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Thursday, December 29, 2011

2012?




Many bloggers have already posted their goals and planned races for 2012. I applaud them. I cant think of what I'm doing next week never mind 6 months from now..... The only goal I have for 2012 is to finish my first marathon. I have yet to sign up for it, but I think I'm ready for it. It is definitely  my next step ( I think ) as a runner. Finishing a marathon would put a stamp of approval in my mind, labeling me as a true runner.

There are races I want to do this upcoming year, but for me, the cost will play a big factor. I have 2 kids graduating high school this year and between planning a graduation party and getting them financially ready for college, you can imagine how tight money will be.

So.... I'f my only major race this year is a marathon and I complete it.... I will be happy with that. Any other race I do will be a plus!
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In other news.....
I'm loving the Garmin I got for Christmas! Thanks for all the comments and tips. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I think I'm getting it. My biggest problem right now is remembering to bring it with to work with me when I run during my lunch time. I forgot it twice! Grr! I did run with it to today: 5.36 miles in 40mins. I set it up with Dailymile so I can put it on the widget on my blog and so I can tweet it. Thank you for those who follow me on twitter. I'm not a big poster on Twitter, but I do my best.
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I see I have a couple new followers! Welcome!... and thank you for following my little blog!

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I don't know if I will post again before the years end, but if I don't, I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope you all have a great year of runs ahead of you!!!

- Jose



Monday, December 26, 2011

I got a Garmin!! Woot!!


The wife Santa got me a Garmin!! I felt like a little kid. I had to go out and try it!

I was surprised at how easy the setup was. I mean I was ready to go within minutes. Today was day 2 of using it. The first day I was all over it. Started it up and kept looking at my pace through out my run It was awesome! In today's run, I forgot to stop it off after my run... Doh! It recorded like 2-3 minutes of me walking and doing stretches before I remembered about it. LOL... I'll have to get used to this.

This is cool. I can finally start tracking all my runs. I'm wicked excited!

What did Santa bring you guys??

Friday, December 23, 2011

The Jog Strap

Someone sent me this video this morning. Made me laugh... it was a great way to start my morning, so I thought I would share.... Enjoy!



Have a great day!


Edit: I just saw that The Boring Runner had already posted this... This guy is sooo funny!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

My look back @ 2011

This year has been a really fun year for me running. I wish I knew exactly how many miles I have put on these two feet of mine. All I know is that I have put the most memorable miles of my life this past year!

Since Miss Zippy's line of questions have been the standard to outline this past year, I guess I'll do the same:

Best race experience? 
For me, it has to be 2011 Worcester Half Marathon. It wasn't a big event like the RnR halfs, but it was my first half. I had registered for it like 3 weeks prior to it, but I was ready for it.
I literally held back tears as I crossed the finish line because I could not believe what I had just accomplished.


Best Run?
Ernie, my co-worker invited me on one of his trails runs during lunch. Honestly the best 7 miles I have ever done!
The entrance to one of the trails
Best new Gear?
My iPod. I picked up a new one after my last one died during the RnR Providence half.



Best piece of running advice you received?
Slow down. You get better with time, not by killing yourself. - a good friend


Most inspirational runner?
I would say YOU guys. I love reading about your running experiences. I learn so much from each and every single one of you. You guys are helping me become a better runner (and blogger). Thank you all.


If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?
I'll do with pictures:
RnR Providence Half

Running With the Wolves - 10k

Harvard Pligrim 10k @ Gillette Stadium

Warrior Dash -NE


This was a great year for running. Hope 2012 is more of the same. Next year I plan to become a marathoner. Bring on 2012!!!!

Whatever it takes....

This my friends is laptop battery...

...I dont own one of those Sport sticks or foam rollers. I wish I did, but I'm way to cheap to buy one. Maybe Santa will get me one. Who knows...

So this is how I work out those muscle cramps or tightness after a run:


This battery has worked wonders! One side of the battery is curved so it glides perfectly up and down my leg. This is honestly one of the best things that I have used to get the job done. Trust me, in times of need, I have used just about anything I could find.

Whatever it takes....

I've got a stack of these... who needs one? LOL.
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I ran a tough 5 miles yesterday. I struggled halfway through this run to put one foot in front of the other.... I dont know why. It was just one of those days I guess. My legs are achy today so I'm going to rest them and massage them with the laptop battery. 

Don't judge me...... :)


Sunday, December 18, 2011

Chilly 10 mile run today...

Thanks to those who played along in the tagging game. It was fun reading your 7 tidbits about yourselves.

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Ran 10 miles this morning. The temperature was a chilling 18 degrees when I walked the door. It wasn't so bad until I hit one of the main roads and the wind picked up. My nose took a while to adjust to the cold air. It hurt to breathe!! At about mile 2 everything felt OK (when the wind wasn't blowing). I planned 10 miles, but told myself as I was running that if I got too cold I would cut it short and head back after at least getting 5 miles in. Toughed it out though. Luckily the sun was shinning and helped keep me somewhat warm.
Plus, it helped that ran with a nice warm Santa hat. Sure I was getting stares as I ran through town. But I'm that weird running guy.... I'm used to it :)

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I got a nice surprise this morning when I checked my twitter account:

I totally forgot that I had entered his contest. It was a great way to kick off my morning run! Thanks Jeff.

