On Friday: Happy Birthday, Dave! (or should I say, "Dad-in-law")
Here's some content to keep everyone happy over the long weekend:
1. Memorial Day Weekend Cookout Photos
2. BenCam Archive - For those of you who can't get enough pictures of me. :)
3. My name appeared in a news article a few days ago. A co-worker of mine, Ken Rustici, ran a total of 25,000 miles over 22 years. That's the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe! HERE is the article, and HERE is a photo. I'm on the right.
Enjoy!
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Where have all the green grapes gone?
Jenelle here...
I'm excited to see new people reading our weblog! Thanks for leaving a comment Diana -- it's good to hear from you! Ben and I used to think that our moms and grandmas were the only ones that read it, so we like hearing about loyal readers in the under 30 crowd.
On a side note...Is it just me, or has there been a complete and total shortage of green grapes lately? And this is not just an isolated problem -- Jewel, Wal-Mart and Woodmans have been out for about a month. I've searched high and low and can't find them anywhere.
Sure, its only May and the ground has only been thawed for a month or so, but come on! Can't they truck some in from California or something?
This is almost as disgraceful as paying $5 for half a pint of blueberries. But those things are chock full of antioxidants and worth every penny.
I'm excited to see new people reading our weblog! Thanks for leaving a comment Diana -- it's good to hear from you! Ben and I used to think that our moms and grandmas were the only ones that read it, so we like hearing about loyal readers in the under 30 crowd.
On a side note...Is it just me, or has there been a complete and total shortage of green grapes lately? And this is not just an isolated problem -- Jewel, Wal-Mart and Woodmans have been out for about a month. I've searched high and low and can't find them anywhere.
Sure, its only May and the ground has only been thawed for a month or so, but come on! Can't they truck some in from California or something?
This is almost as disgraceful as paying $5 for half a pint of blueberries. But those things are chock full of antioxidants and worth every penny.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
YES!
What a ride. I successfully set a new personal record for the half marathon this morning. Here's a mile-by-mile breakdown:
Getting Started
The weather was overcast, but plenty warm. As I finished stretching and prepared to set out, I noticed a few drops of rain. I headed back upstairs and got my rain jacket. I took a swig of raspberry lemonade-flavored Gatorade before setting my forerunner at 9:08 / mile -- at this pace, I'll finish in 01:59:39. Off I go!
Mile 1 - 8:35 (0:33 ahead of the pacer overall)
As the few drops of rain turned into a small drizzle, I felt okay out of the blocks. I'm sufficiently warmed up, and I don't feel too hot or too cold. So far, so good.
Mile 2 - 9:31 (0:10 ahead overall)
Right before reaching the two-mile mark, my forerunner skipped a beat. One moment, I was almost 400 feet ahead, and the next, I was only 50 feet ahead. The problem is that the excessive clouds and rain are keeping the forerunner from being as accurate as it usually is. I'm fairly certain that I ran this mile faster than 9:31. These kinds of tracking errors usually work themselves out over time, so I'm not worried. I'm still ahead, and I still feel great.
Mile 3 - 8:48 (0:30 ahead)
The rain is getting a bit heavier now, but nothing close to slowing me down. My head is getting a tiny bit wet, but my rain jacket keeps me plenty dry. It also helps that I'm wearing my Nike "dri-fit" running shorts. Onward!
Mile 4 - 8:39 (0:59 ahead)
The downpour arrived! As I started to feel the moisture seeping in to my shoes and my hair getting wet, I suddenly remembered that my rain jacket has a hood zipped inside the collar. My pace dropped just a tiny bit as I pulled the hood out of the collar, put it on, and adjusted it to keep it from falling off. I'm still feeling pretty good with almost one third of my run completed.
Mile 5 - 8:29 (1:38 ahead)
One minute it was pouring, the next it was just a drizzle, and the next it was pouring again. Now perfectly comfortable in my rain jacket AND hood, I didn't have any problems. I was thrilled that I was building a signifant lead over my virtual pacer without any fatigue. However, was I going too fast? Most of the run was still in front of me. I didn't feel like I'm going too fast. Hmmm.....
Mile 6 - 9:00 (1:46 ahead)
The rain eased up at this point -- yay. I wasn't feeling tired at all. Double yay.
Mile 7 - 8:57 (1:57 ahead)
The halfway point! My forerunner showed me reach 6.55 miles (half of 13.1) at about 58 minutes. I was doing great, and the weather continued to improve.
