tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351204512024-02-06T20:21:28.429-08:00Marc Petrine's Quest for IronmanSwim 2.4 miles / Bike 112 miles / Run 26.2 miles - All of it in under 17 hours!Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.comBlogger271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-45542666625295441052011-10-06T20:52:00.000-07:002011-10-06T20:52:43.043-07:00AlcatrazFor the first time since 2006 I haven't signed up for the Alcatraz lottery.<br />
<br />
It's really a fun race, believe me. It's just a pain in the neck to get there and do it.<br />
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It's worth it. I've done the race 4 times and had 3 decent races; one of which was actually pretty good. I'd love to get in it and really train hard and kill the race with a sub 2:30 but really, that's not in the cards for me. A 2:45 would be awesome, and really attainable but not super feasible.<br />
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Truth is that it's hard to arrange a trip like that. It costs a lot to enter, travel, bring or rent a bike, and everything that goes with that.<br />
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So this year I didn't get in the lottery. Still not sure how I feel about it but I don't think I'm really down about it. Let you know in June when it's going on and I am here.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-49699175362290513272011-10-06T20:47:00.000-07:002011-10-06T20:47:52.533-07:00Really?Seriously?<br />
<br />
Seriously.<br />
<br />
When's the last time I updated this blog? May? Two thousand what?<br />
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OK, that wasn't the last time I worked out but, again, seriously?<br />
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Alright, I am about 50 days out of the race with approx 30 days of training left.<br />
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Summary:<br />
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Swim: Not where I need to be but I can get there in 3 weeks. Not a big deal. This has been a tough couple of weeks. Not tough in the sense that I couldn't work out but tough in the sense that I've been screwing around drinking in Cabo for a week. Just need to get 3 long swims in with 6 interval workouts and I'll do fine.<br />
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Ride: Again, my long ride, like last year has been 85 miles. If I can, over the next 3 weeks put in a good 110, 120, and 130 mile ride I'll be fine. If not, then the ride will be a bit tough, assuming of course there aren't 30+ mph winds and hail like last year. Tough but not impossible. I'll take it easy and get through.<br />
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Run: As usual (past 4 years anyway) this is my most trained sport. I'll be fine. If I can get off the bike feeling good I can look forward to 5 hours of hell to finish out a 13:30 IM. If I don't feel good off the bike I can loof forward to a 6+ hour marathon. Want to hear something funny? A 6 hour marathon is much more fun than a 5 hour marathon. It doesn't hurt to walk ever and you really can enjoy some good company. <br />
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So, I'll either have a 13 hour suffer fest ora 15 hour easy day.<br />
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Wish me luck.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-84129581190886019912011-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:47:41.975-07:001st Ride to Work in a Long TimeMy office is a bit too far from home for me to ride right now so I drove to Matt's house and we went out for a some hills before I left and went down to work.<div><br />
</div><div>It's a commonly accepted fact that bicyclists treat red lights like stop signs and stop signs like yield signs. There are some very good reasons for this not the least of which is because it's much safer for a bicyclist to maintain forward momentum. Intersections are by their nature the most dangerous place to be in the street. When a cyclist starts out his attention is on things like clipping in his pedals and not falling while all the cars around are accelerating. The faster a cyclist clears an intersection the better for everyone. That said, the rules of the road still apply. If another vehicle reaches a 4 way stop first, it has the right of way. No sane cyclist would pedal through a red light into busy cross traffic.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The reason I point this out is because this morning Matt and I stopped at a red light. After verifying that the road was clear of cross traffic we proceeded. All of a sudden a car behind us started blowing his horn. I turned to see what he wanted and he pointed at the red light and screamed something that I couldn't hear.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Normally I would give this guy a piece of my mind but instead I just felt sorry for him. I don't understand people who think they have to be the policeman for the world. How crappy a life can this poor guy have that my actions, which didn't affect him in the slightest, caused such a reaction. I wonder if his wife yells at him when he rolls through a stop sign or drives five mph over the speed limit.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Anyway, some interval hill work and then I was off to the office. I've ridden past this sign for years but I stopped today to take a picture of it. The world would be a better place if all traffic signs had one of these attached.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7niw-CJSyzuWL-TstUYCjM-tSayzIN9YuaUqhF3u8nUqcQixOMsOfF0Kg6-nabsiPfTHIBq5TUWKWass6GbsnmkMjYutbb7fk0f2LXJAOcBkkcrPZj31gn0l6NYXOJnQoUbs6ZA/s1600/IMAG0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7niw-CJSyzuWL-TstUYCjM-tSayzIN9YuaUqhF3u8nUqcQixOMsOfF0Kg6-nabsiPfTHIBq5TUWKWass6GbsnmkMjYutbb7fk0f2LXJAOcBkkcrPZj31gn0l6NYXOJnQoUbs6ZA/s320/IMAG0136.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div>Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-5966056390661079392011-05-10T11:05:00.001-07:002011-05-10T11:05:22.460-07:00LazinessI spend a lot of time on this blog complaining about how lazy I am.<br />
