So that happened!

Yeah I got married! So freaking happy that words fail me! I have married my soul mate, my best friend, my training partner! It is nothing but pure awesome!

 

Wordless Wednesday…something a little different!

Saturday Silliness…

Let’s plat Feud!

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE MY ANSWERS!!!!!!
Copy and paste message to a new post.
Erase my answers and fill in your answers.
If my answers are dumb, it's because the person before me had the good ones lol!!!!!
1. Name something you use in the shower? Radio
2.Name something a football player wears under his uniform? Deodorant
3.Name something people hate to find on their windshield? Bird poop
4.Name something a man might buy before a date? A calendar
5.What is another word for blemish? Spot
6. Something you cook in the microwave? Rice
7.Name a piece of furniture people need help moving? Four Poster Bed
8.Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman? Cheap Insurance
9.Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner? Crap on someone's lawn (not the owner's)
10.Name a kind of test you cannot study for? Morals
11.Name something a boy scout gets a badge for? Astronomy
12.Name a phrase with the word home in it? Home is where the heart is
13.Name a sport where players lose teeth? Full contact dentistry
14.Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day? C- or worse
15.What is a way you can tell someone has been crying? Mascara to their knees
16.Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat? Eagle
17.Name something someone would wear with a hole in it? T shirt, they're really tricky to put on without holes...think about it!
18.Name something that gets smaller the more you use it? Tire

Wanna play? Answer below, post on your blog and/or link back…just have some fun with it!

My 40 hour week!

I have said it before…lot’s of times; I am useless at going to bed at a reasonable time, I seem to become one with the sofa until such point when I really wish my superpower was teleporting! Unfortunately it’s not!

Now here’s the thing when I get so tired that I am forced to have an early night I actually feel good the next day!

Now there’s a lesson in there somewhere right!?!

It’s not rocket science that sleep is important, from “How to sleep like an Olympic Athlete”

….the question is, how can we sleep like an Olympic athlete?

"Eight hours of sleep is the standard," says Mednick. "There is a range, but 7.5 to eight hours of sleep is the optimal amount."

And from Peak Performance;

What's known is that sleep can be divided into five distinct stages. Stages1 through 4 represent non-rapid-eye movement sleep; during a normal night of sleep they are usually followed by the well-known REM or rapid-eye movement stage (stage 5). Stages 3 and 4 produce brain waves which have a slow frequency; these stages are thus called 'slow-wave' sleep. Sleep scientists reckon that during a night of normal sleep, REM and non-REM sleep repeat in cycles of about an hour and a half, although age and the amount of prior sleep can alter this pattern.

Slow-wave sleep is critically important for athletes, because it's the portion of the night when growth hormone is released from the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. Growth hormone stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone building, and fat burning, and is thus one of the key hormones which help athletes recover from tough workouts and improve physiologically. Studies show that when an athlete loses sleep, growth-hormone release diminishes. This may be a key reason why extended sleep loss can harm performance.

Well I am no Olympian but in the spirit of self discovery I am going to try and get 40 hours of sleep during the week, that’s 8 hours a night! Monday night, check!

Tuesday night, well, G’night!

12 pics for 12 years!

View Full Album

Ms Q and I took 24 hours off and left our children in capable hands and disappeared for the day for our wedding anniversary.

A visit to a chocolatier, wine emporium, some outstandingly delicious food, great entertainment, delightful company and 11 hours sleep in one night ensued!

iPhone photos so sorry for the quality with the exception of the hiking ones!

Porn Mags!

Hello my old friend…it’s been a while

Ah the holiday week, I am forced to take a week off, seriously where I am contracted closes for the week; no work till January 4^th the downside is no work equals no pay though.

So when my wife suggested a hike I thought what the hell! I confess I am not a big hiker, it’s too…pedestrian. But I’m pretty pedestrian right now and so to a local section of the Back Bone Trail we headed. I’ve not been on a trail since 100 in the Hood, not that I was nervous but, well, it’s been awhile.

The Back Bone trail runs the length of the Santa Monica Mountains and is approximately 70 miles in length, we’re lucky to live close enough to it to be able to hit one of six or seven trail heads within a 20 minute drive so I suggested a nice section slap bang in the middle; 3 miles up and 3 miles down. It was also a chance for my wife to off road her new Salomon XT Wings…my recommendation, her conclusion they rock! Ladies you can get yourself a pair from WRC, use Quad10 for a 10% discount. In fact WRC is having a killer sale, check it out and grab yourself a bargain!