Mile 8 - 8:46 (2:19 ahead)
No signs of trouble at all. My lead was about a quarter of a mile. I started to wonder if I was going to burn myself out before the finish. The question I began asking myself was: Should I try and build more of a lead while I feel okay, or should I just keep the pace steady?
Mile 9 - 10:32 (0:55 ahead)
What happened here? The forerunner hiccuped again. One moment, I was ahead by 0.27 miles, and the next, I was only ahead by about 350 feet (about 0.06 miles). This mile did not feel significantly slower than any of the others. It's possible that some of the earlier miles were reported a little quicker than I actually ran them. Regardless of the reason for this setback, I was still ahead of the pacer, and nothing was going to slow me down!
Mile 10 - 8:51 (1:12 ahead)
Back on track. I started to feel a little bit tired at this point, but I was still able to keep the pace.
Mile 11 - 9:16 (1:04 ahead)
A little bit of slow-down, but nothing to worry about.
Mile 12 - 9:04 (1:08 ahead)
Mile 13 - 9:13 (1:04 ahead)
The fatigue slowly built up during these two miles. This is to be expected after running so long at a faster-than-usual pace. The good news -- no blisters or sharp pain in any of my joints. I'm guessing that a lot of family members might be worried about my knees, as most of my running is done on either concrete or asphalt. Let me all assure you that my knees feel great. Never been better.
The Finish - 1:00 (0:58 ahead)
The final tenth of a mile was a little bit slower than the pacer, but not by much. I finished the half marathon in one hour, 58 minutes, and 41 seconds.
What's Next?
I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the week. The following week is the first week of my 18-week program to train for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on October 2. Just to make sure I'm fit for such a task, I have a doctor's appointment set up for this week so that my physician can give me the green light.
Time will tell how the training goes, but I'm setting an agressive goal. I'm going to try to run the marathon at the same pace at which I just ran a half marathon. This would put me across the finish line in four hours or less. Can I do it? Only with encouragement from you, my loyal blog readers.
Getting Started
The weather was overcast, but plenty warm. As I finished stretching and prepared to set out, I noticed a few drops of rain. I headed back upstairs and got my rain jacket. I took a swig of raspberry lemonade-flavored Gatorade before setting my forerunner at 9:08 / mile -- at this pace, I'll finish in 01:59:39. Off I go!
Mile 1 - 8:35 (0:33 ahead of the pacer overall)
As the few drops of rain turned into a small drizzle, I felt okay out of the blocks. I'm sufficiently warmed up, and I don't feel too hot or too cold. So far, so good.
Mile 2 - 9:31 (0:10 ahead overall)
Right before reaching the two-mile mark, my forerunner skipped a beat. One moment, I was almost 400 feet ahead, and the next, I was only 50 feet ahead. The problem is that the excessive clouds and rain are keeping the forerunner from being as accurate as it usually is. I'm fairly certain that I ran this mile faster than 9:31. These kinds of tracking errors usually work themselves out over time, so I'm not worried. I'm still ahead, and I still feel great.
Mile 3 - 8:48 (0:30 ahead)
The rain is getting a bit heavier now, but nothing close to slowing me down. My head is getting a tiny bit wet, but my rain jacket keeps me plenty dry. It also helps that I'm wearing my Nike "dri-fit" running shorts. Onward!
Mile 4 - 8:39 (0:59 ahead)
The downpour arrived! As I started to feel the moisture seeping in to my shoes and my hair getting wet, I suddenly remembered that my rain jacket has a hood zipped inside the collar. My pace dropped just a tiny bit as I pulled the hood out of the collar, put it on, and adjusted it to keep it from falling off. I'm still feeling pretty good with almost one third of my run completed.
Mile 5 - 8:29 (1:38 ahead)
One minute it was pouring, the next it was just a drizzle, and the next it was pouring again. Now perfectly comfortable in my rain jacket AND hood, I didn't have any problems. I was thrilled that I was building a signifant lead over my virtual pacer without any fatigue. However, was I going too fast? Most of the run was still in front of me. I didn't feel like I'm going too fast. Hmmm.....
Mile 6 - 9:00 (1:46 ahead)
The rain eased up at this point -- yay. I wasn't feeling tired at all. Double yay.
Mile 7 - 8:57 (1:57 ahead)
The halfway point! My forerunner showed me reach 6.55 miles (half of 13.1) at about 58 minutes. I was doing great, and the weather continued to improve.