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If I were everybody else I would stop listening to me complain.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-10066970765822258002011-04-12T10:50:00.000-07:002011-04-12T10:50:02.936-07:00Spinning classI went to a spin class last night for the first time. Pretty cool. If you are ever wondering what a normal bike workout is like, it's just like a spin class. Maybe not quite as hard and you don't have to dig quite as deep in a spin class but it's similar.<br />
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On the plus side, even though I haven't ridden a whole heck a of lot (or at all) I feel pretty bike confident right now. I've done enough long rides that rocky point and alcatraz shouldn't present much of a problem. Need to run. My swimming is coming along nicely.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-32727752936621406022011-03-10T14:52:00.000-08:002011-03-10T14:52:34.181-08:00Some fun quotesThere are two kinds of people, those who run and those who should.<br />
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You have a choice; you can either throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face.<br />
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I train because there are two ways to get fast and I haven't found the other.<br />
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No one gets faster without meeting their personal pain barrier straight on. No amount of junk miles, fun runs or affirmations are going to get you over the hill at the five mile mark in a 10k. However, what will pull you through is solid prep with hard hill runs and interval work.<br />
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Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.<br />
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The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.<br />
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<br />
<br />
...One my way to the pool one evening, I noticed a young boy, maybe 10 or 11 years old, standing alone at home plate in an empty baseball field. His actions struck me as curious and I found myself so fascinated that I just sat in my car and watched. <br />
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He was standing at home plate swinging his arms around wildly. Suddenly, without warning, he bolted towards first base. As he rounded first base, he through his arms up and ran around the bases waving his fists above his head. At that moment, I knew what had happened. He had hit the winning home run, and was running the bases. His joy was the joy that many of us feel every time we put on our running shoes. It is a joy that is rooted not in PRs but resides deep in our imaginations.<br />
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Those of you at the front may be doers, and I applaud your accomplishments. But from the mid-pack back, we are dreamers living out a fantasy that is no less real that the boy in the ball park. <br />
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The lesson I learned, again, from this boy was that it is important to put action into your dreams. It wasn't enough for him to hit the winning home run in his mind. He needed his body to experience the real sensation of running the bases.<br />
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I am often asked by well meaning non-runners and some not so kind eagles and sparrows if I get bored running as slowly as I do. My answer is always; NO ! How can I be bored when I'm leading the Boston Marathon? How can I be bored when I am locked in mortal combat with the memory of a mean spirited elementary P.E. teacher. How can I be bored when I am running down that junior high bully? After a lifetime of running from, how can I be bored running to.<br />
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- John BinghamMarc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-6504758313466077712011-03-09T10:08:00.000-08:002011-03-09T10:08:16.522-08:00Sally MeyerhoffSally Meyerhoff, a runner from Tempe, AZ was killed yesterday on her bike. She was the fastest person I've ever met. Very tragic. I might have met her a couple times and she was really nice. I just went on her blog and found an old quote that I like very much.<br />
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"It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for. It doesn’t interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine and still shout at the edges of a lake, river or mountain yes! It doesn’t interest me where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done for someone you love. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and truly like the company you keep in the empty moments in your life. Live more than your neighbors, unleash yourself upon the world and go places. Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal, this is it, your life. Face your fears and live your dreams, take it all in, yes, every chance you get, come close; and yes, by all means what ever you do, get it on film." - John BlaisMarc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-4282877750982945292011-03-06T18:02:00.000-08:002011-03-06T18:02:27.643-08:00Saturday ride, Sunday nothing so far...I'm going to call it a sort of productive weekend. <br />
