So, I've noticed something in our neighborhood, and by Meredith's parents' house. There seems to be a breed of people who love hopping on their motorcycles and riding back and forth and up and down neighborhood streets. There are a few hypotheses for this behavior. (Or behaviour, to sound more academic.)
1. They truly enjoy the feeling of speed and freedom, with the wind whipping through their generally non-helmet-covered hair. They are oblivious to the annoyance factor.
This hypothesis is disproven by the gunning of the engine when they pass folks walking down the street.
2. They think they look impressive, and want to show off their ride.
This is all well and good. However, the bikes I usually see doing this are not the big impressive growling bikes you see at...well, usually at Quaker Steak and Lube on Wednesdays.
These bikes have roughly the pitch of a dentist's drill. Or kind of like a balloon when you stretch the hole as you let out the air. It's the equivalent of me going up to someone, saying "I can shout in an impressively loud manner!", and then going, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee".
3. They are training for the new 5000m Suburban Motorbike competition in the 2008 Olympics.
I can only assume this is the case, and I, for one, shed a little tear every time I see these patriots in action.
So next time you see one of these bikers cruising the streets, don't get annoyed. Get supportive and give them a big old "USA! USA!" chant.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
On your mark...
Reset... (As our 3-year-old niece says)
GOOOOOOO! (As our 2-year-old nephew says)
I officially ran the farthest I've ever gone (by 0.08 miles) yesterday. My training group did 13.2 miles, which is just over a half marathon. We came in around 2:00 (2:10 counting water stops), which is just a little slower than I need to be going to hit my 4:00 goal for the marathon in October. I'm pretty sore today, but the good news is that this weekend's run is only 10 miles. Plus, my shoes didn't get so wet this week that my running mates commented on the strange noises emanating from them. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
Meredith and I cleaned up the driveway a bit yesterday of all the sand and gravel we had from the patio project. We put it in our trash can, which is kind of a no-no. I wouldn't worry about it too much usually, but it's so heavy I can barely lift the front end to roll it down to the curb. I'm just envisioning the garbage truck trying to pick it up, and the arm snapping off or something. I just know we're getting in trouble for this one...
We got some plants to landscape our backyard yesterday, and we're having topsoil delivered today. Tomorrow, we get our tree delivered. The end of this project is in sight!
GOOOOOOO! (As our 2-year-old nephew says)
I officially ran the farthest I've ever gone (by 0.08 miles) yesterday. My training group did 13.2 miles, which is just over a half marathon. We came in around 2:00 (2:10 counting water stops), which is just a little slower than I need to be going to hit my 4:00 goal for the marathon in October. I'm pretty sore today, but the good news is that this weekend's run is only 10 miles. Plus, my shoes didn't get so wet this week that my running mates commented on the strange noises emanating from them. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
Meredith and I cleaned up the driveway a bit yesterday of all the sand and gravel we had from the patio project. We put it in our trash can, which is kind of a no-no. I wouldn't worry about it too much usually, but it's so heavy I can barely lift the front end to roll it down to the curb. I'm just envisioning the garbage truck trying to pick it up, and the arm snapping off or something. I just know we're getting in trouble for this one...
We got some plants to landscape our backyard yesterday, and we're having topsoil delivered today. Tomorrow, we get our tree delivered. The end of this project is in sight!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Patio pics!
The new patio!
Another view of the new table.
Our gladiolas finally flowered!
A close-up view.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Busy busy busy
Sorry it's been such a long time between posts. We've had a lot going on in the last couple weeks. Meredith swam/biked/ran her big triathlon, and did great! We got to see the sights of Muncie, Indiana - our favorite was the one-armed statue of Larry Bird outside a gas station.
The patio is almost done.
It was a struggle with the paver company, though. Here's what happened.
Thursday: Dave calls company, transferred to someone who can answer his questions about the weird angles produced by their blocks. Guy says "We carry corner blocks like you need", and that though they usually don't take returns, they'll make an exception because the recommendation of their employee was so bad.
Friday: Dave gets off work early, he and Meredith drive 40 minutes to go get the materials. They tell the woman at the store what the guy said, and she looks like they've grown extra limbs. "We don't sell anything like that", she tells them. She snaps, "You can go out in the lot and look at the material yourselves." After going out to the lot, an employee out there says they can split the blocks we have to produce the square corners needed for the project.
