Nerves

A thunder storm is the only thing keeping me inside right now, instead of getting one more mile in so I could hit 100mi for the month. I'll be content with 99.1...
I basically ran all negative splits today for 4x4/200 intervals. My second 400 and third 200 were up one second. The last 400 and all the 200s were done on the local track. The school wasn’t using it, and I found the way in. So I did the Start-circle-Start-circle thing for the first time in 11 years or so. All my times were lower than expected. Because I felt they could have been even lower, I need to decide how fast I’d like to run my 5k this weekend. Last time I wanted under 25:30, and I’m not sure if shooting for 24:00 is unreasonable?

Our A league team has one game left on the schedule. And we can’t finish any lower than first place. We beat the second place team yesterday, and it felt good after we lost to them the first time we played. It would actually mean something if we got the next fall league free for winning this spring league, which happens some places. But not here.

More baby classes this week. At work this morning I got very anxious, almost like a panic attack, because I’m not sure our house is ready. I’ve got to finish a couple projects and would like a new kitchen, and I wanted to leave work to get these things done. About five minutes later, I realized this is my way of being nervous. Mostly your typical Provider type concerns scattering throughout my head. And it’s all irrational thinking, because I know I’ll be a good dad. I’ve been preparing for this since mine walked out, and I picked up his racquetball racquet and thought “I need to learn this game to be the man of the house.” I was six.

It’s our second anniversary, our last without kids running about, and I’m watching hockey, and my wife is doing homework, both listening to thunder. Party animals I tell ya.

I still have the racquet.

Not bad or good.

Unless I find a summer league, there are only 3 hockey games left in my life as a guy without kids. My A League team won today. I played aright, made a couple bonehead plays that cost me, and also recovered from a couple mistakes I made.

I’m not sure I fully recovered from my run yesterday. It was a long slow day, and I ran very slow, and enjoyed every minute of it. I think I read that if your resting heart rate is 5 or 10 higher than normal, you haven’t recovered from yesterday’s activity. But since I quit smoking and began noticing my heart rate, my resting rate has been lower every time it’s been checked. So maybe that’s why I was off today or maybe my warm-up wasn’t quite right, either way I didn’t play too bad, but not too great either.

My step-dad hasn’t signed up for the race we decided to do next month. It doesn’t appear to be a big race, so there should be no problem getting it done on race morning. Now I’m enjoying talking running with him, and the needling we give one another.

I keep discovering neat things around town as I run. An Olde Tyme Fix-It-Shop, a guy I know from bowling letting his dog out, a church that reminds me of my grandparents with a great view of the river, and drinking fountains that aren’t on yet. Things like these are why I really enjoy running, and won’t take the same route twice.

Step-dad and I think we can finish the race together, if I run it twice. Or go at it backwards.

Wild game.

I’ll be at the Wild/Coyotes game tonight. Upper level, first row, along the Wild’s defensive goal line in the first and third periods, on Manny’s or Backstrom’s glove side, Harding’s blocker side. So you could look for me if you knew which face to look for.

My A league game on Sunday was wild in its own right. We beat an undefeated team, and they didn’t like it. A fight broke out late in the game that our guy absolutely did not want any part of. He didn’t want to drop his stick, let alone his gloves. Fighting about a beer league hockey game is stupid, that’s the best word for it.
I played well, and appreciated hearing that from a bunch of my teammates. And a team that I’ve subbed for has asked me to fill in this weekend. Ego Boost, which my wife will tell you, I don’t need.

Yesterday's run was odd for me. I wanted to run at an uncomfortable pace (not sure of all the terms, is this a tempo run?). I figure if I’d like to get faster, I shouldn’t take it easy all the time. And my dogs would like me going their speed for once. But, my dog Gus (she’s a fawn uncropped Doberman) started limping about half a mile out, so both dogs came home. If one gets to come running without the other, the one at home goes crazy.

Around the 1.5 mile point, I started thinking about how far I wanted to go, and thought about three miles would be good. When I got to the block where I would take a right and head home, I went left. Going three just didn’t seem like it would cut it (or I was putting off grocery shopping), and I’m glad I kept going. Even if my right leg was sore today, instead of my usual left. My GPS said I went 3.86, but http://www.usatf.org/ and my car said 4.1. So if the GPS was off that much on the distance, I wonder if it was also off on time. I hope not. It felt like I accomplished something, quickly. Maybe my short days will now be closer to four, instead of two miles.

Last night, I had a dream where I asked my kid if s/he would like to play with dad, or go to school that day. S/He said go to school, which meant I’d have to go to work.
First dream I’ve had where I was a parent in the dream.

Satisfying Day

Yesterday I decided to go with a 5k race like run, and did it in 27:14. This is just over nine minutes slower than I recall my PR being from 11 years ago when I ran competitively. And I’m ok with that. Especially since I ran for speed for the first time, and I did it alone, on a course that may or may not have been an actual 5k.

I was worried last night that I may have pushed too hard, because my left knee started cramping up while I was watching the Gophers loose. But, when I got up today, no bubbles no troubles.

My “A” level hockey team played today, and we did pretty well. The other team found my weak spot early and got me for three high glove side before I snagged a couple that they thought they had on me. But we still won, and I don’t think I let in any weak goals. Then a team playing after us needed a goalie and I filled in, I like this perk of being a goalie. It just so happened that I ended up playing against a team that my half-brother plays on. Not knowing him that well, I didn’t get too cocky with him, but almost got a shut-out in the game. Let one in on a fourth rebound shot that I should have cleared after the initial shot, oh well.

So I guess this means that my run yesterday did just fine by my body’s standards. Not sore after two games, and looking forward to tomorrows run. And I have a full work day to figure out how long it will be.

Now I have a new PR to shoot for.