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Tomorrow starts another busy week at work. Ya'll have a great one!!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Tagged!!

I know I mentioned before how busy I am at work. Sometimes I wish I was exaggerating. But being the only helpdesk person for over 300+ people is just killing me. I'm being spread out thin. I am soo lucky that I can run during my lunch time. If it weren't for that stress relief, I dont think I would have lasted this long in this job.
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So I was thinking of something good to post about today when I realized that I was tagged by Jeff over at Another Mile. This is cool. This will make for an interesting post!! The task is to give 7 random tidbits about yourself and then tag 15 7 other bloggers. I'll give it a shot!!

1. My real name is Jose, but my nickname is Pete... try to figure that one out!

2. Spaghetti & meatball is my weakness. I can eat enough to make me comatose.

3. I have 3 tattoos. Tribal on my left shoulder & chest. Youngest daughter's name on left forearm, and a lighting bolt with my 2 older kids names on my right arm.

4. The Boston Red Sox are my favorite team!!! Go Sox!!

5. I love music! Just about all kinds of music. From country to classical, from dance to lounge, from Rap to Rock, from oldies to the new stuff. If you ever listened to my iPod on shuffle, you would think I was a strange fellow......

6. And so it Burns used to be my music video blog. I deleted the blog, but kept the name. The name came from a Jedi Mind Tricks song "And So It Burns" ... (NSFW)

........ummm.... this is harder than what I thought.

7. Though I like to run, I hate to workout. I have to really motivate myself to do anything like that. I'll do a couple push ups, sit ups, etc... and I'm done. I really should be doing more.


That's it & These are my picks:

Forward Foot Strides
The Unexpected Runner
Last Mile Lounge
In Clean Air- a running philosophy
2 Slow 4 Boston
50 after 40
Slowly Tri-ing


I really didn't know who to pick for my seven. But there they are. Hope my 7 tidbits about myself shed some light about me.

Hope you all have a great week!!!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Thursday's Thoughts

It's been a crazy week. Monday I had planned a run at work during lunch, but half way to work I realized that I left my sneakers back at home.... doh!! The thought of turning around ran through my head, but that would have turned my commute into 1hr and 20mins IF I didn't run into traffic. So no run on Monday.
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Tuesday & Wednesday I was at our Danbury, CT office. This it about 2 1/2 hrs away from home. Worked some long days, but I did get a run in on a treadmill at the hotel gym. This was the second time I have ever run on one. Took me a bit to figure the damn thing out. I pressed some preconfigured random run and I only lasted 15mins. It was way to fast and the inclines were way to tough. Plus I forgot to mention it was 4:30am and I was still half asleep. Images of people falling off treadmills on youtube kept running through my mind.


So I took a 5min break, drank some water and jumped back on. This time I started at a steady 10min mile pace and then hit the random button to get some inclines in. About a mile into it I started getting in the grove. Ran for a good 45min and worked my way to a steady 7:30 the last 10mins of the run. That was by far the best run on a treadmill I have ever done. I just hope I don't have to do it again.
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Today I got a good 6 miles in during lunch. It was good to be outside for this one. Temps were in the upper 30's. But it was windy. The run back to the office was was a tough one. Felt like someone was holding my shirt from the back as I tried to move forward....LOL
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Oh... I got that Asian Massage yesterday. It was OK. I mean I felt good and relaxed afterwards, but I dont think it actually fixed anything. My friends were telling me that sometimes it takes more than one session to really work out any kinks in the muscles. eh... I'll think about it.
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One last thing before I go catch up on the blogs that I follow... The Unexpected Runner,  was the 2nd place winner of my giveaway. I want to  publicly apologize for not getting your prize in the mail yet. I walked into my office today after being on the road and I saw the box still sitting there. I promise to get it out to you ASAP!!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Great weekend for running!

The crick in my neck is almost gone. I have been massaging the crap out of it the past couple days. Can't wait for the Chinese Massage I have scheduled for Wednesday. I'm hoping it fixes me up quick.

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Yesterday I ran 5 easy miles in the morning. It was quick and uneventful. Can't ask for more than that...

Today I met up with Jenn, a member of the running club I joined a while ago. She's training for the Rock&Roll DC Marathon in March. Her first marathon. Her training schedule called for an 11 mile run today, so I offered to run with her. We did one of my 11 mile routes. I've done this route many times before, but I don't think I ever ran it as smooth as I did today. It was the first time I had company and what a difference that made. We were out in back in what felt like no time. She also brought her dog Mya, a collie (I think). She also ran the 11 miles with us. How cool was that?

Tomorrow I plan a quick couple miles at work during lunch. I'm traveling Tuesday & Wednesday for work, so I doubt I'll get any runs in. Though I'll bring my running gear just in case. I'm staying in Danbury, CT at some hotel I have never been to and if they happen to have a gym , I might just hit the treadmill Wednesday morning before going in. It would be the second time I have ever run on a treadmill.

Well, I'm done for today. Hope you all have a great week!


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Pain in the neck..

I got a crick in my neck last week that would not go away. It hurts to look either right or left. It sucked at work because I'm constantly moving. I looked like Frankenstein having to turn my whole body just to look around.

