Week 34

On the whole, I like working for Intel.  One of the things I enjoy is the extracurricular activities they encourage you to do.  They hosted a 5k and a 10k for Intel employees and their families.  There are some serious runners at Intel, both men and women that place very high in local running events.  I decided to do the 5k as it was a distance I've been running on a regular basis (weekly) all year.  I wanted to do better than better than 22:45 mins, which is about 7:20 per mile.

One of the top finance controllers at Intel is an avid runner and older brother of my boss.  I knew he'd be well under 7:00 per mile pace so when I started the race I looked for him and wanted to see how long I could stay with him.  I could only keep pace with him for about half of a mile.  My first mile pace was 6:45 and then I slowed down over the next 2 miles.  I finished strong with a sprint, passing 4 or 5 runners (hard to remember as I was so swift) in the last 40 yards (one in the last 5 yards).  My time was 22:35 with an average pace of about 7:16 per mile.  I finished 48th overall in a field of about 1,600--in the top 3%.  I met my pre-race goal so I should be happy with it, but I'm not.  I know I can do better than 7:00 per mile.  Next year, I want to be in the top 25.  Since I've been stuck at 240 pounds, I'm going to get two birds with one stone by getting back to using the treadmill at work.  I can do a quick 2 miles in 2-3 times per week and practice a 7:00 per mile pace.

Week 34 - My first 5k

Basketball Events: 1

Strength Training: 0

Softball Games: 0

Running Events: 2

Best Time:

• Course:  2012 Intel - Great Place to Run
• Distance: 3.10686 miles
• Time: 22:35
• Minutes per mile: 7:16

Weight: 240 - *No weight lost*

Week 33

So I had two contractor choices to remove the popcorn ceiling and put up new texture.  For $1.50/sqft a dude would remove, retexture, and paint.  But for only $1/sqft a different dude would remove and retexture but wouldn't paint.  Well my finance analyst brain said, "paint is only about $300, so save $700 because you're cash poor with this new house."

Mistake.  $700 just ain't that much, and painting is the worst.  Also my contractor was a little sloppy, so I have to do a lot of touch up.  So I was busy.  Not much time to run.  But I got really motivated on Saturday and finished the laundry room, family room, kitchen, and dining room.  And then I decided I needed to get at least one run in.  I want to have the ceilings done by the end of this week.  Let's see how that goes.

Week 33 - Prime and Paint

Basketball Events: 0

Strength Training: 0

Softball Games: 0

Running Events: 1

Best Time:

• Course:  Rosa Run
• Distance: 4.0 miles
• Time: 30:11
• Minutes per mile: 7:33

Weight: 240 - *No weight lost*

Week 32

I spent the week in Bloomington, Indiana at Indiana University for my Online MBA.  All the lectures will be delivered streaming over the Internet except for one week per year of in-residence work.  I was very impressed.  I can see why the Kelley School is a top 20 MBA and the best online MBA in the country.  It was an intense week.  7am to 2am almost everyday.  Somehow I found 30 minutes to go for a run around their beautiful campus.

They catered everything with really healthy meals, but kept a snack room with pop and candy and assorted treats.  I was lucky to make it out without extra weight.  When I got back I logged a miserable time on the Rosa Run, completely ran out of steam on the way back.

Week 32 - Indiana

Basketball Events: 0

Strength Training: 0

Softball Games: 0

Running Events: 2

Best Time:

• Course:  Rosa Run
• Distance: 4.0 miles
• Time: 30:43
• Minutes per mile: 7:41

Weight: 240 - *No weight lost*

Week 31

Well the time I turned last week, my first attempt on my new 4-mile course, might be the new freak time.  I wasn't even within a minute of that time this week.  But the good news is that I stretched two singles into two doubles because I'm fast.

Week 31 - More Extra Bases

Basketball Events: 0

Strength Training: 1

Softball Games: 2 (Game 1: 2-3, Double; Game 2: 3-4, Double)

Running Events: 1

Best Time:

• Course:  Rosa Run
• Distance: 4.0 miles
• Time: 30:26
• Minutes per mile: 7:37

Weight: 240 *No weight lost*

Week 30

I've lost 40 lbs this year.  40.  I can't believe I used to carry 40 lbs extra.  It turns out, if you take away that weight I'm pretty fast.  I stretched a single into a double and then a double into a triple in consecutive at bats on Thursday.  Getting a triple in softball is really hard.  This is because there are 4 outfielders, and the fences aren't MLB distance with a 400ft center field.  When I get up, people usually sit pretty far back (which makes it easy to make a double out of a single) but really hard to get a triple.  You have to hit it just right and think 3 out of the box.  But to stretch a double into a triple is really hard.  You just plain have to be fast.  Well I'm fast.  I'm fast.