Monday: Dave calls the closer location, they say they can split the blocks there. Dave heads over there after work, explains his predicament. Goes out to get his blocks split, and the guy out in the lot says, "Why don't you just buy the corner blocks? We sell them pre-made."
But now we've got everything in place, and our furniture arrived yesterday. Pictures soon!
The patio is almost done.
It was a struggle with the paver company, though. Here's what happened.
Thursday: Dave calls company, transferred to someone who can answer his questions about the weird angles produced by their blocks. Guy says "We carry corner blocks like you need", and that though they usually don't take returns, they'll make an exception because the recommendation of their employee was so bad.
Friday: Dave gets off work early, he and Meredith drive 40 minutes to go get the materials. They tell the woman at the store what the guy said, and she looks like they've grown extra limbs. "We don't sell anything like that", she tells them. She snaps, "You can go out in the lot and look at the material yourselves." After going out to the lot, an employee out there says they can split the blocks we have to produce the square corners needed for the project.
Monday: Dave calls the closer location, they say they can split the blocks there. Dave heads over there after work, explains his predicament. Goes out to get his blocks split, and the guy out in the lot says, "Why don't you just buy the corner blocks? We sell them pre-made."
But now we've got everything in place, and our furniture arrived yesterday. Pictures soon!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
July 4th updates
We had a busy weekend of the 4th...did the usual fireworks, cookout, etc. We are *almost* done with the patio. Just need to iron out some issues with the steps we bought. The stones they recommended just don't look good at all, so we need to figure out an alternative. More pictures when we do.
Also, we ran a 5k up in Westerville on the morning of the 4th. I woke up feeling kind of sick, and didn't expect much out of it. There weren't any clocks on the course, and I forgot my watch, so I didn't know my pace till the finish. Turned out, I set a new personal best: 24:55. Hopefully DayQuil isn't a banned substance. :)
Also, we ran a 5k up in Westerville on the morning of the 4th. I woke up feeling kind of sick, and didn't expect much out of it. There weren't any clocks on the course, and I forgot my watch, so I didn't know my pace till the finish. Turned out, I set a new personal best: 24:55. Hopefully DayQuil isn't a banned substance. :)
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Progress...
The backyard wasteland.
There's all that grass! Also note the remnants of our steps and the little pile of gravel we get to carry around back.
Grass
Pulling up sod is hard work.
We worked for a few hours yesterday, and got about halfway. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done by the time the rest of the materials are arriving, so the driveway will be blocked for a day or two.
We worked for a few hours yesterday, and got about halfway. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done by the time the rest of the materials are arriving, so the driveway will be blocked for a day or two.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Craziness!
The results for the 5k were posted over the weekend. Official time: 25:17.
The crazy part is that through some combination of turnout and demographics, I ended up placing 2nd in my age group! Unfortunately, there were only awards for the first place finishers in this race.
We're also looking at putting in a patio in our backyard. We were traveling up to a store in Delaware (the city, not the state), and Meredith had printed out directions from their website. We followed the directions one step at a time, as you normally do. We turned onto Sandusky St., right in the middle of downtown Delaware, and Meredith asked for the next direction. I said, "That was the last one". She asked what the address was, and I looked at the paper, only to find out their directions just ended at "Delaware, OH". Not any particular *place* in Delaware, just the city.
So, while successfully getting us to Delaware, the directions failed in one minor detail. We ended up pulling into Kroger and calling Meredith's parents, who had gone to the same store recently. The directions from her Mom's memory (Past some trailers, over a railroad track, and along a windy road) were heartfelt but not very useful. Eventually their modem (they do still exist in the wild) found us some real directions and we got there. :)
The crazy part is that through some combination of turnout and demographics, I ended up placing 2nd in my age group! Unfortunately, there were only awards for the first place finishers in this race.
We're also looking at putting in a patio in our backyard. We were traveling up to a store in Delaware (the city, not the state), and Meredith had printed out directions from their website. We followed the directions one step at a time, as you normally do. We turned onto Sandusky St., right in the middle of downtown Delaware, and Meredith asked for the next direction. I said, "That was the last one". She asked what the address was, and I looked at the paper, only to find out their directions just ended at "Delaware, OH". Not any particular *place* in Delaware, just the city.
