Sunday, December 9, 2007
5:25am - I wake up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off and pop up out of bed. After putting shorts and shoes on, I decide to shove several shirts in my bag and decide what to wear once I get to the AAC (American Airlines Center). I down a glass of water, grab my bag, get my oatmeal and banana and load up in my Jeep.
6:00am – Back out of driveway and stop by a gas station on my way to the AAC. The guy next to me must think I’m an idiot standing out in the high 30s temperature putting gas in my Jeep wearing shorts. Had he noticed my “26.2” decal he might have understood better what was going through my head. Little did he know I was about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime. Just 7 months ago, the idea of running a marathon was something that was so far out of reach it was not even a consideration. 26.2 miles is just way too far, it’s ridiculous. I grab my receipt, climb back in, and take off towards 820 east. Normally, the fact that I had to use my windshield wipers would not have mattered. However, on this morning, it caused me to embrace mother nature and prepare myself to accept the rainy 26.2 miles ahead…exposed. I’ve run in the rain before and it’s actually quite peaceful, but I’ve never run in the rain with temperatures from 38-42. But that’s ok, nothing was going to stop me at this point.
6:40am – I pull in to the parking lot of the AAC, find a spot, and go find a bathroom in the AAC to get rid of my pregame jitters. I’m scheduled to meet my running partner in about 30 minutes, so I decide to sit down in the sheltered AAC for a little while as opposed to my cold Jeep. There are already thousands of people scurrying by in all sorts of disarray. Relaxed, nervous, tired, chirpy, fast, slow, short, tall, chunky, skinny. I decide to make a choice on my wardrobe before getting back to my Jeep. I go pee again and head out to my Jeep to get dressed. I opt for my long sleeve thermal under armour shirt with a short sleeve dry-fit shirt over it. This well thought out strategy should serve multiple purposes. It will keep me warm in the beginning of the race and give me the option of removing the under armour in case the weather warms up. It also means my nipples should be safe from chaffing as long as the under armour is on. OK, maybe that was too much info, but I’m trying to give you the whole experience here. So after changing shirts, I meet a guy next to me who is also getting ready for the run. As we put our timing chips on our shoes and pin our race bibs to our shirts, we make small talk. He missed qualifying for Boston last year by 4 minutes, but he feels pretty certain he will qualify this year. Wow – this guy is fast. Many marathoners never qualify for Boston. I tell him how I’m a little nervous due to my short taper and he tries to convince me that I’ll be fine since the last 6 miles is 100% mental anyway. I stuff my energy gels in my shorts, hoping once again that 5 gels are enough. I’ll drink water with these and Gatorade at the other rest stops, and I’ll eat often at the well-stocked aid stations. Hopefully this will help prevent hitting a wall, though I suspect the wall will be inevitable. I’ve never run more than 20 miles at one time, and I’ve only done that twice.
7:10am – I make my way back to the AAC to meet Wendell at the bag check in place. On my way, I notice a Vaseline tent and can’t believe I forgot to lube up my thighs to prevent chaffing. That’s enough to make a grown man cry like a little baby. So I grab some Vaseline and relish in the humor of how acceptable it is to rub Vaseline on your inner thighs all the way up to your crotch in public. I even put a little extra since I’ve never been those extra 6.2 miles. I find Wendell and his family near our meeting point and give him a pregame high five. It’s really cold outside and a little misty. As we start to stretch our legs out, I eat my banana and notice that the guy next to us who is also stretching is wearing the same Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 shoes that we are wearing. This guy looks like he’s an experienced runner, so my confidence rises slightly. Yeah, maybe that’s a little silly, but I’ll take what I can get. We try to find better shelter from the light rain that started to come down, but eventually decide to just huddle under Wendell’s wife’s oversized umbrella.
7:45am – We watch the elites and wheelchair marathoners take off and then tell Wendell’s family bye as we make our way to the starting line. We find our way to the 5 hour pacers so we don’t get mixed in with racers who run 4 minute miles. It’s so crowded we can’t even stand in the street. I look around and start taking in the atmosphere. There are people everywhere you look. Some look like they’re in shape, and some look like you’d be safe betting on them not even finishing half of the marathon. But what do I know? More power to them and good luck. It is cold and I can’t wait to start running so I can warm up. At this point, I wish I had brought my gloves and ear warmers, but I don’t let it bother me. Wendell and I talk briefly about whether or not they’ll do the F-16 flyover since it’s so overcast. The rain had stopped, but it looked like it could rain again any second.
The race finally starts at 8:00am and we slowly scoot our way through the crowd onto the street and toward the starting line. About 3 minutes later, we hit the starting line and start our stopwatches as we cross the line. We’re off! Who knows what the next several hours will bring, but right now, we’re both feeling good and excited to finally begin the most difficult physical challenge either of us have ever attempted. We start off at a slow pace and I can’t help wonder how long Wendell’s bum knee will cooperate. Just 5 days prior, he tried to run 2-3 miles and had to stop 3 times, so from what I could tell, I really thought he would start to struggle pretty early on. It didn’t take long for me to really soak in what was happening. I was in heaven. Not only were I running with thousands of other runners, but there were also thousands of spectators lining the streets clapping and cheering us on. Ahhh….what a beautiful morning. Running through downtown Dallas on our way to White Rock Lake. The only downside at this point was the fact that I needed to pee. I knew it wasn’t going to go away, so I stopped at a port-a-potty 3 miles in to the race and relieved my bladder. We immediately hit the road again. It was about at this point when a funny thing happened that ended up being a lifesaver throughout the race. We were very comfortably strolling down the course when these two girls who were spectators yelled “Go Kirk – Go Wendell!” I waved as Wendell asked who they were. As he was asking me, it hit me that our names were on our racing bibs. How cool is that!! Every couple of minutes we heard people calling us by name cheering us on and encouraging us to keep running strong. It made an unbelievable difference mentally. Huge booster. We kept running at an easy pace, and after 5-6 miles we both agreed that we felt great and felt like we hadn’t even started running yet. Things were going great and Wendell’s knee was even doing surprisingly well. The weather for the most part was pretty pleasant. After about 9 miles or so, we finally reached the lake. The scenery opened up a little and we started feeling a little more wind coming off the lake, which was a little chilly to say the least. We hit a pretty good little hill around mile 10 that finally made our legs talk to us a little bit. Along the way there were a few live bands that were fun to listen to. It really helped me get pumped up a little, but I was disappointed to see that so few bands showed up. There was supposed to be a band at every mile but I guess the wet weather prevented them from being able to setup their equipment. It was enjoyable to run around the lake and chat with Wendell. We were still feeling pretty good despite the cooler weather and occasional sprinkle. We hit the half-marathon point and had just begun to start to feel things physically. Our 13.1 mile time was about 2 hours and 17 minutes, which was 7 minutes slower than my PR (personal record), but we were intentionally running a bit slower to ensure we could finish the full distance. It wasn’t much longer after this that we saw a little kid run by. We talked to him and found out he was running a 5 mile leg on a relay team, and he was 11 years old! He enjoyed the encouragement he received from us and other runners nearby and yet he continued to remain calm and patient in his running, keeping a good steady pace. Most 11 year olds would run too fast out of the chute and not be able to finish. Eventually, after a few miles he slowly took off and left us behind. Sometime around this 13-16 mile point I began to notice that the aid stations didn’t have food. I was a little concerned, but I thought maybe they were saving the “well-stocked” stations for the last 5-8 miles of the race when you needed it the most. Two very memorable events occurred around the 16 mile mark. First, I understood how Dean Karnazes (ultramarathonman.com) could eat cheeseburgers and pizza while running long distance. I started feeling famished and I relished at the thought of a big juicy cheeseburger. I would have paid 20 bucks for one right then and there. The second thing was pointed out by Wendell. As we came around a corner at the lake, suddenly, far off on the horizon we could see downtown Dallas. I mean, if you closed one eye, you could completely cover it up with your thumb. It was a very small piece of scenery on the horizon many, many miles away. Big deal right? Well except for one small fact - downtown Dallas is where the finish line was! Holy shnikes!! You mean we have to run all the way back there?!?!?! For a brief moment, it was a rather daunting thought. However, I quickly embraced it and starting telling Wendell how it was not a problem. We’ll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and make our way back….it was nothing we couldn’t do and we were going to do it. I’ve never asked him, but sometimes I wonder if Wendell thinks it’s annoying how I always talk out loud about how good we’re doing and how we’re going to keep on pushing on and finish the race. It helps me mentally to talk it out and think positive, while Wendell tends to keep it all inside. But I know he’s not afraid to tell me to shut up, so I guess he’s cool with it. Around the lake there weren’t as many spectators and we were really starting to miss that. Having a cheer squad is HUGE mentally and we were getting to the point of the race where you have to start relying on “mind over body” to carry you on. We finally finished the loop around the lake and were making our way back into neighborhoods when Wendell needed to stop and stretch his legs, mainly because of his knee I think. I had told him early in the race that we weren’t going to think about his knee and I wasn’t going to ask him how it was feeling anymore. So we stopped at around 18.5 miles for about a minute while he stretched out and stuck a Tiger Balm heat pad on the back of his knee. As we started back up I reminded him of what his doctor told him Friday…his knee wasn’t torn, so other than being in excruciating pain, he couldn’t really damage his knee anymore by running on it. I also gave him permission to tell me to shut up. HA! I was sort of tongue-in-cheek telling him to suck it up and finish this race even if his knee hurt. Of course, at this point, I was starting to feel the looming wall hit me in the face. We pushed on for a little ways and at mile 20 we agreed to stop for a minute. Wendell stretched again and I just kept moving. We started running again and the pain was excruciating. You probably know that the wall is the point where you feel like you just can’t run anymore. Well, you can, your body just doesn’t want to. See, your body can only hold so many calories before it stores them as fat. When you run, you burn up those calories in the form of glycogen (sugar from carbs). Typically the average person can hold about 2000 calories (maybe a little more if you carb load the night before). If you figure that you burn about 100 calories per mile, then after about 20 miles, you have no more glycogen to burn up, so your body tries to burn fat for fuel, but fat is not nearly as efficient as sugar. The result? Your body feels like it has NO energy and has to work harder to burn that fat for fuel, so you want to stop running. You can try to feed yourself carbs in the form of energy gels or oranges/bananas/etc or even Gatorade, but my experience is that once you reach this point, it’s hard to feel a noticeable difference. On my last 20 mile run, I tried to stay ahead of the wall and ate some orange slices and a whole banana and some energy gels and I felt great at mile 20, but as I mentioned earlier, the aid stations in this marathon were not well-stocked with food. We had a few orange slices here and there, which is good because it’s simple sugar and easy to digest, but I craved food intensely. Digestion requires blood, but when you run, the blood is sort of pushed away from your stomach making it difficult to digest which is why simple sugars are the best because of their easy digestion. So even though I craved a cheeseburger, it wouldn’t have been easy to digest. On top of the fact that your body has been literally depleted of energy, you’ve just ran 20 miles so your legs are hurting a little. OK, a lot. This is why running is soooo much a mental game. Your body is capable of moving on, it just doesn’t want to. So you have to fight against your body’s desires and keep on running. We continued the self inflicted torture until mile 21 where we again agreed to walk for a minute and then we started running again. At mile 22 and mile 23 we did the same thing. Now, I don’t fully understand as well scientifically how you break through the wall as much as why you hit the wall, but it happens. My thought is that your body just finally realizes the mind is winning the battle, so it quits trying to tell you to stop running. I don’t know. At about the 23.5 mile marker a truly amazing thing happened. And talking to Wendell afterwards I found out a similar thing happened to him at about that same point. It will be impossible to describe this accurately, but I will give it a shot. As I’m drudging along, I begin to realize many things. First, we only have 2.7 miles until the finish line. I think back to March of this year when I started running and kept on running. I thought about the moment after my first half-marathon in May when I embraced the challenge of training for a marathon. My injury/setback this summer. My many, many hours and hundreds and hundreds of training miles. Something began to stir deep inside. I have never in my life had to dig down this deep to finish anything. My MBA was a piece of cake compared to this. But right here, right now, I am so close to accomplishing something bigger than I have ever attempted in my life. Beyond my physical limitations. Beyond my mental limitations. I was pushing myself beyond limits I didn’t think was humanly possible. I am in awe right now as I recall this feeling and how deeply emotional it was. I fought back the tears and said to Wendell “This is sheer determination. I have never in my life had to dig down this deep. I am going to beat this beast.” I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of anger that I had never felt before. It felt like anger but it was probably super-intense will power and determination. It was an intense emotion that I had never felt before and I almost lost it several times. I was not going to let this marathon beat me. In fact, we didn’t stop running from this point forward. Also, neither of us spoke another word the rest of the race. As we got close to the American Airlines Center I was searching for it through the buildings like a warrior searching for its prey. I was getting mad at it like it was hiding from me, feeling like it was a coward not wanting to stand up and fight me. It knew I was going to conquer it. My legs hurt, I had no energy, I was light headed, but I was running to the finish line and nothing was going to hold me back. Finally, we turned a corner and several hundred feet down the road we could see the finish line. It was a glorious sight and I could sense that it had a life and was standing there, waiting for me. I focused on the banner above the finish line and quickly had tunnel vision, completely blocking out everything except the banner. Maybe 50 yards away, Wendell, the warrior beside me who couldn’t run 3 miles 5 days prior said “C’mon, let’s go”. I knew what this meant and as I said “I can’t, go ahead”, I found myself sprinting as fast as I could until we crossed the finish line, side by side. Two Davids had just defeated the Goliath. Except now those two David’s had become William Wallace’s. We beat the beast.
