Spoiler Alert!

**First let me mention that there are no actual spoilers in this blog posting**

I was very excited when I got the email from the Erie Library saying that the DVDs for Game of Thrones Season 1 were ready for me to pick up.  I've heard a lot of good things about this series so, along with the fact that there is no good TV on right now, I was ready to put the girls to bed at 7:00pm and start watching.  I should mention that I had heard a few spoilers about this show, specifically about season 1, and that the author (GoT was first a series of novels) loves killing off major characters so I was somewhat prepared.  (Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler, there are about 40 major characters.)  Angie didn't know anything at all about the show so it was going to be fun to watch her reaction to the surprises of the season.  Well, we didn't have to wait long as the big (at least I think it's the biggest one) shocking event happened in the first episode!  

Angie and I couldn't believe it until we went to watch episode 2 only to find out we had just watched episode 9!  Oops.  I had grabbed what I thought was the first DVD from the case and I actually grabbed the LAST DVD.  No wonder we didn't understand anything that was going on.  As we were watching the episode I kept thinking to myself that the producers didn't do a very good job of explaining the background stories.  Maybe they expected that people had read the books first.  Or, maybe they expected people to start on episode 1.  After we popped disc 1 in and watched episode 1 it turns out they do a great job of explaining background.  As of last night we have watched episodes 1-6 (and 9) and I really enjoy it.  There are plenty of twists and turns and shocking deaths.  If you don't know anything about this show it's like a sci-fi, fantasy, Gladiator meets Sopranos.  There is a lot of bad language and a lot of nudity so I can't "officially" recommend it but we are really enjoying it.

Have you ever started a movie or show at the wrong spot and ruined a surprise?

Do any of you watch GoT and if so do you like it?

Angie and I are getting tired of our usual shows, are there any that you recommend? 

Oh thank heaven...

...I made it seven!  That's right, I finally got over the seven mile plateau and ran for more than an hour for the first time ever.  I figured this would be my shot at getting over the six mile mark because the weather was actually going to be cool and we leave for vacation Wednesday afternoon and it's hard to find time to run while on vacation.  Anyway, my stomach wasn't feeling the greatest this morning so I wasn't quite sure how my run would go.  The first mile went fine but by the second and third mile I was really considering heading back to the office.  The fact that I was still 2+ miles away from work convinced me that I should just keep going on my course.  I started feeling better by mile 5 but then my left knee/ankle started bugging me.  (I know I'm a big complainer...sorry.)  Any thoughts of stopping early were pushed aside because you can't run the seventh mile without running the first six right?  It would have been a waste to quit when I was so close to running longer and farther than I ever have before.  Plus now I can say that I've done more than half of a half marathon (a quarter marathon for those math majors out there.)  

My splits were (remember I don't start intervals until the start of the second mile and I didn't walk at the start of the seventh mile):

8:58 min/mile, 9:29, 9:41, 9:55, 9:51, 9:57, 9:49, and 8:47 (0.3 miles) for a total average pace of 9:41 min/mile, a total distance of 7.3 miles, and a total time of 1:10:39.

I'm very happy with this average pace and hope I can keep it this consistent for the next 6 miles.  

The Hill

You all know a hill like this.  The hill where you'll end up at 60 mph at the bottom if you don't hit the breaks on the way down.  The hill where cops love to sit at the bottom because the speed limit is 40 mph and you can't see them until it's too late.  The hill where people tailgate you if you try to go 45 mph to avoid a ticket.  The hill that makes you consider another way to work when it get icy.  The hill that makes you actually feel bad for the people biking or running it.

I ran that hill this morning.  I hear so much about "hill training" during half/full marathon training that I decided I should at least try it once.  I also wanted to run it so that 1) I could say I ran it, and 2) I could use my GPS running app (Map My Run...highly recommended) to see what the elevation change is.  It turns out the elevation gain is 197 feet (186 of it in a 1-mile span.)  Looking at the numbers now it doesn't seem too bad, and I know this is nothing for those of you that run trails in the mountains, but it was pretty brutal this morning.  Of course the 83 degree weather (at 9am!) didn't help much.  Anyway, as bad as it was to run up it was just as nice to run down.  I ended up going a total of 3.4 miles today in 32:55 for an average pace of 9:41 min/mile which isn't too bad considering my pace up the hill was anywhere from 9 to 11 min/mile.

Here's the elevation chart for my run this morning compared to my typical route:

For the week I ran 13.42 miles and I'm up to 25.63 miles in July.  I need to start upping the distance of my "long run" for the week.  So far my longest run has been 6.23 miles so I need to get up to 7 or 8 by the end of the month.  The problem I'm having is that it's hard to find 1.5 hours to go for a run when it's not 90+ degrees.  I guess I'm going to have to get up at 5:00am some morning and knock it out.  Ideally that would be on a weekend because after running for that long I'll be down for the count.

