Postponed

The rain over the past few days and last night turned the planned 5K route into a muddy soup. It was pouring when we arrived at the site, and the support crew personnel were already dirty from their reconnaissance of the course. As such, due to liability concerns, the race director decided to postpone the race until next Saturday. That is too bad because running in the mud is a lot of fun. But, I’m glad for the race delay because there was no way I would have been able to push a stroller through some of the mud holes on the course, and my son is psyched for his first race. So we will try again same time next Saturday. When we returned home, the dog and I went for an appropriately muddy run of our own through some of the nearby fields.

Number 5

I picked up my racing bib for tomorrow’s 5K at the local running store. Bib number 5! No doubt, the low number reflects my elite status in the stroller pushing division, err, or maybe I was just the fifth person to register. Oh well, it has been rainy for the past few days and it will probably be more of the same tomorrow. No big deal. The course is mostly on grass and there are a few hills, but we will just take our time and enjoy the run.

Nighttime Running

Due to my schedule this week I have had to run at night. Just running at a different time of day can make all the difference in the overall experience. The same boring route looks so different once the sun goes down. I run a fair amount by dawn’s early light, but that is a lot different than dusk’s late light. Just the “change” of scenery forced me to slow down, which is a good thing – not that I am a speed demon by any sense of the imagination (and speed is relative to the individual anyway…). On shorter runs I tend to go too fast. And there is no reason to go fast, so this nighttime running has allowed me to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Just the Boys

My wife spent a relaxing weekend in Hershey, PA, leaving me and my son to fend for ourselves at home all weekend. And we had a good time. We kicked up some “reindeer” on our morning run through the “big woods.” We also played kickball in the rain, jumped into mud puddles, and a lot of other fun stuff that Mom does not allow.

Running wise I felt pretty good this week. I expect I’ll be able to get some longer runs in over the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to pushing my son in the 5K on Saturday.

Going Long

My next long event will be the Hinte Anderson Trail (HAT) 50K in March. One of my friends mentioned the event and I kind of said that would be fun. When I looked at the event’s website my interest grew when I noticed that it takes place about a fifteen minute drive from my house in the Susquehanna State Park. Being that it is so close, I figured why not, and I registered for it. Since registering, I have thought more about it and have grown more and more excited about it. Running on trails and through fields is a more pure form of running. There won’t be any mile markers, the hills will be steeper as the trails are not graded for cars (No cars, YES!!!), and the streams (did I mention there are stream crossings), well, I’ll have wet feet. All in all, it sounds like a nice way to spend a few hours – or more.

Three!

My son’s third birthday was today. I can’t believe he is already three, and at the same time it is hard to remember what life was like before he was born. This morning we went for a five miler; first to the river, under the train tracks, then around the park, and finally through the “big woods.” Last night we had family and friends over to celebrate the big day. My wife knows someone through work that is very talented when it comes to making and decorating cakes, and we truly enjoy giving her a challenge. This year she made a dinosaur cake, which is all together fitting because my son was a triceratops for Halloween. In the spirit of Halloween, the dinosaur was “dressed” as a ghost. I can’t imagine what a cake like this would retail for, but I’m certain it would be more than I would want to pay for a birthday cake. Knowing a creative cake decorator has made my son’s past two birthdays even more memorable. She did a phenomenal job in my opinion.

No Discomfort

I ran three times since Thursday night’s chiropractor visit, totaling about twelve miles. I did feel some mild tenderness in my calf at first, although I am unsure how much of that was due to real discomfort or the fact that I am very conscious of the recovery. All in all, my calf feels very good and I think the Graston Technique assisted in the recovery.