June 25th, Monday

Total Miles:  1020.34   Pace Runner:  973.02  +  47.32 milesToday I ran 8.25 miles starting just north of Fiesta Island and running around Fiesta Bay again in 1:16:21, a 9:15 pace.  Something weird is going on with the blog page, it won't let me write where I want to and it keeps putting me back at the top so excuse the fact that this might seem disjointed at times!

Total
I'm happy and excited about crossing the half way mark, but it is now onward & upward!  One last thing I will show you.  Not only did Dawn come run with me, but she also left me a great note on my windshield:

These are the kind of things that will get me to the promised land!!!!  Thank you so much for all of your support, Dawn!

June 24th, Sunday

Can you say:

Yes, with a 9 mile run in 1:22:12, joined by my friend Dawn Lee Roberts, I have eclipsed the half way mark in a 9:07 pace!

   My glass is half full and although my knees are starting to feel fatigued, I am optimistic that I can keep soldiering on and taking it day by day and reach my goal with the support of all of you!

I have looked upon this moon, as I'm sure all of you have, so many times that we take it for granted, like so many other things in our lives.  So my message today is to live in the moment, appreciate all those great people &things our lives and go out there and do something wonderful!

 I am tired, sore, and mentally fatigued.  I need your help to keep on keepin' on!  Please send your comments via facebook, email, or here (I haven't received a comment here since May 7th I believe!)

Total Miles:  1012.09  Pace Runner:  967.52  + 44.57 miles

Love you Mom & Pops, not half way, all the way!  <3  

June 23rd, Saturday

A landmark day today!  Started at Ski Beach today and ran Fiesta Bay (I know, you are so surprised by this!) finishing by running the parking lot at Ski Beach for a little extra mileage and guess what???

You got it!  I broke the 1000 mile mark ahead of schedule with a run of 8.81 miles in 1:19:26 for a pace of 9:01/mile!  Pretty exciting stuff for me!  All I know is I am almost half way home and it is a good thing because I am definitely feeling the effects of all this running.

Love you Folks!  I'm half way there almost!  <3Total Miles:  1003.09  Pace Runner:  962.02  + 41.07 miles

June 22nd, Friday

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, i guess... my left knee was really barking at me Wed. night and it wasn't much better yesterday AM so I decided to listen to my body (as so many have told me to do) and I took the day off.  This morning things were feeling better and so I went to Fiesta Bay again and did 8.21 miles in 1:12:14 for another trip at 8:47 pace (pretty consistent...)

My knee feels good when I run but it is when I am stagnant for too long that it gets sore and stiff much like my lower back has been doing of late.  I am hoping that things will improve some how...and soon.

Here's some thing I haven't mentioned in quite some time:  I have now finished the equivalent of just shy of 38 marathons in the past 5 & 2/3 months.  That's quite a bit of running for an old guy like me!

Here's a cool video I found that likens life to a marathon, so true!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CyA_OyN7zU

Total Miles:  994.28  Pace Runner:  956.52  +  37.76 miles

Can you say 1,000 miles????  I think you can if you try!!!!

Love to my wonderful parents!  <3 

June 20th, Wednesday

This is going to sound like a broken record this summer, I think, but I ran Fiesta Bay for 8.20 miles in 1:12:23 for a 8:47 pace.  I don't think I will always run it this fast but one never knows...
Lots of kite surfers out today as there was a pretty good breeze.  I'll have to take some photos of them sometime in case you haven't seen them before.

I also went to the Padre game with my nephew Noah tonight and I still have not seen a win in person this season yet, 0-5!  Augh!!!

Been a little while since I have checked out the map to see where I have "run to" so far so here are a few new cities i have made it to mileage wise:

Mazatlan 925 miles
Portland, OR 931 miles

Pretty to crazy to think about...I wish I could have afforded to take the year off and do this for real to see if I could make it to the other coast.  That would be awesome.  Maybe I could do the bike next summer... any takers!?!?!

