Lets be realistic here

So, normally I say something like "My goal for the week is to run every day and get in 60 miles," or something along those lines.  This week?  Not so much.  I'm driving to chicago, my birthday is tomorrow, I have work for anywhere from 12 to 15 hours a day from Thursday through Sunday, and then Becky is flying into Chicago Sunday evening.  So I wont lie to myself and think I'm going to get in 60 miles this week.  I will, however, lie to myself and say I will get in 50 miles a week (again) and that I wont go too crazy on my birthday (Which I will be celebrating in Toledo Ohio, if anyone is around), I'll sleep well this week, and not eat too much crap.  Ha.

Anyways, as bad a week of training as this week is turning out to be, my last few days were pretty awesome.  Chris (who shares my disdain for leprechauns) and I went for a baller 9 mile run, which I mentioned before.  Yesterday I went for a 13 miler with Tushar.  It was pretty controlled and we felt great most of the way.  The last two miles I was pretty tired, but that was mostly because I hadn't really slept for the last 2 days.  Apparently my internal clock hates me when I have to get up at 5:00am for work on a Sunday.  It was a great refreshing run, and allowed for me to fall asleep sitting up on Tushar's couch.  Thus meaning I fell asleep at Tushar's as many times this weekend, as I did Heps weekend... 

Moving on.

As for my run today Chris and I are currently in Somerset Pa.  Which is apparently the never ending hill capital of western Pa.  We went straight up the first hill we saw, thinking it led to some trails, or something, because all we could see up the hill were trees, and more distant hills.  It did not lead to any trails, but it did lead to some neighborhoods and, more hills.  So yeah, I have no idea how far I ran, Chris was with me for 25 minutes, then I added on until I was at 40, then turned around and got back in 1:04.  I came straight back and didn't go into any of the neighborhoods.  So yeah, it was about 9, maybe, but it was hard as hell every step.  

Tomorrow we're of to Toledo, then to Chicago on Wednesday.  We're there for the next 10 to 12 days or so, then we head down to St. Luis for a week or so, then off to the Motherland, Portland.  

Disappointing, kind of

I don't get it.  I am so close to being on pace to run as much as I want each week, but somehow, I manage to always will myself to come up short.  For example, this week, through 3 days I had run 25 miles.  I ran a hard 8.5-9 with Ben, and was pretty pleased with how it went.  I ran just under 70 minutes for 10 the next day then followed it up with an easy 6 the next day (I had work and had to run at 9:15 at night, and didn't feel like running past 10:00).  Anyways, no big deal, clearly on my way to getting an easy 60 miles this week, which was my goal.  However, things started to fall apart.  The next day, which was a Thursday, of course, I only ran 3 miles.  We drove to Philly and had a busy day and I went for a run at 8:00 on a treadmill, b/c it was shitty and very dark out, and I had no idea where I was.  I felt awful, apparently whenever I run on a treadmill now my body decides it wants to die.  Ok, no worries, I still have 28 miles through 4 days, 3 days to go and I only need 32 miles, 10, 10 and 12 and I'm fine, 60 miles.  

Shit, on Friday I  decide to go to a baseball game instead of run.  We have work in the morning, and we work fairly early, so running before hand is no an option, then we have to check into our hotel in downtown Philly.  We get into town, but can't check into our hotel for a while, and can't go running b/c I can't just leave the truck and Chris and run randomly.  No worries, we'll run when we get into our hotel.  We get checked in at about 5.  I'm getting ready to go when Chris says "Yo, lets go to the Phillies game."  I've never been to a MLB game before, so I decide, screw it, lets go to the ball game.  We get there, expecting to get tickets, no problem (They were laying the Baltimore) and find out the game is sold out.  After a few minutes of ticket searching, we find a scalper with 3 tickets to sell, sweet, except they are 2 and 1.  Since Chris is with his girlfriend they take the 2, and I get to sit and watch the game by myself.  Sweet.  That is until I read my ticket and see it is for a game from last week.

Whoops.  Luckily for me, I find the guy who sold it to me and get an actual ticket, which turns out to be dope as hell.

My seats were section 108, so right next to the 1st base line foul poll, and I was so close I could spit on Jayson Werth, if I had wanted to.  Anyways, going to a sporting event in Philly is awesome, because they are terrible fans.  The O's were playing well, and instead of getting behind the Phillies, the fans just start yelling and booing and leaving early.  It was so awesome to see.  I couldn't believe how terrible the fans treated their players.  Thank God I suck too much at anything to get paid millions of dollars to play in front of such ungrateful fans.

Anyways, where I'm going with this, is that I didn't run.  Shit.  Anyways, I had work again this morning, bright and early.  We were out at the Wissahickon trail and it started pouring.  Like everything got soaked and our computers barely made it out alive.  Chris and I were covered in mud, so we packed up, and went for a run.  Chris claims we were hammering on the way out, but we negtive split our run by 2.20 to run 57:40.  Easily over 8 miles, it was just way too nice a place to run, and it was pretty cool (mid 60's) and raining.  Best part, my nipples didn't bleed (F$%& you Ben).  I think that means I'm turning a corner.  

