Mas Donis Barrica 2007 Old Vines

The Wine
Region: Montsant, Spain

Vineyards: Capcanes
Grapes: 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah
Oak: 9 months in American and French Oak

Price: $12

Tasting Notes
Look: dark purple

Smell: black and red berried

Attack: very dry, blackberries
Evolution: medium, not too bold

Finish: nice aftertaste, a little bitter.

good.  RP 90.

Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The Wine
Region: Maipu, Mendoza, Argentina

Vineyards: El Paraiso
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak: 14 months in Oak

Price: $16

Tasting Notes
Look: dark burgundy, almost maroon

Smell: blackberry, berries, currant

Attack: very dry, not much flavor
Evolution:dry, bitterness as it lingers, cannot distinguish much taste

Finish: nice aftertaste, nothing noteworthy

smells better than it tastes; meh.

Indy Half Marathon

We ran the Indy Half Marathon back in October. We actually did worse this time than last time.  Well, Niki did.  I still managed to haul ass for the last 3 or so miles in order to beat my Geist time by 5 minutes.  Lack of training really killed us.  It wasn't nearly as much fun as Geist was, but I can't point to anything that made it un-fun.  Except the cold.  That was un-fun.  Seriously, we started the race with numb feet.  It took about a mile before our feet thawed enough for us to feel the ground.  We'll probably do it again, if we can.  We'll not stay in a hotel, though.  We'll just drive down the morning of.  It'll save a ton of money.

We signed up for the Indy Mini in May.  We get to run a lap on the Indy Motor Speedway.  And, we get free tickets to opening day of the track.  Also known as the Indy 500.  At least, I think that's what is happening on opening day.  Not a NASCAR fan, this guy.

Anyways, we're obviously going to fail at our goal to make it to 1000 miles by the end of the year.  So, no more of that, we're just going to track the cumulative number of miles we run in training and races and when it gets to 1000, we'll have a party or something.

Pacific Rim Organic Riesling 2008

The Wine
Region: Columbia Valley, WA

Vineyards: Pacific Rim Vineyards
Grapes: 100% Organic Riesling
Oak: Stainless Steel

Price: $11

Tasting Notes
Look: pale yellow

Smell: crisp, pear, maybe slight apple

Attack: SWEET.
Evolution: pear, not dry, very sweet

Finish: not much to consider.  not bad.

overall, too sweet for our tastes (there's still half a bottle left, it was so sweet).  but, not bad if you're into sweet girly wines.

Marathon, Shmarathon

We quit!  The marathon, that is.  We moved to the half marathon because we have diagnosed ourselves as "not even close to being ready to run a marathon".

We went for a 13 mile walk sometime ago, a week ago I think.  It wasn't all that bad, took us 5 hours and left me with a nasty blister on my toe.  But, the fact that it took a lot out of us just to walk for 5 hours is a good indication that we would not have been able to run for 5 hours.

Now that were are running the half, we feel much better.  We know we can go 13.1 miles because we've done it before.  We are going to try to beat our previous time.  It took us 2:45 in May, we want to finish in 2:30 next week.

Cuatro Pasos Mencia 2007

The Wine
Region: Bierzo, Spain

Vineyards: ?
Grapes: 100% Mencia
Oak: 2 months in French and American Oak

Price: $11

Tasting Notes
Look: medium burgundy

Smell: berries

Attack: subtle, slightly dry
Evolution: smooth, medium body

Finish: not short, but not long.  tasty.

quite nice.  would definitely have again.

Bivio Italia Tuscan Red 2006

The Wine
Region: Gaggiano di Poggibonsi in the heart of Chianti Classico, in the province of Siena, Italy

Vineyards: "Highly acclaimed vineyards in southern Tuscany"
Grapes: 65% Sangiovese,  20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Merlot
Oak: 8-12 months in barrels

Price: $14

Tasting Notes
Look: medium-dark red

Smell: fruity, strong overtones of alcohol

Attack: dry-ish, but otherwise unremarkable
Evolution: smooth, medium bodied

Finish: short, meh.

an OK table wine. not impressed.

Agricola Falset-Marca Etim Seleccion 2006

The Wine
Region: Priorat, Spain

Vineyards: Agricola Falset-Marca
Grapes: 60% Garnacha, 30% Carinena, and 10% Syrah
Oak: 6 months in seasoned French and American oak

Price: $15

Tasting Notes
Look: Very dark purple

Smell: very big, blueberry

Attack: berries, dry, pepper
Evolution: smooth slightly dry

Finish: very nice, long lasting, mouthwatering


very good.  would definitely buy again.

