June 13, 2008
welcome to england
i've moved around a bit on this trip. on most trips, i'll stay in congleton the whole time and each morning the office manager will pick me up and we'll ride into the office together. this time around, the manager...
Posted by jeff at 03:20 AM
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June 08, 2008
mad dogs and englishmen
i landed in manchester at zero dark thirty in the morning, headed through customs, grabbed my bag and hired a taxi for the drive into congleton. fortunately, the hotel had been notified of my early arrival and had someone to...
Posted by jeff at 02:12 PM
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June 02, 2008
in which our hero is not eaten by a bear
sunday was my last big elevation/altitude training run before my salomon xt wings challenge. i'll be in on a trip to the uk for the next two weekends. that means no elevation. no altitude. i needed to go out with...
Posted by jeff at 01:23 PM
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May 25, 2008
back to back
as the date for my salomon xt wings challenge gets closer, i'm needing to pack more distance and difficulty into my miles. with a long weekend, i decided to go long on both friday and saturday and include some challenging...
Posted by jeff at 09:12 PM
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May 21, 2008
in the kitchen, nay, in the oven
as the old saying goes, "if you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen". sunday's run was more like sticking your head in the oven. the plan for the run was to get some decent elevation gain...
Posted by jeff at 08:32 AM
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May 15, 2008
more fun with wings
i met up with mr.k this morning for a zero dark thirty trail run in el moro. those 5am starts really make for some groggy mornings. i forgot food this morning. good thing i packed my socks and underwear last...
Posted by jeff at 07:09 AM
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May 11, 2008
flying with the wings
okay...so at the start of the day, i thought for sure that the nokia n82 and the nifty sport tracker software were going to be the highlight of my workout. funny that it turned out to be the one thing...
Posted by jeff at 10:06 AM
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May 09, 2008
they're heeeeere!
my package showed up today with all the gear for the salomon xt wings challenge. i'm now a proud owner of a pair of salomon xt wings (bright RED) a salomon technical training shirt (bright RED) and a nokia n82. ...
Posted by jeff at 01:43 PM
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May 08, 2008
cleared customs and on their way
my gear from salomon should show up tomorrow. i spent some time this morning taking care of the customs details with fedex and they said that barring any flight delays, the package should be delivered tomorrow. PERFECT! i have another...
Posted by jeff at 01:42 PM
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May 05, 2008
zane grey pacing report
this is a week late, but like lots of things these days, it had to take back seat to a newly mobile thunderclap. several months ago, one of my bloggers, angie, said that she was going to run the zane...
Posted by jeff at 10:32 AM
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May 02, 2008
salomon xt wings challenge
so, here's the details on this challenge that i've been hinting at for a while. a few weeks back i was contacted by a guy from buzzparadise.com asking if i'd be interested in a challenge that salomon trail shoes and...
Posted by jeff at 09:21 AM
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April 10, 2008
tidbits
so much to write about, so little time! so, i'll just hit the highlights with a paragraph apiece. first off, i ran some new trails last week. i mapped out a decent 16 miler through laguna coast, starting from a...
Posted by jeff at 07:02 AM
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April 01, 2008
herd it through the grapevine
stockton, oh stockton. you never cease to bring adventure, intrigue and drama. some cowboy should write a song about you. let me get one thing off my chest and then i'll dive into the story about my trail adventure. in...
Posted by jeff at 09:47 AM
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March 26, 2008
road trip
we're packing the family up and heading to stockton (yes, stockton) to meet up with a buddy of mine from the marines. haven't seen him since '92 and i hear he's got a whole baseball team of tricycle motors running...
Posted by jeff at 10:55 AM
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March 17, 2008
sleepyhead
training flexibility begins to get creative when you have a small infant. all of his awake time is precious time, so training falls during the hours where he is asleep. that means early morning runs, cycling to and from...
Posted by jeff at 11:42 AM
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hush hush run
i was really disappointed that i wasn't able to participate in the unknown ?k race this weekend, i decided to host my own little "on the down-low" run on sunday. i say "hush hush" or "on the dl" simply because...
Posted by jeff at 11:31 AM
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February 28, 2008
feeling ON
over the past two months, i've really begun to ramp up my mileage and keep a consistent base. i was on a great run there for a while before my fall in arizona and the flu took me out of...
Posted by jeff at 08:10 AM
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February 11, 2008
bosom buddies
well, the tom hanks j0kes just keep flowing. dmitri (or, for the sake of keeping with the 'head' naming conventions, cccch), is quickly becoming one of my regular running gluttons for punishment companions. last week we pulled off a 16+...
Posted by jeff at 09:32 AM
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January 31, 2008
a banner year
i typically don't do the 'resolution' posts or the 'look back on x year' posts, but i was just thinking about 2007 and what an amazing year it was. i think topping it will be hard. i mean, for good...
Posted by jeff at 04:19 PM
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January 22, 2008
connecting the dots
while out on a run this past friday, i found a new route into the preserve that backs up to our community. the new route starts a mere half mile from my front door, versus the two mile run to...
Posted by jeff at 03:07 PM
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December 25, 2007
all tied up
it seems we're heading out to the desert for all the major holidays these days. this past weekend we drove out to arizona again to spend a couple days with my parents and both sisters (complete with families). this means...
Posted by jeff at 09:00 PM
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December 12, 2007
airdrives - product review
i'm a geek. i'm also a geek that loves music. so, when it comes to working out, i'm just nuts about the technology that allows me to take hours worth of my music out on the road or trail with...
Posted by jeff at 08:24 PM
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November 24, 2007
topanga canyon turkey trot
htppnh and i hooked up this morning in woodland hills at zero dark thirty to head into topanga canyon for the race. as i sat in the parking lot waiting for her to show up, the sky slowly began to...
Posted by jeff at 08:00 PM
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November 23, 2007
early night
going to try to get into bed early tonight. i'm headed out at zero dark thirty in the morning tomorrow to take part in the topanga canyon turkey trot. i'm doing the shorter 10k option, but i'll go long on...
