I woke up this morning at about 9 am. The plan was to sleep till 11am to start to get me back on schedule to return to work Sunday night. Working 11-7 I find it easier to ease into staying up all night especially after any time off like the crazy schedule I have been keeping lately.

When I woke I was remembered that my son had asked to play a game as a family last night and had commented that although it was a regular thing we had not sat down as a family in a while to play a game. As the kids get older this seems to be harder and harder every year. I had told him that last night was not going to work since his mother and I had been up since 3am from Black Friday Shopping. But I promised that we would do it today.

I walked out to the living room to find that it was a bright sunny day out. My wife and kids warned me that it was really cold and windy out and suggested I wear a jacket when I ran. I personally can't stand wearing anything besides Shoes, socks, shorts, baseball cap, and a tee shirt while running. Other than that I will wear a light jacket if it gets to be 30 degrees and avoid pants at all costs. I put on my normal running clothes and started stretching as I listened to the latest The Extra Mile Podcast Episode 55.

I then headed out to face the cold no jacket, I had checked the temperature before I left which showed 50 degrees. The plan was to run 5 miles and as I headed out I felt great and the weather was perfect, sunny, cool, and windy. I was running 2.5 mile out and then back and as I got to the half way point I looked at my watch which showed 26:30, which was about 1:30 min less than usually which made me want to push harder. As I ran back I kept reminding myself to keep up the pace. I must have got in a habit of running 12 min mile pace because I seem to fall back to that pace. As I could see the end of the run was about 300 yards left, I looked at my watch, 53:30. I really wanted to come in under 55 minutes. As I finished I hit the stop button on my watch and glanced down. I Ran 5 miles in 54:39 @ 10:56 min/miles pace, weather was mostly cloudy / windy, temperature around 46 degrees. This was great for me since I had just ran a race in 57 minutes.

I walked home to cool down, The Extra Mile Podcast ended and I started listening to Run Vegan Run Episode 31 "Happy Thanksgiving" and hopped into the shower. Since I had signed up for the Hot Chocolate 5k race next weekend I figured I would have to go to Northampton to pick up the race pace as I had done last year. I thought it might be nice for all of us to drive down together and enjoy the day. I called the Northhampton Running Company to make sure they had the packets. They advised that the packets were going to be given out on the day of the race.

So what to do now? I decided that we all go shopping together which already had to be done and then pick out a game for a family game night tonight. Between Hannaford’s and Wal-Mart we spent about 2 hours shopping and fooling around together, Paige drove as always. She really is getting better every time. We came back with good food, Fact or Crap, and the movie UP. We got home made homemade pizza (Ham, Cheese, and Pickles) Aleah’s idea and then sat down and played Fact or Crap as a family. Two hours laughing and having fun. Next we went to the living room to watch UP together. To some this may not sound like much but to get 5 people including two teenagers to spend over 6 hours together as a family is a small miracle.

As I write this I sit here is the living room alone, which I have become somewhat accustom to. I think i am going to try to make sure we have a family night every weekend. Before I know it all the kids will be gone.

Finally I was talked into registering for the Sterling 29th annual Freezer 5 which is on New Years Day. I hope I made the right decision. It sure will be cold. However My goal is to run though the winter and this race is a great way to start the year off right, with a race.

Everything Always Looks Better After a Run
FishaDad

I woke up this morning feeling tired, achey, and my chest still felt congested.  Since the Sunday after I ran the Slattery's Turkey Trot I have felt like an illness was going to break out.  I found it hard to stay awake and slept for long periods of time.  When awake every muscle in my body was sore and I kept coughing up junk from my lungs.  This morning was no different.  I pulled myself out of bed and put on my running clothes before leaving the bedroom. 

I had already skipped my run on Tuesday and wanted to get out on the road.  I stumbled into the living room and fell into my chair.  I turned on the latest Glenn Beck program that was automatically tapped on my new free DVR from Directv. Feeling my window of time was getting smaller I slid on my shoes and began streaching while listening to the latest Phedippidations podcast Fdip214: Email to my Droid. 