Clos De Brague Bordeaux Superieur 2005

The Wine
Region: Bordeaux, France

Vineyards: Clos De Brague
Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak: ??

Price: $??

Tasting Notes
Look: Dark purple

Smell: deep red fruits, plum

Attack: very dry, more red fruit
Evolution: dry, downhill from first taste

Finish: not that great (or at all), slightly bitter

not good.

Parker Station Pinot Noir 2006

The Wine
Region: CaliforniaVineyards: Parker Station 
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Oak: ??

Price: $??
Tasting Notes
Look: Light burgundy, light maroon

Smell: berries, grape juice, cherryAttack: quick to the punch, but not very strong
Evolution: not much, semi-dry, unremarkable, meh

Finish: not great, slight aftertaste doesn't leave me wanting more, more meh

Not good.

Weight Update

Phil
143.5 lbs (+0.5)
BMI 20.09


Niki
121.3 lbs (-0.6)
BMI 23.81

Marathon Training Day 224

Phil
8.01 miles / 1:40:10.05
12.505 minutes / mile

Niki (running)
4.38 miles / 56:16.92
12.850 minutes / mile

Niki (elliptical)
33 minutes

We're BACK! Well, sorta. (Marathon Training Day 222)

We have resumed training.  A mere 7 weeks shy of the Indy Marathon, having not run since the Geist half marathon in May (which, by the way, was AWESOME! 13.1 miles in about 2hr45min for a pace of 12.595 minutes / mile.).

We ran on Tuesday and Thursday, the same route both days (and both at night).

Phil & Niki

3.45 miles / 50 minutes

14.493 minutes / mile

Phil & Niki

3.45 miles / 46:41

13.531 minutes / mile

So, we're back to running, but we are nowhere near back to our previous level of fitness, as I see that in April we could have run this same distance at a pace of more than 3 minutes per mile faster.

In addition to not keeping up with running, we've not been keeping up with the wines either (but we have been drinking them).  We'll start doing that again, too.

This weekend we have plans to do a lot of work on the house (I want to bamboo a bedroom which still has carpet and stuff in it).  Also, we have to do homework, study for quals and run.  We want to run for 2 hours on Saturday (during the day, this night running is not fun).  HW and studying will take about the same amount of time.  And the rest of the day will be spent on the floors.  This weekend is going to suck.

Anyways, back to plans for running and whining wining.  We have 7 weeks (including this one) to prepare our bodies to run 26.2 miles.  It usually takes about 18 weeks to train from the ground up for a marathon.  We have 7 weeks.  So, the plan is to run further sooner.  The week day runs will gradually get longer, while the weekend runs will rapidly get longer.  Here's the plan now:

week 1: weekday runs: 1 hour each, weekend run: 2 hours

week 2: weekday runs: 1.5 hours each, weekend run: 3 hours

week 3: weekday runs: 2 hours each, weekend run: 4 hours

week 4: weekday runs: 2.5 hours each, weekend run: 5 hours

week 5: weekday runs: 3 hours each, weekend run: 6 hours (marathon distance)

week 6: weekday runs: 2 hours each, weekend run: 4 hours

week 7: weekday runs: 1 hour each, weekend run: 6 hours (at the Indy Marathon)

It'll be tough.

Also, I bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 to track our runs (HR monitor and GPS).  Very cool device.

Phil

Marathon Training Day 78

We ran 10ish miles outside in VFFs this afternoon. We ended up being behind 18 miles, so we decided to do a long run to knock out half of it and add extra miles to some of our runs this week for the rest. We explored some new trails today. We ran from our apartment on the south side of campus all the way past Walmart to PEFCU financial mall. Then we turned around and ran back. On the way there and back we ran around a trail through the woods at Celery Bog park. It was fun and exciting to explore new places to run.

Phil & Niki

10 miles / 137 minutes

13.7 minutes / mile

We think we actually ran about 10.5 miles. We didn't map it out beforehand and instead aimed to run for about 2 hours. Close enough!

Marathon Training Day 73-77

We didn't run for several days because of house buying stuff and laziness. I don't think either of us ever wants to go that long without running again. It was nice to rest at first, but it only made the next run harder. We will be catching up on our miles slowly over the next week or so.

