I couldn't resist another "teaser" from Maui, you can still see the ocean over my left shoulder. This photo was taken somewhere in Lahaina, near Bubba Gump's Restaurant I believe.

This morning I got in 8 miles, the first 4 by myself at a pace of 11:56 and the last 4 with Bonnie at a pace of 14:56. Yes I was definitely tired for the second 4 mile loop. Both loops were over the same streets, ran one direction the first time and then when she joined me we reversed and did the route the opposite direction. Still I figure not bad for giving birth to a 5mm kidney stone earlier in the week.

Also, another worthy announcement....at the WW weigh-in this morning I was done another 6.2 pounds to 218.4. Again not bad I say from my high the second week in August of 236.8. Patting myself on the back.

Now I'll mention Bonnie's version of our run together this morning. She said it was great to run with me when I had already worn myself out because we actually got to run together. She also made a comment at one point when I was running behind her that it must be nice getting to chase her tail for a change.

There was some woman at the Maui Marathon that she kept cheering for when she would see her and the woman told her at one point that she felt like Bonnie was her own cheering team. Bonnie told her that it was because I was chasing the other woman. The lady then asked Bonnie what she thought of her husband chasing strange women for 26.2 miles. Bonnie said she was used to it that I do it all the time.

The Spirits have been GOOD!!!

Ok, so this is an "edit update" the Maui Marathonfoto CD came in the mail today and I just had to add a new image...yes see...there I was running THAT close to the water, it was so awesome and yes I was actually running for that photographer...tho I looked like death warmed over I think..."end of edit".....

Three full days of not trying to enduce child birth from the male body....ladies I will never ever make smart talk of what you go thru in that process. I did run on Wednesday morning and then couldn't stay at work all day because I became nausated and weak, I know poor me...go with it ok...the run felt good even tho I wasn't my full self. Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever my full self when I'm running.

Oh by the way, I've lost at least 12 pounds and I'm hoping more towards 14 pounds when I weigh in at WW tomorrow morning after our run. I'm going to be doing 4 miles without Bonnie and then another 4 miles with her. I've made a decision that if I'm ever to improve my marathon times and get anywhere near my PR (5:29:00) that I need to speed things up in training. So I'm going to concentrate on myself for the first 4 miles and then relax on the next four with Bonnie so she gets her road mileage in too. Weight wise I'm hovering just over 220 now, down from a high of 236 the first Sunday of August and I can "feel" the difference it makes in my running. I've still got a long way to go tho, somewhere under 180 to reach my goal, but I know I can do it. I've forsaken peanut M&M's for over 4 weeks now, that is a huge success for me!!!

It sort of feels good right now to not have a race on the horizon, tho I am toying with the Las Vegas Marathon in December if it is still open, I haven't looked lately. I do plan on hitting things starting in January one way or another, maybe the Phoenix RNR, and I would really like to do the National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer in Jacksonville, FL because it is a highly sponsored race by Jeff Galloway and they have Galloway pace groups there and the course is relatively flat I believe.

Well I'm rambling today, but hey it's Friday and it's payday, and tomorrow is Saturday and I'm happy to be well again and alive!!!!!! Go out and hug someone you love...I bet they hug you back..and maybe more...

Did I mention Kidney Stones

During the Maui Marathon I felt what I thought of at the time was a muscle spasm at the midway point but kept on going. Admittedly it slowed me down quite a bit. Upon returning to Oklahoma though I learned I had a kidney stone that wanted out. I spent last Friday night in the ER and was basically looped on pain meds over the weekend and thru yesterday morning. The urologist that I saw yesterday feels pretty confident that I've passed what showed up on a CT scan Friday night so he encouraged me to go out and be active. Well, I'm joining our normal Wed morning group for a hour and will see how things go for me. I'm in no pain as I write this but will see what the run brings along for me. I hope everyone has a great hump day!!

Maui Marathon "We Done It"

On Sunday September 14 TeamAutism.org was again on the road. This time we surfaced in Maui, Hawaii to participate in the 38th annual Maui Marathon!!!! We had a blast. Our team was small but strong, from left to right, Rosemary (walking her first marathon), yours truly, and Stacey (co-founder of TeamAutism). Bonnie was our coach, cheerleader, and photographer for the event. Three brave souls rested and ready to pound the pavement.