12:47pm – As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was completely spent. Completely depleted of everything. I high-fived Wendell and said “we did it.” Someone placed a space blanket around my shoulders and back and then told us to keep moving down the line. They took the timing chip off our shoes and I was so light headed I felt like I would pass out. We had our picture taken in front of a “FINISHER” backdrop. I searched around for something to replenish my body with. I was surprised and angry to not see anything…no water, Gatorade, food…nothing. We made our way down the chute to where the spectators were waiting and I found Jennifer. So many emotions and thoughts were speeding through my head. As Jennifer and I got close, I didn’t know whether to say something, laugh, or cry. She said “Are you alive?” Behind holding tears back, all I could get out was “barely”. I immediately went with her and Wendell to the side of the AAC and sat down. I felt like my blood sugar level was dangerously low and I was only seconds from passing out. It really felt like it was going to happen. Wendell gave me his last energy gel and Jennifer went and got me a coke. Within about 10-15 minutes I started feeling a little better. My brother and his wife were there too, and that was cool to have them there to see my accomplishment. I felt bad that they had to stand in the cold so long waiting, but I was glad I could share the celebration with them. We went inside the AAC for warmth and saw that they had food and stuff on the floor of the AAC but there was no way we were going to walk down those stairs. We found out later that they really only had popcorn down there. Jenn bought me some pizza and we found a place on the floor to crash. I absolutely can not believe after 38 years of having this marathon, with 15,000 runners and a $95 entry fee, that they can’t even give you a cup of water at the finish line. Every race I’ve done this year offered food and drinks at the finish line, except for the biggest race of the year. I’ve already sent them my feedback.
As soon as we got home from the marathon, Jennifer was running fever. Kevin and Katerina went home and Jennifer got in bed with a fever with what ended up being strep throat. So, after my marathon, I got to take care of kids the rest of the day. Fatherhood can be a wonderful thing at times…..but not all the time. HA!
Monday around 2:00pm my right foot started hurting. It’s the same place on my foot that I had the injury this summer, but on the other foot. By Monday night it was KILLING me and felt like it was broken. Now, late Thursday night, it still hurts but not as bad. I’m hoping I only have to take 2-3 weeks off from running because I’m ready to start training for the next beast. Oh yes, I will run one again. And another, and another, and another, etc. It is in my blood and the more I reflect upon it, it is truly one of the most enticing things I know.
12.13.2007
12.06.2007
3 Days and Counting
Well here I am, Thursday night, 3 days away from the big day. What "big day" you may ask? The Dallas White Rock marathon where I will run 26.2 miles. I plan on getting up tomorrow morning at 4:45am for my last training run...which reminds me, why am I still up at 11pm?! Oh yeah, I went to the doctor this evening to find out I have an upper respiratory infection and the waiting time at Walgreen's for my antibiotic is 2 hours! So in 30 minutes I'll go get my medicine, take one, and go to bed. Things could be a lot worse, as I'll prove in a minute, but isn't it ironic that I can train for sooo long and then be sick right before "game day". I should have better prepared for the possible side effects of my 2 week taper (when you decrease mileage right before race day). I was up to running between 40 and 45 miles per week before the taper and then dropped to 26 last week and unfortunately only 16-17 this week. I read an article about the taper that said marathoners can get sick during the taper because your body is used to training at such a high level it works really hard and your immune system is in overdrive. However, when you start to taper off, your body sort of sighs a big relief and therefore your immune system doesn't try so hard to keep up resulting in a weak immune system and in my case...an upper respiratory infection. Now, I haven't studied this theory, but it sounds logical enough to accept on the surface for now. The benefits of tapering are significant though, so I guess you're supposed to take more vitamins or something during the taper to try to keep your immune system up. Anyway, I think I'll be ok, but it's forced to me to only run 16-17 this week instead of the 24 I was aiming for.
Wendell, my marathon training partner, has unfortunately hurt his knee and will be struggling a lot on marathon day. He tried to run tonight and had to stop a few times on just a 2-3 mile jog. I don't think you can even begin to imagine the disappointment this brings. You train and sacrifice and work HARD for 6 months with this goal being the #1 driving force...and then your knee goes out and you can't run. If this doesn't bring you to tears, you're not a normal human being. I will run with Wendell on race day until he can't run anymore. It will be very hard to leave my partner behind, but we both know he will end up walking at least half of the 26.2 miles. We have already agreed to run a marathon again in early 2008, maybe the Cowtown in Fort Worth in February, but that doesn't even come close to fixing this one.
My other training partner, John, whom I run with 4 mornings a week, has been GREAT accountability. We ran a 10k last Saturday in Arlington and did GREAT! We finished 5th and 6th in our age group. We wanted to at least finish at a 9:15/mi pace and we ended up blowing by that goal and finishing at a 8:53/mi pace! It was awesome!! I give John another 6-8 weeks and I expect he'll be asking questions about the marathon. He thinks it's near impossble now, but so did I in the beginning. He likes the distance part of running and has increased to 6-8 miles very quickly.
Well I'm sure I could type more, but I'm going to go get my meds and go to bed. I'll post again after the marathon. If you're interested, you can go to runtherock.com, click on the Runner Tracker link, search for Kirk Wimberley, and have either an email or text message sent to you as soon as I cross the finish line! Pretty cool!
Wendell, my marathon training partner, has unfortunately hurt his knee and will be struggling a lot on marathon day. He tried to run tonight and had to stop a few times on just a 2-3 mile jog. I don't think you can even begin to imagine the disappointment this brings. You train and sacrifice and work HARD for 6 months with this goal being the #1 driving force...and then your knee goes out and you can't run. If this doesn't bring you to tears, you're not a normal human being. I will run with Wendell on race day until he can't run anymore. It will be very hard to leave my partner behind, but we both know he will end up walking at least half of the 26.2 miles. We have already agreed to run a marathon again in early 2008, maybe the Cowtown in Fort Worth in February, but that doesn't even come close to fixing this one.
My other training partner, John, whom I run with 4 mornings a week, has been GREAT accountability. We ran a 10k last Saturday in Arlington and did GREAT! We finished 5th and 6th in our age group. We wanted to at least finish at a 9:15/mi pace and we ended up blowing by that goal and finishing at a 8:53/mi pace! It was awesome!! I give John another 6-8 weeks and I expect he'll be asking questions about the marathon. He thinks it's near impossble now, but so did I in the beginning. He likes the distance part of running and has increased to 6-8 miles very quickly.
Well I'm sure I could type more, but I'm going to go get my meds and go to bed. I'll post again after the marathon. If you're interested, you can go to runtherock.com, click on the Runner Tracker link, search for Kirk Wimberley, and have either an email or text message sent to you as soon as I cross the finish line! Pretty cool!
11.08.2007
Life is Good
Since it's been 2 months since my last post and I doubt anybody even reads this anymore, I'll probably keep this one short.
* Training for the marathon is going very well! I ran 18 miles 2 weeks ago and felt great. I'll run 20 this Saturday, maybe 13-14 next Saturday, and 20 again the following Saturday (also 4-6 mile runs during the weekdays) and then start a 2 week taper, reducing my mileage a little to rest up for the big day on Sunday, December 9th where my friend Wendell and I will not only complete the 26.2 mile marathon, but we will kill it!! I am so pumped. I catch myself daydreaming of that day and how incredible it will feel when I cross that finish line. It is so close I can taste it. I have never worked so hard for something before, and the gratification is indescribable. The last few weeks I've been meeting a friend (head coach of Boswell High School football team) at the track at 5-5:30am. He wants to start upping his mileage so I'm helping him train for his first 10k while he helps me increase my weekly mileage to build a bigger base for the marathon. Some days I get up at 4am and run to the track (3.6miles), run 4-5 miles with him, and then run home. That is a completely new experience...running 11-12 miles before the sun comes up, getting home before anyone else wakes up, reading a magazine until the kids wake up, fix them breakfast, get ready for work, and then go to work at 8:30am already feeling like I've accomplished a lot. Gives me a whole new perspective of work, which has become something I just have to do in between running and living life. Surprisingly, I have really come to love getting up that early. We'll see how long it lasts...
*Football season has been a lot of fun. Tomorrow is our last game - we didn't make the playoffs. It's been a blast though. It has allowed me to "plug in" to football without the commitment of coaching. I've learned a lot, met some good people, and watched a lot of football.
*I think running has made me a more relaxed person, and has given me so much fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment I've never had before. I think this has allowed me to love being at home with my family even more than ever. I love coming home from work and seeing the kids run and jump into my arms. Especially now that I've been having breakfast every morning with them, it's like I get home and think "OK kids, where'd we leave off?" A lot of mornings they just argue at the table, but I'm still glad I'm having breakfast with them. I know one day thaey will be grown and out of the house...I think about that too much probably, but I think it helps me try to take advantage of them being home now. I also feel like I have a deeper love and appreciation for my wife. Lots of times in the past I would think about doing or saying nice things, but I rarely would follow through. Last week I acted on a thought and brought her flowers one morning after a run. I saw a new dry-erase board on the fridge tonight and wrote "Daddy loves Mommy" on it. I don't know what exactly has changed me, but I have to think my increased level of running has something to do with it. I was only running 3 days a week and now it's up to 5-6, and I'm starting the day with it instead of ending the day with it. Endorphins are an incredibly powerful thing! Work is not very enjoyable, but I've become content right now that work is literally just something I do in between running and living life with my family. Maybe it's somewhat of a defeatest mentality, but I'm happy that I don't feel like work has to be my identity.
*I seriously am a very happy person right now, almost feeling like things are just too good to be true. I love my wife, my wife loves me, we have 4 beautiful kids who are happy and love spending time with Jenn and I, I love Saginaw, I'm about to run a marathon, I have a Jeep, we have great friends at our church that we like a lot, I'm playing keyboard in the worship band, the kids are doing well in school, our extended family lives closeby, the list goes on and on...when I stop and think about it, I/we are truly blessed. Life is good. At least for right now, who cares that I'm not happy at work...my whole perspective on that has changed.
So much for a short posting, like you actually thought that would happen! HA! As we head into the holiday season, take time out to stop and appreciate the little things and the reasons for all the celebrations. Celebrate life! I'll end this with a picture of Caleb, our future little quarterback! At just 2 years old, look at the great QB form he has - you're either born with it or you're not...looks like he has it!! :)
* Training for the marathon is going very well! I ran 18 miles 2 weeks ago and felt great. I'll run 20 this Saturday, maybe 13-14 next Saturday, and 20 again the following Saturday (also 4-6 mile runs during the weekdays) and then start a 2 week taper, reducing my mileage a little to rest up for the big day on Sunday, December 9th where my friend Wendell and I will not only complete the 26.2 mile marathon, but we will kill it!! I am so pumped. I catch myself daydreaming of that day and how incredible it will feel when I cross that finish line. It is so close I can taste it. I have never worked so hard for something before, and the gratification is indescribable. The last few weeks I've been meeting a friend (head coach of Boswell High School football team) at the track at 5-5:30am. He wants to start upping his mileage so I'm helping him train for his first 10k while he helps me increase my weekly mileage to build a bigger base for the marathon. Some days I get up at 4am and run to the track (3.6miles), run 4-5 miles with him, and then run home. That is a completely new experience...running 11-12 miles before the sun comes up, getting home before anyone else wakes up, reading a magazine until the kids wake up, fix them breakfast, get ready for work, and then go to work at 8:30am already feeling like I've accomplished a lot. Gives me a whole new perspective of work, which has become something I just have to do in between running and living life. Surprisingly, I have really come to love getting up that early. We'll see how long it lasts...
*Football season has been a lot of fun. Tomorrow is our last game - we didn't make the playoffs. It's been a blast though. It has allowed me to "plug in" to football without the commitment of coaching. I've learned a lot, met some good people, and watched a lot of football.
*I think running has made me a more relaxed person, and has given me so much fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment I've never had before. I think this has allowed me to love being at home with my family even more than ever. I love coming home from work and seeing the kids run and jump into my arms. Especially now that I've been having breakfast every morning with them, it's like I get home and think "OK kids, where'd we leave off?" A lot of mornings they just argue at the table, but I'm still glad I'm having breakfast with them. I know one day thaey will be grown and out of the house...I think about that too much probably, but I think it helps me try to take advantage of them being home now. I also feel like I have a deeper love and appreciation for my wife. Lots of times in the past I would think about doing or saying nice things, but I rarely would follow through. Last week I acted on a thought and brought her flowers one morning after a run. I saw a new dry-erase board on the fridge tonight and wrote "Daddy loves Mommy" on it. I don't know what exactly has changed me, but I have to think my increased level of running has something to do with it. I was only running 3 days a week and now it's up to 5-6, and I'm starting the day with it instead of ending the day with it. Endorphins are an incredibly powerful thing! Work is not very enjoyable, but I've become content right now that work is literally just something I do in between running and living life with my family. Maybe it's somewhat of a defeatest mentality, but I'm happy that I don't feel like work has to be my identity.
*I seriously am a very happy person right now, almost feeling like things are just too good to be true. I love my wife, my wife loves me, we have 4 beautiful kids who are happy and love spending time with Jenn and I, I love Saginaw, I'm about to run a marathon, I have a Jeep, we have great friends at our church that we like a lot, I'm playing keyboard in the worship band, the kids are doing well in school, our extended family lives closeby, the list goes on and on...when I stop and think about it, I/we are truly blessed. Life is good. At least for right now, who cares that I'm not happy at work...my whole perspective on that has changed.
