Burnt Hills Track Workout

April 25th (Thursday): 6:30am wakeup. Toasted everything bagel with some honey. Work 7:30-3:15pm. Random food for lunch. Bagel (toasted at work, added butter and apple jelly courtesy of work), orange, the rest of the container of yogurt, the remainder of the Nilla Wafers, and a Clif Bar.

Home by 3:30pm to wait for Time Warner Cable to stop by for the setup of cable and internet. The guy stopped in at 3:45ish and set everything up. He handed me a piece of paper with my account number and customer service number. He told me to give them my account number in order to receive my router ID and password. After numerous times being put on hold, resets/refreshes of the router and whatnot, the internet was a success. Only was on the phone for a short amount of time. Not!

 

Way too long.

 

Changed up for a workout and grabbed a couple handfuls of Honey Bunches of Oats. Drove over to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School for a track workout. Started the workout around 6:15pm. The workout was mile, 2x800, 4x400. Half rest. 2 mile (14:37) warmup around campus. I smelt Chinese food before I started and just ignored it. Some strides. One lap at 74 to target pace and 3 minutes rest to gear up for the real workout. 4:59, 2:26, 2:22, 67, 67, 67, 65. Boom! Smooth and total time of 25:18 (5:37 pace overall). 2+ mile (15:32) cooldown on the roads around the school. Within a 1/4 mile of the school, a Chinese takeout place. Track located directly behind it. A terrible combo. A solid 9 miles on the day (pleased with the workout and with tired legs from Wednesday's 16 mile day).

Stopped off at the gas station and Hannafords for a few things. Bananas (for protein shakes) and cold cuts (ham and muenster cheese). Spiced ham and muenster cheese on a toasted everything bagel. Ranch dressing and chili powder to top it off. I obviously crafted the sandwich in the toaster oven and placed the ham and cheese carefully while the bagel was toasted to ensure heated up ham and schmelted cheese.

Shower eventually and bed by 11pm.

 

 

 Yum.

Front-Loading and Monday Traditions

April 22nd (Monday): 6:15am wakeup. 2.5 miles (18:08) with Goup. Ran a loop and it was short. No complaints. Good shakeout with a decent hill in the middle. Work 7:30am-4pm. Normal day at work. Leftover Kashi pizza and wings from the weekend for lunch.

Stopped off at the house to change into running stuff and meet up with Shaun at the SIMBA trails off Daniels Road in Saratoga . About 10 minutes into the car ride, I realized I forgot my trainers. We were already running a little late so we stopped off at Dick’s Sporting Goods to grab a fresh pair. Lunar Fly 3’s. The normal trainers I wear.

Just shy of 9 miles (61:18) at 5:30pm. Shaun led the group and I worked on my footing/rhythm in the trails. Some technical terrain throughout the trails (Great practice for the mountain series). Back to the dirt parking lot to stretch and chill. We were supposed to grab all you can eat pizza ($5) at the local place, but Shaun’s girlfriend started her new job so he headed home to make dinner for her. We are trying to make the Monday trail run a tradition AND the pizza. We will see.

Home to make something for dinner and head to bed at a decent hour.

 

April 23rd (Tuesday): No morning run. Protein shake for breakfast. Work 7am-3:30pm. Spring mix salad with cucumbers, shredded baby carrots, lemon juice, and ranch dressing. Simple ingredients, delicious combo. Car overheated on the way to work. Car worked fine on the way home. Back to the house to switch cars and swing by the old apartment to grab a few more things and my training plan.

Back to the house by 5pm. Out for a workout by 5:20pm. The workout was 3xmile. 6x200. Goup said I was going to the track, but I suggested to do it on a hill. I found the perfect one. Starts on a dead end by the Zim Smith trail and is somewhat secluded from traffic. Ranges from steep to gradual incline. Solid hill. I ended up mapping the mile and it was roughly 7 seconds long. With the added 7 seconds, it went 5:31, 5:26: 5:25. Rest was the mile downhill back to the start. Ended with 30-31 second hill sprints (the 1^st section and the steepest part of the hill). Overall, the workout was similar to a Drummer Hill session. The hill just wasn’t as intense. 3 mile warmup (20 + strides). 3.5 mile cooldown (25:54). 14 miles on the day. Felt strong.

Stretching, foam rolling, icing and a protein shake to aid in the recovery process. Continuing my goal of touching my toes. Threw in a load of laundry downstairs in the basement and relaxed by watching some Family Guy. Bed soon after.

