Gibtown Runner

First Week Back is in the Books

2010-03-14T12:16:00.001-05:00

Today I ran my final run of my first full week back to running. I accomplished a whole 7 miles. But, I steadily increased my miles so i’m happy. I went from .5 miles to 2 miles. Next week I will do even more as I steadily increase to 6 miles. Why 6 miles? Well, the OKC Memorial Marathon takes place at the end of April. I’ve been a part of this race for the last couple of years (on relay teams) and I can’t imagine not participating this year. With that, I’ve decided to do one of the 10K legs of a 5-person relay team. 7 weeks to get up to running 6 miles? No problem. I’m not in “full training mode” but I will informally follow a plan to get up to 6 miles. Mentally, I’m just not ready to get back in to that “I must run X number of miles this week on these days…”. I’m just trying to enjoy being back out there.

I’ve not run outside yet. I’m just a little nervous. Since i’m doing short runs right now, the treadmill suits me fine. Obviously i’ve got to get outside and see how the bum hip feels on the pavement, but I think I will wait until next weekend. Besides, i’ve got a busy travel schedule this week (visiting both Ann Arbor, MI and Harrisburg, PA) that will keep me on the hotel’s treadmill.

One last thing; I HATE springing forward.

The (Not So) Long Road Back

2010-03-10T11:34:00.001-06:00

I sound like a sap these days, but i’m just so happy to be running again. It’s slow going—only up to a mile and a half—but who cares, right? I’m running and my mile(s) are increasing.

My hip is feeling a lot better, too. That has nothing to do with the running, though. Once the doc told me what was causing the pain, I knew what I needed to do differently in order to decrease that pain. Now that i’m paying attention to how I walk, how I sit and how I perform even the most basic movements, the pain is nearly gone. Granted, long car rides still bother me and that won’t change, but at least i’m not in pain all the time.

I make it sound so easy. I never realized how often my everyday movements cause me to spread my legs (you know what I mean) and slightly squat: getting dressed, getting in to bed, getting in and out of a car. I really have to pay attention. Oh well, just a part of life now. And like I said, i’m not hurting all the time! Small price to pay if you ask me.

I'm a Runner!

2010-03-07T17:20:00.002-06:00

That's what I posted today on Facebook after running a mile on the treadmill. It felt good. No, it felt great! This mile long run was actually the second run of my return to this amazing sport. For the first run (yesterday), the plan was to do a mile. Alas, it was not to be. I made it about half a mile and called it quits. I came out of the gate too quickly and ran out of steam. I wasn't down or mad at myself. It didn't bother me one bit. A half-mile run was the longest I had run in over 4 months. It felt great. Today, I tried it again--and hit that mile. Again, I felt wonderful.

I think we all start to take running for granted when we've been training for a long time (I think most of us are in a constant state of training). We over analyze how far we've run and how quickly we got there. We worry when our pace is off and when we didn't run as many miles in a week as we planned. Right now, i'm in a wonderful place. I'm not training for anything; I don't care how far I go or how quickly I get there. I'm running for the love of running. Ok, you got me--i'm also running to shed the 10 spot I gained while I was sidelined. But either way, i'm running for me.

Who knows how long this will last. As I get stronger and start running more, i'm sure I will have the urge to hit this pace or run that distance. But for now, i'm just happy being a runner.

Resurrecting a Blog

2010-03-05T16:24:00.005-06:00

It's been a long, long time since i've written anything for this blog. Part of it's because i've been really busy with work. But mostly, it's because I haven't been running. As you may recall (assuming I'm still on someones RSS feed), I had surgery 4 months ago to repair a torn right acetabular labrum.

No, I did not tear it running. Not sure that is even possible; a torn labrum of the hip, from what i'm told, is a twisting motion injury. The most famous, if you can call it that, torn hip labrum would be that of Alex Rodriguez. He kinda brought the injury to the limelight, if you will. I'm not sure how he tore his labrum, but it was most likely during one of his massive swings. Being nowhere near as cool as A-Rod, the story of how I tore my labrum is pretty lame. Actually, it's really lame. Here goes: I was pretending to karate kick Dyani. Yeah, that's right--a roundhouse, baby. Felt "something" right away and dropped to the ground...as Dyani laughed at me. I deserved it.

Anyway, I think I tore it last May or so. Didn't have the surgery until November. I was trying to wait until the new year--for insurance purposes. Alas, it hurt way too much, way too often. Had to have the surgery.

My doctor, Hal Martin, is considered one of the best in the country at this type of surgery. Hip arthroscopic surgery is all he does. And he is a machine. People come from everywhere to see this guy. He is damn good.

So, surgery was in November. Not the most pleasant recovery, but I survived. In an effort to keep this post short, I will skip all the details. Today, I had my 20 week follow up. I've been in some pain lately. The hip has been popping a little bit; when it pops, the pain is unbearable. Here is what I found out today (I bet I will get a little of this wrong, and i'm paraphrasing what I was told): the floor of my acetabulum is almost non existent. This sometimes happens after the surgery. At this time, there is nothing that can be done about it.

So what does that mean? Well, for one thing, my range of motion is limited. For example, I can no longer sit indian-style. Ever. Like never ever again during this lifetime. I can never sit in lotus position. I won't be able to sit down and prop my right leg on the other one. That popping I mentioned earlier? That was my femoral head popping out of my acetabulum. Basically, I was dislocating my hip--and then popping back in to place. Yum.

Now to the good news. I can run! Woo-Hoo! We ran through some tests to see how strong my leg is (luckily i've been hitting the gym pretty hard with the stupid bike and the stupid elliptical) and I passed with flying colors. The hip is healed. The pain I sometimes get (especially in the morning from all of the rolling around at night) is simply a part of life now.

I got a new pair of running shoes today. I'm starting fresh. I'm hitting the road (treadmill) for a long (1 mile) run. Yeah, 1 mile. That's my goal. I'm really excited to call myself a runner again. Plus, now I can read those Runners World magazines that have been gathering dust. I've refused to read them since the surgery. Silly, I know. But it was a little depressing.

So, expect to see something from me tomorrow. Perhaps on this blog, maybe on Daily Mile--or if i'm really lazy, I will simply toss it up on Facebook. But there will be something. Good luck to me.

More Streaking

2009-07-29T20:42:00.003-05:00

I felt compelled to drop a few words about my rant concerning the 2009 Midnight Streak 5K. Today I had a wonderful conversation via e-mail with Kristin Richter, Public Relations Manager for the City Arts Center. She was also one of two main people that put this race together . First I should say that it was a pleasure talking with her. And second, the job they did--especially considering it was only a couple of people driving this thing--and the fact that they pretty much had to start from scratch, was phenomenal.

As Kristin pointed out, our participation in this race helps fund the exhibits and keeps them free to the public year round. Without us runners running the Midnight Streak, that may not be possible. On that note, I WILL be back next year to participate as a runner or a volunteer. I expect you to be there too. Well, if you're local of course.

Final thought: I am in Salt Lake City this week on business. I forgot how much my lungs hurt when I run in this elevation. Get me home, please!

2009 Midnight Streak 5K

2009-07-26T12:31:00.004-05:00

I didn't like this race. Not at all. But all morning, as i've pondered this blog post, i've been trying to figure out how I can spin it as a positive experience. Well, I couldn't figure out how to do that. I just really, really didn't like this event.

Let's start at the beginning.

Bib and Packet Pick-Up
I preregistered for the event but decided not to go pick up my packet early. I figured the 25 minute drive just to get the shirt and bag wasn't worth it. You see, they decided not to include bib's in the race packets. So, even if you chose to pick-up your packet early, you would still have to get your bib and timing chip when you got to the race. I don't think I have ever seen it done like that before. Sure, the timing chip usually gets picked up race day, but typically the bib is included. No big deal you say?

I got to the race way early. I never like to feel rushed; I would rather sit around and wait for a while than to be running late and rushed to the starting line. Anyway, I knew my first order of business was to find the pre-registered line and get my bag and bib. It wasn't hard to find...because there was only one line. One MASSIVE line for pre-registered people, those that hadn't yet registered and those that just needed their bib. I waited in that line for over an hour. It was awful. In fact I got my bib and chip 5 minutes before the race was to start. Because of that, I decided not to take a shirt and race bag. Even if I had, I wouldn't have had time to make it back to the car to drop the stuff off. Whatever.

The Race
It was about 90 degrees when the race started. I was actually hoping it would rain to cool us off. No such luck. It was nasty out there. Race started without a hitch. There were a bunch of people--at least 600 or so. I didn't expect such a turn out since the race began at 11 PM. Whatever the final count, there was enough people so that I was in a pack the entire race. There were also a lot of walkers. What is it about the walkers that makes them think it is ok to start in the middle of the pack and walk 4 and 5 people across? Do they not see the runners trying to get around them? Do they not care? I hate to say it, but the walkers drive me crazy.

The course took us around the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. The course was mostly broken concrete parking lots and side roads. I saw 2 people go down and you really had to watch where your feet landed so you didn't trip and fall. The running surface was just plain nasty. Oh, I forgot to mention that the course took us over 3 sets of railroad tracks. Real fun.

I decided to leave the iPod at home for this race. With it being my first night race, I really wanted to enjoy the sounds and feel of the event. I enjoyed not having it for the first half of the race. The second half of the race wasn't as enjoyable. I had this dude behind me panting and gasping like we was about to die. I wished I had some tunes with me to drown out his nauseating noises.

The End
Bananas, oranges and cookies! A very nice spread indeed.

There was more nonsense I was going to write about but it would be bordering on nitpicking.

Anyway, I am glad I got the experience of running at night. I will certainly need to do more of it later this year as I begin to prepare for Ragnar Del Sol. I just wish this event was put together a little better. They've been doing it for years so you figure they would have it down by now. Obviously not. I can't say I will be doing the Midnight Streak again.

Evolution of my Hydration

2009-07-21T13:03:00.009-05:00

With the summer on us, and record-breaking temperatures enhanced with some really ugly humidity, i've quickly come to the realization that my hydration, or lack of, is hurting my running.

Maybe i'm a weirdo that requires a lot of water while I run because I have seen plenty of people out in this nasty weather running 9+ miles (that's the length around the local lake) without a drop of water. How do they do that? I know it's not good to do and it amazes me.

Before my last long run this past weekend, I wanted more fluids. More more more. That got me thinking about the water bottles and belts I had gone through over the last couple of years. Here for your viewing pleasure is a look at methods tried and money wasted.

1. Nothing

When I first started running a few years ago, I worked my way up to 3 miles and stopped. Well, I kept running but I never did more than 3 miles. Usually on the treadmill, but sometimes I would head outside. Who needed a water bottle for 3 miles? Besides, if it was too hot, I would head to the gym and hop on the treadmill. Get up at 5 AM for a run? Are you nuts? It was just running. It's not that important that I get it done.

2. Amphipod RunLite Snapflask 3 Hydration

At the beginning of last year, I really got in to running. I started following some running blogs, opened on one myself, began doing some 5K's and really became part of the community. One of the blog I read talked about this hydration belt and how wonderful it was. I figured I would give it a shot. I REALLY liked it at first. I needed water and there was water. What's not to love? But after a while, it started rubbing me the wrong way. Literally and figuratively. Plus it was a pain to pack it in my suitcase. It was time to move on.

3. Amphipod Hydraform Handheld

Another blogger mentioned a handheld. I had noticed a few people with these things but it didn't seem like it would be comfortable. But, in typical money wasting fashion, I figured what the heck, let's give it a go. Instant love affair. It took a couple of weeks to truly get use to it on my hand but I thought it was wonderful. I used this up until about 2 months ago. If you are looking for a handheld bottle, this is the way to go. To be honest, i'm not sure how people can carry regular water bottles around as they run. Seems like it would be really annoying. Also, this bottle is pretty easy to slip in to the suitcase.

4. Amphipod Full-Tilt Velocity Ultra Low Profile Bottle Pack

I purchased this product because of stupidity on my part. Meaning, I left my water bottle at home while on a business trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan a couple of months ago. It was so freakin humid and I knew I would never be able to complete my 5 mile runs without water (like I said, I need my water). I stopped in to a local running store and they didn't have any handhelds. I settled on this bad boy. Sure, another belt, but I love it. I love having the same size water bottle that I have with my handheld, but I don't have to hold it. Plus, my hand doesn't get frozen at the beginning of the run from the cold fluids in the handheld bottle. Seriously! That was always a bit of a pain.

As I mentioned, it's been really, really hot. Two weeks ago, as I was running 9 miles, I started craving water. In my bottle I had a Gu sports drink, but I was dying for some water so I had to stop a few times at a water fountain. This problem got me thinking and lead me to what I now use for my long runs.

5. Amphipod Full-Tilt Velocity Ultra Low Profile Bottle Pack + Little Water Bottles from the Snapflask

Tell me you didn't see that one coming! I added the little water bottles to my Velocity belt and it was super. Big bottle with sports fluid, little bottles with water. I was in heaven. For long runs this summer, this will be the only way to go.

You notice a theme? I really like the Amphipod products. Great construction--you can't go wrong with these guys.

What about you? What do you use for your hydration needs?

I Have a Running Blog?

2009-07-04T09:14:00.003-05:00

Has it really been 2 weeks since I last posted? In my defense, I have been crazy busy with work, running, life and most importantly, getting the Ragnar team together. And we are so close! To be honest, when I first looked at putting a team together, I thought it would be difficult to get people to commit. Just the opposite. Within days, I had 17 people (for 12 openings) interested in the race. I figured the fairest way to do it was first to pay was on the team. That, and some serious peer pressure, worked. The team is almost complete, and I can't wait to announce the superstar line-up.

I actually have one slot open. To be honest, I have a certain person in mind to round out the team. I won't name names, but just so she is aware, I really hope she says yes.

Switching topics, my running is going well. I feel good during my speed workouts and I am getting ready to start increasing my long run miles in prep for my half marathon training. I have set a goal for this half that I don't think I will be able to hit, but I will certainly try.

I was in Boston this week and got to have dinner with Middle of the Pack Girl, Terri. That was the one bright spot of an otherwise stressful business trip. Next time, we run. Oh, and that is looking to be sooner than I originally thought. I could be back in a month, so be ready, Terri!

Ragnar Relay -- Looking for Runners

2009-06-22T17:42:00.003-05:00

I discovered the Ragnar Relay yesterday. I. Want. To. Do. This.

What is the Ragnar Relay you ask? 12 person relay team, 200(ish) miles, everyone runs 3 legs (varying in length between 3 and 8 miles), race lasts 24 hours. Oh, and the race doesn't stop for night time. That is 24 hours straight.

There are 12 races a year. I am thinking doing one in March, April or May would work well. Gives us plenty of time to get 12 people together, coordinate the logistics, etc.

So who is with me? So far I have 5 people VERY interested in joining me and a strong MAYBE from one other. So I need 6 or 7 RELIABLE people to pledge their word (and money). If we did the race in March, the Texas race (180 mile route from San Antonio to Austin), we would need to pay by September 2009 to get the early reg discount (cost around $1100 total). I think that race is a good one to aim for.

I am doing this. You will be joining me. Let's talk.

Follow-up Visit Part 2

2009-06-21T11:02:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I followed up my last post. The goal was to finish it off the next day, but I guess life got in the way.

When we last left our hero, he had just been told that he couldn't do any running for 6 months. Or was it only a few miles for 6 months. Our hero was just as confused as you are.

Ok, the comments that were left echo exactly how I was feeling: you gotta find someone that knows what they are talking about. I didn't feel confident that I would find anyone around here that could help me. I mean, the guy I had been dealing with is supposed to be one of the best around here. He even consulted his "hip specialist" and neither of them gave me the warm and fuzzy's.

Back to the internet I went. One name kept popping up during my search, Dr. Marc Philippone. Dr. Philippone is a hip guy; no, THE hip guy. That's his speciality. He does something like 500 arthroscopic hip surgeries a year. He is a consultant for the NHL, has worked on golfers and football players. My savior, at least that is what I was hoping.

Dr. Philippone is out of Vail, CO. I decided to give him a call half expecting not to hear back. Well, the next day is nurse called me. We ran through a questionnaire and she told me to gather up all my x-ray's, MR's and reports and mail them out. After a week or so, they will call me back with the next step in the process. If I do end up needing surgery (and hopefully that is years from now) I think he is the one I want doing it.

One of my friends asked me why I need to contact a dude in Vail, CO when there are plenty of doctors around here that could probably help me. I told him that I am just too young to be hurting for the rest of my life because of crappy surgery. If Dr. Philippone tells me to stop running for 6 months, i'll do it. I'll do it because the hip is what this guy does. He isn't a shoulder guy or a spine guy.

I mailed the images off yesterday--2 day express. I am hoping to hear something next week. I will keep you posted!

Follow-up Visit Part 1

2009-06-16T19:22:00.003-05:00

This is going to be one of those posts where you say "What the crap is up with Chris" but that's ok. And, if you feel that way, let me know. Maybe I am a little wacko but I have to look out for me.

Anyway, on with the post.

Hopefully you read my last post about my hip troubles. You may recall that I wasn't too terribly worried about my follow-up visit because I felt I had done enough research to understand my problem and what I needed to do moving forward. I figured I knew how the follow-up visit with the sports med doc would go: he would tell me it's torn, get me some PT (to help strengthen the hip and pelvis), load me up on Motrin scripts, tell me to come back if it gets worse, etc. etc.