I have an appointment next week with a local guy that does Chinese massages. I have never had one before, but my friends rave about this guy. They say he is a miracle worker. For $40 an hour he better be good!!!
Even though my neck didn't hurt while I was running, it did hurt to look to my left and right. Trying to look for on coming traffic became a challenge. So I decided to take a few days off to help it heal up. 4 days to be exact. I can't remember the last time I took 4 days off from running. My neck feels a lot better today, but it's still a bit achy. I ended running 5 miles today. I also bought 2 new pillows. I think my old ones where part of my problem.

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I got my HeadSweats hat that I won from the Detroit Runner's Giveaway. I can't wait to wear it on a cold day!!
 Here it is in Black

Reversible in blue

I've worn a winter hat just a handful of times this winter. And only during morning runs. It just hasn't been cold enough to wear one. Dec. 2nd tomorrow and it's going to be in the 50's.... unreal. I have my winter beard growing too. I'm about to shave it soon if it stays warm. It's getting itchy!

I plan on not running tomorrow. I have somethings to do during my lunch time so I wont have the time. I'm planning a long run on Saturday. Hopefully 10+ if all goes well. It will be a early morning run so it should be cold enough to wear my new hat!

Hope you guys have had a great week. Weekend is almost here!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

The Gobble Wobble & a Giveaway winner(s)

Real quick recap:
I ran the Gobble Wobble 5K on Thanksgiving morning. It was a nice brisk cold morning and I was surprised that soo many people ran it. Over 600!! Its the first 5K I've done with that many people.

Only picture of me in the race that I found...


I came in 50th overall, 6th in my age group with a new 5K PR of 20:53. Finally under the 21min mark!!... I can't believe it! Though I struggled through the race. Even though I PR'ed, it did not feel like a real smooth race for me. It was one of those races where I couldn't wait for it to end.
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OK..... Now for the winner. This is how the winner got picked:

ME (yelling out to anyone in my house): Pick a number from 1 to 7!
Daughter answers: 1!

So there you go. The winner of the Recovery and Injury Prevention Giveaway is Jeff from Detroit Runner!!! But that's not all..... Jeff I want you pick a number from 2 to 7. I have 2 extra SoftHeat items that I will send to this person.

Jeff and the person he picked, email me your info: projectpc at gmail dott com


Congrats!!!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Wednesday ramblings....Boston time waived entry?

Ran a good 5 miles today... good because I finished them, but they were tough. It was busy at work today and really didn't eat well or warm up well before the run. Half way through the run I felt it. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to stop and just walk the rest of the way. But I didn't.... I toughed it out. I finished the 5 miles running. That  to me, no matter how slow I ran it, was a good run.
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I'm taking a vacation day on Wednesday. I work about 40mins away from home and the commute home from work on the day before Thanksgiving is a total nightmare here in MA. I did it the first year I worked for this company and it took me 3 hrs to get home..... never again! The only down side is that I have to work on Friday. It sucks, but at least it "should" be a quite day.
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On Thanksgiving morning I'm doing the Gobble Wobble race. As I posted before, it's being paid for by my work..... thats the only reason I'm doing it it. I was running that day anyways, why not make it a race.
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mentioned before that I joined a running club. I just realized today that they give out TIME-WAIVED BOSTON MARATHON ENTRY BIBS to members who volunteer throughout the year at certain events. I'm late to qualify for one this year, but I plan to volunteer at whatever race possible this year coming up so I can get myself a spot for the 2013 Boston Marathon. This would be awesome,... a dream come true, if I can make it happen. I know that I could never qualify, especially now with the tougher time restrictions. So this could be my only way in!! This will require a lot of work on my part, but I'm willing to make it happen. I will keep you posted on how that works out.
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Don't forget about my giveaway. Only 7 people entered....your chances are real good to win!!!


Song of the run today:

I love old school house music....

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Saturday's post

11 awesome miles on the books today!! Awesome because these 11 miles felt real easy today. The temperature was a brisk 32 degrees when I walk out the door at 7am this morning, the music on my iPod was on shuffle and every song that came on was perfect for my run!
I was up at 5am this morning. I couldn't really sleep so I laid in bed watching the news for about an hour before I forced myself out of bed. This must be signs of getting older.... 5am on a Saturday just ain't right! I got up made coffee and a granola breakfast to fuel myself for this run. I think that right there made a big difference in the outcome of my run today. Plus, I made sure to take my water and a packet of Jelly Belly Sport Beans to give me that extra boost. I was ready to own this run today!
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My Sister-in-Law (Facebook Page) is a self employed professional photographer and I asked her the other day if she would be willing to take some pictures of me running. Not free of course.... I will exchange her services for my computer services. She is really good at what she does and I want to try try to get her a gig with the running group I just joined. With all the races they put together, she could be looking at making some good extra cash doing race shots. With all the race photography companies out there, it doesn't hurt to have another one. I'll post some of the pics once I get them done.

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Another plug for my giveaway...... One week left for it. I think I'll have some extra stuff that I might even have a second prize for this giveaway. I'll post more details as soon as I know better.

Have a great weekend all!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

This is my run

Love this commercial....


