D.N.S. and I'm fine with that

So not only did my training fail to get going for the Twin Cities Mararthon, so did my race. After having 3 beers on Friday before picking up my race packet and feeling good about life, my respirotory issue I have been having for at least 19 days now exploded. Friday night I had the most immense dreams about my legs being cut off, and every muscle in my body ached. Saturday day I felt better and at one stage I thought the odds of me running were about 40%. That night I sweat more than I have done in my life, it was like I wet the bed only to do that I would have had to peed all over my pillow also. By 3.00 AM I knew I was not running the next day. The following morning I went to express care, and they decided it was a bit more likely an infection than virus, so tossed me some antibiotics. You've got to love US healthcare, rather than diagnose they just send you off with pills. Speaking of healthcare, turns out my insurance is not so hot, so no treatment of my achilles tendons.

The marathon turned out to be brutal temperatures of close to 90 degrees and humid. I would like to have taken credit for doing the smart thing and not delaying my recovery by running, but in reality I had no choice, I would not have made it 1 mile in those conditions the way I was feeling. So now it's rest, rest, rest, with maybe swimming during the week, and rollerskiing on the weekend. But first I have to get over this infection....

Beer of the Blog: I mentioned the sickness and all, the beers which I enjoyed just prior to it were the stunningly great Scotttish ale and IPA from Great Waters. The Scottish was just plain smoooth malty goodness, A perfect cask beer. To surive as a cask beer the beers need to be balanced, and fairly rounded in flavor, try to go to big and it all becomes overpowering for the drinkers senses. It's also especially important that the beer be clean and well made, without the ice cold temperatures and carbonation there is verry little to hide your mistakes. I thoroughly enjoyed these beers. Also it helped that I was drinking them with good company, theres more over rated than drinking a good beer in bad company, and often nothing better than a bad beer in good company.

Worst Run Ever!

And so it becomes apparrent that I am not a superhero after all. My second A race of the season was to be the Twin Cities Marathon this weekend, but knee problems have prevented me from running, and now a cough/cold seems to be taking out any remaining hope I had of surprising myself. I've gone from thinking I could smash my Dad's amazing time of 3.19, to thinking I should at least be able to beat my PR of 3.36, to thinking at least it will be a good experience what with Wisconsin coming up in 11 months, to wondering if I will even start. Part of me even wants to not start, I missed my family last weekend while in LA for a restaurant awards ceremony. (as it turns out Baywatch did misrepresent the USA, still found a washed up dildo on the shore, the oddest thing I've ever found beach combing..... Welcome to LA I guess.) This weekend I just want to spend time with them.

I am signed up for some physical therapy on my Achilles Tendons in late October, all part of my plan to get my body back to being 100% healthy before training begins in earnest in Febuary. Before then I have XC ski season, but with the current string of non existant winters, and being commited to just one for race for next year, my plan is to take it as it comes and just enjoy every second I get on snow, particularly given that my work schedule is extremely hectic for the next 3 months. I really feel bad for my wife, she alone will have to take care of the half pint for this time period, when I'm home I will do my best to be very nice to her.

Beer of the Blog: Given how self pitying the above post is you would be forgiven for thinking I was currently 3 sheets to the wind writing this, but sadly no. Despite there being 2 brewpubs between my worksite and hotel room(I think we are about to start playing in the Restaurant major league). Anyway no I'm 100% sober, and discovered the sad truth of LA, It has no good beer Sam Adams or Heinekin no wonder all the celebs like their drugs. So nothing to report from that trip. One beer I have been enjoying recently is Hopalicious, from the Ale Asylum in Madison. Perhaps the perfect pale ale, nice balance of hop bitterness to flavor, light to moderate body. I've no idea the stats on this beer, but from drinking it just seems like a very enjoyable fun beer, a bit like the town of Madison itself.