Fun Friday

I've had a great Friday which started off with Dylan sleeping really well overnight (even if Nancy did steal him off me). He woke every 3 hours to feed and went straight back to sleep afterwards - wonderful.

Then I had an early morning run and a few laughs downtown with some friends which always gets the day off to a good start. I drove home, took Gavin to daycare and stopped into the office to get a few things done. After a lot of "coooing" and "oooing" and "aaahing" I headed off home again to find Dylan in a super happy mood.

We're so lucky he's a very well-tempered baby.... unless he's hungry. Then you'd better get out of the way. This morning he head-butted me and kicked me in the balls in quick succession, much to Nancy's amusement. Must be the feisty Welsh side of him :-)

Yes, the boy loves to eat - and let's face it, never has a Richards been known to go hungry!!!

This afternoon I made another batch of kolaches (which always disappear really quickly), and did some stretches on the stability ball to loosen up for tomorrow's 60k race. We're about to head out to the store and then we'll pick up Gavin, who I've promised will get ice cream tonight because he's been a good boy. That means I get some too.

For supper I have some wholewheat pasta dough ready to roll into broad noodles, homemade marinara sauce to go with them, and I will roast some veggies to finish it off. While I wait for the noodles to dry and the veggies to roast, I'll do some light pilates to relax and loosen up a bit more. With any luck, Gavin will join me.

Yes, life is good.

Running through the Fog

Ok, last night was not pretty, though it's amazing how many laps of the living room the "Dylan train" can do through a sleepless night!!! We finally got him down around 3am, the little rascal :-)

Then my alarm went off an hour later for me to go run hills with some friends. Let's just say the run will not rank amongst my all-time favorites - I am so not looking forward to the 60k on Saturday night.

But it could be worse - I could be eating Casu Marzu (thank you Gordon Ramsey for that enduring image).

Enough of stinky cheese. On the plus side we've booked our hotel in Alpine for the marathon in October. The rooms look really nice, with mountain views, sitting areas and full breakfasts. I'm really looking forward to this trip.

Dylan : 1 week old today

As I did my run this morning, I realized that this time last week we were at the hospital. I can't believe it's been a week since Dylan was born, though it seems that a lot has happened in that time. Here are a few more of my favorite pics from the last few days.

Brothers in Arms : Dylan takes a nap while his big brother watches over him

Wave of the future? Dylan with daddy's credit card - oh shit!!!

"I have drunk and seen the spider". Exploring the trails at the old Mueller airport yesterday evening. We had a great time - it wasn't too hot, there was a lovely breeze blowing, and Gavin was super excited to explore some of the sculptures. We need to go do it again.

Practice Races for Cactus

Because when I arrive
I, I'll bring the fire
Make you come alive
I can take you higher

- Kevin Rudolph

Challenges - I thrive on them. They drive my training, fuel my motivation and pique my curiosity as to what my mind can push my body through. I am a firm believer that the biggest attribute a long distance runner can have is heart and guts, because that can drive you to keep going long after you should have stopped. That spark has been largely missing throughout the summer, but this morning I tried to re-ignite it by signing up for marathons in each of the two weekends prior to the Cactus Rose 100.

Some folks may think I'm ruining my chances at Cactus by not tapering beforehand, and maybe they're right. But I like to think I know myself, and I wouldn't sign up for them if I didn't believe I could finish all three.

Back in January I set a PR at the Texas marathon and ran a really good 100k at Bandera the week later. I think stretching my legs out over 26.2 played a big part in that. Then in February I ran a 21:35 100 miler and followed up a week later with a 3:48 marathon on sand. My one physical running gift is the ability to recovery quickly, and by making these three races into the "Mark Challenge Trilogy" series in my head, that gives me an extra incentive to finish Cactus. Sure it may all backfire, but if so I want it to be on my terms.

And besides, I really love to break rules :-)

Anyway, here are the races I signed up for. First up is the marathon 2 marathon race out in West Texas. It is on October 17th and goes between the towns of Alpine and Marathon. I've never been out to West Texas and Nancy is excited to make it our first road trip with Dylan. She tells me the towns are beautifully nestled amongst the Davis mountains. We will take a few days to go exploring and I'm looking forward to seeing the Marfa lights while we're there (as well as a few other places in my Haunted Texas Vacations guidebook).