Posted by jeff at 04:52 PM
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November 19, 2007
why ruin it with foreshadowing?
we had planned to head to church w/ my parents on sunday morning, so i bumped my long run to this morning. after extensive researching on the local trails and mountains, i opted to do a 16 mile loop through...
Posted by jeff at 08:25 PM
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November 18, 2007
my ryan shay memorial run
i scoped out a 5.5 mile loop through my parent's community for my memorial run. i woke up when tc got up, started feeding him his bottle but smsmh kept prompting me to get out the door before it got...
Posted by jeff at 09:54 AM
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November 11, 2007
consolation
the recent fires here in so. cal have decimated several of the areas that were amazing for trail running. harding, whiting ranch, modjeska grade, etc. some of the premiere areas are now charred and closed. so, to get good local...
Posted by jeff at 05:51 PM
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November 08, 2007
back on the wagon
in my seemingly never ending quest to get back into the groove of things, i headed out to back bay again today to put in a solid interval workout. i had 12x400m on the schedule, so i decided to do...
Posted by jeff at 07:56 PM
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November 07, 2007
vanguard success!
i hit back bay after work today to get in a quick six mile workout. as i jogged over to the trail, i saw brian, the coach for the vanguard xc team, sitting on a bench preparing for a workout. ...
Posted by jeff at 08:28 PM
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November 06, 2007
ryan shay 5.5 mile memorial run
most folks out there that are reading this that are runners themselves are familiar with the untimely death of ryan shay over the weekend at the 2008 olympic marathon trials in new york on saturday, november 3rd. ryan collapsed at...
Posted by jeff at 06:22 PM
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November 04, 2007
shouldn't 'meadows' be flat?
plans to run in pt. magu got scraped in exchange for a local trail run with the octr folks. jess, greg and dimitri showed up at aliso creek & wood canyon. greg was going to do a long 22-24 mile...
Posted by jeff at 03:54 PM
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November 03, 2007
speed = rubber legs
i hit back bay at lunch yesterday with the 2x2mi on the schedule. i've been doing intervals for the last few weeks to regain some speed, but i've been keeping the interval section to about 3 miles. 12x400m, 6x800m, 3x1mi,...
Posted by jeff at 10:48 AM
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November 02, 2007
clearing the air
the local fire is finally nearing 100% containment and they're hoping to have it completely out by sunday. the santa ana winds are scheduled to come back today, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't flare back up. ...
Posted by jeff at 06:40 AM
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September 15, 2007
lions and bobcats and fog, oh my!
i had posted an early morning trail run on the orange county trail runner's website for friday. so when, after getting up at 4:45 to make it to the trailhead in time, i realized no one else was going to...
Posted by jeff at 07:26 AM
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August 23, 2007
confidence
i popped over to laurie's blog and was reading through her thoughts on what running has done for her confidence. it's crazy and true. this sport, running, or any endurance sport for that matter, has the uncanny ability to bolster...
Posted by jeff at 09:12 AM
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August 11, 2007
summer trail series - race report
well, i made it out to the third and final race of the summer trail series in peters canyon. again, it was a great day; sunny, a little warm and comfortably breezy. smsmh and tc came out to watch and...
Posted by jeff at 04:08 PM
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July 22, 2007
two-fer
two, two races in one [week] last week was one of those weeks that goes down in the archives as something NOT to repeat. well, i guess a capitol NOT isn't necessary, since aside from being exhausted and sore, things...
Posted by jeff at 01:12 PM
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June 17, 2007
and i ran, i ran so far away (and cycled, too!)
well, this week at work wasn't a true work week, seeing as how we had several appointments with tc and whatnot and as a result, working out at lunch wasn't really an option most days. add in the fact that...
Posted by jeff at 09:46 AM
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June 13, 2007
irresponsible marketing
crn ran an article the other day about the ad campaign that a certain shoe company is currently running. i had some initial responses to the ad but had intended to let it slide, since the rest of the interweb...
Posted by jeff at 06:23 AM
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June 07, 2007
letting go
things are a-changing here in the hipster household. our little man is switching from the silent little lamb that we brought home from the hospital to a screaming banshee at 3am. i kid, he's actually a really mellow baby,...
Posted by jeff at 02:22 PM
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May 30, 2007
sleep deprivation
so, the first couple days? exciting, beyond compare and exhausting. again, like running an 'a' race. the first few nights were your typical, "oh, he made a noise! his he choking? is he still breathing? why is he breathing so...
Posted by jeff at 02:26 PM
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May 03, 2007
tip of the hat, wag of the finger
i made a major gear purchase on saturday in preparation for this year's tri season and im training. my first wetsuit. the groovy folks over at fleet feet helped me get fitted and set with a nice, shiny new blueseventy...
Posted by jeff at 12:52 PM
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April 21, 2007
running with flipper - boston 2007
it's funny trying to come up with a race report when your partner for race day has already summed up the event so perfectly. flipperhead already posted her recap of the event and pretty much captured the feeling and events...
Posted by jeff at 12:37 PM
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April 15, 2007
praying for negligent parents
tomorrow's race should be worthy of much story telling. what with the freaky reports coming from the weather service and the fun chance of loosing extremities due to the rain and wind. like i said, it'll be challenging for sure....
Posted by jeff at 12:22 PM
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April 13, 2007
wouldn't have it any other way
the problem with blogging once a week or once a month, for that matter, is that you have so much to report that you either write a novel, or you skip all the fun little details and making it sound...
Posted by jeff at 11:54 AM
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March 23, 2007
the little people
i was just over at robb's blog and he mentioned one of those numerous "10 reasons not to run a marathon" and other "don't do it" articles of the same ilk. this week, crn had a great quote that sums...