So, while successfully getting us to Delaware, the directions failed in one minor detail. We ended up pulling into Kroger and calling Meredith's parents, who had gone to the same store recently. The directions from her Mom's memory (Past some trailers, over a railroad track, and along a windy road) were heartfelt but not very useful. Eventually their modem (they do still exist in the wild) found us some real directions and we got there. :)
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Success!
I managed to hang on for a personal best in the 5k last night, unofficially finishing in 25:20 according to my watch. I went out pretty fast - I was at 7:45 at the first mile mark, 16:00 at the second mile, and then I must have slowed down after that. The race was slightly downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back, so that's not too surprising.
I had Meredith's dad in sight for a little more than half the race, which is encouraging. He ended up beating me by about 3 minutes. Apparently the first place guy in his age group beat him by only a few yards...close call! The race director told him that he can retire from running when I beat him in a race. :)
Neither Meredith nor her dad like Chipotle, so they both picked up free burritos for me. Now I have lunch for the rest of the week!
I had Meredith's dad in sight for a little more than half the race, which is encouraging. He ended up beating me by about 3 minutes. Apparently the first place guy in his age group beat him by only a few yards...close call! The race director told him that he can retire from running when I beat him in a race. :)
Neither Meredith nor her dad like Chipotle, so they both picked up free burritos for me. Now I have lunch for the rest of the week!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
5K Race Day
We're headed over to downtown New Albany for a race tonight. It'll be my first 5k of the summer season. My personal best is a 26:06, which is about 8:24 per mile. That's a bunch faster than I've been running the longer runs, but I think I'm in better shape than when I set that record.
I'm actually a little nervous. I feel like I'm supposed to do well now that I'm in training. I'm so bad at pacing myself that I worry I'll go out way too fast, or so slow that I can't catch up to where I need to be. I guess we'll see how it goes!
(I just have to keep reminding myself that there's Chipotle at the finish line...)
I'm actually a little nervous. I feel like I'm supposed to do well now that I'm in training. I'm so bad at pacing myself that I worry I'll go out way too fast, or so slow that I can't catch up to where I need to be. I guess we'll see how it goes!
(I just have to keep reminding myself that there's Chipotle at the finish line...)
Monday, June 13, 2005
Eight Mile
I did 8 miles again this week, to get back on schedule with the training group. I ran with some slightly slower people than my normal pace, so it felt pretty easy. The only difficult part was how humid it's been lately around here! I needed gills to get enough oxygen coming up the hill at the end of the run.
I got an M&M bar at the end of the run. It was good.
We also made some progress on our secret project last night. Hopefully it will be complete within a couple weeks, and I'll post pictures. :)
I got an M&M bar at the end of the run. It was good.
We also made some progress on our secret project last night. Hopefully it will be complete within a couple weeks, and I'll post pictures. :)
Thursday, June 09, 2005
More Flowers
More flowers from around the house.
More blue flowers...
Flowers from Meredith's hanging baskets.
Monday, June 06, 2005
House Pictures
Our lilac bushes by the corner of our house.
Here's the ladder shelves I made for our upstairs bedroom.
And, as requested, the newly blue wall!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
A New Record
The 5-miler went well yesterday. My previous best (happened to be the same course) was a 50:10, and that 5 miles was the longest I had ever run.
This weekend, I ran a 43:08. Only 7 minutes faster. :)
I also ran a 7 mile long run on Saturday, and managed to keep up with part of Meredith's running group. So, I feel pretty good right now. My legs are pretty tired, though. I think this week will be a challenge.
We also painted a wall in our dining room yesterday. After a year and a half in our house, we finally have one first-floor wall painted!
This weekend, I ran a 43:08. Only 7 minutes faster. :)
I also ran a 7 mile long run on Saturday, and managed to keep up with part of Meredith's running group. So, I feel pretty good right now. My legs are pretty tired, though. I think this week will be a challenge.
We also painted a wall in our dining room yesterday. After a year and a half in our house, we finally have one first-floor wall painted!
