SumoSized Runner

The start of the NEW ME!?!?!????

2009-10-18T21:55:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've blogged, and I've come to a new realization. In order for me to put the Sumosized Brad in the past and keep moving toward the future, I need to give up the moniker of SUMO.

That being said, I started a new Blog and hope everyone will move to the new site and follow me there. Here I will log the journal entries as I transform from 262 pound Brad, down from 378 pound Sumo, into the Ultra Runner I'm inspiring to be! I chose a new name that will never end--Ultra Runner in Training!

Visit my new Blog here: http://ultrarunnerintraining.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

And stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

An epiphany.

2009-09-28T23:23:00.001-04:00

Ok, this may sound a little sappy, but I've been kind of bummed out all day today.

My first marathon has been over for a few weeks and yesterday was the race at the end of the learn to run program I helped coach. The entire summer was loaded with highs for me. My first 15, 17, 18, and 20 mile runs. Helping 63 people run their first mile, their first 30 minutes, their first 5k. Seeing self confidence and joy in their eyes at the end of a 35 minute run that had a hill. Watching a shy little boy open up and believe in himself. Talking through problems on a run with new friends. Meeting husbands and wives that were so happy for what their spouse had accomplished. And finally, at the race yesterday, running with Shannon for her 5K PR, then running in with so many others for the last 100 yards and seeing the smiles of accomplishment.

And now, it's over.

If you would have asked me last year when I started if I ever thought running would be this big of a deal in my life and would have said, quite loudly, NO! In fact, I was planning on giving it up after my first 5K--but the excitement of that race was like heroine for me. I think today I finally realized that running has become as much of a part of my life as life itself.

To prove a point, to help get me out of my bummed mood, I went for a run. And not just any run, but 5.3 miles of bad, nasty South Western Pennsylvania hills. And I ran hard. My heart rate accelerated, my mind cleared, and that's when I noticed how beautiful the world is. How calming the wind can be. How lucky I am to have made so many good friends with my two legs. And how much running really means to me.

My heart truly does tell me to run. And until tonight, I thought it was just to be healthy. Little did I know just how much running touches my heart!

Yet another rainy day...

2009-08-02T17:17:00.003-04:00

First I wasn't to give MAJOR props to my friend Marie Bartoletti for her outstanding performance in the Burning River 100! She finished in 25:31! What an amazing woman! And another amazing woman, my buddy and sis, Jess, met her at the 70 mile mark and paced her through the night to the finish! I'm proud to have friends like this and give them all the respect in the world!

It's been raining a lot here in Western Pennsylvania this summer. Our grass still needs to be cut on a weekly basis! This might be ok for people who love their plush "lawns," but we live in the country and have a "yard." So I kind of look forward to that every 2-3 weeks mowing session of greenish, brown grass mixed with weeds.

But the rain has managed to help keep the temperatures dawn a little. It hasn't been overly hot this summer, but when the temps do rise, the humidity skyrockets!

Today was one of those days after the rain, and then it turned into one of those days of rain! Our running club was hosting a 10/20K this morning at 10AM! They also had a 1 mile fun run/walk. It was really great to see a few of the participants from our No Boundaries program come out for the 1 mile run just 4 weeks into their program!

My marathon training made the 20K a perfect distance for the race. This week is a cut back week to 13 miles, so I planned on the 20K then a a bit more to round it up to 13. The weather was cool and sticky when we started at 10. I think it was in the upper 60's. I ran with Cindy from No Boundaries for the first 1/2 mile, where she turned around--I'm SO PROUD OF HER!-- and continued onward! I met up with Jane and Bruce from the club and hung with them for the last 4 or 5 miles of the first loop--two loops of the 10K course for the 20K.

We chatted about the worlds problems, our adventures since we last talked, and Bruce's month long vacation to England, Ireland, and Scotland. It was really nice! When we hit the start/finish line, they were done with the 10K. I was happy to run with them! It kept me from trying to push too hard and peter out!

I continued on for the second loop and tried to catch my buddy Bill. He's a retired Army Dentist and a triathlete! He's one amazing guy! I kept looking for him, but never saw him. I made the last loop jamming to a few iPod tunes and even stopped to give an older couple directions!

After I crossed the finish line, I realized that the humidity was so high today, that I was dripping from my shorts! I chatted for a few minutes, made the .3 miles out and .3 miles back to hit today's 13 and headed for home!

It was a great run. Slow and humid, but I think I may have figured out my fueling strategy for the marathon!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Addiction... no... Lifestyle.... YES!!!

2009-07-16T00:09:00.003-04:00

Some of my friends are having a hard time understanding my love of running. I have one buddy that jokingly asks every time I talk about running a race if I think I'm going to win. At first, I thought he was serious, then I realized it was a joke. I did tell him that I was going to win the marathon on September 13th. After all, every finisher is a winner!

These same friends have been supporting me so much in my life changing adventure in my ASICS (current shoe my body like are the Evolutions.) They really make me feel great when they offer words of encouragement, make little jokes, and ask, with a genuine interest, about the latest race or training endeavor. They call me an addict. But how can you be an addict if it's good for you?

I mean, just because I've been glued to the Tweet's I've been getting about Badwater's progress and following Bart Yasso's trip to our Service Folks in the Middle East on Facebook doesn't make me an addict. It shows my knowledge and willingness to use modern technology.

And when we get home from late from our dog training club, and I hop on the treadmill to get in my 3x800's for the week at 11:15 at night when I have to get up at 5:45 in the morning shows dedication, not addiction.

196 days of running at least 1.25 miles or more in a row shows consistency. New shoes every month to replace a worn out pair shows loyalty to the local running shop. Entry fee's into race shows charity. And group runs early Sunday morning proves what a dedicated bunch of friends we are!

So for all of those folks, my wife included, that say I'm addicted to running, I say nay. I choose to live a lifestyle of a technologically advanced, dedicated, consistent, loyal, charitable, friendly guy--who just happens to run.

Now that my friends is just plain old logic!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

John Woodruff 5K--1 year after my first race!

2009-07-12T23:53:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since my last blog entry. I have no excuses. But I have been pretty busy.

The Erie Marathon is coming up in just 62 days. I've been training hard and having ups and downs. The good news is that the ups are much better then the downs!

I had the anniversary of my first race ever on Wednesday, July 8th at the John Woodruff 5K. I'll probably run this race often in the years to come--it has a lot of sentimental value to me and the story behind John Woodruff is pretty cool!

I was so excited in 2008 when I crossed the finish line in 42:18. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever accomplished. There was a gentleman named Alex who ran the entire course with me last year, he even walked when I did. I didn't know Alex before this race and was very moved by him staying with me.

This year, I saw Alex while I was running a warm-up mile on the track. What a difference a year makes! Last year I prayed to make the 3.1 miles--this year I needed an extra mile for my marathon training. Alex and I chatted and he said that he read the article in the paper about the No Boundaries program I'm helping to coach--they interviewed me to help motivate others (and it worked!) Alex was hoping to run close to last years time and I was hoping to run at about an 11 minute pace.

We ran together for a little while, then we came to the first hill. Alex told me to go ahead and he'd see me at the finish. I started up the hill and turned on my ipod. Now that I have a few 5K's under my belt, I can honestly say that this is a tough course! According to my Garmin, the course bottoms out at 906 feet at .2 miles and increases to 1155 feet at 1.6 miles. It's mostly down hill from there.

I hit the first mile at 10:50 which is right where I was hoping to be. The second mile I managed to pick up my tempo and turn in a respectable Sumo time of 10:19. I then managed to take advantage of the down hill's and turned in my fastest outdoor mile of 9:18! I finished with a new PR of 31:29. Boy was I pumped.

I forgot my camera, so no pics. I cheered Alex in and he and I walked out together. It was a wonderful time and a fun race.

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

2009-06-23T16:38:00.006-04:00

Father's Day was a great day to race! The weather was overcast, the temps were cool, and the humidity was up, but not soup thick!

Father's Day was a long run for my marathon training, but it was also a "cut back" week. So I needed to add 3 miles to the 10K to get in myscheduled 9. I decided to run them BEFORE the race, that way they'd be done and I'd have no excuses!

I arrived at Heinz Field around 7am, picked up my chip, and headed accross the Roberto Clemente bridge for my easy 3. It was a nice jog that I covered i a leaseraly 35:17. I wasn't in a hurry, plus it was a LSD day.... Long Slow Distance!

I made it back to the start line just in time to stand in line for the porta-johns until the 10K started at 8:30. I saw a lady I work with and her daughter (who finished 2nd female) and we chatted for a second or so while the line creeped forward. I just made it to the strat area when the gun went off!

And away we went. I was hoping for a decent showing at this race, but nothing spactacular.
I did get a few nice shots of Pittsburgh.

And some feathered fans!
This is part of the river squad.
Some art work.
The Convention Center.
Old rail bridge.
Happy Volunteer!
It was Sunday, so I said a prayer as we passed this church.
Runners ahead of us going the other direction!
The trail around Washington's Landing!
And me after setting a new 10K PR! That's right, at mile 4 I realized I was working on a sub 11 minute mile 10K, which is pretty darn quick for me! I picked it up a bit AND finished the last mile in 9:50--my first outside mile under 10:00!!!!!

New 10K PR is 1:04:53! And that's AFTER I ran the 3 miles for my long run!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

New leasons learned on the run

2009-06-12T00:16:00.003-04:00

It amazes me how much in life there is to learn. How everyday we can expand our knowledge base beyond it's capacity from the day before. Some folks can remember all kinds of things, some remember the important things, and others have a hard time remembering what they did yesterday.

Although I have a tendency to remember a lot of useless information about a lot of things most people find trivial (like how the expression "the whole 9 yards" came from gunmen in a bubble of a bomber. When they ran out of their 9 yards of ammunition chain they would say "that's the whole 9 yards!" That way the enemy wouldn't know they were out of ammo!) I find it interesting. And since I discovered my fondness for running, I have been striving to learn as much as possible. I love reading about other runners like Dean Karnazes, Bart Yasso, and my blog buddies. And I really like learning new things to help my run! And last night I had the chance to do just that!

