupil was gone. Fell back to sleep until about 6:30pm. I wanted to run for an hour and go on a mini exploration run at the same time.

Out the door at 6:50pm. Ran on familiar roads for the first 3 or 4 miles. I thought there might be a connecting road that was perpendicular to the current road I was running. There really wasn't (or at least I didn't recognize any of them). I ended up following the road to the end and popped on to route 236 (looking back, I should of turned left onto route 9 north). I had never run on route 236 and never really seen it in the close vicinity of the apartment. Uh-oh. I continued and came up to another main road, route 146. I basically went the completely wrong direction at this point. Brought myself even farther away from Clifton Park, but whatever. I didn't know at the time. I was getting slightly worried because I was at about 55 minutes at this intersection with no clue where I was. I arrived at a sign that stated the direction of the next adjacent towns and the distances. Mechanicville 3 miles. Hmm. I know Mechanicville is the town next to Clifton Park. I'm at about 60 minutes now. I should of been close to my apartment based on my original plan. I ended up stopping at a 4 way intersection with no f***in clue where I was. I had been running past open grass fields and barns (not that promising). I was at 66 minutes. There was an SUV parked on the side of the road. The guy looked like he was talking on the phone through bluetooth or something. I trotted over and asked, "This might be a terrible question, but what's the fastest way back to Clifton Park?" He responded with more promising directions than I thought. I was expecting something more like this, "Clifton Park?! You aren't even close!" or "Clifton Park? Where's that?" or "There's really no straight shot back." Farmer to Market. Meets up with Route 9. Take a left and you will be in the heart of Clifton Park. Pow! I didn't ask how many miles and just got running since it was 8pm now. I felt like Route 9 was never gonna appear and the guy was just messing with me. I saw about 3 signs indicating an intersection, but never a 4 way intersection. Always a side road or something. I thought I was coming up to a blinking red light, but it was a blinking light on a telephone pole. I might of been bonking (slightly) at this point. Route 9 finally crossed my path and I knew exactly where I was. Shot back the quickest route. Almost 16 miles. 1:48:25. Here is the route: You Can See Where I Could Cut It Shorter. Solid run. Calves still sore, but it's all good.

Into the apartment to immediately throw my steak with sweet & smokey rub and garlic salt on the stove top. Cut up some mushrooms and onions. Foam rolled and sticked my legs. Small dinner because I wasn't really hungry after the unexpected long run. Steak, mushrooms, onions, and mozzarella cheese. Delicious. Shower and bed by 10:30pm.

One Step Ahead

June 5th: 5:15am wakeup. Rushed around for another day in a row. Still managed to make a lunch with all the essentials. Bumped it up a notch and created a triple (yeah, triple) decker PB&J. That's 4 slices of bread. Work 6-2:30pm. 11am meeting to break up the day.

Home to the apartment by 3pm. Hung out for a while. Washed some dishes. Goupil home to play videogames. I became proactive and made my dinner before the run. Finally out for a run just before 6pm. 11+ miles (76:16) with 3 miles of it on the Kinns Road Trails. Relaxing run and we started to cruise the last few miles. Last mile in 6:30. Calves still sore for sure.

Back to foam roll, stick the calves and eat my dinner. I made a tupperware full of burrito mix. Brown rice, black beans, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomato. A couple of spoonfuls in a tortilla with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Sliced fresh avocado. Pineapple salsa. Mmm. Leftover mix for the week for lunches. The idea of making a batch of burrito mix is not mine. Goupil started it. He has his own twist to the burrito mix. I still need to perfect mine.

Bed at a decent hour.

The Case Of The Mondays

June 4th: 5:20am wakeup. Rushed around to get ready for work. Double decker PB&J and a Nature Valley Bar for lunch. Airplane/Postrace snacks for break. Work 6am-2:30pm. Just a long day after all of the traveling from the weekend. Day dragged on at times and it was hectic for some of the day. Things were sorted out, I guess.