April 24th (Wednesday): 6am wakeup. 3 miles (22:01) on my own in the frigid morning air. Gloves and a hat were required. Protein shake for breakfast. Been adding some Stony Field French vanilla yogurt in the protein shake and it's making them that much more awesome.

Work 7am-3:30pm. I was able to teach contractor safety orientation because 36 people showed up for the class (normal Wednesday class). A couple of my contractor buddies were in there so it actually made it easier. The rest of the day was a scheduled and easy flowing day.

Back to the house to chill and have a nice conversation with my Uncle David. He’s painting a commercial shopping center place and needs to use scaffolding and ladders. I was able to provide him with safety advice and guidance on a couple different things. Caught up on life and off on my way to a run. I mapped out a 7 mile loop (or so I thought) around Ballston Lake. There is no 7 mile loop possibly. I ended up with 13 (85:56). Found some cool roads and trails on my out and back. A guy helped me out and let me check out a map on his tablet he was using. Saw Goup around 10 miles and gave me a funny look. Solid run. At least it was nice weather out (high 60's) and I was fueled up well before the run. No complaints.

Back to the house to stretch, foam roll and make a protein shake. Toasted a couple bagels. Layered on honey on two halves and peanut butter on the other two. Washed it all down with some Gatorade. Goup and I watched The Fast and The Furious (the 1^st one). Shower and bed right after.

 

42 miles in 3 days. Oops! Short workout and a couple single run days with the travel to Leominster this weekend to see my parents and sisters! Local 5K on Sunday with some miles on either side. Should be a fun-filled time!

 

Bored at work.

Longish Run and Mattresses?

April 21st (Sunday): 7:30 AM wake up. Everything bagel with schmelted peanut butter for breakfast. Used the oven broiler (door closed - Bob) to toast since the toaster oven was still at the old place.

Over to the Zim Smith trails with some of the Fleet feet women, Goup and Jeff (Fleet Feet guy) for an easy 12+ miles in 88:23. It was a relaxing run on cinder and pavement. Goup added a couple more miles with Megan so Renee Tolan drove me home back to my house. Kimber let me in since I had no key.

Showered up and over to Clifton Park to pick up a few things (knives, garbage bags, soap, and other items we thought were not essentials) in the old apartment.

Stopped over at Sleepy's Mattresses to check out some of the sales and test out some of the merchandise (Richard was a solid salesman that didn't give me any BS, the guy at the computer attempted to gain my business in some way but I shut him down fairly quickly). Next door to Panera for a half a sandwich and a half of a salad combo. We hit up a couple other places such as Metro Mattress and Raymour & Flanigan for more matrress searching (both salesman were just not great for a variety of reasons). I'm interested in a queen sized bed or a king sized bed depending on the price. We will see how it goes in the next couple weeks.

Back to the house to nap for a couple hours. The Mill for dinner and watch the basketball game. Out of state licenses. No service at the bar. Peace. Recovery Room down the road for wings and Angry Orchard Ciders (cinnamon on the rim). 20 wings. Buffalo bleu cheese, margarita lime, BBQ, and garlic Parmesan. Mmmm.

Home to get ready for bed and pass out for the night.

71 miles for the week and a solid week overall.

Moo-ving

April 20th (Saturday): 8am wakeup. Bagel for breakfast. UHaul was reserved for 10am so we started taking apart the big things and packing up clothes. We gave Kimber the responsibility of the kitchen and dishes. Picked up the UHaul and brought it back to the apartment. The next 3 hours was spent bringing the couch, beds, futon, dressers, weight bench and any larger items into the back of the UHaul. Kimber and I made a short break at Starbucks for a coffee (I grabbed a petite vanilla bean scone) before heading over to unload into the Townhouse on Sylvan Trail.  Snacked on Nilla Wafers all day for energy pellets.

Unloaded all the smaller stuff into the garage space and moved the beds, couch, and futon through the front door. Much easier than the apartment in Clifton Park. Returned the UHaul by 2:30ish or so. Back to the new place to unpack a few things before changing up for an easy run. 7++ miles (50:47). Found a bike path that was secluded, hilly, ran by a river, and possibly short trail off of it. Already waaaaay better than flat, busy, bornig Clifton Park roads.