I went with the Fleet Feet Pittsburgh folks to a track for their Wednesday night track work-out. My marathon program doesn't call for specific speed work, but it does have a light day in the middle of the week that I designated for Fartleks or the track--as long as the body is up for it! I was asked if I had anything in mind, but the only thing I really know about track work are the Yasso 800's--so I said I was thinking of doing 800's. Bob, the store owner, gave me a pretty good idea of where to start and how to progress, but Jess, my adopted sister and coach, came to the track and actually walked me threw it!

We did a nice mile warm-up, stretched, then went for our first 800. Hit that one in 4:45. I felt pretty good. We made a nice recovery lap, then made another 800 at 4:59. I was falling in love with this! (I'm a little deranged I guess. I like pushing myself!) After another recovery lap, we did a 400 in 2:34. Jess went to run with another participant of the speed session and I did another 400 after a recovery jog (although I wasn't supposed too!) I hit it at 2:29.

It was so much fun! I did learn about a few muscles in my legs I didn't realize were there today, but I'm really looking forward to the next session! Yasso suggests running your 800's at the pace you would like to finish your marathon. I'm hoping for under 5 hours, would like 4 hours and 50 minutes. So next week, I'll shoot for my 800's at 4 minutes and 50 seconds. It will be a bit more of a push than my first workout, but isn't that what the track is for?

Oh, and I also learned that I don;t mind the rain as much as I thought I did. In fact, in my 6 mile easy run tonight, I PRAYED for rain! The humidity was a bear! I was happy to get a shower during the last 2.5 miles!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Rain on my National Running Day

2009-06-03T21:42:00.002-04:00

Today is National Running Day, and I ran. It was a scheduled 3 mile fartlek in my marathon training program--not to mention my first "real" fartlek!

I'm not much of a rain runner. I ran in the rain for the month or so that my treadmill was down, but for some reason, I've been back on the treadmill when the weather's been bad. I'm not really sure what my issues have been with the weather.

Last year, it was treadmill in the heat, after it was too late at night, when it rained, when it was too cold, and so many other "reasons." I kept finding reasons to run in place on the treadmill and skip out on the fresh air and beauty of being outside.

Then my treadmill went down. I'm working on a running streak and had to overcome my "reasons" to stay inside on my $800 mechanical rat-wheel. I had to run in the snow, sleet, rain, wind, sun, and whatever else Mother Nature threw my way. And my stationary conveyor belt went down in March, which has some pretty strange weather here in Western Pennsylvania.

When the man from the "how fast can you run-in-place" warranty center came to fix my miles-and-miles road robot in the basement, I was really becoming a serious outdoor runner. It was nice listening to my iPod sometimes, the birds some days, and the river or creek on others. The wind in my face felt great. I understood the irritation of a strong headwind and learned the comforting feeling of an abandoned building in an electrical storm. It was a love that I had not had in the first 11 months of my running career.

Then the treadmill was fixed. I started to fall back into some of my old habits. It's late, I have other things I needed to do after my run, the weather wasn't so great.... But I lost that free feeling I felt outside. I was moving nowhere. On those dreadmill days, I gave up the iPod for the DVR. I gave up the breeze in my face for a 19-inch box fan blowing at my back. The sound of the creek, river, and birds was replaced with the sound of the furnace or air conditioner (depending on the ambient air temps outside.) I didn't run on the electrical-rubber-belt-mover everyday, but it was becoming more frequent!

But today I realized my transgressions. It's National Running Day and I refused to run inside. I took my gear with me to work, stopped at the Yough River Trail, changed in the restroom, and ran my 3 miles in the chilly rain. I left the iPod in the Jeep and ran with just my mind for entertainment. It was great, refreshing, and invigorating. Running is meant to be outside. It was meant to be out in the world.

On today's National Running Day, I am making a vow to run outside as often as possible. I do have an $800 machine in the basement to use some days, and I'm ok with the occasional use of it. But it's going to be a lot less.

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Eire Marathon at Presque Isle

2009-05-29T00:58:00.003-04:00

After my 20K last Saturday, I really started to think about a full marathon. I know 20K isn't quite a half marathon, but it's pretty darn close.

I asked for lots of advice and mulled it over and over again. To be honest, I've been thinking about a full 26 miles 385 yards since I volunteered at the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 3rd. After careful deliberation, and a good friend really believing in me (Thanks Jess,) I made the decision to train for the Erie Marathon at Presque Isle on September 13th.

I'm really excited about this! I'm looking forward to the challenge of training.

Not a long post, but just wanted to share my excitement.

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Kevin Gaton's Memorial Day 5K

2009-05-25T22:45:00.005-04:00

Race #2 of the Holiday Weekend!!!

I signed up for this race about a month and a half ago and was really excited about it! I grew up just outside of Greensburg and was looking forward to running the familiar streets. I didn't know the course layout, but was still excited about it--until I found out about the Ogden 20K.

I decided last week that the 20k's challenge wasn't something I was willing to pass up for fear of not performing well at a 5K--Greensburg or not! So I decided to run the 20 (see the last Blog entry) and wing the 5K.

I refused to bag this race. I paid my entry, I was looking forward to the familiar surroundings, and I just plain love to run! But the running gods decided to make this race tough on me.

I got up with Dawn at 6:30, took care of our dogs, and laid back down for a MINUTE as she walked out the door to go to a dog show. I wanted to leave no later than 7:30 because I like to be at the race site early to have time to chill out and relax before the gun. I ended up jumping out of bed at 7:40, ran around the house getting ready, brushed my teeth, put my contacts in, grabbed my stuff and was out the door at 8AM (for a 9AM start) with a 35 minute drive ahead of me.

I did grab my GPS (the one for the car, the Garmin 305 was in my bag) to give me an ETA. I had enough time to stop at Starbucks and get a cup of wake-me-up. Got to the race site with 15 minutes to grab my number, chip, and shirt; run the shirt back to my Jeep, put my iPod, HR monitor, Garmin, chip, and bib on; and get to the start. I was adjusting my iPod when the gun went off!

And here we go!

Down the ally and through the tunnel. I was still feeling a bit out of sorts. Was having a hard time hitting a rhythm at first, but by the time we hit the half mile mark--I felt good!

Here's a shot of the Greensburg skyline. Not much, but it was "town" when I grew up!

The firefighters manned all the intersections. I decided to snap pictures of the trucks as I went by.
I loved this kids shirt! His dad looked at me like I was a freak for taking a picture of his kids back, but when I explained to him that I loved the saying--he laughed!

A few more firetrucks!

I love the Westmoreland County Courthouse.

We used to shop at Troutman's when I was a wee lad. I think we bought all my Cub Scout and Boy Scout stuff there.

A few more firetrucks. They tried to hide the last one behind a bush, but I'm way to observant for their tricks!
Back thought the tunnel and a quarter mile to the end. I hit splits of 10:56, 11:11, and 10:22. I missed my PR by less than a minute to come in at a Garmin time of 33:44. Much better than I thought I would.

Now I'm thinking of a full marathon in September.......

Stay safe, keep your sole to the ground, and keep moving forward!

33rd Annual Odgen Newspaper 20K Classic

2009-05-23T16:23:00.002-04:00

It all started on Monday when I went to Fleet Feet to get a few pairs of injinji toe socks to try and stop the blister forming between a few of my toes. While I was there I asked if they knew of any 15 or 20 K's coming up. They piped right up and said "Bob's (the store owner) running one on Saturday in Wheeling, WV." I said I might give it a go. They then informed me that Bob talked about how hilly the course is.

I thought about it and decided to go for it. I looked up the race online and missed the cut-off for online registration by 12 hours! I decided to think about it. Was I really willing to pay $40 for a race day registration? And why did they raise it from $25 to $40?

I thought about it all week, but I pretty much knew I was going to run it! My wife and I went down Friday for me to pay my $40 and sign up!

I got up at 5AM, had a bagel and a scoop of protein with fat free yogurt, and headed out the door for the hour drive. I pulled in to find Bruce and Tammy from one of my running clubs (The Greater Pittsburgh Road Runners) parked right next to me! Tammy is a very competitive runner and won her age group. Bruce was there to run the hills!
I don't know the shirtless dude, but the guys in the background were being honored for starting and finishing the previous 32--20Ks and today was going to be their 33rd! We all cheered for them as they took the start line and BANG we were off!
This is a picture on top of the first hill. It started at mile 2 and went up from 600 feet to close to 1200 feet for the next 2 miles! That's right... a 2 mile hill! And it was a monster!!!! The downhill on the other wide was very welcome!

I didn't take any more pictures on the course. I was really concentrating on the run. After the 2 mile monster, the course was nice and rolling. A lot of uphills and downs--nothing major. That was until 10.8 miles.....

We were coming down a hill and I noticed a BIG uphill ahead. I didn't think they could POSSIBLY have us run up that thing this late in the race. The trees were hiding the runners going up it, so I was a bit surprised that at 10.8 miles we made a treck up another steep hill. This one was steeper then the big monster, but only a half mile long.

The last mile was down hill and I loved every minute of it! The crowd was invigorating! I crossed the line at 2:23:49. An 11:34 pace. Dang I was happy!

Still smiling after!!!

We got these great "I Finished" towels at the end. They were soaked in cool water and felt great!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Race for the Cure and the Crazy Horse Trail Run...

2009-05-11T23:20:00.002-04:00

Sunday was a great racing day for me! The group from Fleet Feet decided to run the Race for the Cure in Pittsburgh as a fun run and I was already running it! I have an aunt, an aunt-in-law, and three very close friends that are survivors, so I was running in their honor!