I have never seen this commercial on TV. Though I hardly watch TV. Someone sent it to me via Facebook. I thought it was pretty cool. Makes me want to get out there and run every time I see it!
( I just realized I could post videos from Youtube..... I'm a slower learner :(  )


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6 Miles done today during lunch. It was a good strong 6 miles. If I had more time I could have easily done 3 or 4 more. Hopefully I feel that good on Saturday when I push for long run. :)

Song of the run that really got me going today: Foo Fighters - All My Life


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Don't forget to enter my Giveaway! Only 7 people entered so far. Their chances look great!!! You still have time. It ends next Friday.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I see you running all the time

"I see you running all the time"... that's usually the start of conversations when I run into people I haven't talked to in a while or even people I just met. I live in a small town (Webster, Ma) where you might not know everybody personally, but you might know of him\her or at the very least know them by sight.
I work about right outside Boston. About an hour away from home. A new guy started here not too long ago and he mentioned to me that he just moved to Webster. I was like "hey, I live in Webster too!".... and he was "yeah, I know. I see you running all the time." O_o .... Honestly, it kinda weirded me out. But then it lead to a good conversation about running. The guy just started running himself and was asking for tips. Who would of thought, someone asking me for tips...huh?

I'm posting from working at the moment. I'm actually waiting for some software installs to finish up. I'ts like watching paint dry..... but it's a rare quiet moment. I'll take it!

6 Miles on the books today. Beautiful 60 degree day today. Song of the run today:  Rihanna - We Found Love 

In case you missed it, I'm doing a giveaway: Here. As of this moment only 4 people have entered. Their chances look good!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Busy, Busy, Busy...plus my first Giveaway

This week so far I have only gone out for a run on Tuesday. A good 6 mile run. Work has been crazy. I had to do some traveling to one of our other offices in Danbury, CT. I've worked some long days. Luckily I have today, Veteran's Day, off. I'll be going for a quick run as soon as I shake off the cob webs. I also need to do some catch up on the blogs that I follow.

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OK... I have been trying to get a good Giveaway together for a while now.... and I think I finally have something worth while to give away. I call this:

"The Recovery and Injury Prevention Giveaway"!


What you have here are products that were giving to me as gifts that I will pass along to a lucky follower. I have a couple of friends that work for this company. They know that I'm a runner and always have aches and pains so they bring me stuff all the time. Trust me I have a closet full of these.

I honestly love these products. The hot\cold pads have been a life saver when it comes to knee pains after a long run. I have one of the portable ones at work that I use after my runs during lunch. The wellness wraps (bottom middle two) are new products and are ones you have really have to try. They have beads in them instead of the normal gel that most hot\cold pads have. I use the one that wraps around the neck for when I get neck cricks. It honestly feels like someone is giving you a nice warm hug. :)

Anyways, these are gifts that where given to me that I will pass along to you. I was not required to give any kind of review on these. The comments I made above are my own personal opinion.

*To enter this giveaway I only ask that you are a follower and leave me a comment telling me so. That's it! I will run this giveaway until the 25th. The day after Thanksgiving and announce the winner on the 26th.

Good luck every one!

*** No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.... yada, yada, yada.....

Saturday, November 5, 2011

5K x 3 & Joined a running group

This morning I went up to Worcester to run the CMS 5K. Due to some traffic on the highway, I got there 5 mins before it started. I paid the $4 and ran up to the starting line while strapping my iPod on to my arm. There was a good crowd today, about 35 people. This is real low key race. I came in 5th. There is a time keeper, but I forgot to check with him before I left. So I dont know what my time was. It will be posted online in a few days so I'll find out then.
While there, I decided to join the CMS running group. I have been coming to this 5K on and off for about 3yrs, but never bothered joining the group. I really need to start getting out there and meeting more runners. I figured this would be the perfect way. So officially today I am a Central Mass Strider :)

I wanted to make today my long day. So after the race, I ran the 5K course 2 more times. 3 years ago, this feat would have been unthinkable. I'm thrilled that today this is possible. I thought about doing one more lap and making it a 12+ mile run, but time was against me. I had a computer service call for noontime and I needed to get home to shower up. So a 9+ was good.

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Last week I fixed a laptop for a lady at work. I don't normally do this for co-workers, but I felt bad for her so I helped her out. She wanted to give me money for helping her out, but I turned it down. I did it as a favor. I was cool with that. But Friday morning there was a "thank you" card with a $100 Gift card to Dick's Sporting Good sitting on my desk. 
It was from her with a note saying "buy yourself some running stuff". I thought that was pretty cool. 

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Don't forget to change your clocks tonight (If applies to you). With this extra hour gained just means that I will be out for my run an hour earlier.


Today's Song of the Run - David Guetta - The Alphabeat  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

You don't look like a runner.

Speed Workout today (Thursday). 4 Miles at sub 7min miles! Song of the run: Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine . This song came up on my iPod when I had 1/2 mile left in my run. And I needed it!! It gave me that extra boost I needed to keep my pace going til the end of my run. It was an awesome run today!

5 miles on Tuesday
7 Miles on Wednesday

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"You don't look like a runner". I was told this today by a new guy at work that saw me head out for my run during lunch. He said that I don't look like the runner type. We were having this conversation while I was working on his computer so couldn't really ask him what he meant by this. The funny thing is, this is not the first time some one had said this to me.

