Why do we do this?

As I slowly ran through the final paces of this morning’s 18 mile run, I asked myself, “why do we do this?”  I was too exhasuted to think but I would like to get opinions from run bloggers on ”why do we do this?”

May is done.  Officially there are three more weeks left in the Spring.  But with the sun shining and temperatures rising, it feels like summer already.  The 18 mile run today was my longest in 2009.  I had a total mileage of 41 miles this week which has been my top mileage week in 2009.  After 5 months of 2009, I have run 470 miles or an average of 94 miles per month.  By the end of the year, I would like to get to 1,200 miles for an average of 100 miles per month.

Alan Turing ran a marathon in 2:46

Apparently the great mathematician and code breaker, Alan Turing ran a 2:46:03 marathon in 1947.

http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/scrapbook/run.html

For people who have not heard of Alan Turing, he is pure genius.  Just google his name and you will see all his contributions to the modern world as we know it today and the controversy surrounding his final years.

Marathon National Records

I stumbled upon this following link on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_National_Records

The article lists who holds the fastest marathon times for various countries from Albania to Zimbabwe.  The times vary from Ethiopia’s 2:03:59 from you know who to Bhutan’s 3:25:10 held by an athlete named Boney Boney.  Actually, there are some national records slower than Bhutan’s but I just liked the name Boney Boney.

What iron man? Try iron nun.

The iron nun triathlete.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-iron-nun/3637508626/?icid=VIDLRVNWS08

Financial careers come at the cost of my running

Great article from he New York Times about work life balance in Finance.  I’m surprised at how much I have been able to run given time spet on the job.  Off to the gym and good bye decks and spreadsheets.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/business/economy/27leonhardt.html?em

PR @ Cleveland Half Marathon

I completed the Cleveland Half Marathon this morning with a time of 2:09:52 or about a 9:53 minute per mile pace. This was a PR for me by about 1:26. According to active.com, there were over 9,500 half marathon runners. No races left for me for the next two months until the San Francisco Marathon on July 26.

Mile 1: 10:02

Mile 2: 20:30

Mile 3: 30:49

Mile 4: 40:25

Mile 5: 49:59

Mile 6: 59:33

Mile 7: 1:09:18

Mile 8: 1:18:55

Mile 9: 1:28:33

Mile 10: 1:38:21

Mile 11: 1:48:18

Mile 12: 1:59:00

Mile 13.1: 2:09:52

The Dreaded Processing Fee

As I opened my monthly American Express bill today, I finally saw what I was dreading – the $11 processing fee to get into the New York marathon lottery.  For those unfamiliar with this dreaded fee, it is the price you pay to get a chance to enter the New York marathon.  The lottery will take place in June.  Whether you get in or not, New York Road Runners will charge you the $11 processing fee.  If by luck, you get through the lottery, then you are automatically charged an additional $171 ($138 for New York Road Runners members) entry fee.  If you are a non-US resident, the entry fee is $231.  Well, at least transportation from various points in New York to the start line is included with the entry fee.  But what an expensive race.

If I do get in the New York marathon, it will be quite a challenge since I am also running the Chicago marathon a few weeks before.

1/2 Day Friday

Much to my surprise on a Monday morning, our CFO/COO tells me that I am moving offices.  My boss has been upgaded to a larger office while I am taking over her larger office.  That’s good but the really great thing is that we get dismissed at 1:00 pm on Friday afternoon so that the movers can move our things to the new offices.  Hmmmm what to do on a Friday afternoon with temperatures ranging from 61 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit … sounds like a good reason for a long run.  Spring is in full bloom and Ohio is green all over.  This is absolutely the best time to run.  I love half day Fridays.

Finish Swine Pictures

Below are some pictures of the Finish Swine from the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio.

17 mile run with ice cream

Sunday morning was a perfect morning to run.   It was sunny with the temperature at 58 degrees.  I ran three laps of hilly Sharon Woods for a total of 11.4 miles.  Then I had an urge to get a blizzard from the Dairy Queen.  So I hopped on my car after the first 11.4 miles, got some ice cream.  Then after enjoying the ice cream, I went to another trail which was relatively flat called the Genoa township bike trail.  I finished the last 5.6 miles for a total of 17.0 miles.  I did not feel tired at the end.  Ice cream does the body good!

When I do my 18.0 mile run on Memorial Day, ice cream is definitely included in the schedule.