We all planned on meeting and taking one car. The Race for the Cure was on the same day as my running club's Crazy Horse Trail Run and somehow we decided that we should try to do both. Race for the Cure at 8:30 and the Crazy Horse at 10. We made both!
'Here's our group. That's Kyle, me, Jess, Chris, and Robbie. I'm the only one that doesn't work at Fleet Feet Pittsburgh. We all met at the Crazy Horse start and hopped into my Jeep and we were off!
My wife and Mother-In-Law made me this shirt for race day! My Mother-in-Law has a really cool sewing machine that embroiders. They found this ribbon on the website, bought it, put it in the machine and POOF... I have a support shirt!
It was great to see so many people. As we were walking towards the start, Chris commented on how much he loves race day. I can understand why. The crowd energizes! And for this cause, it really meant something to me!
Another shot of the crowd, but what I really wanted to get was the back drop. That large building is the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh's campus. This area has a lot of colleges and universities. Carlow College, Carnegie Mellon University, Pitt, and Duquesne University are all within walking distance!
And we're off! It took a few minutes to hit the start line. We pretty much walked to the start before the crowd opened up to allow us to start running. Kyle, with his super long legs, walked the first .4 miles and still finished like 27 or 28 minutes.
The sky was beautiful. A perfect day for running! Sun was out, temps were cool, and the breeze felt good--but only after we started moving!
This is a picture of Robbie close to the finish! She runs a lot faster than I do, but kept me company the entire 5K. I snapped this shot of her. She's a great running partner!

After the Race for the Cure, I finished in 34:15 and felt great running it, we had sort of a mini race to the Crazy Horse Trail run! We got back to the Jeep around 9:15. Thank goodness Chris and Kyle know their way around the area!

We pulled into the parking lot really close to the start time of the Crazy Horse. We all ran and checked in. They held the race for us to go to the bathroom! After course directions, the siren went off and we were running the second race of the day!

Chris, Kyle, and Jess were gone! Robbie left to go to a Mother's Day Brunch with her kids, and I met up with Stan. Stan and I ran the first mile together, he turned around (he ran the 2 mile) and I kept on going (I ran the 4.5 mile.)

The trail race started off with a lap around a half mile horse track, then up a half mile hill--that they affectionately called "Murder Hill." When we hit the top of the hill, which we walked pretty much all of, my heart rate was as high as I try to keep it on a quick pace! Stan headed back down the hill, I do not envy him on that one!

In the rush of the "in between," I left my camera in the Jeep. You'll have to trust me that it was absolutely beautiful. I finished the 4.66 mile (I got lost for .16 miles) in just a hair over 1:12. I was VERY pleased with that time.

We all chatted for a bit then Stan and I hit Panera Bread for lunch--check out Stan's Blog. After a nice conversation, I went home to mow the lawn.

What a GREAT Sunday!

Stay safe, keep you soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Mile 13 Water Stop of the Pittsburgh Marathon

2009-05-03T20:31:00.003-04:00

I had the great pleasure of working the Mile 13 water stop of the Pittsburgh Marathon. I got up bright and early at 4:30 am to make sure I could find parking in Oakland (part of Pittsburgh) and get to the station on time.

We had a great crew of folks together. Will, our captain, and his wife have volunteered at 23 marathons!

Our table made "Red Power Aide." I had the priviledge of working with the two ladies below (Courtney and Casey.) Courtney is a fellow Pitt alumni and Casey is working on her PhD in Chemistry!

After we mixed and filled a bunch of cups, all three of us started handing them off to the runners! About 45 minutes or so in, Courtney started mixing more and filling while Case and I continued passing out Red Power Aide (I won't have my voice back for three days!)

That's Will in the hat and the "Math Major" up front. I can't remember the other ladies name, but they were the "Yellow Power Aide" people.

These folks start the water tables!
More water!
This guy's getting ready to cheer! I was the first person at our stop and cheered all day!
These are the gel folks!
It was a great day! The highlight was getting a hug from my running buddy Jessica who finished strong with a PR of 3:47:13 after a 3:50 and change at Boston just 13 days ago!

Way to go Jess! You really are inspiring to me!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Bill Rodgers and an easy run?

2009-05-01T22:21:00.004-04:00

That's me with Bill Rodgers!!!! He is in town for the Pittsburgh Marathon and was at Fleet Feet Pittsburgh signing autographs and meeting local runners.

He is such a cool guy. We talked about his store in Boston, his running career, who he raced against, my running, our heritage (we're both Scot's Irish!) and he invited me to stop by and have a Scotch with he and Charlie (his brother) at his store if I'm ever in Boston! What a cool guy. I could have spent hours talking to him!
After I left Fleet Feet, I hit a mulched trail just down the highway from the store. Chris, one of the fine folks of Fleet Feet, said the hills are steeper going clockwise and longer going counter clockwise. Since I was hoping to put in 3 or so easy recovery miles, I decided to run clockwise, counter clockwise, and clockwise.

These hills above are the long uphill going counter clockwise. They were nice coming down on my 2 clockwise loops, but reduced me to walking for a small bit on the uphill!

These were the hills (actually all one hill) on the clockwise loop. I ran the entire loop the first time through and walked a small portion of the uphill on the last loop.

I wasn't pushing it and it took me 49:12 to go 3.58 miles. I'm happy with that because I kept my heart rate where I wanted it.

Great Day!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

9th Annual Burgh's 10K/5K Runs & 2 Mile Walk

2009-04-26T22:36:00.005-04:00

Today was my first LEGITIMATE 10K. I signed up for and ran a "10K" on April 4th, but it was almost a mile short. Today's course was certified by the USATF, so I knew I was going to at least start my next goal of running a 10K
On my way to the pavilion to pick up my race packet, I stopped to chat to this gentleman. He was passing out pamphlets for the Obediah Cole Foundation for Prostate Cancer 10K/5K being run on Father's Day. He's a survivor and one of the folks that started this fund raiser. It's on my agenda to be my 2nd 10K!
Being that this race is a fund raiser for the Montour Trail, being put on by Burgh's Pizza and Wings, there was a nice selection of beer that the runners could look forward to after the race. I thought it was kind of funny. But I must admit that the Bud Light Lime tasted REALLY good after!
Here's our little group. That's Fiffie in the pink, Jane in the stripes, and Chris in the yellow. Fiffie threw her orange peel under the car when they got there and Chris picked it up and was trying to give it back to her. He eventually got her to take it when he had to go back to the car to get his radio.
That's Chris, Jane, I don't know, Me, and Fiffie. Notice my Sugoi Brand Champion gear. It's hard to believe I lost 106 pounds since 1/1/08. I still look so BIG!
Here we are at the start. IT was getting really warm. I think the 10am start was in the low 80's and hit 86 by the end of the race. That's unseasonably warm for Western PA in April. I don't think many of the runners were ready for the heat, in fact, one guy was being crated away on a stretcher by EMS for dehydration when I crossed the line. Not something I was expecting to see at a 10K in April.
I told my wife, Dawn, that the heat made me feel like I ran uphill the entire race; which is impossible on an out and back course! However, most of the out was up hill, but it was kind of gradual. I was really glad my treadmill was on the fritz for the past few months and I was doing my running outside. As my friend Susan Rachel said, you don't need to do hill workouts when you live in South West Pennsylvania if you're running off of a track--there's not many places where you can run a few miles without hills!
Here's what most of the course looked like. It was hot, sunny, and little to no shade. I remembered to put on sunscreen and was feeling pretty good.
I started to smell some familiar farm smells. Then the horse farm became vi sable.
Going into the tunnel on the way out. The front runner's are on their way back. This was around the 2.5 mile mark or so.
Here's the tunnel on the way back.

I've been using the S-Caps after David Ray introduced me to them. I really like drinking water while I'm running in place of sports drinks. Normally I have water with me, but Chris said they had water stops every mile last year, so I left my hydration belt in the Jeep. Today, however, the had 2 water stops! One at the 1.5 mile mark and the other at the turn around--I guess it equalled 3 since you passed the first stop twice.

I took my second S-Cap at the turn around and had a small cup of water. I learned as I was approaching the tunnel that I needed to drink more water with the S-Caps! I was starting to get a queasy feeling in my stomach and though for sure I was going to throw up!
But it was inside the tunnel that I managed to get my act together! I think the cool air inside helped!
Here's a happy volunteer cheering us on! I needed the boost in today's heat!
The finish line is just over this last hill. I've managed to run the whole way up to this point. Wasn't going to let this little hill get in my way! I managed to finish in 1:11:48! I was tickled pink! I wanted to come in below 72 minutes (this is the 1st race I ever put a time goal on.) and just managed to make it. Not to bad for the unexpected heat. That's my Garmin time--the race results haven't been posted yet.
Chris went back and ran Jane in!
There was some GREAT food. I took the roast beef and cheese off of my sandwich. And after a few bottles of water and a Power Aid, I had a couple Bud Light Lime's.

It was a great time--heat and all. Man, I love this stuff!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

I got to meet some of the coolest people today!!

2009-04-19T22:20:00.003-04:00

That's me in the red! Yeah, I'm smiling like a huge dork, but I'm standing next to a REALLY cool woman--SusanRachel. We met on Runner's Wolrd's forums when I started running last April. I haven't been very active on the Runner's World forums, but we do talk a lot on the Runandgo forums. I was STOKED when she said she was coming through Pittsburgh and we could get together!!!!!

My wife and I met Susan Rachel at a Border's Books and went to luch. I would have really liked to run with her, but I already commited to the Boyce Park Trail Run earlier in the morning. It was so cool to finally put a face and voice to a name. I admire Susan Rachel for her didication to our country as a Flight Surgeon for the Army--especially after she told me her personal story of how she started her Military career.

We talked about all kinds of things. From where we came from, where we are, NASCAR drivers, and the difference between a weapon and a gun. Now, I was born and raised in the country and always thought I new what a gun was--in fact I thought I owned a few. Well, I learned today that guns ARE REALLY BIG, like canon big! Weapons are hand-held!!

