Wind Runner

The wind!!! I thought I left it behind in South Dakota. Yesterday a group of us traveled out to Minnetonka to run the LRT towards Victoria. We made the plans on Saturday night to run out a little over an hour and run back. There just happened to be 25-30mph wind from the northwest on Sunday morning, and that also happened to be the direction we were running for the first half of the run. There was this section along Lake Minnetonka that is unprotected from the elements, and the wind and sleet coming from the lake felt like the winds coming from Calhoun or Harriet in January. Despite my complaining, the second half of the run was nice. Did a 30 minute up tempo effort over the final part of the run, didn't feel great, but I was working hard.

This week turned out to be a lower mileage week than initially planned. I had a good workout on Thursday morning on the River Roads (4x1mile at 5k pace). The one thing that killed my mileage was the TCM Banquet on Thursday night. It was a blast, a great time, good people, but before I knew what happened it was midnight, and that ended all ideas of a morning run. Actually that ended all ideas of a quality run at any point on Friday. Regardless, it was a good week of training.

Saturday night was the first halloween party I have been to in quite a while. I have always wanted to dress as John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever, so this year I did. Again, it was a fun night, but after Thursday it was a tame night on my part. The photo below is the costume from Saturday. Don't know why I am posting it, but it seems like an appropriate format to post such a picture.

TV on the Radio

Last night at First Avenue in Minneapolis, TV on the Radio played their first of two shows at the club with the opening band The Dirtbombs. The new TV on the Radio album, which was released about a month ago, is one of my favorite albums of 2008. I have seen the band twice in the past two years, and while I have not been a huge fan of the their previous two albums, their live shows are amazing. Since I am a huge fan of the new album, and a huge fan of the live shows, I was looking forward to the show. And it did not disappoint! It really helps a show when the opening band is good, or even matches the style of the main band. I was pleasantly surprised by the Dirtbombs. I especially liked the two drummer set-up. Then TV on the Radio played. You would think after seeing a group for the third time you would get tired of the show. Not a chance. I especially enjoyed the songs; Wolf Like Me, Love Dog, and Starring at the Sun. I am tempted to buy a ticket for tonights show.

As far as running...things are going better. I am staying healthy, stringing together some consistent weeks of training, and actually had a "good" race. The USATF XC Challenge at Gale Woods was on Sunday. While it is a lengthy drive out there, it is a challenging course, and the race is run well. This week was a big step in regaining whatever I had this spring. There is still a ways to go, but I can see the process is working.

Debates

I cannot watch the Presidential debates and have a bi-partisan approach to them. I have already decided who I will vote for, so watching the debates seems pointless, but if I do not watch them I feel as though I am not doing my part to be an educated voter. Both candidates do a good job of avoiding questions and talking about what they have on their agenda. I do like that the question was asked about negative campaigning. The one thing that turns me off about politics is the negative campaigning. I think that many people enjoy this aspect of politics (the sport of politics), but I would rather listen to your ideas for helping the country move forward, and policies, and something that is not talked about enough...who you are going to surround yourself with when you become president.

On other notes...running the past few weeks is getting better. I will still take some lumps in races, but this morning's 6 x 1 mile at tempo pace with Kelly went well. If fitness is about confidence, then my fitness is starting to return. For the first time since mid-June I am starting to think about the marathon again. That is a good sign.

You Have To Start Somewhere

My first real blogging post. I am pretty excited, but there is an urge to do something extraordinary in the period between your previous post and current post to keep the audience interested.

On Saturday, I began the journey to regain competitive running fitness at the Wildcat Classic XC Race in Eagan. While I knew going into the race it was going to be ugly, I never truly believed that it would be that bad. That was until we were a half mile into the race. I almost think that the difference between being fit and un-fit is in your mind. I had a general unwillingness to endure anymore hurt and pain than I was already feeling, and thus let the people I was competing against run away from me at the end. Well...that was step one, I will have to take step two in the near future.

Quite a few of the guys that I see on Saturday mornings were at the race as well. It was nice to see those guys again. It is also good to see a lot of people who ran road races throughout the year, come out and run some cross-country races in the fall.

My rant for the day/week...when did Oktoberfest turn into just another night at the bar, and not a celebration? The last time I was at an Oktoberfest, about five years ago, it was much different than a typical night at a bar. There were festive people, singing along to polka songs, drinking excessively, but happily. This time around the polka band was playing modern songs, and people seemed more concerned with how they appeared to the other people. Not to say that I didn't have fun, and "try" to dance a lot.

In closing...I want to congratulate my friends that ran at the Chicago Marathon. Great times for everyone who ran, it is encouraging to see your friends hard work turn into racing success.

The Beginning

I have been curious about blogging for a while now, but have never put in the time to get my blog started. Since the water is shut off currently, and that prevents me from doing the dishes or laundry on my day off, figured why not start a blog.

I figure this blog will be what is of interest in my life, which I think is the purpose of blogging. Maybe some people out there will find these things entertaining, or maybe they will find them ridiculous. Most of my interests (and posts) will revolve around running, music and current events or things that have me thinking through the day.