Salute To You

I'm finishing up the Hal Higdon 15K training plan this week, just in time to head out to Daytona for the Pepsi 400. I've been an avid race fan since the late 80's when Dale Earnhardt dominated, and a young Mark Martin was on the rise. Since that time, I've seen my first racing hero pass before my eyes from my seats in the superstretch, at my first every NASCAR race.

Mark Martin has always been one of my favorites to watch, even when Sr was still around. I always felt that he had the right stuff to win, even though his crew often let him down. I see Mark's commitment and determination and try to emulate. Three months ago, when I decided to get off my duff and go back to my running, I could barely finish a 3 mile run. Today, I ran 5K in 24:18. This isn't fast, but it's my PR. I wasn't even running hard, just trotting along, getting ready for my 15K challenge.

Saturday morning, I'll wake up and head down to Bayshore for a 15K run. I don't have a race, so I'll cover the distance alone, with my audiobook for company. When I'm done, I'm off to Daytona, to watch Mark Martin challenge the track that has never been good to him. I'll have one more opportunity to see Mark race in the Cup series in Homestead. I know Mark Martin's goal is to run this last season for his fans. Well, Mark, here's a salute to you. Thanks for being the dedicated man you are, thanks for racing hard and clean, thanks for the memories. Now lets go racing!

I've been running steadily, and sticking to the Hal Higdon training plan for a 15K race. Today, I took my 10 month-old son out in his stroller. We picked up the Expedition LX Jogging Stroller last week and finally put it to the test today. Of course things didn't start out smooth. The jogger didn't fit in the car, fully assembled, so I had to take of the front tire, front footrest, and the rear drink holder.

Once we made our way to Bayshore, the jogger pushed fairly easily, although I could tell I was working much harder than I do running solo. My son enjoyed the run, since there were tons of people out with their dogs. He loves dogs.

My Forerunner 201 has impressed me, keeping my log up to date and my motivation level high. I believe it was well worth the $120 price I paid back in April. They've dropped in price since then. I'm waiting for a version to come out with a built in mp3 player. I hate carrying a bunch of gadgets when I run. Fortunately, my Samsung YP-MT6Z mp3 player is tiny and fits in my pocket.

Running has also given me the opportunity to catch on the many books I don't have time to read. I recently purchased the first 3 audio books in the Steven King Dark Tower series. The books are enjoyable and I often get caught up in the books and forget about the distance I'm running.