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I'll start with today and my complaining. I got up early and didn't do anything. I have no idea why. I'm starting to think that maybe I like the idea of being completely unprepared.<br />
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Saturday was a blast. Very difficult. Matt and I left from my house for Bartlett Lake. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSTQQhImgSugcdlHEZ-9ng60lgm30UgKqWc6hvI-_xdx7fPPvJg3zoANNy7fIDdIg6nwWRes_IBOTpisxm5wosM6QvAt0l_nqCOwUrwME784VtwUcEefx1VG4PEoyPEqLjp5Jpw/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSTQQhImgSugcdlHEZ-9ng60lgm30UgKqWc6hvI-_xdx7fPPvJg3zoANNy7fIDdIg6nwWRes_IBOTpisxm5wosM6QvAt0l_nqCOwUrwME784VtwUcEefx1VG4PEoyPEqLjp5Jpw/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's probably the most brutal ride in town here. It's uphill to the turnoff to the lake and then 14 miles to the lake. It's three miles down with, three up, two down, one up, and four down to the water. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocfZeZxUeQVqBGMD1TdAjpEA15iyUZxJx2bqsAbiaHFaeT4hYqlPIjw0SxaX8fDQ7xu71EitUSZaL3nCYfgMPO1UfAvdLwQUh2t45yt0A163o5bkZMyMsWNBQ1uQjKsztb2ImNw/s1600/Untitled1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocfZeZxUeQVqBGMD1TdAjpEA15iyUZxJx2bqsAbiaHFaeT4hYqlPIjw0SxaX8fDQ7xu71EitUSZaL3nCYfgMPO1UfAvdLwQUh2t45yt0A163o5bkZMyMsWNBQ1uQjKsztb2ImNw/s400/Untitled1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Tradition holds that you dip your front wheel in the lake before you turn around and do it in reverse. Matt said some nice words and a heartfelt prayer for Doug. 10 months ago today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5R3ipb9onsRq4sdg9xX-Qpnq0NPaB2GsBNfwSKFsK5klBvx2BCEO_vnPkjm7g6F2hu18gIMRx68V2-am5DKYxwMfRF2_JhpxY48gROnURHCzIyACcqySYGqjk-uEx3uVk6f7AEg/s1600/IMAG0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5R3ipb9onsRq4sdg9xX-Qpnq0NPaB2GsBNfwSKFsK5klBvx2BCEO_vnPkjm7g6F2hu18gIMRx68V2-am5DKYxwMfRF2_JhpxY48gROnURHCzIyACcqySYGqjk-uEx3uVk6f7AEg/s320/IMAG0004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I think the last time I did this ride was 2006 and I owned it. Saturday was not likewise! Matt has some very good early season form and I did OK getting down to the water and on the first 4 mile climb out I was able to pull for a while and hold Matt's wheel the rest but I fell behind on the final two climbs; embarrassingly so in the final 2 miles. There was tail wind so I was able to barely hold his wheel as he pulled at 30 mph down Pima to Dynamite and home.<br />
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Great ride but I definitely need work even for this early in the season.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-46410269527563464312011-03-04T14:43:00.000-08:002011-03-04T14:43:26.015-08:00Feeling inspiredI can't exactly explain it but I feel like I've turned a corner. I finished my two week pass at LA Fitness and actually got in the water 4 times and felt pretty good. I'm going to join up this weekend. <br />
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I didn't exactly impress myself this morning by not getting out of bed and running before work. I'm going to get 6 in after work though. Tomorrow we're doing a big Bartlett Lake ride. Should be 75 miles or so with some major hill work. I'm actually really excited to do it. It's been a while since I think I felt excited about a ride.<br />
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Dropped a few pounds. I'm at 164 right now. Cutting my lunch down to one sandwich and some fruit. I really want to try and figure out how to do a salad at work. Going to ride a couple times to work next week, run a few times and swim a few times. I'm building slowly on the swim. I've hit the weights pretty religiously this year. I don't think it's showing in my times yet but I really do feel stronger in the water.<br />
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Don't know about that 1/2 IM in Tempe in April. I don't know if I am ready for it. We'll see.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-49226804285105567922011-02-14T08:28:00.000-08:002011-02-14T08:28:57.062-08:00weightWow. During a ride Saturday my buddy Ken said that I looked fat.<br />
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167 pounds this morning.<br />
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That's big for me. In fact, according to myfatsecret.com it's the biggest I've been since November 2009. In fact, other than a short time after my surgery a year ago I didn't break 160 last year. Now I'm a big fat pig.<br />
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I've read that people that check their weight every day stay thinner. I check my weight every day. I creeped up to 162 or 163 shortly after the race in November and I've just steadilly kept it on.<br />
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Gotta get off my butt!Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-75912241836102475392011-01-28T08:13:00.000-08:002011-01-28T08:13:49.918-08:002011 ScheduleI hope that I'll be posting more often. <br />
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I hope that I'll have something to post about. This is a training blog after all.<br />