As I'm sure Susan Rachel could attest, I could have talked to her all day and evening, but she needed to get in her run and meet up with her sister. I would like to ask that anyone who reads this say a prayer for Susan Rachel and all of the other men and women dedicating their lives to our freedom--and for Susan Rachel's next Army assignment in a North Carolina Military hospital.
And the day started out with a great meeting! I got to meet Stan! That's me in the Sugoi shirt and Stan on the far left. It just happens that the guy in the moddle's name is Stan as well!

We ran the Boyce Park Trail Run today. It was really nice to talk to Stan about how far he has come with his running! He was inspired by his Sister-In-Law walking the Pittsburgh Great Race 10K last October and started walking a few day's later. In November he started running and got hooked on the endorphens like the rest of us!

Stan is a fantastic guy. His wife came with him today and brought along one of their Chihuahas along with her. She's going to have to buy Stan a Jeep Wrangler this fall--because I'm sure he's going to run every step of the Great Race 5K in October!

So today I had a race, got to meet a local internet friend in person, and hang out with an internet friend from a bit farther away. What more could I ask for?

Oh, and the race was a lot of fun. It was a nice trail, not too technical, a few decent hills, and a beautiful morning to run. But meeting Susan Rachel and Stan made the day great!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!!!

New Shoes ROCK!!!!!!!!

2009-04-16T23:33:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I thought I was an asics man.

I've been having a problem with my heels rubbing the inside of my asics Evolution 4's and causing a callous. It wasn't too bad, but I also have a problem with my heels cracking at times. The rubbing was causing the cracking to hurt and not heal. SO, I made a trip to Fleet Feet Pittsburgh to get re-fitted for shoes--Thanks Jess for the suggestion!

Jess and Chris watched me walk back and forth and suggested a different shoe. I guess my gait has changed a little since I lost weight. I tried on Brooks, Saucony, asics, and New Balance. I loved the way the NB 1224's fit--again Thanks Jess! She also put a pair of inserts in them for me. My right heel rolls in a bit and the left heel rolls out, the inserts help with this.

Well, I dedcided to give my new NB 1224's their inaguarl run tonight. I was hoping to do 6 miles, but I felt really good at the 3 mile mark I decided to keep going. I ended up running 10--great break-in run!

I like the shoes a lot, but still not sure on the inserts. I'll give them a few more runs before I make a steadfast opinion!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Who would have thought a city run could be so fun!

2009-04-11T22:44:00.009-04:00

Today was the first Greater Pittsburgh Road Runners Club group fun run in a long time--at least the first non-race since I joined in October of 2008.

I was planning on enjoying the morning with my friends, maybe spending a mile with them at the start of our run, then waving as they ran ahead. I figured we'd all get back to Bruegger's around the same time--them running 10 miles and me close to 7. It was going to be a great day.

It was raining when I left the house, but it stopped by the time I got to the South Side of Pittsburgh where we were meeting. I slipped into my running shoes, stretched, ditched the warm ups, geared up (iPod and Garmin) and went inside for a cup of coffee while I waited fro my friends--I was early as usual!

Jane and Chris convinced me to do the "little" longer loop with Jane and Fiffie--along with Jane's dog Ranger and Fiffie's dog Katrina. I agreed, dropped my iPod off at the Jeep and away we went!

As we hit the end of 18th Street and started down a short portion of the river trail, I took this picture of the new prison.
We went down the river trail a little bit, looped around the block, and ran across the 10th Street Bridge. One of many bridges in Pittsburgh!
Now, I'm going to have to apologize to anyone that KNOWS the layout of Pittsburgh, because I don't! My pictures may be out of order from how we came up to them! I'm a rural kinda guy that grew up about an hour south east of the city. In fact, we almost NEVER went into Pittsburgh when I was a kid--unless it was a field trip for school! It was a good thing I was running with Jane and Fiffie--they knew the way!

Once we crossed the bridge, we went through the Armstrong tunnel. Being int the foot hills of the Laurel Highlands, there are a lot of tunnels around the city. It was easier to go through the hillside than move it!
Here's Jane and the Dogs on the other side.
And we head down the street and round the corner!
I was amazed at the old building we came up to after we rounded this corner! Fiffie and Jane told me it was the OLD prison. Now I don't know about you, but this one seems to have a lot more arcitectual beauty to me!
We hit Grant Street and about 2 or 3 miles. I was really enjoying the scenery and the atmospher of running in the city. Here's Jane going down Grant Street.
As we cam to the end of the street, I noticed how nice the new Greyhound bus station looked. It was just renovated last year! Here's a distance and a closer shot!

What would a Pittsburgh run be without going into the Strip District for a little bit. The sky was beautiful, and so was the painting! I was starting to crave sea food!
We left the strip and hit another trail. This one started out with a little art work.
Katrina was getting thirsty!
So we stopped by a beautiful fountain for her to get a drink.
As we came up to PNC Park, I noticed the flags were at half mast for the police officers that were killed in the line of duty last week. I said a prayer for their families as we ran by.
Del Monte Foods has a nice building along the river. I'm not sure why, but I took a picture.
River rescue will be at your service should you need them!
And yes, Pittsburgh DOES have a Submarine! It's at the Science Center and available for tours.
Home of the 6 TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!! THE ONE AND ONLY PITTSBURGH STEELERS!
When we were heading back towards 18 Street, Jane asked me if I wanted to continue with her PAST 18th Street for a little way and back. That way she could get in her last 10 mile run before her half marathon. I agreed and we ended up doing 9.8 before she said she had enough. Surprisingly, I felt good. My legs were ok, but I don't think I could have pulled off much more.

Here's the gang back at Bruegger's!

And Chris's motivational shirt! The rest of the group ran ahead of us. They were back before us, but stuck around and chatted with us as we munched down a bagel and guzzled some water.

It was a great day! And day 101 for my streak. I wasn't expecting to do 9.8, but as with all my other streaking runs, I go with how the body feels. It felt like it today!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Sunshine, bugs, breeze, mistake, and $30.

2009-04-09T23:02:00.002-04:00

What a BEAUTIFUL sunshine day here in Western PA!

It was fabulous compared to the snow and frigid temps we had earlier this week! I was pumped up for a run all day at work! It doesn't help I'm an outside salesman... driving from one customer to the next takes A LOT of self motivation to WORK and not skip out early!

I decided to hit the rail trial I frequent along the Youghiogheny River. I enjoy the trail, the scenery, and being along the river. But today I experienced a first for me! I was there JUST in time for a HUGE gnat hatch! As I was working my way down the trail, I would hit big swarms of these six legged, tiny, winged buggers! I did everything I could not to suck them into the lungs, but I had a few coughing attacks!

After I got through the worst part of the gnats, I made a quick stop to take a stone out of the side of my shoe. Maybe 4-5 seconds. And I was off! Watching a squirrel here and there, dodging some more gnats, enjoying the sunshine. The breeze was a bit chilly in the 60 degree temps, but welcome on my run! Shorts and a T-shirt! How different from the pants, long sleeve shirt, jacket, gloves, and tuke from yesterday!

I've been using the heart rate monitor on my Garmin the last few weeks. It's been helping me ease up a bit. With my slight OCD, I'm a bit obsessive with my pace. I learned that I can monitor my HR obsessivly and my pace just falls where it needs to be--on a hill, into the wind, on a recovery day--and I don't push too hard.

SO, as I was watching my HR, I never noticed that I bumped the start/stop button when I took out the stone! I figured it wasn't that long when I noticed, hit the start button, and kept on going. Made the turn at 3 miles and figures I'd be back at the Jeep in 6.1 with the mistake! WRONG!! I was back at 6.29!!!!! I never looked at my time OR distance for .29 miles! So I actually turned a 6 miler into a 6.6 miler! Not that big of a deal, but it was nice that I was that zoned into the run!

When I got home, I decided that I needed to commit to my next goal. I logged onto the web and signed up for MY FIRST HALF MARATHON!!!! The Buffalo Creek Half is on a rail trail, so it should be a good one!

Now that I'm committed, I'm really PSCHED!

Stay Safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!!

2009-04-04T14:34:00.010-04:00

Today was my first 10K. While I ate my bagel this morning, I was full of nerves. I'm not sure why--I run 5 miles a few times a week. I guess it was just the "newness" of the idea and the fact that I'm going to be accomplishing one goal and looking at the next (possibly a 15K or a 10 miler.) Anyway, to help with the nerves, I reread Big Ra hn's last blog entry with the Woo and the Hoo to help get me ready.... Thanks Big Rahn!

I got to the race about 8:50 this morning. The email we received earlier this week said registration would be open at 9, but they were ready when I got there. To save some time (and probably money) the race directors decided against bibs. After check-in I went back to the Jeep to stretch and get ready. The 10K starting time wasn't to 9:45 so I had plenty of time.

That's my chip and my Sugoi Brand Champion Hat!

Here's a picture of some of my running buddies from our group runs. That's Robbie in the pink and Jess in the green. Robbie ran the 10K too, but Jess was helping (she's the store manager of Fleet Feet Pittsburgh) then had to go to the store. On my way up to the registration table, Jess was coming down in her car. She stopped to chat for a minute and said, "your course is nice a level, the 10K is REALLY hilly!" I looked at her and said "um, I'm running the 10K." Then she said, "Oh..... it's not that bad!!"

At 9:45 they made an announcement that the 10K was going to be delayed 15 minutes while they finish registering people. Jess and Robbie and I chatted for a bit, then another friend of Robbie's came over. We chatted till the GO!This is what it looked like at the start. I was LITERALLY the very last 10K runner at this point. Slow and steady!

We started out going up a nice, gradual incline. Here's the group ahead of me in the turn.This was almost the end of the first climb. It wasn't too bad, so I thought Jess might have been exaggerating....I was WRONG!!

Still Smiling! I kept smiling the entire race. I felt good. I was high fiving people, asking how people were doing, and just enjoying the heck out of the day.

