It's Been A While

It should be pretty obvious at this point that although I am committed to training, I am not committed to this blog. Hence the infrequent updates with limited details and unimaginative commentary.

For starers, I've been sick for the past week. Thankfully it's just a cold but it's been lingering and sitting here now, a week later, I am still heavily congested. I'm pretty sure I just got really, really exhausted and stressed with all the running around I've been doing apart from training. The problem with getting sick is that it disrupts an already erratic training schedule.

Despite my illness, and a minimal amount of sleep following a Bat Mitzvah, I still managed to get out of bed at 6:00am last Sunday (May 4) and complete the 42-mile Five Boro Bike Tour. The ride was really fun but, unfortunately, not a really strong workout for me. I traded the workout for some friendly companionship with Ted Greenberg and Alfred Kahn. I had ridden with Ted before and he recently started using his bike to get around town so I was encouraged when he asked me to do the ride.

Alfred and I had previously rode together during the 2004 and 2006 rides. He was by my side when I completed the 2004 ride just a few months after being discharged from the hospital and was my regular Saturday morning training buddy. Unfortunately, Alfred demonstrated a low tolerance for discomfort and did not have much interest in riding in colder temperatures or when it rained. So during the winter months while I kept riding, he hibernated. He wasn't even sure when he was last on a bike and had a slight concern about his ability to climb the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

In the end, both Ted and Alfred did a terrific job keeping up a nice pace during the ride. Considering the roads were jam-packed with 30,000 riders, the three of us did a good job of sticking together and it was a really terrific day.
Here's me with Ted on top of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge after completing about 38-miles for the day

Alfred seemed a bit concerned that he was going to have to walk his bike up the bridge but, lo and behold, he made it to the top

And even though I was still feeling congested, I ran eight miles on the treadmill in the gym on Thursday night (May 8). Unfortunately, I did not complete the 15 miles per week that I am supposed to be running at this point (Sorry, Jonathan Wells. I'm working on it).

This Sunday I have a NYRR sanctioned race in Central Park. It's just four miles but, still, it'll get my butt out of bed before 9:00am on a weekend. This one will be #5 -- just four more to go and I'll automatically qualify for 2009.

That's all in the recent past. Here's a look a things from a few weeks ago:

• On Saturday, April 26, I flew around Prospect Park for 23 miles traveling at a speed above 18.5mph.
• On Sunday, April 27, I ran 10 miles in the Park. I wrote down my pace and time but can't find it right now. Suffice to say, I was feeling pretty good.
• On the following Tuesday night, April 29, I ran on the treadmill. I'm pretty sure it was seven or eight miles but I can't be sure.

So, the bottom line is, it's nice to try and keep track of my progress but with the limited time at my disposal, it's probably better to spend it training than updating this silly blog. Especially because I'm not even keeping such great records of my training. Maybe if I take more photos along the way, it'll be a bit easier.

One note: Dave Finke has put his name in to NYC Marathon lottery for 2008. Hopefully his name will be picked and I'll have someone to run with.