Posted by jeff at 12:46 PM
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February 25, 2007
hobos, bees and rain!
what a bizarre, but wonderful week of training. this week has been one for the record books...not only from the perspective of accomplishment, but also for the odd occurrences. coach had a pretty heavy week in store for me, one...
Posted by jeff at 07:08 PM
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February 20, 2007
matisse & jack's trail blaze energy bars
i was contacted a while back by the folks over at matisse & jack's to give their trail blaze bake-at-home oatmeal energy bars a try. i'm always one for trying out new products and their pitch for the bars sounded...
Posted by jeff at 08:31 PM
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February 19, 2007
should i be concerned?
i'm not a big user of mp3 players while i run, but on occasion, running with music is a nice diversion. i used to have a nice, tiny one but it died a couple months back due to the excessive...
Posted by jeff at 08:57 PM
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February 05, 2007
twin peaks 50/50 race report
the crazy thing, really, the craziest thing about this weekend was that i never came close to feeling anxious or stressed about my race. odd, seeing as how it has to measure up there with one of the toughest things...
Posted by jeff at 09:38 AM
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January 19, 2007
with feeling now
i like to tease my runners when they mention a difficult run because of the elements or an injury or being tired, etc. my joking response is, "hey, anyone can run when it's dry out. running in monsoons makes you...
Posted by jeff at 08:12 PM
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January 15, 2007
too big a bite
biting off more than i can chew; how many times have i been guilty of that? sunday was another instance, but fortunately, this time it had a happy ending. with the twin peaks 50/50 looming, the coach is upping my...
Posted by jeff at 08:42 PM
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January 08, 2007
the trashman
you really never know the amount of work that goes into organizing and putting on a race until you volunteer. like manning a water station or cutting chips off shoes at the finish line. even then, you never really know...
Posted by jeff at 06:27 PM
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December 08, 2006
off to vegas!
reece and i are headed to sin city today for the marathon. reece will be running the half on sunday and i'll be on the course for support for the rbf. looks like a small gathering this year, with btt...
Posted by jeff at 08:20 AM
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November 22, 2006
against the grain
for all the years that i've spent on the track, i've always been taught as well as seen executed, a specific track etiquette. faster runners stick to the inside lanes, slower runners to the outside lanes, run counter-clockwise and when...
Posted by jeff at 10:33 AM
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November 15, 2006
doubt
doubt. it's a funny thing. doubt is defined as 'the state of being unsure of something' or 'uncertainty about the truth or factuality of existence of something'. doubt can create distrust. doubt can lead to widespread rumour. doubt can foster...
Posted by jeff at 10:06 AM
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October 26, 2006
the continuing saga of the leaky runner
so, i've established that i'm a leaky runner. i leak. lots. and, in addition to being a leaky runner, i generate lather on hard days. lather, like a horse. i'm freaky like that. sometimes it's a little embarrassing, especially when...
Posted by jeff at 09:47 AM
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September 10, 2006
kickin' the sheriff's arse
so, i thought that a delayed plane was as bad as it could get, and then the real dilemma unfolded. they canceled our flight at 10:30 at night, sent us off to hotels for the night and we didn't get...
Posted by jeff at 12:37 PM
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August 27, 2006
accelerade review
i too, was tapped by the accelerade folks to give their sports drink and new accel gel flavor a try. accelerade has been in the news quite a bit lately as they try to promote the science behind protein in...
Posted by jeff at 04:15 PM
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August 25, 2006
the new completerunning.com
folks, in case you haven't heard the very groovy news, completerunning.com has re-launched with a brand new format and focus. mark, aaron and jeanne have overhauled the site to bring you the best in running and fitness related articles, tips...
Posted by jeff at 09:39 AM
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of rbf'ers, training and lather
on a training note, things have been going smashingly. i had an opportunity to hook up with darrell and nattie a couple weeks ago and run a great loop of back bay. it was our first time meeting nattie and...
Posted by jeff at 09:29 AM
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August 07, 2006
ch-ch-ch-changes
the heat broke this week. i can't begin to tell you what a blessing that has been. ugh...running in that triple digit heat along with the high humidity was just murder, not only on my body, but on my gear....
Posted by jeff at 02:42 PM
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July 22, 2006
my own badwater
well, the saga of battling the heat continues, and today, despite the blistering, hot sun, man beat mother nature. smsmh and i were out late last night watching the church in concert at the grove in anaheim (with a surprise...
Posted by jeff at 08:44 PM
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July 16, 2006
i did not have fun
the coach wanted me to find a 5k to race to gauge where my speed is at. so, checking the local race calendar, i found a 5k that had a start about 2-3 miles from the house. perfect! training has...
Posted by jeff at 11:28 AM
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July 08, 2006
hot, hot, heat
i am a leaky runner. i joke quite a bit about my lathery legs on hard workouts, about wringing my shirt out after a run, even my socks and i laugh at how i have to rotate my shoes to...
Posted by jeff at 02:52 PM
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June 26, 2006
not lollygagging
i haven't blogged much about training lately, so you might be lulled into the sense that i'm just pokin' around and not really focusing on anything. i haven't talked about specific races or goals or whatnot (yes, i do have...
Posted by jeff at 01:32 PM
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June 21, 2006
sabotage, pt ii
so the last sabotage post was specifically about training and how we damage our efforts to be better athletes. but there's another aspect of sabotage and training that i touched on lightly but i think warrants it's own post. i...
Posted by jeff at 08:52 AM
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June 16, 2006
sabotage
seems like this is a topic that comes up every so often. sabotage. what are you doing to sabotage your training? everything from setting unrealistic goals to fueling your body improperly can count as sabotage. guilty pleasures that sidetrack your...
Posted by jeff at 11:22 AM
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June 09, 2006
a tri-ing week
well, it's been an interesting week so far. talk about not being able to focus...work was challenging. i just couldn't give consistent attention to projects. i felt like i had add and i was back in elementary school. wednesday was...
