One second.

I ran the Taylorville Hot to Trot 5K yesterday. The course started downtown and looped Manner's Park twice. It was a fairly hilly course, which slowed me down a bit.

I deviated from my 'normal' pre-race nutrtion. In lieu of a few bananas and Gatorade, I had four frozen waffles and a small glass of skim milk. I also heated up some coffee and drank that, plus some water. This was a mistake. I had the 'heavy belly' feeling for most of the race.

The feeling started to go away about the final 1/4 of the race. I gave it all I had, and finished in 22:55. I started to feel bad about my time, until I did some research at home and discovered...I SET A NEW 5K P.R. BY ONE SECOND!

After discovering this fact, I was really annoyed that I couldn't have run faster. I'd really like to break 22 minutes.

Hey, Lardass!

Okay, I realize that I've been eating like a goat as of late. Junkfood after junkfood, etc.

This morning, I got on the scale and it told me I was 190 pounds. I was not happy. That is the upper end of where I want my weight. 180-185, I'm good. 190 is not.

What do I do? Well, for starters, I have to eat less crap. I have fallen into a horrible habit of eating junk food the first thing in the morning.

Secondly, I need to drink more water and less diet soda.

Thirdly, I need to get more running done. I realize that I have to rest my legs, but upping the mileage will help burn some calories.

I also found out yesterday that the cereal I eat on a 'way too regular' basis is loaded with sugar. Sadly, I will have to cut back on this, too.

The blame rests squarely on me. I will get this extra weight off, and I will do it the right way.

Ugh.

Weekend Review.

We wrapped up the JFL season with a loss to Warrensburg on Saturday. It was a very warm day, but we just couldn't get it going on offense. A few long runs, and that did us in. Our record was 8-3.

The boys all played hard, and I'm proud of all of them.

The missus and I finished the night at Pasta House and Cold Stone Creamery.

We took the kids to Allerton Park yesterday for a 'family escape'. They seemed to like it, despite there not being a playground at the park. The bugs were bad.

I will remember never to go to Curtis Orchards on a Saturday during U of I Homecoming. Wall to wall people. The checkout lines were crazy.

El Rodeo was the spot for a late lunch, then we built a fire and sat around it last night.

Overall, a very enjoyable weekend.

Time to face the mileage!

Hmm, it just now hit me. I have a lot of running to do this month.

I did the yearly total on my Nike Running Log, and I'm behind. I have to run 60 more miles this month to stay on track toward my goal.

As of today, I have 540.45 miles. I need to be at 600 by the end of October.

I offer no excuse, I've just not taken the time to get out as much as I should. The weather has been excellent, perfect for running.

For those of you keeping score at home, my monthly goal has been 60 miles. Multiply that by 12 and you get 720 miles for the year. This is a reasonable goal, some would say it is an easy one. For me, it keeps my legs pretty fresh, but still having a base of about 15 miles per week.

My knees are sore a bit from last night's run. Not sure if it's that the Filas are starting to lose some cushioning or it's because I ran nearly six miles on Monday.

Nevertheless, it's time to make up some mileage!

The Last Week of JFL/Running update.

Well, here we go. It's the final weekend of the JFL season. We have practice on Tuesday and Thursday. Our final game is at 2pm this Saturday.

The worst we can finish is 8-3. Regardless, we've had a successful season.

After walking with my wife on Friday, I finally got in some miles last night. The weather was great, and Sadie and I headed out.

We took off to the east, and went thru town and out in the country for a bit. I wanted to go longer, so I left her at home. I ran out to the interstate and back. I finished with 5.6 miles.

I really need to have a strong October as far as mileage goes. If I want to meet my yearly goal, I have to get about 70 miles this month.

The next race on the docket is my favorite...Allerton. This will be the second race in the new Nikes. I'd really like to get in some 'hill work'. Maybe if my schedule allows, I can drive somewhere and do that?

The Three and One.

Ah, look at that scary thing coming at you in the woods! This was taken toward the end of the race. I was feeling pretty beat at this time. I think the do-rag/glasses combo makes me look like Charlie Murphy's character in 'CB4'.

Three more practices and one more game is all that remains of the JFL season. I think the kids have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I think some are tired and ready for the season to be done; on the other, I think some will be sad to see the season end.

As of now, we have no plans for tomorrow night. I don't have p.a. duties anywhere.

I need to get out and get some miles in this evening. The cooler weather makes the runs very pleasant. However, I know that short days and the cold weather are coming, and that's not fun to think about.

50 ain't so nifty.

After a very nice evening at football practice, it was time to get out and run. I was lazy on Monday, and I didn't run. My legs were still sore, and well...I was just lazy.

I knew that I wouldn't reach my monthly running goal. So, I went out last night to get some of the soreness out of my legs. Sadie and I headed out and enjoyed the night air. Gavin joined us on his bike for the final part. I ended up with a 2.1 mile run. This was enough to get me to 50 miles for the month.

Initally, I was upset that I had missed my goal my 10 miles. But, after thinking about it for awhile, I realized something. I've had some great times in races this month. Perhaps running a bit less has made me fresher?

Anyway, this was the lowest monthly running total of 2008. I will have to make up the miles somewhere. I've only got 3 months left in the year.