Marathon Training Day 72

3 miles outside in VFFs kicking all manner of ass.

Phil
3 miles / 24:24
8.133 minutes / mile

Niki
3 miles / 30:52
10.289 minutes / mile

Those are personal bests for both of us.  My first mile was 7:53, second mile was 8:17 and my last mile was 8:14.  Niki is so close to breaking the 30 minute mark.  It was not an easy run, mostly because we were pushing ourselves a bit hard (Niki says it was really windy, but I didn't mind).  But, we recover pretty quickly, so it's not so bad afterward.

Marathon Training Day 71

7 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
7 miles / 84 minutes
12 minutes / mile

Not a difficult run.  Ran around campus, weather was great.

Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2006

The Wine
Region: Chianti Classico
Vineyards: Gabbiano
Grapes: Sangiovese
Oak: Oak, 12 months

Price: $10

Tasting Notes
Look:Translucent Maroon

Smell: Fruit and pepper
Attack: Subtle (not bold, but not weak, just subdued)
Evolution: Smooth, berry and pepper

Finish: Tastes good, seems to coat the throat, leaves a warm sensation.

A good wine for $10.  If we ever need a Chianti, we'll probably consider picking this one up again.

337 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The Wine
Region: Lodi, California
Vineyards: Clay Station Vineyards
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak: ???
Price: $13

Tasting Notes
Look: DARK burgundy

Smell: some kind of berry, maybe blackberry
Attack: smooth, dry, subtle, not easy to discern any specific tastes
Evolution:thick, but not creamy, texture, still hard to discern specific flavors

Finish: dry, short-lived, leaves one wanting another sip

We liked this one.  We probably will not seek it out to buy it again, but we would not be averse to drinking it again.

Marathon Training Day 70

Rest against my will.

Phil
143 lbs (+1.3 lbs)
BMI 20.03

Niki
123.9 lbs (+ 1.8 lbs)
BMI 24.32

We were supposed to run 7 miles today, but Niki had to do HW and I got caught up doing research.

Marathon Training Day 69

5 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
5 miles / 54:43
10.943 minutes / mile

We could have been faster, but this is OK.

Marathon Training Day 68

Rest.

Prepping for the impending Zombie Apocalypse.

Marathon Training Day 67

3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 31:34
10.522 minutes / mile

That is a personal best for Niki!  It may not be too much longer before Niki breaks through to a sub 10 minute mile pace.  My feet, ankles, legs, everything feels great again.  So, that's good.

Marathon Training Day 66

Rest.

Trying to get back on schedule without overdoing it.

Marathon Training Day 65

We ran 3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki

3 miles / 33:14

11.078 minutes / mile

Since we ran 10 miles yesterday, today's run was not so easy. I felt like I was going really slow and could hardly breathe or move my legs. Somehow, we managed to finish in our normal time despite plenty of walking breaks. Next time, we will rest the day after a long run!

Marathon Training Day 64

We ran 10 miles outside in VFFs. It was a nice run around campus and a beautiful day. The run started out a little rough, but we both finished strong.

Phil & Niki

10 miles / 130 minutes

13 minutes / mile

The pace we ran today is the pace we want to run our half marathon in May. At this rate, we may do even better!

Marathon Training Day 63

Rest because it was raining all day.

We weighed ourselves though.

Phil
-0.9 lbs

Niki
-0.7 lbs

Marathon Training Day 62

Rest because we had a busy day.

Tisdale Cabernet Sauvignon NV

The Wine
Region: california
Vineyards: tisdale
Grapes: cabernet sauvignon
Oak: stainless steel
Price: $3

Tasting Notes
Look: light purple, grape juice

Smell: not appealing
Attack: unimpressive, acrid
Evolution: not tasty, unpleasurable, did not care to even try to look for flavors

Finish: "glad that's over"

Will not buy again unless for use in cooking.  We're using it to marinate beef for stew in the crock pot.  Tisdale is acceptable for cooking.  Not acceptable for drinking.

Marathon Training Day 61

Rest.

Watched Dear Zachary.  A very emotional film.  Also watched some Weeds season 3.

House hunting again tomorrow!

Marathon Training Day 60

3 miles in VFFs on treadmills at the community center in the morning.

