Been Too Long Since the Last Post...

Been a pretty long while since I've posted anything here, so this is going to be a mish-mash of different stuff. 1st of all, last week, the fam and I went to Mississippi to visit family and while we were there, I made sure to get my running in.

WELL, that was an awesome decision let me tell ya. It was really hot and REALLY humid. Hot I can deal with (I do live in Texas), but 75% - 80% humidity in 80 degree temps sucks. All this was between 6-7am! So, I did all my runs:

Mon: 3 miles

Tue: 45 min. tempo

Wed: 5 miles

Thur: 5 X Hill Intervals

And I sweated A-LOT. Had to break down and grab some VitaminWater just to get some extra electrolytes in (usually only drink water on runs less than 1 hour). So, word to the wise, if ya run in Mississippi, be prepared to SWEAT.

In other news, my broke toe is healing nicely. It hasn't hurt for a few weeks now. Although half of my nail fell off and is currently growing back. Looks kind of weird. I won't post any pics though.

AND! I recorded a Personal Record 5K this morning! It felt awesome. I had a 5K "race" on my training plan, so I decided to really try hard even though I was just running against myself. It was tough in this heatwave we've got going on in TX, but I did it! Feels cool to get faster. When I started running, I was averaging a 9:30 to 10:00 mile pace on my fast days. Now I'm usually between 8 & 9 min. miles and today I averaged 7:39! OK, I'll end my rant there - just feels good to work towards a goal and accomplish something.

One last note, check out Just Finish. It's a social site for runners/walkers/cyclists/triathletes. Figured I'd give them a mention since they sent me some free stickers. Now to find a place to stick 'em...

Visit Just Finish!

Ouch X 3!

Well, I've got a busted toe.  I can't say something cool like while I was running, a cougar jumped out of the bushes and slashed my foot.  Nope.  I simply knocked a can of spray-paint off a shelf from 5 feet above the ground and it promptly fell just right to land on my toe and crack the nail down  the center.  It pretty much hurt like a heck and I'm sure I said some pretty choice words moments after it happened.  

It happened 4 days ago, and I've run on it twice.  It really doesn't hurt to run.  It feels kind of like a rock in your shoe for the first 5 minutes or so, and then it is pretty easy to ignore for the rest of the run.  

But the real problem is not running.  It's when I am home and take the shoes off.  So far, I've wacked it trying to step over my wife's shoe and slammed it right into a kid's toy sitting on the floor.  At this rate, it will probably heal in about 6 months...

Well, I'll still be running - have to get in the miles so I can make sure to finish the marathon in December.  Just wish I had some Wolverine healing powers to make all the obstacles around my house a little less dire.

What Do U Know Bcuz U Run?

Enter the "We Know" Contest put on by Saucony.  Just simply fill in the blank:  "We Know ______ Because We Run"  You can enter as many times as you want!  I gotta admit it would be pretty cool to win $1k worth of running gear!

A couple of my entries:

We Know

26.2 is not just another number

Because We Run

We Know

the world is beautiful at 5 am

Because We Run

Addiction? Obsession? Maybe...

So yesterday I had a 3 mi. run scheduled and I usually wake up early and go run before everyone in my house wakes up. Well, I thought I pressed the snooze button, but subsequently turned my alarm off. The next alarm I heard was for my wife to get up for work. My first thought when I see the time is, "Dangit!" So I get up, and help my daughter & wife get off for school. Since I am currently running "daddy day-care," I gear up to watch the Boston Marathon online - which was an awesome experience since I have never watched an entire marathon before. And to add to that, the women's race was rediculously good! Kara Goucher gave her all for the US, but came up just short. As did Ryan Hall on the men's side.

Now that I've really gotten off topic, After the race was over, I just felt kind of wierd. I didn't know if it was because the americans came up short in the race, or if I was getting some of the sickness that was going around my family... But then I realized - I hadn't run that morning! Has it gotten to the point that I go through withdrawals? I am really messed up. (My wife would second that) I guess I have really taken this running thing full fledge. Oh well, I guess there's worse things in this world to be obsessed with. Have fun running and I'll try not to miss any more morning runs.

maybe I need to keep my alarm further from the bed :)

PNCN = Prevent Nipple Chafing Now

This reminds me of the episode of "The Office" when andy has to put band-aids over his nipples to prevent chafing.  Then further down the race, along comes andy with 2 big red spots on his shirt!  Funny!

More Running SuperFans Videos 

Running's SuperFans Website - Carl & Karl

I do believe Brooks has outdone themselves with this campaign.

Lots of R E S P E C T

So being into this running thing, I have recently gotten interested in finding out a little about the elite athletes of the sport.  Through twitter i've kept up with Josh Cox and Ryan Hall.  Both are very inspiring and members of Team World Vision.  I've looked into it and I am pretty sure I am going to sign up to raise funds for World Vision when I run the White Rock Marathon (the orange jersey was the clincher).  Stay tuned and I'll let ya know when that all goes live.  In the meanwhile, check out this video with Ryan Hall & TWV.  Good Luck in Boston Ryan!

My Running Story

I am just a 30 year old dude that likes running, architecture (my profession), music, & photography.  With this posting I have 3 kiddos - 5, 2, & 9 mo. & an awesome wife.  This is my running story.

For as long as I could remember in my life, I was overweight.  I was not the fattest kid, but I did have to wear the dreaded "husky" jeans.  I was always athletic.  I played baseball (outfield) & football (lineman) through high school. I just couldn't get rid of that belly, which probably had A LOT to do with the fact that almost everything I liked to eat was fried.  About 4 years ago all that stopped.  I learned how to eat for fuel instead of eating junk to fill my gut and I started running.  I lost 40 pounds!

I used to HATE running.  Probably because that was the punishment you got if you screwed up in athletics.  So the first few times I went out for a "true" run were very much a struggle.  But I kept with it.  I got to where I really enjoyed recreational running, but my max single run mileage was a 5K.  Then came Father's Day 2007:

Suprise!  I got the Nike+ sensor and that really made my runs a lot more fun.  I guess I'm not much of a purist because I don't have much fun plodding along listening to my own breathing.  Since I'm having more fun running now, I'm up to an 8 mile run.  My 1st official race was the Dallas Turkey Trot in 2007 in which my goal was to enjoy the race and finish.

In 2008,  I didn't do much racing, but kept it around 2-3 runs a week probably maxing at about 12 miles per week. 

But since 2009 hit, I've gotten running fever.  It just feels good to set a goal and be able to attain it.  Plus with using the Nike+ system, all my running data is automatic and I don't have to worry much with running journals.  That may be a little lazy, but I do have 3 kiddos to worry about in my "non-running" time.

My next goal is the 2009 Dallas White Rock Marathon in December.  My 1st goal is to finish, but I would also like to keep it under 4 hours.  I created this blog in hopes of chronicling my training up to the marathon and who knows from there.  If all goes well, I think I would like to run some of the bigger marathons such as Chicago & New York.  I think ultimately, it would be super awesometown to qualify for Boston!

Hope you enjoy my ramblings!  Run with Gusto!