Posted by jeff at 07:09 PM
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June 06, 2006
rbf marathon weekend, photos
just a couple photos of the groovy folks that showed up to the rbf lunch and one shot of karen and i at the finish. i didn't pull out the camera until after laura and eric had already scooted and...
Posted by jeff at 10:52 AM
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June 05, 2006
rbf marathon weekend, part three
my first impression of yesterday's san diego rock n' roll was very different from the one four years ago. this was my first marathon back in 2002 and it was marked by being the most nightmarishly awful start ever. not...
Posted by jeff at 07:04 AM
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rbf marathon weekend, part two
earlier in the day on saturday, i'd called flipperhead to let her know that smsmh and i were going to be running late and found out the bad news that flipper had been sick the entire previous night. her race...
Posted by jeff at 05:27 AM
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June 04, 2006
rbf marathon weekend, part one
so, the weekend got of to an AMAZING start with my friday afternoon mini-tri. i hit the ymca right after work and set up all my transition gear in the car and headed to the pool to get started. i...
Posted by jeff at 07:55 PM
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June 02, 2006
just say no to garden hos
well, thursdays continue to be my big calorie burning days, what with a pre-dawn cycle into work, an hour and a half run to the in-laws after work and an hour of playing with the olive crest kids. again, thursdays...
Posted by jeff at 06:47 AM
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May 31, 2006
here we go loop-de-loop
well, seems it's time for my weekly obligatory blog entry to recap...i can't let more than a week go by, lest i start getting emails asking about my mental or physical well being. haha so, the highlight from last week...
Posted by jeff at 02:08 PM
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May 25, 2006
cramming
i have several friends that are taking classes right now and this week seems to be the big cram week for finals. so, to show my support for them, i've decided to cram today too. my cramming is a little...
Posted by jeff at 06:40 AM
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May 24, 2006
strumming my harp
just like mia said, sometimes when a blogger goes ua you automatically assume the worst, but that couldn't be further from the truth. true, i've been reduced to once a week entries, but that's primarily due to how insanely busy...
Posted by jeff at 06:30 AM
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May 14, 2006
malibu creek trail challenge
"why do we do this to ourselves?" that was the question i asked jessica and smsmh as we pulled away from our house saturday morning at 5:15 on our way to the xterra scramble - malibu creek trail challenge. we...
Posted by jeff at 09:30 AM
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May 08, 2006
weekend adventure
so...i'm still somewhat recovering from boston and the running mileage has yet to be piled back on yet, so i've begun cross training in earnest in preparation for the tri season. this weekend, with a lower end run on the...
Posted by jeff at 03:23 PM
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May 03, 2006
running skirt challenge
i've been remiss in posting about mark and his running skirt challenge. head over here for the details. basically, he's trying to get 100 people to donate to the charity of there choice by this friday. we've got about 60...
Posted by jeff at 12:12 PM
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April 30, 2006
hit by a bus
i've blogged a couple times about an organization that smsmh and i have been wanting to get involved with for a while. it's the olive crest "fit and fun" program. basically, it's an opportunity for the kids in the local...
Posted by jeff at 10:18 AM
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April 25, 2006
how to make a customer happy
you folks know by now that i'm a pretty positive guy, usually taking opportunities to build people up, rather than rant or be critical. i'm usually all about writing letters to managers and corporate offices when i feel that someone...
Posted by jeff at 08:30 AM
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April 20, 2006
the boston adventure
before i dive into this novel, let me again say how awesome everyone's support was. from the email to all the comments, you guys really know how to make a guy emotional. thanks for that. so, i haven't been putting...
Posted by jeff at 06:17 AM
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April 18, 2006
big thanks
hey folks...i'm sitting here, after having just read the blogcast and i've got the biggest, cheesiest grin plastered on my face. seriously, the rbf just absolutely rocks. i thought of you guys often through the race and you were one...
Posted by jeff at 05:59 AM
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April 15, 2006
quick update from the field
well, so far the trip has been unfolding very nicely. we arrived in boston on tuesday afternoon and made a bee-line for april anne's folk's place in woodstock, connecticut. we had the distinct pleasure of being in the presence of...
Posted by jeff at 04:30 AM
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April 10, 2006
bring it on!
it's amazing what a couple hours and a wonderful run can do for the mind, body and soul. i woke on saturday in a great mood and was feeling good as i got my breakfast in order, but that was...
Posted by jeff at 02:02 PM
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April 07, 2006
i don't stink!
this has been the strangest taper yet. what with the pseudo taper last week and then a string of odd/bad runs this week, it just doesn't feel like i'm at the top of my game and prepping for something as...
Posted by jeff at 07:23 AM
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April 03, 2006
breaking records
it's good to be employed again. don't get me wrong, i loved having last week off before diving back into work, but knowing that i'll be getting another paycheck soon? that's a good feeling! the week off started with a...
Posted by jeff at 02:50 PM
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March 25, 2006
whole lot of twitchin' going on
well, this afternoon signals the beginning of the taper. i just completed my last hard week of training. now, i'm sure the coach will still throw some quick stuff at me, but i think today's 20 will be the last...
Posted by jeff at 04:35 PM
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March 22, 2006
don't let the door hit ya...
this is the last heavy week of training for boston. next week begins the taper. and, boy oh boy did the coach give me some great stuff for this week. it started yesterday with another (tell me if you get...
Posted by jeff at 08:10 AM
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March 14, 2006
erythrolitmin
*thump* that was the sound of me falling over. coach had a litmus test workout on the schedule for today. 10 mile time trial, mostly at mp and dropping the pace slowly over the course of the workout. so i...
Posted by jeff at 04:24 PM
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March 13, 2006
let's kick this pig
as my mom would say, kick "@#!". oh, saturday was glorious. the 20 went by so freaking fast. it was over before i knew it. i think that's because i've been doing the long runs so slow, that most of...