I think I know what they mean though. It's like when I go to races, I always look around at the other runners and some of these guys have that athletic build. They look like runners to me. Then there are other guys that dont.  I think I land on that side of the fence. Ya know what I mean?
Honestly it doesn't bother me. When I'm at these races and I see these "runners", I expect them to be faster than me. But it makes me feel good when at the end of the race I'm watching them cross the finish line after me.


 Has anyone ever said that to you?

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Survived the first winter storm!

I woke up early Saturday morning and got 10+ miles in before the snow started falling. It was cold, probably in the upper 20's or lower 30's. But I was prepared. Had my black winter cap, black gloves, black long running pants, black long sleeve shirt with a bright fluorescent yellow short sleeve over that one that made me look like a highlighter marker:

Otherwise I would have looked like I was about to rob a bank or something.. :)

Started snowing at about noontime and didn't stop until 8am Sunday morning. We lost power for about 6hrs that night. We were lucky. Still today there are thousands of people without power in our town and surrounding areas.  We got about 8" of real heavy snow. Towns north of us got a mind blowing 32"!!!!! That's almost unheard of midwinter, never mind in October.
Our office was closed on Monday, which meant I didn't have to drive in. As long as I have an internet connection I can work from anywhere. So I was logged in answering emails and making calls. It was just as busy as any other day.

So I ran 10 on Saturday. Sunday was a planned Day off. Monday work and life took the front seat to everything else. This morning I packed all my running stuff and brought them in with me to work. Lunchtime  runs here I come!

Have a great week everyone!!

-JR



Friday, October 28, 2011

My Friday post :)

So we got close to 2" of snow last night....... most of it was gone by noon time today. It was cold today in the 40's but sunny which helped melt the snow. Tomorrow night we are expecting a nor'easter to hit the NE area dropping at least another 6" of the white stuff. yay... I'm so not ready for this :(

Today I got a good 7 miles in at lunch time. I wanted to do some more trail runs Ernie, but when I emailed him, his Out of Office response reminded me that he left for Florida for the weekend. So I ended up doing my middle two miles of my seven through some trails that Ernie had showed me. That was good enough with me. I dont like doing trails runs by myself. I worry about getting hurt out there. You just never know. Slipping and falling or twisting an ankle would suck out there by yourself.

I plan on getting a good long run out tomorrow morning before any snow hits the ground. If I get 10 miles in, I will be happy.

Runs this week:
6 miles on Monday Morning... It was cold out!!!
7 Miles of Trail runs with Ernie on Tuesday during lunch
4 easy miles on Wednesday... I was hurting for some reason that day... I cut it short.

Song of the run today:  Snoop Dog- Vato (NSFW)

Have a good weekend everyone!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Long Cold Winter...

Long Cold Winter... A song to set my mood.

Winter time kills me. I know that I posted previously that I was ready for winter.... but as I stated, I'm ready for the cold. What I'm not ready for is the early darkness. It drives me crazy! I know it's not officially winter according to the calendar. But the weather reports saying we are getting 1" of snow tomorrow night!

Sound the sirens, grab your shovels, dust off them snow blowers!!!!! 

Ok..... I'm being over dramatic..... like I was saying, it's the getting dark early that gets me. It puts me in that night time mode early and I start to get lazy over the winter. I go into a hibernation mode. I still get my runs in during the day or early mornings, don't get me wrong, but that's it for me. No more afternoon walks or bike rides like I do in the summer.

I need to join a gym, pick up a hobby or something.... the title says it all for me. It's going to be a long cold (dark) winter.


What do you guys do besides running over the winter months??

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Thank goodness for weekends....

Last week at work was kinda crazy. We had one guy on vacation and we were holding sales meetings at our location which meant a lot more people in the building... and a lot more people with computer problems. The weekend couldn't get here fast enough!

Friday I did some trail runs with Ernie again. What an awesome run it was! I have never been a big fan of the fall season. I'm not into the looking at the fall foliage and all that stuff. When the leaves change color it means only one thing for me...... winter is coming! But I have to admit, these few trail runs that I have done is starting to change the way I think about fall. This could be my new fall thing to do. We were talking about doing this at least once a week. That would be awesome!

Saturday I ran a 5k in the next town over. It was a fundraiser for the music class of the middle school. It was a small race. I would say a total of 150 runners\walkers. I lined up right at the starting line, which I hardly ever do. Half a mile into the race and I had claimed 3rd place and held on to it 'til the end. The course was very hilly. Like ridiculously hilly! I almost felt like walking at one point, but the thought of holding on to third place kept me going. I know the area very well, so it felt like a very fast race for some reason.

Blocked out last names to protect the innocent ;)

1st place (42yr old guy) came in at 18mins and change, 2nd place (17yr old kid) came in at 20 and change, and me 3rd at 21:06. I got first place medal for my age group. This is a first for me! In reality, not that I was any faster, just that their wasn't that many runners. I keep telling myself that if the two guys ahead of me would have stayed in bed, I would have come in first place! Hehehe... 

I'm that weird guy that always asks a stranger to take a picture of me after a race... I have done this for every race! Why stop now.

My younger brother had dropped me off at the middle school before the race. After the race I ran the 7 miles home to make it my long run of the weekend. While running I noticed that I was getting some weird stares from people. It wasn't 'til I looked at my reflection at a store front (about 3 miles in) that I noticed I was still wearing my race bib.... LOL. I took it off but couldn't stop giggling to myself. 

