Hillbilly Enablers and Honking in The Key of 'F'

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving break. I got to spend copious amounts of time with family and friends. As a bonus, my sister was in town for the week from Kentucky, so it was nice to see her and her family. Which reminds me, I’m mad at her. In response to my last blog entry entitled ‘Bucket of Cookie Dough’, her and her husband gave me a Pillsbury log of chocolate chip cookie dough. It was funny; we laughed. But sure enough, I’m half-way through the log, slowly taking it down one spoonful at a time. Damn you Hillbillies! You know I have no will power when it comes to cookie dough! She is what I’d call ‘An Enabler’. LOL. Anyway, on with the show…


Running Update
I ended up having a good week of running this week; I’m pretty proud of that. Typically over the Thanksgiving break, I tell myself I’ll stay in my running and workout schedules, but I inevitably don’t. This year was an exception. I ran 5 miles on Thanksgiving Day morning and knocked out an easy 10 miler Saturday morning.

My long run this week was a good one; 10 miles under a bright sun and good temps for late November. There are a few certain parts of Ankeny that I really like running though, and after nearly four months, I was able to return to one of them; Ordnance Road. At first glance, there’s really nothing special about the road; it’s pretty ordinary. As a matter of fact, it’s plain and boring. But that’s why I like it; it’s simple, easy and unassuming. For those of you who know Ankeny, it’s the stretch of Ordnance Road from State Street to Walnut Street. It’s a long, gradual half-mile uphill heading east. On one side of the street is light commercial businesses; a landscaping business, a couple collision repair shops, a “townie” bar and even an old-school lumberyard. And on the other side of the street are older, smaller houses will modest sized yards. Again, nothing special about the street at all; but for me, each time I’m on the sidewalk, racking up the miles, there’s just something about the aura of each house’s characteristics and now it contrasts with the businesses across the street that seems to relax me. If running is my drug, then this street is my high. The balance of commercial business hustle-and-bustle contrast against the laid-back, quiet residential setting is both soothing and comforting. Ever since I ran up and down this road a couple years ago, I always try to incorporate Ordnance into my long runs. That’s why it’s been so long since I’ve run it; it’s part of my double-digit running routes. If you’re looking around for me next Saturday morning, I’ll be on Ordnance Road enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of one of my favorite running spots.

Reflecting on my preferred running street got me thinking; what’s your favorite stretch of running real estate? Do you have that one area that you always enjoy running through? Or perhaps that one street that brings back memories everything you run on it? Respond in the comments section to let everyone know where your favorite path/trail/street/area is.

Training Update
So I mentioned last week about my strategy for not over-indulging in the Thanksgiving feasts that abound this time of year. And I’m happy to report that I did a pretty good job with not consuming too much. We had two big meals to hit on Thanksgiving Day, and I successfully navigated though both of them without over-eating; which was my goal. Knowing that I was motivated to keep with my training over the break, I wanted to realize the bonus of good workouts with not over eating. It was tough, but I made it (except for the damn cookie dough. Or should I say “cookie DOH!”). For each meal, I didn’t cut back on what I ate (turkey, stuffing, potatoes, deserts, rolls); I just halved all my portions. So the quality of my Thanksgiving dinner intake was the same, the quantity was vastly different from last year. Though some would argue that this strategy isn’t the healthiest, it seemed to work for me this year and kept me away from the “I ate too much” gut ache. Goal realized!

The only down-side to my training routine this week was I didn’t get to swim. I tried, but karma was bound and determined not to let it happen. The family and I headed to the Y Sunday afternoon (my normal swim day) so I could swim, Shannon could exercise and the boys could play in the daycare room. We got there at 2PM and headed straight for the daycare room to drop off the boys. Door was locked. On the locked door was a schedule for when daycare is available; 4 – 6PM. DOH! We were two hours early and I really didn’t want to leave and come back later. Disappointed, I ended up running an errand with the boys while Shannon got her work out in. Had to skip the swim day.

Update on the Men’s Health inspired exercises: so far, so good. I’m two weeks into the routine and having fun with it. I’ve done more back and shoulder work in two weeks than I’ve done all year. And I can tell. Not from ripped, bulging muscles. Oh no, more like from the ache and tiredness of back muscles that haven’t been worked much. You know, that good tired ache from hard workouts. I still have another three weeks to go with this routine before I change it up again. Any ideas for what the next 4 – 6 week routine should be (don’t say plyometrics. I hate plyos)?

Non-Running Thought of the Week
I successfully worked the following fact into two – yes 2! – separate conversations this morning:
     Most American-made cars honk in the key of ‘F’.

I’d also like to give a shout out to Shannon for nearly notching her first vehicle tag last week while running. So close!

Remember, “You’re not running until you’re GimpyRunning”.