Below is my terrible attempt to capture the sunrise somewhere around mile 3 or maybe 4, I can't remember. Yes I know I need to put a great deal more effort into this self-photography thing, or maybe I just need to find a better model; where were all the bikini's when you needed them.

Now this is a much better rendition of sunrise that Bonnie captured while waiting on us to show up at the first spot she had selected to provide drink and good cheer. We found out later that she not only was cheering TeamAutism along she was a favorite of many of the runners. More than a few offered her thanks after the race it seemed for being a big part of their support system as well, most of those I might add were men, and I thought she came with us to be "my" cheerleader. She is the greatest though and can also be the loudest at times too and that is great!!!

In Lahaina there was a Bubba Gump restaurant and being nicknamed Forrest at work, I couldn't resist the pose outside the restaurant. As the saying goes "There's an awful lot you can tell about a person by their shoes"...Run Forrest Run...Run Randy Run...

This trip we did find some time to tour the island and ran across several beautiful waterfalls, the colors were lush and everything was beautiful...very close to paradise I've heard.

Need I remind you that Bonnie took some of these photos and I am not responsible for the content, but did you also notice the blue water and surf, and the view was awesome. There were surfers below us that we noticed a bit later. This was part of a road trip that we made called "The Road to Hana", what an excursion into the backcountry, beauty, waterfalls, cascading waves, old lava flows, and 56 single lane bridges on the way to Hana, what a day.

Back to the grind of the marathon, here I am toiling along the way, somewhere past the halfway point. I didn't know it at the time but I had developed a kidney stone around the halfway point. I just thought I had a muscle cramp in my lower left back. It bothered me from mile 12 out to around mile 17, so I did alot of walking and tried to keep my breathing under control. I didn't find out until we got home though about the kidney stone oh was that an experience. I would gladly run a marathon to keep from going thru that again.

Yes the water and the waves are often as close as 10 or 15 feet from the course. It was like running in paradise and some water stops even included hula dancers to remind us how close to paradise we truly were. The trade winds were not blowing the day of the race thus we had to contend with something the locals called "VOG", which is the Hawaiian version of fog, generated when the trade winds do not blow and volcanic clouds settle over the islands.

Here comes Stacey on her way to a 5:09 personal best for her, she rocks as our lead runner. This was her third marathon and second in Hawaii.

These are the three women that I had to chaparone while we were in Maui, oh boy was that ever a tough job. Bonnie, our coach and cheerleader, Rosemary (she walked her first marathon in 7:46 woohoo!!!), and Stacey 5:09. I managed to finish in 6:13, better than I did last year in Honolulu, but I was sure wanting to finish under 6 hours.

And I will leave you with a look at our final sunset before we left Tuesday evening, oh yes paradise can't be far away, what beauty lies in waiting if you haven't visited these islands.

Random Grandma' Marathon Photos

These photos are not in any real particular order, but hope they capture the momentThe pic above was actually late in the race, less than a mile to go at this point, but I don't really look all that tired, even though I felt it. This is a photo from Marathonfoto, for once they did some decent pics.

This photo was near the 5 mile mark, and for the life of me I have no idea why my arms are in the position that you see. I was already tired here, the sun was warming things up already. Bonnie took this pic.

The photo above shows Lake Suprior in the background, the entire course is run along the lake and it is seldom ever totally out of sight. At this point either mile 13 or 19 I may have been walking, probably was walking, was happy to just be walking. Bonnie took this one too.

Now I can "smell the barn", in the finish "chute". This is a Marathonfoto.

The lady above and I walked together for the better part of an hour before I finally decided that I "might" be able to get to the finish before 6 hours...but it was not to be. This was her 13th Grandma's I think. Again taken by Marathonfoto.

Yes it did rain, at least for us late finishers. It rained, the wind blew, but not directly in our faces, and thanks to Mother Nature the sun disappeared for a few minutes. Courtesy of Marathonfotos.