Today was a rest day.... from running anyways. First thing this morning I went for a nice 4 mile walk with 10yr daughter, mowed the lawn and did stuff around the house. It was a good weekend! Thank goodness!!

I hope everyone had a good weekend as well! 


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wednesday Ramblings....

Busy work week this week. Sales meetings are being held in our offices and the building is packed with sales people from all across the country. These are people that I only see once, maybe twice a year, so when they are here it's time for their computer check up. So needless to say, I have been up to my ears with computer issues....

Let me see, today is Wednesday. No running today. I'ts raining like crazy out there. I ran a good 6.5 miles on Monday during lunch.Uneventful, but it was a really good run. Good fast pace all the way through. Tuesday was a day off. I had already run 3 days in a row and I never do 4, unless they were all 3 miles or less each day.   Tomorrow is suppose to be nice out. I get in a run during lunch.

Saturday I'm doing a local 5K. This is literally like 5 mins from my house, so why not? :) I signed for it a while ago, when it was only $15.

Anyone ever hear of  GoGazella.com?? It's a forum for runners and it seams pretty interesting.  I found it on a link on Facebook. I'm going to use it to find other runners locally. I need to start branching out a bit more. I need more running friends :( .... Seriously, I do. I want to find someone I can get together at least once a week and maybe do some long runs with. That would be cool.

Congrats to everyone that ran marathons and half marathons this past weekend. Loved the race recaps!! You guys are awesome!!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Saturday Ramblings.........

I ran a good 7 miles today while my car was getting an oil change. The guys at the garage know that I'm a runner, so they always tell me to leave the car there while I go for my morning run. To top it off, the oil change was free because I had worked on one of the mechanic's computer last week. It feels feel to have connections.....
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I was contacted by the HR dept. at work regarding a local race that they are sponsoring. The told me that they would like me to run the Gobble Wobble Road race on Thanksgiving.... and they will pay my entrance fee!.. 


They just want me to get other coworkers involved in either participating in the run\walk or in volunteering....  Thanksgiving morning..... I was probably going for a run that morning anyways.... I'm in!! I already have a  couple poeple lined up to join me!!
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I'm soo jealous of all the other bloggers doing a marathon this weekend!! God bless you all and good luck to you all!! You will all do great!! Show 'em what you got!! Can't wait to read the recaps!
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A quick thank you to all of you that have leaving comments in my blog. I appreciate every single one of them!



Song of the run today was: David Guetta - I Can Only Imagine (feat. Chris Brown & Lil Wayne) - this song kicks ass!!


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Some trail running today...

I think about posting on my blog almost every day. I get these ideas or take some pictures during my runs that I want post about..... But honestly it's been way to busy for me lately. Especially with work. I've mentioned before that I deal with computers all day long. When I get home at night, a computer is the last thing I want to look at!.... plus to be all honest, I'm not that much of a writer. It probably takes me a bit longer than most people to actually write down my thoughts. So I make sure I have the time :)

I got in a 5 mile run on Sunday. I ran early in the morning before the record breaking 86 degree heat we got that day. It was hot, but not muggy. It was a really nice day. ......... No run on Monday.

Today I wanted to run, but really didn't want to run alone. I have a coworker, Ernie, that also runs during lunch so I sent him an email to see if he was running today and if he wanted company. He replied saying that he was running some new trails that found and sure I could come along. YES! I haven't run to many trails, only because I don't know of many so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to learn of a few around my work. 

 One of the trail entrances

There were so many trails out there that I never knew existed! Apparently there is a big trail running group out that way and they run these trails and others that stretch out for miles across many of the surrounding towns. We ran roughly about 7 miles at Ernie's 10min mile pace. Which was fine with me. I was enjoying the views of all the nature around me. It was awesome!! I could of run another 10 miles, but my time was limited and I had to had back to work. Unlike Ernie, I'm an hourly employee and I have to punch back in when I get back. I was a bit late but it's never a big deal with my boss. I make up my time during the week.

This a must do again, but would like to plan it out for the weekend so I have more time to explore all these trails!

Any trail runners out there? Would like to lean more about trail running groups. Would be nice to mix up my runs a bit.




Saturday, October 8, 2011

Run a mile in my sneakers.......

10 miles on the books today. What an awesome run it was. Weather was a bit colder than I expected. It must have been in the upper 40s to lower 50 this morning at about 6:30. I took off in shorts and one of my tech T's. My legs were OK but my arms and fingers were freezing!! I warmed up at about mile 3... all was good after that.

 I need to pick up some new sneakers soon. My feet are a bit more achy than normal during the last few runs. That's usually the hint that it's time. I usually keep 2 sneakers in rotation. I really can't afford doing more than that. I'll buy one now and then buy another in about a week. I can get the NB 1226 for about $80-$90 and the sole inserts for about $20 online. A lot cheaper than retail.
I understand the importance of getting the right running gear for me. Between sneakers, sole inserts and my knee braces it adds up pretty quick. It's important to ME. It's what I need to run good, get better and minimize any injuries. My loving wife, who I love with all my heart and who is NOT a runner, has a hard time understanding and justifying these purchases. I get grief every time she hears of me buying another pair of sneakers. :( All I can say is run a mile in my sneakers and you will understand.......

When it comes to race fees, that another story...