Phil
3 miles / 29:56
9.978 minutes / mile

Niki
3 miles / 32:38
10.878 minutes / mile

5 miles in VFFs on treadmills at the Rec in the evening.

Phil
5 miles / 49:16
9.853 minutes / mile

Niki
5 miles / 55:42
11.14 minutes / mile

Back to runs that feel good.  But, running on treadmills is hella-lame.

Marathon Training Day 59

0 miles inside on the couch in pajamas.

We took the day off.  We'll run tomorrow morning.

Marathon Training Day 58

3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 33 minutes
11 minutes / mile

Not our easiest 3 mile run, but it wasn't bad.  We don't like running at night.  My left foot is still occasionally acting like a pansy.  I think it's just weaker than my right foot.  Also, my ankles still develop some pain during the run.  I wonder what I am doing wrong.

Marathon Training Day 57

Rest.

And the first day of school after Spring Break.  And some house hunting, which was a lot of fun.

Marathon Training Day 56

9 miles outside in VFFs.  And Wii Fit measurement.

Phil & Niki
9 miles / 132 minutes
14.667 minutes / mile

Phil
142.6 (+ 0.4 lbs)
19.97

Niki
122.8 (- 0.4 lbs)
24.11

My foot didn't hurt much at all today.  The extra day of rest really helped.  It hurt like the little bitch it used to be after the run, but I figured out that I was favoring it and that's why it is hurting.  So I have stopped favoring it and it seems to be behaving well again.

House hunting tomorrow!

Marathon Training Day 55

Day of rest.

We are doing the 9 miler tomorrow so Phil's foot can take a break.

That is all.

Blue Pirate Pinot Noir 2006

The Wine
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Vineyards: Pommard Clone Vineyard
Grapes: pinot noir
Oak: French oak barrels
Price: $15

Tasting Notes
Look: Red, not dark

Smell: fruity, mostly berries
Attack: unimpressive, dry, smooth
Evolution: fruity, not very bold

Finish: unremarkable

This wine was good, but not as bold as we normally like in a pinot noir. The smell was good, but it did not taste as bold as it smelled. We will probably not buy this wine again.

Marathon Training Day 54

Today we rested. Since we beat Twilight Princess, we decided it was time for a new Wii game so we bought Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. I also got Scribblenauts for my DS.

Scribblenauts is awesome!

Marathon Training Day 53

3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 34 minutes
11.333 minutes / mile

My feet (left foot, mostly) hurt like little bitches.  Otherwise, a nice easy run.  We started out with a short walk to warm up, which seems to help Niki.

Marathon Training Day 52

4 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
4 miles / 45 minutes
11.25 minutes / mile

An easier run for both of us than yesterday.  My feet hurt like bitches, though, especially my left foot.  Need to figure out what is going on.

Also, we beat Twilight Princess.

Marathon Training Day 51

3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 34 minutes
11.333 minutes / mile

The weather today was BEAUTIFUL.  The run wasn't too bad.  Niki had some difficulty.  Phil thought the run was slightly easier than lately.

Marathon Training Day 50

Rest.  On a lazy Sunday.  Logged on Monday.

I think we played Twilight Princess.

50 days in, how do we feel?  We feel great, mostly.

Phil's feet hurt and the last couple of runs have been more difficult than they probably should have been.

Marathon Training Day 49

Cross training by cleaning the apartment.

Phil
142.2 (- 1.8 lbs)
19.91

Niki
123.2 (- 2.2 lbs)
24.19

We did this on Monday, not Sunday.  Because we had a lazy Sunday.

Also, HAPPY PI DAY!

Marathon Training Day 48

5 miles in VFFs at the community center, Phil on treadmill, NIki on elliptical.

Phil
5 miles / 51:43
10.343 minutes / mile

Niki
5 miles / 58:00
11.6 minutes / mile

We didn't run outside because it was drizzling.  Running inside in long sleeve shirt was difficult, I was sweating profusely.  It was a difficult 5 miles for me.  I think I was pushing the pace a bit hard, though.

Niki did not enjoy the elliptical.  She hardly got a workout at all, she says.

Castaño Monastrell 2007

The Wine
Region: Yecla, Spain
Vineyards: Bodegas Castaño
Grapes: Monastrell
Oak: No. Not aged.
Price: $7

Tasting Notes
Look: Dark red

Smell: fruity, could smell alcohol, changed over time (got better)
Attack: dry, dark/red berries
Evolution: dry, a bit creamy, light chocolate, maybe prune

Finish: very good, left me wanting more, dry

This was a very good wine for the price.  A good wine overall.  This vintage got 90 points from RP Wine Advocate.  This is the first Monastrell for either of us.  Would definitely consider getting again.

