The Summer of CHANGE...

Well, here I go again...starting up another training cycle and running blog.  Although this summer and training cycle is a little different.  A change is in the air and its ripple affect is going through me.  For starters, I am changing the way that I blog.  Instead of doing a daily entry that logs my run for that day, I am planning on doing two to three entries a week that highlights my training runs and discusses technology, nutrition, and training techniques.  Second, I am changing back to a more difficult/competitive training cycle to get me back into race shape, as I hunt down another BQ.  Lastly, these next few changes are larger than the first two.  I am picking up and moving from the the Midwest to the West Coast and California.  The Little Lady defends her dissertation for her PHD next month and has already accepted a job in California.  We will be moving sometime in August.  So, I will have a change in climate, employer, and address by the end of this training cycle.  Therefore, I have rightfully name this blog "The Summer of Change".

As for my actually training and racing plan.  I am going with an 18 week plan with 6 days of running and a mileage peak of around 80 miles per week.  The 18 weeks will get me to October 17th and the Indianapolis Marathon, where I will attempt another BQ. Due to getting older, I now have been given five more minutes of qualifying time and need to come in under 3:10:00.  If I fail to qualify at Indy, my fallback plan is to run the California International Marathon on December 6th.  Since I am going to be only an hour and a half from Sacramento, it plays nicely into my plans.  

So, I hope you enjoy following me though my journey...

Yup, that's some change!  1-1/2 hours from Sac might put you in Berkeley or SF.  Not sure if Fresno is that far away or not. 


Are you going to target a 3:00-3:05 so you don't have to do the charity bib route again?


What is Hank going to do with you gone???  Break it to him gently, especially if the Brewers are tanking.


Good luck on staying healthy!

Wow those are some changes all right!  Hope the training and the big move both go well. 

Welcome to the west coast.

Congrats on the changes, Nick!  It will be a fun adventure.  My hubby so wants to live back in CA, so that might be our next move once our daughter graduates as well.  Of course, we will be in the San Diego area not up north, and we will see.  I'm starting my training for C-Bus this week as well, so I guess you have prompted me to start a new blog as well. I like how you are going to address specific subjects - cool.   Our races are a day apart - too bad that you didn't choose C-Bus as it is a fast(er) field and I could certainly hook you up with some guys bound to go sub 3:10.

Tell Jess I said "ho" and congrats on the PhD (or the one she will have very soon).  Does that mean you have to call her "Doctor" little lady now?

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Congrats on the changes, Nick!  It will be a fun adventure.  My hubby so wants to live back in CA, so that might be our next move once our daughter graduates as well.  Of course, we will be in the San Diego area not up north, and we will see.  I'm starting my training for C-Bus this week as well, so I guess you have prompted me to start a new blog as well. I like how you are going to address specific subjects - cool.   Our races are a day apart - too bad that you didn't choose C-Bus as it is a fast(er) field and I could certainly hook you up with some guys bound to go sub 3:10.

Tell Jess I said "ho" and congrats on the PhD (or the one she will have very soon).  Does that mean you have to call her "Doctor" little lady now?

Well, I technically haven't signed up for Indy yet...let me keep you posted.

Whoa! Wait! Where in California are you moving? An hour and a half from Sacramento sounds like somewhere near the Bay Area. Yes? If you headed north, that'd put you somewhere around Orland. (Though Chico would be preferable.)

Good luck on this training. CIM is a great marathon.

Caaaaaaaalifooooorniiaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

I'll chime in on the guesses, too... with a non-new guess.  PhD + 1.5hr from Sac = Bay area.  Mind you, SF is about 2hr from Folsom (start of CIM).

Enjoy my part of the country!  Depending where exactly you are, I may have some good running-route info for you.  

Oz - Fresno is 1hr south of Sacramento and about... 1.5-2hr from SF?  There's a semi-direct route through Tracy/south Bay, but I can't remember how long it is.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Fresno is 1hr south of Sacramento and about... 1.5-2hr from SF?

What have you been smoking, Mike? It's 2 hours and 44 excruciatingly unscenic minutes between Sacto and Fresno (Alita is from Sacramento and went to school at Fresno State). An hour south of Sac is more like Stockton, with the University of the Pacific.

Hm. UC Merced? That's about 90 minutes south... still not quite a garden spot, but it's closer to Yosemite.

Mark B wrote:

Mike MacLellan wrote:Fresno is 1hr south of Sacramento and about... 1.5-2hr from SF?