Kimber and I stopped at Hannaford's (almost brand new at the end of the complex) for a few things for dinner/snacks. Salad, Kashi pizzas, grapes, milk, bagels, orange juice, and yogurt. Heated up a couple medium sized pizzas in the oven and a salad.

Chilled the rest of the night. Bed at a decent hour for a longer run on Sunday.

The Rest Of The Week

April 17th (Wednesday): Standard day. 3+ miles (23:26) with Goup in the morning. Work 7:30am-4pm. Protein shake for breakfast. PB&J for lunch. Beautiful day out. 2nd run. 7.5 (46:27 plus 6xstrides). Solid day of recovery running. No real soreness.

April 18th: (Thursday): Protein shake for breakfast. Chicken, pasta, onions and cheddar cheese in the form of a cake for lunch. Work 7am-4:30pm. Long day. I was supposed to teach in the morning, but not enough contractors showed up.

Up to Saratoga to run with our buddy Shaun Donegan. Wicked sweet trails. 8 miles (58+) accompanied with Shaun's buddy that mountained "with us." It was some tougher terrain so we waited up for him a couple times at intersections. Stopped at Hannaford's real quick to grab a few things. I rocked my short shorts through the grocery store. Might of gotten a few weird looks.

No real dinner.

April 19th (Friday): Cereal and protein shake for breakfast. Work 7:30am-4pm. Stopped off at USPS to get a couple money orders for our security deposit. Made it to the rental office with 15 minutes to spare. Signed the lease and grabbed the keys after forking over a bunch of money. Sweeeet! Called and rented a Uhaul for Saturday afternoon. Boom!

Back by 5:15ish to use the bathroom before heading over to Chen high school for a workout with some of the Fleet Feet guys/girls. 20 minute warmup through the trails with everybody. 3x2k workout with Alex Paley and Ricardo. Solid workout, but couldn't hang after the 1st one. Sub 5 minute pace wasn't what my legs were feeling. 6:15, 6:19, 6:22. 19 minute cooldown through the trails. 10.5 miles on the day.

52 miles for Monday-Friday. Ready for some weekend running and moving into the new townhouse!!

Busy Bee

April 16th (Tuesday): 6:30am wakeup. 3+ miles (22:13) on my own. Protein shake for breakfast. Work 8am-4:30pm. Busy day at work. Nonstop running around, but a productive day.

Back to the apartment to relax and get ready for a 2nd run. The workout was the classic 30, 60, 90 10 mile work. 10+ mile loop. 2 mile warmup. 5 x 30, 60, 90. Through 5 miles in 30:08. Through 7 miles in 41:19. Through 10 miles in 58:32 and finished up in 58:42. Smooth run. Hip acted up on the last 90 seconds on and put a hitch in my step.

Back to stretch, foam roll, and ice my hips. Chilled for the night and used my heating pad while laying in bed. It has an auto 2 hour shutoff so I heated for the 2 hours and fell asleep in the process. Woke up to remove it and fall back asleep.

13 miles on the day and getting back in the groove.

Approved!

April 15th (Monday): 6:30am wakeup. Protein shake and a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast. Work 7:30am-4pm. Bought the Alaskan roll (sushi) for lunch. Cucumber, avocado, crab stick, and raw salmon. Mmm. So healthy and refreshing. Called up Northway 11 Communities to inquire about the status of our application. Approved by management! Boom baby!

Swung by the place after work to put in our deposit to hold the townhouse until Friday. Received the copy of the lease and other essential paperwork. Home by 5pm. Chilled and out at 6pm for 10 miles (68:49) through the Kinns Roads Trails and other parts of town. Some of our last runs in Clifton Park this week. Running all the interesting routes this week instead of just the standard ones.

Back to the apartment to stretch, foam roll and shower. Protein shake and no dinner. My dad and I Facetimed to finish up my taxes (aka file an extension, need to do some research).

I'm happy my family members are safe (sistercelebrating her birthday and cousin running the race) that were in Boston. Both within a mile of the scene. Not much else I wanna say about it. Just an extremely tragic event that hits home as a runner.

Choose Carefully

April 14th (Sunday): 10am wakeup. Downstairs for a banana and some television. Made some eggs with cheddar cheese. Chilled out. Kimber's sister Erin and her husband along with Brookie stopped over for a short while.

Changed up for a run and out the door for a 13.5+ miler (1:34:54). The first 1.5 miles with Kimber up a wicked steep hill. She made it. The rest of the run was pretty hilly (I tried to find every hill along the way), but scenic. Beautiful day out.