Total Miles:  986.07  Pace Runner:  945.53  +  40.54 miles (good to be back over 40 again, now to get 50+!)

Love you Mom & Dad! <3

June 19th, Tuesday

Home sweet home!  I have a little cleaning to do but will get it done in due time along with a lot of laundry!  8.10 miles today in 1:11:03 for a pace of 8:46.  A little fast but at least it was back at Mission Bay! 

Meeting my "brother" Tim and Wendell Price for lunch at Casa de Pico this afternoon as soon as I get my phone working again.  I switched it to email billing but I always forget to pay it and things have been a little too busy for me of late.  I will have to change it back to regular mail so I don't let this happen again.

Too much to get done along with getting some sleep.  Great to be back in beautiful San Diego!!!!

Being with my Mom & Dad made me think about what they are feeling and going through.  Rush just put a new album out & one of my favorite songs from it talks about looking back at your life & wishing to do it all again! It's called Headlong Flight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFGrWjOX0E&feature=related

Total Miles:  977.87  Pace Runner:  940.03  +  37.84 miles

Lots of Love Folks!  <3

June 18th, Monday

Since I didn't post yesterday, Father's Day, I want to say I had a great day with my dad watching the golf tourney yesterday as well as this morning, having breakfast together.  Here's a little song for my Dad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9X6S-PPRso

I got up at 4:30 AM to run up at Red Rock Canyon this morning and I thought I had just left the windy city but I was mistaken!  My truck door was almost ripped off from the howling wind when I tried to get out to run!  I headed up the hill toward the canyon road and at least twice, the wind stopped me from advancing completely!  I read later that there were gusts of up to 40 MPH and I can vouch for that.  The first 3 miles were into the wind and then the wind moved to hit my right side as the road turned to the left.  Then I got to turn around and the wind was hitting me on the left side.  At times, the wind was so strong, it was moving my left leg across and causing my right leg to trip on it!  The best part was basically being pushed up hill by the wind when it came from behind me.  When I was going downhill, the wind was pushing me so fast that I literally had to slow myself down because my legs could not keep up with the speed my body was attaining!  It was crazy!

I made it 6.51 miles in 1:02:51 for a 9:40 pace (considering  it was probably 11 or 12 min miles going into the wind, I'm happy!)

Here's a shot of the canyon where I usually start my runs.  (Sorry about the shadow of me, I was tired & the sun was at a bad angle) 

I drove home Monday and it was a pretty good trip even with the windy conditions all the way to the Cajon Pass.  Now it's time to try and get my house back in shape.  (Easier said than done!)

Total Miles:  969.77  Pace Runner:  934.54  +  35.23 miles  (I plan to work hard to get this back up around 50 by the end of the month!)

Love you Dad and hope you had a great Father's Day!  <3

June 15th, Friday

I got to Chicago late Thursday night (I didn't run in the morning as I was a little under the weather after the party), got a good night sleep and went for a great run along Lake Shore Drive & Lake Michigan.

It was a little muggy that day but not bad.  I ran 10.22 miles in 1:33:59 for a pace of 9:12/mile.  The nice part about the Midwest is it is very flat!!!!  I wanted to get a good run in, so I could take the rest of the weekend off & I think it worked.  I went as far north as the "Theater on the Lake" and went south past Navy Pier and out to the end of it as well.

We made it to 2 Cubs games (the Boston Red Sox were in town) and sat in the bleachers (the ONLY place to sit at a Cubs game in my opinion!) Cubs won on Friday and lost on Sat.

 That was a great day!  I could go on & on about our trip to Chicago but I will spare you the rest.  The last thing I will say is that we stayed right across the street from the John Hancock building & here is a pic of it going up into the clouds which I thought was pretty cool.