So much for a short posting, like you actually thought that would happen! HA! As we head into the holiday season, take time out to stop and appreciate the little things and the reasons for all the celebrations. Celebrate life! I'll end this with a picture of Caleb, our future little quarterback! At just 2 years old, look at the great QB form he has - you're either born with it or you're not...looks like he has it!! :)
9.09.2007
Boswell Pioneers
Friday night lights. A little cliche now with the movie, the series, website...but there's so much meaning behind it. Just the thought of seeing the blaringly bright lights shining from high up above a high school football stadium on a Friday night in Texas is enough to make me shutter with excitement. Seeing them from a distance makes me feel like I'm missing out on something. Seeing them from within the stands is just a part of the atmosphere, along with the smell of popcorn, kids running around thinking their parents can't see them, the sounds from the band, the cheesy horn from the scoreboard, the cheering, the heart and emotion of the players giving everything they have, along with the constant stream of memories from the past. Memories from when you were in high school going to all of the games. If you're like me, memories all the way back to your first game at 6 years of age that was the beginning of football being a part of your life. And now, seeing the Friday night lights from within the press box. With coaches/coordinators shouting plays and coverages into the headsets, scouts from other schools charting every play, reporters from local newspapers, announcers, camera crews, free food & drinks...and me and another guy tracking the statistics of every single play. A new perspective for me that I can really get used to!
Overall, my first game was a really cool experience. We played LD Bell, which is a team that goes way back to the beginning of my football life, but I'll get in to that in the next paragraph. It was a lot of fun being around all of the scouts and reporters, but more than that, it was fun scrutinizing every single play. It was difficult at times when they went to a no-huddle, but I had a blast doing it! Even better, I calculated the quarterback rating and gave it to the coach along with a few other ideas, and he loved the rating and was very big on having us track things like yards after catch, yards after 1st hit, mistackles, etc. Those things haven't been tracked before, but the coach would love to see them, so we'll do our best to make it happen!
To better appreciate another amazing experience from Friday night, I'll rewind 25 years back to when the Wichita Falls Coyotes played LD Bell in the quarterfinals in 1982. I was 7 years old and REALLY wanted to be at the game, but it was an away game. So, I found the game on AM radio, and listened to a GREAT football game. What made this game so memorable was that with a minute and a half remaining in the game, LD Bell was winning 21-20 when so many fights broke out that the refs called the game off!! LD Bell advanced and my beloved Coyotes were sent home. So...having set the stage with that story, I'll tell you about the guy I sat next to in the press box. Along with scouts, reporters, coaches, etc, there were also some honorary guests, but I didn't have a clue who. Could have been the mayor, council members, or the owner of the local Dairy Queen for all I knew. Anyway, every once in a while I would talk to this old man who was sitting next to me. He had a special game bracelet on, so I knew he was an honorary guest, but he could have just been a player's grandpa - who knows? The more I talked to this guy, the more he talked. He tells me about how in the late 1950's, he was the football coach at Wayside, a middle school in Saginaw. Kinda cool, but no big deal, right? He says a few more things and then mentions that he had several of his players from LD Bell go on to play at big schools and a few in the NFL (one of which is Tommy Maddux). That perks my head a little and I ask how long he coached there. "25 years." WOW! So then I realize I'm sitting next to a local celebrity. I do the math and guesstimate that he was the coach of LD Bell in the early 80's. So I tell him that I remember in the early 80's when LD Bell beat WFHS in the quarterfinals after the refs called the game off. He finished my sentence before I could even get it out!! It was unbelievable!!! Luckily the other statistician was paying attention, because I missed several plays right then! I couldn't believe I was sitting next to and talking to the head coach of the team whom I listened to on the radio 25 years ago that beat the Coyotes! WOW!!! That was really cool! Needless to say, I was a little starstruck the rest of the game.
Who will I meet at this week's game??? I can hardly wait...
Overall, my first game was a really cool experience. We played LD Bell, which is a team that goes way back to the beginning of my football life, but I'll get in to that in the next paragraph. It was a lot of fun being around all of the scouts and reporters, but more than that, it was fun scrutinizing every single play. It was difficult at times when they went to a no-huddle, but I had a blast doing it! Even better, I calculated the quarterback rating and gave it to the coach along with a few other ideas, and he loved the rating and was very big on having us track things like yards after catch, yards after 1st hit, mistackles, etc. Those things haven't been tracked before, but the coach would love to see them, so we'll do our best to make it happen!
To better appreciate another amazing experience from Friday night, I'll rewind 25 years back to when the Wichita Falls Coyotes played LD Bell in the quarterfinals in 1982. I was 7 years old and REALLY wanted to be at the game, but it was an away game. So, I found the game on AM radio, and listened to a GREAT football game. What made this game so memorable was that with a minute and a half remaining in the game, LD Bell was winning 21-20 when so many fights broke out that the refs called the game off!! LD Bell advanced and my beloved Coyotes were sent home. So...having set the stage with that story, I'll tell you about the guy I sat next to in the press box. Along with scouts, reporters, coaches, etc, there were also some honorary guests, but I didn't have a clue who. Could have been the mayor, council members, or the owner of the local Dairy Queen for all I knew. Anyway, every once in a while I would talk to this old man who was sitting next to me. He had a special game bracelet on, so I knew he was an honorary guest, but he could have just been a player's grandpa - who knows? The more I talked to this guy, the more he talked. He tells me about how in the late 1950's, he was the football coach at Wayside, a middle school in Saginaw. Kinda cool, but no big deal, right? He says a few more things and then mentions that he had several of his players from LD Bell go on to play at big schools and a few in the NFL (one of which is Tommy Maddux). That perks my head a little and I ask how long he coached there. "25 years." WOW! So then I realize I'm sitting next to a local celebrity. I do the math and guesstimate that he was the coach of LD Bell in the early 80's. So I tell him that I remember in the early 80's when LD Bell beat WFHS in the quarterfinals after the refs called the game off. He finished my sentence before I could even get it out!! It was unbelievable!!! Luckily the other statistician was paying attention, because I missed several plays right then! I couldn't believe I was sitting next to and talking to the head coach of the team whom I listened to on the radio 25 years ago that beat the Coyotes! WOW!!! That was really cool! Needless to say, I was a little starstruck the rest of the game.
Who will I meet at this week's game??? I can hardly wait...
8.27.2007
Wee-Chi-Tah Trail Race
This weekend was the Wee-Chi-Tah Trail Race, and it changed my running life! The trail is the same rugged trail that the mountain bike race was on...here's a brief description from the site - "The Wee-Chi-Tah Trail has been called the best urban off-road trail in the State of Texas! It is a fun trail with many short, steep climbs, and screaming descents." My expectations going into this half-marathon (13.1 miles) trail race were: 1)nervous about spraining an ankle on the uneven terrain, 2)expecting it to be fun, 3) expecting it to be more difficult than a half-marathon on pavement, 4)some paved trails mixed in with some dirt trails.
I ran it with my good friend and marathon training partner, Wendell, and we had a blast! standing around the starting line, a friend I saw there said his friend ran it last year and said it's not a matter of IF you will fall, it's more a matter of when you fall, how athletic enough are you to catch yourself without getting injured. Sounds exciting! The race director was giving a pep talk beforehand and said they did their best to remove all of the tree stumps, but it is possible that they missed one or two...thousand. HA! So we're standing around in anticipation of the starting gun, everyone all decked out in their endurance running gear, sipping water, doing last minute stretches, when the race director finally signalled our start...and we were off! All 106 of us. Starting out, it took about a half mile through a grassy trail to get from the starting line to the trail head entrance. I never like running in grass because you have to pick your feet up, which strains your lower legs and can cause shin splints (for me anyway), but luckily we hit the trail after only a few minutes. Immediately, we were running down a dirt trail with tree roots, rocks, trees, tree stumps, and holes in the ground. The exhiliration was pretty high at this point and you could feel it from almost everyone.
The "racers" quickly made it to the front and took off, leaving us "finishers" behind. Soon, the trail narrowed to about 2 feet wide, careening through a dense forest of trees with frequent descents and climbs up rugged terrain that would be challenging on a bicycle, much less running. About 2 miles into it, Wendell and I found ourselves leading a pace group of about 10 or so runners. Our strategy was to maintain an easy 10.5-11 minute per mile pace through the first half and then adjust depending on how we felt for the second half of the race. So, ignoring the runners who passed us earlier, and the strand of runners immediately following us, we settled into a good, steady rhythm. At this point, the trail was too narrow to pass people, so I just hoped for their sake that they were comfortable with our pace. Every so often, the trail would open up and 1-2 runners would pass. Of course, we passed quite a few of them at water stations trying to recover from overworking themselves too early in the race. It's always ok though, and you never judge anyone for their efforts...not seriously anyway, but it does feel good to pass someone who passed you earlier, even though you'd stop to help them if they needed it.
The running community seems to be a very friendly and caring group. It's rare to see someone without exchanging words like "good job", "keep it up", "you doing ok?", "you need some water?",etc., and when you see someone fall, runners always stop to make sure they're ok....now I'm speaking for us "finishers" who are less concerned with time than merely finishing the event. I assume the racers are also like this, but there may be some who are too concerned with winning than helping a fellow runner. I digress...
The course did not have mile markers, so we had to approximate the distance based on how long we had been running. So, feeling like we were at a 10:30 minute per mile pace, we guessed the first water station 32 minutes into the run was at about the 3 mile mark. We both felt good as we grabbed a cup of water from a volunteer's outstretched hand and kept on running. I carried 2 water bottles with me because I was uncertain how much fluids they would have to offer. So, I took a quick drink from the cup and poured the rest over my head. That's about the time I looked down and noticed my $100 mostly white shoes were solid brown from the dirt. We kept on running down the twisting trail, dodging branches, hopping over rocks and tree roots, steadily "run-bouncing" down steep descents of gravel/loose dirt/rock and powering up steep ascents of more rugged terrain. It was so awesome!! It satisfied the desire for adventure that most men have, probably more so than I have ever felt. It was about this time that my body started feeling good. By this, I mean my heart rate settled in to a comfortable rate, my breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm, my legs were loosened up and not hurting, and I was settling in for a good long adventurous run. Ahh....such a beautiful thing!
At the 45 minute mark, as planned, I took out an energy gel pack and sucked it down with some water. Nutrition and hydration are important on long runs. Your body uses up all of its glycogen, which is what makes you tired and hit the wall. Your body also sweats out all your salt, which is what dehydrates you, so you need to intake sugars, carbs, and electrolytes to replace these things. Too much water over a short period of time will dilute your body of sodium, which can be fatal in extreme cases, so you need to eat/drink sodium in the form of a good sports drink and/or gel/powerbar. However, even too much of the good stuff can overhydrate you, causing cramps or nausea, and even make you retain water and swell. I still have a LOT to learn in this department, but it can make or BREAK you in an endurance run, so I'm trying to be a good student. My plan was to consume an energy gel pack every 45 minutes with water. About 5 minutes after I ate the first one, I started feeling hungry, which wasn't a good sign since I still had a good hour and a half before I reached the finish line. I had 2 packages of oatmeal and a banana for breakfast, followed by a PowerBar 30 minutes before the race. I thought this was a pretty good breakfast, but 5 miles in to the run I had burned over 600 calories and my body was telling me it needed food. Normally these energy gels fight off the hunger feeling, but that wasn't the case now. I told myself I would rather feel hungry than injured or exhausted, so I just kept trucking along thinking I could take sips of water/gatorade frequently and maybe the hunger would eventually subside.
Being hungry didn't get in the way of me having the time of my life. It was so much fun being out there on the trail, in such dense and rugged terrain. And since I hadn't fallen or tweaked an ankle, I was gaining confidence in this trail running stuff (this was my first). At about mile 6 I believe, a volunteer on the course helping guide the runners down the correct path said "you're doing good, keep it up". Right as I said thanks, my left foot landed sideways on a rock followed by a searing pain in my ankle and an audible groan. Remembering that I heard you should run on a sprained ankle as soon as you can so it doesn't swell (not sure if this is ACTUALLY correct or not), I continued running, hobbling along, until finally after a minute or so, the pain went away.
We knew we had reached the halfway point, or were real close anyway, so we talked about how we each felt and decided to just play it safe and maintain our current pace since it was working out so well for us. We both felt great, reltively speaking. Part of endurance running is just that...running as you "endure" things like tiredness, sweat burning your eyes, hunger, weak and heavy legs, pains all over your body that shift locations constantly. First your knee hurts. Then it quits just in time for your shin to hurt, which quits just in time for your shoulder to hurt, which quits just in time for your hamstring to hurt...you get the point. So after 7 or so miles, feeling "great" means, yeah your legs are tired and a little heavy, you feel some pain in random places, your eyes sting, you'd love a big fat cheeseburger, but your cardio isn't stressed, you're not feeling any injury-type pains (there's a difference), and you have a positive attitude about continuing to run. I noticed at this point that my legs were feeling much better than they do after 7 miles on the pavement. I guess the softer ground helps reduce the impact on your body somewhat.
