Week 6

9/16/12 - Spent Saturday at the MN Renaissance Festival.  Took over an hour to go the last 3 miles!  Jess and I walked in swearing we'd never come back, had a great time and left (with some awesome chalices) definitely wanting to come back! 

Turkey Leg!!

Beer!

Then wound up at Vegas Lounge and made some new friends from Hudson. 
    This led to not a lot of sleep and the need for someone (me) to get up and make a side (bean dip) to take to the Rancourts for lunch/Vikings game.  Also, Jon's in town to help us build steps onto the deck!
    Could barely stay awake during the game, and afterwards Jon and I had to go to Menard's to get all the lumber, which took about an hour and a half.  Once we got back Brooke and Chloe were there and we were hungry so I dropped some brats & hot dogs on the grill on low and went for a 1.0 mile run without anyone knowing I was gone!  

9/17/12 - Out and building by 8:30.  It was in the 80's yesterday and it's in the 50's now!  Spent all day working to build the deck (thankfully Jess & I were there helping, I have no idea how Jon would have done this alone).  Got done, starving and tired, but still managed to get 1.0 mile in :)

9/18/12 - Ran 3.0 & lifted, MIGHT be doing the Autumn Trail Series 3.5 tomorrow so don't want to overdo it today.

9/19/12 - 40 mph gusts = no desire to race.  Ran the River run 8.0 m.  Was going to run it backwards (i.e. easier) but then thought I'd run it again Friday and would probably prefer the easy run then.

9/20/12 - 1.6m + lift

9/21/12 - Ran the river run backwards and added in going over the U of M bridge which added about 0.25 to the course.  Legs are just dead tired and the whole trip back was into the wind. Yay!  8.25m

9/22/12 - Headed to Fargo to watch Devon's football game (he's in 4th grade).  FREEZING out at the game.  40 degrees with wind felt more like 20!  Jess & I went to this awesome YMCA though that had stationary bikes with video game displays.  As the terrain changed so did the resistance.  Pretty cool!  I played a game where you chase dragons.  Also ran 4.0

Week 5

9/9/12 - 1 month complete!  The Twins mascot race was a lot of fun (Mascot race at 16:40 mark )!  I did not realize how hard core the mosquito and Babe the Blue Ox guys were going to run.  Mosquito & I (Spot) had a photo finish, which he won by a nose (pun!).  Great time.  Ran 1.0

9/10/12 - Ran 7.0 with 10 x 400 sprints.  Taking days to run 1.0 is great for R&R as this run was relatively easy.

9/11/12 - Ran 1.6 + lifting

9/12/12 - Ran a very fun and fast 7.33 of my downtown loop  53:52 min

9/13/12 - First day to feel tired in the legs, ran 1.4 + lifting

9/14/12 - Totally forgot about this route but ran the old Riverwalk + U campus from when we lived in the Churchill.  This is a tough and hilly run.  I had some old biddy give me crap about running in the bike lane, even though it was only her and I there and I was on the edge of the damn lane.  I then proceeded to beat her up the West River Parkway hill onto the E Franklin Ave bridge even though she had a bike. 

Conversation went like this:
Old hippy: *snarky tone* You know you're supposed to be in the lane over there.
Me: *annoyed sarcasm* Thanks
Then she gives me a look
Me: Hey, there wasn't even a lane until just now, get off my back lady!

Then I beat her up the hill.  Boosh! (and or Kra-kow) 
Total distance: 7.75m

9/15/12 Ran 4.25

Week 4

9/2/12 - Ran 2.0  Spent most of the morning getting the house ready for the party.  The backyard looks amazing!  Jess has done a really great job!

9/3/12 - Party was a huge success!  Everyone stayed in the back yard the whole time and we had a lot of fun.  Ended up karaoke'ing until 4am!  Getting out to run was not high on my list.  Ran 2.0

9/4/12 - Due to meetings and such couldn't run until after work.  5.0 miles was WAY too difficult.  My legs are simply tired all the time.  I really need to take a couple days to rest or this is going to end before I even complete a month.

9/5/12 - Ran 1.0 mile.  Lowest day yet but I need the rest.  Lifted after

9/6/12 - Ran 1.0 mile again.  Want to see if a couple low days will make a difference.  Lifted again.

9/7/12 - Ran my downtown route of 6.25 about 2 min faster than typical!  The run went very well, the 2 days 'rest' really helped!

9/8/12 - Twin Mascot race tonight!!  Pretty excited but don't want to wear myself out.  Biked 20 miles (to and from the Donut Cooperative and to Downtown to get Zapped) and ran 2.0

This is my lowest week total yet (19.3), but I've learned that I can take a couple days rest and it helps recovery a lot!

Week 3

8/26/12 - Ran 2.0  This is after coming back from the State Fair.  We were there almost 6 hours, so a LOT of walking. 
Road the Zipper (Jess's favorite),
saw the fiddle contest (Jim was MC and a girl played a fiddle version of 'Smooth Criminal' with a bow that was sparkly like Michael Jackson's famous glove.  AWESOME!),
had beer on a stick,
poutine (mmmmm),

awesome wheat beer flights at the new craft brewers exhibit,

cheese curds while watching all day karaoke,
a pronto pup after the zipper ride,
crab balls while walking around looking for art,
and a salmon wrap. 
All in all a great time at the fair but a surprising low amount of food for us (since we split everything).

8/27/12 - Ran 7.0  6 x 800m sprints

8/28/12 - Ran 3.1 + lifting.   Surprisingly tough 3 to be honest

8/29/12  - Set out to run 8, utterly exhausted at 6.5 and literally could barely walk up the overpass stairs in the sculpture garden.  Did manage to finish out with 7.5 running total.   Starting to have concerns about my energy level during these long runs.  I feel it MUST get better, not worse!

8/30/12 - Jess and I built our fire pit last night.  Went well but the bricks are HEAVY and both our backs were feeling it when we were done.  Set out for 5.5 today and got that, but was only able to do a few pullups instead of a full lift as planned.  Also:  the outside socket at my left hip has been bothering me since last night.  I was going to try for a total of 35 this week but may have to settle for 30.

8/31/12 - Last day of August and first of Labor Day weekend!  Ran 5.0

9/1/12 - Most of the Day has been spent getting ready for our Labor Day party tomorrow, we got a new outside bar on sale at Menards.  A floor sample, because it was the last they had.  This is like the 4th big floor sample item we've bought, all by coincidence.  Plus a new wroght iron table and chairs.  Ran 4.0 to have my highest weekly total so far, 34 miles!