Marathon Training Day 47

Rest.

And Twilight Princess, Home Depot, the Post Office and the Breakfast Club.  And a bottle of wine.

Marathon Training Day 46

3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 33 minutes
11 minutes / mile

Niki ran the whole 3 miles without stopping!

Phil's ankles are pansies.

It was wet and muddy outside.  We are washing our VFFs for the first time tonight.

Marathon Training Day 45

4 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
4 miles / 43 minutes
10.75 minutes / mile

Another personal best for Niki!

Today's run was easier than yesterday's run.  At the end, we both felt like we could have kept on going.  Running outside is so much better than running on treadmills.

We hit the 100 mile mark today!

Marathon Training Day 44

3 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 33 minutes
11 minutes / mile

Niki's best time ever by far.  BAM!  Apparently, she runs faster outside than on a treadmill.

It was dark and cold outside, but it still felt pretty good.

Marathon Training Day 43

Rest.

And some Twilight Princess.

The end.

Marathon Training Day 42

Cross Training with Extreme Croquet.

Phil
144 lbs (+ 3.1 lbs)
20.15

Niki
125.4 lbs (+ 1.8 lbs)
24.63

After extreme croquet (started at 1pm), we went and ran errands and went grocery shopping.  As soon a we got home, we put the stuff away, did dishes, made dinner and didn't sit down until 7pm.  Long day.

Then, we watched the Academy Awards.

We got Wii Fit Plus while we were out.  So, now we have the more cool version of Wii Fit.  We also got an automatic cat feeding bowl and a light timer.  The light timer is broken and the automatic feeding bowl seems to have a little quirk.  Technology is annoying when it doesn't work properly.

Domaine de Noire Chinon "Soif de Tendresse" Rouge 2008

The Wine
Region: Loire, France
Vineyards: Chinon 
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Oak: ???
Price: $15

Tasting Notes
Look: Dark purple (the cork bottom was PURPLE)
Smell: fruity, could smell alcohol
Attack:  berries, purple
Evolution: dry and juicy at the same time. tasty.
Finish: dry, not too long, good.


This vintage got 90 points from RP Wine Advocate.  Apparently it was very good very soon after it was bottled.  What we got out of the bottle wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.  We probably won't get it again.  Niki liked it more than Phil did.  Not worth the $15.

Marathon Training Day 41

9 miles outside in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
9 miles / 2 hrs 8 mins
14.222 minutes / mile

Today was a lot of fun.  We really enjoyed running outside.  This was our longest run yet.  We ran around Purdue's campus in spiral pattern (we spiraled in and then did it in reverse).  It was a beautiful day, high of around 50.  We stopped about half way in to refill the water bottle (at LWSN).  The first 6 or 7 miles were easy.  Finishing took a lot of effort (for Niki).

Now, we are off to the pub to have a beer with some prospective CS students.

CHEERS!

the Little Penguin Pinot Noir 2008

The Wine
Region: South Eastern Australia
Vineyards: The Little Penguin Wines
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Oak: ???
Price: $10

Tasting Notes
Look: Dark burgundy
Smell: Bold and fruity
Attack: Berries, mostly cherries.
Evolution: Smooth and heavy (like velvet or chocolate... reminded me of Port)
Finish: YUM.  So good, you want more.  Continued to be smooth.

 This is one of the best (in our humble opinions) Pinot Noirs for the price.  We've had it before (but not since we started this blog) and we liked it so much we bought it again.  We'll probably continue to buy it again and again.  A very good wine.

Marathon Training Day 40

REST!

And some Twilight Princess.

Marathon Training Day 39

We ran 3 easy miles at the rec today in Vibrams. 3 miles seems like almost nothing now.

Phil

3 miles / 29:56

9.978 minutes / mile

Niki

3 miles / 35:23

11.794 minutes / mile

Today was my (Niki) personal best! The first 2 miles seemed so easy, much easier than running has been in a very long time for me. My next goal is to run at least 3 miles without stopping. I'm getting closer every day.

Marathon Training Day 38

4 miles in VFFs on treadmills at the Rec.