It was a complete 180. Let me say that I think this doctor is great. He is supposed to be one of the top sports med guys in the area, works on the OU baseball players, stuff like that. He admitted that he hasn't really seen many (or any) hip tears but he was very familiar with the shoulder ones. Doesn't really help me, does it?

The first thing he said to me was that he consulted with a specialist and they discussed a conservative course of action: no running for 6 months. WTF? He told me that the repetitive motion of running could make it worse; he did ok me for the elliptical. Is it more or do you use that same repetitive motion for the elliptical? To told me PT would not do anything for me nor would Motrin. The only thing that he said that agreed with my research was that surgery should be the last option.

I said "Doc, I ran 9 miles yesterday. It didn't hurt anymore after that run than it did the day before when I did nothing". He responded with "Ok, so maybe it's ok to run but try to keep your runs under 3 miles". So which is it? No running or some running? Again, not knocking the guy, I just don't think he knows.

I felt I needed more options. My Mom said I should get a second opinion from her doctor. I told here that I don't want a second opinion from just some guy who knows as much as the last about it--I want an expert to tell me what I need to do. She left me her guy's business card anyway. The dude is a spine doc. I love my moms yo, but I don't think that is going to help.

So I went back on the internet.

I feel this post is getting long so I will call this a Part 1 and continue tomorrow. In this Twitter world we live in, everything has to be short and sweet.

Hip Baby Hip

2009-06-14T09:03:00.004-05:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I have learned a lot about the hip. Sure, my background is that of an x-ray tech so I understood the anatomy, but you don't really stop and think about how things work until you are experiencing it.

What exactly am I experiencing? Pain. Ha! Who isn't, right?

On April 18, my right hip started hurting. How do I know it was that date? Training log of course! The pain was/is a dull throbbing that feels deep, as if it is coming from the bone, not a muscle or something. The pain would come and go--usually in the evenings--sometimes to the point I would be limping around. To this day, it has never affected my running. I don't feel it during a run nor does it bother me afterwards. For that reason, I kinda ignored it.

At the beginning of May, I hired Christine Hinton to coach me. I started to increase my mileage and really get serious about my running. That seriousness led me to start listening to my body and evaluate my aches and pains. My knees always bothered me which led to my foot strike change (which I talked about here and here). The next thing to look at was my hip. 2 weeks ago I went to see the sports medicine doc.

This guy is the same one I saw for my IT band issue--he is a runner and a marathoner--a great guy that isn't apt to simply say "stop running". We did an x-ray and he thought he saw a stress fracture! Yikes! He wanted an MRI to confirm. I was able to get one the same day at the imaging center my wife works at (she is an MRI tech--can't beat the hook-up). That was a Friday and the Radiologist called me with the report the same day saving me from having to think about it

all weekend. No fracture but a possible acetabular labral tear. Um, what?

From OhioHealth's website, I got this definition: "A hip labral tear involves the ring of soft tissue that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint. This ridge of cartilage, called a labrum, works a little like a suction cup to help hold your hip joint together."

The radiologist wanted an MR Arthrogram to confirm. I had that done this past Friday, and he confirmed that the labrum is torn. Fun!

I should be clear, it doesn't appear to be a running related injury. The sports med doc said I could have been walking in the parking lot and twisted wrong. And everything I am being told and have read says that running can't make it any worse. I will confirm that on Monday at my follow up. This thing, however, won't heal itself. If it gets to the point that I can't deal with the pain, surgery will be the last option. I have read A LOT of stories on the RW boards about surgery not helping or making it worse. Like I said--the very last option.

I will keep you guys posted, and although I was worried in the beginning that my days of running were over, I no longer think that is the case.

To end on a positive note, I no longer experience the knee pain! My move to a midfoot strike is almost complete. I ran 9 miles this morning and I didn't have to "force" myself to do it, it just happened. Cool, right?

You can read some good info about the labral tear here.

More Footstrike Stuff

2009-06-11T13:16:00.000-05:00

The other day I talked about foot striking. You are probably thinking "what more could he say?" Lots.

I went out yesterday morning for an easy 5 mile run. My hotel in Ann Arbor is right on a golf course as well as at the beginning of a running trail that goes on and on. My foot strikes went pretty well. Still not completely "natural"--I had to constantly pay attention or I would go back to a heel strike. That being said, I still think it was better/easier compared to Sunday's run. This morning I hopped onto the treadmill for a 5 mile speed run. I went right into the midfoot strike. It definitely felt more natural because I didn't even think about it. I also noticed I didn't have to concentrate as much as I have with my other runs. Even during the speed portions, I did very well. I can also say that my knees don't hurt at all these day; it seems like my knees were always hurting, especially after long runs. Heel striking sucks.

There are a couple of important thing to remember when doing the midfoot strike. First, it helps to lean forward slightly. Not sure if it is gravity pulling you along (as I read on a Chi Running website) or what, but it does help. Also, you will take shorter strides. Don't expect those big long strides you are taking with the heel strike. So, if you are having problems implementing the midfoot strike, try shortening your stride.

Here is a great little demo Newton Running's website. Check it out here. Play with the different options to get a better idea of what the heel strike is doing to your running and your body. Notice the exaggerated stride on the heel strike demo vs. the midfoot one. BTW, a triathlete friend of mine swears by the Newton's.

I have uploaded an article originally posted in TRI-DC Magazine by Christine Hinton. Christine is my running coach (she can be yours too --click here) and sent me the article after she saw the discussion about gait and striking. Take a few minutes to read it--lots of great information in there. You can download it here.

Footstrike Stuff

2009-06-09T20:24:00.002-05:00

I started playing around with my running form the other day. I've been doing a lot of reading about how poor form can lead to injuries. I'm sure there are lots of things wrong with my form, but the one thing I really want to work on his my foot strike. There are basically 3 different ways for your foot to land--strike--the ground:

Midfoot Strike
Forefoot Strike
Heel Strike

Like most newbie runners and those that have never had any real training/coaching, I use a heel strike--I land right on the heel. This is bad. That constant jarring can really jack up your knees.

A person with a forefoot strike basically lands on the ball of their foot. If your heel never touches the ground, you are a forefoot striker. You will see this in sprinters. Nothing wrong with striking like this, but I don't think it comes natural for most of us.

That leaves us with a midfoot strike. A midfoot strike is when your heel and the ball of your foot hit the ground at the same time.

I tried it out for the first time on my 8-mile long run on Sunday. It seemed to go very well. I had to really concentrate because my foot wanted to keep going back to the heel strike. I found that if my mind wandered, I would land with the heel again. Other than that, I think my first real effort went great. After the run, my ankles were really hurting, but I think this is normal when you first change your foot strike--the body has to get used to it.

Yesterday on the treadmill, I made another effort. That one didn't seem to go as well. I found it difficult to do and I kept going back to the heel strike. I am headed outside in the morning and we will see how that goes.

What about you? How does your foot strike? Any advice? Thinking of working on your foot strike?

Post to End All Posts

2009-06-05T13:09:00.005-05:00

This is one of those post that you force yourself to make. I really don't have anything to discuss but I kinda feel liking typing.

My running has been going well. Phenomenally well actually. I have been following my schedule, getting my runs in, hitting my mileage. I will admit, it has helped that I have been home for 2 weeks straight. I hope I can get back in to the groove of "running on the road" next week during my work trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Although I am not training for anything yet, I am laying the ground work for my half marathon training which starts soon. The plan is to run the Rock n Roll Half in San Antonio this November.

Lisa from Discovering the Meaning of Stonehenge has a Gu giveaway going on right now. Check it out here; oh, and if you win, you can split them with me! On that topic, I think the Gu Chomps are messing up my belly, if you know what I mean. That might mean I will be doing a giveaway soon myself since I bought a box of them!

Wow, that was a weak post, but that's all I got. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement soon*!

Fun song to break up the monotony of a long run: Don't Stop Believin' by the Cast of Glee. Gotta love it!

*There is no exciting announcement. Just thought I would leave you with a cliffhanger.

Harder Faster Better Stronger

2009-05-25T08:56:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it has been 10 days since I updated the blog. And what an interesting 10 days it has been. To sum it up: a couple of fun runs in Boston, a trip to the ER, a beetle in my undies and a visit to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Now, moving on.

Ever since I hired Christine Hinton as my running coach, I have been very consistent with my running. I haven't been as consistent with my cross-training, but i have to blame travel a little bit for that. I am on vacation this week so I plan to rectify that by hitting the gym hard on my non-running days.

Saturday's long run of 7 miles was awful. I got out there at about 8 in the morning. it was only 73 degrees, but with 90% humidity, it was extremely unpleasant. I completed the run, but I thought I was going to die. I had to stop several times and I was so slow during the 'back' part of the out and back course. I felt sluggish, my body ached--I thought I would fall out a couple of time. I just wasn't prepared for the humidity.

I planned a little better for today's weather and I was determined to have a good run. What did I do differently? Glad you asked:

I got out there at 6 AM. It was 62 degrees and 90 humidity. Sun wasn't beating down on me for most of this run.
Brought out the Hammer Endurolytes. I popped a couple of these halfway through the run.
Took Hamer HEED instead of just water. Christine sent me a sample.
As a back up, I had Gu Chomps ready to go.

The result? Fantastic run. I only had to do 5.5 miles and it was supposed to be an easy one, but I couldn't help but push myself a little. The best part? With every mile, I got faster--not by much, but faster none the less. The first mile was clocked at an 11:00 pace. The last half-mile was at a 9:40 pace. And I didn't even feel winded after the run was done.

I think the time of day had the most to do with my run going well. Not having the sun mocking me with every step really helped. I am sure the HEED and Endurolytes helped too. I never got dehydrated and I felt strong through the entire run. I think on these humid days I will have to skip plain water and make sure I have some sort of sports drink with me. This was my first real experience with Hammer products and they appear to work very well. Any suggestions on other Hammer products I should be looking at? Oh, I didn't have to touch the Chomps.

Song you should add to your run playlist: No You Girls by Franz Ferdinand

Free Your Mind

2009-05-16T15:40:00.004-05:00

I got another pair of shoes. Yeah, I know, my wife already told me. I have a problem. So what did I get this time, you ask? Nike Free 5.0 V4's. There are a number of reasons I decided to try these out. I have been reading a lot of articles and blogs about barefoot running. Not sure I will ever get to the point where I am comfortable doing that. Nike Free, however, are an alternative to barefoot running; supposedly they mimic the freedom and movement of naked feet but offer the protection you (I) beg for. I did some research (read: surfed the net) on the Free and came across this article. Read it. It talks about the history and development of the shoe. Well worth the time. Nike actually put some effort into the research and production of this shoe.

So what's so special about this shoe? In my opinion, it's the sole. The waffle fill sole permits the shoe to move in just about any direction. For example, pick up your shoe and flip it over. Now try to twist and bend it. It doesn't go far, does it. The Free's waffle sole allows it to move, twist and shift in any direction. Supposedly this lets your foot react in a more natural way.

The Free is not meant to replace your regular shoes. It is a training tool to make your feet and legs stronger, thereby making you faster. It is recommended that you start off slow with these bad boys, let your body get used to them--otherwise pain and discomfort. Nike even has a training schedule to help you get use to them.

So you probably noticed the oddness of title of the shoe--Free 5.0 V4. There appears to be 3 types of Free's: 7.0, 5.0. 3.0. This should make a little more sense when you see my list below that I got from the official Nike Free website.

10 = Average Running Shoes
7 = Beginning Foot Strength Training, Everyday Support
5 = Increased Foot Strength Training, Medium Support
3 = Advanced Foot Strength Training, Minimal Support
0 = Barefoot

I bought the 5's before I realized this. I doubt it would have mattered though. I don't think I would go through 3 set's of shoe to gradually get my foot use to minimal support.

I decided to try them out on my long run today. It worked out that I would be using the treadmill for today's run. I planned to only do a mile in them, but I was enjoying them so much I went for 2. After the switch, running in the Karhu's was odd. Or difficult. It is hard to explain the feeling. One, the Karhu's are a lot heavier. Two, it almost felt like I could feel the extra support/constriction of the Karhu's. It took me half a mile to settle in and to stop thinking about it.

Moral of the story is this: I dig the Free. Not sure how much it will help, only time will tell. But it is hard not to recommend them. In fact, as soon as we got home, the wifey ordered herself a pair (from Running Warehouse of course).

Any experience with the Free?

A Boring Update

2009-05-13T14:33:00.004-05:00

I had this big plan to complain about another flight delay and how it through off my schedule on Monday and blah blah blah. I figured it wasn't important. Besides, I think it would be more amazing if I typed "I arrived at my destination with no delays". Of course, that has to happen first before I can blog about it.

So, back in beautiful Salt Lake City this week. Seriously, I like this town. Sure there is a layer of nuttiness to this place (no offensive), but who cares. There is no humidity (yet--not sure if there will be even during the summer), it has lots of places to run, and for the most part people are pretty friendly.

I have had 2 great runs since I arrived. Yesterday I headed outside for an easy run around town. And this morning I went out for a speed workout. You know, I have been running outside so much lately i'm starting to get a little spoiled! Have I mentioned how much I hate the treadmill? I hate the treadmill.

I planned on a longer post but I am really tired.

2009 Clean Air Challenge Race

2009-05-09T14:46:00.004-05:00

The family took part in the 2009 Clean Air Challenge at the OKC Zoo today. When we woke up this morning, we weren't sure if the weather was going to hold up enough to take Piper to her first race. We figured this would be a great race to take her to since it was at the zoo, and runners were given free passes to enjoy after the race.

The weather man assured us that it wouldn't rain. It would be a little cooler, he said, but no rain. Great! So we got Piper up a little early and headed out.

My only real complaint was the porta-john situation. Two. TWO! That's it. Not sure of the numbers, but there was a lot of people there. Way to many people for 2 toilets. The line was ridiculous even as the gun went off to start the race.

Oh, before I forget, their were timing chip mats at the beginning and end of the race. Rare at small, local races. Happy to see that for sure!

It started raining a little after the rain started. The downpour began half way through. Ugh. I am not a fan of running in the rain. The stroller kept Piper covered so she was fine.

Piper had a blast! The wifey pushed her and had no problems. She was a little mad at herself for having a slower time, but I explained that pushing an extra 30 pounds is hard work. Otherwise, they both did great.

Afterwards, we went to the zoo but only spent an hour or so there. It was a little cold and we were all starting to get hungry.

GPS DATA
Time: 27:55
Pace: 8:58
Split Pace: 8:51, 9:09, 9:04, 7:45
Check out the course here.

Is it Summer Already?

2009-05-07T20:39:00.003-05:00

Dumb dumb dumb.

That's me!

I have learned my lesson. That lesson is: when you see the weather report and it says that the morning will be nice but it will be crazy humid by noon, don't go running at noon.

Instead of going running first thing in the morning, I opened my laptop. Then I opened Outlook. The rest is history. I finally make it out to the lake right around noon; it got to the point where I knew if I didn't go out when I did, I wouldn't make it out. It was 80 degree's but it was as muggy as I have run in this year.

But, I made it through the entire 4.5 miles I had planned. I minor victory I would say. I need to get some of those magic pills Terri gave me when I was in Boston. I think those will help me out.

This weekend I am doing a 5K race at the zoo. We decided it might be fun for Piper to come with us. The wifey would push her in the new, killer running stroller we recently purchased. Then, we could walk around the zoo and see the animals. Well, mother nature is cooperating with that plan. It is supposed to rain. Hard. I'm still going, but the wifey and Piper will be staying behind. Boo.

Put Me in Coach Part 2 - The Plan

2009-05-03T18:08:00.006-05:00

I received my training plan for the month from my coach. She wrote it out so that I would take Sunday's off. Of course, I have the flexibility to change it up due to my travel schedule. I don't want to go in to too many details of the schedule, but for this month, I will be doing 2 quality runs a week and 2 easy runs. Also, I scheduled myself for a 5K next weekend. I'm sure my performance will suck like most of my 5K's these days.

Instead of taking it easy today, I decided to do tomorrow's scheduled run (I will do Tuesday's scheduled run tomorrow since I will be traveling all day--I am so ready to go home). It was a simple 4.5 miles at an easy pace. To be honest, I wasn't in the mood to run. This "vacation" is taking an emotional strain on me and the wife. All I really want to do is stay in the bed and pull up the covers. But I know I would have to explain why I didn't run or why I didn't follow the plan that was put together for me. And frankly, why am I going to pay for a service that I don't plan to utilize? So I got my butt on the TM and did my run. It turned out to be a good one. That's 4 GREAT runs in a row! What's up with that?

Put Me in Coach

2009-05-02T12:41:00.005-05:00

I have decided to get a running coach. I feel like my running could be a lot better with a little coaching and some accountability on my end. It is hard to get motivated when, in my head, it doesn't really matter if I run 4 miles instead of 6. I started searching for coaches in the OKC area and couldn't find anything. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I worry about the cost. So, I have decided to go the route of the long-distance/internet coach.

I had never done this before and I wasn't really sure what to look for. I came across The Running Coach, Christine Hinton. Christine ran in high school, ran in college, has completed marathons and triathlons, and coached local high schools. She has written articles for many magazines including Runner's World. Oh, she just ran Boston. She seems like the real deal.