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Ideas for 2011:<br />
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April third there's a half iron in Tempe. I can be ready for that I think. That gives me approximately 7 weeks to prepare for it. Can do if I work on it. I just need to swim, ride, and run. I can ride 56 miles. I'd like to do it more comfortably though. I ran last night. I covered about 6.5 miles in an hour with a long warm up and 10 minute cool down. Swim is the wild card (as usual).<br />
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April 30th is the Rocky Point Olympic triathlon. No big deal but I would really like to do well in this. If I use the half to train for this and really focus on speed for the second and third week in April I could do well. Again, the swim will be important here.<br />
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June fifth is Alcatraz. I'm very lucky (if you could call it such) that I keep getting drawn in this lottery. A friend of mine Jason is doing it as well. Gives me some incentive to train for it. I would really like to rip apart last year's time even though I think I did quite well. I faded on the last two miles last year. If I could put together 8 - eight minute miles that would be awesome!<br />
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November 20 is Ironman. I guess I won't be celebrating my 43rd birthday Saturday the 19th too extravagantly. 'Nuff said about that I guess. My friends Don and Shaun are signed up for it as well so again, some incentive to keep training through the early fall this year unlike what happened last year on the bike. There's no faking endurance.<br />
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More later.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-9412557293790332842010-11-22T09:43:00.000-08:002010-11-22T09:43:21.033-08:00Not as well as expectedJust one of these times I'd like to start a post with, "Boy that was easier than I thought it would be!"<br />
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Started bad. I jumped into the 61 degree water and had a bit of a panic attack. Negative thoughts crept in and I thought about swimming to the edge and getting out of the water right there. Fortunately I made myself get out there. I found that I could not really breathe out when my head was in the water. It's a cold water thing but I thought by now that I'd be used to it. Anyway that forced me to breast stroke most of the first half of the swim. As I made the turn back to home I was finally pretty relaxed and swimming became a pretty easy exercise. I was sighting well and made it back pretty easily. I thought for sure that I was going to come in with a 1:30. I was shocked when I got within earshot of the dock and the announcer said that we were at 1:29. I ended up with a 1:43:02. I think that my first half was probably 1:05 and my swim back was 38 minutes.<br />
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One of the things I was really worried about was the weather. They were predicting rain and high winds. The race area was actually very nice. A little cloud cover had kept the temperature up but there had been no rain. The sun came up during the swim and it was very nice outside. I went the the transition kind of slow due to my disappointment from the swim. I got dressed and headed out on the bike.<br />
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My goal here was just to go easy. I kept it in a very low gear and just pedaled along. I was still passing some people but I was focused on keeping my heart rate very low. The ride is a 3 lap out and back that carries you from Tempe out to Fountain Hills along a road called The Beeline Highway. It's a false flat road meaning that even though you don't really see it, there's quite an elevation gain going up there. On a normal day with just an reasonable pace I can ride up the hill at 18 mph and then down it at 30 mph. One thing that started to worry me was that my speed going up the was about 18 and I really wasn't trying hard at all. When I got to the top and turned around I discovered why - there was a 15 - 20 mph wind that was blowing me up the hill. This is the worst way that wind can blow on a bike. You really want the wind in your face on the uphill. Now the fast downhill became a slow effort to get back to Tempe.<br />
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The wind on the second lap was worse made more so by the freezing rain that dropped on us on the Beeline.<br />
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By the third lap I had decided to open it up a bit. I had a pretty fast lap but at the end I could feel a little bit of burning in my legs.<br />
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I got my running shoes on and really thought I was going to do something special on the run. I got through the first 8 mile lap in a about 9 minute miles but I noticed that the run felt a lot tougher than my heart rate was indicating. There are a couple things that can cause this. One is that your nutrition or your electrolytes can be off, but the biggest reason is that I probably just used too much energy on the bike. My body just hasn't gone any further than 80 miles since June and I haven't gone 112 since last November. You have to get in at least one ride of 110, 120 and 130 miles each preparing for this. <br />
