Robots for Sale - New Children's Book

Attention! Attention! There are Robots for Sale! But Buyer Beware! These Robots Could Fail!

This funny, rhyming children's picture book features 18 illustrations and 400 words for early readers.

Available for Kindle and Paperback on Amazon

Did You Eat My Dog? - New Children's Book

Hey, what happened to my dog? Did you eat it? Where'd it go? And what's with all that juicy stuff around your lips? Okay, pal, we better talk this out.

You can read the rest of the story to find out what happens. Approximately 1,100 words and 10 pictures.

Available for Kindle and Paperback on Amazon

Don't Eat Your Friends - New Children's Picture Book

Little Monster has something very important to tell you. It is okay to become sad or angry with your friends, but under no circumstances should you try to nibble them. Remember, don't eat your friends!

This early reader book has about 900 words and 14 illustrations.

Available for Kindle or Paperback on Amazon

2021 Running Goal - Update #1

For 2021, I've set my running goal as completing 240 hours of running time. This means I need to average 20 hours per month for 12 months. I believe this basically works out to about 40 minutes per day, give or take, depending on the month. My biggest challenge will be finding the running window during the day that offers enough time to actually do this.

The cold months in Wisconsin have a small daylight window, which closes up really quickly when you have to work full-time. Plus, it takes time to get mentally and physically prepared to even go outside for each run. I need to put some time into stretching to minimize injuries. It also takes time to put on multiple layers of clothes and get all my stuff ready. 

On the plus side, I have already finished two days and have a little less than 238 hours to go. I have run two 10Ks so far.

Current injury status: The bottom side of my left rib cage is bruised or fractured. My right calf muscle has a little twinge.

Current yearly stats:

Runs: 2
Distance: 12.40 miles
Total Time: 2h 18m 09s
Avg Distance Per Run: 6.20 miles
Total Calories: 1,537
Avg Speed: 5.40 mph
Avg Pace: 11:08 min/mile

Days Left in Year: 362
Hours Left in Year: 237.70 hours (from 240)
Daily Hours Needed: 0.656 (39.36 minutes)

FINISHED TOTALS:

MONTH	MILES	AVERAGE RUN	TIME (h:m:s)	CALORIES
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
SUMMARY

2020 Year in Review - Running PRs

Today is the last day of 2020. I ended up running a few days before the end of this year, so my total yearly mileage increased a bit. So, let's review my personal records (PRs) that I accomplished this year.

1K = no change, still at 3:54 from 2016

1M = no change, still at 6:32 from 2017

5K = 21:41 on August 4, 2020, which was 3 seconds faster than the old PR in 2017

10K = 45:28 on September 4, 2020, which was 2 minutes and 25 seconds faster than the old PR in 2017

Half-Marathon = no change, still at 1:45:23 from 2018

Full-Marathon = never been attempted

Farthest Distance = 16.40 miles on April 10, 2020, which was .20 miles farther than the old PR in 2017

Total Yearly Distance = 1,507.97 miles, up from the old PR of 1,263.58 miles in 2018

Total Calories Burned = 173,643

Total Half-Marathons = 12 (3 in April, 2 in May, 1 in June, 3 in August, 1 in September, and 2 in October)

Total Time Running = 234 hours, 40 minutes, and 56 seconds (about 9.75 days)

FINISHED TOTALS:

MONTH	MILES	AVERAGE RUN	TIME (h:m:s)	CALORIES
January	118.66	4.39 mi	19:35:19	15,342 C
February	89.63	4.07 mi	15:17:04	11,385 C
March	119.12	4.96 mi	20:15:33	14,746 C
April	128.97	5.37 mi	22:24:57	15,694 C
May	165.16	5.90 mi	25:53:30	18,613 C
June	172.90	6.18 mi	26:43:28	19,211 C
July	218.31	7.04 mi	31:03:04	24,311 C
August	108.56	6.03 mi	16:30:17	12,375 C
September	107.35	4.13 mi	15:33:28	11,172 C
October	125.49	5.02 mi	18:24:50	13,710 C
November	112.59	4.69 mi	16:44:08	12,331 C
December	41.23	4.12 mi	06:15:17	4,753 C
SUMMARY	1,507.97	5.16 mi	234:40:56	173,643 C

2020 Running Goal - Update #41

All done.