I know what you are thinking: "How can a long-distance coach help". To be honest, I don't know. I do know that she sounds like she knows what she's doing. We had our first talk the other night and I found out she has been doing long-distance coaching for over 10 years. She asked me a lot of questions: goals, what I am currently doing, my running history, etc.

Christine wants me to track my calories for the next couple of weeks. I think I will start doing that once I get back home from this "vacation". I know this is an area I have been lacking in for a while. She also wants me to run a 5K as soon as possible for something of a baseline.

The cost of the service is $100/ month. I will keep you posted on my thoughts and let you know if I think it is working. I am excited about it and I can't wait to get started!

I Ran Boston!

2009-04-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

Er, I mean I ran in Boston. Same right?

This week I was in Boston for my first site visit with a new customer. It was my first time ever visiting Boston and I LOVED it. There are so many runners! I have visited a lot of places and have never seen a place like this. There were probably more runners running in the evening in Boston than there are at a local Saturday morning 5K in Oklahoma City. Everywhere!

My week, however, didn’t start so well. I had an early morning flight that would get me to Boston in the early afternoon. I wanted to have some time to do some site seeing. It wasn’t to be. I got to the airport and realized that I had left my wallet at home. I had to drive all the way back which made me miss my original flight. I made it back to the airport, got a new flight, and discovered I had left a few more things at home. Here is a list of the stuff I forgot:

• Book to read
• Belt (to wear with my suit)
• Shave cream
• Deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Hair gel
• Face wash

As you can see, my day started off pretty bad. It ended well though. I finally got to meet Terri from Middle of the Pack Girl. We had dinner and then she helped me map out a course for my run the next morning. It turned out my hotel was 2 blocks from Boston Common and less than a mile from the Charles River. Oh, she also took me to the CVS so I could get the crap I forgot!

The next morning I had a FANTASTIC run. It was one of those runs that make you remember why you started running in the first place. I began the run at about 5:30 in the morning and it was beautiful along the river. I couldn’t believe how many runners were already outside at such an early hour.

Terri and I ran together yesterday evening and it was another wonderful run. We took it easy and talked the whole way through. The 5 miles flew by.

And now it is over. It was a great week and I can’t wait to come back. I told Terri that I will be coming back so often (it’s an important customer) that she will probably get tired of me! Doesn’t take long for that to happen…

OKC Memorial Marathon Relay Race Report

2009-04-27T08:47:00.008-05:00

First, I should warn you that my brain is barely working this morning so most of this post is just a mix of random thoughts about the race. No real structure but I am aiming for partially coherent.

I had a great time yesterday at the OKC Memorial Marathon Relay. All of my team mates made it to their relay points with no problems. The hand offs from one team mate to another was also very smooth. I only mention this because last year, there were a lot of problems finding fellow team mates.

I ran the last leg and the worst part was the waiting. I had a good 2+ hour wait for my team mate and it was unnerving. I just wanted to run!

We decided to get there early so we could see the race start. This is actually the first time I have had the chance to be a spectator at such an event. It was really cool seeing thousands of people start running.

The only real problem I had was with the bus. the bus was to take us from the starting-line area to the last leg relay point. The route the bus took us would have to cross the race course. I am going to guess that a non-runner devised that bus route. Dumb, dumb, dumb. We get to the intersection and runners are already crossing. The bus driver said something like"we will just wait a few minutes for a break in the runners". 20 minutes later and still sitting there with no end in sight, the passengers decided to walk the half-mile to our relay point. No big deal, but it still sucked that 40 people had to cross the route where people were running, trying to dodge them as we went.

My actual run time was pretty ugly, but considering it was ridiculously windy, and most of my leg was right into the wind, I am satisfied with my results. The course, however, has pretty nice. I ran in parts of the city I had never been to before. Ran through some nice neighborhoods and the spectators were out to cheer us on. Not the biggest turnout I have seen, but still nice.

My 2 friends, the ones that did the Couch to 5k program to get ready for the relay kicked butt! Very proud of them for getting out there and running their very first race. I don't think they realized what they were getting in too, though. They weren't just running; they were racing. They literally discovered a running community yesterday--I don't think they knew it existed before the race. Now, I gotta make sure they keep it up!

HUGE number of toilets both at the start/finish and at the relay points. Also,there was a fantastic spread of food at the end of the race. It was very well organized--better so than last year if you ask me. I highly recommend this race.

Wifey is already saying she wants to run the half next year.

A Day of Regrets

2009-04-25T11:17:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is the 9th Annual OKC Memorial Marathon. I put together a team to run the relay. It should be a lot of fun--2 members of the team have never run a race before and and got in to running just a few months ago. It should be exciting for them. Today, though, I am regretting not training for the half marathon. I have the fever, just 3 months too late, I think. It seems like EVERYONE I know is training for a half or marathon. Some, in fact, are running this weekend. I am jealous. I want to run! Why was I so lazy when it really counted? I keep telling myself that Fall will be here before I kn0w it. In fact, the wifey and I have already signed up for the Rock N Roll San Antonio. I only have myself to blame, right? This concludes my whining for the day.

I am running the final leg of the relay tomorrow; it will be cool to be able to cross the finish line for our team. The down side is the waiting around all morning for my leg to start.

Good luck to everyone that is running this weekend!

New Shoes -- Karhu Fluid Fulcrum Ride's!

2009-04-22T19:56:00.005-05:00

I got a new pair of running shoes the other day. This isn't news to my Facebook and Daily Mile friends, because I talked about it on both sites today. Anyway, I ordered these new shoes on Sunday--the same night I had a little talk with myself about my running commitment. I thought the shoes would help me get out of my running rut. I went with something different and ordered a pair of Karhu Fluid Fulcrum Ride's.

Ever heard of the Karhu (pronounced CAR WHO) brand? I hadn't until I saw these up on Running Warehouse. I discovered that they have been around for a long time; the company is a product of Finland and can trace its roots back to 1916. If you get a chance, read through the history of the company. There is a lot of interesting info in there. For example, do you recognize the trademark on the shoe to the right? That was their trademark; can you guess what company they sold it to? Not Nike. According to the website, they sold that trademark in the 1950's for the equivalent of 1,600 euro's and 2 bottles of whiskey. If you get a chance, head over to their website and read more about this company.

Running Warehouse got those shoes to me Tuesday and I slipped them on today. Wow, did they feel good! I will run in them for the first time tomorrow, but I can tell you that they were VERY comfortable as I wore them around the house for a couple of hours. I can't wait to try them out. A review a will follow in a couple of weeks.

Tomorrow Morning When You Wake Up....

2009-04-21T17:16:00.002-05:00

My running has been shit lately.

I have had an excuse for everything. Working too much, not enough sleep, etc. Whatever it is, my running has really suffered. Some weeks, I was only running a couple of days a week.

On Saturday, I had a particularly crappy run around the lake. I couldn't make it all the way around without walking. That really pissed me off!

On Sunday I made a decision to recommit myself to running. I posted a message on Daily Mile about my recommitment. It was out there for all the world (or all of Daily Mile) to see. In fact, several of my fellow running-bloggers commented on it. There was no turning back.

Monday morning rolls around. I did not want to get out of bed. The thought of leaving the cozy covers for the TM made me sick. I told myself I would skip the run. Then that dumb Daily Mile note I posted popped in my head. Damn it! I was stuck. How was I going to punk out the very next day. I don't think so! I got up, hopped on that treadmill and ran 4 wonderful miles! Today I did another 3.

It felt great to do 2 days straight. It is going to feel great to hit 4 runs for the week. And another 4 runs next week. And on and on. I love knowing that when I need the motivation, it is out there.

The Time Is Now

2009-04-15T20:38:00.003-05:00

The title almost sounds like a call to action, huh? Not so. I just meant that the time is now for me to blog. I am thinking of changing the name of the blog to "Life Working for a Start-up" and then never, ever blog again. I mean, I knew it would be busy when I took the job, but I guess I didn't fully realize what that meant. Don't get me wrong, I love the job and I LOVE staying busy, but it does wear you out. In this economy it probably isn't kosher to complain about the job, is it?

But, I am trying hard to keep up with my running. Oh so difficult, especially since it is cold and I have to rely on the treadmill, but keeping up none the less. I know this isn't the gibtown travel blog, but here is my schedule for the next few weeks: Ann Arbor, Boston (Terri I sent you the details of the trip--hopefully we can meet-up for a run), Salt Lake City, and back to Ann Arbor. Fun 4 weeks! And then...family reunion in Tennessee. Kill me now.

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay is 2 weeks away. Can't wait. Should be a lot of fun!

Awesome Achievement

2009-04-03T15:25:00.004-05:00

Wow. It has been a busy week. Spent it on a business trip to Rochester, NY. My co-worker had me at the site by 6 am and we never got off until about 6 pm. Want to know how most of the morning time was spent? Can you guess? Sitting. Waiting. Wishing. Just too exhausted to even consider a run.

But today, oh yes, today was my day to get out there. Had 2 runs today, actually. First, I did a 3 mile tempo run on the TM. Did it at a 9:09 pace. Very happy about that.

Second run was even better. Not in terms of time or distance, but better none the less. You see, 2 of my friends, Kristie and Sherri, signed up to take part in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon which takes place at end of this month. Kristie and Sherri were not runners when they agreed to do this. But I think a team event is just what they needed to motivate them. They started the Couch to 5K program 9 weeks ago. And they stuck to it week after week. So today marked their final run--the one where they run 3 miles straight. No stopping. They have never done that before. Today was the day. I asked if I could join them to celebrate this tremendous achievement. I was honored to run with them for the 3 miles and I KNOW they are going to kick butt at the relay.

Great job Sherri and Kristie! I am so proud of you guys!

A Good Run Gone Gooder

2009-03-30T11:11:00.005-05:00

We were expecting a lot of snow on Saturday. The local news was having a field day with the incoming "blizzard". Snow snow snow! I woke up on Saturday morning and there was maybe a light dusting. While north-west Oklahoma got pounded (some up to 2 feet--with 8 foot drifts), we got nothing. Nothing!

What we did get was 25 degree temperatures and killer winds. Churches closed down. Races were postponed or canceled. It was a nice day to stay in and do nothing. Well, I did go to the gym, but other than that, we did nothing.

Sunday was a different story all together. Although I had planned to continue my lazy streak and do nothing, I stepped outside around 11 and realized how nice it was. So I decided to head out to the park for a run--in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was about 60 degrees and the wind was manageable. It was a killer run. I really think I could have gone longer than my 6 miles, but I was meeting the wifey and Piper at the playground so Piper could play. They joined me at the park and while I ran, the wifey pushed Piper around the 3 mile loop. Both had a lot of fun. It did make us realize that we need to get one of those jogging strollers so Dyani can actually go outside for a run even though I am out of town. Weather is going to start improving and nobody wants to be stuck on a TM in spring!

Congrats to Jason on his first duathlon!

Another congrats to Alissa on a half-marathon PR this weekend!

And finally, congrats to filthy Lisa on a crazy 10K mud run this weekend. Check out her pic's of this insane event. if you are a germaphobe, stay away from those pics!

Last but not least!! Dyani and I signed up for the Rock N Roll San Antonio half marathon scheduled for November 15th! It is only a couple of weeks after my birthday so we are going to make a small vacation out of it. BTW, if you are doing this one, the price increases tomorrow--register today. Who can I expect to meet at this race?

My Blog Just Got a Little More Awesome

2009-03-27T14:24:00.012-05:00

Everyday I wake up and tell myself it is time for a blog post. And every day I find something else to do. This is a running blog and lately my running seems to be a little flat. Whether it is my allergies, laziness, or the fact that I am always busy with the new job, my running as suffered.

This week, however, I have tried hard to get out there and run. I think I have done well. I have run 3 times this week, had 2 killer ab workouts, and 1 full body weight training workout. Yeah, it is a lot easier when I am not traveling. I am in Rochester, NY next week so I am interested to see if I can keep it up.

The wifey and I have found a new gym! It is called Results Fitness and it is owned and managed by a former Mr. Oklahoma. This guy was also the personal trainer for Miss America 2007 and a number of other pageant contestants. I signed my wife up for the pageant training! Not really...but now that I think about it... Anyway, we stopped by yesterday for a workout to see how we liked it. It was fun, they had a lot more equipment, and everyone was really nice. In 30 days, we will officially be done with Anytime Fitness. Good riddance.

Last but not least, you might have noticed my super cool new blog header. That little nugget of awesomeness was created by fellow runner and fellow blogger Alissa over at A Runner's Balancing Act. That girl gots some skills. So if you are reading this in a news reader, come on over and check it out. Thanks so much Alissa.

I've Been Everywhere Man

2009-03-20T15:55:00.003-05:00

I don't have much to blog about this week. My running has been practically non-existent. I took the super early flight to Salt Lake City on Monday, and have been pretty exhausted since. I did manage a 3 mile treadmill run on Tuesday, but nothing since. I just got home a bit ago and plan to do some serious running this weekend. At least, that's the plan.

I thought, however, I would give an update on the new job. This week was my first product go-live. It went extremely well. It was exciting, for once, to have happy customers, customers that actually wanted our product. Not trying to bash the old job, but half the time the customers were pissed and there was nothing you could really do about it.

Of course, I am busier now than I was at the old place. Working for a start-up, I wear many different hats and there is always something that needs to get done. Stressful? Yes, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Upcoming travel: back to SLC a couple more times for the current project and we are on the verge of signing another hospital system in SLC which will keep me coming back for a while. I got Rochester, NY coming up then Boston and possibly Manhattan. Really excited about those last 2 places. I love going to the big cities!

Sorry for the boring post. Just felt the urge to post something. There it is. Something.

Final word: Your mission for this weekend is to sign up at Plinky.

St. Paddy's Day Great Race of the Great Plains Race Report

2009-03-16T14:14:00.005-05:00

Wow, that title was a mouth full.

This was my second running of OKC's annual St. Paddy's Day race. Last year, it was cold, cold and very windy. This time around, the conditions were a lot more pleasant. I still wore tights and got a little warm. Of course, I was happy to have the tights on once the race ended and we were standing around waiting for the trophy presentation. It got so cold just standing there...

Oh, and once again, the wifey kicked my butt. Beat me by a good 2 minutes. Not sure what is going on with me lately. I am hoping it is allergies that is causing my slow down. Just a month ago I kicked her butt on a hilly 5 mile race. Now, I can't even beat her in a 5 K! Maybe I am eating too many M&M's. It is easter you know. Or will be soon enough. I think I will take a break from racing for a while. Get back on my training schedule. Can't let her beat me again.

This race was also the third and final race of the Triple Crown of Spring Racing. Now you know why I ran three races 3 weeks in a row! Anyway, Dyani and I came very close to winning our respective age groups for the Triple Crown, both getting second place. I was a distance second but she was hot on her opponent's tail! The wifey kicked butt and I am very proud of her. Side benefit of all of this--she has started to get more serious about her running and even started a training program for herself.

The pros about this race:

Great food! Bananas, oranges, pizza, beer (green and not), soda, water, blah blah blah...
Well organized.
Wonderful pancake breakfast
Coming oh so close to actually winning something. What a great feeling!

The cons about this race:

Me. I sucked.
NO STARTING MAT for the timing chips. When are they going to realize that having an end mat only does not benefit us lowly runners at all!

My stats:

Garmin watch time and distance = 46:34, average pace per mile = 9:18 for 5 miles
Official time = 46:46, average pace per mile = 9:25 for 5 miles

Rocky Mountain Virtual Half Marathon

2009-03-11T08:02:00.003-05:00

I decided not to run today. I figured it was warranted since I have been having such crappy runs lately. Instead, I had a good hour of weight training. my arms are already hurting!

What do you guys think about this?

The Rocky Mountain Half-Marathon is being held on June 14th. It is a pretty big event from what I understand. The race is now under the care of the Rock N Roll folks, having been acquired along with the deal to get the Denver Marathon.

Along with the Half-Marathon, they are offering a Virtual Half-Marathon. What does that mean? Well, you register just like you would if you were running the real race. Pay the money. You get a goody bag, bib number and shirt mailed to you beforehand. You run the race from wherever you want. You then upload your times using a Garmin, Nike+, or similar device and get your times counted along with the live runners. You then get a medal mailed to you.

The money supports the Ronald McDonald House.

Check out the website here.

Get it in Gear

2009-03-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Ugh. That is the only way to describe my allergies. Admittedly, I am feeling somewhat better. My eyes aren't constantly running. I am not sneezing all day long. But it comes at a price. I am taking 3 different allergy medications and I feel tired. Not pass-out-at-any-moment tired, but certainly sluggish. And I get winded really quick on my runs. As an example, I planned 6 for yesterday's run. I quit at 3. I had that same feeling as when you have taken a few weeks off from running. Know what I mean? It sucks.

Enough complaining. For today. I came across some cool sites and interesting articles this weekend as I was laying around doing nothing.

Runner's World: What Should I Wear

Neat little web page that will tell you what you should wear while out on a run in various conditions. I don't know about you, but as the weather changes, I kinda forgot how I should be dressing. Check it out here.

Denver Marthon = Another RNR

Denver Marathon is becoming a Rock N Roll marathon. These days, what race isn't. I think my local 5K next week is becoming a RNR. Enough already. Here is the article.

I Hate Tree Pollen

My allergies have really been kicking my butt lately. I found this article. If you are dealing with the same, the info might help you.