The scenery was GREAT. I'm really learning to enjoy the run and not worry about time or pace. That's been hard for me--I'm a bit OCD.I can still see the pack. I'm not at the very end anymore, but I'm not far from it!A Happy SLIM Volunteer from my Alma Matter The University of Pittsburgh! There group helps educate the people from Malawi and Kenya against the dangers of HIV/AIDS. They also help provide medical support that is really needed in Africa.

We ran by both Georgia and Alabama. I waved to David Ray at the Georgia sign! And thought about his great races at the Alabama sign!

Some more uphill!

Now I thought THIS IS THE HILL.... again I was wrong. Some people started walking, but I kept plodding up! My stide slowed way down and my calves were on fire.... but I was still running! There was a NICE LONG STEEP downhill after this... turns out it was an out and back part of the course! The turn around was at mile 4.

Here we go back up the NICE LONG STEEP down hill! Still running......

I just need to get around this corner..... still... run....ing....

I never though I would be so happy to see a golf course in my life. (I don't really care for the sport.) But it was the end of the cruel hill tick. Now a nice down hill that WE ALREADY came up!
This guy was out in the park riding his horse. I said "Smile." He and the horse did!

I crossed the finish line in 1:02:25 according to my Garmin. That's an awesome 10K time for me... because it was only 5.38 miles. We were supposed to have another out and back of 1000 meters.... but it was less than 100 meters, thus the distance problem.

I bought some raffle tickets and picked up my shirt. They didn't have any 2XL's left, but I'm kind of glad. Hopefully I'll be in a XL by the end of summer!

It was a great day--lower 40's with a moderat to strong wind. I had a ton of fun. And Keri, Robbies friend, took second in her age class! Here she is with her medal:
Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

I really am doing it....

2009-03-28T22:08:00.002-04:00

I promised that I wouldn't let my streak control my life. I also said that if I have ANY signs of major injury I would change the streak from a running streak to an exercising streak.

Well, I stayed up late one night to get in my miles, I haven't missed a day due to weather because I have a treadmill, and I haven't missed a day due to time constraints or scheduling conflicts. But, I have had a few stumbling blocks.

Last week my treadmill started to slip, so I've been outside for all my runs. That's not a really bad thing, but it is making my legs a little sore and stiff (see the previous two entries.) I have braved all the elements since it went down--but it hasn't been too bad here in western PA.

I've had two day meetings out of town that caused me to get up REALLY early to get my miles in one day and stay up late to get the miles in the next. I've had commitments that I've made to my wife for the things we do together that I've had to work around.

I've woken up with sore legs, a stiff back, an achy neck, a sore shoulder, and sometimes all of the above. I've put in just what was needed to keep the streak alive when I had a bit of a stomach bug. I've limped through some shin pain from the increased mileage.

But I haven't let it rule my life. I still do what is required of me at home, with and for my wife, with and for my friends and family, with and for my dog training club, and I'm actually doing quite well in my sales territory considering the economy. My doctor loves the idea that I run everyday and encourages me to keep it up.

Aside from some of the physical annoyances, my mind seems sharper, I'm sleeping better, and my weight is coming off nice and slow.

And it's only been 87 days.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Better, but not great

2009-03-26T22:25:00.002-04:00

Today's run was better, but not great. I started out with 2 really decent miles, I stopped to use the restroom and POW, my shins started to hurt.

Not sure if it's the hydration or the fact that my TM started slipping last week and I moved ALL my runs outside.

Maybe it's the pavement!

And I want to say thanks to David Ray for the S Cap suggestion... I have a bottle of Vegetarian S-Caps on the way!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Stiff, sore, and labored

2009-03-25T15:27:00.001-04:00

That's how today's run was.

I stopped at lunch and put in three miles along a bicycle trail. It was cloudy, dreary, and fighting off some showers, and I was stiff, sore, fighting every step.

I think I'm not hydrating properly. I've drank a lot of Diet Sunkist soda the last few days and the same amount of coffee as usual, but the soda intake has been much higher. I'm gonna try some good old fashioned H2O and electrolyte replacements for a few days and see if that helps.

Just needed to complain.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward.

Mingo Creek Park

2009-03-23T22:21:00.004-04:00

Today was supposed to be the day I started running in the morning. I didn't get up in time, so I ran after work. Have you ever had one of those moments when you realized that you really live in a beautiful area? I had one tonight.

I stopped at Mingo Creek Park, a Washington County Park, this evening. The park is only about 15 minutes from my house. I was hoping to do 3 to 4 miles, but ended up going a bit over 5 because I got lost in the scenery. I'm glad I took the camera today!

That's a portion of Mingo Creek. We have large limestone around here--being in the foot hills of the Laurel Highlands.

Here's another shot of the creek (with my Sugoi Brand Champion hat!)

A nice little waterfall. This creek is approved trout waters--for fishing regulations. So this little dam was made to help the living conditions of the trout.

A normal sized hill around our parts!

This is the Overlook Trail. I'm gonna try running it someday......

Really cool looking pavilions!

The first of 2 covered bridges on my route. Pennsylvania has the higehst number of covered bridges in the country I think.

My hat in the bridge.

I ran along the creek on the paved path for a little over a half mile, then I ran along the road. The trails are pretty hilly and this is supposed to be my recovery week... This is a bridge on the paved path.

And that's the second bridge. It's when I realized I had gone a bit over 2.5 miles and needed to turn around!

Just wanted to share!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Larry Winschel St. Paddy's Day Run

2009-03-21T12:28:00.002-04:00

Was a great day for a run! 30 degrees, slight breeze of about 5 mph, a but of sunshine, and the Greater Pittsburgh Road Runners Club!

This was our monthly club race. It's a 4.2 mile (actually 4.36 miles) run down Corrigan Drive-2.1 out and 2.1 back. The extra .16 is through the parking lot!

I went to the race just to have fun and try to get to know a few more people from the club. This is part of the course we run during the Sunday fun runs with Fleet Feet Pittsburgh--just without the hills. I took the camera, but forgot it in the Jeep--nothing much to shoot any way.

There was a cone at the half mile mark for the people running or walking the 1 mile and another at the 1 mile mark for those doing the 2 mile. I decided to run the big 4.2 race today--the longest race I've ever participated in.

I showed up in my Sugoi gear--see my last entry! And decided to switch out the cap for my Tuke (the breeze was a bit chilly.) I ran in shorts, a long sleeve tech shirt, a vest, and gloves (thanks Runner's World "What should I wear?") At about the 1.75 mile mark, I though about taking the Tuke and the gloves off, but didn't. I was happy I left them on! The breeze was head on after the turn!

I was kind of hoping running todays race with all my miles being under 11 minutes. I succeeded!!! 10:38, 10:50, 10:32, and 10:21! Which put me with a finishing time of 45:30 Garmin time and 45:38 clock time! Very Happy Sumo!

Today was day 80 of the streak. I never would have thought I would have made it this long, but now I can't see any good reason why it should end.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Brand Champion!

2009-03-18T22:54:00.002-04:00

I'm just ecstatic! I received notice that I have been accepted into Sugoi's Brand Champion program!

I submitted an online application. They wanted to know why I would be a good ambassador for the Sugoi products. I explained my weight loss and how I want to inspire others (escpecially teenagers and young adults) to win the battle against obesity through healthy eating and exercise. I told them that I may finish towards the back of the pack, but I'm not running to win a short race--but rather the ultra of life.

I guess they felt that my story was what they are looking for in Brand Champions. I couldn't believe I actually made it.

Check them out at Sugoi.com!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

2 Runs--One entry!

2009-03-15T22:04:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a nice 40 something day outside and I had the chance to hit my favorite running spot--The Youghiogheny River Trail!

This is a long trail that goes from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD. There are a lot of access points to the trail all along, and I am lucky to live within 15-20 minutes from two different points!

I decided to start the run off a little different. The Youghiogheny River flows south to north and meets up with the Monongahela River (which also flows south to north!) Not many rivers in the world flow in this direction; in fact, I believe the Nile may be the only other river that does.... Anyway, enough geography.

I usually start my run by going south. I guess I have it in my head that running up stream to the river is up hill and the way back would be down hill. That would be true--if I was running in the middle of the river. So I decided to head north on the trail and change the scenery!

The trail in this area is all crushed limestone. It's great for the cyclists as well as the runner. Here's a pic of one of the fenced areas to keep people out of the "wetland" area--all 100 square feet of it!

Here's an old mine portal. I'm not sure which mine this is, but it's been closed for probably 20 years or more. Pennsylvania has a lot of these little dried up mines. Not to mention the big mines still producing coal!
That hill side in the background is a slate dump from the mine. It's the material that is mined with the coal that can't be burned. In the modern world, the mines collect all the run off water and treat it due to the slates acidic nature. Obviously, this mine was before that.

Another shot of the trail!

There's the river! We call it the "Yough" (pronounced yua-K) for short.

Now for the second run in the same entry! I met with the Fleet Feet Pittsburgh group this morning. There were 6 of us all together. So far we have always met in South Park, which is okay with me!

Since I'm such a slow poke, I don't like to hold everyone back. Jess, the store manager that coordinates these runs, is training for Boston. I really feel bad when she hangs with me because I know how important these training runs are for her! But she usually sticks with me for a bit to chat. Kyle, another employee of Fleet Feet Pittsburgh, hung with me today for the first mile or so. I wasn't paying attention and ended up running a 10:28 mile to start--a bit fast!!!!!

I ended up putting in 5 miles today in 57:36. That's the fastest 5 I've ever done outside! Thanks Kyle.

The streak is up to 74 as of today!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Athletic Trainer River Run 5K

2009-03-08T14:07:00.011-04:00

It was a rainy, overcast morning for the Athletic Train er River Run 5K. I was looking forward to this race all week, I'm not exactly sure why!

The Fleet Feet group thought about running this race as the group run, but because of scheduling conflicts, the group ran at the park we've been meeting at.