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So in the second lap I did a bit of recovery. I walked one of the miles and made sure I ate and drank enough and I walked up the only climb on the course. It really didn't help much. Then I started to get down on myself and that kind of self defeating talk really makes for a long marathon. <br />
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As I finished the second lap and went our on the third I just decided to run, but to run very slowly. I held a pace through much of it but it was really torture. I ran pretty much the whole thing and finished OK. Wasn't a great time by my standards but in hindsight it really wasn't too bad. I would have liked to have seen what I could have done in that marathon.<br />
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There's always next year.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-59689344037755070822010-11-18T21:05:00.000-08:002010-11-18T21:05:19.725-08:00T-57 hoursIn one sense I feel more prepared for this race than for any other. I think like with anything you just get more confident (cocky) as you get more experience.<br />
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On the other, I do have a certain sense of dread regarding the bike. I think the swim will go well, a little faster than usual and my run should really be something special. It's just that I haven't had the time on the weekends to get the long rides in. I did one or two centuries over the summer and I have countless 75 and 80 mile rides but the last time I went 112 miles was 12 months ago. The strategy here is just hold back forever. Maybe on the last downhill open it up but that's it. I'm saving it all for the run Sunday. Hopefully my body won't disappoint.<br />
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I can't find a jersey I want to wear. I was thinking a white tri top with something personal screened on it but I really can't find a jersey. I'm going to try a triathlon store tomorrow but I'm not buying one just to blow money.<br />
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Tomorrow is my 42nd birthday. I actually thought I was 42 already. Going to try and go for a super early 1000 meter swim and then grab my free slam at Denny's with Ken and Matt. I'm speaking at Openworks in the afternoon. Saturday I do an easy 20 minute run, drop off my bike and get ready.<br />
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I'm ready.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-41280701770591384372010-10-28T07:43:00.000-07:002010-10-28T07:43:01.477-07:00Last time I rode...I don't remember if it was 2 weeks ago Thursday or Friday but Ken took a couple days off so we went out and rode. That should tell you how totally unprepared I feel for the ride in 4 weeks.<br />
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Anyway we were just making our way out east with no particular destination in mind when I think we both realized at the same time that we were about to ride past Doug's house. I don't know if we consiously set out to do it but we turned up a different road instead.<br />
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A while later we decided to head out toward McDowell Mountain Ranch and took Via Linda out that way. Before we realized it we were riding in front of the police station where Doug killed himself. We both got kind of quiet for a little while. I think we both realized that it had been a while since we thought about him. At least that's what I realized. He's been gone almost six months and I hardly think of him anymore. That makes me feel a little depressed.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-82121770581185396292010-10-05T20:36:00.000-07:002010-10-05T20:36:01.962-07:00Nothing - Bike - RunSeriously, I have got to go swimming in the very near future.<br />
<br />
This week is about to evaporate because I have to watch the kids tomorrow and Katie is going up North to hike the Grand Canyon on thursday. Today was horrible weather, rain and hail so I didn't get to do anything today.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK4leatvZxt_8y5c35Bps5fwu-oIgaUEguVbZDG8kqhhEuhCOsQmNiTPfg-aqB0gdGTvykg2FNIVsFzvsp93_f5Irxyue5QpgwCxb1ZdQrgyP8CGvEBCb94jAU6tCwNa9HhaFXw/s1600/IMAG0046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK4leatvZxt_8y5c35Bps5fwu-oIgaUEguVbZDG8kqhhEuhCOsQmNiTPfg-aqB0gdGTvykg2FNIVsFzvsp93_f5Irxyue5QpgwCxb1ZdQrgyP8CGvEBCb94jAU6tCwNa9HhaFXw/s320/IMAG0046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Let me take a moment to criticize LA Fitness yet again. I am begging the guy behind the counter to take my $24.99 / month for two months and then I'll quit again after the race. Instead he wants $99 to sign me up. I realize that is probably his commission but why let me walk out when I clearly want to give them money?<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
I have been very with my other two disciplines. I am in the last full month of training before the race. I've timed it wrong this year. For some reason I was a week off in my training plan or I took an extra week off. I can't tell for sure. Anyway, I've been running 18 plus miles regularly on Sundays for almost 2 months now. I haven't really been doing the required long rides but I have a descent base and I have been very good about my strenght and threshold rides. I got in 85 miles on Saturday after Katie got sick and couldn't hike. I would have gotten 100 plus but I got a bit of a late start.<br />
<br />
This weekend is out unless I can get help watching the kids. I'll have to figure something out. I don't think it's going to be as hot so maybe I can get my Brother to watch them for a while on Saturday or Sunday. For my run I'll either do the same thing I did a couple weeks ago and get an hour in on the treadmill before heading outside for another couple hours or I'll just do 3 x 1 hour runs with some time between to feed the kids and try to keep myself sane. Treadmill long distance running is not a ton of fun.<br />