Back to stretch, shower, and pack up my things to head back to NY by 5pm. Home by 7:45pm. A few hours spent on filing my taxes with my dad and bed by 11:30pm.

Workaholics.

3 Year Old Birthday Party

April 13th (Saturday): 6:30am wakeup. 3.5+ (24:14) on my own. Back to have a protein shake and hop on the road to Connecticut for Brookie's birthday party. At Kimber's sister house by 10:30am. From 11am-1ish, it was nonstop high energy activties. Cupcakes, ice cream, obstacle course, other mini games, and a room filled with numerous balloons to kick around and scream in. Ahh! Chilled once everyone left for a few hours.

Back to Kimber's parents house to get in 7.5+ (50:58) at 6pm. Hit up some major hills hard. Solid run. Back for a quick shower and homemade pizza. Mozzarella, cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Pepperoni and a dash of chili powder. Mmm. Ranch dressing and orange soda.

Feel asleep on the recliner and bed by 11pm. 11+ miles on the day. Productive day.

Northway 11 Community (Townhouse)

April 12th (Friday): 6:30am wakeup. Protein shake for breakfast. Double decker PB&J for lunch with some energy bars. Goup made a call to the Northway 11 Communities in Ballston Spa. Our buddy Derrick lives in a townhouse there. There was some availability and stopped by after work.

The rental office let us know that there is one townhouse available. Gave us the key and let us go check it out (gave us directions on a paper map). Checked it out from basement to the 2nd floor. Sold. Back to the office to fill out an application and hand the required paperwork (license and paystub). She let us know that the approval time is usually Monday by management at 2pm. So we could call around 2:30pm. Sweetness. It was perfect from beginning to the end. The rental office was pressuring us by showing us the place. Let us do our thang and check it out at our pace. Wayyy better. Immaculate place with all the works. Garage space, washer and dryer, basement storage, full kitchen, dishwasher, big living room, porch, half bath downstairs, and then the 2nd level. Two decent sized rooms. The bathroom is the best part.

 

The only thing we sharre is the shower.

A bathroom entirely to myself.

(I added the doors)

Home to run 10 miles (64:31) with Goup at 6pm. Smooth run. Back to stretch, foam roll, and shower. Protein shake and a bowl of cereal for dinner. Organized my room and watch Red Dawn. Bed by 12am.

I hope we get approved. Cross your fingers!

Apartment Hunting Week

April 8th (Monday): 8:30am wakeup. A bowl of cereal for breakfast. Travel up to Naples to my grandparents condo. Used the Bump app to exchange photos between iDevices. Lunch at Bamz (a dive down the street). Ordered a chili cheese dog and a lemonade. Back to the condo to relax. Run at 5pm in the 85 degree humidity. 9 miles (62:14 + strides). It's difficult to find places to go number 2 in Florida. No coverage or woods. I figured it out. Dinner. Grandma's chicken parm. Mmmm. Dad's childhood friend came over for dinner.

April 9th (Tuesday): Long day overall. 5am wakeup. Travel back to NY. Flight at 8:20am, but my dad had his flight at 7am. Grandpa dropped us both off at 6:10am. Through security. I was stopped for my bags of instant rice and powder Gatorade in my carry-on. Oops! I should of just taken them out for security. The Gatorade had to go through a test. All clear.

Stopped at Starbucks for a smoothie and a muffin. Ordered a strawberry banana smoothie and a double chocolate chip muffin. No smoothie. No banana at first (that's okay). No strawberries. Hmm. Just the muffin. The cashier/manager/supervisor wasn't very respectful to his co-workers. Oh well. Connecting flight in Charlotte, NC. 1.5 hour layover. A few laps in the huge terminal. Decided on Cinnabon again with a strawberry smoothie. Everything was so unhealthy in the airport. Oh well.
Landed in Albany by 2pm. Taxi picked me up at 2:30pm. Home by 3ish. Relaxed and out for a run by 3:45pm. 5 miles (29:15). I used Pete Thomas' advice from college. If you don't have much time, get 5 miles in 29 minutes. Okay. If I can't get in the quantity, make the run a quality one. Off to the night shift to cover the shut down from 5pm-12am. Easy stuff.

