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August 25, 2006
Aljazeera.net
With all of the news out there in the world, I have started to read news sources from outside of the U.S. Being that I have a strong interest in the Middle East I have been reading Aljazeera.net, The Daily Star - Lebanon, YnetNews - Israel, Haaretz - Israel, and the Jerusalem Post - Israel.
Today I clicked on the weather tab on the Aljazeera.net web site and looked up weather in Israel. The page allowed me to look up weather for Tel Aviv, but it did not list Jerusalem. I looked a little harder and found Palestine listed as a country. I clicked on that and the only city available was Jerusalem.
So even politics has penetrated the Weather! Based on the weather, it looks like Israel can exist as long as Jerusalem is not a part of it. Leading me to wonder if Palestine would be willing to exist only with part of Jerusalem and nothing else currently in Israel.
Posted by kermisch at 1:50 PM
August 15, 2006
Speed
Yesterday I did a 1/2 hour run but I ran the first 12 minutes at a fast pace and the last 4 minutes at a fast past with recovery in between. It was the first time since the knee injury that I had tested some speed work on it. The knee held up very well and my muscles did too. I felt good after the run and there was no reminant pain at all in the knee. Today is a 1/2 slow run and then another hour run tomorrow.
Posted by kermisch at 10:16 AM
August 14, 2006
2 Hour Run
Saturday I did a 2 hour run along part of the Minneapolis marathon course. I maintained a slow pace and brought along some Powerbar Shots and Water (first time this year). Overall, I felt good right up until the last 5 minutes of the run. Even after the run I felt pretty good considering my fitness level. The knee held up well and did not bother me at all. After the run I refueled with a vanilla shake and water. That might sound odd, but I needed the calories from the shake combined with a good mix of proteins and carbs. I also do better with liquids after a long run than solids. I went home and took a 10 minute cold bath to release the tension in the legs and then I was good to go.
Friday I ran an hour after work which really just sucked. I was bored and just wanted to click off the minutes with some training. I was so happy to be done with that run. As for the week, I was only 30 minutes off on my planned training, which is not bad considering my track record.
Posted by kermisch at 12:29 PM
August 10, 2006
Marathon Training Update
The marathon training is going o.k. I got both of my runs in last weekend, though my long run on Sunday was tough. Saturday I did a 12 hour bike ride (only 40 miles though) to celebrate a friends bachelor party. We rode old 3-speed clunkers and travelled from bar to bar. It was a ton of fun, but very draining. My legs on Sunday felt like mush! I took Monday off and have been diligent this week so far, though I accidentally cut Tuesday's run 15 minutes short. The good news is that my knee is feeling good.
Posted by kermisch at 5:00 PM
Riding My Bike to Work
For the past three days I have ridden my bike to work. I live only about 5 miles away and have a great trail I can take all the way from home to work. The trail is about a mile north of my house, so I ride a bit out of the way to get to where I want to go. The trail is tree lined and has some nice short hills. It is also very sparse and I only come across the occasional walker/runner/cyclist.
The biggest challenge is lugging my clothes and computer back and forth. Ideally I would be able to leave clothes at work and never take my computer home, but that requires more energy than I have. I could also throw a bike rack and panniers on 'The Chairman' (that is what I call my bike that I ride to work) but I am reluctant to turn the The Chairman into a true commuter as it started life as a cyclo-cross bike.
I really enjoy the time to unwind going into work and leaving that the short 20 minute ride provides. I am able to clear my head and spend a few minutes without thought before the craziness of work/home starts up.
My goal is to ride to work 3 days a week minimum.
Posted by kermisch at 4:55 PM
August 2, 2006
Plodding Along...
I was able to get an hour run in last Saturday and an additional 1/2 hour on Sunday. Monday was my off day and I got another 1/2 hour in on Tuesday. Though Tuesday night I came down with a summer cold. Soar throat, clogged head, etc... I decided to skip my hour work out on Wed. to see if I can be recovered for Thursday's workout. I always seem to get sick at the beginning of my ramp up no matter what time of year. This time around I think it was due to being exposed to G's cold for a few days and then flying out to CT and not getting a lot of sleep on Monday night... Frustrating!
Posted by kermisch at 7:03 AM