Posted by jeff at 11:08 AM
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March 07, 2006
desert paradise
i'm sure this goes without saying, but old people rock. they call it like they see it, have amazing wisdom and life experience, and they remember the details of the stories they tell with frightening clarity. and sitting in the...
Posted by jeff at 08:38 AM
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March 02, 2006
be a hero
so, the amazing hip had another chance to show up today. but this time in a much more serious role. i was happily cruising along on my 15 miler today when, at mile 9, a group of cyclist up ahead...
Posted by jeff at 06:09 PM
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boston bound
i checked in with ken last night to see if he decided to run austin or not last weekend. he had been on the fence about the race since he'd missed most of his training in january. anyway, i left...
Posted by jeff at 07:33 AM
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March 01, 2006
monkey off my back
so, the boston training is finally going well. the past few weeks have been iffy. the track workouts have been stellar, supernova bright moments in contrast to the black hole that my long runs have been. granted, there have been...
Posted by jeff at 08:34 AM
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February 21, 2006
mono basin - the recap
so, let's set aside the zombies for a bit (mmrmmph...brains...braaaains) and i'll recap the awesome weekend i had playing around in the mono basin. if you remember back to last october when i switched jobs, you'll recall that i headed...
Posted by jeff at 05:40 PM
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February 15, 2006
slow down, you move too fast
i had another one of those amazing track workouts yesterday. i'm sure folks get tired of me gushing about the track, but man, i just love it. and the high after a hard workout? priceless. the deal has been, though,...
Posted by jeff at 08:52 AM
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February 14, 2006
survival is my victory
so, it's been a while since i bonked. bonking isn't fun. no, sir. no fun at all. but, bonk i did. i take my long runs seriously and always make a point of fueling up well for them a day...
Posted by jeff at 05:29 PM
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February 07, 2006
back on the track
today was my first day back on the track since the marathon, and oh, was it a joyful experience. i've gushed over how much i love doing track workouts. i love the splits, the calculations, the repetition, the ORDER of...
Posted by jeff at 04:59 PM
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February 06, 2006
never fear, the amazing hip is here!
i got to play super hero this weekend, and as a result, i'm super tired. but it's all super and i wouldn't change a minute of it. well, maybe the parts that weren't super...but then again, they put the really...
Posted by jeff at 04:39 PM
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February 03, 2006
blank stare
wow...hit the blog this morning only to find out that it's been over a week since my last entry and my main page is blank! oops! so...we now return you to your regularly scheduled running entry: it's been a whirlwind...
Posted by jeff at 07:51 AM
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January 18, 2006
the wasp
dang the baa is quick. i got my response email from them on friday and was bouncing of the walls when i read the following information: Dear Jeffrey M. Smith, This is to notify you that your entry into the...
Posted by jeff at 04:13 PM
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January 12, 2006
i'm a big boy now
well...the recovery from the race is going, well...it's going. i took monday off from work so that i'd have a day just to relax and stretch out, as well as soak in the realization that i had just pulled off...
Posted by jeff at 01:55 PM
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January 09, 2006
oc marathon - long post
call me ishmael. no, wait... it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. either way, this is going to be a novel, so get some joe, kick your feet up and let me regale you with...
Posted by jeff at 08:21 AM
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January 08, 2006
oc marathon - quick post
well, i finished! the course was really brutal for the middle portion and that really affected my ability to stay on pace and then my ability to drop the pace at the end. but i'm VERY happy with a boston...
Posted by jeff at 02:29 PM
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January 07, 2006
oc marathon blogcast
Jeff- Congrats again and thank you for letting me "blogcast" your race. It was a blast and an honor! Well, he finished the race- "he did it  time was 3 15 13" - I hope he isn't disappointed. What a...
Posted by lily at 09:49 AM
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January 06, 2006
*twitch*
well, the race is upon me. just one day and a wake-up now. i've been receiving lots of encouraging emails and comments lately, and i'd like to say a corporate thanks. you guys have all been such a huge part...
Posted by jeff at 08:57 AM
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December 30, 2005
new year cleaning
well, since it's the end of the year, i decided to go through the closets and pull out all my retired pairs of running shoes. this collection is from the past two years, i think. ten pairs in all. swiss...
Posted by jeff at 05:57 PM
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runners that rock
okay, i'm a little late in getting around to this post, but better late than never. over on mark's site, he asked for a series of posts about runners that rock. well, man, that's a tough one. keeping it limited...
Posted by jeff at 10:12 AM
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December 27, 2005
taper! taper! taper!
aaah...heaven! i made it through the training and still feel healthy and ready to run! yesterday was the last long run of the training cycle, 22 with mp for the last three. it felt so good to knock that out....
Posted by jeff at 06:23 AM
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December 23, 2005
lane four
so, this is the last week of intense training before the taper starts. two weeks to go after christmas! woohoo! so, thursday's track workout was to be the last intense track workout. i had a spare personal day that i...
Posted by jeff at 11:43 AM
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December 22, 2005
themes!
okay, my blogging time is usually pretty limited, and i had time allotted today to write about this last week of hard training, and also do up the "runners that rock" post, but something presented itself yesterday and today that...
Posted by jeff at 08:52 AM
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December 19, 2005
denied!
i was denied. it was stolen from my very hands. mercilessly. like candy from a baby. i could taste it, the hardware. a 3rd place finish in my age group, but it wasn't to be. sunday morning dawned cloudy and...
Posted by jeff at 05:52 PM
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December 15, 2005
tipping point
coach emailed me this morning and gave me the option of doing 17 today instead of 15. haha...how could i turn that down? what a freak i am. by the by, the coach continues to be awesome. we spent some...
Posted by jeff at 04:23 PM
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December 14, 2005
hair of the dog
"the man who's legs buckled under exertion, kept on running" -bauhaus well, the firsts just continue. i successfully broke 70 miles total last week for the first time. that's quite a bit of running when you're working full time. the...