We parked, we hiked, we chatted, we laughed and before we knew it, well I knew it as my Garmin is almost an implant I wear it so much, we were at the top and treated to this view;

Looking west across the Pacific towards Catalina Island

Looking east across Topanga Canyon and the snowcapped San Gabriel's in the distance

Worth the work I would say, we about-faced and ran and walked down, round trip time; 2:17, distance 6:76, reconnecting with old trails; precious, doing it all with my wife; priceless!

There’s till time to vote for me in the Endurance Blog of 2009 one click is all it takes follow this link and if you want to throw your hat or visor into the 13.1 lotto add a comment to this post!

Hope you’re all enjoying your holidays!

No long run Sunday!

Oh the things you can spend your day doing do when you have no long run...

I am really loving the psychedelic hue from the energy efficient LED lights!

Don't forget to vote in the Haiku Gu contest!

A change of pace...

Yesterday my wife and I and two other friends found ourselves up at the crack of dawn and heading towards Ventura Harbor where a boat awaited to take us to Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is one of five Channel Islands that lie about 20 miles offshore. They are classified as a State Park (although some parts of them are owned by a Nature Conservancy). At over 96 square miles in size it is California's largest island.

The island contains two rugged mountain ranges, a large central valley/fault system, deep canyons with year-round springs and streams, there is 77 miles of craggy coastline cliffs, giant sea caves, pristine tidepools, and expansive beaches...so plenty to do and see. Due to the boat's arrival and departure times (10:00am and 4:00pm) we were limited to in scope of how much we could do, there’s one boat a day and if you miss you’re left to plan some unexpected camping!

We arrived to find low cloud/fog and a cool temperature and once we were under way fairly choppy seas, on the way we stopped to admire so basking seals and we also saw dolphins. I’m no sailor but an hour of up and down almost got to me and I was very happy to see the island appear out of the mist! We went ashore and was given a brief; no fires, no litter etc from the Park Rangers, after which we were left to our own devices.

We had picked a hike that took us up from Scorpion Anchorage to Smugglers Cove a 7 mile round trip. As were at sea level everything was of course up and this was the path we took. Along the way we took a side track out to a look out and was treated to a great view, boats bobbing and crystal clear water. The further we went inland the more cloud lifted until we were in clear blue skies.

We hiked onwards until we reached the high point and then started on the second half, which was downwards into the Cove. We could have hiked up to one of the islands highest ridge lines but I couldn't convince anyone and all that sea air combined with an early start had everyone on the hungry side.

We arrived to find a beautiful cove with a eucalyptus grove and a big pebbly beach. We stayed there for lunch and after an hour during which we explored the beach and spent some time combing for treasure (none was found), chatted to some regular hikers and admired the brave souls who went swimming; the water temp was about 60f, we headed back.

A couple of hours later we were back at the anchorage and with an hour or so to go we found a nice sunny spot and had a nap! An uneventful ride home and we headed to a local fish taco restaurant for some well earned liquid refreshment, check out the label!

If you ever get a chance this is a fabulous trip that really takes you off the beaten path. The island offers much more than hiking alone with camping, snorkeling diving and kayaking so there's plenty to do.

Here are the photo’s from the day.

Nutritional Science 101...well more like 99!

A little bit of Friday fun for you with a serious edge.

Ok with all the healthy eating going on in our house we have taken to buying our fruits and veggies in bulk; TGF Costco, Trader Joes and the local farm (yes we have moved so far out of LA that there are farms around here!) is all I can say!

While in Bed Bath and Beyond the other day this caught my eye; Debbie Meyer’s Green Bags, always willing to try something new and have a bit of fun I am pleased to present you the:

How Yellow is Your Banana Experiment.

Introduction; Bulk purchase of bananas have precluded them from being consumed before they become too ripe, the objective is to extend their fruit bowl life as long as possible (in fact they live on a banana hook, they don’t play nice with other fruit)!

Research; I read the back of the box and was totally suckered in by the advertising.

Method; One banana volunteered to be the test subject and was detached from a bunch. The volunteer banana was marked with a thick point sharpie to distinguish it from the rest. The remaining bunch was placed in a Green Bag, the remaining household scientists were instructed to “Do not touch the bananas”.

