Time to catch up...

Wow! It's been quite some time since I've posted anything on here. I suppose me interest in blogging has fallen by the wayside over the last number of months. I'll try and see about keeping this at least reasonably up to date.

In February I moved. I no longer have a roommate and just come home to my apartment every day after work. It's nice to have some place to call your own. The complex is pretty quiet on most occasions. Only a hint of noise now and then that would tell you that you do live in an apartment but honestly, they could happen in a neighborhood too. All in all I'm very content.

I've started a freshwater aquarium. It's funny how something so peaceful takes a large amount of maintenance. I do enjoy it though and take pride in keeping the 55 gal. aquarium clean for my fish. I added a Hammers Blue Cobalt crayfish to the aquarium a couple weeks ago. When I got him he was only perhaps 2 to 2.5 inches long. He molted 2 nights ago and he's pretty close to 4. They are nocturnal so I rarely see him out. In fact, tonight I caught a glimpse of him for the first time in about a week. I do have to confess I tricked him though. I turned out the aquarium lamps but left a small room light lit. He came out, groomed, and then when some of the fish were distracted by the room light acting like a bug to a light bulb, he got his pincers on a couple sending them scurrying away feeling the effects. Once I realized this I didn't want to commit any fish to an untimely death due to distraction on my part and went to the bedroom to start updating my blog leaving the aquarium surrounded in darkness.

I did travel to Alaska in early May and had a blast. I ended up going by myself and am glad I did. We lucked out the first week in May with nothing but sunshine at each port and while cruising the Inside Passage. It was an awesome experience. I wish I had more time to do more back country exploring than what time allowed but would be best having a partner considering the bear population.

My knee has healed from whatever injury I was dealing with before. I never did get a medical diagnosis for it but just took it easy and tested it now and then. When I felt the pain, I would stop running immediately. Eventually, I went for a run one day and the pain never came back. If I ever do feel my knee start to ache in that spot again (which has only been once) then I stop running and walk it out.

Before my IT band issue, I was running 8 miles averaging about 8 min/mile. Right now, I haven't gotten back to that distance but have been running 4 miles consistently and as of today have my min./mile average down to 7:41. I have registered for 3 races this summer and am contemplating attending the Strawberry Fields event I placed 1st in my age group last year. We shall see.

I am cycling once a month to Solana Beach from Anaheim with Alex. That's an 80 mile ride and we're keeping with it once a month so that when we ramp up our mileage in preparation for Tucson in November, our bodies aren't so shocked by it on a more regular basis.

I have been contemplating a couple things for 2011 as we approach the halfway point of 2010. I would love to see Hawaii and I know there are travel deals out there where you can find accommodations included if you look hard enough. So in 2011 I'm not sure if I would like to go to Hawaii for a week or travel back east and compete at a duathlon event back there for a change in scenery.

Time will tell. A lot can happen before next year.