I got to the site around 9:10 for the 10:00 start time. The University of Pittsburgh has a great Medical System. Today's race started from their Sports Medicine facility.

There was supposed to be a big group warm up session (they are raising money for Athletic Trainers,) but it seemed a bit disorganized. After checking in, I went back to my Jeep to take off my warm-up suit, put my bib on, and change out of my Crocs into my ASICS.

I decided that I should visit the men's room about 10 minutes before the start. Can you believe there was only 1 stall and no urinals! I stood in line, did my business, and was at the start line with 2 minutes to spare!

The gun went off and away we went. At about the half mile mark, it started to rain a little. It was really sticky with the humidity, so I welcomed the sprinkle. It didn't last long.
I started watching the shoes of a woman in front of me. Her laces were untied and her chip was flopping all over the ground! I picked it up for her when she lost it, picked up my pace, and gave it back. She finished the race without retying her shoe! I thought for sure she was going to fall! I hit the first mile in 10:54. That's the pace I run on the TM, but outside it's a bit quick for me!

I passed a few walk/runners a bunch of times! They would run by me, then walk, I'd run by them, they'd run by me, then walk, I'd run by them. It was kind of cool to see how they progressed, but since this was an out and back course on a paved bicycle trail, once the leaders made the turn you had to make sure there was room to pass. It never bothered my pace, in fact I would have never noticed if it wasn't for a lady telling them to watch out.

Turned in the 2nd mile in another 10:54. My new found love for running outside might be helping me pace just a bit better. I realized I could break my 5K PR of 35:22 I set in September of last year on a downhill course. I started to pick up the pace!

They had a sign telling us there was a half mile to go! I eased off the pace a bit, I wanted to finish strong--but I picked it back up at the quarter mile to go sign. I saw the clock and realized I was going to break 33 minutes! I was pumped, and started the Sumo kick. For those of you that are unaware of what the Sumo kick is--it's just like the kick of an elite runner, just a lot slower cause it's being done by a fat guy!

I finished with a Garmin time on 32:53 and a gun time of 33:05. WOOO HOOO New PR! I finished the 3rd mile in 10:16!!!! That's like Sumo-Mach 3!

At the refreshment table, a guy came upt to me and said "that was a nice run! we followed you the whole way--you kepot a great pace for us!" Who new I could be rabbit?

Here's a few miscellaneous pictures:

This is Tonka. He's a beautiful Grate Dane. I didn't get the name of his pretty handler! They both ran the 5K today!

This is the Monongahela River--not far from where it meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio. I wanted to show the steam coming off of it, but the picture just doesn't do it!

This is Sumo after the race! Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

It's been awhile....

2009-03-07T17:06:00.002-05:00

But I had one today! A absolutely lousy run.

Startred out with a beautiful 73 degree sunny day. I had to wait for Lowe's to deliver the washer and dryer, then I was off to the Yough River trail.

My Garmin had a dead battery. I didn't have another watch, and I don't think the river trail has markers. So off to the TM in my stupid basement.

My legs feel like mush, I felt like I had zero energy, and I had little aches in multiple locations. I felt like POO!

Oh well, I guess that happens when you run 66 days in a row. I did manage to get 30 of the 33 miles I was hoping for this week. I ended today's run at 3 instead of 6 because of how I felt.

I do hope to have a few pictures tomorrow from the Athletic Trainer River Run 5K.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward.

OCD?

2009-03-05T23:52:00.002-05:00

My wife and her friend Karen have been calling me OCD for years. I'm not sure why, I don't keep a neat and tidy car, house, desk, or office. I'm not obsessed with the way I look. I don't mind getting dirty. And, I'm all about having fun--not very uptight. That's the exact opposite of what I consider OCD.

I do however have to finish what I start. And I mean NOW. We put part of our fence in a few years ago at the beginning of one of my week long vacations, took off for a few days to go camping, and planned on finishing the fence when we got back. I was miserable the entire trip--there was work that needed finished. I've gone entire days without eating while I cleaned out the garage. I can't mow part of our yard one day and finish it the next. And I just can't seem to shake this streak!

Maybe I am just a bit OCD. But for some things I think it's good. I am very obsessive about my diet--I DO NOT CHEAT!!! Didn't even eat one of my Mom's home made Gobs she only makes at Christmas. And for running, well, being obessive can be a wonderful thing!

For example, I ran again tonight--even though I didn't get on the treadmill until 10:30 because of errands. My legs were tired from yesterdays exhaustingly hilly 5 miles, but I had to get my run in! And I couldn't just get a few miles in at a nice and easy pace. No I had to get in the 5 I planned--gotta hit that 33 mile mark this week.

Ok, so maybe a bit OCD--I do end all of my entrys the same way:

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

I swore this wouldn't happen...

2009-03-03T00:44:00.002-05:00

Ok, it's 12:44AM here....

I just finished a 5 mile run. That's right! I swore I wouldn't let the streak run my life, but at 11:30PM Monday the 2nd of March in the two-thousand-ninth day of our Lord... I got on the TM so my streak wouldn't end!

I received my quarterly commission check last Friday and Dawn and I went to get a few mandatory items we've been needing. A new washer and dryer! We also spoiled ourselves with a new TV for the living room--I had a great 4th quarter!

Well, we got home and were kind of excited about the TV, a Vizio 47" LCD from Sam's, so we had to set it up! Well, I didn't realize the connection in the other room was set up wrong (we have the Dish Network with a DVR box that runs 2 TV's) and we fiddled with it for awhile before I checked the connection! After a simple wire swap, we were in business.

By that time it was 11:20 or so. She asked if I was going to run or go to bed. Of course I said "I have to run or my streak will be over!" I took my obsessed, addicitve personality downstairs to the treadmill, stretched and put in the 5 miles I had planned.

I guess I could count this run for Tuesday as well, since about half was before midnight and half after, but I won't. And, I can't go upstairs to enjoy the new TV while I cool down anyway. We had to move it off the consol table to the floor (behind the table) so the cat's don't knock it over! I'm going to hang it on the wall on Wednesday.

Oh well, I'm really happy with the new TV, kind of excited about the washer and dryer (wierd I know,) and very happy I didn't let my streak fall!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

In like a Lion out like a Lamb

2009-03-01T11:54:00.002-05:00

It's now March. And I remember hearing my Grandmother sat that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. And most years here in South West Pennsylvania it does--although today it was 27 degrees and partly sunny for our group run at 8 this morning (not really a lion's roar--more like my house cats meow!)

I hung back from the group today and did my own thing because my back's been a bit sore. I fell a number of years ago on some ice and have a recurring pain in my upper back were a rib popped near my spine. It's nothing to worry about, but every now and again it acts up. I ran our loop in reverse, that way I could say hi to the group as they came by.

I felt fairly strong. My back eased up and I managed to get my 5 miles completed in 58:24--11:40 average. That's pretty good for me!

My legs really felt fresh. Last week was a recovery week--25 miles down from 30 the week before. I never realized how much that helps! And with my streak, I think I'll add a recovery week every 4th week. 3 weeks on, 1 week dimmed!

Streak is at 60 days now. I'm so glad I didn't listen to the advice I received telling me not to streak! Maybe it's my "don't push it and get hurt" attitude, but I really love this running everyday.

I guess everyone's different.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

My first Lover experience....

2009-02-25T18:46:00.002-05:00

The title may sound a bit risque, but it's as innocent as can be.

Since I started running in April of 2008, I've always wanted to be able to walk out of my house and go for a run. Sounds simple, but not for me.

We live in a little area called Lover. I'm not sure what it's named after, but I like it! It's a rural area in SW Pennsylvania that is about 20 minutes from everything. Houses are scattered along our road, some 150 feet apart other tenths of a mile apart. To the left of my house is a GIANT hill. It goes up for almost .7 miles and then down even longer. To the right is a slight hill up, then a slight hill down, then a short, steep hill down, then an even grade down--for .7 miles.

Running out my door and to the left is not going to happen for me ANY TIME SOON! In fact, it may never happen--it really is that steep. Going to the right takes you the .7 miles on my road then to a fairly busy highway. So, I've always used these facts as an excuse to hit the treadmill or drive somewhere to run outside--mostly the treadmill.

Until tonight. It was 50 degrees here and I wanted to be outside this evening. I could have driven to the park that's 20 minutes away, but they close at dark. I could have went to the rail trail that's 20 minutes away, but they close at dark. i could have went to the park 30 minutes away, but that was a bit inconvenient. SO, I sucked it up, put on my reflective, lime green vest, and made a right out of my driveway.

It wasn't bad at all! The first .7 miles was fairly nice with the down hill. I decided to cross the busy road and run up another busy road that leads to Route 70. It was mostly up hill for the first quarter or so miles, but then it flattened out for a quarter mile or so. I turned around after a mile and a half--wanted to do 3 today--and headed back. I was surprised that the up hill return didn't reduce me to a walk!

Now, I've been running 10:54 miles on the treadmill, so I was pleased with my Garmin times of 10:54, 11:18, and 12:06 for tonight's run! I was safe, visible, and really needing those hills!

Could this be the start of the crazy runner dude in our neighborhood? I hope so!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Day 53

2009-02-22T10:26:00.002-05:00

Well, I've managed to run 53 days in a row now. I've learned some important thing:

1. When you decide to streak, expect to be sore more often than not. I'm not sore when I run, but in between can be tight and achy.

2. Allowing some extra time in between runs is a good think. I ran last night at 6:45 pm, then again this morning at 8:00 am with the Fleet Feet Pittsburgh group. My hips were a bit sore--would have been much better if I would have gotten my run in earlier yesterday!

3. Take it easy! That's right, I really need to remember this one!!!! I'm upping my mileage, trying to do some hills, getting in tempo's and fartlecks, and running everyday. Something needs to give! I eithe need to run everyday--OR--push the pace with the temo's, fartlecks, and hills.