I headed out for my warmup walk and then started running.  Once I got going and shook the rust off it felt pretty good.  I was trying to improve on my slow pace as I am training for the Mayor Higgins 5k ’ Hot Chocolate Run..  I Ran 3 miles in 32:16 @ 10:45 min/miles pace, weather was cloudy, temperature around 44 degrees. Although slow still, this was a much better pace at least for me.   As soon as I stopped running and began my cool down walk home I immediatly felt that endorpine rush that I have become so addicted to.  

I could not help but smile as I anticipated the rest of the day.  I made it back home in time to shower and head out to the rival football game between Mahar (My old Highschool) and Athol.  My daughter Paige who recently got her permit drove.  At the advice of her driving instructor anytime we go anywhere she is to drive.  She is a good driver but still learing.  Its like driving with a drunk grandmother, she is slow as molassas and swerves alittle.  We got there in one peice and she park leaving room for a VW Bug between us and the car in front of us for which I had to tease her.

The game was really close and intense to watch.  In the end Mahar was victorious beating Athol 21-19.  As per tradition the winning team eats dealicious roasted turkey and the loser (ATHOL) Eats Crow.  I will say Athol did play well and almost won, but in the end went home tail between thier legs to eat crow.  As paige drove home I had to use the bathroom and she decided to take the scenic route to avoid traffic. This somehow seemed counter productive since she is training to drive.  I arrived home and withing 1/2 hours my wife had a increadable Thanksgiving dinner on the table for all of us to eat. 

As I write this my father inlaw has just arrived for coffee and dessert.  As I end this I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and once again to all the troops away from thier familys defending my freedom, I say THANK YOU.

Oh Ya I created an email address if you should have any comments its FishaDad@gmail.com

Everything Always Looks Better After a Run
FishaDad

This weekend was shaping up to be a good weekend but did not come out that way. As I drove home from a fairly busy night shift at the college I was excited to get home and wait for a phone call about a dog we were looking to adopt from a local shelter. We had been trying to adopt a dog since we decided we were ready for a new dog since Jake was put to sleep our family dog of 12 years. About two months ago we start filling out applications for dogs needing homes. Most never even returned a email or call. Some started the process and then just disappeared and would no return any emails. Honestly it would be easier to adopt a foreign baby than it was to adopt a dog. The whole time I am thinking I can just go to a pet store, but no, I want to rescue a dog.

This shelter was different then contacted me immediately, checked my references and was to call me on Friday. I got home and instead of going to bed I was afraid I might miss the call so I climbed into my recliner pulled on my blanket and took a nap as my cell phone and house phone lay beside me. Every noise woke me thinking it was my phone. All day I waited, but no call. At about 8pm that night I received a email from them stating that they were going to require me to enroll in dog training school before adoption was approved. Apparently this dog “Bandit” was adopted and the family returned him in two weeks because they could not handle him. I could not believe that we were this close and then they would come up with such a last minute requirement. Basically I was being penalized because the previous owner’s could not handle him. Mean while Bandit still does not have a home. I decided to withdraw my application since I did not have the additional $150 on top of the $300 I had already put aside for the re-homing fee. Also I believe that requiring us to attend dog training in order to adopt a dog is ridiculous. If I my references check out and the dog goes to a good family isn’t that the point? If we felt we needed training that should have been our decision. So no dog for now and I wish Bandit well.




Next I have been having trouble with my Direct TV satellite service. Over the past few months we have been losing channels little by little. I have called and called and each time little if nothing was done. So I called Friday night and requested they cancel the service. This finally got there attention and now they are sending a technician out on Monday free of charge with my free HD DVR. Finally my $106 pending bill was wiped out which made me happy. Ironically the Direct Tv Tec just showed up as I am typing this post.