Stopped off at Da Choppa for some serious grocery shopping. Even with the weekend away this upcoming weekend to Portsmouth (NH) with Kimber, I still managed to spend 65 bucks. Some items I stocked up on because they were on sale or non-perishable. Kashi Go Lean Crisp was on sale so I bought 3 boxes. I grabbed two things of salsa (peach and pineapple) because I tend to run out of it at the worst times. Lots of veggies because I feel like I haven't been eating super healthy the last couple weeks. A nice juicy steak from the butcher. Picked up toothpaste and shaving cream because that shiznit was taken from me at the airport.

Back to the apartment to put away the groceries and relax in front of the television. Goupil called to let me know we were running with Derrick at 4:30pm. He never showed. Did the normal loop in reverse and added on through the Evergreen neighborhoods. 9.5 miles (67:52). Stopped at one point to stretch my calves because my soleuses were on fire.

Back to stretch, ice quickly and head out to Albany for Tom O'Grady's birthday at 7pm. Wolf 1-11 on 111 Wolf Road (original name, right?). Chili burger with sweet potato fries and a Woodchuck Cider. Hung out from 7pm-9pm. Tom has a son, Connor, that is friggin awesome. Played with him at the end by chasing him around, picking him up, and flipping him around. He's a ball of energy. Tom's buddy had plans of hitting other bars so we joined him for the 1st one with the rest of the guys. Grabbed a beer. Hung out for a while. Home by 11ish. Bed by 11:30pm. Long day, but fun all around. Worth staying out past the normal bedtime.

Ouchies

June 3rd: 6am wakeup. Dying of thirst. Pounded some water. Pounded some Gatorade. Back to bed until 8:20am. Up to use the bathroom. Organized and packed up the bag. Down in teh lobby by 9:20am. Airport by 10am for our 10:55am flight. Made it through security with no speed bumps or anything. Checked in a bag (realized that I could check one for free). Anthony (teammate) and I got breakfast at Quizno's. Ham, egg, and cheese. It was alright and soaked up some of the hangover.

Boarded before 11am. Short flight to Chicago. Windy city did a nummber on Anthony and he ended up tossing the Quizno's into a barf bag. Didn't even notice. I was looking out the window. Landed and we had a 1.5 hour layover. Lunch at one of the airport restaurants. Steak sandwich with carmelized onions. Another okay meal. Boarded the plan before 1:30pm. Landed in Albany by 4:30pm. Napped a few times on the flight. A couple ginger ales to settle the stomach. Peach rings, airplane peanuts, and a wad of Big League Chew at the end of the flight as we made our descent. Dropped off at Josh's house by Anthony's girlfriend.

Back to the apartment in Clifton Park by 5:30pm. Shakeout 4++ miles at 7pm. Wow, my calves were sore. Not a bad thing especially since I'm not racing until the end of June. Quesadilla for dinner. Iced my calves. Showered. Bed at a decent hour. Out like a light.

Hospital Hill Half Marathon Race Report + More

June 2nd: I woke up at 4:25am and laid in bed before the actual 4:45am wakeup to the alarm. Rolled around in bed for a bit. Threw on some shorts and into the bathroom. Emptied myself out completely. It was all the pasta and bread I ate the night before. Woo-wee!

Changed into my running attire while my water heated up in the coffee maker for my one packet of instant oatmeal. Once it was done, the water was a bit tinted due to some leftover coffee residue. I decided to run water through the machine again. The warning said to wait 2 minutes before making another "cup of coffee" (water in my case) and I obviously did not wait that long. I poured my water into the back of the coffee maker to have it all steam up and explode against the wall. The second time through worked like a charm and the water was much clearer. I poured the water into the paper coffee cup with oatmeal. I realized I didn't have a spoon. I resorted to the small tongs for the ice box to stir my oatmeal. Drank the oatmeal while I watched television and sipped on Gatorade.