Phil
4 miles / 43:41
10.921 minutes / miles

Niki
4 miles / 48:38
12.158 minutes / mile

Today was definitely less easy for Phil than yesterday.  Phil still has some ankle pain (on the verge on spraining one or both it seems).

Niki felt better today than she did yesterday, so that is awesome. She says today actually felt easy.

Marathon Training Day 37

3 miles in VFFs on treadmills at the Rec.

Phil
3 miles / 28:16
9.422 minutes / mile

Niki
3 miles / 36:17
12.094 minutes / mile

We both had personal bests today.  Fantastic!

Niki still has some arch pain when she walks.  Phil's ankles hurt less (guess that means they're getting stronger?).

Marathon Training Day 36

Rest.

How's that for a blog entry!?

Marathon Training Day 35

We played Twilight Princess for around 12 hours.

Then we weighed ourselves

Phil
140.9 lbs (+/- 0)
19.72

Niki
123.7 lbs (- 1.1)
24.28

Niki lost weight!  And Phil didn't! GOOD WEEK!

Repeat: Santa Ema Reserve Merlot 2007

We had a bottle of Santa Ema Reserve Merlot 2007 with dinner tonight. It was very good. We've had it before, but this time we actually got to drink the whole bottle instead of only half (we cooked with it last time).  Yum!

Marathon Training Day 34

5 miles at the Rec on treadmills.

Phil
5 miles / 62:34
12.513 minutes / mile

Niki
5 miles / 64:18
12.86 minutes / mile

Phil ran in VFFs and Niki ran in shoes.  Phil ran at Niki's pace most of the time.  He sped up towards the end, but only ran when she ran and walked whenever she walked.

It was an easy 5 miles.  Feels good.

There was a dance marathon going on at the Rec, looked like fun.

We played 6.5 hours of Twilight Princess today.  We beat the game in 51 hours 3 years ago.  Such an awesome game.

Good day.

Marathon Training Day 33

Today was a day of rest so we obeyed. Like pros.

Now we are watching olympic speed skating! Go Apolo Ohno!

Tisdale Merlot NV

The Wine
Region: California
Vineyards: Tisdale Vineyards
Grapes: Merlot
Oak: ??? Probably none
Price: $4

Tasting Notes
Look: Light red or a translucent purple.
Smell: Fruity.
Attack: Immediately dry, you can taste the alcohol.
Evolution: Berries, mostly black cherry.
Finish: A little bitter, the flavor goes away but the dryness lingers.

This wine was on sale for cheap so we bought a bottle to cook with. We poured one glass to taste and the rest of the bottle went in a bag to marinate meat for boeuf a la bourguignonne. It's not the best merlot we've ever tasted, but it is definitely worth the money we paid. This is a great wine for cooking since it's cheaper than the cooking wine sold in grocery stores.

Marathon Training Day 32

3 miles at the Rec on treadmills in VFFs.

Phil & Niki
3 miles / 38:05
12.694 minutes / mile

We ran at Niki's pace today because yesterday she said she was pushing herself too hard to keep up with me.  It was a pretty easy run today.  Felt good.

Tomorrow is a rest day and, hopefully, a new wine day!

Marathon Training Day 31

Niki here. We ran 4 miles at the rec today. I wore regular running shoes and Phil ran in his Vibrams. Today felt a lot harder than usual for me. By the end of the run I felt very worn out like I had no energy left. Phil felt fine though.

Phil

4 miles /42:50

10.71 minutes / mile

Niki

4 miles / 51:44

12.93 minutes / mile

I hope today only felt hard because I had a long day and I've been very tired lately. I had an early class this morning, which meant I didn't get enough sleep, and I stayed late to get research done. I am definitely taking it a little easier tomorrow and hopefully getting enough sleep tonight.

Marathon Training Day 30

Niki here. We ran an easy 3 miles at the rec today in our Vibrams. My calves hurt a little, but not as much as they did last week. I am slowly building up muscle in my legs.

Phil

3 miles / 29:00

9.667 minutes / mile

Niki

3 miles / 37:12

12.4 minutes / mile

We both beat our best times today! We are awesome! Running is getting easier every time. Eventually I will get my pace down to 12 minutes per mile. For now, I'm just glad I feel good after I run.

We are watching the olympics right now. They are showing women's figure skating. Neither of us like figure skating much. I would much rather watch hockey or curling. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Marathon Training Day 29

Rest.