Asics Wants More Than Runner's High

The article is a year old, but still some interesting information.

Creek Classic 5K Race Report

2009-03-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

The Creek Classic represents my 1 year anniversary of racing. It was exciting to come back and run this course again.

It was warmer yesterday, but still really windy. Unfortunately, my allergies were kicking my butt. I almost bailed on the race all together because I woke up feeling miserable.

I had a terrible, terrible run. Not sure if it was the fact that I was having problems breathing or if I just wasn't prepared for the hills and elements, but i sucked. Sucked bad.

My wife beat me by 2 minutes. No excuses. She did great and I am so proud of her.

I pretty much laid around the rest of the day feeling like crap. I bought some OTC stuff to go along with my prescribed allergy stuff. Finally, I am feeling a little better. I can't wait to go to SLC next week where my allergies don't bother me one bit.

The pros about this race:

1 year of racing anniversary.
Well organized.
Wonderful pancake breakfast
The wifey and I got to meet Jason. We have been trying to hook up for a while and it finally happened yesterday. I was hoping, however, he would bring me one of his cigar's! ;-)

The cons about this race:

Mother Nature was mad at me. She threw the wind at me. She tossed as much tree pollen my way as she could.

My stats:

Garmin watch time and distance = 29:19, average pace per mile = 9:23 for 3.12 miles
Official time = 29:28, average pace per mile = 9:29 for 3.1 miles

Next weekends 8K will mark the conclusion of the Triple Crown of Spring Training.

The Only Negative Thing About Me Are My Splits

2009-03-03T20:46:00.003-06:00

A few months ago I stated that I was going to concentrate on building up my speed, try to get faster at the 5K. And I have done nothing towards that goal. Sure I have been running. Some weeks more than others, but just running. What I haven't done is really work on getting faster. No real interval training. Nothing in the way of tempo runs.

I decided it was time to change that. I started searching online, looking for a plan that would help me build up my speed. I found this and I am really excited about it. Even though it's an 8 week plan, I am not really training for a certain event; I just want to use it as a guide. I will probably do longer runs on the weekend, mainly because I enjoy them (by long I mean 8-10 miles). Running is the only me time I really have--can't skip my long run!

Can't sign off without mentioning Running Warehouse's winter sale going on right now. Fantastic prices, especially on Brooks and Mizuno stuff. And, if you click on my link on the right, you will save an additional 15%. Can't beat it. I have spent so much money the past couple of days stocking up on stuff. Wifey is going to kill me.

Panera Jack Rector Beacon 5K Race Report

2009-03-01T10:58:00.005-06:00

Using the wonderful "Terri Race Report Template", I figure it is time to write up something about yesterday's race.

I only really need to say 1 word: super windy! Ugh. I think it was something like 26 degrees, but the 30 MPH winds brought it down in to single digits. The first .5 miles or so was with the wind to our backs which wasn't so bad. It helped since I couldn't feel my feet. The next mile was directly in to the wind. My face hurt. I wanted to quit. The wind hurt so much.

It was an out and back so it alternated a couple more times between running with the wind and into it. Seriously, this race really sucked. We crossed the line and immediately headed to the car. Didn't grab water or food.

The pros about this race:

It was only 5K.

The cons about this race:

Think I covered it.
Most painful race I have ever participated in.

My stats:

Garmin watch time and distance = 28:18, average pace per mile = 9:04 for 3.12 miles

I am doing a 5K next weekend (since I signed up for the Triple Crown of Spring Racing, I get to decide which length I want to do when I get there) and an 8K the weekend after that. Next week's race is the Deer Creek Classic. Last years Creek Classic was my very first race. Ever. My official time for that 5K was 31:48.

Come On and Get High

2009-02-25T17:21:00.004-06:00

What a mess I was this morning.

This morning I decided I was going to run the treadmill this morning. On this trip, I brought 2 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of tights in case I was brave enough to head out in the morning. I wore one pair of shorts in the park yesterday and gave them a quick sink wash last night (you do what you have to). They were still wet so I reached for my second pair. There was no second pair. I had forgotten to pack them. I was pissed with myself.

Poor packing dictated that I would be doing an outside run this morning. I pouted for about 3 minutes and then pulled on my tights. I brought 2 long sleeve shirts. One I wore yesterday evening for part of my run. I decided to wear the other one. Do you see where this is going? I did pack the second shirt, and as I started to put it on, I noticed it had thumb holes. THUMB HOLES! Yes, I had packed my wife's shirt. Grrrr. It was that kind of morning.

I finally got dressed and headed out towards the LDS temple. BTW, I am in Salt Lake City if I didn't already mention that. I was so slow. I managed to make it to the temple which was about a mile from the hotel. Wow, it looked amazing. It was still dark and they had it all lit up; it was gorgeous. No comments about the religion, but the architecture was beautiful.

After cruising around looking at other LDS building I headed back to the hotel. Again, super slow. But wait! A thought hit me. I just might be able to find an excuse for the 2 crappy runs: elevation! YES! It isn't me. It is the elevation!

Just to be sure, I looked it up when I got home. According to Wikipedia, Oklahoma City sits at 1,201 feet above sea level. Average elevation for Salt Lake City: 4,327. As you can see, it is not me SLC, it's you.

All of this elevation talk got me thinking. Maybe this will help me with my PR goal in this weekends 5K. What do you think? You see, i'm not just running in SLC this week. I am "high elevation training".

Running Can Sure Suck Sometimes

2009-02-24T20:55:00.002-06:00

You know, I do this to myself all the time. I convince myself that I will run in the evening. I did it today. I was way to tired to get up and workout this morning before my flight, so I told myself "I will run when I get there". And I did. And it sucked. Just like it always sucks.

I feel tired. Sluggish. I keep burping up lunch (it's happened to you too so don't make that face). I just really hate it. Evening runners, how do you do it? What's your secret?

I am determined to have a good run tomorrow, even if it will be on the treadmill.

Here is a blurp from this months Outside magazine. Thought it might apply to a few of my fellow bloggers.

"Set a race in your sights and everything you do changes. Food becomes fuel. Sleep becomes recovery."

Time for me to go recover.

Edit: Forgot to Give This One a Title.

2009-02-23T16:59:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, the wifey and I headed to Lake Hefner for a run. It would be the wifey's first and my second run on the 9.6 mile trail around the lake. The wifey's previous long run was 7 miles so I am very proud of her. She is amazing when she puts her mind to something. We took it easy and didn't push the pace, but we made it around the whole darn thing.

Also, I signed us up for a 5K next Saturday. This will be my first 5K this year and I am super excited about it. I am aiming for a PR even though I haven't done any real training for it. Can't wait!

I am off to Salt Lake City tomorrow for the week. I am hoping to get some good outside runs in this week, but we shall see.

Gym Rant Part 2 - Anytime Fitness Edmond Oklahoma

2009-02-20T16:41:00.005-06:00

Yes, I am going to complain some more about "kettlegate".

I never heard back from the gym manager after a left a comment card about the kettlebell situation. After a wonderful treadmill run, I approached her about it.

First, I verified she got the comment card, which she had. She told me she ran it by "them" and "they" said no. I am in a quotes kinda mood today. So I asked her for an explanation and I received several. And the entire time, she had this look on her face like "I am your friend and I really pushed hard for you". You know what I am talking about, right? That fake "I am pretending to care but I really don't" look. It was ridiculous.

Excuse #1: "They" are afraid that someone might hurt themselves with the kettlebells if they aren't properly supervised.
Response to Excuse #1: It is a gym. Anybody can hurt themselves at any time. Besides, everyone signs a waiver that the gym isn't liable should an accident occur.

Excuse #2: Kettlebells are expensive and "they" have other ideas on what they want to spend their money on.
Response to Excuse #2: I looked them up last night and you can get a set of 3 for $300. You can't tell me that $300 is expensive.

Excuse #3: "They" said there isn't a need to have a set of kettlebells in the gym. Any exercise you want to do with a kettlebell, you can do with other gym equipment.
Response to Excuse #3: (yes, I am a persistent little jerk sometimes) If other equipment can be used, then why do the trainers use kettlebells? The whole point is to use other equipment to change things up.

Obviously I wasn't getting anywhere. I explained to her that if there is going to be equipment that only certain people can use, then it needs to be marked in some way and/or put away when the trainers are not with a client. She basically said "well, the kettlebells do belong to the trainers" I guess meaning that they can do whatever they want with them. I then asked her if I can bring in my own kettlebells to use. Of course she said no.

I asked her if the trainers said no or if corporate said no. Due to her ambiguous use of the word "they" and the fact that she kept pointing at the trainer left me confused. She said it was corporate that said no. I asked her to get corporate on the line so I could explain it to them. She said no.

The wifey told me to drop it. I was not a happy camper.

Oh, and listen to this. Totally unrelated but still. So the wifey and I are running on two treadmills side by side. The manager was cleaning up, sweeping, dusting and such. She started to wipe down the cardio machines. After finishing up, she comes over to the treadmills we are currently using, and starts wiping them down. She wipes down the side runners, the TVs, the front of the machines WHILE WE ARE ON THEM! The wifey and I couldn't believe it. Tell me that isn't crazy!

Suck it Anytime Fitness on 164th!

Gym Rant

2009-02-18T12:20:00.001-06:00

After reading one of Rachel's blog posts, I decided to do some venting about my gym. I belong to a local Anytime Fitness. While I mostly like the gym, there are a couple of problems that I just can't get over. Perhaps the issues I am ranting about are common and I just don't realize it. So, if I am complaining about nothing, please let me know.

My problems revolve around the new personal trainers that started a few months ago. It is a husband and wife team. Nice enough people, I guess, but the gym has gone downhill since they started.

The gym is ALWAYS (yes always) a mess. They leave dumbbells all over the place, fitness bands thrown about, and weight plates are never reracked. In fact, about a month after they started, the manager hung signs up reminding people to rerack their weights. Um, hello. Talk to your trainers! They never rerack. Now, I can understand if they are in the middle of some super-sets with their clients or something, but that is not the case. They just don't put things away.

Recently, I started to notice a few kettlebells in the ab workout area. Sweet, I thought-- it's about time the gym got a few of these for us. Not so fast. We are not allowed to touch those kettlebells. The personal trainers bought them for use with their customers. Even though they are left out, we can't touch them.

My friend started to use them a couple of weeks ago and the manager came out of the office and stopped her. I noticed they have a 35 lbs kettlebell and I have been wanting to get one. I wanted to try it out to see if it is worth the $80. I went back and asked the trainers if I could use it. You should have seen their faces. It was that look of "we really don't want you to but if we say no, we will look like jerks". So I did 3 sets and loved it. They were none to happy.

Am I wrong or is it not BS that there is equipment out on the floor that I am not allowed to use?

I have left comment cards about getting a set for everyone and I never hear back.

Couple of quick things

2009-02-17T08:24:00.000-06:00

Well, the wifey and I have decided we will be going to the reunion. Judging from the comments, the only real reason to take her is to show off her hotness! Kidding. I think. But seriously folks, you won't believe how much this thing has started to motivate me. I have 6 months. Not really thinking along the lines of needing to get in shape, but that I need to stay commented to my workouts. Tell me you wouldn't feel the same way. I ran 6 miles yesterday and half of it flew by as I thought about this thing. And who am I kidding--part of me just wants to see what has become of everyone. 15 years is a long time.

Back to running:

Running Warehouse has a killer sale going on right now. A lot of last year's shoe models are selling for $60. Don't forget, they have 2 day free shipping and free returns. They have a lot of sizes left so you might want to take a look before they sell out.

Women's Shoes
Men's Shoes

Here is a picture of the wifey and I at last weekend's Frigid 5.

Facebook and Reunions

2009-02-16T10:05:00.001-06:00

As some of you know, I recently signed up for Facebook. If you haven't done so, you should. It is pretty amazing how many old friends are out there; I have reconnected with people I haven't even thought about in years.

One thing I have noticed about Facebook and others like it (Daily Mile for example) is the oddity known as serial-befrienders. I often get Facebook friend requests from people I don't know. Why? Why do people want to get status updates from me if we have never met? Seriously, someone explain this. There is a guy on Daily Mile that sends a friend request to every new person that signs up for the service. WTF? Does he think that every single person on Daily Mile wants to know how his training is going?

Ok, got a little off topic. Back to Facebook. The whole point of this post was to talk about a buddy from high school that found me on. He also told me that our 15 year high school reunion is in September. Can it be? Has 15 years really passed since I graduated? Ugh. I don't like the sound of that.

The fact is I hardly remember anyone from high school. I only attended that particular school for my 11th and 12th grade years. I was a dork, shy, an introvert, nerd, whatever. I was all of those things. And more. Admittedly, I might still be a dork and I am certainly a nerd, but I have lost the shyness and while I am still an introvert to a certain degree, I am 1000% more outgoing.

So here it is: I am scared to death to go to this reunion. If I don't remember any of those people, they certainly wont remember me. Should I go? Any advice? Did you go to your high school reunion? Do I pretend I am now a millionaire and CTO of Facebook?

Frigid 5 Race Report

2009-02-14T14:28:00.005-06:00

Yes, I am shamelessly stealing Terri's race report format from the 6k she just did.

Now, onto the race report! (yeah, even stole that line!)

***************************************************************

This was a 5 mile race, not 5K. I mention this only because it seemed like there were a lot of people at today's race that might have thought it was a 5K. Not that anyone said it, but when the race started people took off like a bat out of hell. I am use to that with a 5K but I figured a more even race pace would have ruled the day being a bit longer of a race. I can't tell you how many people I passed during this race. Felt great! Take that you 8th grade twerp who thought you were so cool when you zipped in front of me at the start! Yeah, I saw you walking! Punk. What? WHAT?

I also think that a lot of these runners had never run at Mitch Park either. Mitch can be a beast--lots of peaks and valleys. Nothing ridiculous, but enough inclines to give your legs some work. I told the wifey at the beginning to take it easy on the declines, to use that time for some recovery. Steady pace. Most of the ones around me could have used that advice. Mitch is where I do most of my training so I knew what to expect.

At every decline, I got passed. At every incline, I would pass them back, and then some. It actually became a little game for me. I would accelerate into the hills and pass runner after runner. It really was a great feeling.

Elevation chart from today's run.

I ended up leaving the wife at one of those hills. I know it is V-day and all, but come on! She was slowing me down!

The pros about this race:

nice selection of food post-race. Catered by Panera Bread--can't go wrong there.
very well organized. This race seems to be getting more and more popular each year. They were expecting 1000 people but I think the numbers were closer to 700.
timing chip. First year for this race.
running (at least part of the way) with my sweetheart.
it's Mitch. I love Mitch!

The cons about this race:

no timing mat at the start line. I HATE this. Why even have timing chips if you are only going to put a mat at the end. Ticks me off.
a bit expensive, I thought. $26 for a local race is a bit steep.

My stats:

Garmin watch time and distance = 45:29, average mile pace = 9:12 for 4.99 miles
Official time (remember there was no mat at the beginning): 45:44 for 5 miles, average pace of 9:09.

Frigid (and windy i'm sure) 5

2009-02-13T20:08:00.003-06:00

Today the wifey and I signed up for the Frigid 5, five mile race scheduled for tomorrow morning. We weren't going to do it--mainly due to the cost of $26 per person. Seems a little steep for a local race, don't you think? But we asked ourselves what else we would do to celebrate Valentine's day. To be honest, I am not big on this "holiday". Is this not the worst made up holiday ever?

Anyway, we thought about going to dinner, but we do that all the time. Hardly seems like a big deal. So, instead of wasting $60 on dinner we decided to spend $60 on the race. Maybe not romantic but should be a lot of fun.

Anybody else racing this weekend?

Click here for more info on this race.

Bay to Breakers is Back. With a Twist

2009-02-12T16:25:00.004-06:00

Were you thinking of running Bay to Breakers this May in San Francisco? Maybe you are considering drinking the run instead of actually running it.

Bay to Breakers is one of the most popular races in the US. It actually made ESPN's 101 things all sports fans must experience before they die. And it isn't just the beautiful run through Golden Gate Park. It's the costumes, it's the jello shots at Mile 3, it's the nude runners. Well, maybe it isn't the nude runners. But this race embodies San Francisco.

You can imagine all upset race fans were when race directors announced yesterday that alcohol and nudity will be banned this year. We are talking protests and potential boycotts. Now it is just another race in a beautiful city.

Check out the article here.

There's No Place Like Home

2009-02-11T14:42:00.006-06:00

I am sure you heard about the tornados that touched down yesterday in Oklahoma. One of the main places hit is a city called Edmond, just north of Oklahoma City. Edmond happens to be where I live. You are probably saying "Wow, that must have been a terrifying experience for you". Nope. I was stuck at the airport in Salt Lake City. I can tell you that it SUCKED sitting in the damn airport knowing what was going on at home. Horrible feeling.

I can tell you that I started to freak out a little when I saw the Breaking Report pop up on CNN saying a Tornado had hit Edmond. Called the wifey and she was driving home from work. My mom was driving home after picking up Piper from school. Luckily everyone made it to the house safe and sound. This is the very reason we had a storm shelter put in when we first moved here.

Here is a little map to show you how close they got to the house.

So, each square is one mile. The bottom one was a little to close for comfort. The second one hit Mitch Park. I am sure you have heard me talk about Mitch many times in the past; it is probably my favorite place to run.