Equipment; well just in case you missed it, a bunch of bananas, a sharpie pen and a Green Bag.

Results; the results are visually documented below:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Conclusion; Visually the ‘bagged’ bananas freshness was extended (they look purty longer!), however with the exception of the obvious softness from bruising the actual consistency of the two bananas was very similar, the bagged bunch were not as firm as their appearance suggested. I will be trying them with other produce but as far as bananas are concerned, the Green Bags results were a FAIL!

Date Night!

So my wife and I have a standing appointment for a date night at least twice a month. Usually we head to the movies or go for grab dinner, sometimes we while away several hours in a Barnes and Noble with a Starbucks or the like, you know the usual. Given that we are both on a health kick (well more so than usual) we decided to go for a run together and my wife suggested on the trails at Cheeseboro Canyon…eh yeah ok honey!

So we spent a very pleasant 90 minutes on a local trail chatting and catching up on everything that falls between the cracks during a workweek. It was too late for a movie so I picked up some yummy dinner from Wholefoods, sent the sitter home early and we plonked ourselves down in front on the TV to catch up on our ever increasing backlog from NetFlix, Vantage Point, not a bad movie and quite an unusual style.

Who says the romance is dead!

Reading not writing!

Just a short post to say that I am around and following you, my lack of comments may not indicate that, but all but my attentions are elsewhere right now. Monday I found out that my contract which was due to be renewed in June and up until Christmas was going to be renewed is actually going to end two months early! I guess this is what happens when you employer posts a $1 billion loss for the year!

So back to drawing board, as you all know the economy sucks and we are having to think outside of the box, so far outside that an interstate move may be required, right now we’re not really ruling too many things out; much as we love SoCal we have no major ties to here. So if you know of anyone looking for a Project Manager/Financial Analyst or something that fits in between let me know, who knows if they’re local to you we could be going out for a run together soon!

Running Doubles!

I am halfway through my taper, my knee seems to have calmed down and the needle is floating around the OK mark rather than the PANIC line, of course I would like it at the PERFECT mark, but there’s time yet. Spending 2-3 hours driving each day is not helping but there’s nothing I can do about that.

What this means is that my taper mileage has been next to non existent, I’m not too (kinda, sorta) worried, this seems to be my modus operandi leading into races and it does seem to allow me to leave the starting gate with a little extra spring my step and given that it’s not exactly a sprint start I should be fine.

It looks like I am going to come in at around 10% under my training mileage goal on the feet-to-fireometer scale (see sidebar) but that was really all I could do so I am reconciled with it…kinda…sorta!

So this weekend I had an easy 8 miler on the beach path just to blow out the cobwebs and get some photos for my review of my CW-X 3/4 tights, I was going to do a video review but it was so windy the audio would have been terrible so you have to suffer a gratuitous butt shot, see above!

Anyway I figured that was it for the day but my wife had promised our eldest that I would take him out running when we got home, so when we arrived he was all changed into his “running clothes” and ready to go and so off to the local HS track we went. He decided on lane 4 as he is four and set the lofty goal of 9 laps, 3600m! With a few walk breaks, several practices of “on your marks, set, go” complete with faux blocks, a couple of illegal lane changes and lot’s of laughter we were done after three laps and headed home for some of “Daddy’s Special Sports Drink”; which is nothing more special than Gatorade G2!

Putting aside all the hills and all the miles these are, by far, the best runs!

Did the earth move for you?

California; sun, sand, the ocean, mountains, trails, landmarks, natural beauty and earthquakes!

Yes we had a earthquake today, a shaker: they come in two flavors; a shaker and a roller. The epicenter was about 35 miles from the ocean and centered on the Chino/Diamond Bar area. It measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, that's quite considerable. There were and continue to be aftershocks.

There is a lot of talk that we are due for the big one; the last big was in Northridge a 6.7 in January 1994, hopefully this “letting off of steam” will delay or better still eliminate that. Here’s hoping that any and everyone in SoCal is ok.

The best damn $8 you'll spend next week, period!

I managed to snag some tickets to this back in February, well now you have the opportunity to go. It’s on limited release for July 31^st only. Trust me it’s well worth money, check out the website to see which theater near you is showing it.

Like the man said…“sure it’s about running, but mostly it’s about life”…

Ich bin ein Flatlander!