4. I love to run. No need to explain that one. If you're not a runner, you won't understand and I can't explain it!

5. I really think I want to be an ultra runner someday.

6. I need to start using my camera more often!

7. My weight is coming off again.

8. I'm HUNGRY a lot! But I can satisfy myself with healthy, low fat, food! But in spite of being hungry--see #7!

9. I look forward to my runs.

10. There are no excuses to not run. I run everyday, that's all there is to it!

11. I appreciate the low mileage day on Friday! But always seem to want to keep going!

12. I don't ever want to stop running.

I'm sure there's more, but I need to go take a nice hot shower to loosen up these hips!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

33rd Annual St. Valentine's Day Run

2009-02-15T13:24:00.002-05:00

I'm a proud member of the Greater Pittsburgh Road Runners Club and today was our monthly race in honor of St. Valentines Day.

It was a beautiful 30 degrees at 10:00 am with a slight breeze of 5-8 mph. Our normal running group (headed up by Fleet Feet Pittsburgh) decided to make this our run for today. Only 2 of us showed up--Robin, who introduced me to the group, and myself.

After I paid my $1 (member price) for the 5 mile, Robin and I chatted a bit before I decided to drive down the hill to use the rest room at the local Rec. Center--Good Idea! Upon my return, Robin and I debated which gloves to wear, should I wear a jacket, ear warmer and cap or winter hat? You know, the normal stuff!

At 10:00 am we got our READY, SET, GO! start and we were off! Robin is a much faster runner than I am, so as we approached the first turn, I watched her start up the street! It was a nice steady incline for about a half mile, then we hit the down-hill portion of the course that would take us to the 2.5 mile turn-around. I logged in an 11:16, 11:21, and 11:33 splits for the first three miles. Shortly after about 3.25 miles, we started the climb back up!

During the climbs, I met up with a nice young lady that had only been running for a few months. This was her first race and she was training for the half in Nashville in April. I remember my first race and how much it meant to me that Alex, a totla stranger, ran with me to help keep me motivated and my nerves down. This young lady and I (I never did get her name!) stayed together for the last 1.75 miles or so. When she walked, I walked. When she caught her breath, I would look at my Garmin and announce that we only have x number of miles to go, she would smile and start running!

With the hills, we logged in a 13:53 fourth mile and a 12:03 fifth. She finished a few seconds ahead of me and was pumped up that she got her goal of an hour. I finished with a Garmin time of 1:00:39! I was stoked since I ran 5 miles on a flat course yesterday in 59:14! Just goes to show how much other runners can help you!

It was a great day, and my 46th in a row!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

I'm ready for this!

2009-02-08T10:25:00.004-05:00

After a few moths of a total weight loss plateau I have finally started to loose--very slowly. I took off a couple of pounds this week and am weighing in at 278-279 (depending on the night before.) I'm so ready for this!

After becoming a fan of the Biggest Looser television show, I was a bit heart broken at the success the contestants were having compared to me. Sure, they have full time medical, dietary, and training help 24/7, but I should at least be loosing something, right? Then, to hear some of the trainers talk about the weight loss "excuses" they hear all the time--"I didn't lose any weight because I gained muscle," "I'm loosing inches, but not pounds"--really got me thinking. How could I get out of this funk? Was this a plateau or an excuse?

I though back to the very beginning of my new way of eating. I don't call it a diet--diets are to go on, this is now my LIFE. At the start, I ate very little chicken and fish, no red meat, lots of fruits and veggies and beans, and less than 30 grams of fat per day. I avoided snacking and excess sugar, I drank LOTS of water, and I wasn't exercising at all. But I was losing weight. What in the Sam H-E-Double Hockey Sticks was I doing different?

First, I'm running, so naturally I should be losing tons of weight from the activity. Second, I still don't eat red meat. Third, um, well that's about as far as I got. Seems I have been doing things a bit different. Then it whacked me. I'm running. I'm a runner. I have managed to take my sedentary, couch potato metabolism and turn the smoldering leaves into an actual furnace. In fact, with the streak, I probably have the fastest metabolism I've ever had in my 35-1/2 years of breathing!!!! So, I'm EATING MORE CALORIES! That's right!

I wanted to stand up and shout BINGO or EUREKA! Instead of carrots, apples, cauliflower, or bananas--it was Twizzlers, Fat Free Chips, sugar filled cereal, apple butter bread, and so on. To quote the amazing Homer, from the Simpsons, not the Greeks, DOH!

Well, I'm back on track. I'm a fuel burning machine that loves to put one foot in front of the other in a fast paced manner. I'm pretty slow, but I'm chugging along!

And today was Day 39 of the streak!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Oh, that's what their talking about?

2009-02-01T10:38:00.002-05:00

I've heard people talking about how much they like running with a group. At our last club race, a woman told me that she prefers running with a group because it keeps her motivated. I couldn't figure out why--isn't running supposed to be motivating in itself?
I am an EXTREME extrovert--I will talk to anybody about anything--and running seems to be a nice way for me to get some alone time with myself. I think about the world, the weather, work, the game, my wife, the dogs, my family, and sometimes just about running. Why would I want to ruin that by sharing the time with other people?

I started thinking that maybe I was missing something. My wife is working on the Couch to 5K program, and I'm looking forward to running with her. So I decided to join the group from Fleet Feet Pittsburgh today for their weekly fun run.

We met at 8:00 AM; which was a bit early for me on a Sunday! But I rose at 6:30 eager to get out into the cold and see what I was missing. After my Cheerios, I got dressed and headed out. I was expecting it to be cold, but it was in the high 30's when I left (which felt very warm considering the 20's and below we've been having.) I took 2 different pair of shoes, a jacket, a sweatshirt, G2, and a fuel belt. Good thing Dawn was still in bed when I left, cause she would have really have found it funny how much gear I took!

I arrived at the park and decided to wear my new ASICS I bought yesterday (Evolution 4's.) I was eager to check them out since this is the most stable shoe I have ever tried (I do like them after one run.) I thought twice about which shell to put on but decided with the wind proof one (it was fairly breezy.) Went with my "Warmer" gloves, a winter cap, and left my fuel belt in the Jeep.

We took off at 8 and Jess from Fleet Feet stayed with me the entire time. I'm a slow runner and I kind of felt like I was holding her back with my 12:00 pace. We chatted and a few late comers caught up and ran with us. One of which was the same woman who told me about these fun runs in the first place (I think her name is Robin.) We took a nice side track onto a snow covered trail and made a loop back to the same road we started on. It was great talking with these folks about running, shoes, and life. They also helped me keep a steady, but slightly pushing for me, pace.

I ended my run at 4 miles, they kept going. It was a great time and I'll be joining them again next week. Running with other people is awesome! I learned a lot, made new friends, and got to combine my hobby (running) with my natural passion (talking.) I should have taken some pictures!

Today was day 32 of the streak. I'm still feeling pretty good. 85.25 miles in January.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!\

Oh yeah.... GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!

What's going on!!!!!

2009-01-27T23:40:00.002-05:00

It's been almost 2 months now since I've dropped any significant weight. I've heard people talking about plateaus, but come on!!

I'm not sure if I'm eating more because of the running and maintaining my weight or if I just need to give my system a jolt, but it's nerve racking!!

Anyway, enough complaining! Dawn started her second week of the Couch to 5K program on Sunday. She seems to be committed, but not quite as excited as I am. I can understand that--I am a bit of an extremist. She says she's not interested in running races and 5K will be as far as she'll ever go, but I'm crossing my fingers!

Today was Day 27 of my running streak. I slowed my pace down a bit. I think I was trying to do too much at the same time. I got some advice from Mickeyd on Runango's forum and stepped the pace down a minute tonight. I am a slow runner as it is, so stepping it down a minute took me to 11:00 miles on the TM. I'll still do a tempo run once a week at 10:00, but I'm trying to build a nice solid base. My short term goal is to loose the rest of my wieght. My long term goal is to run a few ultras--see I really am an extremist!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

I'm getting excited too soon!

2009-01-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

What a great week-end! Friday was a great night with friends playing games and enjoying a nice home cooked dinner, Saturday was a great day with my wife, and today I worked one of our running clubs races. But as the weekend progressed, I am getting a little more excited.

I've been running since April 18th of 2008 (not that I'm keeping records or anything) and always thought it would be cool if my wife would get the bug. She kept saying she needed to exercise, walk the dogs, or something. I kept saying "you could run with me!" and always got shot down.

Well, Friday she received an email with a picture of her and one of our dogs after after a show win. She decided she didn't like her hips in the picture (Dawn, not the dog) and asked how she could fix that--I'm still not sure what she's complaining about (I think she looks great.) Of course I WANTED to say "you can run with me!" but I didn't. I did say that an aerobic activity would help. She said she needed now shoes to start walking.

Well, I pulled up the C25K program from CoolRunnings.com and left it on her computer screen, the folks at Fleet Feet encouraged her to run, and she's thinking the idea of running with one of the dogs (note-not me) would be fun. So we bought her a new pair of Saucony shoes and she printed the program. Tomorrow she starts. Now I just hope she gets the bug like me! Of course she will be faster--I'm sure!

I did get my run in today after the race--3.5 miles on my TM. And the streak hit day 18 today. I also bumped up my pace from 11:32 to 10:00--I've been WAY to conservative!

Stay safe, keep your soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Out of the specialty store and onto (or off) the RACK!

2009-01-10T20:04:00.002-05:00

A great thing happened to me today. Dawn and I were out shopping for a few essentials--Advil and G2!--when I remembered that I needed to pick up a few pair of pants to wear to a 2 day meeting/conference I have next week. Being an outside salesman calling on the coal industry, I normally wear a golf shirt, jeans, and pull on safety toe boots. But this meeting is at a resort and we need to dress "business casual."