Finally there was the 29th Slattery’s 2009 5 mile Turkey Trot this Sunday at 1pm. I was originally not planning to run this race again this year after my gale bladder surgery. About three months ago I had my gale bladder out and since it was so deteriorated they had to do open abdominal surgery leaving me with a huge laceration in my abdomen and 3 days in the hospital. I was not allowed to work or run for 6 weeks. Somehow I was able to get back and run the Fitchburg Fire Dept 5k about a month ago and right after the race decided to train for the 5mile Turkey Trot and felt I was ready. The whole weekend I found myself having trouble sleeping and not knowing why. I thought maybe I was coming down with something and made sure to take my vitamins. The day of the race I felt good. We traveled out to Fitchburg on a sunny 50 degree day. We arrived and waited in the crowd watching the kids races. A friend and his brother came down to run the race also and we met up about 20 minutes before the start. I warmed up and took my place on the start line.

As the gun went off I started running as fast as the pack I was in would allow. I reached for my Instinct and hit play…Nothing. I had set it up so all I had to do was hit play, no luck. I reset it and hit shuffle songs and bam music in my ears. The first area was a short hill which the momentum of it all running with over 1000 people carried my over. As I progressed towards the first mile my lungs were burning. This was not normal for me and I felt I may be going to fast. At the first mile the clock said 9:30, wow my normal pace is about 11:00. I felt this is why my lungs were burning so badly. I slowed and pushed on. At the second mile things were getting better but still I had that burning felling in my lungs and a metallic taste in my mouth. AT this point I slowed to a comfortable pace with a goal of finishing. I settled in to my pace and before I knew it I was climbing the last hill before the finish. I turned the corner and could see the finish line. I pushed my legs as fast as they would let me go and finished. in 56:47 @ 11:21 min/miles pace. No where near a PR but I finished and for that I was proud.

Today as I sit here writing this post I feel tired, sore, and have a productive cough. I feel like I may have bronchitis and believe this may have been a factor yesterday. If this turns out to be the case then I am even more impressed with my bodies’ ability to run 5 miles while being ill. This for me this just one more reason to continue running.

Everything Always Looks Better After a Run
FishaDad

Today my intent was to get up at 11am and be on the road running by noon and compete 2 miles. This was to be my last run before the Turkey Trot on Sunday since I run 3 days a week right now. Well my alarm went off and I played the snooze alarm game and got out of bed at about 2 pm. By the time I dragged myself out of bed and got on my running gear it was about 3pm.

I stretched and headed out on the road once again with the intent of running 2 miles today. As I started to run my legs were really stiff and I had to stop and walk for a while and start over again. I then started again and felt a little better this time but still stiff. As I ran I felt some soreness in my left knee and cramping in both calves. Since I was only planning on a short easy run today I decided it was best to stop at 1 mile. I ran 1 miles in 10:04 @ 10:04 min/miles pace, weather was cloudy, temperature around 55 degrees. I walked back to my house feeling like I cut myself short but knowing I did the right thing. Today I listened to Run Vegan Run Episode 30-”A Good Thing”

Its funny how ever since the time change I have been having trouble sleeping and waking up and getting out of bed. I had thought I was fighting off some sort of an illness but a friend told me that she gets the same symptoms after the time changes and that it is a common phenomenon. For the most part working nights for years now, I am used to being tired. But this has been different and something that is a first for me this year. I guess I can just hope it blows over and look forward to spring.


Everything Always Looks Better after a Run,
FishaDad

My plan was to run 5 miles today as my last long run before my 5 mile race on Sunday. I had worked from 4pm until 7am and made it home by about 7:45am. Although on a lot of days I feel like I would rather just crawl into bed and not run today I was looking forward to the run.

It was a beautiful sunny day and there was a coat of frost on everything and as the bright sun burned off the frost it created a slight mist. I decided to wear my light jacket and shorts since it was about 32 degrees. Although I would normally listen to one of the many podcasts I subscribe to I decided to listen to music today since I would be listening to music during the race.

