mattw

Very impressive Gwen! Nice job adapting the training plan to fit your needs and a great execution on race day!

I'm sure you learned who I really am on Facebook: a guy whose jokes really are that lame, not just in the Loop!

Way to hang on for second place overall! Shameful doing the bandit thing though. You were using precious satellite signals reserved for real virtual racers! Nice report, but no pics? You're slacking (but not as much as me as I haven't posted in forever).

Ditto on the extra pounds here too. I had slightly above good levels cholesterol years ago. And low Vitamin D levels. With some Googling I found that Vitamin D from the sun can help break down cholesterol. Not sure if that's medically correct or not, but is on the internet. My higher level was after a cloudy, short days winter, so I just made sure to get in the sun more. No idea if it worked (or is working) as I haven't been tested again. Happy running!

Having the TV series to watch on demand is the way to do it. I'd probably put in a movie sometimes too. Well, start it and finish it over the course of a few runs. 2 hours on the mill? No thanks. Funny how Mrs. Dave hasn't used it. By "I want one, I mean 'you' want one." Here in NC it is rare to not be able to run outside. My wife and I have debated it and we had one about 15 years ago, but gave it to a cousin when we moved to NC as we wouldn't have room for it anyway. I am working on a garage gym, but mainly for some weight lifting and such. Most importantly I was able to score an older, extra TV and sound system to put in there too. But being in the garage has its own distractions such as breaking down boxes for recycle.

Congrats! Not easy to keep going when there's not an actual event, but you kept it going!

Cool idea and awesome the family and neighbors joined. But you could have just done 58 minutes. Probably a bit less epic though.

Good year of training and high mileage! We just rearranged our living room and hung the TV (previously on a stand). Only took my son and I 3 tries to get it right.

Still raining. Started at 4:30 am, and I wasn't able to go back to sleep. It is in the low 30s, but not below freezing, so just the cold rain. I wimped out on biking to work. I can still claim I'm getting over the stomach flu that hit me Monday night and knocked me out for two days. Drove to work yesterday too as I really didn't have enough strength to ride. Just as well as I had to pick up my race packet for tomorrow's half marathon. I am one of the two-hour pace group leaders. Running buddy Tim is the other. We, along with another buddy who has since moved away, were, and kind of still are, known as the BARFers. Fitting, given my week of nausea. In the tent, the volunteers were well organized and remember to give me my bonus PACER t-shirt. A couple more of these and I'll have enough to form my own Indianapolis basketball team. They have extra shirts and hoodies from previous years for sale: $5 each. A good deal for a quality hoodie. I consider getting one each for the kids, but then the guy tells me their credit card machine is down. When I do carry cash, it disappears quickly. I think the RD just needs to donate those if they don't sell. Next stop - lunch. I call my wife en route. She and kids are watching a movie. She had some of the same stomach problems I did, but a little less intense. We're hoping the kids escape it altogether. The girls have a dance performance next weekend which requires a mandatory all day rehearsal tomorrow. I'll drop them off on my way to the race. Panera - Baja Mac & Cheese ordered on the touch screen, spy a couple of fellas vacating a table by the fireplace, claim it with a blinking pager, wet jacket and gloves and get some water. Next to me is that long table with grandparents, a couple of moms and three grandchildren. They speak of snowy days when they lived in Maryland. Mom tells her daughter about her snow boots that are like the daughter's horse riding boots. "No we can't go riding today. It's too cold and wet for the horses." I ate my carbohydrated food and checked social media, news headlines, and email. Then I downloaded some Christmas music. I've never listened to any one full album from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Now with these online music subscriptions, I can try almost anything out there. Back to work (okay, maybe write a quick bloop first). Weather forecast says it is supposed to stop raining before the 8am race start and even warm up to above 40 degrees. I kinda hope so. Thinking about running in cold rain for two hours is enough to make me barf.

The holidays are good time for rest and a break from regularly scheduled runs. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Sounds like you got a good number of adventures in this year too! I hope the winter isn't too harsh.

Bummer. Good that you got the right fit. But as these things go, you know next year's model will be all wrong.

If the kids ever run more than 3 miles at a time and build some endurance they may be smoking me.

Donuts were the main motivation to finish early and get to the front of the line.

Sweet that you could pull off that kind of speed! And with a questionable stomach too.