 

Total Miles:  963.26  Pace Runner:  918.04  +  45.22 miles

Love to my wonderful folks!  <3 

June 13th, Wednesday

This morning I ran 8.22 miles in beautiful Red Rock Canyon west of Las Vegas in 1:17:45, only 9:27 pace but I won't complain.  I began at 5:02 AM to try and avoid the heat as much as possible!  I think it was about 76 degrees when I started.  It is an up and down run but usually has a decent breeze as it did today.  Only came across one small animal that was no longer with us.  I always hope to see some wild burros or horses that roam around the area but still have not!

More importantly, we all got to town on time, we had a great family reunion and a fantastic celebration of the completion of my Mother's 80th year!  We had a great dinner at Roy's (one of my mom's favorites!).  All went off without a hitch and I think not only my Mom, but all of us had a wonderful time!

Here's one of my favorite pictures of my Mom:

Here is a song for you Mom, Happy Feet style!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P90dKxlsUJo

I was flirting with running tomorrow morning but I think we celebrated a little too much!

Total Miles:  953.04  Pace Runner:  907.05   +  45.99 miles!

Happy Birthday Mom!  I Love you!  <3

June 11th, Monday

Great run today around Fiesta Bay for 8.25 miles in 1:13:47 for a 8:56 pace.  Forgot to write down any notes so i can't quite recall any specifics from this run.  (That's why I need to get caught up!) 

In any event, I will be leaving for Vegas in the AM for my Mom's 80th birthday.  Hope it all goes smoothly and everyone gets there when they are supposed to, etc.

I think I will leave it at that for now.  Take care and remember to share the word!

Total Miles:  944.82  Pace Runner:  896.05  +  48.77 miles!!!! & + 4.23 miles for 2112!!!

Love you more with each passing mile, Mom & Dad!  <3

June 10th, Sunday

Another trip around Fiesta Bay, 8.21 miles in a much slower 1:15:39 which is 9:13 pace per mile.  It is my 4th day running in a row and this is when I have been feeling it and slowing down a little bit. 

Today, I saw a little girl who was riding her bike with training wheels, along with her parents, and had this determined look on her face, much like Lebron James in the 4th quarter, like she was riding in the Tour de France or something!  It was hilarious!!!!  Wish I had a video of it to show you but I must have laughed for the next mile or more.

I plan on running tomorrow and then take Tuesday off as I will be driving out to Vegas for my Mom's 80th B day celebration.   I'm sure my Mom will be excited when all of her children show up, coming from coast to coast!

Here is a quote I like about responsibility:

"A great leader never sets him/herself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities."  ~ Jules Ormont

Total Miles:  936.57  Pace Runner:  890.56  +  46.01 miles

Love you Mom & Dad!  <3  

June 9th, Saturday

Today I ran the Fiesta Bay for 8.1 miles in 1:10:57, an 8:46 pace and I definitely have documentation of this run!  Former Ambassador, Executive, & documentary film maker, Kevin Santos was following me around getting some footage for a little movie he is making to help promote my fund-raising!  Here's Kevin as a Sophomore on our Universal Studios trip.

 

We hope to have it ready to go by mid July.  I'm sure we will have it on here or at least have a link to it.  Who knows, maybe we will have to have a premiere!  He has a great vision of what he wants it to be and I think he is doing a great job with everything down to the last detail.  I think you will all be impressed with the finished product.

Trying to get as many miles in as I can before I go out of town for the next week.  It is always tough to run in Vegas, getting up before the sun and the wind too.  Chicago will be humid but hopefully and early morning run will be fine.

That's all for now.  Go out there and do something great for someone!

Total Miles:  928.36  Pace Runner:  885.06   +  43.3 Miles

All my love to my Vegas Folks!  <3  

June 8th, Friday

Today I ran at Lake Murray and as usual ran a little fast but my hamstrings are holding up so I guess it isn't a problem at the moment...  6.31 miles in 55 minutes & 12 seconds, 8:45 pace. 

