Jumping Back in with Both Feet

Where to begin...

First a quick update as to my whereabouts for the last few months.

I had quite a summer.  I went on a road trip to the Grand Canyon and finished my pilot training.  However, I put off my fastpacking plans.  I did a lot of running (mostly short hour-long runs,) but never got to the point I felt like I could run for multiple hours in heat over 100 degrees.

The summer was over far to quickly.  After a short visit with Ed in Seattle (which was awesome,) I made my way back to the island, and have been busy ever since.

I was briefly delayed when my flight was canceled due to weather, and spent an extra night in Anchorage.  I put the time in Anchorage to good use at the Glacier Brewhouse (where I was sad to learn the barleywine is not yet ready for the season.)  I woke up at 0430 the next morning, went to the airport and sat around on standby most of the day.  After another cancelled flight and more delays (and two fuel stops) I made home without too much trouble.

Since then I have been easing my way back into cool weather running.  I did a run up Strawberry Hill, and dozen or so up Bunker Hill.  Actually, now that I think about it that sounds rather excessive for someone with an injured foot.  The plantar fascia in my left foot started bothering me this summer.  I should be taking it easy, but I really wanted to run up Ballyhoo Mountain (more on this later,) and Bunker Hill is my training ground.

Speaking of injured feet, something else happened the other day.  I nailed it.  That is to say I stepped on a board with a rusty nail sticking straight up.  It went straight though my shoe and up into the arch of my right foot (yeah that makes two injured feet.)  It hasn't really slowed me down though.  I went for a run a couple hours afterwards.

Then there was Ballyhoo....

(To be continued next time... if I can figure out what to do with the videos....)

Ed's New Blog

That is right! I have taken the plunge and started my own personal blog. It is called "Everyday Living in the Pacific Northwest" and will be about just that, living in Seattle and all my day to day activities. This doesn't mean I am abandoning Tundra Runners. I will keep on posting here with all my fitness related stories and videos. I was just thinking that Eric wouldn't want me to monopolize this site for my own personal blogging, so I thought I would try something different.

So different that I even made the switch to Wordpress. Not sure how I feel about it yet. There is a learning curve that is for sure, and I am slowly getting a hang of it. I wanted to take a little more time before I went live with the site, but I thought ah what the hell I will develop it as I go. I hope you will take some time to check it out and stay tuned for more fun posts on Tundra Runners! (Hopefully some more gear reviews from Eric in Alaska, I know he has a bunch of awesome gear up there and I want to know about it!)

Missing mojo and such...

So the other day I went back to strength training. The same training that Eric and I were doing in Alaska. In the beginning of the year it took a while for us to improve and even start to enjoy it. Well needless to say the past few months have taken a toll on my strength. I really didn't accomplish much, let alone close to what I was at. To make things worse, the squats had me walking funny for two days after! I am not sure if I should try to approach different methods of training now that I am in Seattle (ie. I now have access to things like gyms, fitness groups, crossfit ($$$$), and the such) or just get back into the swing of things.

What I dream about the most during the day....

The problem with getting back into the swing of things is I have lost my motivation. It is way more fun after a long day of work to make a half-assed dinner, then lay on the couch with my wife and dog than train. The cool thing is we have been avoiding the half-assed dinners and are actually making some good food, but the laying on the couch has become my kryptonite.

Yet another picture of what I like to do best...

Soo...I have two options

1) Get my ass in gear before it gets huge

2) Get up in the mornings and train before work....

Option 1) is way more realistic than option 2), but only time will tell. I always feel wore out after work, so I may have to change my webisode to Before Work Workouts with Ed. Either way we will see. For the time being I have to start getting motivated and get my mojo back.  

Any suggestions on how I can accomplish such a feat?