April 10th (Wednesday): 6:45am wakeup. Protein shake for breakfast. Work 7:30pm-4pm. Called some apartments throughout the day. Mostly voicemails. Set up a showing for the next day. Stopped back in Clifton Park to pick up running stuff and head up to Saratoga to drive around. Called a few more places. Ran with a buddy, Shaun Donegan, in SPAC. 7.5 miles (49:38 + 6xstrides). Pouring rain out, but wicked fun to run through some trails and puddles. Home to shower and relax before bed.

April 11th (Thursday): We had two showings for the afternoon (4:15pm and 4:45pm). Work 7am-3:30pm. I was supposed to teach contractor safety orientation at 7:30am. Popped up to the Projects Building to find 3 people sitting in the class (usually there is anywhere from 20-50 people). Manager told me to cancel and have them come back the next day. We just went to 5 days of training this week so not everyone knows. Previously, it was Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Thursday wasn't a popular day.

Up to Saratoga to met for our 1st showing. Shot a call to the guy. No answer. Multiple no answers and no exact address given. Stood up. Our next showing was 4:45pm at Whitmore Court Apartments. Nice place, but smaller. Freshly renovated (still under construction). 3rd floor. Balcony. Unfortunately, the lady sounded a little desperate and there were some negatives. Drove around to look for more places. Called another place and set one up for same day at 6pm. Again, smaller and not much storage. We texted our buddy Derrick Staley to get details on his place in Ballston Spa. That was our goal for the next day.

Home by 7pm. Decided on a day off to continue apartment hunting and avoid the 35 degree rain. Hit up the grocery store for a few things with Goupil. Kashi pizza, bananas, chocolate syrup, and milk. Protein shake for dinner and the Mediterranean pizza. Wreck It Ralph from Redbox. Such a good movie.

The apartment hunt is difficult and we really want a house ideally with storage space. We will see how things go.

 

1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

April 7th (Sunday): 6:30am wakeup. A few homemade bagels for breakfast. On the water by 7:30am. Another amazing day fishing. Catching some small mangrove snappers, trout, and others. We were hitting this one mangrove shoreline and I spotted something from the boat. Casted my line in the exact location. Bam! Fish on! Brought it to the edge of the boat and it was a decent size Redfish on the hook. My grandpa grabbed it out of the water. We checked the size and 18 inches! A keeper! Sweet.

Grandpa and I.

 

Grandpa's boat.

The rental boat.

 

At another point in the day, we were casting into the grass flats and my line was caught on the bottom. We were only in about 1.5 feet of water (5 miles from shore and in the Gulf of Mexico) and popped off the boat to unstuck myself. Weird feeling to be standing out in the middle of the water with water completely surrounding me.

 

Action shot.

 

Fished until about 4:30pm. Back to the hotel to change into some running clothes. Organized pictures and sent over some of the better photos to others. Showed off the panoramic option on the iPhone. Out for a easy short run at 6:30pm. 5+ miles. 10 x 1 min on/off (not that hard) to have the run pass by quicker. I used my wisdom that was passed down to me by a couple of veterans (Greg Hammett and Tim Van Orden). Hammet let me know that the benefits from 30 minutes to 60 minutes isn't a huge amount so he makes sure that he minimally runs 30 minutes while on vacation. TiVo (while working out down in Albany) stated that training in humidity has similar effects as training at altitude. I put all this perspective and told myself to keep it shorter today. Thanks guys!

Guys being guys

 

More fried fish (Redfish and Trout caught that day), veggies and some leftovers to clean out the fridge. Over to the Rod and Gun Club around 9pm for a cocktail and some billiards. Back by 10ish to relax and head to bed by 10:30ish.

Tradition.

 

A Bad Day Of Fishing Is Better Than A Good Day At Work

April 6th: 5am wakeup. 5:15am out of bed for a big breakfast. Cherrios, a banana, and 3 eggs with toast and jelly. Grabbed 100 live shrimp from the bait shop and on the water by 7am. Fished all day until 4:30pm. Ham, cheese, red pepper panini leftover, two ham salad sandwiches, a couple Clif Bars and a Gala apple throughout the day.

Caught a bunch of fish. No keepers on my part, but a beautiful day on the water. Windy at times, but wicked fun as always.

A quick shower when we strolled back to the hotel before the run to attempt to feel refreshed before the run. 10 miles (69:54) down the main strip to the next part of town. Relaxing run at 5:30pm.

Frog on the gutter at the hotel.

