Try

Time to give it a whirl. I'm headed out for a nighttime run tonight. I was in Phoenix last week and ran twice. My foot was kind of sore one day, but I attribute that more to the work we were doing than to the runs. Heheh...runs.

I know these posts are all starting to sound the same, but I'm starting to feel like a lump. So I'm optimistic that I'll run tonight and it will all be better...I'm ok with not competing again this fall so long as I'm healed and can run and bike for fun whenever I want...which is like every day.

At any rate things in life are good right now. Carli and I are reaching a level of financial responsibility that while we maybe should have been there, oh I don't know, ten years ago, it's good to get there even now. We both love our jobs and Lily is the apple of my eye. Cliche? Perhaps, but if you don't have your own kids, don't judge. Most of you might think that you'd find it annoying when you're updating your blog while your daughter is taking a bath and you hear, "I have to poop!". So you stop typing, go and assist the removal from the tub, quick drying off, help up on the toilet, leave the room (because she needs "privacy"), help back into the tub, get back to your blog for 5 minutes before hearing, "I have to poop again!". But you know what? It's a riot. Having a nearly 3 year old around is great.

I just turned 33 and it has only affirmed my belief that things are better as you grow older. I don't understand the fear of getting old. Every year poses new opportunities to learn and to gather experience. Yes I shake my head and smile when I meet people who were born in the late 80's and are now in the job market, but that's because I have vivid memories from that time. It's not because I wish I was 10 or 15 years younger. I love knowing what I know and being where I am...and I have sympathy for those who can't embrace where they are in life. That must be very hard to not have that confidence...

Anywho, this week is a big test for the foot! I'll keep you all (which is to say no one) updated!

Death Magnetic

Ok, I'm the least qualified person in the world to write an objective review of anything Metallica does. I've loved each album they've put out and defended all their different phases when other fans abandoned them because they're newer material didn't sound like it would fit on Ride the Lightning. I think St. Anger was great and that Load and Reload contained a few absolute classics and when I some day compile my own Metallica greatest hits, I will definitely pull songs from those album's. That being said:



DEATH MAGNETIC IS AWESOME.



Ok, there it is. For those of you who liked their older material better, go buy this you'll love it. If it had come out in the early 90's instead of the Black album old school fans would have had no complaint. Personally I was happy to see them branch off and create different sounding music. People hated St. Anger and I listen to that album way more than I listen to Black or Lightning. It's gritty and different. For some reason, band's are crucified if they branch away from what made them famous. Like it's an insult to their fans or something. People fear change in the worst way. Metallica will always be my favorite band and no matter what they put out I know I'll like it. 9 studio albums have proven that everything they put out is to my liking.

Anyway, if you've ever been a Metallica fan...spin this album, it will knock your socks off.

Hope is a good thing...

...maybe the best of things.

Good recovery week. Since I'm not running right now, I went into the gym old school last week and did basic muscle development isolation exercises. I hadn't done this since I discovered Core Performance 4 years ago and found how well that routine fit with my pursuits of cycling/running. It's been fun to focus solely on lifting and interesting to see how hard exercises are now that used to be easier. It's great to feel that burnt feeling of lifting heavy. But it's also killing me to not have that exhausted feeling you get after a big run or bike.

Yesterday I went for a two hour mountain bike ride which was super fun. The terrain here is incredibly technical...and we were on trails that some consider easy. I have a lot of work to do to improve as a biker on these trails. That being said, after our ride and so far through today my foot feels good. I was off the bike quite a bit yesterday on uneven terrain so I definitely worked my foot, so to not hurt today is a good thing. I'm going to keep moving forward with my lifting routine this week, maybe sprinkle in a yoga and/or spin class and if next weekend I'm feeling good, I may try a short run. Hope, hope.

Derailed?

Pretty sure I've mentioned this here before but now I'm actually worried. A few weeks ago I thought I had a pinched nerve in my foot as there was a pain there that went away after a day or two. This was following the 15 mile run that started my disdain for the GoLite Versa Force and eventually led me back to my Sun Dragons. Well, the pain has persisted, particularly after longer (10+) mile runs. I didn't think much of it as after a day or two of rest the pain would subside, never completely, but enough so that I wouldn't really notice it when I walked or even run short distances.