Sadly, 8 people lost their lives yesterday.

So Proud

2009-02-08T14:49:00.003-06:00

Last month USA Today released another one of those great lists that ranks the slimmest and fattest cities in America. I am not sure I understand the point of them since I don't think anyone actually cares if they live in one of these cities. It's not like the entire town is going to step up and decide to make a change. Sure, the slim cities probably feel some pride but America continues to grow, and I don't mean in population.

Top 5 fattest cities in America:

Miami
Oklahoma City
San Antonio
Las Vegas
New York

To be honest, I am rather disappointed in OKC. To get the silver medal just sucks. I blame the mayor. Last year, after OKC showed up on one of these lists, the Mayor put the city on a diet. His goal for us was to lose a million pounds in one year. You could sign up and log your progress. I think we hit something like 300,000. Pretty sad really.

Top 5 fittest cities in America:

Salt Lake City
Colorado Springs
Minneapolis
Denver
Albuquerque

For the full list, click here.

Run, you fool!

2009-02-08T10:46:00.005-06:00

This has been a great weekend. Yesterday, the wifey and I went to Rocktown for another round of indoor rock climbing. I can't say enough about it. It is a killer workout and so much fun. On top of that, it counts toward "doing more together"! I am sure the married ones out there no what I am talking about!

Once we got home, I felt further punishment was required so I did a kettlebell workout. Everyone is probably getting tired of me talking about my kettlebells!

Yesterday was a perfect spring day. I think it got up to about 78 degree's. The neighbor came over to invite me to play (and by play I mean get my butt kicked) some ping pong. Hells yeah! Of course, the ping pong table brought out a few other guys. Beers were flowing, the women folk got together to cook dinner; before you know it, we were having a party. Those are the best kind, right?

I had planned on running 8 this morning but as I was going to bed I told the wifey that I was probably just too tired to head out in the morning. She gave me some tough love and reminded me that I will be unable to run on Monday or Tuesday due to a grueling business trip. If I didn't get out there today, I would regret it.

If she hadn't said that, I wouldn't have made it to the park this AM. I was there right as the sun was coming up. It was a little windy, but the low temperature was 51 so I knew the weather was on my side. I ran my eight. That is my longest since the half marathon last November. Tired now, but feel good. The best part, now I can have some M&M's. I blame Lindsay for that!

Who are you calling a fatty?

2009-02-07T08:54:00.005-06:00

The wifey commented this morning that my abs are "looking good". Sorry, I don't see it. I just can't get rid of these damn love handles. Sure, they have gone down, but I am not sure they will ever go away.

Why is it so hard to get rid of them? That question led me to the internet and a little bit of research. I think at this point, nothing I read will come as news; perhaps it is just as good to "remember" what we all already know. So here it is: fat loss basics. None of this is new but I bet we have all kinda forgotten it.

First, there is no such thing as spot training. Really? Those late night infomercials tell me otherwise.
For men, the most difficult fat to lose is the waist, belly and lower back. And of course, those are the exact areas I have problems with. For women, it's the upper thigh and butt. Why is it so difficult to lose in those areas? Brown adipose tissue makes up the majority of those areas; as it turns out, that type of fat receives very little blood flow. Low blood flow means the fat can't readily be carried away and used as fuel. Hence, muffin tops and thunder thighs.

According to my research, this is why people have had success using products like aspirin and ephedrine (or other thermogenic compounds); these drugs can increase circulation in those hard to reach areas and help to carry away that ugly fat. Has anyone out in blogo land had success with thermogenic compunds?

Ok, now I leave you with more common sense stuff. What is required to loss weight? Here are the basics:

A calorie restrictive diet
Regular cardio. At least 30-45 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week.
Weight training. Great for your metabolism when used in conjunction with a cardio program.
High amounts of EFA's. Essential Fatty Acids like those found in fish (Omega-6 and Omega-3). Gotta start taking that nasty fish pill!

Note: I am not a doctor and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn.

Worthless post

2009-02-05T16:35:00.003-06:00

Admittedly, I don't have much to blog about. But I am making an effort to spend more time blogging and less time thinking about blogging.

At the beginning of the week I looked at the weather and it seemed like Mother Nature was tossing me a bone. A full week of 50-60 degree weather. Because of that, I scheduled myself for 3 runs of 6 miles and 1 of 8. I have been hating the TM and needing some outdoor time. This would be that week.

What the weather didn't mention was the wind. Wind, wind, wind. Wind gusts up to 30 MPH. Today's run sucked. I did 5.5 miles but my legs felt like I had run 10. So, if mother nature is listening, I will take the warm days but let's get rid of the wind. Deal? I know, I am so picky.

So tomorrow's scheduled 6 will probably be cut down a bit since the wind is supposed to be even worse tomorrow.

Oh, one more thing, I did a full body kettlebell workout yesterday. It was fantastic! I woke up this morning in pain. So, go down to Target and pick yourself up a set.

Update!

2009-02-01T10:17:00.005-06:00

I have been planning this post for a while but I just haven't been able to find the time to tap it out. Having just finished a 6 mile run outside (If Terri can run in 7 degree weather, I should be able to handle 30), I figured this was the perfect time for an update.

First, the new job is fantastic. The pace of a start-up is unbelievable and I have been extremely busy--far busier than my last job (I will call the old job FF). I think I have worked harder these past 3 weeks than I did in my last year with FF. Also, I have rediscovered how to use my brain! I turned it off after a couple of years with FF but now it's back! Amazing! So, the new company is a true start-up. No market as of yet (it deals with dynamically optimizing patient through-put within the hospital--buzzwords galore!) so we are busy creating a market, signing up customers, and getting them installed as quick as possible. The pace is maddening but the product rocks. I couldn't be happier right now. I will admit that I miss my old team with FF. Lot of good friends. You know how it is.

My running has been ok I guess. Some weeks better than others. I will admit that it is harder to stay motivated since I am not really training for anything. Lately, I will ask jlou (if you aren't reading her blog, you should be--she is a hoot) how many mile she is planning for the week and just copy her! Of course, she is training for a marathon so I won't be able to keep up for long. I need to find something I guess.

My posts will most likely be sporadic but you can find me on Daily Mile which I am pretty consistent with. I have also recently joined Facebook and have found a number of my fellow running bloggers.

Enjoy the day. Go Cardinals!

SF Bound

2009-01-11T09:56:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day. It marks the first day of my new job. I am very excited to get started. I think I am supposed to be nervous, but i'm not. Maybe it's because I know my boss and I know he is fair and intelligent (you don't always find those qualities in a boss). Or perhaps it's because I have been so unhappy for so long. Whatever it is, I can't wait to get started.

I will be in San Francisco for the next 2 weeks to learn the product. I even found a 5k race to run next Sunday. That should be fun.

I have been doing real well with my work outs lately, I think. Yesterday I did a 30 minute abs only workout. And I felt it this morning when I woke up. My plan was a full body workout but when I got to the gym, I wasn't feeling it. So I did the core workout and called it a day.

For this week, I am going to mix it up a little with a split routine. Today was biceps and back. I am sure to be sore in the morning! Sometime during the week I will do a triceps/chest day and a shoulder/legs day. Plus gotta work in 4 runs. Oh, there is a gym right by my hotel that offers a weekly rate of $25. For those that don't travel, this is a fantastic rate. Normally, I find the price to be between $10-15 per day (and these days it seems closer to $15). I am hoping to find time to take advantage of the classes they offer. So much to do!

Go Speed Runner

2009-01-09T13:18:00.004-06:00

I did a 3 mile speed workout on the treadmill today. I felt zip, zip, zippy! And yes, it is another beautiful day outside but the wind is really kicking, so we decided to skip running outside.

'We' as in my wife and I. Piper is in school today and the wife is off so we got to workout together. Friday's are pretty much the only day this can happen. After running on the treadmill, we picked a medicine-ball workout from PumpOne that I have on my iPod Touch. It was a partners workout so every exercise had us working together. Surprisingly, it was a lot of fun. And it was a great abs workout.

Is it Winter Yet?

2009-01-08T16:40:00.002-06:00

The weather was fantastic today. 50 degrees when I started my 5 mile run. A wonderful 60 by time I finished. In fact, it was so nice, I stayed in shorts the entire day. What more could you ask for? Well there is more! A high of 66 is expected tomorrow! I think I might have another run in me.

Ok, so the paragraph above was mainly for Rachel. I bet she is seething right now. If it helps, my shins are hurting right now.

I watched Running the Sahara the other day. The movie was fantastic. I enjoyed it much more than Spirit of the Marathon. Not only did I enjoy watching these guys tough out this expedition, but I enjoyed and was sadened by how the people of the Sahara live. I highly recommend this one.

It's Always Sunny in Oklahoma

2009-01-07T19:26:00.002-06:00

The Weather Channel.com says that the high tomorrow will be 64 degrees. I give you one guess as to whether or not I will be running outside.

I decided to try Daily Mile out again. I signed up 5 months ago and did nothing with it. I am easily able to track my outside runs thanks to the Garmin and SportTracks (thanks again for that one, Lisa), but treadmill workouts and cross training seem to get overlooked. I really need something to easily track everything I am doing. Daily Mile just might be that something. If you are on it, let me know.

It's amazing how much time one has for workouts, blogging and tracking when one has no job.

Go Get a Job

2009-01-06T11:19:00.004-06:00

I am officialy jobless right now. It won't last long but it is still kinda strange not to have any responsibilites outside of the home. It's kinda boring, actually. I should try and enjoy it since it will only last until Monday when my new job starts. Then I am off to San Francisco for 2 weeks for training.

So how have I been filling my time? Cleaning and working out! It was been nice being able to go to the gym and not worry about what e-mails I am missing or what work I should be doing. Now that I think about it, maybe I could get use to not having a pesky job!

Can I brag a little now? My workouts have been fantastic lately. I have been running and weight training regularly. Even my ab work has been going well. Ok, I am done will the bragging thing. Thanks for listening.

Gotta go clean the kitchen now...

You're Hot and You're Cold

2009-01-04T09:17:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning, I ran right around this time (9 AM). It was 55 degrees, the sun was shining, and a gorgeous outside run beckoned. Aside from a pretty stiff wind, it was perfect running weather. I headed out to the lake for a 4 mile run. Having taken a few weeks off, I am slowly building back up. It was a fantastic run.

Now tell me this: how can it go from 55 degrees at 9 in the morning yesterday to a wind chill of 10 at 9 in the morning today? I hate this weather. I guess, however, I should be grateful for the nice weather yesterday.

2008: End of Year Review

2008-12-31T10:28:00.004-06:00

Well here it is. 2009 is knocking on the door. And I am ready. Ready to start a new year, new challenges, new goals. But no resolutions!

I decided to post a little something about my running this year. This post is more about me recording the information so feel free to skip this one. Might be a little boring.

Weight: When Piper was born at the end of 2006, I pretty much stopped working out. Stopped doing everything. Got tired, got lazy. Put on some serious baby weight. On December 21, 2007, I decided that I had enough. I started counting my calories and working out at home. My weight was 185. I am one of those guys that gains all of the weight it my belly. It was pretty disgusting.

Here we are a year later. This morning, at my final workout of the year, I weighed in at 169. That makes me happy. Before my IT band issue earlier in the year, I had gotten down to 162 which would have made me even happier. Although, I will admit, the wifey wasn't too happy with that weight.

Races: This was my first year of races. My very first race was a 5K in March. Ran it in 31:48. After that, I ran a few more 5Ks, a couple of 10Ks, a 12K in San Francisco, a marathon relay, and a half marathon. In my final 5K of the year, I ran it in 25:18. Improvement is always nice.

Injuries: IT Band that sidelined me in 7 weeks. Achilles Tendinitis for 2 weeks or so. I have a brittle body. I am beginning to think that long distance running might not be for me. I always seem to get injured. Maybe I should stick with 5/10Ks.

Goals: Hmmm. This is a tough one. I guess I am going to set a goal of running a 5k in 21 minutes. Is that possible? I went from 31 to 25. So can I go from 25 to 21? Probably not. But I am all about setting large goals so I can set myself up for failure! Oh, my other goal would be to not gain any weight! This one gets tougher every year so I need to really stick to my training.

I can't wait to see what 2009 brings!

Drum roll...

2008-12-24T08:07:00.003-06:00

Boy o boy has it been a busy couple of weeks. On top of Piper's birthday and Christmas, I managed to find a new job! Resumes, interviews, offer letters oh my!

And there it is. My not-so-big big news. No, we are not having another baby. That wouldn't be big news. That would be a miracle.

I can't tell you how excited I am about leaving my current job and starting something new. I will be going from a large company to a small start-up. I am employee number 18! A little scary, sure. But it is one of those opportunities that is just too good to pass up. I won't have to move but it is still a travel job. I start January 12th.

My running has been near-extinct lately. I am going to the gym almost daily for running and weight training, but I am not doing very much distance work at all. Just too darn cold to go outside--and running on the treadmill for more than 4 miles is almost impossible. I am so lazy. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 60's so I will head to the lake for a run.

Races? None for me, thanks. I wish, though. And there hasn't been much on the calendar lately. It looks like there is a 5k on the 1st but I plan on being too tired to run that. After that, it looks like the next race is on the 14th of February. Bummer. The local races always seem to motivate me.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. And have fun on this New Year's eve. Oh, and no resolutions! They never work.

Big Changes

2008-12-20T07:18:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it has been over 2 weeks since my last post. Rest assured, I am still working out. I just haven't had a lot of time for posting.

Some big changes are coming. More to come on that, but here is a quick update until I can post more.

1. Piper turned 2! Unbelievable. Check out the birthday pictures here. And no, Piper is not spoiled. Well, no more spoiled than her mom!

2. Still not 100%. You may recall me talking about the cold I had while in Portland. I am still feeling the effects of it. It is driving me crazy!

3. I won't be running the PF Changs Rock n Roll Half. I have a good reason--I just can't tell you what it is.

That's it for now. Just wanted everyone to know I was still alive.

More to come next week.

Whole Lot of Nothing

2008-12-05T11:20:00.003-06:00

I went to Portland. I left Portland.

Pretty boring trip, actually. I started feeling sick the day before I left so by time I arrived, this crap that's going around was in full swing. I took an early flight with the idea that I would run when I got there. Instead, I went right to the hotel and laid in bed. I only had one day of work, and I actually got out early. Again, went right to bed.

I am back home now and am feeling better. Still no running right now; the Achilles is still feeling a little gammy (my new favorite word). It's feeling a lot better, but I am going to give it a couple more days.

I did go to the gym this morning for some much needed weight training--had a GREAT workout.

I figure I will hop on the bike tomorrow like Terri suggested. I will be back out there in no time.

Sorry about this tremendously boring post. There's really nothing new going on. Oh, we are getting Christmas pictures done tomorrow so that should be fun (yeah right). Speaking of Christmas, one of my favorite Christmas movies came on the other day: Love, Actually. Not really a Christmas movie per se, but it is set during Christmas time. If you haven't seen it, rent it today. You will laugh, you will cry, you might find it a bit too sappy and turn it off early, but I don't recommend it. Here is one of my favorite clips from the movie. To set it up, Hugh Grant plays the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Enjoy.

Ah, beer, my one weakness. My achilles heel, if you will. --Homer Simpson

2008-12-01T15:02:00.006-06:00

I have been ignoring my blog for a week or so. It's not that I have been lazy or too busy to post. I have been pissed off. Pissed off at me and my stupid non-athletic body. Pissed off at my parents for giving me crappy genes. Pissed off because every time I feel like I am finally starting to take my running to another level, I get hurt. Injured. Incapacitated. Wounded. Battered. Bruised. Damaged. Gammy (don't ask me--it is listed as a synonym).

So what is it this time? Well let me take you back. The other day I mentioned a training plan that I created to shave 18 minutes off my half-marathon time, right? Ludicrous, sure, especially when you consider that the half is in 6 weeks or so. Regardless, I was going to make an effort.

The meat of my plan was going to be speed work and tempo runs. I figured if I could work up to a 6-8 mile tempo run, I would be doing good for my goal. Last week or I so, I had a couple of great speed workouts--a mile on, a mile off intervals. I also did a fantastic tempo run of 3.5 miles (plus a warm-up and cool-down). I was doing great and feeling great.

Then I got a pain in my left heel. On Wednesday of last week, I headed out for an easy run to get ready for my Turkey Trot the next day. After that 5 mile run, my foot was in serious pain. I couldn't even wear shoes because the back kept rubbing up against the problem spot. Didn't take me long to figure out what it was: Achilles tendinitis. Turns out it is a common running injury. Onset occurs after an increase in miles (which doesn't apply) or an excess of speed work. Ugh.

I skipped my Turkey Trot and hadn't run at all since last Wednesday. From what I read, it is ok to do some running as long as I am not stupid about it. Today I did a 3 mile TM run and it felt pretty good. It hurts a little now, but not much. I have been icing and popping Motrin. I am hoping this goes away quickly. I need to get back on track for the half. Maybe not a 2 hour half...

I am of to Portland, Oregon tomorrow and I will be running. How can you go to Portland and not run? It is like a runners paradise I hear.

What about you? Any experience with Achilles tendinitis?