Shower, small dinner and bed by 10pm.

Not Ideal Weather

April 5th: 6:30am wakeup. Bathroom and putted around before heading out for a run. 3 miles (NT) with my dad at 7:45am. Jogged around the perimeter of the Everglades. Bowl of Cherrios for breakfast. Some thunderstorms to roll through in the morning and through the afternoon.

This isn't the route of the run, but this is the length of the center of Everglade City to the town of Chokoloskee (~4 miles). The only two towns I can run in. The perimeter of Everglades (top) is 3 miles. Running more than 10 miles is a tough task to accomplish. Splitting up runs helps.

We stopped by the shooting range and made the executive decision to head up to Naples for lunch with my Grandma. Ham, cheese and tomato paninis. Ice cream for dessert with dark chocolate syrup. Once finished, we hit up Publix (the local grocery store in Florida) for food for the weekend.

 

 Traveling in the backseat of the car.

Back to the Captain's Table (hotel we are staying at for the long weekend) to relax and nap for a couple hours. Woke up and changed up for a run. 30, 60, 90 workout. 8+ mile loop (51:31). 4 sets of 30, 60, 90 (30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, 60 seconds hard, and so on). Covered 4.25 miles in the 24 minutes. 5:46 pace for the workout. 6:15 pace overall. Thunderstorms had passed through and I was able to workout in the clear.

The only bad part of the run was the dang chihuahua from a few years back still inhabiting Everglade City. I think the problem with the small dogs are that they are relentless. They won't give up. It was ready for revenge from allowing me to bolt to freedom our last encounter (last time I had to hide away on a second story staircase completely out of breath). It came ripping out of its yard ready to shred me to bits again and it brought a friend (similar size). I was on my rest interval for the workout, but threw in a solid 20 second sprint for my life (wasn't in the original plan for the workout). I was able to escape and continue my run safely. I looked back and it had a stance like "Yeah, you better keep running vato! Don't be stepping foot in my neighborhood again!" I made sure to skip that part of the loop the next time around (and the rest of the weekend).

Back to stretch and shower. Fried fish (freshly caught that day), rice, and broccoli for dinner. Iced the legs and bed by 10:30pm.

11+ miles on the day and a fun day overall.

Travel Day To Florida

April 4th: 3:18 wakeup. Out of bed by 3:25am. Dressed, protein shake and one sweep through the apartment to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything major. Taxi picked me up at 3:45am. Same guy (AA taxi, one man business) that picked me up for my flight to California back in December. We left the apartment and drove the same roundabout way to the highway. He brought me there safely and on time. Can't complain. 

 To ensure that I woke up in time for the taxi.

 

Direct route = 0.55 miles

 

Roundabout way = 0.88 miles (plus through a mall parking lot)

Boarding passes with no problem. Security check was smooth. Clif Bar while waiting in line. Boarded at 5am. Quick 1.5 hour flight to Washington DC by 7am. Napped for 45 minutes on the plane. 1 hour layover. I grabbed a mini Cinnabon for a second breakfast and walked a couple laps in the terminal to stretch out the legs. Waited to board. 2.5 hour flight to Fort Myers. Big plane and about half full. I had a window seat and the other two seats were wide open. Ending up laying out at one point and napped for a short time. Ginger ale and orange juice to ease the stomach.

  Mini cinnabon.

 Five Guys?! Maybe not at 7:30am.

Wide open seats. Sweet!

No baggage claim needed since I just did a carry-on and a personal item (my man purse aka North Face backpack). My grandma picked me up at the airport. On our way down to the Everglades, we stopped at Walmart for a few items and "food." Purchased an entree and 2 sides for $3.88 + tax. Chicken wings, mac and cheese and potato wedges. The guy loaded the thing up. Ate the wings and some of the mac and cheese in the car. I was full and felt slightly unhealthy from the low quality of food. Stopped eating and didn't even touch the potato wedges.

All cooked in bags.

At the Captain's Table by 1:30pm. My dad, grandpa and uncles (David and Darin) were out fishing so I was able to relax and take a nap. Not even 5 minutes in, my grandma was back because I didn't grab my luggage from the backseat. She left and 5 minutes later knocked on the door with my grandpa's wallet. Once she was on her way, I passed out for 1+ hour. Woke up at 4:30ish to cottonmouth so I made some Gatorade in a mini glass with the tap water (not recommended on drinking by the locals a few years back, but I was desperate).