Today marked the end of the official school year!  I can only hope to get ahead of the game this summer as far as my miles go.  We will see...next week will be a challenge as I travel to Las Vegas and Chicago but I really just don't want to lose ground.  If I can stay roughly on pace, I will be pretty happy.

I saw some heroes of CCHS's athletic programs on their bikes today at the lake.  Mr. & Mrs. Robinson have been a key part of the fund-raising efforts in keeping all of our programs thriving.  They were on their bikes enjoying an evening cruise. 

Today I have a treat for you Rush fans out there.  This is a song called "Best I Can" performed with the late, original drummer, John Rutsey in 1974.  This is on my running playlist to remind me that I can only do what I can do & hopefully keep me from biting off more than I can chew (assuming I haven't already done so...)  Enjoy the great 70's styles...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoRZbf61GdY

Total Miles:  920.26  Pace Runner:  879.56   +  40.70 miles

Love to my previous generation!  <3

June 7th, Thursday

Wow, I feel like a marked man!  Today I had a car run a red light and I ended up almost on the guys hood before he realized I was there!  It was in a neighborhood tucked away by my school.  What really got me upset is that our XC runners run by this intersection (Pacific Highlands Ranch Pkwy & Blue Dawn Tr.) VERY often!  He stopped and I gave him a piece of my mind!  Maybe a few pieces!  Pedestrians, please be aware that we have a lot of distracted drivers out there for many reasons, so keep your head on a swivel! Twice in 3 days, I hope that takes care of my quota for a few months at the very least!

Back to the running!  6.35 miles in 58 minutes & 15 seconds (that includes about a minute of explaining driving responsibilities to a certain young man!) 9:11 pace.  Other than feeling a little shaken up, doing pretty well!

I have some grades to finish up so I will stop a little short today.  Took yesterday off for our farewell luncheon for Madelyn Trainor, an amazing Math teacher who is retiring from Cathedral.  She will be missed but will now be enjoying the golf course!

I found a great quote to back up just how important all of you are in this quest I am on:

"Success, in business as well as life, is directly dependent on the quality of people you surround yourself with"  ~ Phil Hickey

Total Miles:  913. 95  Pace Runner:  874.07   +  39.88 miles

Love you Mom & Pops!  <3

June 5th, Tuesday

After school run today on the 56 east route for 6.62 miles in 1 hour & 2 minutes. 

Had my 1st real close encounter with a car today!  I was crossing in the crosswalk with a walk sign at the light at the top of the off ramp to Carmel Valley from the west (eastbound).  There was a truck that I ran in front of first that was already stopped behind the line & just as I was getting to the end of the truck, a car came through the crosswalk and stopped past the 2nd white line of the cross walk and I had to put my hands out to keep from hitting the car.  It was a young lady who realized (after it was too late) that she had just missed knocking me down by about a second or two!  I know you won't believe this but she was texting as she was slowing down to stop & never saw me!  Needless to say, I was not very happy!

 That could have been the end of my running days and it was by sheer chance that I was a couple seconds behind the time that she would have taken me out.

Life is so fragile and precious, I think about that everyday as my parents get to enjoy one more day together, either by simply having dinner together, watching a Padre game or golf tourney, (my mom is actually a pretty big sports fan, more golf than anything else, but you don't have to twist her arm to watch a game, that's for sure!) or going to one of their many doctor's appointments.

My parents run with me everyday in spirit (my dad has told me that he runs with me in his dreams!) & so I keep running for them, first and foremost.

Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration.  ~ D. H. Lawrence

Make sure you stop BEFORE the white line at all intersections!  You never know when I will be coming across that street!

Total Miles:  907.60  Pace Runner:  863.07  +  44.53 miles


Love to you both Mom & Dad!  <3

  

June 4th, Monday

Just a quick recovery run to cross the 900 mile mark!  4.8 miles today at Lake Murray in 43 minutes & 47 seconds. 

