2008 Paavo Marathon

Five runs in five months

2008-03-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

What a long winter, fortunately I spent a good deal of it in Indonesia. Unfortunately, I was not running. But surely as the cardinals sing there first songs of spring, I am back out on the streets, doing my part to hasten the snow melt, by breaking off the ice shelves that form at the edge of snowpiles with my size 12 New Balances. One of these days I will slip and tear some previously unknown muscle, but for now ignorance is bliss and the cold merely numbs my reasoning skills further. I ran Sunday, Tuesday and today (Wednesday). I feel great, like I did while training for my first marathon. One day at a time.

Back From Toledo

2007-09-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

I keep running and taking Tae Kwon Do! I am getting stronger and faster. Must continue to focus my energies.

Slightly Drunk Power-Walk

2007-09-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Went to my friend's house last night. He just bought it about a month ago. This is the second house purchased by friends since we bought our duplex, and I find it amusing that there homes look so much nicer then ours. We live in a disorganized construction zone. We are in the middle of refinishing the living room floor and the dining room, which is currently the living room, has a strange particleboard like subfloor. But we are young and happy and in love, though we don't have many guests.

Anyways, I had a few beers while watching the Brewers get shellacked for ten runs in the first three innings, then I powerwalked the two miles home. My legs are still sore from the TKD lesson, but a good sore.

I'm running tommorrow, and tracing the mileage of my favorite runs. Here's hoping everyone has a good Sunday run.

The Bearwalk versus ten-year olds

2007-09-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

I had Tae Kwon Do last night, and have committed myself to a years worth of lessons. Actually, my partner committed us, she can be very persuasive, without being forceful. We finished yesterdays lesson by running around the gym performing jump kicks over a broom handle the teacher held up. I also raced my partner and two preteens at frogjumps, crabwalks and bearwalks. We would collapse over the finish line laughing and exhausted. I dont know if it was these fun races or the entirety of the day's lesson, but my legs are stiff and sore today.

I will run tommorrow.

Trail Running UpNorth

2007-09-03T16:42:00.001-07:00

I went UpNorth this weekend for a good bout of trail running.

To be specific without being poiltical I was in the "Spread Eagle - Dunbar Barrens" Regional Landscape Ecosystem. According to the USGS website, this ecosystem is marked by "steep, rounded bedrock knobs (that) rise 200 feet or more." I ran for an hour over this terrain, and when I finished I spent an hour snorkeling in one of the "kettle lakes within the outwash plains."

Once again, I am easing my way into a more disciplined running schedule, and hope to keep a log of my daily runs in the near future. For now, I'm just running.

2007-08-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Went for another good run today. Maybe four strong miles.

Yesterday, had Tae Kwon Do. Way out of focus for the lesson.

I will need to watch my times and distance more closely. Probably makes it more interesting for the reader.

-Zander

Tae Kwon Do

2007-08-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last night Jill and I started Tae Kwon Do lessons. I felt comfortable with the kicks, except I was moving too fast, I could have spent some more time working on the technique and form. Mostly I am comfortable with the discipline, if you train the body physically it is easy to adjust to new physical demands. One thing that I will take from this course is a good stretching routine, I never stretch now, and I hope that stretching will benefit me (there seems to be conflicting opinion on the subject).

The studio just opened, and they don't seem to have amany clients yet. Last night, it was just Jill and I being taught by the owner of the studio and the lead teacher. The one-on-one was nice.

I had a good run today, probably five miles, I'm not sure of the time. I'm not paying attention to time or distance yet, just getting out there, finding a rhythm.

I start a welding class in one week, and this weekend I'm going skin diving in a small, clean lake in Northern, WI. I have never done either of these activities before. I hope that they will be the first steps in an underwater welding career.

Dare to Dream,

Zander

First Post

2007-08-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

The basics: I'm thrity-two years old. My name is zander.

I live with my partner Jill, we share the upper-half of a duplex in Milwaukee.

My main running companion is a dog named Bill. Bill the Dog is the pet of my downstairs neighbor. Steve, is the human's name.

I'm a pretty good runner, though I haven't run much in the last eight or nine months. Previoulsy I have run:

Half-Marathons:
'04 Madison, Madison, WI, 1:48
'06 Paavo Nurmi Marathon, Hurley, WI, 1:39

Marathons:
'04 Paavo Nurmi, 3:52
'04 Lakefront Marathon, Milwaukee, WI, 3:59
'06 Lakefront Marathon, 4:42

Paavo is a beautiful run through Norhtern Wisconsin. Hurley is about sixty miles east of Duluth, MN, home to the very popular Grandma's Marathon. As the title suggests I intend to run Paavo 2008 in under three hours. But things may change, maybe a sub-1:30 half.

I also intend for this blog to, follow my efforts in pursuing a new career (the title 'Underwater Welder' recently popped into my head), show my appreciation for Cormac McCarthy and the music of the '60's and '70's and to be a home for an occasional rumination on water or God or politics.

Today I ran with Bill the Dog for about three miles, and have probably run about thirty miles in the last ten days or so. I'm easing back into a more serious and intense running schedule.

Thanks for finding me. I intend to create some kind of graph for to better log my running efforts. Definitly, add some pictures and stuff.

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