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!?