Tunes

Yesterday was the first time I ran with music. Has anyone else done this? It is awesome. This iPod thing is really going to catch on.

Project Runner's Way

I mentioned that I got a new running vest. To say it wasn't designed strictly for running is an understatement. After my first run with it I found some areas that needed some improvement. So in the thinking of "Survivor Man" Office Manager Michael Scott, I fashioned pieces of my pants into a comfy collar.

If you are thinking I get some odd looks when I run, you are correct.

3 Minute Guide to Marathon Spectating

I try to run the Houston Marathon every other year. It is a great race. The years I don't run in it I am usually wishing I was running, for the first 3 minutes I'm watching. Then I go back to bed or something.

Here is the sideline view of the race from between miles 8 and 9. It is hilarious. First comes a convoy of cars, then the half marathon leaders. Next, a bunch of runners not going to place in the half's top 5 (who look like they are wishing for death), a huge truck carrying all the marathon press like cattle, and then the real crazies. It is just fascinating, shocking really, to see the real marathon runners flying down the street. And finally, my favorite part, the huddled together group of white guys running the marathon just scratching their heads.

Merry Poppins

You can find simple running formulas for increasing milage, training frequency and how hard to push yourself, but the most important advise is 'listen to your body.'

I had surgery on my knee 2 years ago. One thing my knee would do afterward in rehab is pop. It is almost like a cramp, it just really needs to be popped and then after it pops it feels instantly better. Popping like cracking your knuckles (which I rarely do), but in a more needy way. Months after surgery it continued and I asked my physical therapist if I should be worried about that popping and he said as long as it doesn't hurt there shouldn't be any problem. Two of the most athletically demanding years of my life later, I pop a lot. Maybe I'm just listening to my body more. Every joint feels great after it pops, my feet, ankles, knees. A lot of stuff is popping. But somehow almost in a good way.

I knew I would have to give a number to explain myself, so the other day I counted pops, not including fingers. It was somewhere around 35.

Mr. Roboto

It is an odd feeling running and not tiring. It is a great feeling, it becomes like breathing. Just another function of the body working in sync with all of its other systems. My last run, I ran like a robot. I could have run a marathon. I am in good shape. But for as fit as I am, I would tell you that my mind is stronger. That is the most noticeable difference between myself of a year ago.

The real reason I could run forever, I wasn't thinking about stopping.

Accelerated Program

This is my first week of training for a marathon 70 days away. My training is a bit of an accelerated program.

Bushwhacking

It is really an empty feeling having no higher reason to run. I like running and being active but nothing is currently making me want to punish myself. The 3Bros was a rocking cause. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I guess I am waiting for another burning bush.

There are tons of great causes, but it seems last year I was part of a plan, and not my own. I've signed up and plan to do another Ironman, but what did He sign me up for? I guess for now I'll run knowing I am running toward it.

2010 Year of the Vest

I have been just about completely out of commission for a month. It is good to take a break. I feel rested and the yearning to run, to just sweat myself, is starting to come back. Which is good, because I have a marathon in less than 3 months. Time to get to work.

I like to think I take a military mentality to training and racing. I have a running vest. But, now I have a VEST, a tactical load bearing vest. Gone are the M16 magazines and frag grenades, in are the power bars and water bottles. Like I said, time to get to work.

This isn't a good picture. Until I tell you that I took this self portrait with my cell phone camera that doesn't have a self timer. It looks like I am running forward, but it is really me leaping backward. Also, I shaved my head. But really just shaved my hair, though the photo would indicate otherwise.

Back to the Basics

This sport, endurance exercising, is just crazy. I know that, and yet there is something about it that I love doing. But it isn't the day-to-day. You question what you are doing and why you would want to punish your body or run 26.2 miles. I like being in shape and I like the fantastic sense of accomplishment but deep down I think it is the opportunity to fail that I find so alluring. I signed up for another race with no more comfort than I did my first. The first time you always question if you can do it, and once you have done it, you question if you can still do it.

There is a distinct difference between running a marathon and just finishing a marathon. In an Ironman you finish a marathon, running may or may not be involved. I may never know what it is like to finish a marathon in 2 hours, but I know exactly what it is like to run in one for more than 4 hours. And it is the hardest thing I have done. Today I printed out a marathon training calendar. I've signed up for the ING Georgia Marathon.

If you are interested in a marathon, sign up!

Trotting

Today I ran the 10k Turkey Trot. The race took me an hour. My last race took me 7 hours. And the race before that one took me 15 hours.

I like the Turkey Trot.

Old Friend

Yesterday I went for a run. I would say it was my first real run since the Ironman. I ran for about an hour and 15 minutes around a loop I ran many times while training for the biggest race of my life. It was fun to get back to running, I missed it.

I ran into an old friend along the way. I didn't stop, but we ran together.

Good to see you again Fatigue.

11/8/2009

Air 1's Verse of the Day

11/8/2009

"For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."

James 1:3, NLT | View in context

Glutton for Punishment

Oh it's sold out alright, but I got in before it did! Everyone loves a good sequel... and there is a new character - Jeffrey Bear got in as well. This will be my second Ironman and his first.

We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life.

What's Next?

It seems the natural question everyone asks is, what's next? I have been asked that as much as any question about the Ironman. It has felt as if I have scaled a mountain, and I plan to go back to the top of that mountain again. I will forever cherish the memory of my first Ironman, the support I received, and how God made a tough race an easy one with a purpose.

I will continue to race and if you find something more formidable than the Ironman, I want to know about it. However, for now it is clear what I must do...

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