Monday, May 23, 2005
My Mileage May Vary
Now we're really starting to get into the miles. Okay, at least for me. My daily runs are now averaging around four miles. This is about as high as they ever got for my half marathon, so we're headed for uncharted territory. I did a six mile long run this Saturday with the training group, which went pretty well.
I've definitely noticed that I'm feeling less pain in my legs than when I started up running again. Four this morning seemed pretty easy, even though it felt like it took forever. I guess that's the difference between running alone or with a group. The legs feel the same, but your mind gets to think about your run, instead of a conversation.
I think we're going to run a 5 mile race this weekend, which should be a decent gauge of my progress. We'll see how it goes, I've only done a 5-miler once.
I'm encouraged by the pace I'm at right now. My goals for the marathon are:
Finish
Finish in 4 hours
Finish without walking
Beat Meredith (Kidding, honey! Or...am I?! OK, yeah, kidding.)
Right now I'm running around a 9 minute/mile pace, which would get me in just under 4 hours. Now I just have to train myself to keep it up for 26 miles!
I've definitely noticed that I'm feeling less pain in my legs than when I started up running again. Four this morning seemed pretty easy, even though it felt like it took forever. I guess that's the difference between running alone or with a group. The legs feel the same, but your mind gets to think about your run, instead of a conversation.
I think we're going to run a 5 mile race this weekend, which should be a decent gauge of my progress. We'll see how it goes, I've only done a 5-miler once.
I'm encouraged by the pace I'm at right now. My goals for the marathon are:
Finish
Finish in 4 hours
Finish without walking
Beat Meredith (Kidding, honey! Or...am I?! OK, yeah, kidding.)
Right now I'm running around a 9 minute/mile pace, which would get me in just under 4 hours. Now I just have to train myself to keep it up for 26 miles!
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Rain, rain, it's not so bad.
This week's long run on Saturday ended up in a downpour. I found out that as long as it's warm, that really didn't matter. Well, at least for me - there was one girl in the training group who had to stop because her mascara ran into her eyes. Did four miles this week, and forgot to take a watch again. I did beat the people who were around my pace handily on the hill at the end, which gave me some confidence going into the week.
I got to go visit my family this weekend, and get to do four days of running in a row. Three miles a day, Monday through Thursday. I think this week and the next should be some of the toughest, as the mileage climbs during the week. Once my legs are used to 4 a day, it shouldn't be as bad, because it doesn't really go any higher other than weekend runs.
I'm going to get today's run out of the way right now, before work. It's nice when I can do that - gives me a long afternoon.
Oh, and Star Wars tomorrow night at 12:01! :)
Edited to add: Good run today. I think it's my fastest pace so far, but I didn't feel like I was overdoing it.
I got to go visit my family this weekend, and get to do four days of running in a row. Three miles a day, Monday through Thursday. I think this week and the next should be some of the toughest, as the mileage climbs during the week. Once my legs are used to 4 a day, it shouldn't be as bad, because it doesn't really go any higher other than weekend runs.
I'm going to get today's run out of the way right now, before work. It's nice when I can do that - gives me a long afternoon.
Oh, and Star Wars tomorrow night at 12:01! :)
Edited to add: Good run today. I think it's my fastest pace so far, but I didn't feel like I was overdoing it.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Small World
So, I finally made the jump to the Marathon-in-Training group here in Columbus.
The first run was actually pretty good. A few of us who got to the Radisson early for the informational meeting were standing around waiting for some sign of the group, lost. This would be an omen.
The front desk woman didn't have any idea where they were, but pointed us in the direction of a ballroom. Eventually, someone wandered in wearing running gear, and looking like they had a direction. So, we followed them down the hall (to the exact opposite side from the front desk's directions), and found the already-in-progress meeting.
By chance, one of the people I had met before the meeting was going to be running a similar pace to me, so we ended up running together and talking. During the conversation, I had mentioned that I was from Brecksville. She mentioned that she had a friend who went to high school there. Well, not only did he go to my school, he was actually in my class!
Somewhere along the way, we decided we were going to do the four mile option for the run, rather than the three that most people were doing. However, on the way back we realized neither of us knew where we cut off the trail to head back to the hotel. We ended up *way* past our mark, had to run up a very large hill to get back, and wound up doing close to 5 miles in the process.