This morning, after yesterday's ten, I started browsing around online. We've all become qualified doctor's afterall in the age of the internet (I'm pretty sure my wife is about to open her own practice: True/WebMD) and I found this on www.orthoinfo.aaos.org when I Google'd 'stress fracture foot':

• Symptoms:
  Pain that develops gradually, increases with weight-bearing activity, and diminishes with rest
  Pain that becomes more severe and occurs during normal, daily activities
  Swelling on the top of the foot or the outside of the ankle
  Tenderness to touch at the site of the fracture
  Possible bruising

Yeah, I pretty much meet all of those symptoms. I haven't noticted much bruising, but everything else is dead on. Especially point numero uno, with the pain diminishing with rest.

Ugh. I was really mentally prepared for the 23k this weekend, but if my little doctor work is on target and I keep running I could potentially fracture my foot. This sucks...I think I'll stop running entirely this week, hit the gym religously and plan a few big days on the mountain bike and see how it goes from there. I'm very tempted to take the risk and do the race, but I need to be smart and not find myself on the DL any longer than I need to be. Pissed off is not a strong enough phrase for how angry I am...how about Fucking Agitated.

I swear this year is cursed. I ended 2007 in the best shape I'd ever been in, and between injury and disease I've had an awful 2008. Hopefully that means I've paid my dues and 2009 becomes an epic year, but I'm not holding my breath. The worst thing I can do right now is believe that it's all related, because it's not. Shit like this happens. Hell, look at Ken Griffey, Jr. Talk about a string of bad luck. I really shouldn't be complaining. But disappointment, is disappointment regardless of what it is that you're disappointed about.

I'm rambling. I'm in the gym tomorrow...hopefully they'll let me use the spin bikes.

Viva la Sun Dragon!

Yep, I'm back in the old school Sun Dragons and they are treating me much better than those awful Versa Force's. Down with posting in Trail Runners say I!

Last weekend was pretty fun. We were up on Lake Winnipesaukee so on Saturday Carli and I went running on Mt. Major. This tiny mtn on the south side of the big lake is a popular summer hiking spot. It's only 1780' tall, but the trailhead sits at 780' and the trail is straight up over about a mile and a half. So you gain the 1000' in elevation really quickly. Also, the trail is pretty much either loose gravel and baby heads or slabs of granite and cliffs. So for it's small stature, Mt. Major has its challenges. I hadn't been doing too much work on hills so this was a great way to test the legs and lungs. I made it up and down in about 35 minutes and I"m pretty happy with that. I did have to take a few breathers and walk a bit of the uphill, but I hadn't done anything this steep since Brooks and I ran up Bear Peak in Boulder last December. Carli did well also, making it to just below the final slabs before meeting up with me and running back out. The trail is ankle turner city so we were both happy to come through with no injuries.

On Sunday we went mountain biking at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, NH. BBSP is a known mountain bike hot spot and man did this place deliver. The trails are super fun. Fast and flowy, especially for New England, with lots of quick technical steeps to challenge you, but always turning back down so that you don't lose too much momentum. I cannot wait to get back to Bear Brook and put in a full day. We didn't have much time as my folks were watching Lily so we needed to beat it back to the lake.

On Monday, Labor Day, we came home and I did my standard 8 mile trail run from the house. I was slow, being pretty sore from Mt. Major, but it was a great way to cap off the weekend.

Today, we've been waiting for Tropical Storm Hanna to make it's appearance in New England. While it didn't rain most of the day, the humidity was off of the charts. If the sun had been out, I really would have given pause to running today. Just being outside made you sweat. I spaced out in prep to do my triple lap 15 mile run and didn't bring any Gu or Clif Shots with me and with the heat and humidity the way it was I definitely would have bonked had I attempted the third lap. Still 10 miles was good given that a week from tomorrow is the Pisgah 50k/23k trail running race. I'm going to attempt the 23k so I should begin tapering anyway. I'd like to get in a decent day tomorrow, take my standard Monday day off and log 3-5 miles on Tue-Friday before resting again on Saturday before the race on Sunday. Should be a blast.