Then a week later is the inaugural Frankenthon Monster Marathon at Brushy Creek near Austin. This looks like a fun Halloween-themed event and I really want the tech race shirt and socks. It is a trail I run on regularly and one I am familiar with.

As well as these I have signed on to do some coaching with Round Rock Fit again (though I will not be able to attend the three race weekends in October, and possibly several others toward the end of the season if another opportunity pans out). Last year I had a very successful training strategy of getting there early for the Saturday long run, doing 10 miles by myself and then going out again with the group and forcing myself to keep pace with the fast guys.

Yes, stupid male pride can be a very useful asset.

A Set of Firsts

I haven't run a single mile since last Monday, been kinda busy with other things. Not ideal preparation for next Saturday's "all nighter" 60k, but that's ok - I always finish (maybe not very quickly, but I always finish), and sometimes other things take precedence. Instead I've taken the opportunity to do some weight training at home - something I haven't done as much of as I should. Anyway, when you have an infant car seat and a newborn who loves to be swung in it, you don't need kettleballs. Boy do I have sore hamstrings right now!!!

And while I'm definitely feeling the effects of sleep deprivation, I'm also enjoying the delights of being a new dad again. Yesterday, Gavin and I took Dylan for his first walk in the stroller. We took turns pushing him around the block and enjoyed our first "boys time".

We have also "enjoyed" several sleepless nights. Dylan loves to be held, but definitely does not like to be laid down in his crib. Nancy and I spent the last few nights taking it in turns to hold him, and of course he needs feeding every few hours. Right now he has night and day swapped around which means he sleeps a lot more during the day than he does at night. Hopefully that will correct itself in a few weeks.

No Place like Home

Nancy and Dylan got discharged this morning and we finally got to bring him home. We're both tired because Dylan has turned out to be a night owl - he sleeps during the day and parties all night!!! I think things will get so much easier now we're home though.

I've spent a lot of time with Dylan cuddled up to me, and I love looking at him - I keep spotting faint echoes of myself in his little face. He also brought back great memories of Gavin at that age - they looked so similar. I lay down on the sofa this afternoon and Dylan fell asleep on my chest - I just lay there enjoying the "new baby" smell and good times.

And speaking of Gavin, he's been wonderful with his new brother. He's very gentle and very protective. I don't think he quite believes us when we told him he used to be that size though.

Since I can't help with feeding Dylan yet, I've been busy cooking since we got home - putting together stuff that we can use to make easy meals for the next few days. I grilled a whole bunch of chicken fajitas, baked some banana bread, made the sponge for some rustic Italian bread (which I'll continue tomorrow) and made some of Clea's yummy spinach quiche. Tomorrow I'll make some kolaches and a key lime pie - I also have some squash and mixed vegetables ready to grill and stir fry. I think we're covered on the food front.

And finally, back when Gavin was a baby I kept a count of how many times he peed on me. I stopped counting when I hit 30. So far, Dylan's nailed me twice.

And both times he grinned :-)

You Know you're a runner if...

...you've ever signed up for a race while sitting in a delivery room waiting for a baby to be born. Yesterday, while Nancy was in labor, we started talking about how she could get back in shape after the birth and we agreed that she needed a goal. So after a quick search on the netbook we both signed up for the Texas marathon on New Year's day - I'm in for the full and Nancy's in for the half.

I set my marathon PR in this race earlier this year, and it's a super fun small town marathon with all-you-can-eat pizza afterwards (which kinda sealed the deal).

We're looking forward to it, and I'll put a training plan together that will get her there.


PS.We're still in the hospital. Nancy and her dad are snoring away, and I'm typing this one-handed while holding a sleeping (and very contented) Dylan on my other arm - a highly useful skill. Who said guys can't multitask? :-)

Austin's Newest Runner

Sweet sleep with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown
Sweet sleep angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child.

- William Blake

I'm sitting in a hospital room looking at my newborn son. The little bump we've been calling "Archie" for the past few months has morphed into a 7lb 15oz bundle of curiosity named Dylan James Richards.