Posted by jeff at 02:11 PM
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December 06, 2005
building
coach is really upping the intensity as things lead up to my race. in this week's schedule was the comment, "i want you to go into this marathon brimming with confidence and these next few weeks will do that". isn't...
Posted by jeff at 05:30 PM
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December 05, 2005
elites, chaos and elvi, oh my!
okay...if you can't tell already, this is a monster post and contains a recap of my running from last week, the vegas marathon and rbf fest. get a cuppa joe, sit down and read on! so, scott, partyrunner, drew, keith...
Posted by jeff at 06:42 PM
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December 01, 2005
december 1st, a running odyssey
(twenty) two grand job in the city that sounds nice, it's alright it's alright in the city it's alright - the rakes so, today marks another first in my running career. i went over my personal record for distance in...
Posted by jeff at 04:44 PM
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November 29, 2005
dnf
well, it seems that this week continues to be a week of firsts. i logged my first dnf on a workout today. yes, i've skipped workouts in the past, but i've never bailed on a workout or cut one short...
Posted by jeff at 02:20 PM
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double your pleasure
tennis matches whiskey shots in-n-out burgers my training what do these things have in common? they all feature doubles. mixed doubles, double shots, double double and double workouts. with 3-4 weeks left of actual 'training' before i begin my taper...
Posted by jeff at 08:06 AM
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November 26, 2005
better get a wheelbarrow
thanksgiving in so. cal. is not what most folks would think of when they think of a fall day. 80's, sunny and dry. since chow wasn't going to be ready until the afternoon, i slept in and was able to...
Posted by jeff at 09:05 AM
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November 21, 2005
the beauty of runing healthy
in normal cases, when i don't blog for a couple days, it's one of three reasons. either i've been swamped with 'stuff', i don't want to report mundane mileage, or the worst case, i've announce that i'm injured, i've continued...
Posted by jeff at 04:14 PM
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November 16, 2005
gratuitous track workout
each week i get my schedule and i don't think that my coach could top the previous week in mentally challenging me with the workouts. each week the coach comes through with runs that push me both mentally and physically....
Posted by jeff at 07:55 AM
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November 13, 2005
busted!
whew...in more way than one! to squeeze in 57 miles in one week (with one rest day and one day for lifting) that means i have to average a little over 11 miles per day. not that big of a...
Posted by jeff at 10:13 AM
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November 09, 2005
400m high
i liked donalds's comment, "If it doesn't leave you injured, it will get you in great marathon shape." well, i'm a little stiff this morning, but definitely not injured. i will say one thing, though. the coach gives me options...
Posted by jeff at 08:43 AM
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November 08, 2005
ooh-rah
it's really crazy how quickly time can zip by. each day, i come into the office thinking, "oh, i'll fire off a quick blog entry this morning", and then the next thing i know, it's time to shut down and...
Posted by jeff at 09:09 AM
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October 31, 2005
yes, virginia, there IS an amazing hip!
bfbh, kurd, bev, get your kids, because this is a post for the youngin's and the children inside us all. tonight, the plan for my halloween was to don the super hero costume and go for a run. i'd been...
Posted by jeff at 09:41 PM
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October 30, 2005
mind and body
so, this week was somewhat of a monster week. i think, in terms of speed and distance, this had to have been one of the hardest weeks i've ever put in. with no run shorter than eight miles, a 10...
Posted by jeff at 11:13 AM
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October 26, 2005
burnt rubber
you've got to love that feeling. you know, the feeling you get when you know you're 'back'. or 'there' or 'on'. i think, just voicing that i was tight and feeling a little stressed was half the battle. when i...
Posted by jeff at 07:46 AM
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October 24, 2005
just call me the gander
my attempt at 'getting with the times' didn't pan out as well as i thought it would. a month or so ago, i decided to try out the new hurricane 7's by saucony. i've been wearing the 5's and can...
Posted by jeff at 08:11 AM
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October 21, 2005
slow and steady killed my legs
i got a comment from david asking if i ever did slow workouts. busted. i guess i'm supposed to do some of the lower mileage workouts on my schedule at a 'recovery' pace. if the coach doesn't call for any...
Posted by jeff at 07:53 AM
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October 20, 2005
a belated welcome
hey folks, just wanted to introduce you to a couple new folks who have decided to join the btt family. first off, there's frank, from pennsylvania. when frank got hooked up with us, i was very excited, not only for...
Posted by jeff at 08:02 AM
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October 19, 2005
have i said this before?
i love track workouts. the long runs, where i'm out and about for hours at a time are still, hands down, my favorite type of run. but i absolutely love the structure of track workouts. the splits, the effort, the...
Posted by jeff at 09:32 AM
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October 17, 2005
twenty and a marathon
this weekend was far from restful, but despite that, it was a fantastic couple of days. the weekend started off with the poopy run on friday. getting to bed at a decent time was a struggle, as i kept finding...
Posted by jeff at 07:50 AM
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October 15, 2005
i love sycamores
it was hot again yesterday. africa hot. in the mid 90's when i got home from work, and too hot to head out and do my scheduled ten miler. so, i put on the running gak, flopped on the couch...
Posted by jeff at 08:57 AM
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October 14, 2005
underpants
okay...this is two posts in one day, but this just begs for visiblity. haha...that was punny. check out this story about a race run in hawaii, just before the ironman this coming weekend....
Posted by jeff at 08:08 AM
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fly by
this is a tactical strike post. get in, blog about training and work, and get out before i get caught up in reading and commenting on blogs. it's a tough mission, but i think i'm up to the task. training...
Posted by jeff at 07:18 AM
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October 11, 2005
the long entry
forgive me, father, for i have not blogged... i am so discombobulated right now. my schedule is completely caddywhumpus and i don't know my rear from a hole in the ground. i'm still trying to get a handle on when...
Posted by jeff at 09:10 PM
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October 05, 2005
whooosh
okay. so, on saturday i pulled off my first training run at a sub seven pace. four miles, yeah, but still a milestone for me. i think that has signaled the beginning of my drive to push for that magical...