The plan was simple, albeit changed slightly from the original. My Whitney climbing partner had tweaked his knee while reffing a football (not soccer) game and had decided to sit out the weekends hike up San Gorgonio. With that in mind I changed the destination to Mount Baldy.

A slightly later than planned start, an hour in the car, $5.00 for the Park parking permit, three laps around Manker Flats Campground parking at around 6100’ before finding a spot and I was set. The first part of the trail was actually a road which led up to a somewhat dryish waterfall and then switchbacked up on a fireroad. A quarter mile later and a sharp left turn and I followed the singletrack path. I signed in the trail book and headed up into the tree line. The trail, was ominously called “Ski Hut Trail”, good for going down, and, well, not so for going up.

I had set off with my Forerunner on but the path was so steep that the autostop/start was chirping so much it sounded like an over-cheerful budgie! A steady pace and several hours later and I arrived at the “ski hut” having climbed 2000’ vertical feet. There were multiple groups of hikers enjoying the views and having a well earned rest. After a short break for lunch, (Cliff bar and gel) I set of the second half which would take me up to the summit at 10,064. Like most things in life it proved to be an event of two halves. The second half started well but it wasn’t long before I started to feel the effects of both the heat and altitude. This photo was taken about 15 minutes into the second half. There was a little shade afforded from the trees but not as much as I would have liked. While taking a rest on a rather inviting log I asked a descending hiker what lay ahead, he advised that the ridgeline to the summit was about 40 minutes away and then the summit was another 30 or so after that. To put this into perspective this trail is, according to the book, 8.4 miles, I was traveling at around one, yes one mile per hour! I pushed on and the higher I got the slower I got.

After spending 40 minutes or so getting to the top of a particularly steep section, having promised myself a rest when I got there, I found the least uncomfortable spot and unceremoniously plonked myself down, another group sat nearby in a choice shady spot got up and set off and I overheard the comment that there was another 600 feet, a half mile, about half an hour to the top. You can see in the photo how close I was. I rested a little while longer and looked at my watch; 1:30, I made the decision to give myself till 2pm before turning around, whether I was at the top or not. The next time I looked at my watch it was 1:35 and I had moved roughly steps. At this point for the second weekend in a row discretion was the better part of valor, I about faced a started walking downhill.

Physiologically the effect of altitude is hard to describe, my wife, who suffered from it when we hiked the Inca Trail (13,828) describes it as being 120 years old; you have a complete lack of mobility, your muscles feel fine, you’re not that short of breath, you just are unable to move, I had it mildly while climbing Mt Kinabalu (13,438’) and would say that that is a pretty fair description, throw into the mix, nausea and giddiness and, well, I had two out of three. My stomach had been feeling a little queasy and within two minutes of my turnaround decided that the contents were no longer content with containment, this was again repeated several times during the next 30 minutes, I can report that the rumors are true and you feel a million times better afterwards.

I slowly and steadily (emphasis on the slow and not on the steady) made my way back down. I was not feeling hungry or thirsty and had been consuming gels and Perpetuem along the way as well as water from my CamelBak, the problem now was that having been in the sun so long both were warm, refreshing; I don't think so! I recrossed a couple of small streams and took the opportunity to cool myself down in the ice cold water. At this point I started fixating on ice pops, the thought of the cold fruit flavored ice melting in my mouth was becoming almost an obsession; I have no idea where it came from but it was driving me nuts. Every so often I would rest and I reminded myself of a line from the film The Runner where David Horton says something like “it’s no good sitting down, you’re not going to die and you’ve got to get to the end”. Finally after just under two and half hours I was back at the car, after phoning home to confirm I was on my way, a look at the temperature gauge revealed that it was a toasty 92 degrees! A short car ride to the nearest store satisfied my ice pop lust and two hours later I was back home. The effects of the altitude having been left on the mountain, literally!

So with this in mind I have canceled, well delayed, my Whitney trip, I have no desire to repeat this experience, put the responsibility for my safety in the hands of anyone else and do it all when I am over 300 miles from home. Both Baldy and Whitney will be around for a while yet so I will be back have another go having put in some lower level work first.

There is a old joke which asks; how do you make a Swiss Roll – you push him off the top of a mountain. Continuing the gastronomy theme there is a joke in there somewhere about tossing my cookies on the mountain, but it’s late and I can’t quite piece it together, but you see where I am going…right?

As mentioned there is no Forerunner data but you can check out the pictures here.