Both Nancy and the former Archie are doing great and I'm over the moon. The boy has all 10 fingers and toes (I counted) and one hell of a set of lungs - must get that from his mother!!!

And if he inherits her looks and brains he won't be going too far wrong.

Here are a few photos of our big day.

About to leave for the hospital after our 3am start

Welcome to the world Dylan

Daddy and Dylan - the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

Gavin meets his new kid brother

Grandpa Tom and Gavin - the times they are a-changing

Jim Fixx and Jogging

Here's an interesting article about jogging that Christopher McDougall wrote for the BBC magazine. If the name sounds familiar, that's because he's the author of "Born to Run" - a book that all my running friends are reading and raving about.

Nancy bought it for my birthday and it's sitting on my "to be read" pile of books. I'm looking forward to reading it, but I may have to wait a while because a certain spouse (who will remain nameless) has nicked it!!!

Summer Runner Blues

This morning's run sucked. I got up early to start at 5am and do 10 miles of hills - it was dark, there was barely a moon, no breeze and it was humid as all hell. I was the only one stupid enough to be out there (and I really didn't want to be), my energy was low and my legs felt dead. But when I'm dragging my sorry ass through a low point at mile 80 at Cactus Rose I will remember the times over this long hot summer when I had the chance to quit but didn't. That will either spur me on or confirm what an idiot I am.

10 miles was all I was planning on because I didn't want to leave Nancy alone for too long. I have found that summer running falls into two categories - sometimes the miles come easy and sometimes they just suck. This morning was definitely the latter - I found myself soaked after the first climb up Smokey Valley. While I'm not too happy with my running form at the moment I've been doing this long enough to know that I don't want to be peaking this far in advance. So I will continue to click off the miles, ignore the pathetic pace which I seem to have settled into (though this morning's time wasn't too far off what I usually run that route in) and continue to maintain my base. I have no doubt my speed will return come Autumn.

Of course, there's always that little voice in my head that keeps taunting me - "how did a donkey like you ever run 100 miles back in February", or "I thought you claimed to be a good hill runner, so explain to me why you're walking, you jackass".

That's alright little voice, you just keep on talking. It'll be all the better to shut you up come October.


Hmm, when I start plotting revenge on myself it's definitely time to go lie in the shade with a nice cool beverage :-)

Or better still, watch the Tour de France and enjoy other people suffering.

Egg and Cheese Mark-Muffin

Still no baby, so this morning Alan asked me to guide him around Bull Creek which gave me a great opportunity to do some exploring on the lower trails. I took the main path from the dogpark along the "flats", diverted off to the other side of the (completely dry) creek and looped around to the bottom of the fun downhill that used to be part of the old Kens loop. I ran up it and back along the upper trail until I got to the barricade that blocks off the upper trail. Then I turned around, ran back to the hill, down past the "mountain biker ramp of death" and enjoyed the thrill of the downhill. Back at the bottom I ran the old school route back to the dogpark. It was an easy run of about 6 miles on very light trail, though the humidity meant I was still soaked by the end.

When I got home, Nancy and Gavin had set up chairs outside and were enjoying the morning sunshine. It looked fun, so I decided to rustle up something quick for breakfast and join them.

This is what I came up with - yummy, fast and easy - another post-run favorite. Hope you enjoy it.

Egg and Cheese Mark-Muffin
(serves 1)


Ingredients
1 English muffin
1 egg (beaten)
1 slice cheese
Mayo

Instructions
1. Slice the muffin and toast it

2. While the muffin is toasting, break the egg into a round microwaveable container (about the same width as the muffin - a ziploc container is great for this). Beat the egg and microwave for 45 seconds (if the egg sticks, try spraying the container first)

3. Spread some mayo on the muffin, add the egg and the cheese and you're all done.

Blog Glitch

Apologies if you came here earlier today and things looked a little weird - my image hosting service appears to have gone South, taking all my blogger template designs with it. Fortunately I had a backup of most of them so I just uploaded to a new (more reliable) host, amended the template html and recreated a few icons.

Back in business.

Still no baby though.