Posted by jeff at 08:40 AM
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October 04, 2005
got some spare coins for a worthy cause?
hey folks, karen is making a final plea for donations for her team in training marathon in san francisco. her fund raising ends this coming thursday, so if you've got some spare change laying around, and feel that the leukemia...
Posted by jeff at 03:29 PM
| Comments (1)
rbf race calendar
hey folks, head over to the blogfather's site and check out the groovy new rbf race calendar that he's set up. i know i'm having a heck of a time trying to remember who all is racing this weekend (i'd...
Posted by jeff at 10:45 AM
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October 03, 2005
now, where were we?
oh, i had some amazing running over the weekend, and lots of fun with jjh and the other 'head' kids. so, like i mentioned, one set on thursday and by the time the weekend rolled around, i had NO muscle...
Posted by jeff at 11:45 AM
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September 30, 2005
one set, and spinning
okay, so i was wise yesterday and followed the coach's instructions. i did one set. but i made it count. i focused on form and performing each rep slowly. it's just that tendancy to want to push to failure that...
Posted by jeff at 06:55 AM
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September 29, 2005
don gaspar de portola is back in town
i woke up to a wonderfully cool morning yesterday. high 50's and a slight, cool breeze. i didn't bother to check the weather and threw on a long sleeved sweater to wear to work. when i headed out for lunch,...
Posted by jeff at 10:59 AM
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September 26, 2005
in which jeff makes a silly mistake and pays for it, again
okay, so not so big of a mistake that i was laid up on the couch recovering. just a simple little mistake. i forgot to trim my toenails before my long run on sunday. this running thing, as simple as...
Posted by jeff at 09:06 AM
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September 25, 2005
in which jeff makes a silly mistake and pays for it
so, i'm still green to this whole strength training/lifting thing. last thursday was the first ever time that i'd done a complete lifting workout. coach wanted me to take it super easy, so it was just one set of each...
Posted by jeff at 08:15 AM
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September 21, 2005
no beans
well, no beans to spill, yet. although, aa, i did get wade a ticket to ct. he'll be there to cheer you on for hartford. look for the big cardboard placard at mile 20 that says, "April Anne, will you...
Posted by jeff at 08:04 AM
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September 18, 2005
whirlwind update
so much has been happening this week, it's overwhelming to try to think about putting it all into a blog entry. there's been some awesome and not so awesome running, a much needed day out of town, another BIG secret...
Posted by jeff at 09:00 PM
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September 15, 2005
welcome karin!
good news! breaktingthetape.com got it's first new blogger yesterday. karin, from worthington, england, has hooked up with us and is happily blogging and entering her workouts (plus, i was able to import a spreadsheet of her old workouts!). karin has...
Posted by jeff at 10:06 AM
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September 13, 2005
can a guy get a break?
okay, so the leg is feeling 100% now (well, maybe in the high 90's...gotta keep up the stretching and whatnot). no sooner do i get my training back on track and i end up with some flu thingy going around....
Posted by jeff at 08:27 PM
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5 is the magic number
up early on sunday morning to tackle a 14 miler and i was anxious to get the miles in. coach has been having me do the traditional last couple miles at mp, so i took it easy as i started...
Posted by jeff at 07:52 PM
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September 10, 2005
busting to tell my secret
i've got several interesting things going on right now that i'd love to blog about. some are related to work, so i'll keep the lips sealed on those things, but i will share something that i've been wanting to spill...
Posted by jeff at 09:32 AM
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September 07, 2005
wrapping my head around tempo
okay, so i'm realizing that tempo pace at this point is more tempo effort, rather than trying to nail that 6:30-6:45 mile pace. i figure, if i continue to push tempo effort, then the pace will naturally drop as i...
Posted by jeff at 08:55 AM
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September 05, 2005
am i back? i think i'm back!
well, each run this week has been consecutively better. friday's four on the hill loop around our house felt pretty good, and then saturday's six out to the san diego creek trail felt pretty darn refreshing, too. i could feel...
Posted by jeff at 08:54 AM
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September 02, 2005
easy does it
just a quick update on the itb drama. i headed out to back bay after work yesterday to put in an easy four miles. yes, i was conscious of pace and effort and form, but somehow, that all went out...
Posted by jeff at 11:11 AM
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August 31, 2005
drink, stretch, massage, repeat
hypersensitive. that's what i've become. every tight feeling, every twinge, every pang, every niggle. i feel them all and mentally file them away as indicators of how my body is responding to training. this past weekend's run provided it's share...
Posted by jeff at 08:06 AM
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August 28, 2005
battle of the band, revisited
quick catch up, friday night's eight miler was splendid. it's amazing what a difference a few hours can make. i opted to wait until an hour or so before dusk to head out, and the cooler temperatures made a huge...
Posted by jeff at 04:36 PM
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August 25, 2005
six degrees of separation
that's the temperature difference between the start and finish of my workout today. i think i've got an idea as to why the past couple days have been tough. i haven't been paying attention to the temperature at all, but...
Posted by jeff at 09:11 PM
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putting it in perspective
okay, so yesterday's effort during the six miles felt as tough as tuesday's eight. i was tanked by the end. sure, i didn't feel like passing out, but i was truly spent. and the pace was mid 7's. during the...
Posted by jeff at 08:59 AM
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August 24, 2005
return on investment
eight miles on the schedule last night. simple eight. with instructions to hit the last mile a little harder. no problem, that's typically how i do my runs anyway. last week's eight mile, tempo effort run really required me to...
Posted by jeff at 08:43 AM
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August 23, 2005
what's for dinner?
riona posted a great article about iron deficiency in endurance athletes yesterday. i had a read through it, and immediately decided to bbq some steaks for dinner. wade, of surf launching the kayak fame, came over and we grubbed on...