From reading other blogs, it looks like most of you have a significant other that runs also or just understands........

Does anyone get grief about the money spent on your passion? Whether it be on sneakers or races?

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Today's Song of the Run: Jedi Mind Tricks - Animal Rap

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Song of the Run

6 1/2 miles today..... done and Finished strong! Kept a good 7.5min pace all the way through. Awesome run!
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When I run, I run with music 90% of the time. It keeps my mind occupied plus I don't have to listen to myself breathing. On every run, there is always that one song that comes on that helps you push a little harder, makes you run a little faster or it just helps you out when you hit that wall! I call it the Song of the Run.

There has been many Songs of Run for me. From "Living in America" by James Brown that helped me out during The Running of the Wolves 10k, to "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard that got me moving at the Worcester Half, to "I like it like that" by Tito Nieves that helped me finish the last 10k I did.
I listen to all kinds of music (Salsa, Pop, Heavy Metal, Rap, Country, Jazz) so I never know what song will be THE song that will give me that extra kick....


Today's Song of the Run was "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.


Do you guys listen to music when you run? What do you listen to?

Monday, October 3, 2011

18th Annual RRI Rise & Run Road Race


This race is held in the town of Sturbridge, Ma. It's a 5k, a 10k and a 1 mile fun run. The race starts and ends in the parking lot of The Publick House . The Public House is one of these places that you MUST visit if you are ever in the area. It's just full of soo much history, plus the food and the atmosphere is great!
Picture of the back of the building

The race itself was small and low key. About 120 walked\ran the 5K and about 70 people walked\ran the 10K. The course was all through very scenic Sturbridge back roads. I have never done this race before, but I have run these roads before. They are close to a camp ground that I stayed at a couple years ago so the roads were familiar.

Team Hoyt blessed us with their presence. This is the second race I have done they have have run also.
If you do not know who Dick Hoyt and Rick Hoyt are, please click the link above...  grab a tissue and be inspired. Dick is one of the most down to earth guys you can ever meet. 


All walkers and runners started the race at the same time which I thought was weird. Usually you would see walkers head out about 15-30mins before the runners. Then the 10k'ers, followed by the 5k'ers shortly after. But they explained that at a certain point of the course there would be a turn around point for the 5k'ers.
The race started a couple of minutes late, but caught me off guard when it did start. I was actually talking to another runner when a loud horn went off marking the start of the race. The first 1/4 mile was a steep hill that came up to an clearing that gave you a good view of the damage of a tornado that hit this area over the summer.
I took this picture after the race
It looked like a bomb had gone off in this area!

The 5K turn around came quick. I passed a few people before this point. Then I realized I was right behind the first place person of the 5k! It was a lady in her 50's. I was like really?? Up ahead I could see the first place person of the 10k. He was only 4 people ahead of me...... I was fifth! It was hill from there for the next 2 miles. It was brutal but an advantage to me. It helped me get a gap between me and 6th placed. I knew I wasn't catching up to the few ahead of me, but I was determined not to let the person behind me pass me!
As soon as hit the top of the hill, we took a left and it was mostly down hill from there. There were a couple of other hills but not as bad as the one after the 5k turn around. Knowing that I struggle down hill, I looked behind me and I could see 6th place slowly catching up...... Time to bust out  "Jazz Hands!" ..Sorry to steal your move Jamoosh, but I must admit, It works!! I kept pace and widen the gap at the few hills that were left.
I kept looking over my shoulder as I approached the finish line. I hate it when last minute someone comes flying by me and steals my thunder. But I was good. I could see 6th place far enough away. I crossed the finish line at 43:44.  Not my best 10k time, but hell, 5th place, I'll take it!! 

So officially I came in 5th place over all and 2nd in my age group. I am super happy with this! This undid all of last weeks sucky runs. I felt great!!

...... but one thing bothers me. Remember I mentioned I was right behind 1st place of the 5k? She came in at 21:41.... This was the first race I have ever done that it was not packed with young 20yr olds with blazzing speeds. I wonder.........  if I would have chosen to do the 5k instead of the 10K, would I have come in first place? With my time of 21:04 in my last 5K, in my mind, I honestly believe that I could have. What a feeling that would have been....

After the race I hung out and talked with a few of the other runners. Watch the award ceremony. Only 1st place got awards... :( ...  Then I hit the Publick House bakery for some treats to take home!!



Awe yeah...... this was my prize!




Saturday, October 1, 2011

I needed this!

This past week's runs have been horrible. Between the humidity weighing me down and my feet not cooperating with me, I have been in a real bum mood. I was having one of those "why do I even try" days yesterday. I actually started a post about it last night, but got tired so I saved it thinking I would finish it today and then post it. Today it rained all morning long. "Good!" I thought to myself, I didn't want to run anyways. I just stayed in and worked on some computer stuff. I do computer repair from home for extra cash and I have plenty of work!


At about 1 O'clock the rain died down and was just drizzling. Then I started thinking to myself  "Maybe I should go for a run?"... I debated with this thought for a while as I continued working. About 30mins later I put on my running gear and told myself "Let's go...". I figured I would run a bit and if my feet weren't on the same page with me I would just walk. To my surprise I ran strong and with no problems at all. Seven miles strong! I felt great after the run! I really needed this confidence booster.  The rain help up for the most part, but even if it down poured I wouldn't have cared.