Amazing how I can remember being at 100 miles and being so happy, now at 900, I feel that this is becoming a realistic goal!!!!  As always, I will say that I can't do this without all of you giving me support so whether it is on Facebook (2012 in 2012 group), here, or in person (I would love to have company on my runs this summer!) Thank you for all of your kindness! 

Total Miles:  901.98  Pace Runner:  857.57   + 44.41 miles!

Love to my wonderful parents!  <3

June 3rd, Sunday

Wow, what a day!  I wasn't feeling great and I didn't get in to see my wonderful Chiropractor on Friday but somehow, I managed to get a PR this morning in the half marathon at 1:52:44.  My previous best was 1:56:22 at the Carlsbad Half in 2010.  I guess all this running has paid off to some extent, huh?

I will bore you with some stats a little later on.  It was a perfect morning weather wise, so that definitely helped as I do not do well in heat when it comes to running.  I did like how they staggered the start, each corral was started individually about a minute or 2 apart.  On my route, I passed up a Chinese dragon carried by the West Coast Roadrunners (10 of them) and of course a few mandatory Elvi (that is the plural for Elvis, isn't it???) Later found out Chrissie Wellington ran in Elvis costume, wish I had known!

Needless to say, I am very happy with my results and both of our CCHS XC runners had a good debut to the half as well.  Here are my stats, so if you aren't a numbers person, feel free to call it a day right here!

Overall, I finished 2002nd out of 17602 entrants, which is in the top 11.37%!!!!  (I know there are a lot of walkers but I'm still happy!

I finished 130th out of 673 in my age group, top 20% & 1383rd out of 6381, top 22%.  I'll take it!

As far as my pace was concerned, I did this backwards compared to how I usually run.

The 1st 5K, I ran in 8:49/mile pace
the second 5K & from the 6.2 mile mark to the 10 mile mark, I ran a 8:41/mile pace.
The last 5K, I somehow ran 8:13/mile pace!  Don't ask me where that came from!  I knew that I had a chance to get my PR but to break it by over 3 & 1/2 minutes was unthinkable in my mind!  My overall pace was 8:36 for the whole half!

This what I felt like crossing the line (This is from the 15K in March) but it was a great day today!

Total Miles:  897.18   Pace Runner:  852.08  + 45.1 miles!

Mi Amore Mom & Dad! <3

June 1st, Friday

Last run before the Rock & Roll Half as I intend to take a day off tomorrow to rest up.  I took the Fiesta Bay loop for 8.15 miles in 1:14:53 for a 9.12min/mile pace.  I wanted  to take it easy and that wasn't too fast, so happy about that!  I did get to check out the finish line area where we will be finishing on Sunday morning.  Full & Half marathons will have their own finish lines which is good.

Graduation is tomorrow for the seniors so they are excited but I will have to miss grad night so I can get some sleep for the half.  I usually flip burgers with a couple others (Ron & Dave) from school & it is enjoyable enough.

I will next write about how great or how terrible the half went so stay tuned...

As of today, I have now run as far as Midland, TX (882 miles) if I had been running in a straight line from SD, one more state added to the list!

Total Miles:  883.49   Pace Runner:  841.08   +  42.41 miles

Love you Mom & Dad!!! <3

May 31st, Thursday

Same run as yesterday but only 6.31 miles today in 56 minutes & 58 seconds at a 9:02 pace.  Wow can it really be that I have been doing this for 5 months?!?!?  Only 7 more to go, unless I finish early! :)

At this juncture, I think we should take a little look back at what has transpired so far:

I have been sick twice (luckily just colds) but due to lack of sleep in my opinion.  I have had one close call with a vehicle getting too close to me.  I have had 2 people give me incredible care packages.  People near & far have donated over $6,000!!!!!  I have run 2 half marathons, 1 15K, & 1 5 K.  I have made new friends, gotten closer to old ones, and feel so very lucky to be living the life that I am living!  THANK YOU so much for all of your support!