We're going to Montana next week for the annual Van Voast family reunion at Flathead Lake.  We'll see if I'm able to get some running in while we're on vacation for 10 days.

OK, it's time to get interactive.  Please feel free to add comments/questions/thoughts.  Here's a few questions to get things started:

Do you have plans for a summer vacation?  If so where are you going?
Do you have a speed trap hill that you have to drive on a lot?  Have you ever received a speeding ticket there?

You got a break

Three weeks after injuring my hand playing softball I finally decided to go to the doctor last Wednesday.  The injury originally occurred on June 12 when I dove to catch a line drive in the outfield (I did make the catch and doubled a guy off first base...I shouldn't mention that we lost by 10 runs) and my glove got caught up in the grass and bent my hand backward.  Initially I thought it was just a sprain but after the swelling went down I noticed a small bulge on the top of my hand.  I still had full use of my hand/fingers but my whenever I put any pressure on my ring finger, or pushed down with my ring finger, I felt a jolt of pain in the top of my hand.

Fast forward to last Wednesday, I went into the room to get my x-rays and the x-ray technician (xrt) had me hold my hand three different ways for x-rays.  After the last one the xrt and I have the following exchange of words:

xrt: Are you right or left handed?

me: Right handed.

xrt: You got a break.  OK head back to your room and the doctor will be in to see you soon.

As I was walking back to my room I started to think, did she mean I got a break that I injured my non-dominant hand or that I broke my hand?  Of course I had to sit in the room for another 10 minutes trying to figure what she meant before the doctor came in and told me that I had in fact broken the fourth metacarpal bone on my left hand.  Immediately I had visions of a large cast on my left hand/arm that would pretty much ruin any chance to swim at Flathead Lake, make running in the heat miserable, and make life challenging overall.  I was pleasantly surprised when the doctor pulled out a Galveston Metacarpal Brace that can easily be adjusted and removed whenever necessary.  I didn't get to see the x-ray so I don't know exactly where or which direction it was broken but based on the bump on my hand and the description by the doctor the bone broke up (as opposed to sideways) and this brace should push it back into place while it heals.  I was a little skeptical at first but after a week it's already feeling better and is not very sensitive to pressure anymore.  Although I need to wear it as much as possible I think I'll still get to do a little swimming when we're in Montana next weekend.

Last weekend was my sister's wedding!  It's hard to believe that my baby (25-year old) sister is married!  The wedding was a lot of fun and we're happy to welcome Mickey to the family.  Thank goodness he goes by Mickey because I can't imagine how confusing it would be to have three Mikes in the immediate family!  I'm a little sad that they are only going to be around for another month and a half before they move out of the country but I'm excited for them.  Our two girls, along with Mike's three girls, were flower girls in the wedding and I'm proud to say they did a great job!  

Firecracker 4...completed

Angie and I woke up around 6:45am on Thursday to a cloudy, cool morning.  By race time (8am) the clouds were gone and the temp was already in the low to mid 70s.  The 4 milers were released first and I was near the end of the group.  I tried not to pay attention to how fast (or slow) people were going around me and run at my pace and ended up doing just that and ran the first mile in 8:32.  The second mile was a bit more uphill and I ran it a bit slower, 8:45.  The third mile felt like it was never going to end and it was on a trail far removed from any trees or shade.  I got it done in 8:50 and started wishing my race was a 5k (3.1 miles) rather than a 4 mile.  I was getting pretty tired during that last mile until the strategically placed "Gonna Fly Now" started playing in my ears.  In case you don't know the song by the title is is also known as the theme from Rocky.  I defy you to listen to this song and not want to alternate punching your arms in boxing motions.  Anyway, the song came on and gave me a boost and I pushed hard the last half mile and ended up doing the last mile in 8:18.  Unfortunately when my running app (Map My Run...which I love by the way) told me I had completed my fourth mile, I noticed that there was no finish line and no fans cheering me on.  As I had suspected (because I mapped the course last week) the race was actually 4.13 miles and not 4 miles as advertised.  I guess the "Erie Firecracker 4k/4.13" just doesn't have the same ring to it.  Anyway, I sprinted as fast as my tired legs would carry me for the last .13 miles and finished with a total time of 35:20.  This put me on an average pace of 8:34 which I am very happy with.  My time was probably 5 - 10 seconds faster but the race used a gun start (as opposed to a chip start) and I didn't bring my stopwatch to get an accurate time.  Either way, I finished under my goal of 37 minutes.  I finished last place in the "Male 30 - 39" group although that doesn't mean anything to me because the 1st place (24:51) and second place (25:14) finishers were in my group.  My overall finish was 18/39 which means I didn't finish last!