The first run was actually pretty good. A few of us who got to the Radisson early for the informational meeting were standing around waiting for some sign of the group, lost. This would be an omen.
The front desk woman didn't have any idea where they were, but pointed us in the direction of a ballroom. Eventually, someone wandered in wearing running gear, and looking like they had a direction. So, we followed them down the hall (to the exact opposite side from the front desk's directions), and found the already-in-progress meeting.
By chance, one of the people I had met before the meeting was going to be running a similar pace to me, so we ended up running together and talking. During the conversation, I had mentioned that I was from Brecksville. She mentioned that she had a friend who went to high school there. Well, not only did he go to my school, he was actually in my class!
Somewhere along the way, we decided we were going to do the four mile option for the run, rather than the three that most people were doing. However, on the way back we realized neither of us knew where we cut off the trail to head back to the hotel. We ended up *way* past our mark, had to run up a very large hill to get back, and wound up doing close to 5 miles in the process.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Summer Goals
We were out in Boston this past weekend for the marathon, and had a blast. Got to see some old friends and eat a lot of pasta.
And I had to marry someone inspirational... :P
So, I think I'm going to train for a triathlon this summer, and maybe a fall marathon. Meredith suggested joining a training group here in Columbus for the marathon, but I'm not totally sold on the training group idea yet.
We got up and swam Sunday morning before church. My shoulder's been injured, and it was getting kinda sore. I guess I need to pull out the physical therapy exercises again.
I'm definitely more worried about the swim than the other two parts. It's sort of an irrational worry, since I have swum half a mile many times in the pool. I guess until I get out there and do it, I just won't know for sure.
And I had to marry someone inspirational... :P
So, I think I'm going to train for a triathlon this summer, and maybe a fall marathon. Meredith suggested joining a training group here in Columbus for the marathon, but I'm not totally sold on the training group idea yet.
We got up and swam Sunday morning before church. My shoulder's been injured, and it was getting kinda sore. I guess I need to pull out the physical therapy exercises again.
I'm definitely more worried about the swim than the other two parts. It's sort of an irrational worry, since I have swum half a mile many times in the pool. I guess until I get out there and do it, I just won't know for sure.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Where's Bambi's Mom?
We got to watch Bambi with our niece the other day. She's at the age where there are questions about *everything*.
"What's Bambi doing?"
"Where's Bambi's Mom?"
"Why did they shoot Bambi's Mom?"
"What's Bambi doing?"
"Is that Bambi's Mom?"
"Why is Bambi's Mom still dead?"
"What's Bambi doing?"
"Where's Bambi's girlfriend?"
"Why is Bambi dark?" - "Because the sun isn't up"
"Why is Bambi's girlfriend dark?" - "BECAUSE THE SUN ISN'T UP"
"Why is the sun not up?"
Oh, and we also discovered that our 3 year old niece has a boyfriend.
In other news, I feel like I was beat up over the last couple days. My Monday basketball game was pretty rough, and I took a couple pretty hard charges. Add in a 4 on 4 game during lunch yesterday and spinning class last night, and you get a slow moving Dave today. I need to start my running up again if I'm going to do the triathlon or half marathon this spring, but I don't think today is the day for that.
"What's Bambi doing?"
"Where's Bambi's Mom?"
"Why did they shoot Bambi's Mom?"
"What's Bambi doing?"
"Is that Bambi's Mom?"
"Why is Bambi's Mom still dead?"
"What's Bambi doing?"
"Where's Bambi's girlfriend?"
"Why is Bambi dark?" - "Because the sun isn't up"
"Why is Bambi's girlfriend dark?" - "BECAUSE THE SUN ISN'T UP"
"Why is the sun not up?"
Oh, and we also discovered that our 3 year old niece has a boyfriend.
In other news, I feel like I was beat up over the last couple days. My Monday basketball game was pretty rough, and I took a couple pretty hard charges. Add in a 4 on 4 game during lunch yesterday and spinning class last night, and you get a slow moving Dave today. I need to start my running up again if I'm going to do the triathlon or half marathon this spring, but I don't think today is the day for that.
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