More Lazy Days

2008-11-23T19:47:00.004-06:00

I guess I should stop being lazy and actually post to my blog. I feel like I have been as lazy with my training as I have been with blog posting. For the second straight week, I only ran 3 times. I could make excuses, but I really don't have any. The weather certainly doesn't help. In fact, I tried to run one day this week, but with 30 mph winds, I decided to stay indoors. Lazy.

Ok, so here is my week: Tuesday I ran 4 miles. I think I already posted about that. On Friday I had a great, fun run. The wifey joined me for a 7 mile speed workout at the Lake. And for the first time, she did not totally annoy me (while running). I am extremely proud of her because she has never run that far before and never with mile long speed interval's. We had a great time. And to wrap up my running week, I hoped on the treadmill for 3 miles on Saturday. I am hating the treadmill so much lately. I just want to be out there! I did manage to make it to the gym twice this week for some ab punishment and weight training.

Not too bad, I guess, but certainly not great. I have this ginormous goal of knocking 17 minutes off my half-marathon time and the race is LESS THAN 2 months away. I've got a great training plan that I just put together today that I am going to start tomorrow. Well, it might not be great. It might be crap. I will know after the race.

I flew to Phoenix today; my site is actually in Tucson and this is my first time here. Found a lot of great running spots so I should be set. The weather is phenomenal! High 70's today. It was nice not having to pack any cold weather gear for this short trip.

I guess that's all I have. I leave you with a picture of my wonderful Piper eating an Oreo for the first time in her life. Oh, and there is a good reason why we have Oreo's in the house. I promise.

From 20008-11-19 Piper's First Oreo and Fun at the Park

At the End of the Day...

2008-11-18T12:17:00.002-06:00

I told myself that I was going to take this week off from training. I figured I deserved it. Laziness wasn't to be today. I woke up at 5:30 when the wifey's alarm went off and I couldn't get back to sleep. So I stayed in bed and turned on a recorded episode of Bones. Watched most of that before I decided to go to the gym for a quick workout. I have been trying to get back to my routine of weight training. I have been TERRIBLE with it lately--especially with ab work. And, if I am really aiming to shave 18 minutes off my half marathon time in January, I have to do everything right. That means more punishment to my abs. And it was a pretty good workout.

Got home, started doing some work, gave Piper a bath (diaper leak), threw in some laundry. You know, all the normal things you do in the morning. Then, around 10 AM, I got a work call that really, really irritated me. It got the blood pumping and heart beating. I decided that a run might be the best way to work off some of that energy and calm me down.

I headed out to the lake for a speed workout. The goal was 1 mile at a conversational pace and 1 mile at my 5k race pace--do that twice for a total of 4 miles. Not sure what my 5k race pace is yet but I know I can do 8:00 miles; that is what I did at my last 5k. Didn't quite hit that today, though. Here is my split pace per mile:

Mile 1: 10:20
Mile 2: 9:00
Mile 3: 10:30
Mile 4: 8:46

Pretty darn happy with this run. 2 hour half marathon here I come! Ok, so maybe I am being a bit unrealistic, but let me have my fun!

A few things before I go:

My race pictures are up. Take a look at my agony. Why do race pictures always make the person look like they are walking. What do I need to do differently so I look like a speed demon?
Running Warehouse has an additional 25% off all sale items. Got a new pair of shoes for $50! Click here for the discount. You can't use both this discount and my site discount together--it's one or the other. Sale ends on Sunday, November 23, 2008.
Nike has issued a voluntary quality return on it's Nike+ Sports Band. Read: we know this product is crap so send it back. They are redesigning it after the frequent problems people have had. I know mine had to be replaced once already. I am sending that bad boy back. Details can be found here.

Tulsa World Route 66 Half Marathon Race Report

2008-11-17T19:14:00.004-06:00

The race didn't go as well as I was hoping. I was shooting for a 2:10 time. I finished in 2:18. Ok, so I guess that isn't so bad, but it still sucks not to hit your goal. I cruised through the first 9 or 10 miles. Felt great. Then came the first of 2 or 3 big hills. That was it for me. Ran out of gas. Ran out of steam. It wasn't pretty. Who puts big hills at the end of the race?? I only did one 13 mile training run leading up to this race. There just wasn't a lot of time for more after the leg injury. I think that is what did me in.

Race morning was cold, cold, cold. But once the run started it warmed up pretty quick. I thought the race was well organized, volunteers were helpful and friendly, and parking was a breeze. I highly recommend this race--just a great all around experience.

Ok so here are all the details for your amusement:
You see, I suck. Here :
So there you go. Not awful, but not good. I plan on a better showing in Phoenix in January. 2 hours flat, baby! Gotta dream big, right?

Congrats to Laura for finishing the Route 66 Marathon and Jill for completing the inaugural Rock n Roll Marathon San Antonio.

Lazy Days

2008-11-13T08:42:00.003-06:00

I have been feeling extra lazy this week. Not wanting to run--not wanting to get out of bed for that matter. I think it is the cold weather. I don't mind so much running in the cold weather. It is the actual process of leaving the glorious warmth of my bed, getting dressed, and heading out.

Because of my laziness, I have only run twice this week. I am calling it tapering for my half-marathon this weekend. Pretty weak, I know.

So two runs this week. First was a sad three miler at Mitch Park. I think part of my problem is that I have been leaving later than normal to do my runs. If I start at 8 or 9 in the morning, i have too much on my mind. I need to check my e-mail, call this customer, do my expenses. Today, I got up at 6 and had a great 6 mile run. When I wake early, I don't feel like there is something else I should be doing. Except sleeping maybe.

Oh, and I reconfigured the display screen for my Forerunner 405 based on Alissa's recommendations. So now it reads: distance run, overall average pace, and last average lap pace. The laps are set to a mile. These settings seem to work a little better for me. Thanks again, Alissa!

And finally, a schedule change again and it looks like I am headed back to Seattle next week. I am staying right near Lake Union which looks like a fun place to run. While researching I found this picture essay I wanted to share. Enjoy.

Lake Hefner on my Mind

2008-11-09T16:06:00.003-06:00

I went to Oklahoma City's mecca of running, biking, and rollerblading: Lake Hefner. The Hefner Trail is a 9ish mile asphalt trail around said Lake. Hefner is "the" place to run, or so it would seem. Whenever I mention running to friends and others, they always ask "do you run at Hefner". And, until today, I have never gone out there to run. For some reason, in my mind, Hefner is the place that "real" runners run. I never felt like I belonged out there. It's funny because when I am out of town, I have no problems running wherever I can--I don't really worry about things. Maybe I was just scared of Hefner. Regardless, I had a blast out there today. With the half-marathon next weekend, I figured one time around the lake would be a perfect distance as I attempted to take it easy this week. Although, admittedly, 13.1 miles is not that much when I think about all the bloggers out there running marathons this time of you.

I met a fellow runner who finished his run at the same time as me today. Even though I would call Chuck a fellow runner, we are not in the same league to say the least. Chuck completed the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii last month. Finished in 12 hours--finished the marathon portion of the race in 3:40. He also ran Boston this year. Awesome! Great guy, by the way. The running community continues to amaze me with how open and accepting it is (for the most part).

The only problem I had (and it wasn't really a problem) was with the Garmin. The pace seemed to be off through most of the run. In fact, at one point, it said I was running a 12 minute mile pace when I was clearly hauling butt. I noticed that Ironman Chuck was wearing a Garmin so I asked him if he ever had that problem. He echoed what Lisa said in a recent comment: the info displayed while running shouldn't be taken as gospel. The average pace, however, is normally correct. So once you download the info from the unit, that data should be pretty accurate.

Also, you may recall me mentioning problems I was having with the Garmin in Seattle. Without a doubt, it was just the area (big city, tall buildings, etc.) causing the problems. The GPS unit I use in the car had many hiccups throughout the city. I would be driving along and all of a sudden the unit thought I was on a completely different street. It was a pain--but at least I confirmed that it was not the Garmin causing the issue.

Also, I asked for recommendation on software to use with the downloaded data. Lisa (again) recommended SportsTracks and I absolutely love it. And it is free. I highly recommend you use this product instead of Garmin Connect. Thanks Lisa!

One last thing: I am home this week! First, I was scheduled to go to Minnesota and that canceled. Then, I got roped in to going to Georgia. I coworker of mine volunteered to take that from me. So now I am home. Woo-hoo! After this break, I am off to Philadelphia one week, Phoenix the next, and then maybe Portland. All over the place...

City Run Ain't No Fun

2008-11-05T08:43:00.005-06:00

I am in rainy Seattle. First time here and I am really enjoying it. I always enjoy the big city. I know I will never live in a big city, now that I have a fam and all, so I always like traveling to one for a few days.

The hotel where I am staying is in a great location. It is the Springhill Suites downtown—within a few minutes of all the major attractions. To top it off, the hotel offers free passes to the 24 Hour Fitness which is right across the street. You can’t beat that. In fact, I used it yesterday morning. I woke up at 4 in the morning with the idea of running outside. It was cold, wet, and windy. And wet. And cold. So I headed across the street for a 4 mile TM speed run.

This morning, however, I went outside and ran through the city. It was 38 degrees, windless, and rainless. Good enough for me! Alas, I didn’t have much fun at all. There were a lot of blocked roads and sidewalks (due to construction). I couldn’t just run down a road for a mile and back up for another. I was all over the place. And for me, that is kind of scary, especially since I have a terrible sense of direction. My goal was to run to the Space Needle and back. Which I did, but it was interesting trying to make it down there. Check out the map from my Garmin. Looking at it, you would figure it would be just a straight shot. Uh, no. Well, I guess I could have gone straight down Denny, but I decided to make a side trip for some reason, probably scenery. Denny was boring--nothing to look at.

Anyway, I guess this takes me to my first review of the Garmin 405. I liked it and hated it at the same time. The problems I had might be due to running in the city--perhaps the tall buildings interfered with the satellite connection or something. Anyway, take a look at the map again. I started my run going west on Denny Way. But notice that I was recorded running through buildings nowhere near the actual road. What's up with that? The only time I received a "proper" recording is after I saw the Space Needle and ran down 5th Ave and up Virginia St.; it actually recorded me on the road and not running through buildings and such. Also, sometimes I would look down at the unit and it would say I was running a 15 minute pace and then erratically jump to 10 and then back up again. It's gotta be the buildings, right?

I am going to try it again when I get home this weekend and see how it functions. Other GPS users, what program do you use to view your data? Do you just stick with the Garmin Connect or do you have something better?

To check out my run data on Garmin Connect, click here. Take a close at my Max Pace results. You know that's off!

Runs, Runs, and More Runs

2008-11-02T10:56:00.005-06:00

It's been a week since I posted, and there really isn't much to blog about.

I had a couple of good runs this week and a couple of crappy ones as well. I ran early Monday morning before my flight to Pittsburgh. It was a nice 7 miler that really got the day going for me before being forced to sit in airports and on airplanes all day. I love running before a day of travel.

The other 2 runs I did this week were completely forgettable. Saturday, however, I planned on running 13.1 miles. Longest for me. Friday night did not go well, however, and I was afraid that the entire run would have to be canceled. I will try to be delicate in my description, but I must have picked up a bug or something because I spent most of the night with my face in the toilet. Nice visual, right? When I woke up, I felt fine. Drank lots of water before starting and headed out. It was a GREAT run. The final 2 miles was hard--thought I was going to die. Just ran out of gas, but it was a good run none the less.

That was the highlight of my day, however. As soon as I got home, my belly "bug" kicked in. I will spare you the details, but I stayed in bed all day in agony. Hardly ate anything, and anything I did eat didn't stay down for long. I woke up this morning and everything was pretty much back to normal. Very odd, indeed. Sorry if any of that was TMI.

Check out this headline: Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon named Best Amateur Single-Sport Event at 2008 SportsTravel Awards. Came across this on Runners Journal website. Not sure who the competition was, but I can tell you from experience that this race was not without its problems. I ran the relay and it was pretty bad. Relay teammates were dropped off at wrong locations--some up to half a mile away. Other relayers, after finishing their portion, were stuck waiting up to 2 hours for buses to take them back to the start/finish line. It was a mess. Anyway, it is nice to see the local marathon get some press. So, anybody gonna run this next year? Speak up!

My birthday was today and the wifey got me the Forerunner 405! Even better than that, I got an ice cream cake. Who can beat that? Hopefully I will have time for a run before my flight tomorrow. Otherwise, I will be taking the 405 to Seattle with me for a test drive. More to come on that.

Storybook Forest

2008-10-26T19:37:00.003-05:00

There wasn't much running for me this weekend. Other than the 5K, I was pretty lazy. I was going to go out Sunday morning, but I felt exhausted when I woke up and decided to skip it all together.

I think I was so tired because we took Piper to the Storybook Forest Halloween festival. They had set up different nursery rhymes scenes along a path in the woods and gave out candy to the little ones. This was Piper's first real Halloween experience and she had a blast. It did not take her long to figure out that the strangers were giving out candy. It's funny--she would not let them drop candy in her bucket; she would take the candy from their hand, inspect it, and then drop it in the bucket. Here are a few pictures.

Isn't she a doll in her butterfly costume??

Gotta go get on an airplane now. I am flying out to Pittsburgh for the week and it is probably going to be cold, cold, cold. I ran 7 miles this morning; i love having the time to work out before my flight leaves. You know how it is when you travel. You sit in an airport or airplane all day, you eat crap. If I have time to workout before the flight, it makes me feel better all day.

Race Report: 3rd Annual UCO Homecoming 5K Run

2008-10-25T12:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I posted about the killer 4 mile run that I had at the park. That run made me want to race. I needed to see if I could run that fast when it counted. Not that any of it "counts", but you know what I mean. After doing a bit of searching, I found a not-well-advertised 5K starting 15 minutes from the house. The race was put together as part of the homecoming weekend celebration at the local college, University of Central Oklahoma (UCO).

When it comes to small local races, I have learned not to expect much. I know they don't have a lot of money to get fancy, and to be honest, for a 5K, not much is needed. Sign-up started at 7 AM and the race was to begin at 8. I got there around 7:20 and it looked like they were just starting to get cones and barriers up for the race course. I groaned just a little. I get in the line (line might not be the right word--there were only 2 of us) and payed my $15 bucks. Cheap--I like that! I get my bib and goody bag. Not much in there but a plastic UCO cup and a shirt. I am still in utter shock about this, but the shirt was a Brooks technical T, not crap cotton. Hard to believe, huh? I walk away from the registration table to pick up my timing chip and I overhear that the start time pushed to 8:15. Obviously a little disorganized; again, no big deal.

It was pretty cold and I still had 20 minutes until start time. What happens as I am milling about? I need to pee. Yet, there is no where to pee. None of the building had opened up yet, so I am told. Luckily I see a group of ROTC kids doing their thing and they let me in their building to take care of business. Crisis averted.

The gun went off at 8:20. There was only about 100 people running, if that. But the course was pretty nice--it took us all over the campus. Students were putting last minute touches on homecoming floats, tents were being set up, the band was practicing; the campus was alive and it was pretty cool.

One of the nicest touches to the race was the supporters. At every half-kilometer or so, there were large groups of supports cheering. It seems the race director was able to get the greeks to come out and cheer us on. There were more supports than racers and it was pretty cool.

So, all in all, it was a fun time. I am so glad I went out this morning and ran it. Oh, did I mention that I set a PR? No? Well I did...I freakin flew! Official time was 25:18. Yeah, you read that right! I ran it at an 8:08 pace!! And no, I am not on any performance enhancers. For comparison, I ran the 5K race on September 20th (just 4 weeks ago) at a 9:04 pace--a PR at the time.

One last thing. I think I am finally starting to figure out what a race pace is. Before, I only had one pace. It was the same pace I ran for short runs and long runs. It was a little more than a 10:00 a mile pace. Somehow I have figured out or gained the ability to run faster for shorter distances. Today I laid it all on the table. I knew it was only 3 miles and I should be able to fly. And I did. I might be turning a corner in my running. Or I could be just a little too dramatic. Take your pick.

Bummer Free Zone

2008-10-24T09:29:00.002-05:00

Not much to report this week. Running and working--story of my life. I did have a good week of running, though. My schedule has been a little messed up, mostly because I have been feeling a bit tired or lazy. Or both. I took Monday off since I did a long run on Sunday. So on Tuesday I ran 8.5 miles. That's a little longer than normal for my first run after a long one, but I felt good and wanted to keep going. Well, I felt good during the middle and the end of the run, but I almost quit after about a mile. I wasn't feeling it at all. But I told myself "you took the time to get dressed, you took the time to drive out here, and frankly, you have already run a mile so you will have to shower when you get home--might as well finish the run." Isn't that sad? Regardless, it turned out to be a pretty good run.

I had to drive to a site on Wednesday so I was unable to run.

Yesterday I had a killer run. Killer. So, before my IT band problem, I was a pretty steady 10:00-10:30 pace runner. When I came back, my speed seemed to increase. Yesterday was the fastest yet. I went to the park and ran 4 miles at a 9:17 pace. Holy crap! I mean, I felt like i was going fast the entire time, just not that fast.

Quick shout out to Jen who is running the Marine Corp Marathon this weekend. Good luck, Jen! I am rooting for you!

Another Great Run

2008-10-18T08:55:00.005-05:00

I had a great run today. Went out to my old favorite, Mitch Park, and ran 11.6 miles. Felt real good. Legs are a little sore now, but nothing too terrible. No worries about being ready for that half next month.