Watching the Olympics.  Ice dancing is still not a sport.

Marathon Training Day 28

Cross Training with Wii Fit.

Phil
Weight: 140.9 (-0.2)
BMI: 19.72

Niki
Weight: 124.8 (+0.7)
BMI: 24.50

Niki and I need to work a bit harder to move towards our goals. I will work on eating more and Niki will work on eating less. Goal for next week: to see a weight gain for Phil and a weight loss for Niki.

Chateau Ducla Bordeaux Superieur 2000

The Wine
Region: Bordeaux, France
Vineyards: Chateau Ducla
Grapes: 50% Merlot,  25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc
Oak: ???
Price: $13

Tasting Notes
Look: Dark, dark red.
Smell: Smells good?  Not a big smell, but deep, a little complex.
Attack: Blackberry? (The bottle says we should taste it)
Evolution: Dry, subtle/mild flavor.
Finish: Dry, not very long, 


Overall, quite good.  It's a 2000 vintage, which means there's not many bottles left in the store.  If we see it again when we go back to the store, we'll get it again.  Phil drank 3/4 the bottle.

Marathon Training Day 27

7 miles on treadmills at the Rec.  Not in Vibrams because our calves and ankles are not ready.

Phil
7 miles / 84:12
12.029 minutes / mile

Niki
7 miles / 94:21
13.479 minutes / mile

I ran 6 miles at a 12 minute/mile pace and only stopped to walk long enough at the 6 mile mark to drink some water.  I can tell that my stamina has increased.  I had a great time running today.  My knees were a bit sore right after the run, but the loosened up with some stretching.  Also, my HR peaked around 166.

And Niki did very well, also!   She beat her/our last 7 mile time by 8 minutes.

When we got home, I took ibuprofen and iced my calves to head off the inflammation and pain that I think might be impending.  We'll see how my calves feel tomorrow.  Niki didn't ice or take any drugs, so if I am much better off than she is, I'll know I did something right.

Niki introduced some high school girls to engineering today.  Go Women in Engineering!

We went to see a bunraku-style puppet show of The Hobbit this afternoon: it was god-awfully horrible.  Niki and I wanted to walk out.  But, we couldn't, so we tried to fall asleep.  Didn't help much.  Never again shall we even consider a show which is even remotely appropriate for children.

Looking forward to cross training tomorrow.

Marathon Training Day 26

Rest.

Our calves are still a bit sore.  So, rest feels good.

Today was completely unproductive.  Just not motivated to do work, today.  Watching the Olympics now.

Tomorrow is a 7 mile run.

Marathon Training Day 25

3 miles on ellipticals at the Rec.

Phil
3 miles / 36:28
12.156 minutes / mile

Niki
3 miles / 34:58
11.656 minutes / mile

Niki beat me!

We did ellipticals because the 3 miles in VFFs yesterday were rough on our calves.  Niki was on a standard elliptical.  I was on this odd ambiguous motion elliptical.  It wasn't really an elliptical, it was like a cross between a stair master and an elliptical.  I could move my legs in whatever way I chose.  It was actually harder than running on a treadmill because I had to do work to move my feet forward.  Very odd and very tiring.

We didn't even finish running until 12:30am (I am back posting this for archival purposes).  So tired.

Marathon Training Day 24

3 miles on treadmills in Vibrams at the Rec.

Phil
3 miles / 29:06
9.7 minutes / mile

Niki
3 miles / 43:12
14.4 minutes / mile

Personal Best for Phil!  WHOOP!

I ran at 6.2 (9.667 minutes / mile) the entire time.  It actually didn't feel too bad.  And it feels great to have run 3 miles in less than 30 minutes.

Niki, on the other hand, was having calf pain issues and ended up walking most of the way.  Her calves hurt even more now.  She refused to take ibuprofen or ice them.  She'll probably be in pretty poor shape tomorrow.  I feel for her.  She feels how I felt when I first got my Vibrams: righteously awful calf pain.  It goes away eventually as your calves get stronger.  But those first couple of weeks are rough.

We ran late tonight because my meeting with Rego lasted a very long time and the Olympics are on.  It's surprisingly hard to get motivated to run while the Olympics are on.  It feels so good to just sit in front of the TV and watch other people engage in athletics.  But, then something about figure skating came on and we had no problem turning it off.