<br />
Weekend after that is Rocky Point. Riding is out for that time but I'll be able to get some long runs in.<br />
<br />
I really will. I'm able to force myself out of bed and run long distances.<br />
<br />
Why don't you believe me? I did it in Cabo a year ago. Although the heat and humidity almost killed me.<br />
<br />
That's going to put me 30 days out from the race. A rest week and I'm 3 weeks away. One hard week and then a two plus some week taper.<br />
<br />
Predictions. Boy I don't want to screw up. I should go sub 12:00. I have delusions of going sub 11:00. Not likely. There would have to be no wind on the bike and I'd have to hold 9:00 min/miles on the run. Unlikely. We'll see.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-82649516280239726292010-09-28T08:42:00.000-07:002010-09-28T08:42:06.541-07:00ProbioticsBack in the early '90s I used to own a pool hall. The constant interaction with the public made me an incubator for every germ that came into the room. I was sick constantly. Now, I probably wasn't the picture of healthy living at the time and even though I've never smoked, back then I second hand smoked more than anyone alive.<br />
<br />
Flash forward a couple years and I don't think I got sick one time between 1996 and 2006. I was an accountant and stuck in an office and generally took a little better care of myself. <br />
<br />
Now I have 2 kids and training and I'm back to catching everything that comes around. When you punish your body as much as I do all your energy goes to healing your joints and muscles. There's nothing to spare for your immune system. Last year I went and got a bird flu vaccine on the premise of a compromised immune system. I had to explain that I didn't have AIDS but that my body just doesn't have the energy to fight anything.<br />
<br />
Right before the race in November I started getting sick and by the week after it I thought I was afraid that I was going to die. I had caught a pretty bad cold/flu and with my body being in the shape that it was it really knocked me for a loop. I read in an article by Chris Carmichael that the probiotics in yogurt help to fight off colds and flu. I've had a yogurt almost every day since then and I haven't been sick once this year.<br />
<br />
Knock on wood.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-74697119117958585052010-09-26T22:05:00.000-07:002010-09-26T22:05:06.064-07:00A real rest weekRest weeks aren't really for resting. A typical rest week should include 5 or 6 hours of riding, 3 hours of running, and an hour or so of swimming.<br />
<br />
I did...nothing this week except for the swim on Wednesday.<br />
<br />
I roasted coffee twice and made a batch of beer but I didn't do anything exercise-wise.<br />
<br />
Back to the grindstone tomorrow.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-25258458110453699952010-09-22T20:22:00.000-07:002010-09-22T20:22:26.968-07:00Decent SwimI didn't say great. I said decent. I need to swim more over the next month. A lot more.<br />
<br />
Water was about 80 degrees and calm. There were about 20 of us out there. I got out there with no wetsuit and did the first 1/2 mile or so pretty well. Then a little wind picked up and I had my usual panic attack in the water. This was the first time I've been open water since my little incident in Flagstaff.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I made a beeline to shore and when I got there I realized I was in the wrong place so I had to swim out again and get over to the beach where all my stuff was located.<br />
<br />
Probably got in a mile or so in 30 minutes. I felt good, no real fatigue to speak of. Just need to get more comfortable.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-5055000950165792332010-09-21T22:52:00.000-07:002010-09-21T22:52:29.901-07:00Some thoughts on the matter T-60 daysI'm in a rest week now about ready to start my last big full month of training and I thought I would jot down some observations and stuff about myself.<br />
<br />
Swim - I haven't been in the pool much in the past few weeks. The reasons are not worth noting. I think starting in the very near future I need to get in. Tomorrow I'm going to do an hour in the open water at Bartlett Lake with Tri Scottsdale. I'm interested to see how I feel after an hour in that chop.<br />
<br />
Bike - I am in fine shape. I think a 100, 110, 120, and a couple 130 mile rides will finish out my Saturdays with some intervals during the week. I have no real concerns here, it's just a matter of getting on it.<br />
<br />
Run - OK, I'm going to say this out loud. I am in the best running shape of my life. I've done the distance, I've done the speed. There should be absolutely no reason, given a reasonable bike ride of course that I don't run the entire marathon in a sub 9:30 pace. <br />
<br />
That said, Sunday did not go so well. Katie is out of town at a funeral and my sister in law volunteered to watch the kids in the morning if I wanted to run. I did an hour on the treadmill and then took Paige and Ken over to Keith and Vicki's house and headed out.<br />
<br />