The Waiting Game

They say it's a good thing to know your weaknesses. What they don't say is that it's sometimes best when your spouse doesn't know about them. Do you remember that scene from Jaws where Quint dragged his fingernails across the blackboard to get everyones attention? Ever since I was a kid I've hated that awful screeching sound (just the thought of it makes me shudder) - it brings to mind images of fingernails being bent backwards and reduces me to a pile of quivering jello. Even writing about it makes my skin crawl.

And the point of that amazing revelation? This morning Nancy and I passed a truck coming out of a steep driveway and part of its undercarriage scraped along the ground and made a similar sound with a predictable reaction from me. Ever since, Nancy has been making claws and "doing a Wolverine" down an imaginary board. She seems to think it's funny, and each time she does it I get goosebumps.

What a meanie!!!

I hope Gavin doesn't cotton on because that boy is relentless in his tormenting. I guess he's just like his dad - what goes around comes around :-)

And we're still waiting for Gavin's little brother to put in an appearance. Nancy has an appointment to be induced next Wednesday if the little blighter hasn't arrived by then, so it's going to be within the next week. But we're all ready - I've even put the crib together, put the infant seat in the car and got the stroller down from the attic. It's a strange feeling of anticipation at the moment - we're both excited and nervous. All the things that can go wrong play on your mind, and we just want a healthy, happy baby.

As for a name, we have one in mind that's become our favorite, but we're not going to say what it is because it may change. Gavin had been a "Iestyn" for months until he was born, and then we both agreed he looked much more a "Gavin" than a "Iestyn". I'm glad we made the change because he's so proud of his name.

We have a few alternatives handy just in case.

Running this week has been both hard and hot - I did 10 miles of hill repeats on the St Edwards trails Monday evening (had to push on the last loop to beat the sunset) and another 7 miles last night. Both nights I started out with a small group, and both nights finished by running extra loops by myself. The temps both days were in triple digits, the trails are very steep and rocky and I was sucking down the water - makes for some hard workouts. Stubborn or stupid? I'll let you decide.

On the upside, I rewarded myself with a root beer float on Monday and some Greek yogurt yesterday - felt I deserved it.

This morning I enjoyed a relaxed 7 miles on the road with friends which left my legs and spirit refreshed. I like these leisurely runs, especially tacked onto the end of a couple of hard runs - they always leave me feeling good and ready for the day.

United Breaks Guitars

What do you do if United Airlines breaks your guitar and won't listen to your claim? Well if you're this guy you make a music video, post it on YouTube and became an internet sensation.

Aside from being really funny, he's actually pretty good. Hope you enjoy the video and the story.

Friends at Hardrock

If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the Gods. And the nights will flame with fire.

- Charles Bukowski

That is the quote and mantra I've adopted for for the Cactus Rose 100. Today I'm sending it out to my buddy John Sharp who embodies all those things. He is one of the toughest runners I know, and this weekend battled to mile 83 of the Hardrock 100 - one of the most difficult 100 mile races on the planet. It sweeps through the San Juan mountains in Colorado, and all takes place at altitude - the race has 33,000ft of climb and peaks at over 14,000ft. Yeah, that's crazy right?

John once told me that he learned more from the one race he didn't finish than from all the ones he did combined. I hope he looks back on his Hardrock experience with pride at what he achieved - I'm certainly in awe.

So here's to you John, and to all of my other friends who went to the mountains this weekend - I hope your recovery goes well and I can't wait to hear some of your stories.

As for me, I didn't run a single mile this weekend. I had planned on doing 25 miles of hills this morning, but Nancy was very restless last night. She swore it was nothing, but I didn't quite believe her and determined to keep an eye on her this morning. As much as my running is important to me, it's nowhere near the top of my priority list, especially now.

Instead I had a laid back morning with Nancy and Gavin - we went to the grocery store, had a nice breakfast, put up some stuff in Gavin's room and enjoyed watching the Tour de France. I also wanted to stock up on a few more technical running shirts. Oddly enough, I'd gotten my favorite all time running shirt at WalMart for $7 - and it beats all the expensive ones hands down. So we stopped in on our way to the grocery store and picked up a nice selection of four shirts for $6 apiece - they are very light, look good and wick really well. The moral of the story - if you're looking for some running shirts, you could do a lot worse than check out Wally World.

