On the Road!

We finally got everything packed up. Been working on it slowly for a couple of weeks and then my wife started beating me the last 3 days or so to get my part done. We were up until 2:00 this morning getting the final things packed and loaded. We are moving back to the US for 1 year.

Today we were able to get out of town a bit before noon (but had to be up by 6:30 to do so) and traveled 7 hours to the city of Villahermosa. We have been here many times and have not found a hotel we are totally cool with in a price range we like. Today, since we got here a bit early, we drove around until we found the hotel area and found a nice place. Parking the Suburban and trailer were a challenge. They have a very small parking lot, but we were able to get them in.

We are taking one of our hamsters and our bunny. They have survived so far, but this is a big trip for both of them. We hope they do well.

Two more days to get out of Mexico and then two days to get to Pensacola.

Week 9

Week 8
Monday

I ran my Monday run on Tuesday since I ran my previous long run on Sunday. I did not do well this week on getting my mileage done. Was supposed to run 6 miles and only ran 5.78 in 10:40 per mile.

Wednesday
The Wednesday 6 mile run was done on Thursday and was only 4.46 miles at 10:36 pace.

Saturday
This was a fun run. I knew it would not meet my mileage goal for the week, but I wanted to do this run anyway. It is a run I have been wanting to do for a long time and figured that today needed to be the day if I was ever going to do it.

Today I became a Dump Runner. There is a story behind the Dump Runners Club which I won’t go into here, but to be a part of the club you have to run to your local dump or public works facility.

I rode my bike 7.5 miles to a gas station that was a little over a mile from the dump. I asked the gas station attendants if they would please watch my bike for me while I went out for a bit of a run. This was funny to them because we were on the edge of town to begin with. They laughed and made jokes about taking my bike or selling it. I just laughed and took off towards the dump.

When I got to the dump I had trouble convincing the guard at the front door that I just wanted to take a picture. I was able to win him over when I told him it was a joke for a friend. I am not sure what he had in there to have to guard from cameras.

Total run was 3.18 at 10:23 pace.

I made it back to my bike and bought a drink at the convenience store at the gas station. I gave the change to the gas station attendants (about 75 cents) for watching my bike. When I jumped on my bike the chain seized up. The front derailer was bent. I ended up having to completely bend the derailer completely out of the way. When I get back in a year to my bike I will have to replace that.

I rode the bike on a return route that was a bit longer at 7.9 miles.

Goal mileage for the week was 17 and I didn’t quite make 14 miles.

Biking: I only rode 2 days this week but rode 31.4 miles. This is a weekly high for me.

Week 9
Monday: 2 miles at 10:26 pace.

Wednesday: 7 miles. That includes 5 miles at a tempo pace of 8:56. That will be run either in the state of Tabasco or Veracruz on our way to the border.

Saturday:18 mile long run at 10:19 pace. This one will be tough to get in on Saturday. We will be traveling that day. It will be the 5th straight travel day of a 5 day trip. I may have to push the long run to Sunday night if I feel comfortable with a route to run in the evening.

Squash Soufflé

This is the recipe my wife uses for squash casserole. One of my twitter friends was looking for a recipe, so I thought I would write this up for her since I like it so well. Might as well share with others.

  • 2 pounds sliced yellow summer squash
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
  • seasoned salt and pepper, to taste
  • buttered bread crumbs

Combine squash, onion and salt in a large saucepan; cover with water and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; mash well. Add milk, eggs, melted butter, flour and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole dish for about 30 minutes at 350 deg F. Top with crumbs and bake for about 10 more minutes. Serves 4.

My Thought Spot 23: Bike Ride

I took my recorder on a bike ride with me yesterday. I talk about the city where we live a little bit and about some of the subdivisions I ride in. I also take a little jaunt into a village outside of town.

The original recording was almost 1 hour 30 minutes long. I cut it down to about half that length. There are some sections with just car sounds to give you an idea of how much traffic I had to cross on a couple of occasions. For that reason, I don’t know if this is a good thing to listen to while you are out running. You might think there are cars around you that are just in your headphones.

This is one of my final bike rides here in Merida. We are packing up and leaving in less than a week. I tried to give you an idea of some of the little villages and sections of town I ride and run through on a regular basis.

The podcast I mentioned at the end is American Talk USA. Visit Joe and give his show a listen.

Enjoy!

Week 8

Week 7
Monday
I was supposed to run 2 miles easy. I ran 2.5 miles at 10:22 pace. Just 4 seconds faster than I was supposed to run.

Wednesday
This was supposed to be a 6 mile run with a 4 mile tempo tucked inside. I knew that was not going to happen. I had limited time and no way to measure my distance or speed other than effort and guess. I even thought that the run would not happen at all. Since I did not sleep much on Tuesday night because of being at camp and being eaten alive by mosquitoes, I was up early on Wednesday and could get a run in. I ran 4.66 miles at a medium pace.

Friday
This was not a scheduled run, but I was up and had the time. It helped me get my thoughts together for the preaching that morning at camp. I ran 2.32 miles.

Saturday/Sunday
I pushed my long run from Saturday to Sunday this week. I actually have more free time on Sunday mornings than I do on Saturdays right now. Only about 45 minutes more, but it makes a difference.

I woke up at 5:00 and was able to have a good breakfast and get everything ready to go by 5:45. Actually I had two breakfasts. Since I woke up at 2:00 in the morning, I figured it would be a good time to start with an early fueling. I had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for first and second breakfast.

I ran my 4 mile loop with a water bottle. Then I swung by the house to start my 8 mile loop and grab the CamelBak filled with Gatorade. I carried 2 gel packs which I ate at miles 6 and 11. I then dropped off the pack and picked up the water bottle again at mile 12 to finish off with a second running of my 4 mile loop. While making the second exchange of the pack/bottle, I took the time to change into a fresh pair of socks and powder my feet.

Somewhere between miles 7 and 8 I started getting emotional with the thought that I am just a few weeks away from being a marathoner. It is quite exciting, or insane, I am still undecided.

You find out in the evening after a 16 mile run about all the body parts that needed lubrication that you missed.

Biking
I only rode one day this week and it was a big one. I rode on Saturday for just over 19 miles. I started out the ride with a big goal of going into some villages that I had only driven through before. I knew they were far apart, but was not sure at the start that I wanted to try it. Because I did not know any distances, I did not really know what the point of no return would be. I knew at some point it would be faster to get back home by going on with the loop as opposed to turning around. After I had been riding for what seemed like close to 30 minutes, I looked at my watch to find that I had only gone 10 minutes down the road. But I had covered a lot of ground. That gave me the encouragement to press forward with the big loop. It was not until I got home that I found out that somehow I had hit the lap timer on my watch and had really been gone 22 minutes when I believed I was only 10 minutes into my run. Had I known that, I probably would not have tried for the longer distance. It was a mistake that worked in my favor.

Week 8
Monday: 6 miles easy, 10:22 pace.

Wednesday: 6 miles easy, 10:22 pace.

Saturday: 5 miles easy, 10:22 pace.

Week 8 is a cut back week. It comes at a great time. We are packing everything up this week and getting ready to move back to the US the following week.