The song “Past is Prologue” by Tycho wil forever be associated with early morning runs in late October, for me. It was on one of my running mixes. I can still recall those exact feelings of being out early and the only one in the world up and running.
Half Marathon success!
Well, despite effectively tapering for two weeks instead of one, and despite only ever running for 9.5 miles in one stretch, I was able to complete the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon! My time was 2:06:53. I am happy with it. I’m not sure what I’ll do next. Maybe a smaller 10k. I know I’d like to work on my pace, and I know I’d like to keep my level of fitness up. We’ll see.
For now I’m just relaxing and basking in the accomplishment!
Pre and post race footage
Evening after thoughts about it
Sound of the Future, Memories of the Past
NB: This is almost stream of consciousness.
In a conversation with a friend I was reminded of Future Sound of London, so I queued them up and had a nice memory. Sometimes I have these memories and they’re visceral, as if I recorded all the sensation then locked the data away forever. Never degrading through remembrance, the memories sit there waiting.
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Half-marathon, OMG
Dude.
So, I’m registered for the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon. It’s on the 9th of March. That means it’s a little over a week away! I have a 10 mile long run this weekend, and then next week is all tapering down.
So, I’m hoping the fact that I’ve been doing all hill training will help me out a bit, because that mileage jump is crazy. I think I can do it if I don’t try to be a hero, but man that’s going to be a long time on my feet.
Wish me luck! I’ll probably broadcast on my runtastic account so you can cheer me on should you like.
Smoothie Recipe for a Midmorning Snack
I just wanted to share a smoothie recipe I’ve come up with that is absolutely great as a midmorning snack. It’ll probably also work well as a hangover cure. (Hangover smoothie is still my number one search hit, so I’m giving the fans what they want…) This one will take a little more forethought than the other one which was just “throw a bunch of fruit in the blender”.
I like this one better, though. So, without further ado, my workout smoothie.
You will need
30 roasted, unsalted almonds
1T chia seeds
1T flax seeds
1/3c greek yogurt
1/3c plain yogurt
8 oz milk or soy milk
5 oz plain coconut water
1 banana
1 clementine
8 or 9 ice cubes
small pinch of anise seeds
First crush all seeds with the almonds and the soy milk together. Once the seeds are fairly broken up, add all other ingredients and blend until desired consistency.
This one is not overwhelmingly sweet, which is my preference. You can add honey or another banana if you like. It’s a bit nutty.
The B vitamins and potassium from chia and coconut water, along with everything else, will really help you out of a hangover/post-workout recovery.
Return of the Runner Music Video
I am still on the path to training for a half-marathon. Still making videos about it on YouTube.
Actually one of my friends, Nick, called me out over twitter about not uploading anything for awhile. So I put together a short music video like so
I’m slowly figuring out what I’m doing on the video front. Like anything else, it just takes practice, the willingness to fail. Also the willingness to identify and delete stuff that just isn’t that good, while you’re editing.
What I Learned Over Christmas Vacation
- try to get a direct flight if you are flying with a 2 year old
- If you can’t get a direct flight, try to optimize for short flights with long layover rather than short layover and long flights
- If you can’t or didn’t do that, make sure you have purchased a season or two of your child’s favorite show for watching on the ipad in flight
- Be prepared for people to be upset at your kid
- If you lose your ID on a trip, you can use other cards (and your family) to vouch for you. The price you pay for this is a TSA agent swinging his penis around so you know he’s in charge
We flew to Oklahoma to visit my wife’s dad. It was a fun trip and really neat to see flat lands once again. It can get a little claustrophobic living amongst the foothills, here. But it was also dry and cold and there was no green left in the world. We were all happy to come back to west of the Cascades where things are still green. We missed some rain and mist, and came back in time for the start of some sunny winter weather. Huzzah!
Still running, and am working my way up to a half marathon in March. Glad to live in the Pacific Northwest where it’s possible to train outside all year long!
Lastly, I purchased a new domain and am looking to migrate this site. Am tired of having a vaguely porn-sounding domain name. I will keep you appraised as things develop.