What have you been smoking, Mike? It's 2 hours and 44 excruciatingly unscenic minutes between Sacto and Fresno (Alita is from Sacramento and went to school at Fresno State). An hour south of Sac is more like Stockton, with the University of the Pacific.

Hm. UC Merced? That's about 90 minutes south... still not quite a garden spot, but it's closer to Yosemite.

You are right.  I am thinking of Stockton.  I would put Fresno closer to ~2hr though.  At least, at 11pm when you're bombing south.

Mike MacLellan wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Mike MacLellan wrote:Fresno is 1hr south of Sacramento and about... 1.5-2hr from SF?

What have you been smoking, Mike? It's 2 hours and 44 excruciatingly unscenic minutes between Sacto and Fresno (Alita is from Sacramento and went to school at Fresno State). An hour south of Sac is more like Stockton, with the University of the Pacific.

Hm. UC Merced? That's about 90 minutes south... still not quite a garden spot, but it's closer to Yosemite.

You are right.  I am thinking of Stockton.  I would put Fresno closer to ~2hr though.  At least, at 11pm when you're bombing south.

More likely when bombing north. Nobody rushes to get to Fresno.

Mark B wrote:

Mike MacLellan wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Mike MacLellan wrote:Fresno is 1hr south of Sacramento and about... 1.5-2hr from SF?

What have you been smoking, Mike? It's 2 hours and 44 excruciatingly unscenic minutes between Sacto and Fresno (Alita is from Sacramento and went to school at Fresno State). An hour south of Sac is more like Stockton, with the University of the Pacific.

Hm. UC Merced? That's about 90 minutes south... still not quite a garden spot, but it's closer to Yosemite.

You are right.  I am thinking of Stockton.  I would put Fresno closer to ~2hr though.  At least, at 11pm when you're bombing south.

More likely when bombing north. Nobody rushes to get to Fresno.

I was lucky to be able to fly into Fresno (non-stop from Houston, no less) on the way to Lemoore.  I base the 90 minute to Berkeley on the knowledge that Sac to San Pablo at rush hour is 1-1/4 hours. 

And people don't rush to Fresno for the raisins and those low hanging clouds in October?  California is not cheap, but it is oh, so pretty.

Oho! Lemoore, eh? Well, I think we just learned a bit out our mysterious Ounce.

Civilian contractor or uniformed?

Mark B wrote:Oho! Lemoore, eh? Well, I think we just learned a bit out our mysterious Ounce.

Civilian contractor or uniformed?

Neither. 

Nick had better show up soon and reclaim his blog...

The bombing continues until Los Angeles, when even at 2am, or 3am, or 4am, there is traffic.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Oho! Lemoore, eh? Well, I think we just learned a bit out our mysterious Ounce.

Civilian contractor or uniformed?

Neither. 

Oh, come on. Lemoore? What else IS there other than the Naval Air Station?

Didn't we hijack Nick's Boston thread at the beginning, too?  He needs to come back with some answers.  I wonder if Nick will take Dr. Little Lady to class?  Or do doctorate candidates even go to class?  Do they just plan and test and suck up to the department big shots?

I have an aunt that received a doctorate in microbiology from LSU back in the 60's.

Oh, Nick - you can save if you sign up for C-Bus now......


Save $10 Off Registration

From now until the end of June, take advantage of pricing of $90 for the 1/2 Marathon and $105 for the Marathon. The prices go up $10 for both events on July 1. For 2015 there are 7,000 spaces available in the Marathon; the 1/2 Marathon field will grow to 12,000. We are on track for our ninth straight sell-out, possibly by August. Sign up today HERE.

Holy Crap!!!  Talk about a hijacking!!!!

To answer your question about where I am moving to, I will provide an answer...although I almost want to refrain from answering, as your guesses are just too darn funny

I am moving to the Modesto area.  Which puts me about an hour and a half from San Fran, San Jose, and Sacramento.  FYI...No one wants to go to Fresno, so I am not going to include that city in the list.  And yes, I will be close to Yellowstone.

Mike, I know that you lived somewhere around there, right?

I suppose that I should actually post about running...

Week 1 started out with my softball game getting rained out due to the showers for most of the morning.  Luckily, it allowed me to get in an easy 3 miles to start the cycle off right.  Although, since it rained for most of the day, it was friggin' humid!