So, thats it for now.  Tomorrow, I'm getting in a long run with the one, the only, the Magush.  So read his blog, then wait a week and read my more entertaining version of the same story.  Sweet.

Week in review, HA!

So.  My last 3 weeks of running have gone pretty decently.  Both 3 and 2 weeks ago, I got in about 50 miles each week, at a decent clip, and I felt awesome.  The beginning of this week did not go so smoothly.  I started off going for a terrible hour long run where I felt like someone had decided to replace my legs with wacky inflatable arm flailing men.  I said to myself "Myself, you're just tired, no worries."  I hate it when I lie to myself.

(Side note, Family Guy just made a joke "Kobe brand condoms, for the protection you want.  For the sex she doesn't).

So yeah, I had a shitty week of training.  Oh well, that will happen.  Also, I was embarrassed by the fact that Tushar was updating his blog more often then me, but then I read it.

No, but really, well done Tush.  Also well done to the following people: Ari, Jokin, Meagan, and the random girl who beat me a 5k this weekend.

Also, if you haven't seen the hangover, do so.  Then agree to take me to vegas.  I'll bring the Jager.

Ok, I know this post kind of sucked, I'm tired and out of it, but I felt the need to write something once a week, so that I at least feel slightly less useless.  Anyways, if anyone is around DC for Tuesday, or Wednesday or Thursday and wants to run, let me know.  My goal is to get in about 60 miles this week.  Sick.

Getting back on the horse.

Ladies and gentleman, let me first start todays post with a brief description of life on the road.  Today I sat in a parking lot for 2 hours while my teammate Chris met up with his lady friend.  After that we drove from the Dulles International Airport to Richmond VA.  Only an hour and 50 minutes, right?  Wrong!  After 2 accidents and some good old fashioned DC traffic it took us almost 4 hours of me driving.  Sweet.  We get in at 8:15.  The restaurant at the bar in the hotel closed at 10, so I couldn't get in as long of a run as I wanted.  Oh yeah, and did I mention I was in downtown Richmond?  

So I check into my room and get changed, ready to get in anything I can.  I start out trying to get into the hotel workout room, I wanted to avoid running in the hood, and see how much I weighed.  Two birds with one stone, you know?  Anyways, the door wont open.  I try my card like 20 times, and even try to use it to pick the lock.  It doesn't work.  I walk down to the lobby and it turns out, I have the key from the hotel I stayed in last night... Damn it.  Anyways, now that I have the right key I go back up to the workout room and try again.  My new, real key, still doesn't work.  I go back down to the lobby, and they think I am an idiot.  They send a maintenance man up with me to show me how to use my key.  Anyways, turns out the door is broken and when I am heading up to my room, almost 3 hours later, it is still broken and they can't get in.  Haha, I'm not that dumb!

Anyways, my run.  At this point it's like 8:40 and I still need to run.  I decide running through the hood is better then not running.  I head out the door of my hotel and take a right.  For the next 4 minutes I think I'm going to get lit up a la a Biggie Small's song.  However, once I get about 5 blocks away (under a train and past the McDonalds) it turns into one of the nicest little suburban streets I've run on.  I then head into an awesome looking Civil War park.  I have to turn around, because as much as I like running, I also want to eat before I go to sleep.  I end up getting in about 30 minutes (29:57 for those of you keeping track at home) and feel like it is better then nothing.  

This was my 12th straight day of running, and I've been feeling a bit better every day.  I ran 50ish miles last week, and am on pace to run about 60 this week.  I just need to do a 12 miler tomorrow or sunday, then an easy 10 the other day.  I think I'm about ready to start running close to 10 miles a day.  I ran 9 miles with Owen, B Clark and Peaches and felt awesome (other then the fact that ever since I tried to assure Ben Stern that my nipples don't bleed when it rains, they bleed when it rains).  Anyways, I'm off to bed because I have work all day tomorrow and then all morning sunday, so I should go to bed.  

Shout out to Tushar for starting a Blog as well.

Shout out to Becky for mailing me those books, and for being my girlfriend.

Oh shit, I only updated my blog once last month.

So...

This is awkward.  I know I haven't really been posting much lately.  My bad.  Anyways, in the last month a lot has happened.  I don't remember all of it.  What I do remember is that I'm still not in shape, but I did run over 50 miles last week, while running every day.  So thats sweet.  Rumor has it a bunch of our crew is going to race Philly and I don't want to be the scrub who gets last, so I had better actually run.  I was hanging with the Sterns last week, and Ben brought out his old Oregon training logs to show his bro.  It got me thinking, and I wrote out training for myself through August.  It's nothing complicated, but I feel like having it hanging over my head makes me more likely to actually run.  Also, Becky discovered these sweet rails next to our apartment, across the GW Bridge, so now I have another tight place to run.  Also, as of July, I will be back in the job hunt, so I should have time to train as well.  Sweet.

Another funny story, I was running with the DC crew the other day and they nicknamed me "Big Mo," because I possess more momentum then the rest of the crew.  Sounds good to me.  Anyways, I'm out for now, but I promise I will update more often.