It was insanely hot for mid-September. I didn't drink enough while I was on the treadmill and I felt like crap immediately. I was planning a simple little 6 1/2 mile out and back but my pulse kept going through the roof. The run out was uphill, completely in the sun and the temp was approaching 95 I think. I ran out of water and nutrition at the turn around and this particular out-and-back didn't take me out, back, to, or past a convenience store or drinking fountain. <br />
<br />
I limped my way home and stopped 1/2 mile from my front door to stand in the lobby of the CVS and enjoy the A/C.<br />
<br />
So, back to my observations - I actually am quite confident. I'll see how I feel tomorrow after the swim.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-13227043234563806002010-09-12T19:02:00.000-07:002010-09-12T19:06:18.711-07:00Some days are better than others...<div style="text-align: center;">And today was one of those days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ5hKTFOvrzTk9KkJJ2-0-Ig69wnZQ04o_hw6vqUa24SKPI3o5qc0lC18gIEPSAYX4kS-4n_jctlIZWtTqwLOP45mlQhNOc4GxCFOYzZyNOhYdZMYI1qcl5eMRc4DJ937QU9rIQ/s1600/IMAG0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ5hKTFOvrzTk9KkJJ2-0-Ig69wnZQ04o_hw6vqUa24SKPI3o5qc0lC18gIEPSAYX4kS-4n_jctlIZWtTqwLOP45mlQhNOc4GxCFOYzZyNOhYdZMYI1qcl5eMRc4DJ937QU9rIQ/s400/IMAG0028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With a view like this of the sunrise how could you expect any less?</div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The schedule called for a 16 mile run. Don e-mailed Friday that there was a 10K down at the Reach 11 Park at 7:15 am. He suggested going for a 5 or 6 mile run afterwards as well. He's increasing his mileage gradually preparing for PF Chang's Marathon in January. Needing a few miles in addition to that I got out on the trail at 5:45 for an early six miles. I never really drifted out of HR level 1 and still managed an average pace of 9:14 min/mile. Pretty fast for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I finished and found that I had parked in the wrong place so I had an additional 1/2 mile run over to the 10K start line. I met up with Don and his brother Dave. The race took off for a 2 loop trail that followed part of the run I had just completed. I covered the covered the first loop in 25:21 and the course in 51:54. I spent the majority of the race in level 2. I'd have to check but I am sure that's my best 10K time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After a few glasses of water Don and I headed back out over part of the course for a 3 mile out-and-back. At the 1 1/2 mile mark we were just running along at a conversational pace when I went to jump over a stick. GEEZ! As I got over the stick I saw that it was a snake! I assumed this snake to be dead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Don described my movements as screaming like a 7 year old girl looking like she was in a crazy jump rope competition. He was about to ask what was wrong but as my left foot struck the ground and I started hopping forward the snake sprung to life, coiled, and struck at me in less than the blink of an eye. By then I was about 20 feet from the critter.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLRCCO-iU1b5J0oeAIW-dgWXLj78UOW7kJsmhfmOQnbhz3LidY_Q6KozRzYfbeUf4d912ctPncJ5o6H4SOIazAOFINPYzNlKkhL7617MAjpulFBUSZ9_rWmzQIw07F1I0r91gEw/s1600/IMAG0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLRCCO-iU1b5J0oeAIW-dgWXLj78UOW7kJsmhfmOQnbhz3LidY_Q6KozRzYfbeUf4d912ctPncJ5o6H4SOIazAOFINPYzNlKkhL7617MAjpulFBUSZ9_rWmzQIw07F1I0r91gEw/s200/IMAG0030.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYH6O9Dtnr94yhK7vXPeffifxlrbaqVJohNO9Mp888hEnGn9h3P2Rpq-MljTE9Q9OHJfTeLG3VhL0iOEnvrxB12ymnqWx9xHQgdtAcQ-QdqyC61XpnytleWsU1QqI6J9SxsTECcQ/s1600/IMAG0029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYH6O9Dtnr94yhK7vXPeffifxlrbaqVJohNO9Mp888hEnGn9h3P2Rpq-MljTE9Q9OHJfTeLG3VhL0iOEnvrxB12ymnqWx9xHQgdtAcQ-QdqyC61XpnytleWsU1QqI6J9SxsTECcQ/s200/IMAG0029.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;">We threw a few stones at it hoping to scare it into the brush so that any other runners behind us wouldn't get surprised but it just sat there tightly coiled and rattling up a storm. Finally Don hit it with a reasonably sized piece of wood. The wood just bounced off the snake and seemed to make it more angry. We thought it best just to move on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We completed the 6 miles in just over an hour at a 10:09 pace. Don is a lot faster than that and could have left me behind. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Total distance covered was 18.73 miles in 2:52:39 or a 9:13 pace. I'll take that come November anytime. Family went to church afterwards and had a pancake breakfast then I took Ken to a birthday party for a friend of his.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It was a really great Sunday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-66710584745495180342010-08-23T11:16:00.000-07:002010-08-24T11:16:39.198-07:00Hiking the Lava Tubes<div style="text-align: justify;">My brother Keith and his family came up to Flagstaff this weekend. We went up to Flagstaff on Saturday and hiked the Lava River Cave.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnbbQ7VQ6dhxgfu7DQWni6_bEIFwXv3Af5cgr0yWIdWXgiTOzxUP_MtB1pdfjUh1p3S9J9vsfSQfz3-ROSRmVJI-EOxwgmYTCfoxpXyVBEPHCcNKGBwusTmLzt8FIVt5dEUPI7g/s1600/l1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnbbQ7VQ6dhxgfu7DQWni6_bEIFwXv3Af5cgr0yWIdWXgiTOzxUP_MtB1pdfjUh1p3S9J9vsfSQfz3-ROSRmVJI-EOxwgmYTCfoxpXyVBEPHCcNKGBwusTmLzt8FIVt5dEUPI7g/s320/l1.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It's a 1 mile cave that was carved out of the ground by lava which pushed out of the ground about 700,000 years ago. