Running

Welcome back faithful readers. Two updates in one month!. How about that!!!

This update probably won't be as interesting as the last becuase it's more Jim and less kiddies and Karen, but hey, they can get their own web sites! (Just kidding.)

I have started running again for the 10th time. For those of you that know me, you may recall I spent about five years running pretty consistently from 1990 to 1995. I then faded out to pretty much cycling only over the last ten years or so except for training for the Marine Corps marathon with Karen back in 2001. The primary reason my running faded was ankle injuries became more frequent and serious and frankly, my career and other things took priority.

I would like to do a marathon myself. And if all goes well I should be in shape to do one about the time I turn forty next year in May. May is not a particularly popular time for marathons because of the temps, so I might have to look north or northwest to find one in May.

In addition to checking off "marathon" on my lifetime to-do list, running provides me - and Karen - a few minutes each day to reset our compasses. It provides some of the best alone time you could ask for and, if your joints can take it, immeasureable health benefits. As I mentioned earlier the primary reason I quit running was that my ankles, particularly my right ankle, likes to roll. The sprains I have gotten in full stride have been worse than some breaks. But the fact is I just healed and went back to what I was doing before with no ankle specific conditioning. That is where I'm hoping to make a difference this time around. I've got some supportive, motion control shoes. I'm doing ankle specific exercises before and after each run. Lastly, I'm being more careful. No risky surfaces like trails with roots. It's either asphalt or cinder surface trails.

So let's see how it goes, eh? I hope to have a training calendar/log up here in the next month or so, so keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for checking in and checking out the Preis family goings on.

PS - The pictures page now has pics all the way up through September of '07 I believe. Click away and I hope they make you smile as widely as I do when I look at them. Love those boys and my wife!