Immediately I felt great and was able to run and enjoy just being out in the neighborhood. As I approached my 2.5 mile mark where I normally flip and head back to make 5 miles I decided I wanted to keep going so I proceeded further through the center of town and back around the way I came. Around my last mile my feet started to become sore and as I finished my run I wondered how far I had gone. I walked home and cooled down, grabbed my recovery drink and logged into LogYourRun.Com to map my run. I was very excited to see I had Today I Ran 8.13 miles in 1:39:12 @ 12:12 min/miles pace, weather was fair, temperature around 32 degrees. This was a big accomplishment for me and was the farthest I had ever run. From there I limped into the shower and then bed as my body reminded me how far I had run with stiffness.

One of the other things I have been thinking about a lot recently is the H1N1 virus and its vaccine. It seems like everyone is scrambling to get the vaccine and I just don’t feel the need. Ok so I'll say the normal don't listen to me; follow the advice of your doctor. Ok disclaimer done. Now I am not one of the fanatics that does not think anyone should be vaccinated, I think and utilize all the other vaccines for me and my family and think that it would be insane or neglectful not to, sorry Jenny McCarthey.

As far as flu shots go I have never gotten one but simply believe that the regular flu shot are for people at high risk with depressed immune system. Personally I think the best defense is to get the real flu once and awhile.

However the new H1N1 vaccine I feel has the potential to be dangerous. They rushed to put together a vaccine and get it to the panicked masses. The FDA that usually takes time to review a drug and conduct tests for safety and side effects of a new drug in this case waived the studies and allowed the vaccine to be released. In addition to the unknown causes there is the known Guillain-Barre syndrome that was associated with previous flu vaccines. On the other side there are people I know that contracted the H1N1 and were sick for a short period of time and recovered fine with overt the counter meds, fluids, and rest. Finally the levels of fatalities associated with H1N1 are far less still that the regular flu and I never worry about that if I get it I get it. I looked all these things and then weighed these risks against getting the H1N1 and decided that I would rather take my chances with getting H1N1 than the dangers of the vaccine. But like all decisions that are this important and involves the health of your children I always find myself wondering is this the right decision?

Tonight we had to go to Sebastian’s parent teacher conference. For the most part he did well the only issues is that he is a goofball and is always talking and fooling around in class. I wonder where he gets that from, Probably his mother.

Ok well this is enough for now. I decided for now I will post on my running days since the primary reason for this blog is my progress running. However I will talk about whatever is on my mind when I am writing the post so I hope not to bore or offend anyone.

Enjoy the night and remember, Everything Always Looks Better after a Run!

Well here I go creating my first blog. I do this after hearing the many voices on the podcasts I listen to while running telling me over and over that it needed to be done. The podcasts I am referring to are: Phedippidations, The Extra Mile, RunningToDisney, RunVeganRun, and The Runners Round Table.

So who am I? Well I am a husband of a wonderful women (Becky), father to three great kids (Paige16, Aleah13, and Sebastion12). I enjoy spending time with them, NASCAR esp Carl Edwards, Basball esp the Red Sox, and in the last few years running.

Most of my life I wanted nothing to do with running, which is to bad because my body was in much better shape and I was much younger for it then. Years ago I went to the police academy where as you can imagine I ran quite a bit which trained me to run. But something else happened they also taught me a love for running. However like a lot of things after the academy was over I became lazy and left it go. About 3 years ago I was invited to a local police departments 5k race. Since I was in no condition to run it I signed up to walk and had a lot of fun. However at that point I viowed to never walk again and to run it the following year. Not that there is anything wrong with walking, it was just not for me, I want to be with the runners.

Ironically I still have yet to run that race due to scheduling issues and medical setbacks. Since that time I have ran three 5ks and one 5mile road race. My finish times are not that good but I am running and finishing which for me is the point. My goal this year is to continue though the winter so that I can build on what I have started and not fall back to square one.

Today I Ran 5 miles in 57:40 @ 11:32 min/miles pace, weather was light rain, temperature around 52 degrees, Felt good, no pain, rain started about half way through the run which cooled me down. I listened to Phedippidations..Episode Fdip213: Sports Medical Quackery.

Well that's enough for now. I hope that I can have enough to say that I can continue this blog and not bore all of you too much.

Everything Always Looks Better after a Run,
FishaDad