Posted by jeff at 10:03 AM
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August 22, 2005
week recap
i've been delinquent this week on keeping up with posting the results of some tough, but great workouts. so, i'll throw them all into one recap post. wednesday i did the six miler on the schedule as another tempo run....
Posted by jeff at 11:01 AM
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the jokes on me, part II
if you didn't miss out on my lame attempt at a practical joke and the rebuttal, then you'll remember our friends, kevin and lesley from santa barbara. well, they came down and stayed with us saturday night, on their way...
Posted by jeff at 10:29 AM
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August 17, 2005
tough tempo and racing the chillins
the rest is over. coach started piling the miles on last week, with a week total of 37, and this week features 47 miles, complete with tempos, strides, a mid week 10 miler and a long run of 15 on...
Posted by jeff at 06:46 AM
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August 01, 2005
still resting
coach still has me on a light schedule, with instructions to continue to take the runs easy for the next few weeks. i was a hair under 30 miles last week, and it'll be just a hair over 30 this...
Posted by jeff at 11:54 AM
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July 29, 2005
go team h.o.!
good luck with the triathlon, dianna and analisa! look, we even used your team colours!...
Posted by jeff at 08:20 PM
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more memes
okay, i got tagged by riona to answer some running/training questions. again, i'm not big on the blog chain letters, but like the music question, i'm all up for chatting about running and whatnot, so, here goes: q: what are...
Posted by jeff at 08:35 AM
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July 27, 2005
nature in all it's majesty
back bay has been amazing lately. absolutely amazing. it's still the same little bay with beautiful water, deeply reflecting the blue sky, breezes constantly blowing, creating waves in the mustard and grasses growing along the trails and lizards darting every...
Posted by jeff at 07:34 AM
| Comments (4)
July 20, 2005
what about EASY don't you understand?
hi, i'm jeff. i'm a dolt. i don't listen to my coach. i don't run easy when in recovery mode. i'm cruisin' for a bruisin'. don't be a dolt. don't be like me. easy five on the schedule last night,...
Posted by jeff at 01:08 PM
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July 19, 2005
back in the saddle
*twitch* the coach finally gave me some miles after a WHOLE.WEEK.OFF! i took a break from a long work day yesterday to put in a quick run. three miles as my first run. the coach wants me to ease back...
Posted by jeff at 10:22 AM
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July 15, 2005
aftermath - or how i'm going mad
to follow up from my last post, i've had plenty of time to process the race, talk with ken and reflect on my performance and the short answer to my 'was the race a success' question is a resounding YES....
Posted by jeff at 07:07 AM
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July 10, 2005
bittersweet
i'm not sure how best to sum up today's race. i want to rejoice for a 20 minute personal best time, but i'm heartbroken for the pain and disappointment that ken is feeling. so, i guess i'll just start at...
Posted by jeff at 03:46 PM
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2005 seafair marathon
Chip Time: 3:33:33 Gun Time: 3:33:39 Place: 100 Div Place: 14/71 Splits (from the forerunner - which lost signal a couple times): 1 8:21 2 8:04 3 8:14 4 8:00 5 8:24 6 7:58 7 8:32 8 8:04 9 7:40...
Posted by jeff at 01:02 PM
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July 09, 2005
slugged! - or how not to go mad pt. III
they were everywhere, and they brought back so many memories. long brown ones, short, fat yellow ones, black with yellow polka-dot ones. leaving a trail of goop everywhere they went. one of the surest indications that you're in the northwest....
Posted by jeff at 08:45 AM
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July 07, 2005
monster cadence - or how not to go mad pt. II
one more day of 'training' left, but i'm not even counting it, since it'll be a slow four mile jog with smsmh on friday evening. yesterday was a nice eight mile tempo run. hot, again, slightly humid, again, and smoggy,...
Posted by jeff at 08:44 AM
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July 06, 2005
keeping up the intensity - or how not to go mad
the coach has me grinding out some fun miles early this week, before getting a couple full rest days in. i had six on the schedule for last night, where i was expecting something like 3-4 easy miles. and tonight,...
Posted by jeff at 09:33 AM
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July 05, 2005
carnival of runners
well, i had every intention of coming up with some witty way of comparing all of the blogs and entries i was going to profile with a character from the foundation of the usa, in a tribute to the celebrating...
Posted by jeff at 08:57 AM
| Comments (2)
July 03, 2005
carny
i'll be hosting the carnival of runners this week, so send along your entries, race reports and fun running links!...
Posted by jeff at 01:16 PM
| Comments (2)
June 29, 2005
not a good start
yesterday i put in what i think is my last hard run. eight miles, last two harder. smsmh came out and biked the course with me and made the run really enjoyable. i ended up pushing the last five miles,...
Posted by jeff at 07:21 AM
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June 28, 2005
taper!
this week begins my two-week taper in preparation for seafair. i had been hoping for the traditional three week taper, but the coach believes in two weeks. so, i'm down to 37 miles for this week vs. the 50+ of...
Posted by jeff at 08:55 AM
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June 24, 2005
scratch
well, i pulled the plug on the tri today. after much thought and wrestling, i decided to call the team and let them know that we'd race another day. smsmh is sick as well, and even though she wanted me...
Posted by jeff at 04:06 PM
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June 23, 2005
a break in the clouds
well, june gloom returned this morning, but for the weekend and up until yesterday we were treated to beautiful, blue skies. along with the clear skies, came the heat and the humidity. nothing like the stuff back east or in...
Posted by jeff at 08:32 AM
| Comments (1)
June 21, 2005
el moro hill profile
here's the training center data from the garmin on saturday's run with dianna. i was pleased to see that it represented the hills properly. this was also the first time that i've taken the forerunner on this specific loop, so...
Posted by jeff at 10:23 AM
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*GULP*
this past weekend, i found out that k, my tri-buddy for the swim leg, is really sick and may not be able to make the race this coming sunday. the fee has been paid, and k2, our cyclist, i think...