Current yearly stats:

Runs: 285
Distance: 1,500.16 miles
Total Time: 233h 14m 11s
Avg Distance Per Run: 5.26 miles
Total Calories: 172,730
Avg Speed: 6.40 mph
Avg Pace: 9:19 min/mile

Days Left in Year: 20
Miles Left in Year: 0.00 miles (from 1,500)
Daily Average Needed: 0.00 miles

FINISHED TOTALS:

MONTH	MILES	AVERAGE RUN	TIME (h:m:s)	CALORIES
January	118.66	4.39 mi	19:35:19	15,342 C
February	89.63	4.07 mi	15:17:04	11,385 C
March	119.12	4.96 mi	20:15:33	14,746 C
April	128.97	5.37 mi	22:24:57	15,694 C
May	165.16	5.90 mi	25:53:30	18,613 C
June	172.90	6.18 mi	26:43:28	19,211 C
July	218.31	7.04 mi	31:03:04	24,311 C
August	108.56	6.03 mi	16:30:17	12,375 C
September	107.35	4.13 mi	15:33:28	11,172 C
October	125.49	5.02 mi	18:24:50	13,710 C
November	112.59	4.69 mi	16:44:08	12,331 C
December	33.42	4.18 mi	04:48:32	3,840 C
SUMMARY	1,500.16	5.16 mi	233:14:11	172,730 C

2020 Running Goal - Update #40

Under ten miles to go! I plan to finish my year of running in three days with my victory on Friday, December 11th. For the last few days, I have worn two socks, two pairs of pants, two short-sleeve t-shirts, two long-sleeve t-shirts, a face mask, and two hats. Is it comfortable? Not really. Does it keep me warm? Yes, it is necessary for the cold darkness of late afternoon in northern Wisconsin.

My Garmin Connect goal tracker shows I am at 99% today. I have 9.40 miles left and 23 days remaining. I am thrilled to be so very close to the finish line.

Current yearly stats:

Runs: 283
Distance: 1,490.60 miles
Total Time: 231h 55m 16s
Avg Distance Per Run: 5.27 miles
Total Calories: 171,630
Avg Speed: 6.40 mph
Avg Pace: 9:20 min/mile

Days Left in Year: 23
Miles Left in Year: 9.40 miles (from 1,500)
Daily Average Needed: 0.409 miles

FINISHED TOTALS:

MONTH	MILES	AVERAGE RUN	TIME (h:m:s)	CALORIES
January	118.66	4.39 mi	19:35:19	15,342 C
February	89.63	4.07 mi	15:17:04	11,385 C
March	119.12	4.96 mi	20:15:33	14,746 C
April	128.97	5.37 mi	22:24:57	15,694 C
May	165.16	5.90 mi	25:53:30	18,613 C
June	172.90	6.18 mi	26:43:28	19,211 C
July	218.31	7.04 mi	31:03:04	24,311 C
August	108.56	6.03 mi	16:30:17	12,375 C
September	107.35	4.13 mi	15:33:28	11,172 C
October	125.49	5.02 mi	18:24:50	13,710 C
November	112.59	4.69 mi	16:44:08	12,331 C
December
SUMMARY	1466.74	5.25 mi	228:25:39	168,890 C

2020 Running Goal - Update #39

Eleven months have come and gone. November was not easy. There were days I did not want to go outside and run. But I'm glad I stuck with it and poured on the mileage at the end of the month. Six of my last eight runs were seven miles or more.  Now I am in a great position to get my yearly goal of 1,500 miles.

I have 33.27 miles to go and 31 days to do it. It has been a long road to this point. I won't be getting to 200,000 calories burned, but it was a pipe dream from the beginning anyway.

I am excited to look forward to being done with my runs early this year. I hope to finish up the 33 miles in the next two weeks. That will allow me to rest and relax for the last few weeks of the year.

Current yearly stats:

Runs: 277
Distance: 1,466.74 miles
Total Time: 228h 25m 39s
Avg Distance Per Run: 5.25 miles
Total Calories: 168,890
Avg Speed: 6.40 mph
Avg Pace: 9:21 min/mile

Days Left in Year: 31
Miles Left in Year: 33.27 miles (from 1,500)
Daily Average Needed: 1.109 miles

FINISHED TOTALS:

MONTH	MILES	AVERAGE RUN	TIME (h:m:s)	CALORIES
January	118.66	4.39 mi	19:35:19	15,342 C
February	89.63	4.07 mi	15:17:04	11,385 C
March	119.12	4.96 mi	20:15:33	14,746 C
April	128.97	5.37 mi	22:24:57	15,694 C
May	165.16	5.90 mi	25:53:30	18,613 C
June	172.90	6.18 mi	26:43:28	19,211 C
July	218.31	7.04 mi	31:03:04	24,311 C
August	108.56	6.03 mi	16:30:17	12,375 C
September	107.35	4.13 mi	15:33:28	11,172 C
October	125.49	5.02 mi	18:24:50	13,710 C
November	112.59	4.69 mi	16:44:08	12,331 C
December
SUMMARY	1466.74	5.25 mi	228:25:39	168,890 C