I spent the rest of the morning making big batches of pasta sauce, meatballs and banana bread. Best to be prepared in case I need something quick and easy later in the week.

Back to fitness stuff, the ankle flexibility exercises I've been doing have been paying big dividends. My ankles feel fantastic and they've also relieved a lot of soreness in my calves. Assuming nothing happens tomorrow (or today), I will make up for my lack of running with 10 miles of hill repeats at St Eds.

I will have my cell phone with me. Just in case.

Old South Wales welcomes New South Wales

This Wednesday marked the start of an "Ashes" summer. Back in 1882, the touring Australian cricket team beat England for the first time at the famous Oval cricket ground in London. A satirical obituary published in a British newspaper lamented the death of English cricket "which died at the Oval on 29th August 1882". It concluded "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". Ever since then, whenever England play Australia in a test match series, they play for the Ashes.

For the past few days I've gotten to work and tuned into BBC internet radio to get live coverage of the first Ashes test match of the summer (for my American readers, a cricket test match has 2 innings per side and is played over 5 days - it's a tiny bit like baseball only good - and without all the spitting). The match looks like it's going to end in a draw, but the big part for me is that it's being played at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff (the Welsh capital) - the first time that a test match has ever been held in Wales.

I tuned in this morning and Jonathan Agnew (one of the commentators on the BBC's Test Match Special) was interviewing Max Boyce - a Welsh folk singer and comedian. I have some of his cds and have seen him in concert several times. I think he's hilarious, maybe because I identify where he's coming from - steeped in the humor of the working class Welsh valleys. His work and music is part of the folklore of Welsh rugby and the communities that revolved around the old South Wales coal industry. Well he was certainly in fine form this morning and had the commentary box (and me) in stitches with his stories and antics.

I remember running the Trail Twister 60k in Bryan, Texas last year. I was going through a bit of a low point around mile 30 when a Max Boyce album came up on my ipod. Well I got so engrossed in his songs and stories I started reminiscing about everything I missed from home. Before I knew it I was at the finish line.

It was kind of the same way this morning.

On top of that, I've been following the Tour de France this week. Having read Lance Armstrong's book earlier this year, I have a greater understanding of the event and it's been a good one to watch. Britain's Mark Cavendish has won a few sections and currently holds the green jersey. That along with the drama of Armstrong's comeback has made for compulsive viewing.

And finally, here's one for both Americans and Brits to celebrate. Unpopular and complaining tourists we may be, but the French are much worse!!!


PS. no sign of baby yet - we're still in a holding pattern. Not sure what I'm going to run on the weekend, but whatever it is I'll be sticking close to home. Maybe I'll have a buzz around Stratford and Scenic.

PPS. Wishing good luck to Sharpie, Moogy, Joe, and all the others currently running the Hardrock 100. Rather you than me :-)

The Final Countdown

No, not the song from that crap big hair 80s band, I mean the final countdown to the birth of Gavin's little brother. Nancy had a doctor's appointment today and the doctor said she thought it would be sometime in the next week. Holy crap, I guess I'd better get the crib put together.

Running has been a mixed bag this week. Monday night I ran at bull creek and my ankle was still not right. I felt a twinge every time I put weight on it and I just didn't trust it. Last night I did 6 miles of rocky hill repeats at Saint Edwards park - I felt great, ran strongly on the uphills and did fine on the downhills. Then this morning I finally caved in and broke out a brand new pair of road shoes for my early morning 7 miles - I felt like a kangaroo.

I've started doing daily flexibility exercises on my ankle, and hopefully it'll start to pay off. Nothing drastic - mostly toe points, foot flexes and circles - but they're easy enough to keep doing regularly. We'll see if it makes a difference.

On a lighter note, about a month or so ago a friend likened me to "running with the devil". Last night another friend dubbed me the "beast of the hills" (I assume they were referring to the uphills and not the downs).

I wonder if I need to change my aftershave??!!!!

Wild Welsh boy Tamed?