Out at 5:30pm for 7 miles (49+) with some strides at the end. The forecast said thunderstorms and rain at 8pm. It arrived early. Poured rain, but I couldn't have be happier. It was sorta muggy outside and it broke the humidity. When it's in the 80's, rain is never a bad thing

Back to stretch and eat some dinner with the guys. Spaghetti and meatballs. Iced and relaxed.

Solid first day. No speed bumps and my first time flying 100% alone. Airports are great places to people watch.

Last Minute

April 3rd: 5am wakeup. Decided to stay in bed after the bathroom to review the PowerPoint I was presenting first thing in the morning to the contractors (safety orientation, occurs everyday Monday Wednesday Friday). Work 6:30am-4:30pm. Burrito mix in a couple tortillas for lunch. Booked my taxi for 3:45am to the airport with the same company when I traveled to San Francisco (AA Taxi).

Stopped by Jiffy Lube for an oil change and a tire rotation. Free car wash with it. I received a coupon in the mail. The car wash voucher doesn't expire so I will wait until later. The line was wicked long. Swung by the library to purchase my fishing license online and print it out.

Home by 5:45pm. Threw in a load of laundry before heading out the door. 10 mile exploration run with Goup (68:47). Some trails and side roads. We ended running through some guy's backyard. He was at his shed and didn't seem too thrilled we were on his property. We politely asked what road were approaching and continued on our way before being shot at by the less than friendly scraggly looking yocal. As we ran down the road, we could see the numerous yellow private property signs posted along the edge of his woods line.

Back to the apartment to foam roll, stretch and begin the packing process. Oh wait, the Green Hornet is on tv. Packing can wait. Remembered to put my laundry in the dryer. Phew! Started packing around 9ish. Done by 10:30pm. Quick call to Kimber and set the alarm for 3:15am. Woohoo!

Cadbury Eggs and "Surgery"

April 2nd: 4:55am wakeup. Out for an easy 20 minute shakeout in the flurries and frigid cold. Back for a protein shake and work 6:30am-4:30pm. Burrito mix with cheese and pineapple salsa for lunch. Easy day at work. Busy, but the day goes by quick.

Home by 5pm to chill and eat a bunch of Cadbury eggs (almost finished the bag). I decided to wait to drink the apple cider until after the run. The planned workout was 7 mile loop with 8 x 1 minute on/off. Solid run, but the calves were achy from the race still. 7 miles in 44:42. Felt smooth and work was done.

Stretch, foam roll, and lots of icing. The lifting routine won't start until after Florida. Goup has been reading a bunch of articles on lifting so we will try something a little different this training cycle. Excited to get huge (aka stronger). Protein shake to aid in the muscle recovery and major beefing up.

Made a list for Florida to eliminate forgetting anything necessary. The plan is to do a carry-on so I need to remember what I can't bring (toothpaste, body wash, contact solution, etc). Some television and bed by 10:30pm.

Just shy of 10 miles today and glad I force myself out for a morning run. Good day overall.

I did perform some surgery on my toenail at night. Before and after pictures of the left toenail (the right one fixed itself when I stubbed in a few weeks ago).

Before (gross).

 

After (much better).

Big Ole Batch

April 1st: 5:15am wakeup. Cereal for breakfast. Work 6am-4:30pm. Hams and yams for lunch. Home by 5pm. Stopped at Da Choppa to return some bottles. 2 bucks. Sweet. Home to chill. Eat a half a bag of Cadbury eggs, a Nature Valley bar and a glass of apple cider.

Run at 7pm. 7 miles total (47:23 + strides). I had to stop at 5 miles to sneak behind a tree. Apple cider was a bad idea. Back to stretch, foam roll, and shower. Goup hit up the store for groceries. I threw on the headphones and made a huge batch of burrito mix. 4 avocados, 3 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 3 onions, a handful of mushrooms, 1 bag of rice and a can of beans.

Its usually 1 avocado, 1 pepper, 1 onion and maybe a tomato for the 1 bag of rice and can of beans. It was necessary to clean out the fridge with the mini vacation coming up this week. Whipped up a burrito with cheddar cheese and pineapple salsa. Mmm.

Bed by 11pm.