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExcUQy3g5x1mZy1igQM8OSAb8gYNvX2RfnryjfZ3xoF01jrVK2MW7EYZ8ZmSBg9ig0CuEBte1WLfy65biJ5JEiFfmd7zLXDe5qScM_s9_HVKx3eCINkEDWk05rRcEfN3GNulaRA/s1600/l4.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExcUQy3g5x1mZy1igQM8OSAb8gYNvX2RfnryjfZ3xoF01jrVK2MW7EYZ8ZmSBg9ig0CuEBte1WLfy65biJ5JEiFfmd7zLXDe5qScM_s9_HVKx3eCINkEDWk05rRcEfN3GNulaRA/s320/l4.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">You park your car and descend into a hole in the ground. It's 90 degrees outside the cave but as you get close you feel the 35 degree underground temperature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkJ9LoHhrP4iXT37iawVtEQkA0dwFvSkE263VW89uOWeJIjezXsH7PvVTDSBoXyHQ0khK2T3gssOnY0UzMcUoBPwsMJy-MbJ2ESr66bb5HAcKU8YhJoEw29StXc3Z52wqkGMdZQ/s1600/l3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkJ9LoHhrP4iXT37iawVtEQkA0dwFvSkE263VW89uOWeJIjezXsH7PvVTDSBoXyHQ0khK2T3gssOnY0UzMcUoBPwsMJy-MbJ2ESr66bb5HAcKU8YhJoEw29StXc3Z52wqkGMdZQ/s200/l3.bmp" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJbGQ9wJ0eanIKwVKaMQk8Qh7MjQvmAbTAOOgtvNlRcvhhoMxPCNO3IJq56OmnTvChEwVPoXY_eZLXiGyksBjw4EjYiSnoORbKe5fqdSx9aAwQ-KPja6_oeWMfC3aC6ZoAShi5Q/s1600/l2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJbGQ9wJ0eanIKwVKaMQk8Qh7MjQvmAbTAOOgtvNlRcvhhoMxPCNO3IJq56OmnTvChEwVPoXY_eZLXiGyksBjw4EjYiSnoORbKe5fqdSx9aAwQ-KPja6_oeWMfC3aC6ZoAShi5Q/s200/l2.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">You descend probably 50 feet. It's like a rock climbing wall but not straight down. Almost immediately it's pitch black. The last time I did this hike was probably 10 years ago. The second biggest change is that now everybody wears LED headlamps whereas we used to carry flashlights. The biggest change since then is the kids. Keith's 7 year old daughter Ella really got into it and enjoyed the hike in spite of the hardships. Her sister Olivia turned back early and Keith and Vicki went with her and brought their son Jake out as well. He's 3 and a little young for this trip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Ken was doing great until he took a little spill and got a pretty bad cut on the side of his head. He was able to keep going and had a good time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We got to the end and took a picture before heading back out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KSfG8nS6j-6AJcrJTTYxaAl4sh-RfGt_Wth56Nfy6xnmyGUQ-FHSwKt-vsFMSqzeOT_rszK2CBnt-kLtNLFc_Ps7N-W1jFITKFNEX6RsrQcZAmcWP918AxQp7w_xW_UjMC4CbQ/s1600/IMAG0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KSfG8nS6j-6AJcrJTTYxaAl4sh-RfGt_Wth56Nfy6xnmyGUQ-FHSwKt-vsFMSqzeOT_rszK2CBnt-kLtNLFc_Ps7N-W1jFITKFNEX6RsrQcZAmcWP918AxQp7w_xW_UjMC4CbQ/s320/IMAG0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-60280078309004241362010-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:002010-08-18T21:35:51.667-07:00Pretty big dayI had some time to kill yesterday morning so I put some extra miles in at level 2 on the way to work. <br />
<br />
Afterwards I went over to the pool and did a 5 x 400 swim at threshold.<br />
<br />
I rode straight home in the afternoon. I had a nice wind at my back but I hardly noticed with the intervals I was doing. I got about 8 miles from home and the wind turned on me and I was riding into a 20 mph headwind with 40 mph gusts. The last interval was really hard and I was getting blown all over the place.<br />
<br />
Afterwards I went to Shadow Mt. High School and met Don for a track run. 7 x 1000 meter runs at level 4.<br />
<br />
Kind of tired today.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-68808708557659073042010-08-16T14:32:00.000-07:002010-08-16T14:32:24.470-07:00A bad case of the MondaysSpare me the Office Space jokes, please. <br />
<br />
We drove down from Flagstaff this morning and I rode into work. Slow and easy. I've got some intervals to hit on the way home.<br />
<br />
I was going to swim but I forgot my goggles and swim drills sheet. Maybe tomorrow.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-74506074897431662032010-08-16T14:27:00.001-07:002010-08-16T14:30:53.195-07:00Nothing SundayI got up pretty early yesterday, ready for a 16 mile run in Flagstaff. It took me a while to actually get out of the house and as soon as I was about 1/4 mile down the hill I realized that the arch in my left foot was giving me some problems.<br />
<br />
Friday night I read an article in Runner's World about plantar fascititus so I was really paranoid so I just hobbled back home and stretched for a while.<br />
<br />
Really spent the whole day doing nothing. Not a terrific day.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35120451.post-62628494826293932562010-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:002010-08-16T14:16:56.157-07:00Perseid Meteor ShowerWe went up north on Friday. It was kind of cool outstide. We arrived about 10:00 pm and I pretty much got out of the car and looked up and saw two of the best meteors I've ever seen within 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
I sat outside for another 15 minutes or so and saw a few more that weren't quite as nice.<br />
<br />
On Saturday night we got back from Katie's parent's house kind of late. Paige went right to bed but Ken stayed outside watching the sky for a while. After 15 minutes or so I got pretty tired and went in. All I was thinking was, "Please God, let the kid see a shooting star out there." After 30 minutes or so he came running in to tell me all about it. Katie saw it too so I know that he didn't imagine it.Marc Petrinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423190877990208942noreply@blogger.com0