I finished, ahead of four men that I managed to pass in the last mile and I was able to determine that all four were in my age group...woohoo. 6 hours 19 minutes, chip time. Courtesy of Marathonfotos.

Here is Bonnie's photo showing me at the finish with a gun time of 6 hours 27 minutes.

Monday/Wednesday Recap

Monday was a slow day 4.2o miles, 1:01:52, pace 14:44...Wednesday was a bit faster but still slow 5.00 miles, 1:09:10, pace 13:49.

This has been such a lackluster year for me. Ever since the start when my left knee was hurting it's just been so entirely different than last year. I'm not running as many miles, I don't blog as much, I'm not doing as many 5k/10k runs on the weekends, I've gained some weight back, tapping out at a high of 238, but now hovering around 230 again, I don't even have a good idea of how many miles I've run this year.

I have run 4 marathons since the first of the year, working on number 5 in Maui in September and my knee pains have all but gone away.

Today I forgot to take either of my knee wraps for our run and I feel tired but no extreme knee pain.

Perhaps later today I will put up some Grandma's Marathon photos....will make the attempt anyway...hope everyone has a fantastic hump day.

Where Have I Been???????

It's been well over a month...ok ok ok...two months since the last post. I was reminded at a club meeting last night that the commitment we make to running is so much more than just running and that our running extends into so much of our life. I've neglected my blog and my blogdom friends long enough and for that I apologize. I'm even learning that there are folks reading this that I wasn't remotely aware of and that is certainly encouraging to me.

Since I last posted, Bonnie and I took a much needed vacation. Well we drove like bats from you know where to get to Minnesota in two days, then a day of relaxation, and on June 21st at 7:30 AM I find myself in the mass of folks starting the 32nd annual Grandma's Marathon. The run ends in downtown Duluth, but it starts 26.2 miles away in Two Harbors, a sleepy little town on the edge of Lake Superior.

The race was great, the course is awesome, the spectators were beyond awesome. But....I keep asking myself why does that "but" keep getting in the way...but...it was "hot" not just hot but HOT!!!! very little wind, NO clouds, and being that close to the edge of Lake Superior added to the discomfort I think. I ended up with a tan/burn to the left side of my body, looked a bit weird for a while.

The heat seemed to slow everyone down. I found a walking buddy and walked at least an hour of the race due to the heat. But then I decided I might still have a shot at finishing in under 6 hours so I gave it my all, and that "all" lasted all of about 2 miles and there were still 6 miles or so to the finish line.

Well long story short...as if there was such a thing with my blogging, I finished in 6:19 something. Not a great time, but I was running at the finish line, not hobbling and I went across under my own power in a vertical position!!!

Bonnie was able to meet me at 7 places along the course and that was fantastic. I believe she met me at miles 5, 9, 13, 16, 19, 24 and the finishline. Having someone at a race of this distance that is there to cheer you on and offer oranges, and ice cold water, words of encouragement, and yes in this instance a kiss or two is a great inspiration and boost to the morale and mind.

I was on the course long enough to get rained on the last couple of miles. As we came into downtown Duluth on Superior Ave it started to sprinkle then rain and the wind picked up too and it felt like heaven, well at least like Mother Nature was watering her garden. But unfortunately from a timing standpoint, it was too little too late...had we gotten the rain say at mile 10 things could have been different, well maybe.

One positive note with the finish. I passed four men in the last mile or so that all looked to be in my age group and when I saw the list of finishers I believe all four to be in my age group. It felt good to know that I had enough kick left to pass them and not give up. My hat is off to the lady tho that passed me about this same time. As she ran briefly with me she told she had been chasing me for miles. I decided that I would stay close to her and she became the inspiration that I needed for that last bit of the course. Sorry to the four guys that I did pass.

Another marathon is in the books, marathon #7, state #6. The Maui Marathon is coming up in September, another TeamAutism.org event.

Oh yes about the rest of the vacation...well if you've read this far, I'm sure you are either tired or sleepy so I'll include that in the next post. Happy Running to all.....it's great to be back here....