Here is the monthly breakdown when it comes to miles:

January:  168.64 miles
February:  172.40 miles
March:  183.44 miles
April:  164.21 miles
May:   186.65 miles

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS:

The seniors are finished & the luncheon was great.  Many people were checking into the hotel for the marathon and we were guiding our seniors & parents up stairs to the ballroom where the luncheon was held.  When all of a sudden, a young woman stepped out of the doors Abby Balmert & I were holding open.  I immediately knew she was a "star" but could not place her name or from where I knew her.  It wasn't until later that I realized it was none other than Chrissie Wellington, 4 time winner of the Kona Ironman '07-'09 & '11!  Just wish I had realized who she was at the time so Abby could have properly met her!

Weekend is almost here!

Total Miles:  875.34   Pace runner:  835.58  + 39.76 miles!

May 30th, Wednesday

Another shorty of 6.33 miles in 55 minutes & 28 seconds doing the east 56 run at a 8:59 pace.  I need to slow down but I don't really feel like I am killing myself at that pace.  I definitely am getting stronger and I guess faster with all the mileage that I am putting in.  (Note to our runners at XC!) 

Hoping to do well this weekend at the R&R 1/2 marathon.  I know 2 of my runners are going to be running their 1st half which is always exciting!

Hope you are all having a great week!  Our seniors have 1 final tomorrow and then they are done for the year!  Followed by their senior luncheon downtown at the Manchester Hyatt.

I am beginning to prepare our new Executives for their roles in leading the Ambassadors next year and one way I try to do this is to bombard them with great quotes so I will share some of them with you, my loyal readers!

"REAL LEADERS are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations." ~ John Seaman Garns

Take care!

Total Miles:  869.03  Pace Runner:  830.09   +   38.94 miles

May 29th, Tuesday

Let me apologize for slacking off on my entries here.  The end of the school year brings many challenges to teachers and I had a few added items on top of that.  Getting my Ambassadors to turn in & also to give out blazers to the new Ambassadors is always a challenge.  I also have been dealing with a flood at one of my parent's houses that I manage as well.  Enough of my excuses, the bottom line is that I HAVE been running just not blogging about it!  So I will get caught up now that class is out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA2UF1xwGP4

Hope you liked the muppets version of the Alice Cooper classic!  So "today" I ran 6.92 miles in 1:03 at a 9:14 pace as I recover from my wine country trip.  Lots of fun & great to see and catch up with old friends.

That's all for now, I'm sure I needed to grade finals Tuesday night!

Total Miles:   862.7   Pace Runner:  824.59   + 38.11

May 26th, Saturday

What a beautiful morning for a run in wine country!  We stayed in a house called "The Perch" in Geyserville, CA just north of Santa Rosa in the Alexander Valley.  It was perched over a little valley full of vineyards and it was a beautiful view.

I ran 13.48 miles today in 2:08, so I could take the next 2 days off to enjoy the time with my friends and a little vino too!  Great to catch up with old friends and just relax.  I did get a great tour of the little town but some how missed the geyser!!!  The worst part of my run was coming back up the hill at the end but I made it and thus have still "run" every last bit of my currently, 855.78 miles I have run!

Here are a few pics of the house for all you architect fans out there!

  These 3 are the front of the house going left to right and then I will show you the view from the back from a wider angle, and then the back of the house from the pool.

The other great part of the trip in my eyes was all the wildlife we got to see.  My buddy Martin saw a rattlesnake, someone else saw a fox, there were cute gray squirrels running through the trees, and lots of turkey vultures scouting for meals:

Also snuck in a trip to the Bear Republic brewery on the way to the Oakland airport in Healdsburg, CA.  I'll have to add that picture later as it is on my phone and need to get those on my computer.

That's all for now.  Total Miles:  855.78  Pace Runner:  808.10  +  47.68 miles!