Soaked At The Frostbite 1/2 Marathon

Let's just say that Saturday's forecast for rain, chance of t-storms which a high in the lower 50s and south winds of 10-15 mph proved very accurate. You know that you are going to get wet when the chance of rain is 90%. Well, for the frostbite series in Forest Park on Saturday morning that 90% turned to 100%. The half marathon was filled with on and off showers throughout. I felt very good running the 13.1 miles. The fact that I made this into a brick workout by doing a spinerval tape with Julie Pepper beforehand really helped me get off to an easy start. Most importantly though, the company was great (I ran with Mina Nashan, her friend Sean, Rebecca Leary and her friend Diana) and helped kept me going even when the rain hurtled in at us sideways.

For the 2nd race in a row, Mina Nashan stuck with me and got me to the finish line.

Rebecca Leary was great company throughout the 13.1 mile jaunt through the park.

Reaching A New Low (or High?)

Who needs Wellbridge when we have the Pepper's basement??? I don't know if this is a new high or a new low but at 6am this past Friday four trainers were set up in Pepper's basement. Towels and bottled were were handed out, a spinerval DVD was placed in the machine and away we went. There is much debate as to the merits of a spinerval tape vs. a spinning class but the fact remains that we have all reached a new level of sickness. I mean, come on. Elizabeth is upstairs sleeping and the four of us are conducting a spinning class in the basement at six in the morning. What's next - a lap lane in Tommy's kitchen?!

Totally Immersed

Masters Swimming at Ladue High School on Sundays has become a standard part of my base building training. Hap (seen above with me) throws out some pretty tough drills. This has got to make me a better swimmer - no doubt about it. I am truly enjoying the group swim. My favorite part is the breakfast at First Watch that follows. But seriously, I have never focused on my swimming quite like this. I look forward to seeing the improvements this summer.

Twin Lake Run

A quick 4.5 mile run with Blair around Twin Lakes in Boulder was the perfect start to the second day of the year. The running trails around Boulder are truly phenomenal. I can't tell you how spoiled Blair is to have all of this at her fingertips. The only thing stopping her from doing an Ironman is the fact that there are about 1 million other outdoor activities to partake in around Boulder. This has been a great trip.

Happy New Year

Here is to a great 2006!!!

What better way to start the 2006 training then by running 5 miles in Boulder, Colorado with Jason and Gert Fraser. The "Fraser Trail" took us around the Boulder Country Club. You can tell that it has been a while since I have run. Hopefully the past 9 days of skiing well help me as I get back into the swing of things. I am looking forward to a phenomenal '06.