Lots of races and racers this weekend. Congrats to Topher and Rachel on completing the Kansas City Marathon yesterday. I can't wait to read their race reports! Also, a shout out to RazZDoodle for running the Des Moines Half Marathon today and Alissa for completing the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. You guys rock!

Special shout out to my former boss, Denson, at TKD Family Journey. He and 3 of his kids (the youngest is only 4) had a Tae Kwon Do tournament this week and kicked butt. Check out the post here.

Cold Miles

2008-10-17T11:36:00.005-05:00

A coooold 6 miles at 6 AM this morning. The temperature was right at 40 degrees which is the coldest of the year so far. I did not make the smartest attire choices this morning. I wore a long sleeve technical shirt with a light jacket on top. After a mile, the jacket came off. The long sleeve shirt worked fine except that it is kind of loose and the cold air got to my belly pretty easily. With only a mile or so left, my belly was numb. When I got home and took the shirt off for my shower, my belly was really, really red. Not a good feeling. Although it was fun putting my ultra-cold belly against the wifey's bare back. The scream she gave off was priceless. I have a couple of fitted short sleeve technicals that I never wear (because they are ultra tight) but I figure they will work well under the long sleeve shirt. I will give that a go on Sunday for my long run. Good plan?

So I was talking to the Running Warehouse folks the other day and I asked if they could provide me a discount code that I could offer to my fellow blogger buddies. They agreed and provided a link that will give you 15% off your entire order (the discount does not apply to Mizuno and ASICS products). Just so you know, I don't get anything in return for you using the link; I just wanted to give everyone an incentive to check out the site. So, have a look, buy something, save some loot and let me know what you think.

Love this commercial:

Great Run and Product Testing

2008-10-15T14:34:00.003-05:00

I can honestly say that today was the first time that I woke up hoping that it would be cold outside. You see, I really wanted to try out my CW-X Stabilyx Tights (conveniently purchased from Running Warehouse). I knew that it should be cold in the mornings in Connecticut so I brought them along. I woke up at 6 AM, pulled up weather.com and saw that it was 48 degree's. Cold enough, I guess; it would have to do because I really wanted to try those bad boys out!

It was probably 50 degrees once I finally got out there to run. My hotel is by the local mall so I use that as my "trail". It is 1.1 miles around, well lit, and very little traffic in the mornings. Perfect for running if you ask me. The tights performed superbly. My legs were not cold at all nor did they ever get hot and feel sweaty, like they did last year when I wore running pants. I highly recommend them to anyone in the market. The only problem I had was with the draw string. I didn't use it at first and they felt like they were going to slip off. I never use the string in my shorts so I didn't even thing about it. However, after a mile, I tied them up and they stayed perfectly in place.

I tried out another product today. I bought a box of Gu Roctane Energy Gel (from Running Warehouse, of course) to try out. I heard they really give you an impressive energy boost and I wanted to see what they could do. They are pretty damn expensive so they are not for every day use, but I figure on a long run, they might work well. I took a regular Gu before my run to get me started. I started dying out around mile 3. I figured I would wait until mile 4, shoot Roctaine, and see how I felt. A short time after inhaling that stuff I felt great. That dying out feeling disappeared and the run was effortless. Was it the Roctaine? Who knows. But I felt amazing. My plan for this run was 7 miles. I ended up doing 9. When I stopped, I wasn't even out of breath. If it wasn't for my time constraint, I could have kept going. This was the longest and most effortless run I have had since returning from my knee problems. I guess you don't have to ask if I am a fan of Roctaine. Or CW-X tights.

Tagged by Karin

2008-10-15T07:56:00.003-05:00

Karin was nice enough (or mean enough depending on how you look at it) to tag me. So here are the rules and my answers:

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

10 Years Ago (1998):
1. Just moved to Dayton, OH while in the Air Force
2. Been married for a year to my first wife
3. Was given the job that put me where I am today (and I don't mean in a hotel in Connecticut)
4. Lived in a crappy apartment
5. ???

5 Things on Today's "To Do" List:
1. Pack
2. Fly home
3. Run (was on the list, but still counts)
4. Blog about today's run
5. Fill out my trip report

5 Things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Quit my job
2. Buy a big house
3. Run all the time (lol)
4. Travel all over the world
5. Turn in to a big jerk (come on, wouldn't we all)

5 Places I have lived:
1. Dayton, OH
2. Ramstein, Germany
3. Columbus, MS
4. Selma, AL
5. Vacaville, CA

5 Jobs I have had:
1. TCBY as a yogurt guy
2. Stock boy at a grocery store
3. Bagger at a grocery store
4. Worked at a mini-golf course
5. X-Ray tech in the Air Force

Now, I'm tagging....
1. Alissa
2. Topher
3. Jill
4. jlou
5. Terri

No Title

2008-10-13T19:40:00.005-05:00

I had a nice 4 mile speed routine this morning on the treadmill. Didn't think I was actually going to make it down there when the wake-up call came at 5:45. I stayed up a little later than I should have watching the football game. I have been tired all day because of it. Luckily, though, I was done with work at 2 so that was nice. Of course, now I am back in the boring hotel room typing on my blog.

Oh, I have officially signed up for the Route 66 Half-Marathon. It always seems a little more real once you pay the money and make the reservations. Here is the elevation chart for the half:

They had to put a hill right at the end, didn't they!

Miles and More

2008-10-12T19:50:00.004-05:00

5 miles for me on Saturday at the ole park. Strong. Like ox. I will say this: beer and hot wings the night before a run is not the smartest thing in the world. I was hurting if you know what I mean. I am, however, ready to kick it up a notch. As I increase my miles, I am going to add a longish run on Wednesdays to make sure I am ready for my upcoming half marathon. So on top of my speed and tempo runs, the plan for this week is to do 7 on Wednesday and 8 on Saturday. Both of these will be highs for me since coming back from my knee problem.

So why the rush to get my miles up? Well, I have signed myself up for the Route 66 Half-Marathon on November 16. I have 5 weeks to get ready. No problem. The race is in Tulsa, OK, about 1.5 hours from me. The wifey will be running the quarter-marathon. Yeah, they are actually offering a quarter-marathon. Wifey and I are pretty darn excited about this race.

Cold weather running is on our door step, especially for us early morning runners. Shouldn't be so bad here in OKC for a while--next week will be the coldest yet with lows in the low 50's. However, I have started buying some cold weather gear. On top of a couple of long sleeve shirts, I bought some tights. Specifically, a got a pair of CW-X Stabilyx tights. Say what you will about dudes in running tights, but these things are bad ass. And, since I will be in Connecticut this week, with lows in the low 40's, I can't wait to try them out! Ok , give me your honest opinion. Yes or no, would you wear tights?

Quick shout out to Karin at Chicago '08 - Round 2 who ran Chicago today. Congratulations Karin, you truly rock!

And now, because I am so excited about this, I won the pottery lottery at Jill's website! Jill is raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. She has come up with some cool ways to raise money for this great cause; I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

What?? 2 in One Week??

2008-10-09T13:00:00.003-05:00

I had a great workout today. I did a 4 mile tempo run on the trusty treadmill. Then, since I was ultra lazy yesterday and skipped my weight training workout, I did that too. Machine, baby.

The decision is done. I am a half-marathon person for now. I told the wifey about my thoughts on not doing a marathon any time soon and she was very excited. She gets overly concerned that I am going to kill myself or something. And she needs me to pay for things. Just kidding. No i'm not. Anyway, I am hoping to become the Laura of the half-marathon. Do they have a Half-Marathon Maniac's club? I am doing the P.F. Changs Half (as previously stated), and as of right now, wifey and I will do the half at the Little Rock Marathon (brother lives in LR) in March, and then the half at the OKC Memorial Marathon in April. Don't you worry. I will find more. I am an animal!

I have a birthday coming up next month. Thinking about asking for a Garmin. Thoughts on this from Garmin users? I have been using the Nike+ for users and no amount of calibration seems to get it right. Really pisses me off sometimes. Also, thought the Garmin might be useful when out of town.

Again, Another Boring Blog Post

2008-10-08T10:48:00.002-05:00

I can't say I have had much "blog worthy" stuff going on these days. I have been running according to my schedule. Did 5 miles outside yesterday morning and it was cold and windy. I actually had to break out the gloves. The run went well and it was nice to get a decent run in at my park.

I did officially sign up for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n Roll Arizona Half Marathon. The great part is that Southwest Airlines, National Car Rental and Marriott all pitched in as sponsors. Ok, not really, but that is the one good thing about all the travel I do for work. Miles and points. Nothing better than free stuff. I am pretty excited about this race! Although, it will be a little odd training in 30 degree weather only to race in 60 degree weather. Good times ahead.

One last thing. I don't think I am going to run a marathon anytime soon. The time commitment might be a little more than I can give having the little one and all. On top of that, the wifey has decided she wants to start running more and training for a half. I can't see how we can both do it. I figure I will stick to the manageable half's for now and then when Piper is a little older, do a marathon. Thoughts on this?

Finally, congratualations to Terri at Middle-of-the-Pack Girl on completing her very first marathon. Way to go!

Another Update About Nothing

2008-10-01T08:18:00.003-05:00

Still running. Still traveling.

Last Friday, the wifey and I had a chance to run together. My weekly Friday morning con call was canceled, Piper would be in school at 9:30, and we both wanted to run. We decided it might be fun to head to Mitch Park and do 3 miles. It was anything but. I discovered that she is a yapper. Yap yap yap yap yap. I even tried to be very dramatic when I pulled out my earphones and said "What????" I tried to show my disdain for her constant yapping. Didn't work. Afterward's we laughed (some might consider it a laugh) about it and I told her I will never run with her again. I think I am getting so use to running by myself, that I really didn't enjoy running with her.

I have blogged about the Nike+ Coached Runs and how much I enjoy them. The coached runs consist of a coach telling you when to increase and decrease your speed, when to charge up a hill, and when to take a recovery break. They are set to music and are genrally 30-40 minutes long. The coached runs is the only way I will do the treadmill these days. It really breaks up the TM run and actually makes it enjoyable. Downside is that they cost $12 or so on iTunes. Nike did, however, release 3 coached runs for free to help people get ready for the Nike Human Race. A lot of my fellow bloggers ran the race so this might be old news, but here are the links to the 3 free runs.

30 minute Treadmill Workout
40 minute My First 10K
20 minute 10K Quick Run

Signed up for the 8K Turkey Trot today! Nothing better than running Thanksgiving morning. Run some miles, pig out and watch football. What could be better? Oh, signed wifey up too. oh boy...

My Weekly Wrap-Up

2008-09-25T10:20:00.003-05:00

Seems like that is all I have been doing lately--a weekly post. Hopefully I will have more time in the coming weeks to blog; I really do miss it.

I was back in Connecticut this week. In fact, I am sitting at the airport now. Who else thinks the TSA looks better in their new blue shirts? And they wear real badges now instead of patches. I like it. Hmmm. Do you think that analyzing the TSA's attire means that it is time for me to come off the road? To much time in airport's...

Moving on. I ran three great runs so far this week. My plan was to stay away from the treadmill this week and just run outside. I woke up at 5:30 Tuesday morning, saw that it was 40 degrees outside, pouted about how cold it was, and headed downstairs for a 3 mile run on the TM. Fast forward to Wednesday morning. Woke up at 5:30, saw that it was 40 degrees outside, pouted about how cold it was, and just as I was about to head downstairs to the TM, I manned up and told myself to get my butt outside. For once, I listened to myself and ran outside for 4 miles. It felt great. I warmed up quick and was thankful that I decided to get out there. As I was short on time this morning, it was easier to stay indoors and do a 4 mile tempo run. Again, felt great. Aiming for 5-6 on Saturday.

Jill, over at Jill Will Run, is raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She is a part of Team in Training for an upcoming marathon. Right now, she is raffling off a piece of custom made pottery, created by Bethany. You can check out some of her work at her Etsy store. Anyway, each dollar you donate gives you a ticket entered in the drawing. So go here, donate, and attempt to win this great prize. If you are not interested in the pottery, donate in my name because I really want it! You can't tell me that Piper's name would not be absolutely adorable on a mug or plate!

Racing and Personal Records

2008-09-20T13:34:00.006-05:00

I had a pretty good workout week. I was in Manchester, CT and the morning air was quite conducive to running. You can't beat 55 degree's with little to no wind. It helped me run 3 times during the week, including a 3 mile speed workout. I couldn't be more pleased with the progress my knee has made. I have no pain at all and I believe I can finally stop talking about it. Done. Moving on.

As I was driving home from the airport Thursday evening, I realized that it had been ages since I ran a race. I looked at the schedule when I got home and there happened to be a 5K scheduled for today at the state capitol which is only about 25 minutes from the house. Score! The next hurdle would be convincing my wife to let me run it. You see, the wifey is running now, too. And she really wants to race. But having the little one, there is no way he can both run the race. Sure, I could ask my Mom to come over at 6:30 in the morning to watch Piper but that hardly seems right. So before I went begging, I looked at the upcoming race schedule to see what was on the horizon. Just my luck! In 2 weeks, OKC is having their annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. Score again! Subtle manipulation? Probably, but in the end, we both win. Oh, I also took the time to register her for the SGK 5K so that helped, too.

So, on to the 1st Annual Oklahoma Capitol Challenge. I would say there was maybe a hundred or so people there to run. Small event, no chips. Weather was 63 degree's and no wind at all. That is a minor miracle in Oklahoma. It was a great day for running. And a great day for a PR. That's right, after not running for 7 weeks, and only being back for 2, I beat my old 5K by over a minute with a time of 28:15. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with myself.

That is pretty much everything for now. I am back to Manchester next week.

Update for the Week - Part 2

2008-09-15T08:06:00.004-05:00

As much fun as I had last week and with as much beer as I drank, you would think I would not have made it to the gym. Nay, I say. I worked out everyday but one, and that was because we had an early flight out. Both hotels had killer fitness facilities which always makes things easier. Also, this was my first week back to running after 7 weeks on the DL--there is no way I was going to miss that. So, I ran 4 times this week. The first 3 runs were a whopping 2 miles each on the treadmill (hey, that is per the PT so don't give me any crap) and my "long" run of 3.2 miles was on Saturday. It was also my first outside run since I started back. Everything felt great. I think i am ready to slowly start increasing--no more than a 10% increase per week to make sure I don't over do it.

I am goal oriented so I have been looking at upcoming races. There are 2 potentials for marathons in the Spring: the OKC Memorial Marathon and the Little Rock Marathon. The OKC one would be easiest since I live here but I have heard that the LR run is gorgeous and it helps that my brother lives there. As a prep, my wife has agreed to let me run the PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon. I love Phoenix and this looks like a great run. Has anyone out there run any of these races?

Update for the Week - Part 1

2008-09-14T10:34:00.007-05:00

It was a long, long week so I will probably do 2 posts to keep them short.

Most of my trips consist of Monday-Thursday travel. This week was a little different and required me to leave for Phoenix on Sunday and come home from Chicago on Friday. Long week for me, indeed. But it was fantastic. Myself, a co-worker, and our boss hosted 2 guys, 1 from England and the other from Spain, to show them what we do in our job. We picked 3 different places to do site visits and spent the remainder of the time in a conference room going over the job. It was a positive experience for all.

But the important stuff: in Phoenix, not only did I get upgraded, I had a fantastic view from my room. As a football fan, how could I ask for more?
After a few days in Phoenix, it was on to our next stop: South Bend, Indiana, home of Notre Dame and the College Football Hall of Fame. The travel sucked since we flew in to Chicago in the middle of the afternoon; the 2 hour drive to South Bend took more like 5 hours with traffic. Awful. We did visit the campus and I snapped a few pics.

The College Football Hall of Fame has a short astro-turf field that you can play around on so we bought a small football and tried to get a pick up game together. We were dressed wrong and are too old to last more than 10 minutes running around. Good times.

I promise we actually did some work during this trip. A lot actually. But you have to play, too. Right?

I'm in Love

2008-09-08T17:46:00.002-05:00

Well, maybe in lust. No, it's love. With my Saucony's of course.

I ran 2 miles today. Now, before you say anything about the amount I ran, please keep in mind that I am not allowed to do anything else. That being said, the 2 miles felt great. Pain hardly there.

Oh, and yesterday I did TWO 1:30 minute ab planks! I could never have done that before my injury.

I am a Runner Again!

2008-09-06T17:01:00.004-05:00

I ran my first real run today after being sidelined with IT band problems. Also, this was my first run in the correct shoes for my foot. The run felt great. The shoes felt great. My knee felt great. I stuck to 2 miles like the physical therapist ordered me to do and there were no problems to speak of. Well, the only real problem was that I felt winded toward the end of this short run. This was to be expected since I have not recorded a real run in almost 7 weeks. Hard to believe that I had made it up to 10+ prior to the injury. I fell like I am starting over. NBD. I know I can get there again.

The plan is to stick to 2 miles for a couple of more runs to certify that all is well. I would hate to do to much, to quick and cause a serious injury that would put me out for months.

I leave for Phoenix tomorrow for a couple of days. Still hot I hear but I will be with a few co-workers so it should be fun. Also, the hotel we are staying at has a great workout facility. Trust me, you travel as much as I do, the workout facility becomes priority in picking a hotel. Blogger friend Laura would probably agree with me on that one.