We recognized that we should be extra careful now that our legs were starting to get a little heavy. If we weren't careful, our feet wouldn't quite make it over that tree root or rock and we'd end up kissing the dirt. We saw a 55 year old man with a gut fall twice. In fact, throughout the whole race, we took turns passing each other, so we talked to him several times. One time, he was behind us on a very narrow part of the trail where passing wasn't possible. I could sense we were holding him back, so I told him we'd let him pass if he wanted to. He didn't say anything, but a few seconds later, he tried to go around us and immediately hit the ground! I felt bad like it was my fault and made sure he was ok as he stood up. He was ok, so he passed us and went on down the trail. We saw him svereal more times throughout the race. It was about this time, around mile 8 or 9 that I really felt a good rhythm. I was following Dean Karnazes' advice and just simply thinking about "putting one foot in front of the other", and not thinking about how my body REALLY felt. It's amazing what positive thinking can do. It wasn't really a runner's high that I felt, but I was overcome with a very strong sense of accomplishment and confidence in what I was doing. I felt great like I could run a lot farther, I was loving every second of it more and more, and was quite surprised that I didn't have any "real" pains in my legs. At the hour and a half point (just under 9 miles), I had another energy gel pack and some water and started preparing myself mentally for the final stretch. When you know you have 8-10 miles left, you don't think so much about it, but when you know you only have 3-4 miles left, you can't help start thinking about it, which can kill your positive attitude if you're not careful. You get impatient and start losing your drive to endure.
Somewhere around the 2 hour mark, I began to feel a little bit of nausea setting in, and I was feeling like I'd had too much to drink. My cardio was fine, but my legs were pretty tired. Wendell was feeling great still and pushing on. Thinking we still had about 30 minutes, I went ahead and had another energy gel, thinking this might get rid of the nausea and pep me up a little. Almost immediately, I felt a little worse, but knowing the finish line was up ahead, I suffered through it and kept running. Shortly, we exited the trail and ran along a grassy field back towards the finish line. I could sense that we only had a mile or so to go, so I told Wendell to go on ahead and finish strong. He refused and opted to stick together. As we reached the final straightaway to the finish line, I wanted to speed up and sprint across it, but I could tell that if I sped up ANY...I would surely throw up. HA!
So, I kept my normal pace, moved one foot in front of the other, and soon crossed the finish line 4 seconds behind Wendell. I ended up finishing 14th in my division and 75th overall. Nothing to brag about at all, but I finished it alive, without injury, and in the process, completely fell in love with trail running! I can not wait to run another trail!!
Here's a funny tidbit of information: when I run at home, I always run without a shirt. Well I wore a shirt during the race and didn't think I needed to put my antichaffing cream on my nipples. Big...BIG mistake! Not to be too graphic, but my nipples have scabs on them today, they literaly rubbed raw yesterday...and that hurts worse than my legs have EVER hurt!!! OUCH!!
OK, I'm too tired to type anymore so I'm going to go to bed now. Sorry if you weren't interested in the trail run story!
I ran it with my good friend and marathon training partner, Wendell, and we had a blast! standing around the starting line, a friend I saw there said his friend ran it last year and said it's not a matter of IF you will fall, it's more a matter of when you fall, how athletic enough are you to catch yourself without getting injured. Sounds exciting! The race director was giving a pep talk beforehand and said they did their best to remove all of the tree stumps, but it is possible that they missed one or two...thousand. HA! So we're standing around in anticipation of the starting gun, everyone all decked out in their endurance running gear, sipping water, doing last minute stretches, when the race director finally signalled our start...and we were off! All 106 of us. Starting out, it took about a half mile through a grassy trail to get from the starting line to the trail head entrance. I never like running in grass because you have to pick your feet up, which strains your lower legs and can cause shin splints (for me anyway), but luckily we hit the trail after only a few minutes. Immediately, we were running down a dirt trail with tree roots, rocks, trees, tree stumps, and holes in the ground. The exhiliration was pretty high at this point and you could feel it from almost everyone.
The "racers" quickly made it to the front and took off, leaving us "finishers" behind. Soon, the trail narrowed to about 2 feet wide, careening through a dense forest of trees with frequent descents and climbs up rugged terrain that would be challenging on a bicycle, much less running. About 2 miles into it, Wendell and I found ourselves leading a pace group of about 10 or so runners. Our strategy was to maintain an easy 10.5-11 minute per mile pace through the first half and then adjust depending on how we felt for the second half of the race. So, ignoring the runners who passed us earlier, and the strand of runners immediately following us, we settled into a good, steady rhythm. At this point, the trail was too narrow to pass people, so I just hoped for their sake that they were comfortable with our pace. Every so often, the trail would open up and 1-2 runners would pass. Of course, we passed quite a few of them at water stations trying to recover from overworking themselves too early in the race. It's always ok though, and you never judge anyone for their efforts...not seriously anyway, but it does feel good to pass someone who passed you earlier, even though you'd stop to help them if they needed it.
The running community seems to be a very friendly and caring group. It's rare to see someone without exchanging words like "good job", "keep it up", "you doing ok?", "you need some water?",etc., and when you see someone fall, runners always stop to make sure they're ok....now I'm speaking for us "finishers" who are less concerned with time than merely finishing the event. I assume the racers are also like this, but there may be some who are too concerned with winning than helping a fellow runner. I digress...
The course did not have mile markers, so we had to approximate the distance based on how long we had been running. So, feeling like we were at a 10:30 minute per mile pace, we guessed the first water station 32 minutes into the run was at about the 3 mile mark. We both felt good as we grabbed a cup of water from a volunteer's outstretched hand and kept on running. I carried 2 water bottles with me because I was uncertain how much fluids they would have to offer. So, I took a quick drink from the cup and poured the rest over my head. That's about the time I looked down and noticed my $100 mostly white shoes were solid brown from the dirt. We kept on running down the twisting trail, dodging branches, hopping over rocks and tree roots, steadily "run-bouncing" down steep descents of gravel/loose dirt/rock and powering up steep ascents of more rugged terrain. It was so awesome!! It satisfied the desire for adventure that most men have, probably more so than I have ever felt. It was about this time that my body started feeling good. By this, I mean my heart rate settled in to a comfortable rate, my breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm, my legs were loosened up and not hurting, and I was settling in for a good long adventurous run. Ahh....such a beautiful thing!
At the 45 minute mark, as planned, I took out an energy gel pack and sucked it down with some water. Nutrition and hydration are important on long runs. Your body uses up all of its glycogen, which is what makes you tired and hit the wall. Your body also sweats out all your salt, which is what dehydrates you, so you need to intake sugars, carbs, and electrolytes to replace these things. Too much water over a short period of time will dilute your body of sodium, which can be fatal in extreme cases, so you need to eat/drink sodium in the form of a good sports drink and/or gel/powerbar. However, even too much of the good stuff can overhydrate you, causing cramps or nausea, and even make you retain water and swell. I still have a LOT to learn in this department, but it can make or BREAK you in an endurance run, so I'm trying to be a good student. My plan was to consume an energy gel pack every 45 minutes with water. About 5 minutes after I ate the first one, I started feeling hungry, which wasn't a good sign since I still had a good hour and a half before I reached the finish line. I had 2 packages of oatmeal and a banana for breakfast, followed by a PowerBar 30 minutes before the race. I thought this was a pretty good breakfast, but 5 miles in to the run I had burned over 600 calories and my body was telling me it needed food. Normally these energy gels fight off the hunger feeling, but that wasn't the case now. I told myself I would rather feel hungry than injured or exhausted, so I just kept trucking along thinking I could take sips of water/gatorade frequently and maybe the hunger would eventually subside.
Being hungry didn't get in the way of me having the time of my life. It was so much fun being out there on the trail, in such dense and rugged terrain. And since I hadn't fallen or tweaked an ankle, I was gaining confidence in this trail running stuff (this was my first). At about mile 6 I believe, a volunteer on the course helping guide the runners down the correct path said "you're doing good, keep it up". Right as I said thanks, my left foot landed sideways on a rock followed by a searing pain in my ankle and an audible groan. Remembering that I heard you should run on a sprained ankle as soon as you can so it doesn't swell (not sure if this is ACTUALLY correct or not), I continued running, hobbling along, until finally after a minute or so, the pain went away.
We knew we had reached the halfway point, or were real close anyway, so we talked about how we each felt and decided to just play it safe and maintain our current pace since it was working out so well for us. We both felt great, reltively speaking. Part of endurance running is just that...running as you "endure" things like tiredness, sweat burning your eyes, hunger, weak and heavy legs, pains all over your body that shift locations constantly. First your knee hurts. Then it quits just in time for your shin to hurt, which quits just in time for your shoulder to hurt, which quits just in time for your hamstring to hurt...you get the point. So after 7 or so miles, feeling "great" means, yeah your legs are tired and a little heavy, you feel some pain in random places, your eyes sting, you'd love a big fat cheeseburger, but your cardio isn't stressed, you're not feeling any injury-type pains (there's a difference), and you have a positive attitude about continuing to run. I noticed at this point that my legs were feeling much better than they do after 7 miles on the pavement. I guess the softer ground helps reduce the impact on your body somewhat.
We recognized that we should be extra careful now that our legs were starting to get a little heavy. If we weren't careful, our feet wouldn't quite make it over that tree root or rock and we'd end up kissing the dirt. We saw a 55 year old man with a gut fall twice. In fact, throughout the whole race, we took turns passing each other, so we talked to him several times. One time, he was behind us on a very narrow part of the trail where passing wasn't possible. I could sense we were holding him back, so I told him we'd let him pass if he wanted to. He didn't say anything, but a few seconds later, he tried to go around us and immediately hit the ground! I felt bad like it was my fault and made sure he was ok as he stood up. He was ok, so he passed us and went on down the trail. We saw him svereal more times throughout the race. It was about this time, around mile 8 or 9 that I really felt a good rhythm. I was following Dean Karnazes' advice and just simply thinking about "putting one foot in front of the other", and not thinking about how my body REALLY felt. It's amazing what positive thinking can do. It wasn't really a runner's high that I felt, but I was overcome with a very strong sense of accomplishment and confidence in what I was doing. I felt great like I could run a lot farther, I was loving every second of it more and more, and was quite surprised that I didn't have any "real" pains in my legs. At the hour and a half point (just under 9 miles), I had another energy gel pack and some water and started preparing myself mentally for the final stretch. When you know you have 8-10 miles left, you don't think so much about it, but when you know you only have 3-4 miles left, you can't help start thinking about it, which can kill your positive attitude if you're not careful. You get impatient and start losing your drive to endure.
Somewhere around the 2 hour mark, I began to feel a little bit of nausea setting in, and I was feeling like I'd had too much to drink. My cardio was fine, but my legs were pretty tired. Wendell was feeling great still and pushing on. Thinking we still had about 30 minutes, I went ahead and had another energy gel, thinking this might get rid of the nausea and pep me up a little. Almost immediately, I felt a little worse, but knowing the finish line was up ahead, I suffered through it and kept running. Shortly, we exited the trail and ran along a grassy field back towards the finish line. I could sense that we only had a mile or so to go, so I told Wendell to go on ahead and finish strong. He refused and opted to stick together. As we reached the final straightaway to the finish line, I wanted to speed up and sprint across it, but I could tell that if I sped up ANY...I would surely throw up. HA!
So, I kept my normal pace, moved one foot in front of the other, and soon crossed the finish line 4 seconds behind Wendell. I ended up finishing 14th in my division and 75th overall. Nothing to brag about at all, but I finished it alive, without injury, and in the process, completely fell in love with trail running! I can not wait to run another trail!!Here's a funny tidbit of information: when I run at home, I always run without a shirt. Well I wore a shirt during the race and didn't think I needed to put my antichaffing cream on my nipples. Big...BIG mistake! Not to be too graphic, but my nipples have scabs on them today, they literaly rubbed raw yesterday...and that hurts worse than my legs have EVER hurt!!! OUCH!!
OK, I'm too tired to type anymore so I'm going to go to bed now. Sorry if you weren't interested in the trail run story!
8.09.2007
Puzzle Solved!
Sorry for the delay, but if you read my last post, you know I had been trying to reach a long lost friend. Well, I finally found him and left him a voicemail one night. The next morning at 9am he called me back!! We talked for about 30 minutes and it was so awesome!! I hope to meet up with him soon and visit in person.
Not that anyone cares, but the running is going very well...I ran 8 miles tonight. I was pretty sore from last night running 100yd sprints and walking the curve of the track. Wow - what a workout!! My hamstrings were killing me today. I was hoping a good, slow run tonight would loosen them up, but I don't think it worked. Oh well, it's a good pain....and you know what they say...no pain no gain. I'm hoping to find a renewed vigor toward weight loss so I can drop the next 10-15 pounds. If I can do that, then I'll just try to maintain at that point. Losing another 10-15 will help my running too! Anyway, enough about that...I have a half marathon trail run coming up soon. The Sunday after the Hotter n Hell 100 is the trail run in Wichita Falls. I'm a little nervous about running on a trail since I NEVER do that...I sorta have weak ankles and can turn them easily so the uneven terrain makes me nervous. But, Dean Karnazes' first major ultramarathon was a trail run, so he's inspired me to give it a try!
It's official. I will be keeping stats for the Boswell (Saginaw) High School football team!! I am SOOOOOO pumped about that!! Their first scrimmage is August 25th. AWESOME!!! I must admit...deep down inside, I'm fantasizing about this opening some doors allowing me to SOMEHOW get into coaching football or becoming a trainer or something like that where I will be surrounded by football for my job! Sure, it's a long shot...but DREAM BIG BRUTHA!!!
I thought I would include this in my blog tonight while I was running. Do you know what the most common smell is in neighborhoods while running all over town? Nope, not car exhaust. Nope, not grilled food. Wrong again, not garbage. Give up? I would have never guessed this, but it's fabric softener!! HA!! Seriously! Everyone's dryer vents blow that stuff outside, so you smell it all the time while running! Or at least I do...maybe Saginaw is just a clean clothes sort of town. Ha!