We moved, so I had to find a new course.  I wanted it to be 4 miles.  So if I take a certain route to and through Rosa Park out to Butternut Park, it's 2 miles.  Then I just run back.  I'm going to call it the Rosa Run.  And my previous course (which I'll return to someday to beat my PR there) will from this point on be known as Triple Creek.  Well on the inagural run, I kept a pace that were you to clock me at 3.5 miles (Triple Creek distance) I'd have destroyed my personal best by 18 seconds.  I kept an average pace of a couple tenths of a second better than 7:20/mile.  It was so good I had to double check the distance on mapmyrun.com.  It's legit!

Week 30 - Extra Bases

Basketball Events: 1
Strength Training: 1
Softball Games: 2 (Game 1: 2-3, Double, Home Run; Game 2: 2-3, Double, Triple)
Running Events: 1

Best Time:

• Course:  Rosa Run
• Distance: 4.0 miles
• Time: 29:19 
• Minutes per mile: 7:20 (Best pace to date over at least 3 miles)

Weight: 240 - *LOST 1 POUND - 40 lbs to date!*

Week 29

We moved this week to our new house.  And all the exertion from moving did wonders.  When someone needs help moving, you should volunteer because you burn a lot of calories.  I lost all the weight I gained from vacation and then some.

My sister came to visit and I had her help me on my run.  I wanted her to improve my pace on the second half of the course.  It almost worked.  I started too slow.  My out time was about 10 seconds slower than the same half when I set my PR but my time back was essentially the same.  My sister pushed my pace on the way back and I kept an astonishing 7:35 per mile pace for the second half.  This was a huge win since it was the first time since setting the PR that I've been able to run that pace on the way back.  Thanks sis!

I also played some old timey baseball.  I play for the Pioneer Base Ball Club.  Every year we play the West Linn Willamettes at the Annual Old Time Fair in West Linn.  The venue for that game isn't very good.  It's on a softball field which messes up the whole vintage vibe.  The best game is played on the grounds of Fort Vancouver.  We play the Vancouver Occidentals there every year as the Shermans (historically a team of soldiers at the Fort).  We won on the walk-off single of my friend Paul.  I feel I played quite averagely.  Though I had a couple of good hits.  I hit a monster shot that hit the branch of a tree in deep left field that was ruled a ground rule double.  And I hit another monster shot in the bottom of the ninth to start our 4-run game winning rally, that should have been an easy home run (no fences--in the old days you used to have to actually run home to get a home run) but became a triple when I slipped rounding third.  I was going a little too fast with no cleats.  Apparently, cleats weren't invented in time for vintage baseball.  A fan got a picture of me just before I wiped out and posted it to Facebook.

Compare the picture to when I've played in the past to see how much weight I lost.  You can also see video of me running (realize I'm using the term "running" loosely) out 2 home runs.  I really wish I had video of me running last Saturday so I could see how much faster I am.

Week 28 - Moving on up

Basketball Events: 0
Strength Training: 1
Softball Games: 1 (3-4, Double, Home Run)
Old Timey Baseball Games: 2 (Game 1: 2-4, Triple; Game 2: 4-6, Ground Rule Double, Triple)
Running Events: 1

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 26:03 
• Minutes per mile: 7:26

Weight: 241 - *LOST 5 POUNDS*

Week 28

I love the food in Wisconsin.  They have things like butter burgers.  That's my #3 favorite dairy product on the my number #2 favorite dairy product on my #1 favorite way to eat ground beef.  The bratwurst will blow your mind.  a lot of the grocery stores make their own version all in the natural casing.  One in particular I remember had actual knots in the pig intestines on the end of the sausage that got really crispy on the grill ... so good.  On Fridays, you want to go to the fish fry at Gipper's in Green Bay.  Get the Perch, I prefer it to the Walleye.  And the cheese and the milk is creamier.  I don't know how they do it.  I can say that the happy cows in California might be happy but they don't make good cheese.  Good cheese is made in Wisconsin.  Face it California you ain't as good as they are and you never will be.  Basically what I'm getting at is that it is hard to go on vacation in Wisconsin and cram into a week all your favorite foods and not gain some weight.  I'll make up for it.

Oh and I still haven't beat my personal best.  One more attempt before we move.

Week 28 - The Badger State

Basketball Events: 1
Strength Training: 1
Softball Games: 0
Running Events: 1

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 26:15 
• Minutes per mile: 7:30

Weight: 246 - Ugh ... gained 3 pounds on vacation