Running Blog

I started a running blog dedicated solely to my running/workouts/races, etc. If anyone is interested in following my workouts and what not, here is the link:

http://www.dailymile.com/people/mikestone

You should start one too Juliet!!

Willie

Yesterday in the early evening we decided to take the dogs up to Bradley Lake with the kids and go for a nice walk. We did one lap around the lake and decided it was such a beautiful evening that we would take another lap. About three-quarters of the way through the second lap, Dallas said "what's on Willie?", after which I noticed a red spot near where his shoulder meets his neck (that's a tough call because they kind of run into each other, he has put on a few pounds now that he is getting into his senior years). We stopped and I looked at it closer and could not believe what I was looking at. Poor Willie had what appeared to be a big and deep cut. It looked like it was about an inch long and about as deep. Nobody knew how or when it happened. I took him to the vet first thing this morning. The vet looked at him and the expression on her face told me it was a pretty serious wound. She said she needed to keep him there and would get to it later in the morning. So I left Willie there and waited for a call. No call so I called over there around 2 and they said he was ready to pick up they were just getting him cleaned up. They put him under and cut the hair off in the area and stapled him up (9 staples). They also had to put a tube in behind the staples to catch the infected stuff to drain it out (it looks kind of like the one I had when I had my appendix out). Anyway, he is doing good but is rather lethargic and resting a lot right now. We have to take him back Friday morning to get the drain out and then again the next Friday after that to get the staples removed. Poor guy, who knows how long he had that before we noticed it. The vet said it was infected and had been there for at least a couple of days. He is a good dog.

Beautiful Sunny Day in May!

I started off the day by taking off from BSS and running almost to the bridge before getting into Orting and back. I think it was somewhere between 10 and 11 miles. I felt pretty good at first but by the end my resources were gone. I really should have had some Gatorade and a banana before going, I would have had much more energy towards the end of the run, but oh well. It looks like it will be another gorgeous spring day here in the Northwest. I am working the desk at BSS right now. I showed a couple of units this morning and when Derrinda gets back from taking the deposit I am going to fertilize all the lawns with Scotts plus 2. That is some good stuff man. It will be a good opportunity to utilize some little helpers too. I will have them hold a stick at each end of the lawn so I know where I have fertilized. It's not really necessary, but it gives them something to do and gives them a sense of accomplishment. We had a good time celebrating Dad's 64th birthday last night. It's always nice to get together as family and spend time together. Juliet and Tam worked hard making soap yesterday getting ready for the farmers market here in Puyallup this summer (they are selling soap there). The soap looks very professional and I hope they have a successful business venture!

Trail Run

Starting Anew

I've still got a hacking cough that gets quite annoying and I still have a weird pain in my lower abdomen near where my appendix used to be. I'm still trying to run through it even though my mileage has suffered. I was up to around 50-60 miles per week and now am closer to 30-40 for the last couple of weeks. I was able to get an 8 miler in yesterday on pitbull trail. Well, I ran from BSS to the trail head and then up to Military road and back. I ran at right around 7 flat pace. I ran 6.5 today and pushed the pace a bit to try and force myself out of my comfort zone which seems to be around 7-8 minutes per mile. I ran 6.5 in 40:24 which is right around 6:15 per mile. I felt o.k. as far as my legs go but I was coughing so much that I kept getting short of breath. I still feel good about the run. I need to remember when I go out on training runs that I'm trying to improve and get out of my comfort zone rut. That means "push the pace pansy!". I recall being in High School and taking off from the duplex and starting the run no slower than 6:00 and after warming up hitting miles between 5:20-6:00. Granted I was only running 4-5 miles per run at the time, but I'm not convinced that I'm too old to run faster times than I did in High School just yet. I remember I used to look forward to my workouts with a fervor and I had goals for each run, etc. I remember one speed workout in particular where I went to the Smith field house to run 4x800's and the entire morning all I could think about was how I was going to attain my goal of averaging 2:15 per repeat. I know that having goals works because I ran my first in 2:17, the next 2 in 2:15 exactly and then I said to myself "well, to get my goal I now need to finish with a 2:13." And that's exactly what I did. That was one of my finest workouts, but it goes to show that desire and hard work will produce results. I just wish that I could find the zeal that I once had for working hard during my runs instead of just coasting along. Motivation has been a real factor (lack of motivation) for me the past several years of running. After that trail race Saturday, I thought about how back when I was running like I did during those workouts like I mentioned above, there was no way I would have just coasted along in the race and not cared about my finish place or time. Oh well. Anybody have any suggestions on how to get re-motivated? After all, I am still only 33 years old and should be running as fast as I ever could.

Austin City Limits

I have been sicker than a dog all day today. It didn't stop me from playing tennis this morning and putting in a shift at BSS (rented a 5x5). It did however stop me from getting a run in. I started coughing a couple of days ago and last night it felt like my throat was going to close. Today I have been running a mild fever and don't really know what's going on. I can say I am glad that Willie Nelson came into this world. I am enjoying Willie playing his guitar and singing on Austin City Limits right now. His guitar style and playing is really something to behold. If I have to be sick and on the couch, watching Willie is a darn good way to spend it if you ask me.