An interesting, yet extremely controversial debate ensued recently at work. All parties involved were pro-life with respect to abortions, except for this one lady who is from the northeast...a democrat. Yes, she gets harassed a lot. :) Anyway, she refers to an abortion not as the termination of life, but the termination of a pregnancy. At the baby's age during an abortion, the baby can not sustain life by itself outside of the womb, so she claims an abortion does not end life, rather it ends the pregnancy. She says pro-life people feel the baby is "alive" at conception for religious reasons, but it is not medically supported. I haven't researched it enough to know the medical theories they claim to this regard. She believes the baby is alive as well, and hopes people choose not have an abortion, but she is pro-choice because she very strongly feels that it is not the government's business what she decides to do to her body. You don't know someone's situation unless you've walked a mile in their shoes. Anyway, very thought provoking conversation. And for the record...I am pro-life and I believe the baby is alive at conception regardless of how medical researchers want to spin the fact that the baby is a living organism inside the womb. Maybe my belief is deeply rooted in a religious reason, but as far as I'm concerned, scientifically, the baby is alive at conception.
Jenn, are you proud of me? I didn't make this blog JUST about running!! Although I would like to mention that it was a blast taking the family to the track last night (read Jenn's blog). Kylie was so impressive, it was truly unbelievable!! After the first lap, Jenn said Kylie sorta cried and said she didn't want to run anymore. Jenn told her she didn't have to and to go sit down and drink some water, but Kylie said no and kept running. It was soooo cute! Maybe she has a strong drive and determination!! Maybe we have a little runner in our family! Even when Jenn and I quit running and started walking, Kylie kept running and yelled back over her shoulder "I'm faster than you!" I honestly didn't know a 4 year old was capable of running as much as she did!! Caleb was cute too...he ran a little and had his arms swinging back and forth for about 3/4 of a lap before he quit. Karissa thought she could run faster than me because I'm old...so I had to set her straight. :) Cara did great too, but she was probably the least interested in running. She just liked to cut across the field and say "Look dad, I found a shortcut!" HA! It was a lot of fun!
Not that anyone cares, but the running is going very well...I ran 8 miles tonight. I was pretty sore from last night running 100yd sprints and walking the curve of the track. Wow - what a workout!! My hamstrings were killing me today. I was hoping a good, slow run tonight would loosen them up, but I don't think it worked. Oh well, it's a good pain....and you know what they say...no pain no gain. I'm hoping to find a renewed vigor toward weight loss so I can drop the next 10-15 pounds. If I can do that, then I'll just try to maintain at that point. Losing another 10-15 will help my running too! Anyway, enough about that...I have a half marathon trail run coming up soon. The Sunday after the Hotter n Hell 100 is the trail run in Wichita Falls. I'm a little nervous about running on a trail since I NEVER do that...I sorta have weak ankles and can turn them easily so the uneven terrain makes me nervous. But, Dean Karnazes' first major ultramarathon was a trail run, so he's inspired me to give it a try!
It's official. I will be keeping stats for the Boswell (Saginaw) High School football team!! I am SOOOOOO pumped about that!! Their first scrimmage is August 25th. AWESOME!!! I must admit...deep down inside, I'm fantasizing about this opening some doors allowing me to SOMEHOW get into coaching football or becoming a trainer or something like that where I will be surrounded by football for my job! Sure, it's a long shot...but DREAM BIG BRUTHA!!!
I thought I would include this in my blog tonight while I was running. Do you know what the most common smell is in neighborhoods while running all over town? Nope, not car exhaust. Nope, not grilled food. Wrong again, not garbage. Give up? I would have never guessed this, but it's fabric softener!! HA!! Seriously! Everyone's dryer vents blow that stuff outside, so you smell it all the time while running! Or at least I do...maybe Saginaw is just a clean clothes sort of town. Ha!
An interesting, yet extremely controversial debate ensued recently at work. All parties involved were pro-life with respect to abortions, except for this one lady who is from the northeast...a democrat. Yes, she gets harassed a lot. :) Anyway, she refers to an abortion not as the termination of life, but the termination of a pregnancy. At the baby's age during an abortion, the baby can not sustain life by itself outside of the womb, so she claims an abortion does not end life, rather it ends the pregnancy. She says pro-life people feel the baby is "alive" at conception for religious reasons, but it is not medically supported. I haven't researched it enough to know the medical theories they claim to this regard. She believes the baby is alive as well, and hopes people choose not have an abortion, but she is pro-choice because she very strongly feels that it is not the government's business what she decides to do to her body. You don't know someone's situation unless you've walked a mile in their shoes. Anyway, very thought provoking conversation. And for the record...I am pro-life and I believe the baby is alive at conception regardless of how medical researchers want to spin the fact that the baby is a living organism inside the womb. Maybe my belief is deeply rooted in a religious reason, but as far as I'm concerned, scientifically, the baby is alive at conception.
Jenn, are you proud of me? I didn't make this blog JUST about running!! Although I would like to mention that it was a blast taking the family to the track last night (read Jenn's blog). Kylie was so impressive, it was truly unbelievable!! After the first lap, Jenn said Kylie sorta cried and said she didn't want to run anymore. Jenn told her she didn't have to and to go sit down and drink some water, but Kylie said no and kept running. It was soooo cute! Maybe she has a strong drive and determination!! Maybe we have a little runner in our family! Even when Jenn and I quit running and started walking, Kylie kept running and yelled back over her shoulder "I'm faster than you!" I honestly didn't know a 4 year old was capable of running as much as she did!! Caleb was cute too...he ran a little and had his arms swinging back and forth for about 3/4 of a lap before he quit. Karissa thought she could run faster than me because I'm old...so I had to set her straight. :) Cara did great too, but she was probably the least interested in running. She just liked to cut across the field and say "Look dad, I found a shortcut!" HA! It was a lot of fun!
7.24.2007
Final Piece of the Puzzle?
For the past 2-3 weeks I have been trying to locate an old friend, and I feel like it's turned into a puzzle that is finally about to be completed. The reason I'm trying to get in touch with this old friend (Doug C) is because to my knowledge, he is the only ultramarathoner that I know. If my memory serves me correct, I have not seen him since I was about 9-10 years old. We used to go to church with him back then until he moved to Katy, Texas. I've always thought he was a neat guy, for several reasons. In 1970, he led, with Joey Abboussie, the Wichita Falls High School Coyotes' football team to the state championship game as the quarterback. They lost by one point. He used to take a bunch of boys from church to Lake Texoma for an annual camping trip. It was on one of these trips that I experienced my first snipe hunt. It was either me or my brother that got so scared at the sight of these snipe birds that I(he) literally ran across water. It was also on one of these camping trips that Doug got out of his sleeping bag (not in a tent) and approached the female park ranger who paid a visit late one night in only his underwear! HA! I also remember being in his wife's Sunday School class and getting in trouble with 2 other boys for writing bad words in the Sunday School book. We were in the 2nd or 3rd grade. Doug sat us down like adults and explained to us that we should not have done that, told us he understood we were just being boys, and told us he wouldn't tell our parents what we did. It was also Doug that participated in a Hands-On-Marathon where he kept his hand on a truck for many many hours (maybe a few days) hoping to be the last one standing to win the truck. If you took your hand off the truck, you were out of the competition. On occasion, the contestants would get a short break, and Doug would choose to run instead of rest. He made it pretty far, but got tricked into checking a little message attached to a sandwich causing him to remove his hand from the truck and consequently himself from the competition. It isn't until now that I more fully appreciate something else he once did. He, along side a doctor, giving him a special solution of electrolytes, attempted to run the 100 mile course in the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred bike race. He made it approximately 75 miles before stopping. Amazing!
So lately, I have had this burning passion to become an ultramarathoner. For those still reading who don't know what an ultramarathon is, it's basically any run that is longer than a marathon, or 26.2miles. My goal is to run a marathon in December and then run my first ultramarathon next spring. I'll start with a 50k race, which is 31 miles, and over the next few years, hopefully work up to 50 or even 100 miles. I LOVE the challenges of endurance running - you have to have a lot of stamina, learn how to treat your body during the run, stay hydrated, stay fueled up with carbs/protein, stay smart and focused, and ignore the pains until the endorphines kick in and then keep hydrating/refueling so you avoid exhaustion (the wall) where your muscles fill up with lactic acid and are unable to burn up anything else. It's much more a mental challenge than a physical one. Anyway, I'm very driven to train towards this.
One of my philosophies in life is in any new endeavor, educate yourself as much as possible by going straight to the horse's mouth. Talk to people who have direct experience with whatever endeavor you are seeking. So, I've decided to try and contact my ultramarathoner friend, Doug. I've gone through quite a series of twists and turns to get in touch with him. I started out by trying to find him on the internet in Katy, Texas, but was unsuccessful. My dad told me he recently ran into an old friend who said he had recently talked to Doug. So, I called this guy's dad wanting to get in touch with him, who coincidentally was sitting right beside him! He recommended I try contacting these other 2 guys who are friends with Doug. I tried contacting one, but haven't been able to connect. When I tried the other, it was actually this guy's father I was calling, whose wife informed me had passed away 5-6 years ago. However, after explaining my situation, she gladly gave me her son's phone number as well as her granddaughter's number (my age) and said either could probably tell me how to get in touch with Doug. I tried her granddaughter several times but could never connect. This guy's mother informed me that he would be out of town until this past weekend. So, I called him tonight and actually got in touch with him!! I also knew this guy from 20+ years ago, so it was neat to talk to him. He said he hasn't talked to Doug in several months, but he knew Doug was about to move to Dallas. He didn't have his home or cell number, but he gave me 2 possible phone numbers to try at Doug's work. He wasn't sure if either number was actually good, but it was more than I had before so I thanked him. After trying the 2 numbers, one was not in service and one was the technical support line for some energy company. So, for grins, I typed in the company name and Houston in google.com. Low and behold, there's a company by that name in Houston! I called the number and maneuvered my way through the voice prompts to the directory. I punched in the letters for Doug's name, and guess what I hear on the other end? A recording of Doug saying his name! So, I pushed pound to connect to his line, heard his voice mail, and left a message. WOW - what a journey to finally reach him!! So, I finally feel like the last puzzle piece is being put into place. Hopefully tomorrow he will return my call and my journey will be a success. Then I can pick his brain about being an ultramarathoner...and if all the stars line up, maybe if he's in Dallas, we could actually meet up and run together! This other guy that gave me Doug's number (sort of) said Doug just had a rare form of leukemia 2 years ago, was treated, and is now completely cancer free. He said he stopped running for awhile during the treatments, but he thinks he's started back up recently. So maybe that was a long and boring story, but it's a big deal to me, and I look forward to talking to Doug. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm finally able to run again. I've been running 5 times in the last 9-10 days, and each time I feel better and better. I am now completely pain free and am back up to 5 miles. My pace is only about 10-15 seconds per mile slower than my pre-injury pace. I suspect I will be back to my 6-8 mile runs at a sub-10 minute mile pace within another week or two. Last night was the first time I was able to let go, relax, and just run...as opposed to counting laps and worrying about aches and pains that could be a lingering injury. All of my running recently has been at the track, which in some respects has been a complete beating! Do you know how intensely boring it is to run 20 laps around a track?? However, I am sooooooo grateful that I'm able to run again, so I'm not complaining.
OK, just so I can say this blog is not JUST about running, is it just me or is Drew Carey an odd replacement of Bob Barker on The Price Is Right?
So lately, I have had this burning passion to become an ultramarathoner. For those still reading who don't know what an ultramarathon is, it's basically any run that is longer than a marathon, or 26.2miles. My goal is to run a marathon in December and then run my first ultramarathon next spring. I'll start with a 50k race, which is 31 miles, and over the next few years, hopefully work up to 50 or even 100 miles. I LOVE the challenges of endurance running - you have to have a lot of stamina, learn how to treat your body during the run, stay hydrated, stay fueled up with carbs/protein, stay smart and focused, and ignore the pains until the endorphines kick in and then keep hydrating/refueling so you avoid exhaustion (the wall) where your muscles fill up with lactic acid and are unable to burn up anything else. It's much more a mental challenge than a physical one. Anyway, I'm very driven to train towards this.