Mile 8 - 8:46 (2:19 ahead)
No signs of trouble at all. My lead was about a quarter of a mile. I started to wonder if I was going to burn myself out before the finish. The question I began asking myself was: Should I try and build more of a lead while I feel okay, or should I just keep the pace steady?
Mile 9 - 10:32 (0:55 ahead)
What happened here? The forerunner hiccuped again. One moment, I was ahead by 0.27 miles, and the next, I was only ahead by about 350 feet (about 0.06 miles). This mile did not feel significantly slower than any of the others. It's possible that some of the earlier miles were reported a little quicker than I actually ran them. Regardless of the reason for this setback, I was still ahead of the pacer, and nothing was going to slow me down!
Mile 10 - 8:51 (1:12 ahead)
Back on track. I started to feel a little bit tired at this point, but I was still able to keep the pace.
Mile 11 - 9:16 (1:04 ahead)
A little bit of slow-down, but nothing to worry about.
Mile 12 - 9:04 (1:08 ahead)
Mile 13 - 9:13 (1:04 ahead)
The fatigue slowly built up during these two miles. This is to be expected after running so long at a faster-than-usual pace. The good news -- no blisters or sharp pain in any of my joints. I'm guessing that a lot of family members might be worried about my knees, as most of my running is done on either concrete or asphalt. Let me all assure you that my knees feel great. Never been better.
The Finish - 1:00 (0:58 ahead)
The final tenth of a mile was a little bit slower than the pacer, but not by much. I finished the half marathon in one hour, 58 minutes, and 41 seconds.
What's Next?
I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the week. The following week is the first week of my 18-week program to train for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on October 2. Just to make sure I'm fit for such a task, I have a doctor's appointment set up for this week so that my physician can give me the green light.
Time will tell how the training goes, but I'm setting an agressive goal. I'm going to try to run the marathon at the same pace at which I just ran a half marathon. This would put me across the finish line in four hours or less. Can I do it? Only with encouragement from you, my loyal blog readers.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
The stuff goes, the memories stay
We had a rummage sale at my parents' house today. After experiencing it from the seller's point of view, I must report that the phenomenon is incredible. Within moments of opening the garage door, vehicles of all kinds parked and rushed to check out our items. The busiest time was before 9 a.m. I know that I shouldn't be awed by the number of people who have arisen in the wee hours on a Saturday morning to find a few bargains, but I couldn't help but think to myself, "Who are these people?" throughout the whole process. Don't get me wrong -- I have nothing against rummage sale shoppers. In fact, I'm very thankful for them. I'm thankful for the lady who spent $40 on Star Trek toys, black lights, and tacky dorm room decorations. I'm thankful for the guy who bought Dad's table saw. I'm thankful for the 10 year-old kid who bought a $1.00 typewriter and a $2.00 plastic poker chip rack.
I'm also thankful for the time that I had to bond with my parents while we reminisced about the last time we used a lot of the items we sold. The title of this post really rings true -- the memories aren't going anywhere. Now, if I can just get my mom to let go of that painted snowman rock. Just kidding.
Tomorrow will be another exciting day. I'm attempting to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) in less than two hours. Can I do it? We'll soon find out!
I'm also thankful for the time that I had to bond with my parents while we reminisced about the last time we used a lot of the items we sold. The title of this post really rings true -- the memories aren't going anywhere. Now, if I can just get my mom to let go of that painted snowman rock. Just kidding.
Tomorrow will be another exciting day. I'm attempting to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) in less than two hours. Can I do it? We'll soon find out!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Happy Mother's Day... if it applies
Here are six photos from last weekend's Mother's Day celebration.
Monday, May 09, 2005
18 and counting
I got up early on Sunday morning to set a new record for my longest run. 18 miles later, I was done. Here's the breakdown:
Average Pace: 9:45 / mile
I was thrilled that I was able to run about thirty seconds per mile faster than I did two weeks ago AND run 2.4 miles farther. I was fairly tired at the end, but I think I could have done a few more miles.