After I crossed the finish line I grabbed a water and chatted with my parents (who came over to watch us finish) for a minute and then headed back out on the course to finish with Angie and the girls.  I didn't have to go too far as Angie was coming up the hill that was near the finish line.  I grabbed the stroller from her and we ran to the finish line.  Angie ended up finishing up in 39:01 for the 2.48 miles which was well below her projected finish time of 45 - 50 minutes.  Again, her time was probably 10 - 20 seconds faster due to the gun start.  She finished 94/107 which I think is great considering she was pushing the two little monkeys, stopped to get a drink (and give the girls drinks) at the water stop, and isn't able to run much because of her knees.  Great job Angie!

I lot more happened this weekend but I'll write about that in a separate post tomorrow.

Firecracker 4

Tomorrow is the 4th of July and that means the Erie Firecracker 4k/4mile race.  I ran the 4k a couple years ago (which you would know if you have been reading my posts since the beginning!) which was my first race.  This will be my second race.  In that 4k I ended up walking for 45 seconds before the big hill at then end and still finished the 2.48 mile race in just over 20 minutes.  I was shocked that I averaged an 8 minute pace (including the short walk) when all of my training runs had been around 9 minutes/mile.  I guess I didn't realize how fast the pace is at the start of a race and how hard it is to avoid starting fast.  Since I'm doing the 4 mile race tomorrow I need to make a point of starting at my own pace and not try to keep up with the youngsters that will finish in 25 minutes.  As I mentioned in a previous pace I'm aiming for 37 minutes.

Angie is going to be pushing the little monkeys in the 4k race in a 2-kid stroller.  If I finish before them I will head back on the course to finish with them.  If they finish before me then I get my three favorite people to cheer me on.  Win-win situation.  What I am most excited for is the kids 40-yard dash that Lauren is going to run after the adult races are done.  Lauren loves running so much I hope she doesn't get shy at the start and decide not to do it.

I've got a lot of my Minnesota family coming into town this afternoon for Morgan's wedding this weekend so we've got a busy next 5 days coming up.

Off to the hand doctor in a few minutes to see how bad my hand is.  I really hope nothing is broken because having a hard cast on my hand/arm would definitely make training more difficult especially in the hot weather.

Happy 4th of July to all and I'll update next week with my results.

35 - 49

After a trip to Safeway last week to pick up a pre-work coffee I noticed my receipt was a "treat receipt."  A treat receipt gives you $1 off your next coffee if you complete a short survey online.  I usually fill out the survey because 1) I like getting $1 off my latte and, 2) I know that doesn't send any email spam once I fill out the survey.  Anyway, I hadn't had a treat receipt in awhile (mainly because I don't drink as much coffee now that it's 75 degrees at 7:30am) so when I got to the page where is asks for gender, age, and race I cruised through it clicking the same buttons I always did.  As I was about to hit the "next page" button I did a double take as I realized I had checked the 26 - 34 year old button.  Wait a minute, I'm not 34 am I?  After some quick math I determined that I am now 35 and fall into the 35 - 49 age group.  What?  When did I get this old?  As far as Starbucks is concerned I'm now in the same class as 49 year olds?  Sheesh.  I might as well start eating dinner at 5:00pm (oh wait, we already do that...well, 5:30pm) and watching Matlock and wearing my socks pulled up to my knees while wearing shorts.  How depressing.  I had a friend that turned 35 over the weekend and I texted him to tell him happy birthday and let him know that he's now halfway to 70.  He said that was a depressing way to look at it.  Maybe I should let him know that when he fills out a survey he needs to double check the age box as we're now in a new age range.

Since my last post I have been trying to increase my distance.  I don't want to ramp it up too quick so that I get burned out, and it's probably not smart to push myself when I'm running in the 70 - 80 degree heat.  That being said last week I ran 3.63, 5.55, and 6.23 miles.  I did intervals for the 6.23 miles and got them done in 59:02 which is a 9:28 min/mile pace.  Maybe it was the high 70 degree heat or just the fact that I had never gone 6+ miles before but I was beat at the end.  It's hard to imagine doing that run twice and I still won't be quite done with my half marathon.  Good thing I've got 4 more months to get my stamina up for those long runs. 

I got in 4.5 miles this morning in preparation for my 4 mile race on Thursday.  I'm not sure if I'll try to get a couple miles in tomorrow or Wednesday or if I'll just get some rest before then.  Right now my goal is to get the 4 miles done in less than 37 minutes.  Angie is going to push the girls (in a double stroller) in the 4k race so I'd love to get done before them so I can head back on the course and finish with them.  I sure hope the girls will stay in the stroller the entire time.  If it's anything like the grocery store they sit in the double firetruck cart for about 5 minutes before arms and legs start hanging out the sides which turns into them both trying to escape the cart when I stop for 5 seconds to put something in the cart.  "Norah, sit on your bottom.  Lauren, quit standing on the cart.  Get your legs inside.  Oh forget it, just follow close to the cart and don't TOUCH ANYTHING"  Sigh.