One of my philosophies in life is in any new endeavor, educate yourself as much as possible by going straight to the horse's mouth. Talk to people who have direct experience with whatever endeavor you are seeking. So, I've decided to try and contact my ultramarathoner friend, Doug. I've gone through quite a series of twists and turns to get in touch with him. I started out by trying to find him on the internet in Katy, Texas, but was unsuccessful. My dad told me he recently ran into an old friend who said he had recently talked to Doug. So, I called this guy's dad wanting to get in touch with him, who coincidentally was sitting right beside him! He recommended I try contacting these other 2 guys who are friends with Doug. I tried contacting one, but haven't been able to connect. When I tried the other, it was actually this guy's father I was calling, whose wife informed me had passed away 5-6 years ago. However, after explaining my situation, she gladly gave me her son's phone number as well as her granddaughter's number (my age) and said either could probably tell me how to get in touch with Doug. I tried her granddaughter several times but could never connect. This guy's mother informed me that he would be out of town until this past weekend. So, I called him tonight and actually got in touch with him!! I also knew this guy from 20+ years ago, so it was neat to talk to him. He said he hasn't talked to Doug in several months, but he knew Doug was about to move to Dallas. He didn't have his home or cell number, but he gave me 2 possible phone numbers to try at Doug's work. He wasn't sure if either number was actually good, but it was more than I had before so I thanked him. After trying the 2 numbers, one was not in service and one was the technical support line for some energy company. So, for grins, I typed in the company name and Houston in google.com. Low and behold, there's a company by that name in Houston! I called the number and maneuvered my way through the voice prompts to the directory. I punched in the letters for Doug's name, and guess what I hear on the other end? A recording of Doug saying his name! So, I pushed pound to connect to his line, heard his voice mail, and left a message. WOW - what a journey to finally reach him!! So, I finally feel like the last puzzle piece is being put into place. Hopefully tomorrow he will return my call and my journey will be a success. Then I can pick his brain about being an ultramarathoner...and if all the stars line up, maybe if he's in Dallas, we could actually meet up and run together! This other guy that gave me Doug's number (sort of) said Doug just had a rare form of leukemia 2 years ago, was treated, and is now completely cancer free. He said he stopped running for awhile during the treatments, but he thinks he's started back up recently. So maybe that was a long and boring story, but it's a big deal to me, and I look forward to talking to Doug. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm finally able to run again. I've been running 5 times in the last 9-10 days, and each time I feel better and better. I am now completely pain free and am back up to 5 miles. My pace is only about 10-15 seconds per mile slower than my pre-injury pace. I suspect I will be back to my 6-8 mile runs at a sub-10 minute mile pace within another week or two. Last night was the first time I was able to let go, relax, and just run...as opposed to counting laps and worrying about aches and pains that could be a lingering injury. All of my running recently has been at the track, which in some respects has been a complete beating! Do you know how intensely boring it is to run 20 laps around a track?? However, I am sooooooo grateful that I'm able to run again, so I'm not complaining.
OK, just so I can say this blog is not JUST about running, is it just me or is Drew Carey an odd replacement of Bob Barker on The Price Is Right?
7.11.2007
Injury Update
I'm working from home right now, but there's a lot of waiting while each process runs in the background so I thought I'd blog. I am suffering severely from not being able to run. At first it was endorphine withdrawals, and now it's a physical deterioration. I feel bad a lot now, I'm less motivated at work and home, I can't think as clearly, and I'm obsessed with the fact that I can't run and it's killing me! Running is amazing on so many levels, and the realization is magnified in its absence. I won't bore you with the reasons I love running, but I love it even more now that I can't do it. ARGH! My foot is feeling much better, but I don't think it's completely healed yet. Last Saturday morning it was not hurting, but when I ran a slow mile around the track, it started hurting again so I immediately stopped, went home, and iced it. Since Sunday it has not hurt at all, but I'm resting this whole week too so I don't rush back into running. I will try again this coming Saturday and see how it is. I HOPE it's better. I'm thinking it's probably not a stress fracture, but tendonitis instead...but I can't be 100% sure. Meanwhile, I tried learning how to swim freestyle so I could swim laps until my foot heals. Wow - there's a lot to think about, it takes coordination, and it just flat out makes me tired after 1-2 laps!! I've also tried riding a bicycle, but the last 3 nights I had issues with a tire/tube. Tonight I finally rode, but it was too dark and there was more traffic than I was comfortable with. ARGH! So much for cross training!! I can't wait until I can run again!!
Keep crossing your fingers - the football coach at Boswell called me tonight and there's still a good chance I'll get to do stats at the games! I am so pumped about that!!
Fantasy Football is right around the corner. Both the Texas Thunder Thighs and the Lambeau Leapers will win their respective leagues this year!! Take that to the bank!!
Keep crossing your fingers - the football coach at Boswell called me tonight and there's still a good chance I'll get to do stats at the games! I am so pumped about that!!
Fantasy Football is right around the corner. Both the Texas Thunder Thighs and the Lambeau Leapers will win their respective leagues this year!! Take that to the bank!!
7.01.2007
Football Stats and Stuff
OK, so I missed the entire month of June. Sorry! A lot has happened in the last 6 weeks, but I'll just do bullet points instead of my normal 647 page blog.
- I got fitted for new running shoes and they are amazing!! My first test run I went 14miles and felt great! One week later, after a few more 6 milers, I got a little too motivated and ran 16 miles (thanks to Dean Karnazes - check out www.ultramarathonman.com). Something bad happened. The outside of my left foot started KILLING me about 2 hours after my run. I sure hope it's not a stress fracture, but it could be a slight one. The pain eventually went away for the most part and this past Thursday I ran a slow and easy 4 miles on the track (soft surface) and didn't have any trouble with my foot. So yesterday I go on my normal 6 mile course and finally, just past the 3 mile marker, I had to stop and walk home because my foot was killing me again. UGH! It still hurts today. This is very upsetting, a big mental setback...hopefully not too much of a physical setback. My marathon is not until Dec 9th, so I have time to heal, I just hope I can find the patience. I've lost 34 pounds now and I can just see the weight coming back on since I can't run for at least a week now. ARGH!!!
- Seriously, go check out www.ultramarathonman.com. This guy seems perfectly normal, but he runs marathons just about every day. Oh except for his weekly 100 mile training run. He has run 262 miles straight without stopping - that's 10 marathons!! He orders pizzas while running. They deliver pizza to him and he rolls it up like a burrito and eats it without missing a step! He ran for 75 hours, through 3 nights without sleeping and actually fell asleep running!! I just HAD to buy his book and I read the first 100 pages Friday night!! I have NEVER read that much in one night! NEVER!!! It is so fascinating.
- We sold Lambeau. It was a very difficult decision, but ultimately my kids' livlihood won out over the dog. They didn't like going outside anymore because he always knocked them over, stole their toys, ran away and chewed them up. I think he went to a good home.
- I also sold my truck! I finally sat down and listed it on autotrader.com, paid extra for the 8 week listing, and less than 16 hours later had sold it for $200 more than what I had hoped to get! If you ever need to sell a vehicle, I fully endorse autotrader.com!
- You know what I love about work? Coming home from it! I'm so lucky to have the family that I do! I love my wife and my kids and I love being at home with them. I think it's about time to teach Caleb how to pee off the back porch. HA! I was throwing the football with him today and I must say...he's pretty darn good! I showed him where to position his fingers on the laces, and he actually kept trying to do it by himself quite a few times! And the girls...isn't it crazy how three daughters from the same set of parents growing up in the same house can all be so different? I love them all and everything about them that makes them unique. Jenn, I love you and thank you for supporting my habit (running-ha!) and for making our home a place I look forward to coming home to and for loving and caring for our kids and being a wonderful mom!!
- I'm giving some serious thought to buying the Sunday Ticket this year. It's a little pricey, but we would LOVE the chance to watch Favre and the Packers every single week!! Since it will probably be his last season. Can't wait until late November when they come to Dallas!
- Have you ever met someone for the first time and then thought about the brief encounter all day long? Well, I did today. At church this morning, I overheard a guy introducing himself, and his name perked my attention. I knew the name but not the face. So I sat there small-talking with a friend while listening to the head football coach of Boswell (Saginaw) tell another guy about some of his expectations for the approaching season. WOW!! How cool is that?! The opportunity didn't come for me to introduce myself to him right then. The service started and I saw him sitting out there, and admittedly, was distracted the whole time I was playing keys in the worship band with introducing myself to Coach. After the service, I tried to catch up with him, but he left very quickly. So as I'm at the nursery door telling Jenn that the head football coach from Boswell was at church, she laughs and tells me she just met his wife and exchanged phone numbers and talked about getting together. Jenn asked if I met him and right after I said no, he comes walking by so I stop him and introduce myself and Jenn to him. Jenn tells him that she just got to know his wife, etc. After exchanging greetings and kid talk and "where ya froms" (didn't like telling him I went to Rider when he asked, because Rider ended Boswell's season last year!), the conversation quickly leads to football, and before you know it, he's telling me he needs someone to do stats at the games if I'm interested! WOW!! You better believe it!! It's a dream come true!! I'm going to call him and talk more about the details of doing it, so it's not a for sure thing yet, but I am literally beside myself with excitement at the potential!! It has been difficult for me to think about anything else all day today! HA! I would absolutely LOVE doing that! Keep your fingers crossed...
OK this is long enough. Maybe I'll try to blog like this more often to avoid the HUGE postings. Hope you're doing well!
5.20.2007
Half marathon a huge success!
It is truly an unbelievable feeling to have accomplished what I did today. Just 2 short months ago (maybe less), completing a half marathon was a distant dream that I wasn't sure could ever happen. Now, I'm sitting here with sore knees and tired eyes after successfully running 13.1 miles this morning. It was a great run in so many ways! New scenery, the company of very strong runners, nice course, lots of people cheering on the sidelines throughout the whole run, and most importantly, I felt very strong!! I'm used to hitting a wall in about the 7th mile(the point in a run where you lose everything and are overcome with an intense urge to stop running - do you give in to your body's request or push it to the next level?). However, today I never hit the wall. I started at a slow 11 minute per mile pace so I could conserve as much energy as possible without running TOO slow. I don't know if it's a subconscious muscle memory thing or what, but I'm amazed at how close I can get to my goal pace. The first 3 miles I literally ran at exactly 11:00 each. Starting in to the 4th mile, I was pleased at how I felt, so I got off rhythm a little and accidentally kicked it up about 20 seconds per mile, but as I passed the 4 and 5 mile marks, I didn't get too concerned because I was feeling very strong still. During the 6th mile, I maintained my 10:40 pace and mentally started preparing for the approaching "wall". I sucked an energy gel pack down and got two cups of water at the next water station (ever try to drink water from a cup while running? It's not easy - I choked 3 times!) . At the 6.5 mile marker, we turned around and headed back, and I was still feeling strong, no wall. Miles 7, 8, and 9 came by, and I was still at my 10:40 pace feeling great! After 9 miles, I started paying more attention to how many miles were remaining instead of how many I had run. I got excited when I realized I only had 4 more miles to go!! I was starting to think I may finish this run without having to walk! At the 10 mile marker, I crossed over and told myself, from this point forward, I'm setting a new personal distance record. There's nothing that hypes me up more than breaking a distance record!!! However, my excitement was tapered a little by the pain in my knees. I've been fighting off tendinitis in my right knee, and at this point in the run, both knees were pretty sore. It wasn't enough to concern me, it's just typical soreness from pushing your distance - so I kept on at a slightly slower pace. I also try to "glide" more as I run through the discomfort to decrease the impact as much as possible. I eventually made it to the 11 mile marker and my knees finally reached the "numb" stage, where you know they're sore, but you can't really feel it anymore. There was a water station at 11 miles, so I got two cups again and settled in for an attempted "strong" finish. Emotions started rising at this point as I knew I was nearing the end, and I was passing runners who started too strong and were losing the battle. Let me rewind for a minute - at about the 1 mile point, I noticed a girl about 10 feet ahead of me who had about the same pace, so I just kept an equal distance from her, especially after hearing her tell one of her friends who was passing that she was at an 11:00 pace, but would kick it up to 9:00 at 6-7 miles. So, I figured I could try to pace myself with her until she kicked it up and then I would just stay back. About 5 miles in, she steadily increased her speed and I eventually lost sight of her. Well...just past the 11 mile marker, lo and behold, who do I see up ahead?? Yep, it's her. I could tell that I was slowly gaining on her, which added to the emotion of the race...so I kicked it up a notch without increasing my cardio too much. You can probably guess what happened at the 11.5 mile marker...yep, I passed her! I felt so victorious!! I kept my pace up and ran hard. As I crossed the 12 mile marker, I was in such disbelief of how great the run was going that I attacked the last mile like there was no tomorrow. The excitement and a deeper sense of accomplishment than I have ever felt in my entire life propelled me forward. I was almost overcome with joy, pride, satisfaction, and yet disbelief at the same time - it was indeed an emotional experience. A few people I passed looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. I wasn't just merely going to finish this half-marathon, I was going to OWN it!! Kill it - crush it - make it MINE! I knocked over a minute off my pace time in my 13th mile and then did a full out sprint the final one tenth of a mile. It was incredible!!! Such a rush!! Those last two miles I was in such a state of euphoria, it's almost like an out of body experience. Amazing.
Jenn and the kids arrived 12 minutes after I crossed the finish line, but the directions I gave her were not as specific as they could have been - it was my first time there, all the way in Dallas, so I didn't know exactly how to tell her to get there. Sure, I wanted them there to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line, but even more than that, I felt bad that she had a hard time finding the place with 4 kids in the van. Thanks for trying Jenn (I'll take credit for not doing a better job of getting clear directions beforehand - sorry!)!! We'll plan the next one better.
So where do I go from here? I've been reading about how you should "recover" from a half-marathon (or full), and surprisingly one of the common side-effects is a mild state of depression. I honestly don't see that happening to me right now because of how excited I am still, as well as my new goals I have embraced, but I guess I'll have to monitor that (let me know if I weird out on you, Jenn). Other than that, I think I will take it easy this coming week and just do some walking and light jogging, maybe 2-3 miles. I could also gain a few pounds as my muscles retain water to aid in the repair and recovery process, but that weight should come back off within a week or less. Now for the big thing - I am going to run a full marathon December 9th in Dallas!! Or maybe we'll plan a trip in November to Austin or San Antonio for a marathon there. Honestly, today I feel like if I would have maintained my pace in the 12th and 13th miles, I could have run 17 miles. With 5-6 more months of training (double what I've already done), I feel very sure that I can complete a marathon. Key word - complete, not WIN! I'm excited about that! When I first started running, I dreamed of a half-marathon, but never even considered a full marathon until just recently. There's a good lesson here...you should always dream big. Don't blow something off because you think it's unattainable, just dream big and take one baby step at a time...eventually you will gain confidence in reaching your dream. I recently read a statement in my Runner's World magazine from John Kelley, multiple winner of the Boston Marathon in the 50s & 60s (in fact, 8 years IN A ROW). He said "Follow your heart, it's the one thing you can count on. Let your passion ignite bonfires, and feed the flames every day. The things we do should consume us. If they don't, our lives won't have any meaning." I love that. I recognize the potential danger in allowing our passions to consume us, but if you can keep a healthy balance, you can accomplish it. Dream big. If you don't know what your dreams are, take a few moments (by yourself with no distractions) and think about it...everyone has hope for something...a material possession, a vacation, a new skill, an accomplishment, anything. If you're married, share it with your spouse and see how each of you can help each other achieve them! Jenn, I thank you for supporting me in training for this half-marathon, and I want to help you achieve your dreams!!