I'm not planning to do another long run for at least a month. My next goal is to complete a half marathon in under two hours -- and of course, the results of my attempt will be posted here.
| Laps 1-3 | 10:12 | 10:11 | 09:42 |
| Laps 4-6 | 09:46 | 09:27 | 09:36 |
| Laps 7-9 | 09:29 | 09:28 | 09:38 |
| Laps 10-12 | 09:45 | 09:50 | 09:49 |
| Laps 13-15 | 09:50 | 09:37 | 09:52 |
| Laps 16-18 | 09:23 | 10:04 | 10:00 |
Average Pace: 9:45 / mile
I was thrilled that I was able to run about thirty seconds per mile faster than I did two weeks ago AND run 2.4 miles farther. I was fairly tired at the end, but I think I could have done a few more miles.
I'm not planning to do another long run for at least a month. My next goal is to complete a half marathon in under two hours -- and of course, the results of my attempt will be posted here.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Another Running Entry
Happy Birthday, Todd!
When the blog switched to its new look, I updated my personal best for the 15K (about 9.33 miles). I trekked out on Sunday morning and finished in one hour, 21 minutes, 33 seconds. Here's the breakdown:
Mile 1 - 8:24
Mile 2 - 8:53
Mile 3 - 8:29
Mile 4 - 8:53
Mile 5 - 8:20
Mile 6 - 8:53
Mile 7 - 8:48
Mile 8 - 9:08
Mile 9 - 8:45
Finish - 2:56 (8:36 pace)
Average pace - about 8:44 / mile
There was a light but ever-present wind that was responsible for the 20-25 second fluctuations between lap times in the first six miles. Had there been no wind at all, my laps would have been much more consistent.
I'm probably going to run long this weekend -- perhaps even further than the 25K that I ran on April 24. The weather is supposed to be warm with a bit of rain, which doesn't scare me all that much. :)
I'm thrilled that I have almost five months to continue training for the marathon. I don't want to jinx it, but I think that eclipsing the four-hour mark on October 2 is an attainable goal.
When the blog switched to its new look, I updated my personal best for the 15K (about 9.33 miles). I trekked out on Sunday morning and finished in one hour, 21 minutes, 33 seconds. Here's the breakdown:
Mile 1 - 8:24
Mile 2 - 8:53
Mile 3 - 8:29
Mile 4 - 8:53
Mile 5 - 8:20
Mile 6 - 8:53
Mile 7 - 8:48
Mile 8 - 9:08
Mile 9 - 8:45
Finish - 2:56 (8:36 pace)
Average pace - about 8:44 / mile
There was a light but ever-present wind that was responsible for the 20-25 second fluctuations between lap times in the first six miles. Had there been no wind at all, my laps would have been much more consistent.
I'm probably going to run long this weekend -- perhaps even further than the 25K that I ran on April 24. The weather is supposed to be warm with a bit of rain, which doesn't scare me all that much. :)
I'm thrilled that I have almost five months to continue training for the marathon. I don't want to jinx it, but I think that eclipsing the four-hour mark on October 2 is an attainable goal.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Jenelle's thought for the day
From our friends at despair.com:
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Have it Their Way
On Friday, I walked into the Burger King near the mall to buy a gift certificate for a friend of mine who really likes Burger King. I wasn't sure if Burger King had gift "certificates" or gift "cards" until I read a sign near the register:
$5.00 GIFT CERTIFICATE if we fail to issue you a receipt
Ah, certificates it is. I patiently waited in line until I reached the front. Here's the conversation that ensued with the cashier:
Me: "Hi, I'd like two $5 gift certificates please."
Her: (matter-of-factly) "We don't sell those."
Me: "Er, uh... you don't?"
Her: "No, we don't."
Me: "Um... are you sure?"
Her: "Yup."
Me: (looking right at the sign) "Even though there's a sign that mentions them right there?"
Her: "Yup."
Me: "Hmmmm... Well, thanks for your time."
Anyone out there ever possess a Burger King gift certificate? If so, how'd you get it? Did you buy it, or did the cashier fail to issue you a receipt?
$5.00 GIFT CERTIFICATE if we fail to issue you a receipt
Ah, certificates it is. I patiently waited in line until I reached the front. Here's the conversation that ensued with the cashier:
Me: "Hi, I'd like two $5 gift certificates please."
Her: (matter-of-factly) "We don't sell those."
Me: "Er, uh... you don't?"
Her: "No, we don't."
Me: "Um... are you sure?"
Her: "Yup."
Me: (looking right at the sign) "Even though there's a sign that mentions them right there?"
Her: "Yup."
Me: "Hmmmm... Well, thanks for your time."
Anyone out there ever possess a Burger King gift certificate? If so, how'd you get it? Did you buy it, or did the cashier fail to issue you a receipt?
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