Dry December

Well it hasn't been a great week so far. I have cut both my runs short due to knee pain. The pain in my left knee has been getting worse instead of better. I still hope to muscle through it and run 10 or 11 miles this weekend.
There was actually a little rain today. I realize how lucky I have been with the weather. It has been one of the driest Decembers ever. Which means I haven't been forced to do any runs on a treadmill. Treadmills just don't compare to running outside.

Pleasanton Half Registration

My first half marathon may be a few weeks away in Arizona. But I couldn't help myself to registering for another half. I registered for the Pleasanton Half Marathon in April. I couldn't resist the cheap price tag and the fact it's close to home. See the link below for more info on the first year race.

http://www.pleasantonhalf.com/

Last Week

Another week in the books. I got my three runs in and totaled 16.54miles for the week. Thats the most I have ever run in a week with the exception of Ragnar last year. I'm pretty happy that I have managed to stay consistent with my running. Mainly because my knees have cooperated just enough that I haven't needed to really take time off. Looking forward to running 17 or 18 this coming week.

9miles

Well I ran 9 miles today. That's now my new longest run ever. Was worried as both my knees had been giving me problems this week. But it actually turned out ok. I ran with a Nathan water bottle in my hand for the first time ever. I though I would hate it but I didn't. Was kind of nice to have a little water and as the bottle has a pocket I kept my gu in there. The last mile was brutal. I did walk breaks the whole run but gave up on them the last mile because I wasn't sure I would run again if I took one more break. I am now exactly 4 weeks away from doing my first half marathon at RNR Arizona.

Ragnar Napa Registration

Registration for Ragnar Napa Valley opened this week. I couldn't resist being one of the first people to register so I'm in. I shot an email to some of my team from last year telling them it was on once again. Still haven't made a final decision on whether we are going to do Ragnar So Cal, but I will figure that one out after the holidays.

8miler

I did my long run today. 8 miles, well actually did 8.25. The longest I have ever run. I had the usual discomfort from my IT band in my right leg. But at about mile 4 started to get a pain in my left knee. That's a new one for me. I was able to run through it fairly easily. Had some chocolate milk as soon as I got back. It really hit the spot. I realized a few things today. One, I need to add more music to my running playlist on my iphone. I ran out of music before I finished the run. Two, I need to find some new routes around the neighborhoods in my area. I keep running the same routes all the time and they are not really long enough. Three, I need to start taking water and gu with me on my runs as I continue to add mileage. I'm not a fan of hydration belts so I am not sure exactly what I am going to do. Oh well. Only 35 days until I tackle my first half marathon.

Looking Ahead

I spent the weekend supporting my wife as she ran the California International Marathon(CIM) for the second year in a row. She ran an awesome race setting a new PR. CIM is a great well organized race. I really want to run it next year. The question is do I really want to wait a whole year to do my first marathon. I am starting to give some serious thought to doing the SF Marathon in July.

First Post

Well after thinking about it for a while I am finally creating a personal blog. As the name suggests its mostly going to focus on running but I am sure other topics will come up. My running the last 6 months has finally become consistent after dealing with injuries for several years. As 2012 is almost upon us I look forward to completing a few of my running goals. First of which is a half marathon, and second a full marathon. We'll see how it goes.