Ok, this is worrying. My first day of being 36 and I woke up this morning with an overwhelming urge to clean the house. WTF? Did Nancy slip something into my birthday cake? I even cut my morning run down to 15 miles in order to get home and have a good crack at the kitchen. And I did - I cleared and scrubbed the counter tops, wiped off the cabinets, put away my cast iron skillets (that have been sitting on the stove forever) and my other toys essential cooking tools, gave the floors a bloody good vacuum, mopped them, and cleared and cleaned the breakfast room. Hell, I even organized my running shoes (ie. got them off the floor where they are "constantly in the way") and relocated them in a tote in the closet.

Quite where this sudden burst of energy came from I don't know, but it won me some brownie points with the missus - she even checked to see if I was running a fever!!!

Of course, I'm now making some chicken pot pie with some of the beer can chicken I barbecued yesterday which means I'm going to make a mess of the counter tops all over again (hint: when you barbecue chicken, save the drippings - they make fantastic roasted potatoes).

Maybe I should have waited until I was done before cleaning them, eh?

I think I need a beer :-)

Love is Italian Creme

When we got married back in 1999 we thought it would be fun (and much more personal) to make our own wedding cake (and grooms cake), so Nancy and I took a cake decorating class together. We both loved Italian Creme and decided that would be our cake. Let me tell you something, if you can survive a couple of days making and decorating a wedding cake together in a tiny kitchen, that's a pretty good indicator that your marriage is going to work. We burnt out several cheap mixers, fought like dogs and came out with a really nice 3-tier cake and a Welsh-themed three feathers grooms cake.

So as today is my birthday, Nancy asked me what kind of cake I wanted and I said Italian Creme. She and Gavin made it last night - a much larger kitchen, a powerful kitchenaid mixer and only one tier makes all the difference.

It was delicious, and I will pay for it with 25 miles of hills tomorrow.

1000 Miles and Counting

I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1000
Miles to fall down at your door
- the Proclaimers

Yes Proclaimers, but would you run 1000 miles? This morning's "Eeyore club" 11 miler took me up to 1005 miles for 2009 - a nice little milestone. I most certainly did not want to get out of bed, but driving home afterward (armed with a nice selection of cupcakes fresh from the bakery) I had an epiphany (my word of the day) - the sun was rising, there were several people out jogging and everything was right with the world. It made me realize again why I enjoy running. And that's a reminder I've sorely needed of late.

Sitting here on the sofa, sharing some trail mix with Gavin, I realize what a lucky guy I am. I love my wife, I have the best son in the world, and am about to get another. We own our own house, have no financial worries, I enjoy my job, am in great shape and I have some wonderful friends I enjoy running and laughing with.

Of course, my ankle is still not quite right (when I shift my foot after sitting in the same position for any length of time it clicks like a sodding dolphin), but at least it gives me something interesting to blog about.

Anyway, I'm just killing time until the swimming pool opens. Gavin loves the water and Nancy and I are really looking forward to going. I took him yesterday afternoon (we had a "boys only" day) and we were in the water for over 2 hours - we had a fantastic time and he slept really well last night!!!

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the last day of my 35th year.

The Eeyore Club

Run you donkey!!!

I like a challenge, and sometimes I need to be challenged. So as part of my efforts to climb out of the running rut I've been wallowing in, I've come up with the idea of the "Eeyore club" and the "post work piglets". They are basically group runs I'm "posting and hosting" via an email distribution list, and consist mostly of friends I ran the Independence Relay with, along with the regulars from my Monday evening trail run. In case you're wondering, Eeyore is my shorthand for "Early Morning Yawning Runners", and the "post work piglets" are self evident. Some runs are no-drop and others are not, some are on trail and others on road. One of my buddies is now hosting several piglet runs, and hopefully others will follow suit.

The Eeyore runs take place on Friday mornings. I've been running with a buddy fairly regularly on Friday mornings, but this week will be the first "official" Eeyore run. They are usually between 6 to 8 miles, but since I have the day off work this Friday I've mapped out a longer-than-usual 11 miler to celebrate the last day of my 35th year (boo hiss - when did I get that old). It's an open invitation, so if you live in Austin and want to join us for an early morning (5am) road run, or just want to get on the Eeyore list, let me know.

Riddle me This

Gavin asked me last night if he could watch Batman.
"You know daddy", he told me, "the one with joker, penguin and the wriggler".

Classic.