Another Day at Mizuno Lab

2008-09-04T16:29:00.004-05:00

So the wifey was really bummed that she was not able to go to the Mizuno "Run With Us" Mobile Tech Lab hosted at Fleet Feet in Edmond, OK. She had to work and earn some money so I could buy some new shoes! Anyway, I looked at the schedule and it just so happened they were at another running store in Edmond, OK Runner, I think (still prefer FF). So we headed over to see if she has been wearing the correct shoe. Turns out, she hasn't. She is also neutral. Moral of the story: everyone should go to a good running store and get your foot reevaluated just to be on the safe side.

Shoes should be here tomorrow. I will be running on Saturday...if I don't go out as soon as the shoes arrive.

A few more pictures of Piper. You know how it seems that most races these days give out the ugliest shirts? Well, my Mom took my shirt from Bay to Breakers and made it so it would fit Piper. She looks adorable!

What a Difference a Day Makes

2008-09-03T08:59:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I was scheduled for my first physical therapy appointment in well over a week. When you pretty much travel every week, it is hard to work in 2-3 days of physical therapy. The appointment went well. So well in fact that I was told I could do a couple of runs. Woo-hoo! One caveat. I was told to get a new pair of shoes and to make sure I was wearing the right ones. No problem, I said, I will go to Fleet Feet today!

I have always been told I need a support shoe. So that is what I have always used. Obviously. But I figured I would let Fleet Feet do their thing and verify that I need a support shoe. It just so happens that the Mizuno "Run With Us" Mobile Tech Lab (this link also has the schedule if you are interested to see if they are coming to your town) was at Fleet Feet yesterday...one day only. Tell me that isn't fortuitous! I was the first one there so I was able to get in and out pretty quick. They went through a number of positions to determine what shoe type is right for me. They looked at foot rotation, foot strike while running, flexibility in the upper ankle joint, static leg axis, and dynamic leg axis. This was accomplished with both a computer aided "Precision Fit" station as well as the experienced technician watching as I walked.

So here is what I found out: First, my left foot is a half shoe size smaller than my right. Good to know, I guess. But more importantly, I found out that I don't need a support shoe. I am Neutral! NEUTRAL! I have been running in the wrong shoes for years. Don't think it really bothered me in the past because before December, I never went over 3 miles in a single run. One guess as to why my knee is all jacked up? So they let me lace up a pair of neutrals and go out for a run. I ran for 5 minutes and it felt wonderful.

As soon as I got home, I went to Running Warehouse and bought me a pair of Saucony ProGrid Ride. They will be here on Friday. And of course, plug time: Fleet Feet had this pair of shoes for $90. Running Warehouse price: $71.95 with free 2-day shipping. If you are not ordering through Running Warehouse yet, you should be.

On top of all of this great news, I got a free Mizuno technical T just for coming out. There is another store in OKC that is hosting the lab this evening so we are going out there so the wifey can go through the process. And finally, since I no longer need my Brooks, I found someone else that can wear them.

From 2008-08-22 Piper and my Running Shoes (and other stuff)

Still Working Out and Still Blogging

2008-08-27T20:34:00.002-05:00

Not much to talk about but it has been a week since I posted. So, the down and dirty:

Still not running. Hope to soon. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow. Hopefully things are loosening up a little and I can run real soon. Congrats to those that did the Nike+ Human Race.
Still working out with PumpOne. Still loving it. I added a link on my blog in case you guys are interested in them. Give it a try--I promise you will enjoy it.
I finished Week 4 of the Push up Challenge. On to Week 5!
Piper is sick. First it was a stomach thing, which caused diaper rash from hell. Now she has added a cold to the mix. She is not a happy camper.

No Running, But Lots of Complaining

2008-08-23T09:39:00.003-05:00

I had my first physical therapy appointment on Thursday. I had it done at the McBride Clinic. Great place, great people. I highly recommend them if you live in the Oklahoma City area. Anyway, the therapist told me not to run--no sprints, no nothing. She said that I should be able to do the bike without problems. So the bike it is. The only problem is that I HATE the bike. It is so boring. I gotta figure a way to keep me on there for more than 10 minutes. We did lots of stretches and leg lifts, all things I have been doing on my own. We then did some ultrasound and heat therapy.

I went to the gym yesterday and did my Marine Corp workout (week 2, day 3 minus the sprints), Essential Abs (week 3, day 3), and the pushup challenge (week 4, day 1). Oh, I rode the bike for a dreadful 10 minutes. I will do better with that tomorrow.

I Worked Out Harder Than You Did.

2008-08-18T17:27:00.004-05:00

I am on the plane right now to Santa Monica so I figured I would take the time to update the blog. I had a great workout this morning, although I am paying for it now. Here is what I did this morning:

100 Push-up Challenge – Week 3 Day 2
Essential Abs Challenge – Week 3 Level 1
Men's Health Marine Corp Challenge – Week 2 Day 2
Two miles worth of fast paced running

Hmmm, a pattern is emerging. Perhaps I like a challenge, no? So in order now:

I had been severely lacking in my push-ups and a few weeks ago I decided to start over. I am doing level 3 and all is going well this time around. The wifey is even doing them with me—and doing well.

I mentioned in a previous post about the Essential Abs challenge. Here is what Week 3, Level 1 entailed:

Hip Raises
Reverse Crunches
Crunches with Feet Flat
Oblique Crunches
Superman's
Crossover's
Crunches with Legs Up

Level 1 only calls for you to do one set of 12 for each exercise, which I did. The challenge is that you do not rest between exercises—from one to the next. I could feel it toward the end. For Level 2, which I will do Wednesday, I will bump it up to 15 each. If you haven't already, get this book. I think you will like it.

I also mentioned the Marine Corp Workout in a previous post. It is a 4 week challenge and I love it. The great part is that the bulk of the exercises can be adapted for working out at home with dumb bells. Always convenient. Week 2 Day 1, which I did on Saturday calls for a 15 second sprint after each exercise. Even though I am on the injured reserve list, I am still allowed to run, if I can stand it. Also, the faster you run, the less pain you will feel in the knee—it is the slow to moderate speeds that kill me. So, I decided to go for the sprints. After each exercise, I hoped on the treadmill, set it to level 9, and run for 20-30 seconds. It felt great! Sure it wasn't much distance wise, but it felt nice to run without any pain. Still counts as running right? And sprints are good for the body right?

Which leads me to today's run. I was reading about David Beckham's workout in the latest issue of Men's Health, which I normally don't read but I needed something for the airplane. The magazine took his workout and adapted it for normal human use. The first part of the workout called for four 5-minute runs at 75% of your maximum heart rate—easy running for 4 minutes in between each interval. With confidence from the sprints on Saturday, I figured if I could get the treadmill up to a decent speed, my knee shouldn't hurt so much. The problem would be the 4-minute easy running periods. I knew I would not be able to do that. So I walked them instead. I used Nike+ to track my distance, pausing for the walks so that I might have something to feel good about. Total running was about 2.25 miles at an 8:58 pace. Fastest I have ever recorded—a fact that Tiger Woods reminded me of at the end of my run. How did the knee feel? Felt great! It hurt a little toward the end of run, but nothing to worry about. That was then. Sitting on this plane right now, my knee is killing me! I popped a Motrin right after the run and I am getting ready to do another. I am a Motrin junkie. Is a sore knee going to prevent me from running tomorrow? Nope. I am going to attempt another round, perhaps bump the treadmill up a little higher. We'll see.

Updates

2008-08-14T20:01:00.005-05:00

I looked at my blog today and I could not believe that it has been so long since I updated it. With me still not running, it is hard to stay motivated to update a running blog. But, I figured I had enough topics to talk about to warrant a post. And you know what? Not one of them will involve running.

It has been 4 weeks since my first appointment with the sports medicine doc. He told me that I could still run but I should limit the number of miles I am doing--and I should stick to a soft, non-hilly surface. I have tried to run 3 times since that first appointment. With all 3, I started hurting within a half-mile, including the run I attempted on the treadmill this past Monday. With these continued problems, I decided to go back to the sports med doc. So, after yesterdays appointment, we are going to try physical therapy 3 times a week. Not sure if that will actually happen with my travel schedule, but I should be able to do at least twice a week. I have to go back to the doc in a month for a progress check. If I am still having problems at that time, we will go with ultrasound therapy and possibly steroids. My knee is going to get huge! Bad joke. I will keep you posted.

Now an update on MR_Man. First, thank you for thinking about him and his family. He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and he is taking this remarkably well. The kids, (I got an age clarification--they are 5 & 3) are still not home. He still has no idea when his children or mother-in-law will be coming home. However, they are safe for the time being. Not really sure where they are--all we were told is that they are about 100 KM south of South Ossetia--but wherever it is, they are safe. Airports are still shut down, marshal law is in place, and there is a cease fire (yeah right). The kids are thankfully completely oblivious to what is going on. The only comments that have been made is by the oldest who has wondered why it is so loud outside. She will go outside and tell them to stop being so loud. That would be cute if it wasn't so sad; tragic that the sounds she is hearing are bombs being dropped. But again, they are safe. More to come.

After reading Andrew's post about Essential Abs, I went out and bought the book. It offers a 6-week plan to get your abs in shape. I recommend the book and the plan. The exercises are simple and there are no tricks and gimmicks. The key is that you do each exercise one right after the other, with no more than 5-10 seconds rest. If you want to see more about this book, check out Steve's (Mr. 100 Push-up Challenge) posts on it. Speaking of the challenge, I was weak. I stopped for a couple of weeks and had to start over. I am on week 3 and doing well. How are you guys doing with the challenge? Did you wimp out like me?

And finally, I have talked a little about the PumpOne workouts in a previous post. Still love them. They keep me focused during my weight training sessions (which seems about all I can do these days) and I feel like I am getting some good results. I might have also mentioned that Men's Health is also offering some PumpOne workouts on their download page. A few are even free. Even though they are geared toward men, anyone can do these workouts. A lot of them utilize exercises that work multiple muscles groups. A good example is the Clean & Press. A correct Clean & Press works the shoulders, triceps, biceps, lower back, traps, hamstrings, calves, abs, and glutes. Not bad, right? My personal favorite? The Marine Core Workout. This one will take you 30 minutes or less and will leave you feeling like you had a great workout. Perfect complement to a nice run. And, it is only $9.95.

I am still reading the blogs, still logging the VRC, and being bad about commenting. Enjoy your run this weekend; I am not jealous. Yes I am.

Sad and Scary Times

2008-08-08T18:47:00.003-05:00

I am sure you have all heard about the Russian incursion in to Georgia today. Typically, we Americans hear something like this, think how awful it is, and then turn back to E! to see the latest antics of some celebrity, never giving what is happening on the other side of the world a second thought. Just wanted to quickly tell you about my wife's coworker, MR_Man. MR_Man is married to a Georgian woman. They actually just got back from a family vacation in Georgia. MR_Man's 2 young daughter's and mother-in-law decided to stay for a few more weeks visiting family. They are there now. And they can't get out.

It is hard to imagine having your daughters in such an area and there is nothing you can do to get them home. The soonest the daughters, age 4 and 5, can get out is Tuesday. At least that is what they are being told. Right now, all airports have been shut down and supposedly martial law is about or has been imposed. From what I understand, our Government is working hard to get the 2,000+ Americans currently living in Georgia out safely.

I hope this post didn't sound preachy or self-serving. I just want everyone to remember that even though this is happening on the other side of the world, for some, it is right next door. So, if you are the praying type, not only pray that this ends soon, but pray that those 2 little girls make it home quickly and safely.

Pump You Up

2008-08-06T08:59:00.003-05:00

I wish I had lots of great things to blog about. Alas, I do not. Still not running, and I don't plan to try until this weekend. Hell, I may decide to skip one more week just to be on the safe side. I did read that it could take 4-6 weeks to fully recover. Originally, I was pretty pissed off about this because it is severely cutting in to my marathon training time. Not really so worried about that now. If I don't have enough time to be fully ready for the marathon (notice I did not say full), I will settle for the half. No big deal. There will be plenty of time to run a marathon in the future. Notice the change in my attitude. Sometimes I even amaze my self.

I have not been slacking completely. I have been at the gym lifting weights,and really enjoying it. At one point I was really good about getting to the gym for cross training on my non-running days. I really started slacking on that mainly due to other responsibilities (family ALWAYS gets in the way), but I seem to have reconnected with the cross-training, specifically weight-training. So maybe this injury is a blessing in disguise?

I have had some help. A couple of things, actually, have helped give me motivation to get back to the weights. One is PumpOne. Ever heard of it? PumpOne creates workout software that you can put on your iPod. They have everything from full body workouts to Yoga and Pilates. I have done a couple of days with it so far and really like it. The workouts constantly change so it feels fresh and new. After a few weeks of using it, not only will I look like a god, but I will post a better review. If you are intrested in trying it out, they do offer a sample, but I thought it was kinda weak. If you want to jump in to buying a program, use coupon code PumpedForMore to save a few bucks. Men's Health just teamed up with PumpedOne to offer custom content. Their programs are smaller and target specific areas (legs, chest, abs, etc.). They have some great free stuff up right now that you can download here. 6 Weeks to a 6-Pack is a pretty cool program and free right now, so give it a go. Let me know what you think or your experience with PumpOne.

I leave you, again, with a picture of my little one enjoying some of the Japanese snacks I brought back with me. This one in particular were the yogurt-filled cookie things. She loved them. Geez, so many Piper pics lately...

More Useless Ramblings

2008-08-02T12:36:00.005-05:00

I made it safely back from Japan on Thursday. It was an exhausting trip back, obviously. First leg of the journey was getting from Yokosuka to Narita airport via the rail system. Took close to 3 hours, but it was fun. Well, maybe fun is not the right word. It was an experience.

The 11 hour flight to Chicago was uneventful. Decided to lay off the alcohol and I paid for it--didn't sleep at all on the flight. I think the important lesson is to always booze up on over-sea's flights. Had a 4 hour layover in Chicago which sucked. I was absolutely exhausted. I actually considered commenting on Jenn's blog to come pick me up! Finally got home to OKC around 2:30 in the afternoon. I was able to stay up to about 8 PM before I passed out...for 12 hours!! I NEVER sleep that much. Felt great. Since then, I have just been relaxing, resting, and enjoying being home. And enjoying my lil Piper of course!

Piper and I - Just got home from Japan.

I did take a few pictures while over there. Not many, sadly. I did take one for the original Mr. Donut himself, Topher. Saw it and immediately thought of him in a manly kind of way.

The Japanese love their sweets

While in Yokosuka, we stayed at the New Yokosuka Hotel. The hotel offered many services that don't come with your standard hotel. First, starting around 5 PM, some extremely friendly ladies would take up residence right outside the hotel doors. Literally right outside the door. These friendly ladies offered a wide variety of services to accommodate ones individual needs. Now, if that wasn't your thing, the hotel offered complimentary "movie" channels in each room. There were 3 channels, 2 offering the finest in Japanese porn. How considerate of the hotel to think of our needs like that. Domo arigato! I wonder if I should put that in my trip report.

The rooms were tiny, obviously. Seeing the picture of the small room got me thinking about the small room I had in Korea 3 years ago. Here is a comparison:

Room in Japan

Room in Korea from a few years ago

I think the room in Korea is bigger, but I didn't have a bed. That is just a mat on the floor with a comforter on top. In any situation, bed always trumps no bed. Oh, and that night in Korea without a bed, on the hardwood floor--didn't sleep a wink. Luckily, they found me a bed for the remainder of my stay.

A few more lame pictures can be viewed here.

Ok, now on to the running. This morning was my first scheduled run in over a week. Just to recap, I have been dealing with a tight IT band for a couple of weeks now. My knee felt great when I first started...started really hurting after about a mile. Finished with almost 2.5 miles. I read that it can last 4-6 weeks, but I think I will give it another week and then head to the sport's doc. Maybe even a chiropractor. Anybody have any thoughts? Personal experience?

Last but not least, I want to tell you about a friend of mine that just started a blog. Not a running blog, but still an enjoyable one. The blog is about his families adventures in Tae Kwon Do. Run over to Tae Kwon Do Journey and tell him Gibtown sent you!

I am lame

2008-07-28T01:47:00.003-05:00

I have spent my first full day in Japan and I have only taken 3 pictures. I have also spent way more time in my room than I should have. But it is sooo hot out there. And to be honest, it gets pretty unbearable just walking around in the oppressive heat. And to be even more honest, I had some work to get done before I show up on site tomorrow.

The area last nights hotel was in was pretty crappy. I walked one way last night and didn't see much. Walked the other way this morning and saw even less. Did do a small amount of running. Of the hour I walked, i ran off and on for about half of that. Knee did ok, I guess. Still hurt. But I HAD to run while I was here. No more though. Gonna take the rest of this week off and see where I stand.

Took the train from Tokyo to Yokosuka this morning. Google Maps served me well, again. The major trains and express lines are easy to manage. I had to take a local trian to get to Yokosuka and that caused me a few problems. However, it was great having my google map; I would just find someone that worked there, point to my destination, and they would lead me to the right train. Very friendly people for the most part.

Yokosuka has a decent sized Navy base so there are a lot of American's walking around. A lot different than Tokyo. Obviously. I wish there was more to report. Like I said, i'm lame.