I did better than I had expected.  A few years ago I ran my first 5K with my siblings.  I finished in about 31 minutes.  Not great, but it was more a family thing.  This morning, I ran by myself.  I was a little concerned about starting off too strong and then getting winded towards the end.  I kept a pretty even pace throughout the race and didn’t feel too taxed.  I could’ve likely pushed myself harder, but a race is no time to experiment.  Here’s a chart (more details from Runkeeper) that shows my average pace of 9:08 min/mile:

What this 5K taught me is that I need to push myself harder on my jogs.  In the past, I’ve been running at 10-11 minutes/mile.  Clearly, I should be striving for 9 minutes/mile or less.  Anyway here are my official results:

Place No.   Name                     Cly Age Div Time    Pace  Town
===== ===== ======================== === === === ======= ===== ==========
  361   680 JOE GRANDA                    45  56 28:21.8  9:08 LAKE BLUFF
  362   752 JIM KUTILL                    55  28 28:22.3  9:08 OAK PARK
  363   843 PRASHANTH RAO                 41  35 28:23.3  9:09 OAK PARK  
  364   630 MICHAEL DINEEN           D    43  36 28:23.9  9:09 CHICAGO
  365   575 WILLIAM CAMERON               47  57 28:25.6  9:09 SNELLVILLE

Last night’s class was tough.  It was taught by the highest ranking black belt (Sensei Angie Yeoh).  She has amazing form and is a very serious instructor; I deinitely was sore this morning.  One realization that I’ve made after attending these 4 classes is simply how weak I’ve become.  My many years of sitting in front of a computer have not been good for me and karate has made me realize that I need to focus on the body as much as the mind.  More to come as I continue with this.

So, the first order of business was to buy camping equipment.  I had a Marmot sleeping bag that I bought about 7 years ago that is still in good shape.  Aside from that, I needed to buy everything.  After conferring with a work colleague who does a lot of backcountry camping, I came up with this initial list of bigger ticket items that I needed to purchase:

• 2 person tent
• Sleeping bag for my son
• Backpacking stove
• 2 sleeping pads
• Backpack (Haven’t bought this yet)

After reading way too many reviews and 2 visits to REI, I ended up buying the following equipment:

Tent

Marmot Limelight 2.  This is a 2 person tent that includes the footprint and gear loft.  It has received favorable reviews and appears to be very easy setup.  The only 2 criticisms are that it only has 1 door and that it is not "D" style, namely when you unzip the door it folds downward instead of to the side.

Son’s Sleeping Bag

North Face Tigger +20 Sleeping Bag.  This seems like a great bag and should be good for my son for at least 5 years.  Its warmth rating, stylish looks and build quality are exceptional.  I was about to get him the REI KinderCone, which also is a great bag, but for $30 more, I thought I would splurge.

Backpacking Stove

I ended up buying the MSR Windpro.  It has favorable reviews and seems to have a stable base.  I’ll buy some fuel this weekend and give it a shot.

Sleeping Pads

My work colleague and others have told me that buying a good sleeping pad is a worthy investment.  I didn’t go all out, but based on the reviews, I think that the Therm-a-rest Trail Lite should be more than adequate for me and my son.  It is a self-inflating pad that should keep us warm and comfortable.  Not much to look at, but here it is.

Now that I have the bulk of the equipment, I plan on setting it up and sleeping in the backyard to see how it all works for us.  This weekend will be hot (in the 90s), so I may have to delay until it drops down to the 70s or so.  Once we have a dry-run in the backyard, I want to hit a couple of state parks before the winter arrives.  I don’t think we’ll do any true backcountry, but if we can just get out there and do a bit of hiking, cook out in the open, maybe build a small fire, etc., I’ll be quite happy.

More to come…

This evening, I didn’t have quite that much time on my hands, but I needed some activity to keep Dhruv occupied.  So I found a great and easy recipe for Banana Bread at The Fresh Loaf.  Dhruv helped with the measuring and mixing and then it was in the oven for about 50 minutes.  The result:  warm and delicious banana nut bread.  Here are some pictures:

Over the past few weeks, the chair started falling apart.  I noticed a screw on the ground.  It creaked incessantly everytime I would swivel or lean back.  The armrest padding came undone.  It was time for a new chair.

After a bit of research, I pulled the trigger on a Steelcase Leap.  It has only been 2 days, but the difference is night and day.  The chair enforces good posture; no more slouching for me.  With all of the adjustments on this chair, it can truly be customized to my sitting style.  It is a great chair and a worthy investment that should easily last me for the next 5 years.

The Steelcase Leap