Life Happens!

A light week for posts but a monster week for work, well that’s what a new job will do! Suddenly my commute has gone from, oh a casual walk of 30’ across our lounge to up to and hour and a half and 38 miles one way; that’s LA traffic for you! Add in the mix solid 9 or 10 hour day and suddenly your day is rapidly disappearing. What does this mean in the long term, well pragmatically what it does mean is that I need to refocus and rebalance things and that means that something needs to give and that has to be my second training cycle of this year. Additionally throw in the mix that my wife has passed me her climbing pass for Mt Whitney; she’s been sick and doesn’t feel up to tackling the altitude (14,505') and after the last weekend’s fun in the sun (not!) at the Valley Crest Half Marathon, more on that to follow, the revised plan is to delay things by two or three months (probably three) and miss the heat of summer July, August and September, get to grips with the new job and refocus on a winter 50 miler.

A quick look on the internet uncovered that there are several 50 milers that I can tackle in the cooler winter months; Twin Peaks in Orange County or Catalina Island’s Avalon 50. During the summer months I can throw in a couple of century bike rides and bag a few half marathons and training trail runs while keeping the wheels turning with some running in the evenings etc and move up to 50k during the fall. As for climbing Mount Whitney that’s scheduled for three weeks, to that end this weekend I am off to Palm Springs to tackle San Gorgonio (11,499’) this weekend…that should be fun, I was told this week that it is still snowcapped...pass the crampons!

A little something for the weekend!

I picked up my bike yesterday after it had undergone major surgery. Old, oily and worn bits were cut away and discarded and new, shiny and smooth ones installed in their place. In addition to the new wheels a new crankset, chain and cassette were fitted, my old pedals; Speedplay X5s were refitted and the result is what you see in the photo; bike porn! I took him for a spin, well as much of a spin as you can on a trainer last night and there was never a mistimed gear change and the chain purred like a content cat having his tummy rubbed. I was scheduled to ride a century this week but there is a household activity conflict; my wife has a training hike for her Mt Whitney climb next month, I wanted to go cycling and that left...errr no one to look after the little ones. A quick whiz around the internet and I had found another ride in a couple of weeks, which actually looks a better one, problem solved!

Talking about the weekend, as I am sure everyone, read guys, knows this weekend is Mother’s day (in the US), do yourself a favor and don’t forget it, get out there and get a little something for your mother and the mother of your children, for the weekend; you know it’s worth it!

The beauty of our body

Sunday we headed to the California Science Museum to look at the Body Worlds 3 exhibition, this is a touring exhibit which showcases the human body in a unique way. Using “plastination” a technique where the actual tissue or organ is impregnated with polymer, positioned and hardened to stabilize it in its form. This allows the viewer to actually see the body in action without the obscurence of skin and fatty tissues. You can get a better understanding of this process here.

It’s a fascinating way to study the human body and if you’ve ever been interested in anatomy or physiology or have ever been injured or broken a bone you can get up close and personal to it. Endurance Planet's Kevin Patrick talks about this exhibit here. In addition to the usual skeletal presentation, something that we are quite familiar with, many functional areas of the body are presented including the intestinal, vascular and sensory and if you had ever considered retreating to the couch with nothing but a bag of cheesy puffs and a coke there is a complete sectional from head to toe of an obese women. Many off the exhibits are posed doing sports or activities, walking, gymnastics, dancing etc so you can really see the mechanics of the musculature and view the beauty and complexity of the human body from the inside out.

Currently there are four exhibitions around the world; Baltimore, Milwaukee and Los Angeles in North America and Manchester in England. I highly recommend that you go if you get the chance.

Absent With Out bLogging

I am still alive, I know you were all wondering, I have been subject to planes, trains, the Easter Bunny and Spring Break, life has suddenly overtaken my blogging habits! A quick recap:

~Last week on the bike around 85 miles or so; ok
~Lots of stretching and foam rolling; good
~Lots of easter eggs; bad
~Departing in laws after a six month stay; good and bad all at once
~No running; also good and bad all at once
~ITB & knee etc; feels good
~Finished my PMP prep courses and scored a B or higher in all; good
~Lots of revision before the exam; bad

I came across this searching for an image for this post, it seems that easter eggs are not the only thing that's bad for your health!



OK that's it for now, sock report to follow, I know you're all on the edge of your chairs!