Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 165 lbs.
Course: North Side Four
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, 82°

Comments: I waited until evening to do my run, hoping for cooler weather. It was still pretty hot. I think what I dislike the most about hot weather is the sudden explosion of bugs. I swallowed one. I pulled one out of my eyebrow. I blinked one out of my eye. The topper: a dragonfly flew directly into my ear. I don't know what he was looking for in there, but I was sure glad when he left.  ¶ 11:56 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 165 lbs.
Course: Pit Bull Run [House Mix]
Distance: 6 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, 78°

Comments: I ran six miles this afternoon. I got sweaty, hot, and covered with bugs. I don't really like warm weather, for all those reasons. And it's only just begun.  ¶ 10:27 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: North Side Four
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, 71°

Comments: I ran an easy four miles this afternoon. Before I went, I spotted the neighborhood Red-tailed Hawk soaring over my backyard. I rushed for my camera, but by the time I was ready to shoot, the hawk was on its nest, well hidden in the trees.  ¶ 11:02 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I barely made it through two hours of work before I went home sick. I skipped my run too.  ¶ 6:56 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today was a planned rest day—no workout.

Angie and I had Dragons and Lemurs over for dinner, to give them their wedding gift and find out how things are going now that they're married. I made a brisket for dinner, but I did a poor job of it, not realizing I didn't have the right tools for the job. (I also ran short on time because I slept in rather late.) Luckily, no one seemed to mind the extra-fatty slab of meat and the thin sauce—not that they said, anyway.  ¶ 10:54 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: Cougar Mountain Trail Run
Distance: "5" Miles (7 Miles with Warm-up/Cool-down)
Time: 50:29
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Cloudy, Cool

Comments: I ran the Cougar Mountain Five-Miler today. The course was different than the past two years. It started from a new parking lot—so new it wasn't technically open—and traversed a different section of the park. It turns out the course, although billed as five miles, was almost six miles long. Even though that's still a relatively short distance, the single track trails and the elevation change make the race one more based on strength than on speed. Since I'm at the nadir of my recent training cycle, I didn't have much strength to spare. Still, I had fun, even if I struggled a bit.

In the afternoon, Angie and I went to see Kingdom of Heaven. The movie disappointed me. I just couldn't buy Orlando Bloom's character. I guess he was supposed to be brooding and intense, but I thought he just looked sleepy.  ¶ 10:51 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: Priest Point Score-O
Distance: 7 Miles (Approx.)
Time: 1:36:25 (7 Minutes Over Time)
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Warm, Muggy

Comments: When it comes to orienteering, I'm not fond of the Score-O format. Today's race proved no exception. I fell four times. I nearly emasculated myself when I slipped off of a log. I got greedy for points and went for a maximum value control when I was too close to the time limit. Not only did I fail to find the control, I came in late and took a penalty. I had so many nettle stings it felt like the entire left side of my body was on fire. Devil's Club took a toll on my skin as well, leaving my arms and hands covered with small scratches. It was an unpleasant experience, and I placed rather low as well.  ¶ 11:32 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I decided I might as well take today off. I have an orienteering event tomorrow, so I might as well use that as my springboard back to fitness. Running today would have just made me feel sore during tomorrow's event.

Speaking of orienteering, here is a picture from last's month's Street Scramble. My dad and I each won our division—Veteran Foot and Open Foot, respectively. (Photo graciously provided by Eric Bone.)

  ¶ 11:48 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 165 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I didn't run today, because I felt like I needed a drink after I heard the landscapers estimate for our yard.

DaStud called me and asked if I'd like to do the run leg on his team at the Gap to Gap Relay. Alas, I already have other plans that day. I'm so out of shape right now, though, I might have been more of a liability than an asset to the team.  ¶ 11:31 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 165 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today I had planned to start up my workout regimen again. However, I've gotten used to sitting around doing nothing. I decided to try it for one more day.

Continuing my trend of posting vacation photos, here's one of Angie, Victoria, and Jake exploring O'ahu:

  ¶ 6:39 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today was a planned rest day—no workout.  ¶ 6:59 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 167 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I've decided to start training again on Wednesday. That way I'll have taken a complete week off, leaving my legs feeling, I hope, rested and fresh. When I'm not exercising regularly, I start to feel sluggish, both mentally and physically. I'm getting to that point, and I don't like it much, so I'm ready to get going again.

I spent much of April in Hawaii. While on the Big Island, I managed to capture many images of Hawaii's official state bird, the elusive and endangered Nene. Here is one of several dozen pictures I took:

  ¶ 10:59 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I had planned to make dinner for my mom today, but she called to say she was sick. We decided to try again next weekend.

Since we had a little extra free time, Angie and I decided to go see Sin City. I loved it. I heard some people say they thought the dialogue was corny, but I thought it had a Philip Marlowe hard-boiled detective feel to it, which mixed perfectly with unique visual style. I'm glad I caught it while it was still in the theater.  ¶ 10:37 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Angie and I spent another night on the town, this time with Jake, Victoria, Greg, and Laurie. We went to the Steel Pig for BBQ. The neighborhood was unappetizing, but that didn't affect the food.  ¶ 10:35 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Angie and I went out for a night on the town with Jake, Rich, and Juli. We went to Brouwer's Cafe, which has a wide and tasty selection of Belgian beer—on draft, no less. Alas, they charge so much per beer that it might have been cheaper to just go to Belgium.  ¶ 6:34 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I'm in a rest phase right now, despite yesterday's race. I'm planning to take it easy until Monday, when I'll start up again with some easy mileage. My calves were a bit sore from running in racing flats yesterday, so I spent the day limping around.

I spent most of April on vacation in other states. During that time, I took nearly 1,000 pictures. Most of them are mediocre—at best—but I thought a few turned out rather good. Here's a photo I took while on a boat cruise of the Green River in Kentucky:

  ¶ 10:03 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: Mother's Day 5k
Distance: 5k (4 Miles with Warm-up/Cool-down)
Time: 19:34
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, Warm

Comments: I ran a race this evening, my first run since the half-marathon on Saturday. My legs felt a little sore, but that passed after a quick warm-up. I started the race at a comfortable pace, and I passed through the first mile in 6:05. I found myself in a pack of six, and I stayed tucked between the other runners for the next mile. I haven't run in a small pack in a long time, and I'd forgotten what a difference it can make. Usually, I'm either running in a huge a mob, or by myself in a strung-out line.

Anyway, I didn't want to finish in the pack, even though they'd pulled me along for two miles. So, after I passed the two-mile mark in 6:30, I made a surge and pulled away. I opened up a gap, but I could hear at least one person trying to stay close. About 500 yards from the finish, I started pushing as hard as I could. I've had no kick recently, and I didn't want to deal with a bunch of people sprinting past me just before the end. I figured if I went hard early, I could build up a lead and coast across the finish line.

I passed through the three-mile mark in 6:17, and then glanced back. I'd strung out the pack with my surges, but one runner was still close. If I eased up at all, he might have passed me in the last tenth of a mile. I kicked it in as hard as I could—I wouldn't call it a sprint, but it was as close as I could get—and managed to hold him off by a couple of seconds. The rest of the pack trailed in over the next twenty seconds. I managed to finish fourth overall and place second in my age group. Considering I raced a half-marathon only four days prior, not too poor a showing.  ¶ 10:43 PM