Delivering Bad News

I had the bismal task of delivering bad news to someone while at work today. No fun. Especially when it weighs solely on your shoulder. Uugh! That silence... those awkward moments of bitter disappointment eminating from across the table... my futile attempt to say a few words to bring a ray of sunlight upon the situation. I feel I handled it very well and having done so, I should be more at ease the next time around.

I'm really excited about the sprint triathlon in my hometown this weekend. I know Fairport Harbor like the back of my hand and it will be so much fun to experience it in a slightly different light. This race is the 15th annual, which means that it started while I was still in high school. I can't begin to imagine what I was busy doing on those Sunday mornings back in '93, '94 and '95 while a gathering of triathletes were racing around in my "backyard". Sleeping is my best guess. Kinda makes me appreciate how far I've come since being a punky littly high schooler.

Back on Track

I had the most consistent week of training since before the Cleveland Marathon way back in May. Started with a 17 mile trail run last Sunday. Hit the track for some speed work on Tuesday. An easy 4 on Wednesday. 40 minutes of tempo running on Thursday. 8 miles at marathon pace on Saturday and 20 miles yesterday.

I haven't lost any speed on the track and was happy with the final 3 miles of my 20-miler, of which I finished in 20:44 (6:55 pace). In preparation for Akron, I'm going to strength train my quads and hams more than usual and place an emphasis on long runs of at least 22 miles. I normally do not run 20 this far out from the race but I'm making a conscious effort to bump up my weekly mileage, which will probably also mean warming up and cooling down longer during speed work and tempo runs.

I'm registered for a sprint distance triathlon this weekend in my hometown of Fairport Harbor. I'm really excited because the swim is only 1/4-mile! I may have a chance of exiting the water with other triathletes and not all by my lonesome! Should be a blast!

It's About Time

So my local blog friends are already in "the know" but for the rest of ya's, I'm happy to report that my wife and I are expecting twin baby boys later this year. My thoughts are quickly becoming consumed with the "boys" and they will no doubt begin to pour over into my blog entries between now and the time they are born. An attempt to put into words how I'm feeling would be futile (although I bought a real nice leather-bound journal to try). Let's just say that I'm super friggin' pumped. I keep picturing myself playing baseball with them or teaching them the run-n-shoot offense. I mean, just think of how much practice they can get running the option together (I once spent 2 straight hours with a teammate doing aforementioned exercise)! Of course there's more to life than sports and I'm equally excited to help mold the little fellas into proper men. Teresa shares in my excitement and is holding up considerably well. A few rough days here and there (not to mention a lot of indigestion/heartburn) is all that she's encountered so far. Although the most high risk part of the pregnancy is behind us, the most difficult part is still to come. Teresa's belly is seemingly growing by the minute and she looks so cute in her maternity clothes. I've already got my eye on a twin jogging stroller and should be able to get them out and running next summer when they're old enough to hold their heads up.

We're still struggling with name ideas so feel free to share your thoughts. Naming twins is always a fun thing to do, but I should warn you that we've already been through the whole array of comical names... Abbot and Castello, Brooks and Dunn, Turner and Hooch, Cagney and Lacey, etc.

Da' Weekend

Despite the fact that Teresa works all weekend (boo!), I'm hoping to enjoy what is going to be another hot couple of days! Tonight I'm going to see one of my good high school buddies who is in town from North Carolina and am hoping for an early night given that I'm planning to head into my hometown of Fairport Harbor tomorrow morning for a swim/bike brick workout. I'll run on Sunday morning and am thinking of going long (18+ miles). I've been in somewhat of a running funk of late and need a jump start to kick off my fall marathon training.

Speaking of fall marathons, I'm deciding between the Erie Marathon (at Presque Isle) or the Akron Marathon. Both are in September and both have good reputations. Akron is much larger and the course is more difficult. It's also more expensive. Hmmm, something small might be nice. But then again, a free pair of Brooks running shoes would be waiting for me at the finish line of the Akron Marathon. Decisions, decisions!