Just for grins, you can go to http://www.thrustonracing.com/results/070520.html and see the results from today's race. In my gender/age group (men30-34), I came in 17th place!!!! That sounds really good, until you throw in the part about there only being 21 finishers in my gender/age group! HA! Yeah, I'm slow, but I finished!! :)
I'm going to bed now, but real quick - I am LOVING my Jeep!! Everytime I ride in it I love it more!
5.10.2007
Jeep
So I finally get to cross off another achievement on my lifetime dream list - today I took the plunge and bought a Jeep Wrangler! When I set out for my purchase about a week ago, I was specifically looking for a few things that I wanted in my Jeep - black, soft top, 6 cylinder, and standard. After seeing the small price difference in a base model 2007 and a used 2003-4, I decided to test drive the 2007. I plan on keeping this Jeep forever, so I might as well consider a new one, right? Well, the 2007's are very nice, but I think they're almost too nice. They've made DRASTIC improvements to the body (length/width), drive train, suspension, etc - it is a much smoother ride and you can get power windows, locks, and keyless entry. I'm sorry, but this is a JEEP, not a luxury vehicle. Jeeps are supposed to be bouncy, muddy, and MANUAL - EVERYTHING MANUAL. So I decided I definitely wanted a 2006 or older model. Well, I found a 2005 Sport model at James Wood - and guess what. Black. Soft top. 6 cylinder. Standard. AND I got it for about $2,200 under NADA market value. WAHOO!!! I pick it up Saturday morning! I AM SO EXCITED!! Here's a few pics, but don't think that top will be staying on long....
Just real quick, here's an update - I've lost 28 pounds now. I did good in my 10k Zoo Run a few weeks ago. My biggest accomplishment was starting slow and finishing strong. The first 3-4 miles people were passing me, but I maintained the pace I wanted. The final mile and a half, I kicked it up a notch and probably passed 50 runners who were struggling to finish. It was an awesome feeling! Since then, I have increased mileage a little. Last Sunday I ran 9 miles and this Saturday I'm running 10. Next weekend (May 20th) is a half-marathon in Dallas. It's sooner than when I wanted to try one, but the next one after that is not until November!! So, I'm going to give it my best effort. If I run the first 5 miles at an 11 minute pace, then I feel like I can finish the full 13.1 miles ok. I must admit, I'm nervous about it, but at the same time I think it's definitely possible to run the whole thing without stopping. If I stop, it won't be until mile 11 or 12, so if I conserve my energy, don't run too fast out of the chute, find my rhythm early, and stay hydrated enough, I think I can pull it off. I'm thinking it will take about 2 hours and 20 minutes. I can't imagine the feeling that will overcome me at the finish line...that is what motivates me. Couch potato to half-marathon runner in 11 weeks!! I'm no superman, I just made a decision to do it, and have religiously stuck to it - anybody can do it, that's for sure! So, what are you waiting for??? :)
4.15.2007
Major League Hail Storm
So Friday evening as I'm pulling in to Saginaw, I hear the tornado sirens going off. I can see a few funnel clouds, but no tornados falling from the sky yet, so I rush home to check on the family. As I pull on to my street, I notice something I have never seen this close before! Practically right above our house, I see a HUGE funnel cloud with circulation just a few hundred feet above the ground!! I meet Jenn at the door and let her know it is serious and to put the mattress over the kids in the bathtub. Now I, on the other hand, am so fascinated by such an incredible sight that I stay outside and watch the developing tornado. It was un--be--lievable. Sure, it was probably a stupid thing to do, but I accept that. Thank you. As the funnel cloud continues on to the neighborhood behind us, golf balls (and larger) start falling from the sky, so I run inside to check on the family. I say nothing of the funnel cloud behind us, but I explain to kids that the sirens are going off because of the hailstorm, trying to keep them as calm as possible. They did great! The hail storm lasted a good 5 minutes! Jenn had put the van in the garage knowing the potential for large hail was great, but our roof probably got dinged up. Insurance settlement maybe?? :) Anyway, here's a few pics of the hail -
What a crazy night!! In other news, the running is going well but the weight loss has stalled. I've lost 18lbs and have been at this same weight now for 2 weeks!! Any advice from people who have been in this situation would be appreciated. I know I could eat better. I mean, I'm doing pretty good, but I could improve on the eating thing. Still no sodas...7 weeks so far! I'm to the point where I could probably have one and be ok, but I'm scared that if I drink one, I won't be able to stop. My running is going quite well in my opinion. I've been running 5 miles every other day, and today I started a new 6 mile route! My time has also dropped to about 10.5 minute miles. I don't care so much about that, but it's nice to see my time improving without focusing on it. I'm just trying to get up to a half-marathon (13.1 miles). Maybe by the middle to end of the summer, but I'm concerned about the increasing summer heat and how that will affect my endurance. It would be nice if I could run on a treadmill on the 100+ degree days, but I can't do it. I went to the recreation center yesterday when it was cold to run on the treadmill. I set the speed so slow I was almost going backwards. Still, after about 0.8 mile, I was in a lot of pain with shin splints, so I quit and went to the weight room instead. I don't know why I can run 6 miles outside and NEVER get even a twinge of shin splints, but 8 minutes on a treadmill and I'm dying. I checked the incline and it was flat (0.0), but I'm wandering if there's a slight upward slant to the treadmill itself. Anyway, I just hope I'm able to run in the heat.
This next picture is of the same funnel cloud that went over our house. It went on toward Texas Motor Speedway, which is where this pic was taken from.
What a crazy night!! In other news, the running is going well but the weight loss has stalled. I've lost 18lbs and have been at this same weight now for 2 weeks!! Any advice from people who have been in this situation would be appreciated. I know I could eat better. I mean, I'm doing pretty good, but I could improve on the eating thing. Still no sodas...7 weeks so far! I'm to the point where I could probably have one and be ok, but I'm scared that if I drink one, I won't be able to stop. My running is going quite well in my opinion. I've been running 5 miles every other day, and today I started a new 6 mile route! My time has also dropped to about 10.5 minute miles. I don't care so much about that, but it's nice to see my time improving without focusing on it. I'm just trying to get up to a half-marathon (13.1 miles). Maybe by the middle to end of the summer, but I'm concerned about the increasing summer heat and how that will affect my endurance. It would be nice if I could run on a treadmill on the 100+ degree days, but I can't do it. I went to the recreation center yesterday when it was cold to run on the treadmill. I set the speed so slow I was almost going backwards. Still, after about 0.8 mile, I was in a lot of pain with shin splints, so I quit and went to the weight room instead. I don't know why I can run 6 miles outside and NEVER get even a twinge of shin splints, but 8 minutes on a treadmill and I'm dying. I checked the incline and it was flat (0.0), but I'm wandering if there's a slight upward slant to the treadmill itself. Anyway, I just hope I'm able to run in the heat. Just as you thought you escaped all the running talk, I realized I forgot to blog about the Race For the Cure! :) Thanks again to all who helped me raise $150 for the fight against breast cancer!! My very first sanctioned run was a success. I won!!! Just kidding. It was crazy at the start of the race. They had all of the non-competitive 5k walkers and 5k runners start together. So when the starting gun blew, it was pandamonium (I think that's the first time in my entire life I've actually typed that word)! After about 5 minutes of weaving and zig-zagging through the walkers, it finally started thinning out enough to run in a straight line. All of the excitement and adrenaline from such a huge event caused me to push it a little harder than my normal pace, so it was actually a bit of a challenging run. I averaged about 11 minute miles. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience though and look forward to many more events. In fact, I have signed up for the Fort Worth Zoo Run in 2 weeks. I'm going to run a 10k!! That's 6.2 miles, which is about 2 minutes longer than what I ran today. I'm hoping to run 7-7.5 miles next week sometime before the Zoo Run, but if not, I still think I'll be ok. I may not break any speed records, but it's the long-distance that I love so much about running. I'm addicted!! The feeling of accomplishment that I get every time I beat my previous distance record is so exhilarating!! I think that feeling is my drug, it's what I long for when I run. However, I'm pretty good about not pushing it too hard just to get that feeling. I only increase my distance about once a week now. When I run a route several times without increasing distance, it's also pretty exhilarating to run as fast as I can the final mile. During my last 5 mile run, after running 4 miles with some good uphill stretches, I kicked it up a few notches and finished very strong. I ran mile 5 in 9 minutes and 20 seconds...which is slow for seasoned runners, but I was pretty excited about my personal accomplishment. OK, I just realized I have been rambling about weather and running and you guys have probably had enough. Thanks for reading! Happy tax day!
3.29.2007
Enjoying the success
Well, it's been 31 days of no sodas, no sweets, LOTS of water, less food, healthier food, working out, a LOT of running (by my own standard), and if you were to see me, you would actually see 15 pounds LESS of me! WAHOO! It's really going quite well in my opinion. I'm sure in 31 days, if I had followed an actual DIET like south beach or north beach or lemonade and pepper or something, I would have lost more, but I am very comfortable with the way I am doing it. It's more of just a change in my diet/exercise that I feel I can live with long-term. I even had a cheeseburger Sunday night at 9:30, a greasy stromboli for lunch Tuesday, two tostados loaded with cheese last night, and I actually broke through a plateau and lost 3 pounds this week! HA! To top it off, I feel like a new person! I have more energy, I'm happier, I feel WAY BETTER, and I can focus on things easier and can tell I'm a little sharper mentally. The best is right after a good run, I guess it's what they call "runner's high", I don't know. I'm up to running 4 miles every other day and I hope to stretch that to 5 miles within the next week or two, but I won't do it if it hurts too much. My dream of running a half-marathon appears to be getting closer, but I know I'm still a long ways away. My 5k Race For the Cure run is coming up - April 7th. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me with their donation. I've raised $130 so far, and a few other people have said they plan on donating. Awesome! I teased Jennifer about wearing a shirt during the run that says "Jog for the Jugs" or maybe "Support Our Rack" (Iraq). HA! She was not amused, but I thought it was funny. Obviously, I'm not taking breast cancer lightly, so I apologize if that offends you...I guess I just have a warped sense of humor. :)
A few thoughts -
* Stop voting for Sanjaya
* Read the biography of your favorite person
* Smile if you recently fertilized your yard before all this rain (like me) :)
* Download iTunes and search/download some of your favorite music
* Stop voting for Sanjaya
* If you hear of a way to buy some shares of the Green Bay Packers, CALL ME!
* The Ultimate Fighter is about to start back up
* Tip your waiter/waitress enough for them to take notice, unless of course they were bad
* Don't leave crayons out unless you want your kid to draw a masterpiece on your wall
* Do something nice for someone today
A few thoughts -
* Stop voting for Sanjaya
* Read the biography of your favorite person
* Smile if you recently fertilized your yard before all this rain (like me) :)
* Download iTunes and search/download some of your favorite music
* Stop voting for Sanjaya
* If you hear of a way to buy some shares of the Green Bay Packers, CALL ME!
* The Ultimate Fighter is about to start back up
* Tip your waiter/waitress enough for them to take notice, unless of course they were bad
* Don't leave crayons out unless you want your kid to draw a masterpiece on your wall
* Do something nice for someone today
3.05.2007
6 lbs and counting
Yes, my loyal and dedicated blog readers, in the last 7 days, I have lost 6 pounds! How? Why? Whoa boys and girls, settle down with the questions, I will explain. Ya know those little blood pressure chairs you see in WalMart and Target that make you think "I wonder how my blood pressure is?" as you walk by them only to be distracted by the question of "How did Michael Phelps get on the can of Barbasol shaving cream?" and as you turn the corner you think "Why do I always feel sort of 'taboo' when I walk by the condom section?"....and sure enough, as quickly as the thought of checking your blood pressure enters your cerebral vortex, it vanishes and you never actually sit down in one of those chairs to see how close you are to having a stroke. Well, last Saturday I stopped myself in Target and actually sat down in one of those chairs and discovered that I have borderline hypertension. I believe it was 143 over 83!! WHOA NELLY! I realize to people who actually have high blood pressure, this is probably a good reading, but I've always been closer to 110 over 70 or something like that. So, that concerned me a little and gave me some motivation to take better care of the only body I have. Also, the next day in church, our pastor mentioned how he's lost 18 pounds in 4 weeks. I talked to him afterwards and he said he's not following a diet per se, he's just drinking A LOT of water, exercising, and eating less at mealtime but a little more frequently. I can do that! So, in the last 7 days, I have not had a single soda, I have drank at LEAST a gallon of water every day, I have exercised 5 days (walking/jogging/weightlifting), I have cut back the amount I eat at mealtime, and I have tried to eat healthier snacks...like instead of a Mr. Goodbar, I eat a banana or grab some natural, unsalted almonds. I can not TELL you how good I feel! Physically and mentally. My body feels SO much better...I'm not as tired during the day, my stomach doesn't feel gurgly and sick from 4-6 sodas per day, I feel stronger, my attitude is better, I'm happier, etc. Can you imagine where I'll be in a month? I know 6 pounds isn't much, but it's a GREAT start to what I hope is a major change in my life. Seriously, I've gotten to the point (according to the scientific charts) where I am probably 35-40 pounds overweight. I'm not necessarily trying to lose that much (although I might), but if I can lose 25 pounds and be healthier and in better shape, I will be happy. I mean, I'm not going to put myself in prison in terms of a strict eating regiment. The only way I can make this work is to still eat whatever I want (sensibly), just eat less of it. For example, last week the boss bought everyone pizza. I ate 2 slices instead of 4. Three nights last week, I had my microwave popcorn, but I only ate half the bag instead of the whole bag. Probably, because of this, I won't lose 40 pounds, but losing 25 pounds and still enjoying the foods I like is a good compromise to me.
