Took the running to a new level today. I was up at dawn and off to Flatwoods Parks with the goal of doing 17 miles. It was a brisk cool morning, which has proven to be a boon to my running, and today was no exception. Started out doing the first 11 miles in a nice easy loop, drinking a little water at each stop. At the end of the first loop, I took a break to go to the bathroom and drink a gatorade and more water. Fresh from the little break, I set out back to the loop for another 6 miles. It was tough, but promissing toward the goal of finishing 26 miles in 5 weks.

Michael pooped. His first poop, in his little toilet. He said 'Pee eww stinky', which we took to mean he had to go. We sat him down, Denise sat with him, and in a minute he went. Once it left him, he stood up rather surprised. Not sure what happened. We congratulated him, gave him High-fives, a bite of candy, and generally made his first poop a positive experience.

Ran 11 miles today, and they were awesome. I started around 7:45 this morning in sweatpants and a t-shirt, the weather around 60 degrees. After two miles, I took off the sweatpants, running in shorts and tshirt, and completed the remain nine miles with no more than normal difficulty. Even the last mile was tolerable. What's surprising to me, is that I finished the 11 miles in just under 2 hours, which is better than a 12 minute mile, or better than 5 miles per hour. I attribute the extra speed to the efficiency running in the cold.

Makes me glad the Disney Marathon starts at 6am, in January. They report that they've run with an Average starting temperature of 40 degrees. That's cold.

Update : With Denise away, the rest of the day is dedicated to house work. I'm putting the coat of tan in the babies room, and also painting the closet doors and baseboards. I'll find an excuse to go to Home Depot, but I don't know why. I don't need an excuse to go to the Home Depot. . .

Update : Denise is spending another night away from home, this time to go trick-or-treating with family at Sea World. What ever happened to trick-or-treating (for free) in your own neighborhood?

It's fine with me however, as I get another night alone to keep working on household projects. I think the kithcen needs a deep cleaning, and our bathroom shower is attrocious.

I'm home alone tonight, with Denise over in Orlando with Mike and family to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It's Disneys version of a halloween party, with no gore, no haunted houses, nothing scary. Good clean fun for parents and kids alike. Perfectly in keeping with Walt Disneys desire for a park that can be enjoyed by all, excluding none.

I'm going to bed early, as I'm running 11 miles tomorrow. The weather should be cold, and so far I've had incredible success running in the cold. More tomorrow.

Hey look, an update.

I'll keep this brief, and if I feel up to writing, flesh out the details later.

1) Denise is still pregnant. She is scheduled for a cesarian on Dec. 9th, the babies future birthdate. We do not know, nor will we find out prior to the 9th, the gender of the baby. Denise's mother will have to wait.

Currently, we are considering names for the baby. Natalie(f) and Eric(m) are the frontrunners, but neither are fixed in stone.

2) Preparing the babies room is going, but going slow. We've settled on a jungle theme. The walls will be tan, with one wall blue. The blue wall will be custom painted by one of Denises friends with a variety of animals, grasses, sky shapes. I'll give proper credit to the friend once I talk to Denise and learn her name.

3) The marathon training is going very well. I am 6 weeks into the 16 week training plan. This last Saturday I ran 10 miles, and was feeling pretty good doing it. The 4 days a week schedule and the well thought out increases in milage is giving me great hope of actually completing the Disney Marathon on January 9th. Come out and cheer me on.

4) I purchased the Apple program Pages to give my resume some splash. Since I am not actively looking for a job, I'm using this time to test the waters and see if a tasteful yet flashy resume will garner more attention than a classic resume. I'll post the finished first draft later. It does look good.

5) Spending a bunch of time walking with my long lost friend Bill. We've been buddies since junior college 12 years ago, and getting together has always been hit or miss. I've spent the evenings on Tuesday and Thursday going for walks around campus helping him get in shape. Good timing to, as he's been having some trouble with his not so old ticker. Doctor says he'll be okay for at least a few more years.

More later, on my family, Mike, my car, and other things.

Update : Hey look, an update.

I'll keep this brief, and if I feel up to writing, flesh out the details later.

1) Denise is still pregnant. She is scheduled for a cesarian on Dec. 9th, the babies future birthdate. We do not know, nor will we find out prior to the 9th, the gender of the baby. Denise's mother will have to wait.

Currently, we are considering names for the baby. Natalie(f) and Eric(m) are the frontrunners, but neither are fixed in stone.

2) Preparing the babies room is going, but going slow. We've settled on a jungle theme. The walls will be tan, with one wall blue. The blue wall will be custom painted by one of Denises friends with a variety of animals, grasses, sky shapes. I'll give proper credit to the friend once I talk to Denise and learn her name.

3) The marathon training is going very well. I am 6 weeks into the 16 week training plan. This last Saturday I ran 10 miles, and was feeling pretty good doing it. The 4 days a week schedule and the well thought out increases in milage is giving me great hope of actually completing the Disney Marathon on January 9th. Come out and cheer me on.

4) I purchased the Apple program Pages to give my resume some splash. Since I am not actively looking for a job, I'm using this time to test the waters and see if a tasteful yet flashy resume will garner more attention than a classic resume. I'll post the finished first draft later. It does look good.

5) Spending a bunch of time walking with my long lost friend Bill. We've been buddies since junior college 12 years ago, and getting together has always been hit or miss. I've spent the evenings on Tuesday and Thursday going for walks around campus helping him get in shape. Good timing to, as he's been having some trouble with his not so old ticker. Doctor says he'll be okay for at least a few more years.

More later, on my family, Mike, my car, and other things.