Easter Sunday

March 31st: 9am wakeup. Out the door for just shy of 10 miles (70:25) along the bike path in Peterborough. Relaxing run and beautiful out. Back to make a egg and cheese sandwich on a plain bagel (Kimber was the best by picking up the items for it at the grocery store while I ran). Stretched, sticked the legs and packed up my stuff.

On the road by noon to Wallingford, CT. Arrived at my Aunt Kathy's by 3pm. Smooth ride. Showered after I greeted everybody. Lamb, ham, asparagus, yams, double stuffed potato, corn, carrots, pineapple, and a roll. Mmmm. Everything was delicious. Cleaned up and dessert soon after. Pound cake with strawberries (made by my mom) and carrot cake (made by my sister Sarah).

Full plate.

Hung out and on the road by 8pm. Home by 11pm.

51 miles for the week and a solid week back. Happy with race performance and ready for some Florida next weekend (Thursday to Tuesday for the annual fishing trip that was skipped last year because my dad and I had just started new jobs).

Fast Friends 4.5 Miler Race Report

March 30th: 7:30am wakeup. Bathroom was the first and most important thing. Instant packet of oatmeal for breakfast. Packed up my things and over to Keene to the race venue (Fast Friends across from Market Basket).

Parked and inside to register for the race. 20 bucks on race day. Cheapest race I know with sweet prizes. Port-o-potty before a warmup with Goup. 2.5 miles (16:56). Changed up into my singlet and flats inside the building. Sticked the legs and over to the line for strides.

Another classic ready, set, go by Andy McCarron at 9:15am. Off the line well and just like last year. Mark Miller matched my first mile and we exchanged places a couple times before splitting 4:49 (Hammett said it was short). An immediate left up Ash Hill and the biggest climb in the race. Probably about 0.4 mile uphill and 0.6 downhill for the 2nd mile. I crushed the uphill knowing I can equally crush the downhill. Through in 10:0x. A commanding lead (from what the biker let me know). Kept surging the next mile to 15:0x. Let off the 4th mile (tough mile and body semi locked-up, but nothing serious). 4 miles: 20:30. Finished up the last uphill 1/2+ to the finish in 23:16 for 1st. Grabbed some warm clothes and 2.5 mile cooldown (17:36) through Yale Forest with a bunch of the guys. Award ceremony. Another half a gallon of Pure New Hampshire maple syrup from the town over Marlborough. Sweeeeeeet!

Over to Fowler street for a shower and Mario Kart. Chilled and over to Andy McCarron's house (race director and CMS member) for the next 12 hours. Lots of food, Polish horseshoes, cuddling/snuggling with dogs, guitar jamming, and Taboo. Always wicked fun. I wish I had the whole day on video.

Home by 3am.

Charles: Mix of pitbull and greyhound (mostly pitbull).

 

We were sitting on his bed (aka the couch).

Best buds. Charles and Dash.

Lean on me.

Puppers. I look Asian.

 

Rest Of The Weekdays

March 27th: 5:15am wakeup. Work 6am-4:30pm. Putting in a few long days to bank some hours for my Florida vacation. Minimize the PTO (paid time off). Bought lunch. Pineapple coleslaw, BBQ chicken thighs and refried beans. So good. Home to pick up a package at the office. They were gonna hold it hostage because I had not handed in the lease addendum for next year. I quickly signed it and ran it back to the office with only a few minutes to spare (even though she had given me the package). New apartment in Saratoga is what we have to find in the next month. Hmmm. Run with Goupil. Just shy of 6 miles (41+). Protein shake, but no dinner. Duck Dynasty (feel asleep at some point for about an hour) and bed by 11pm.

March 28th: Another work day of 6am-4:30pm. Double deceker PB&J with a Clif Bar. Busy day overall. I couldn't imagine having a salary job for Globalfoundries. Home to have my Amazon package in my apartment building. Lumbar support and king-sized heating pad. Relaxed and out for 9 miles (62:44) around 6:30ish. Beef stew for dinner and bed at some point.

No more sore back.

 

March 29th: Finally Friday and another 6am-4:30pm workday. Easy day. Goup and I decided to get the run out of the way before heading to NH. 5 miles (34:40) at 5:30ish. Stretch, foam roll, protein shake, and on the road by 6:45pm. At Kimber's apartment by 9:15pm. Stopped at CVS right before to grab a few Vitamin waters because I forgot my Nalgene bottle of Gatorade in the freezer (I wanted it cold for the car ride, oops). Watched some television and bed by 11ish.