For the past year or two I have thought it would be a rewarding accomplishment to run a half-marathon. The only problem is that I never wanted to actually TRAIN for it. So, last week, I decided I would pick a sanctioned 5k run about 2-3 months away and work up to that. Understand that I do not run at all...so I'm starting from ground zero. Today I walked across the street to make a deposit at my bank and saw a pamphlet for the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure sanctioned run to raise money to help fight breast cancer on April 7th. I took one back to the office with me and looked it over, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. Even though I may not be able to run the entire 3.1 miles in a month, I can give it my best shot and walk the rest while feeling good about my registration fee going to a good cause. There's even a place in the pamphlet to list donations from various people you get to sponsor you. Awesome!! So, not only can I get a jumpstart on my goal to do a 5k run, I can try and raise money to help fight breast cancer! It's a win-win! A lady at work has already said she will donate money! You can win prizes for raising money, but that is sincerely not what is motivating me. What motivated me to try and raise money is something in the pamphlet that says "IF every participant raises $100, over $2,000,000 will be collected!" All to fight breast cancer - that is awesome!! So, I'd like to try and raise at least $100 just to play my part in that! So, if you're interested, let me know.
With this new motivation of attempting to run 5k in a month in mind, tonight at the gym (Saginaw Recreation Center - $20 annual membership - I know, that's CHEAP!) I got on the treadmill with the intent of walking 5 minutes and then jogging until I had to stop. Then tomorrow night and each night thereafter I would increase my time by 30 seconds. Every night up until now, I have only walked for 30 minutes at a very brisk pace. I was fully expecting to run for 5 minutes and then have to stop, go to the locker room, and puke my guts out. To my surprise, 5 minutes rolled around and I was feeling pretty good...my legs burned a little, but I wasn't breathing hard yet. Granted, I was jogging pretty slowly, but still. Pretty soon, 10 minutes passed and I was still feeling good and wondered if I should stop and not overdo it. Soon enough, 15 minutes and 20 minutes passed and I was still jogging! I had started to breath a little harder and my legs were getting tired, but by now, I wanted to finish my 30 minute workout, so I pushed it 5 more minutes and then cooled down. I ended up running 25 minutes without stopping!! WOW!! That was VERY encouraging! I'm sure you runners out there are not impressed, especially because I only ran 1.7 miles in 25 minutes, but to me, that FAR exceeded my expectations! I felt great afterwards too! I went into the weight room and worked on my upper body. Here I am now, almost 11pm, and I haven't fwlt this good in a very long time. Running is definitely a drug. I've heard that running one mile is like taking a prozac. HA! I believe it! I can't wait to do it again tomorrow night!
There's several other things in the pipeline that are worthy "feel-gooders". We've just decided to go with a small group from our church and help lead a weekend retreat in Winter Park, Colorado in early June. There is a brand new church in Denver that our church has adopted that is just starting up and they have asked us to lead a retreat for their church leaders to help them get on track with growing their church. I will help lead worship and possibly teach a class or help with the backyard bible school for the leaders' kids. The details are still being ironed out, so Jennifer is not sure what she will help with yet, but there will be plenty to do, so I know she'll find her place. That is exciting! We will be staying in cabins in the mountains! Colorado is my favorite place in the country, so I can not wait to bask in one of God's most beautiful creations!
Another "feel-gooders" - I talked with my boss and asked him if he could give me an idea of what he's thinking for me salary-wise over the next 5 years. He was very receptive to that and is putting a plan together that he'd like to show me sometime in the next week or two. He gave me the impression that part of my salary may be linked to assets under management, and could easily turn in to a salary close to what a marketing person would make (six figures). If this is indeed his plan, I am completely on board with that. This basically means I would get a set salary plus a small percentage of the assets we manage. Since I began working here 2 years ago, we have grown about 25-30%, which is good, but it's actually a slower rate of growth than the previous years. Anyway, I'm not intending to boast or build it up or anything, it's just exciting that we very possibly could be making a very nice income in the coming years.
Still another "feel-gooder" - I think I may actually be getting close to FINALLY getting rid of my ugly junker clown pickup and getting a jeep! Maybe next month!!
OK, as always, this is a very large post, and thanks for reading this far (Alyssa, you didn't skip paragraphs did you? I didn't mention the economy or politics or sports ONCE!). Hope you all are doing very well, and I'll probably post again in a month! I'll at least let you know how the 5k run goes! I will leave you with the following response to an email Jennifer received from our sister-in-law. Feel free to leave your own responses in a comment!
1. What time is it now? 11:14pm
2. Name? Kirk
3. What are you afraid of? how I will react when my children have to take practice TAKS tests
4. What do you drive? S-10
5. Have you ever seen a ghost? no, but I probably looked like one during my first snipe hunt
6. Where were you born? Glendale, AZ
7. Ever been to Alaska ? no
8. Ever used toilet paper for decorating trees? I wouldn't call it "decorating", but yes
9. Croutons or Bacon bits? both
10. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
11. Favorite restaurant: Texas de Brazil
12. Favorite Flower: that's gay
13. Favorite sport to watch: do I even need to answer this one? (football)
14. Favorite drink: Sangiovese
15. Favorite Ice cream: Oreo
16. Disney or Warner Brothers? I don't know
17. Favorite fast food restaurant: Taco Casa
18. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige
19. How many times have you failed your driver's test? none
20. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? Marcela
21. What do you do most often when you are bored? Watch recorded shows on my DVR
22. Bedtime? I hate going to sleep...usually somewhere around 12:30am or 1:30am.
23. Who will respond to this email the quickest? Jenn
24. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond: Chris Deges
25. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses? Josh Burgess
26. Favorite TV shows? The Office, The Ultimate Fighter, American Idol (please don't take my man card away), Saving Silverman Program
27. Ford or Chevy? I don't care
28. What are you listening to right now? Lambeau snoring
29. What are your favorite colors? blue and red
30. How many tattoos do you have? I've thought about it, but none
31. Which came first the chicken or the egg? God could have created either first
32. What would you like to accomplish before you die? I want to see my kids grow up to be healthy, self disciplined, and wise decision makers...marry wonderful people and have happy lives. I'd also like to see the northern lights, run a half marathon (maybe marathon after that), and own my own business.
33. What are your favorite birds? Quiet ones
34. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? none - I'm blogging it!
35. Do you recycle things? only bad jokes
For the past year or two I have thought it would be a rewarding accomplishment to run a half-marathon. The only problem is that I never wanted to actually TRAIN for it. So, last week, I decided I would pick a sanctioned 5k run about 2-3 months away and work up to that. Understand that I do not run at all...so I'm starting from ground zero. Today I walked across the street to make a deposit at my bank and saw a pamphlet for the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure sanctioned run to raise money to help fight breast cancer on April 7th. I took one back to the office with me and looked it over, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. Even though I may not be able to run the entire 3.1 miles in a month, I can give it my best shot and walk the rest while feeling good about my registration fee going to a good cause. There's even a place in the pamphlet to list donations from various people you get to sponsor you. Awesome!! So, not only can I get a jumpstart on my goal to do a 5k run, I can try and raise money to help fight breast cancer! It's a win-win! A lady at work has already said she will donate money! You can win prizes for raising money, but that is sincerely not what is motivating me. What motivated me to try and raise money is something in the pamphlet that says "IF every participant raises $100, over $2,000,000 will be collected!" All to fight breast cancer - that is awesome!! So, I'd like to try and raise at least $100 just to play my part in that! So, if you're interested, let me know.
With this new motivation of attempting to run 5k in a month in mind, tonight at the gym (Saginaw Recreation Center - $20 annual membership - I know, that's CHEAP!) I got on the treadmill with the intent of walking 5 minutes and then jogging until I had to stop. Then tomorrow night and each night thereafter I would increase my time by 30 seconds. Every night up until now, I have only walked for 30 minutes at a very brisk pace. I was fully expecting to run for 5 minutes and then have to stop, go to the locker room, and puke my guts out. To my surprise, 5 minutes rolled around and I was feeling pretty good...my legs burned a little, but I wasn't breathing hard yet. Granted, I was jogging pretty slowly, but still. Pretty soon, 10 minutes passed and I was still feeling good and wondered if I should stop and not overdo it. Soon enough, 15 minutes and 20 minutes passed and I was still jogging! I had started to breath a little harder and my legs were getting tired, but by now, I wanted to finish my 30 minute workout, so I pushed it 5 more minutes and then cooled down. I ended up running 25 minutes without stopping!! WOW!! That was VERY encouraging! I'm sure you runners out there are not impressed, especially because I only ran 1.7 miles in 25 minutes, but to me, that FAR exceeded my expectations! I felt great afterwards too! I went into the weight room and worked on my upper body. Here I am now, almost 11pm, and I haven't fwlt this good in a very long time. Running is definitely a drug. I've heard that running one mile is like taking a prozac. HA! I believe it! I can't wait to do it again tomorrow night!
There's several other things in the pipeline that are worthy "feel-gooders". We've just decided to go with a small group from our church and help lead a weekend retreat in Winter Park, Colorado in early June. There is a brand new church in Denver that our church has adopted that is just starting up and they have asked us to lead a retreat for their church leaders to help them get on track with growing their church. I will help lead worship and possibly teach a class or help with the backyard bible school for the leaders' kids. The details are still being ironed out, so Jennifer is not sure what she will help with yet, but there will be plenty to do, so I know she'll find her place. That is exciting! We will be staying in cabins in the mountains! Colorado is my favorite place in the country, so I can not wait to bask in one of God's most beautiful creations!
Another "feel-gooders" - I talked with my boss and asked him if he could give me an idea of what he's thinking for me salary-wise over the next 5 years. He was very receptive to that and is putting a plan together that he'd like to show me sometime in the next week or two. He gave me the impression that part of my salary may be linked to assets under management, and could easily turn in to a salary close to what a marketing person would make (six figures). If this is indeed his plan, I am completely on board with that. This basically means I would get a set salary plus a small percentage of the assets we manage. Since I began working here 2 years ago, we have grown about 25-30%, which is good, but it's actually a slower rate of growth than the previous years. Anyway, I'm not intending to boast or build it up or anything, it's just exciting that we very possibly could be making a very nice income in the coming years.
Still another "feel-gooder" - I think I may actually be getting close to FINALLY getting rid of my ugly junker clown pickup and getting a jeep! Maybe next month!!
OK, as always, this is a very large post, and thanks for reading this far (Alyssa, you didn't skip paragraphs did you? I didn't mention the economy or politics or sports ONCE!). Hope you all are doing very well, and I'll probably post again in a month! I'll at least let you know how the 5k run goes! I will leave you with the following response to an email Jennifer received from our sister-in-law. Feel free to leave your own responses in a comment!
1. What time is it now? 11:14pm
2. Name? Kirk
3. What are you afraid of? how I will react when my children have to take practice TAKS tests
4. What do you drive? S-10
5. Have you ever seen a ghost? no, but I probably looked like one during my first snipe hunt
6. Where were you born? Glendale, AZ
7. Ever been to Alaska ? no
8. Ever used toilet paper for decorating trees? I wouldn't call it "decorating", but yes
9. Croutons or Bacon bits? both
10. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
11. Favorite restaurant: Texas de Brazil
12. Favorite Flower: that's gay
13. Favorite sport to watch: do I even need to answer this one? (football)
14. Favorite drink: Sangiovese
15. Favorite Ice cream: Oreo
16. Disney or Warner Brothers? I don't know
17. Favorite fast food restaurant: Taco Casa
18. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige
19. How many times have you failed your driver's test? none
20. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? Marcela
21. What do you do most often when you are bored? Watch recorded shows on my DVR
22. Bedtime? I hate going to sleep...usually somewhere around 12:30am or 1:30am.
23. Who will respond to this email the quickest? Jenn
24. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond: Chris Deges
25. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses? Josh Burgess
26. Favorite TV shows? The Office, The Ultimate Fighter, American Idol (please don't take my man card away), Saving Silverman Program
27. Ford or Chevy? I don't care
28. What are you listening to right now? Lambeau snoring
29. What are your favorite colors? blue and red
30. How many tattoos do you have? I've thought about it, but none
31. Which came first the chicken or the egg? God could have created either first
32. What would you like to accomplish before you die? I want to see my kids grow up to be healthy, self disciplined, and wise decision makers...marry wonderful people and have happy lives. I'd also like to see the northern lights, run a half marathon (maybe marathon after that), and own my own business.
33. What are your favorite birds? Quiet ones
34. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? none - I'm blogging it!
35. Do you recycle things? only bad jokes
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