JJ Barea Day

A week ago was President Obama. Today was Dallas Maverick point guard and NBA Champion, JJ Barea. Puerto Rico received its new sports hero with a parade from the Int'l Airport to Old San Juan. Upon his arrival, the Governor of Puerto Rico, my boss, presented Barea with the US and PR flags that waved over the Governor's Mansion the day the Dallas Mavs won the NBA Finals.

Since my last post, I ran an easy 3-miler last Thursday and a 6-mile loop from Escambrón beach to Old San Juan and back. And then my right knee started acting up. Ugh!!! I was a little gimpy on Father's Day and the following days with a swollen knee. It felt weak and unstable. I was operated on that knee 10 years ago due to a torn meniscus. I decided to shut down training for a couple of days. Went to see a physiatrist friend who examined the knee but thankfully didn't find any problems. He recommended icing the knee following long workouts, and doing cross training and strengthening exercises, which I have recently started. Hopefully this setback won't become a bigger hassle in coming weeks. I will reclaim my training tomorrow morning with a 3-mile run. A long run of 15 miles awaits on Saturday morning...along with a bag of ice for the knee (for sure).

Obama Day

President Obama is in town today and I will head to Muñiz Air Force Base in an hour or so to be among 1,000 people to receive him at noon. Lots of excitement in the air today. Had a 4 mile run this morning finished off with five 100m strides. Yesterday did some pool work at USC at 6am. Very refreshing way to start the day.

Humidity is a runner's best friend

Yesterday (Saturday) just called for a 4 mile run. Thank God! We started running at 6am and it felt like high noon. The humidity in San Juan (and the rest of Puerto Rico) has been ridiculous. The picture above is of VIP Running's home track in Torrimar and nutty folks (fellow group members) who wake up early on Saturdays to sweat a little. The VIP Running group follows the Galloway run/walk program.

Friday was a rest day. I got invited to play the Amaury Nolasco & Friends Golf Classic. In its 2nd installment,  Amaury brings to Puerto Rico TV celebrities and pro athletes along with some local personalities to play golf, have some fun in the sun and raise funds for CAP and VAL foundations. CAP is a NFPO dedicated to the welfare of cancer patients at the Pediatric Hospital in Puerto Rico. VAL stands for "Vive Alegre Luchando" (live happy battling) and  its purpose is to bring happiness and hope to children diagnosed with cancer through fun activities and events. Got to play with President Charles Logan from the drama series 24 (real-life Gregory Itzin). Very nice, down-to-earth man and great golfing partner. It was hard to stay hydrated on a day like Friday. Temps and humidity both into the low 90s. Need to get used to the summer heat for the rest of the training season.

Week 2 starts tomorrow. Looking forward to incorporating an exercise routine on off days as well as hitting the pool twice a week. Hopefully will get a glimpse of our real-life President on Tuesday. Barack Obama will be in town.

Gray Skies, Wet Shoes...

Rain, rain, rain. That's been the theme for the past month or so. Ran 3 miles on Tuesday under a constant drizzle...plus strides at the end with a pair of shoes just a little heavier than usual from all the water they had taken in. Had to leave almost everything outside. Ran another 3 miles this morning...easy run. The humidity outside is only 90%.

Got the latest issue of Runner's World in the mail a couple of days ago. Very good articles and stories about the impact running has had on cancer awareness and fundraising. Plus, there's an interview with Lance Armstrong, who just might be running the Chicago Marathon. Wouldn't that be something...

Let's get it started!

My marathon training officially started this morning with an early morning one-hour swim session with triathlete Carlos Lomba at the USC pool. He runs a very good program in two early morning sessions. There were like 20 of us in the water this morning (plus the rain...a faithful mate for the past month). Will use swimming as a cross-training component once or twice a week.