Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Feeling The Heat


“don’t worry about whether you’re better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be. You have control over that; the others you don’t.” Words from John Wooden’s book “Wooden On Leadership”. I read this book about 10 years ago, and his recent passing reminded me of all the great things he achieved and shared with us. This book is a staple which should be revisited from time to time. A small sample of some of his inspiring quotes: “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Don’t mistaking activity for achievement” and “Success is not a destination, it is a journey”.

It felt really good to be back running again, and I need to be patient as I build my endurance and speed again. My mind wants to go, but the body is saying give me time to catch up and adjust. I feel surges of fitness creeping back into my running form as I add to my base. Last week was 33 easy miles in the heat, and I felt most of them. I did 10 miles during a day time high of 98 deg (105 heat index) which reminded me of my condition. August is the hottest month in the South, and it felt it last week. My heart rate is about 15 bpm higher for a given pace, which is another reminder of my fitness level and weather condition. Looking back on last year summer break, and my log entries on reestablishing my base miles, it took about 5 weeks before I started to feel good with my running and pushing the pace. Nevertheless, a break was needed for my body, but now with some patience, I have a strong building block to work from.

Next week will be my son’s birthday which he will get his drivers learning permit! This makes me nervous on several levels. We did give him the option of any restaurant in town for his 15th birthday, and he picked Dad’s cooking. I will make him one of his favorite dishes which is homemade cannelloni and cream sherry sauce with a vanilla bean brulee and caramelized pineapple afterwards.

A few Pics from our VT trip:
My Kids and Me
Zip-Line
Looking down on Sugarbush
VT Capital

8 comments:

Olga said...

Loved the quote at the beginning.

Char said...

Good luck to you all as your son learns to drive. It can be a very trying experience for all involved. We're onto our third and last learner driver and he's logged over 65 hours so hopefully we're on the downhill stretch.

Lindsay said...

great photos, and love those quotes. hope your legs jump back into the groove quickly, though this heat certainly doesn't help.

thanks for your lengthy comment last week. you boosted my confidence... til i tried running, haha. i hope this soreness/sluggishness is just (very) temporary! i am doing the fresno 50k on 11/7, so like 12-13 weeks away. i am in the southeast too - any races i should check into for future purposes? i'm mostly going all the way to fresno because i didn't know of other races. well i considered jfk but i definitely couldn't be up for 50miles this year. if you'd rather email me direct -- lindsay (at) chasingthekenyans.com thanks again for your advice and thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you're running again- even if it is in the heat! Just think how great you'll be running when the weather cools down!
My step-daughter got her driver's license in February and I agree, it made me nervous on a whole new level! I think it's great your son chose you to cook his birthday dinner!

Robinsgothealth.com said...

Awesome quotes! Wow, it amazes me how someone can run so many miles! We are awesome energetic machines, as long as we treat them right, they will last a very long time!!!

Yours in Health, Robin

zbsports said...

Great experience, I love pictures, lot of fun and good memories!!! Great story, I love it!!!

Sof Sole said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sof Sole said...

Hi Thomas,

My name is Clara and I work with Sof Sole (www.sofsole.com). Part of my job is reaching out to people like you to see if you would like to try out a few of our complimentary products and post your feedback on your blog. I was immediately attracted to yours because you are from Vermont- I have spent every summer of my life in Dorset, V.T., and like to call myself a Vermonter, too (even though my permanent residence has always been N.C.)! It is a very special place for me and I'm sure it is for you as well.

If you are interested in sampling some of our products (or want to talk about VT!) please e-mail me at sofsole.experience@gmail.com.

Great blog!