Tuesday, I was up at the butt crack of dawn to get in my 4 miles, as I went to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers lose once again. Ugh, it is horrible this year.

Wednesday, I was up early again with not much sleep the night prior to get in my 6 miles before heading to the airport.  I went to Indy on work travel.  Wednesday morning was by far the coolest and least humid of the week.

Thursday, once again up early to get in a 4 mile run along the White River in Indianapolis.  The are was thick and warm, so of course, I sweat buckets.  It was a good thing that I got my run done in the morning instead of waiting until I got home last night, as my flight out of Indy was delayed for over 3 hours, which means that I would have never gotten home last night.  So, instead of sitting around an airport, I cancelled my flights home, rented a car and drove the 5 1/2 hours back to Madison to make it home by 8:30pm.  Ugh...

That being said, today is my only rest day for the week.  Gotta rest back up before I hit my first weekend of long runs.  8 scheduled for tomorrow, followed by 15 on Sunday.

Nick Morris wrote:Holy Crap!!!  Talk about a hijacking!!!!

To answer your question about where I am moving to, I will provide an answer...although I almost want to refrain from answering, as your guesses are just too darn funny

I am moving to the Modesto area.  Which puts me about an hour and a half from San Fran, San Jose, and Sacramento.  FYI...No one wants to go to Fresno, so I am not going to include that city in the list.  And yes, I will be close to Yellowstone.

Mike, I know that you lived somewhere around there, right?

(Psst, Nick!  I think you mean Yosemite, not Yellowstone.  S'okay, bro.)

I didn't even know they had a college in Modesto.

I'm sure Sacramento has 10 non-stop flights to Columbus every day, but nothing but connecting flights to Indy (I'm trying, Miche1e!)

I believe Ironfoot Mike was in Davis, a bit west if Sacramento.

Cool! I love putting lots of stress points into one year. Keeps things hopping.

Great part of CA. I'd recommend Half Moon Bay marathon some year. So beautiful and tough!

I spent 6mo in Auburn, 6mo in Davis, and 2yr in Carmichael (suburb of Sac).  Modesto has a marathon as well, early spring.  It's small and pretty but with limited spectators, from what I've heard.  I was planning to run it last year and - yep - got injured.

ounce wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:Holy Crap!!!  Talk about a hijacking!!!!

To answer your question about where I am moving to, I will provide an answer...although I almost want to refrain from answering, as your guesses are just too darn funny

I am moving to the Modesto area.  Which puts me about an hour and a half from San Fran, San Jose, and Sacramento.  FYI...No one wants to go to Fresno, so I am not going to include that city in the list.  And yes, I will be close to Yellowstone.

Mike, I know that you lived somewhere around there, right?

(Psst, Nick!  I think you mean Yosemite, not Yellowstone.  S'okay, bro.)

I didn't even know they had a college in Modesto.



I'm sure Sacramento has 10 non-stop flights to Columbus every day, but nothing but connecting flights to Indy (I'm trying, Miche1e!)

I believe Ironfoot Mike was in Davis, a bit west if Sacramento.

Yes, I meant Yosemite ...I must have still been foggy from lack of sleep.

Modesto! That's where my dad was born! Very cool.

It has a decent paper, too, where a friend of mine used to work.

I know the Central Valley because I used to work at the north end (Red Bluff) and married a girl who grew up in Citrus Heights, in the suburbs east of Sacramento, and who had the misfortune of attending Fresno State.

You're right. Nobody wants to go to Fresno.

If you are looking for a cool foothills place to live, check out Oakdale. It's very un-valley, and that's a good thing.

Which college is she going to? UC Merced, perhaps?

Mark B wrote:Modesto! That's where my dad was born! Very cool.

It has a decent paper, too, where a friend of mine used to work.

I know the Central Valley because I used to work at the north end (Red Bluff) and married a girl who grew up in Citrus Heights, in the suburbs east of Sacramento, and who had the misfortune of attending Fresno State.

You're right. Nobody wants to go to Fresno.

If you are looking for a cool foothills place to live, check out Oakdale. It's very un-valley, and that's a good thing.

Which college is she going to? UC Merced, perhaps?

I've heard good things about Oakdale and maybe when we go out there in a couple of weeks, we'll check it out.

I think that Ounce may have mistaken what I wrote about the little lady. She is completing her PhD here at the University of Wisconsin (food science). She accepted a position with a large cheese company near Modesto.