Running With The Kids..... In A Thunderstorm

I just went out to run with my older daughter Ashlee and was going to run with my son Brady after we got back. I checked the weather and it said 95% chance of thunderstorms starting in 30 min so I took both of them with me at the same time instead, knowing that Brady wouldn't get a run in if I didn't. We ended up only going about 2 miles because it was too hard to keep an eye on both of them since they run such a different pace.

It started to thunderstorm about half way through so I told Ashlee to go ahead and head home and finish and then I stayed with Brady until getting back home. During that second mile I ran hard to catch up with Ashlee and then came back to Brady to keep an eye on both of them.  Little did I know it was going to also be a bit of an interval run as well :)

Once I got back it was storming pretty good and my other daughter Payton and her friend were still out for their 4 + miler. They really should have been back by then so I went out to try and find them. I was running a pretty hard pace, but I guess that is how it is when you are a dad :) I knew where they had gone since I told them where to go so I knew I would find them if I just kept going. I found them just over a 1/2 mile out and turned and ran back with them. They had stopped and hid under a gazebo because they were scared running in the thunderstorm.

All in all it was a good run.  I had wanted to get a bit more in but it was a good training run with the differences in speed and effort throughout the run...... and I ALWAYS love running with my kids.

Would you run in a thunderstorm?  Why or why not?

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow blog - virtual4now

The Fourth Annual Saratoga 5k

The forth annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run was this past Saturday and it lived up to it's hills just like it has every other year.  The race was well attended and much like it was two years ago when there was almost 50 runners.  One of the differences than previous years was the larger number of fairly decent runners that made it out to race this year, which knocked me down a little bit in place.


I didn't get the time I was shooting for.  I was hoping to get down in the 23's (hard for me for this course) and was even hoping maybe a new PR.  My current PR is 23:23 and was attained at this race two years ago.  I have since that time broken my collar bone, taken some time off for healing, ran a marathon, and put on a few post marathon pounds..... the last of which is probably the biggest reason why I was going to struggle trying to set a new PR.

The Fourth Annual Saratoga 5k is Tomorrow

It is hard to believe that three years have past since my first 5k, the inaugural Saratoga 5k Fun Run in 2007.  I won't go into much detail about the past three years running this race because it all can be found somewhere on this blog.  You may want to start at the beginning when I came in last place in 2007, or when I set a new PR in 2008 and finished 2nd overall, or maybe you aren't so concerned with all the past and you just want to know how I faired last year returning after my broken collar bone.  All of the links can be found with a simple search of "saratoga" on my blog, or to make it easier for you by clicking here for those search results.

Tomorrow's race will be my first 5k in almost 10 months.  I had not been training for or running 5k's during my training for the marathon and finally running it in November.  That being the case I am really not sure how I will fair.  I am sure it will be difficult, as those hills always are, but I am really looking forward to it as well.  I put on a few extra pounds following my marathon because I had trouble figuring out that I needed to slow my eating as I dropped my weekly miles post marathon, and I am sure that will have an affect on my time.

I am hoping to do another 26.2 in the fall, but would like to put in many 5k's and 10k's before that time (and yes, 13.1's).  I have some goals on where I would like to take my 5k and 10k times, so let's see what kind of start tomorrow can bring.

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow blog - virtual4now