I'm back to working on my computers now and deleted yesterday's saved post. I'm glad I decided to run today. I needed this.
There is a 10k happening tomorrow, two towns over. Now that I am in better spirits, I think I'll do it up!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bring on the cold

I did 5 really tough miles today! I couldn't get into a grove in this run until the very end. It sucked. I sucked! After the run, I felt tired and hungry all day long. I couldn't snap out of it... not a good day.

It was extremely humid today too. By the time I got back from the run, I was dripping wet in sweat. Even after my shower I felt like I could not cool down. It looks like we'll have a couple more hot days then this weekend it will go down to the 60's again for highs.

 Hate to admit it, but I'm looking forward to cold days. Hell,... bring on winter. I'm ready.

Ok.... not that ready.... :(

Sunday, September 25, 2011

It pays to run ....

I had a rough night sleeping last night. I actually woke up yesterday with a neck crick. You know that pain in the neck you get when you can't look left or right? So all last night I felt that pain and it kept me up. Every time I turned around in bed I felt a sharp pain in my neck and upper back. I don't know what the hell caused it!! So I was up at 5:30 cause I couldn't sleep any more. I started doing neck and back stretches to help loosen up the crick pains. At about 6:30 I was loose enough and awake enough so decided to go for a run.

At about mile 2.5 I saw a light green object in the middle of brown leaves in a parking lot ahead of me. Low and behold, a nice crispy $10 bill!!

I'm rich biatch!!


I don't care how you cut it. Whether it's $5 dollars, a dollar or even a quarter, free money is good money!!! Hell yeah!

I finished the run with a good  5 miles behind me. I could have probably done more, but seeing that it was a really good run and my knee wasn't hurting, I figured I wouldn't push it. This week weather permitting, I plan on running Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. I'm looking at a half marathon mid October. I have not committed to it yet, but if I can get a friend to do it with me, and maybe even carpool to it, I'll do it! I'll keep you posted.

ugh,... Not looking forward to this work week :( ... but at least I'm $10 ahead now :)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Friday ramblings.... and a beer.


No run on Wednesday. I had to travel to Danbury, CT for work. It was a meet and greet with a new office that I will be supporting soon. Yay, more work. I guess I can't complain. Could be worse, I could be on the flip side of the job market.

No run on Thursday. Daughter had her tonsils removed and she is doing well. She is a strong girl! She was up and talking an hour after the procedure. If it were me, I would have been begging for pain killers!! God bless her!
I did get to go out on a 10 mile bike ride in the late afternoon. The weather was perfect. Warm enough for shorts but not crazy hot. Perfect summer type fall weather :)

Today I worked from home so I could stay with my daughter. It was a pretty busy day. My phone was ringing off the hook and emails were pouring in like crazy! I logged into work about 7am.... I was shooting for 6am, but that didn't happen. I logged out at 4PM, but had to sign back in because of an emergency they were having. I was officially done by 5:30.

I did get to go for a run around noon time today. I did a really hard 4 miles today. My feet where just NOT in the game today. No matter what I did, I just could not get into a rhythm. My legs were not cooperating at all! I felt dead by the time I got home. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day. I'm planning a 7+ mile run tomorrow.
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I'm taking a page from Jamoosh's blog for the moment,....

This time of  year, a lot of breweries come out with their "Pumpkin" beers. I'm not too crazy about pumpkin beer. I have tried plenty but never really cared for any one in particular.... That is until I tried Southern Tier's Imperial Pumking Ale.


I was just blown away at how much I liked the taste of this beer. If you have ever tried Dunkin Donuts pumpkin spice coffee, this taste just like it!! A sweet but not too sweet beer with a perfect taste of pumpkin and spice. This is a MUST try for any beer lover!

I'm just upset that I only bought one bottle :(





Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Breakfast & Good runs

Breakfast for me usually consist of yogurt and fruits. Sometimes I'll mix it up and add some Rice Chex, Corn Flakes or some Cherrios.... yummy! I can't do the greasy breakfast thing. It doesn't agree with me.

This right here hits the spot! Here was today's breakfast:

Kiwi, Bananas & Stawberries

... added Vanilla Yogurt & Rice Chex FTW!


It's light and does the job! At times, I'll have extra fruit and yogurt and I'll make a couple cup fulls and pass them out to a few coworkers. Never had someone turn it down! :)
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I put in a 4 mile run in on Monday at lunch time. It was uneventful and my knee felt good through the run. I ran again today. I unintentionally ran 6 1/2 miles. I didn't want to push my knee, but  at mile 3, where I was planning to turn off to make it another 4 mile run, the was a big truck trying to back up in to a driveway and blocking the whole road. So I said screw it was went straight thinking I would turn at the next street. But I was feeling good and decided to go for the big loop. I did stop once at about mile 5 and walked for about 30sec or so. All in all it was a really good run. I iced my knee after just as a precaution, but it was feeling pretty good.

No runs planned the next 2 days. I'm traveling to our Danbury, CT office tomorrow. That will be an all day event. On Thursday my 17yr daughter is having her tonsils removed, so the wife and I will be taking care of her for the day.

Friday I'm working from home, so I'll get in a run. Hopefully it will be a quiet day so I can make it a semi run long. :)
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What do you think of my breakfast?