The real deal...

If you want a FREE photo book from Picaboo, you need to order it within the next three days.

Click the link on the side of my blog, enter your email and you'll receive a coupon code.

Picaboo is one of my customers and this is an incredible deal. As many of you know, I'm a big believer in photo books, I've created many of them and they are way better than prints and photo albums.

For us endurance athletes, they are a great way to put a book together of a "Year in Review". I do one every year.

Yesterday, I was out with the owner of Picaboo for beers and he told me if I put this banner on my blog that all my readers will be offered a FREE photobook, providing they are a new customer.

This is a real offer, "no strings attached", other than you pay shipping. The only downside is the books have to be ordered by 11:59 pm on Monday, October 25th. They also ship internationally. I'm building a "Kona" book right now and the software is very easy to use.

On the training front, I made a "firm decision" during todays run. After the NYC marathon on November 7th, I'm taking one-month off of all training. Period. My body is "toast" and is breaking down.

I remember hearing how many of the pros, like Craig Alexander, do the same. I also want to allow the callouses on the palms of my hands heal from holding on to my aerobars.

During today's run, for the first 8 kms my hamstring and lower buttocks was killing me. I was even wondering if it was my sciatic nerve. The longer I run, eventually the endorphins kick in and the pain dissipates.

Prior to today's run, I was thinking of doing the Niagara Falls Half Marathon on Sunday as a tempo training run. After this afternoons run, there's no way I'm doing it. I'm certain I'll injure myself. I also need to get my aerobic engine working well again.

I've noticed that my heart rate is much higher than normal. I did an easy run and still had to walk a few times. On yesterdays speed run it got as high as 178 bpm, it's been years since it's been that high. The high heart rate is a sign I need to get back to basics.

I choose the wrong time to go for a run. I went at the same time the kids get out of school. The sidewalks were filled with students and I had to continuously "bob and weave" around them. The worst part is some of the kids think "their tough" and when they walk towards you they don't move and you have to run onto the grass to get around them.

One kid was a "real dick" and I almost took him out with my shoulder. It was a "game of chicken" and at the last minute he moved and I clipped his nap sack. If my shoulder would have hit his, he would have thought he got hit by a truck.

I easily had to pass 75 kids over a 2 km stretch. One other kid just missed getting "nailed" as he had his head down and was texting and didn't see "The Payne Train" coming. I cut him some slack and moved out of the way not to hit him.

In Burlington, they have adult crossing guards. Most are retired and they monitor the intersections with there little hand-held stop signs. I think that is great for kids, but it's a bit embarrassing when they treat me like a kid and make me stop until the intersection is clear. I'm not 5 years old.

Most of the time I don't even pay attention to the guards, I just run through the intersections. Today one of "grey haired Grampa" guards started yelling at me for crossing on a "red hand", even though the lights were green.

I didn't hear him at first and took out one of my earphones and could hear him "bitching". I passed him and yelled back, "I don't follow rules" as he kept "barking" away. Finally I just said, "see ya Grampa". Next time, I'm going to tell him I'm a diplomat and have diplomatic immunity.

The one thing about running on a Friday is it's dangerous. It seems that everyone is tired and in a rush to get home. I can't tell you how many driveways and intersections I had to stop at because the driver wasn't looking and I won't pass in front of a vehicle unless I make eye contact with the driver.

It's getting cooler outside and I "hate" it. When I got home I told Alice we need to move to a warmer climate for the winter.

Today I got a completely unexpected phone call, it was from Johan Stemmet, all the way from South Africa. At first I saw the caller ID and thought it was a telemarketer out of India, it was a weird number. I answered it and was looking forward to giving this "Indian" a bad time.

When I found out it was Johan, I was pleasantly surprised. After following his blog for at least the last two years, it was cool to finally hear what his voice sounded like. He called to thank me for my donation to his Charity bike ride. What a class guy.

The long distance call probably ate up all the money I donated. Although I gave a decent amount, his request caught me at the perfect time. It's not that it came when I was feeling generous, it came when I was about 15 beers into the night. I'm always more generous when I'm "feeling no pain". If you also want to donate to his cause you can donate by clicking here. I'm sure he'll prefer if you do when drinking.

It's a good thing I haven't been training the volumes I was pre-Ironman. Creating my Kona journey video series has taken up all my spare time. Each video is at least 4 hours of work and I just finished the 6th and final video. Now I can use my spare time to catch up reading the blogs I follow.

Mod Run - 1:45:20 / 18.68 km / 5:38 avg km pace

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