Met the guys down in Josh's room at 5:45am. Left my racers and jersey in my hotel room because the hotel was only about 300 meters from the start line (awesome). We warmed up 2+ miles (15:05) at 6:10ish. Chilly for the warmup. Only mid 50's for the warmup. Jumped back to the hotel room to use the bathroom one last time and change into my racers/singlet. Long sleeve and half tights to stay warm at the starting line.

Starting line at 6:45am. Strides and checking out the competition. A group of Kenyans on one side of the starting line. Ran off to a bush (away from the cops) to take a leak. 7am start. Strange start with a countdown from 10 and a cannon about 2 seconds late. Whatever.

Off like normal, but settled in and let others join me within the first 100 meters. A bunch of Kenyans formed a pack in the first mile. I was right at the tail end of them in 5:15. 2 mile was overall uphill and the lead pack (basically 8-10 Kenyans) took off immediately all at once. 2 mile 10:40. Miles 3-6 had some uphills and downhills. Ran relaxed, but my hamstrings were still feeling Wachusett and the calves were feeling the Memorial Mile. I rocked the calf sleeves, but I could definitely feel the tightness setting in early. 10k: 33:28. Felt good, but was definitely hurting. Teammate Kevin Treadway pulled up next to me at 6.5 miles or so. Started cruising together through 15k (49:48). Downhill sections with a short uphill through the neighborhood, but we were rolling. 16:20 from 10k to 15k. Treadway and I were running with this guy Julius Kosgei from Arkansas. Treadway was leading from mile 9 to 10. Kosgei was drafting off of him and I was maybe 2 or 3 meters back of Kosgei. We pass through a water stop. Water first, then Gatorade. Probably 10 cups in a row. I don't need any of them, but Kosgei decides to knock the last Gatorade out of the volunteers hand to make sure I didn't get it (Uh-oh, fire in the eyes). Wow! You have to be kidding me. This got me riled up and more surprised than anything. We hit 10 miles in 53:19. The last serious climb was coming up. The total climb was about 1.25 miles. 11 mile: 59:09. 5:50. It was a solid hill and a terrible place for it. It flattened out for 5-10 meters or so before continuing to rise another 200 meters. I was falling off a bit of Treadway and Kosgei. I had to make a decision on whether to let the pain hurt for more or less time. I decided on less time. Towards the end of the climb, I took over for the pack and started hammering the other side of the hill. I knew we had about 2 miles left, if not less. I had to make my move now. I opened up the stride and took advantage of the overall downhill section before the last short steep climb at mile 12. I didn't look back and just kept charging forward. As Treadway put it after the race, I murdered the final climb before the downhill 3/4 mile or so. I had no idea who was behind me and how close they were. I hit mile 13 in 69:20. I knew I had sub-70 and crossed the line in 69:51. Pow! Kosgei was no where in sight and finished 20 seconds behind me with another guy. Treadway finished up right behind with a new PR of 70:21. Josh finished in just over 75, out sprinting the lead women by 10 seconds. Here are the results: Half Marathon and Team Results. Click on "more columns" to see 5k and 10k splits.

Made it through the refreshment tables and into the mob of runners (finishers of the 5k and 10k that went off about the same time). Treadway and I received our sandals for finishing. Found the rest of the guys and headed up the hotel to drop off our stuff before heading out for an extructiating slow cooldown. 2 miles (No time). Calves were trashed. Back for the awards ceremony. Ended up in 3rd in the team competition. $500 bucks. Not bad. BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich and coleslaw while watching the awards. Picked up a bag of ice from the finish line for a much needed ice bath in the hotel room. Bathed for 20 minutes. Munched on food and drank Gatorade. Hot shower for 15-20 minutes.

Out to eat at around 12:30ish to Gates for a BBQ Beef sandwich on a bun with a side of fries. Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. Delicious. They had an actual wood fueled smoker for the meats. It had a fast food cafeteria feel to it all, but the food was bomb!