And now I have to wait before I can go to bed so my post-run snack can settle.  So, you get to read more while I wait.

I finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.  It is an extremely good book which I highly recommend.  It was recommended to me by a friend who told me it helped renew his love for running and he thought it would fire me up about running (since we are training for a marathon we definitely need firing up).  It fired me up all right.  I finished it in 3 days and lost several hours of sleep because I could not put it down.  I even had dreams about running.  Which is awesome!  I cannot wait until it warms up so Niki and I can go running outside and really reap one of the best things about running: nature.  Trail running is something I am really looking forward to.  Niki doesn't want to start reading it until she finishes re-reading Lord of the Rings for the 6th or 7th time.  LotR is also a great book, so I understand her reasoning.  But I still cannot wait for her to start reading Born to Run because I know that she is really going to enjoy it.

Special Note: My heart rate peaked somewhere around 165 - 170 and was under 100 again before I stepped off the treadmill after my cool down.  That is awesome considering that when we first started training my HR would peak at over 200 and I wouldn't have even run a mile (and that was at a slower pace).  I was in the zone for a very fit person my age.  Apparently, I am very fit.  Or, I am not very fit (only moderately fit) and I was working too hard.  Niki's HR is seeing similar improvement.  (My HR right now, more or less at rest, is 88 bpm.  So, I'm not a well conditioned athlete yet.  Actually, that's a very bad RHR.  Maybe blogging is more stimulating than I thought.  Or, I am in terrible shape and it's a miracle I survived today's run.)

Marathon Training Day 23

3 miles on treadmills in Vibrams at the Rec.

Phil
3 miles / 30:38
10.211 minutes / mile

Niki
3 miles / 37:42
12.567 minutes / mile

Niki shattered her personal best today.  BAM!  Way to go, Niki.

My treadmill was possessed.  It had a 30 minute limit and it wanted me to run 3 miles in those 30 minutes.  Well, so did I, but it was a bit overzealous.  I put it at 6 and it went at 6.6.  I thought, OK... I can do this.  NOT.  I dropped to a walk at .7 miles and caught my breath and worked out a side cramp.  When I started running again, I put it back at 6 and it went to 7!  I managed to convince it to slow the hell down to 6.3 or so and was able to run for a while longer.  I ended up stopping and walking 3 times (Niki only stopped and walked twice!) and pounded my way to barely beating my last time.  Had the machine not been trying to make me make up lost time by running too fast, I probably wouldn't have been so gassed and probably could have made it 3 miles in under 30 minutes.  Oh well, next time... i.e. tomorrow.

Marathon Training Day 22

Rest.

I am so ready for tomorrow's run.  A mere 3 miles.

Marathon Training Day 21

Niki here. Today was cross training so we played 30 minutes of wii fit and cleaned the apartment. Cleaning the apartment wasn't much fun, but it really needed it and it's so much better now. On the other hand, rhythm boxing on wii fit is a ton of fun! I also like the hula hoop, but six minutes of that wears me out. Time for body stats!

Phil

Weight: 141.1 lbs (-1.3 from last week)

BMI: 19.75

Niki

Weight: 124.1 lbs (+0.2 from last week)

BMI: 24.37

I gained a tiny bit this week and Phil lost about a pound, but we're still going strong. My goal for the next week is to eat Phil's granola bars less often. Phil's goal is to snack more. He got a few high protein bars to try on days we run so we will see how they work out. 3 training weeks down and only 35 left to go!

Marathon Training Day 20

6 miles at the CC.

Phil
6 miles / 82 minutes
13.667 minutes / mile

Niki
6 miles / 85 minutes
14.167 minutes / mile

We ran at the same pace for the first 4 miles and then Niki said I could 'run ahead' if I wanted to.  So, I did. We both felt really tired today and running the 6 miles was pretty tough.  When we got home, Niki wasn't hungry but I was STARVING.  Running 6 miles took a lot of energy that I apparently didn't have.

The Aggies pulled out a win over Tech.  And the Boilermakers beat Iowa.  Both our teams won today, so that was nice.  We wanted to watch the Olympics tonight, but NBC is completely off air right now in Indy, so we can't.  Unacceptable.  So, we're watching Tennessee at Kentucky.  Should be a good game, but Niki isn't interested in Basketball.  (Ooo... Tenn came back from 0-6 to lead 7-6 just now... nice!)

Tomorrow is cross training and apartment cleaning.