Headed to the Kansas City Royals game for a couple innings. $13 dollar tickets. Can't beat it. Checked out the recently renovated stadium. Talked with a local couple about where we should go to see the nightlife in Kansas City. Recommended a couple of spots. Ducked out of the game early (we never even found our seats) to relax and nap back at the hotel. Picked up snacks on the way back at the gas station. Peach rings, grape flavor Big League Chew and an Arizona Iced Tea (mango style).

Napped for a couple hours before waking up around 6:30pm. Dinner at The Foundry. Turkey, applewood bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich. Fries on the side. A couple Woodchuck Ciders to ease the muscles and mind. All of it was so good. Chatted for a while and people watched in the restaurant. Stopped at an ice cream place to grab dessert. Chocolate Almond on a sugar cone. Hit up a bar for a Rum and Coke. Chilled for a bit before venturing over to the Power and Light District to explore the scene and get to know the real Kansas City, Missouri. Josh wasn't drinking so he was our designated driver (for those worrying at this point). We just so happened to crash into the Pride Festival at this outdoor/indoor bar area. We strolled in after some convincing by the cops and chilled there for a while. Eye opener and that's where I will leave it. For those who want more details, they won't be publicized here or anywhere. Just word of mouth.

Back to the hotel to sleep for a not so early 11am flight back to Albany.

Travel to Kansas City, Missouri

June 1st: 5:50am wakeup. Felt good to sleep in a bit and not have to worry about going to work. Bathroom first thing. Two everything bagels with cream cheese for breakfast. Packed the bag. Goupil up at 6:35ish. Continued to pack and write 3 checks for rent, the Kansas City trip and cable/electric. Ate a freezer pop. Out the door at 7:15am. Dropped off the checks at the office. Down to Albany to met at Josh's house to carpool to the airport. Marcus was our chauffeur for the morning.

At the airport just before 8am. 9:10am flight. This was my first flight without parental supervision. I had a carryon and a duffle bag. I thought we would be getting one bag to check in free of charge. Nope. So just brought the two bags onto the plane. First I must make it through security. I knew there were a few items I was going to lose without question. Bags through and of course they wanted to search my bag once it made it through. Things that were taken out to be rescanned: vaseline, shaving cream, toothpaste, deodorant, and the two massage sticks I had. The two security women kinda were stumped and what exactly they were. I let them know they were for massaging/stretching because I am runner heading down to Missouri for a race. The deodorant was given back to me and the sticks. No dice on the toothpaste, vaseline or the shaving cream (aerosol can). Oh well. I am gonna have bad breath, chaffing and a scruffy face.

Puddle jumper to Baltimore, Maryland. Hour flight runway to runway. Layover. In the airport at 10:30ish. Waited until 11:10 to grab lunch. Subway. Italian BMT. Boarded our second flight at 11:50am to Kansas City, Missouri. Napped the first 30 minutes or so. Ginger ale and iPhone games. Another nap in there. Landed before 2pm. Picked up by Joe Benny in a rent-a-car.

Hotel at 2:45pm. Shakeout 4 miles (29:20) with the team at 3:10pm. Elite team meeting with the other teams from 4-5:30. This included both the meeting and a 15 passenger van course tour. Helped a ton to preview the course beforehand. Some definite climbs throughout the entire course, but nice downhills to follow most of them. Once we finished, we popped in to pick up our bib numbers at the expo. Changed up and hit up Milano for our free pasta dinner buffet. Delicious whole wheat penne and some sautéed veggies on the side. Two helpings. Bread and lots of water. Met the race director that set us up for the whole weekend. Chatted a bit and back to the hotel by 7ish.

Back to just relax and get ready for the early morning start of the 7am half marathon race. Planned 4:45am wakeup. Forrest Gump, shower, and sticked the legs. Bed by 9:30pm.