I actually feel a bit more comfortable in khakis. I'm not sure why. But since I lost half of my goal weight (close to 100 pounds--still 100 to go,) my khakis don't fit me anymore. In fact, I only have a few pair of jeans that fit. People are always telling me I need to buy some new clothes, but I'm a cheap guy that doesn't want to spend a bunch of money on clothes that I hope will be too big soon!

Anyway, while we were looking at the "super-sized" packages at Sam's Club, I remembered that I need some pants for said meeting and our need to go to the "Tall and Fat Guy Store"--as I call it. Dawn suggested we run across the highway and check out Target. She said I could get 2 pair of pants for the price of 1--very appealing to a miserly clothing shopper. I knew it would be a waste of time. The only thing I could buy at taget to cover my body was 2XL C9, which started out BARELY fitting me. My "loose" fitting running clothes started out fitting me a lot more like spandex than I'd like to admit.

To my utter excitement and amusement, I actually fit into a few pair of Khakis! That's right, I could squeeze my Sumosized butt into a pair of pants that came from the MENS section. You may be thinking, duh, you're not shopping for womens clothes! But the fact is, it's been a VERY, VERY long time since any of my clothing came from the Men's section--unless it was the BIG Men section (or store for that matter!)

Now I'm not saying I'm some buff fashion model. In fact, I bought 2 pairs of the largest size they sell for men at Target (46 waist.) But that's down 10 sizes since Christmas of 2007 when I bought the 56's at JC Penny's ne BIG MAN shop. Oh, it feels so good to do something that most people can do everyday. How proud I'm going to be at the meeting wearing my new $12.99 khakis from Target. It's not Armani, but man does it feel good to buy off the rack!

Oh, and I did get a run in today as well. On the TM. day 10 of my running streak!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Gonna kick this cold before it kicks me!

2009-01-03T22:29:00.002-05:00

My wonderful wife Dawn has seemed to pass her cold on to me. It hasn't been too bad, but ever since I had bronchitis in college, cold like to migrate to my chest. So I have a bit of an upper respiratory congestion going on! Which wouldn't be much of a problem, but I just started this running streak!

So yesterday, I hit the TM for my walk--with a mile and a quarter run for the streak--and quit early because my chest felt heavy. Today was going to be a long run of 5 miles--building my way back up--but ended after a short 3 miles because of my chest feeling heavy! The good news is that I seem to be fighting it off, or maybe sweating it out.

I guess this cold could be looked at as a great way to prove my dedication to daily fitness. I lost pretty close to 100 pounds in 2008 and I set a goal of being under 225 by the end of 2009. That's a weight loss of about 55 pounds this year. I figured it is very realistic coming off such a dramatic weight loss in '08. Anyway, in order to do this, I need to keep burning calories and boosting my metabolism. My internal furnace went from a dieing match stick to a pellet stove since I began running; however, I'm looking for a blast furnace. Cross training would work, but my personality seems to keep me from hitting the ski machine or walking on the TM. So I decided to start a streak to keep my addictive, over-rational, extreme side in charge.

Now, if I can run my way through this cold, I think streaking may just be for me.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

What a great year 2008 was at our house! My wife and I sold our house after paying 2 mortgages for almost a year, I lost close to 100 pounds, I'm in the best physical shape of my life (though still overweight,) we are closer than ever, our health is great, we have the best friends anyone could ask for, and our family is fantastic!

We had a nice party at our house for the New Year. Friends and family showed up for some drinking, eating, and celebrating. It was nice to see the mix of folks here. We had family, a former student of Dawn's, friends we train our dogs with. Unfortunately, the weather kept my childhood friends at home, but our hearts were with them!

I ran 471.9 miles in 2008--since my first day on April 18th. I'm hoping to hit 1000 miles in 2009.

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Cure for a sore body....

2008-12-31T00:47:00.002-05:00

I spent the last two days building Dawn, my beautiful wife, a small room in our basement for her recently acquired hobby of making stained glass windows. It was a major project for me, although I only put up two walls--the other two were already there! I managed to build the frame work and wire the lights and switches on Monday; I hung the lights, put up the paneling, and cleaned up today (or yesterday, since I'm writing this after midnight.)

The room doesn't look too bad, but you can tell that a salesman with a masters degree did the work! I am definitely NOT a carpenter--but I can hold my own! With all of the hammer swinging, working overhead, up and down ladders, up and down off the floor, my 35 year old body was a bit sore. I mean, I'm not used to this kind of labor!

After I finished, Dawn and I went out for dinner and shopping for our New Year's Eve party (a holiday tradition at our house.) We bought $105 of booze and $108 of food--seems liek a good balance! I decided I was too tired and sore to put in a run.

HOWEVER, I've been contemplating an attempt at a running streak starting January 1, so I decided to hit the TM and run at least a mile. 4.5 miles later, I'm loose, awake, and not quite so sore (still a little stiff in the shoulders from swinging the hammer.)

So I learned that running can cure soreness. Who would have thought?

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Oh the treadmill!

2008-12-29T00:29:00.002-05:00

A decent day, though not much was done. Dawn and I got up a bit late, ate breakfast, watched a little TV, read a bit, and took a nap! Then we met a couple of friends to train our dogs at a barn we belong to, and I snapped at our friends. I really feel bad about that! I even sent a text message apologizing--although I'm not really sure they were offended.

After a nice dinner out, we came home and measured a section of the basement for a wall. I'm going to put up a wall to block off an area so Dawn can have a stained-glass workshop and the cats don't get hurt!

At 11:30 pm, I hit the treadmill for a 4.5 mile run. I really wanted to go outside, but I'm a little unsure about running on the roads here at home. We live in a rural area that has roads without burms. I would have to run along the side of a narrow road for a way, cross a 2 lane highway, run along the side of another 2 lane road (through a blind curve,) to get to another narrow road! So I'm a bit concerned! (Although I was ready to go, Dawn kinda talked me out of it!)

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving forward!

Trail Running?

2008-12-26T23:44:00.003-05:00

What an awesome run today! I took my new trail shoes out to South Park and had a great time. It was very humbling!

I walked a lot more than I usually do (on the TM I only walk to warm up and cool down, on the road I might walk a big hill if I HAVE TO!) There were some very big up hills and some monster down hills! I slipped a few times, but managed to stay upright the entire run.

I did get a bit lost though. I should have stayed on the trail I was on, but couldn't resist the arrows I saw painted on a section of road the trail paralleled. I ended up going down a very steep, slick hill to find another road. I ran it a bit, then turned around to find my way back.

All in all, it was 3.6 miles in 4.5 mile time! But it was a BLAST! I think I'm going to be converting to the trails for my weekend runs. And not the Rail Trails......

Here comes Santa!

2008-12-22T00:24:00.004-05:00

What a day! We spent the day going around looking for Christmas presents for the last few people on the list. It was fun, but the traffic was rough! I guess you can expect that 3 days before Christmas!

Friday night was a lot of fun. My wife and I went with her family to see Christmas lights and for a very nice Sea Food dinner. Our 4 year old nice was just having a great time. She between Dawn and I and kept us busy! Here's a picture of Dawn reiterating Erika's (our niece) insistence that "She doesn't want her picture taken!"

Dawn looks mean in that picture, but we were just having a good time!

Santa came a few days early for me. I had a few coupons for my favorite store in the world--Fleet Feet Pittsburgh--so we started our shopping spree off there. I got my first pair of ASICS, a Gortex Gel-Trabuco. I was hoping to get to a trail today and give them a go, but the shopping day kept us out beyond the trail times--they close at dark here! So I decided to break them in with a 4.5 mile run on the TM.

WOW are these things comfortable! They are a bit heavier than I'm used to, but the cushion is unbelievable! The support is great, and I just love the fact that their water proof (although there was no water on the TM--but Dawn did volunteer to throw stones and sticks on it while I was running!)

All in all it was a great weekend. Spent time with my family, running, and enjoying life! I think that's what this time of year is all about!

Stay safe, keep the soles to the ground, and keep moving!

Just another run! Never!!!!!

2008-12-18T21:15:00.002-05:00

4.5 miles on the TM tonight made me think about the miles I've put in so far. I haven't ran a thousand mile, in fact, I'm not even half way there yet--but close! But I've enjoyed every mile I've put in.

Sure there was that one time along the Youghiogheny River that I thought I couldn't make it back, but I did. Then there was the run (going the south on the same trail) that my IT band decided to act up--I had to walk 2 miles back to my jeep. I loved those runs! It wasn't easy, fun, or something I hope for every day, but it proves that I'm a runner.

Running seems to be the only thing I really enjoy right now in my life. I like training our dogs with my wife, but I'd rather be running. Could I be searching for something deep within my soul and running is the only time that I get a chance to be at peace with myself?

No, I'm not that deep. I just enjoy the endorphins that scream though my body! And the time to think about my next run.

Alright Michelle!

2008-12-16T22:16:00.002-05:00

After my first season of the Biggest Loser, I may be hooked. I really found that I disliked some of the people that were on the show. Brady and Vickie were just plain mean and arrogant. Ed was great, but his wife was a witch. I loved Phil and his wife Amy. At the end, I hoped Phil would win the $100,000 and Michelle the $250,000. I got half of my wish!

I spent every show of this season on the TM. Tonight it was 4.5 miles followed by an extended period of stretching. I'm feeling a lot better, but I still need to keep my eye on the prize. 180 pounds is still 100 pounds away!

Solution found during run!

2008-12-14T23:05:00.001-05:00

Today I spent 42 minutes on the treadmill thinking about how miserable I've been the past few weeks. i haven't lost a single pound, all I want to do is eat, and I have no motivation.

I think I've been using the holiday stress to go back to my old habits. I wake up in the middle of the night and eat. During the day I get a package of Twizzlers. I eat a bag of chips in a sitting. The only reason I haven't gained weight is because of the running and the stuff I'm eating isn't all that bad.

Not anymore! I'm going to be strict on myself again in the morning. Hungry? Carrots. Hungry? Apple. Hungry? Banana. Hungry? Water.

I'm going to kick this obesity in the arse once and for all.

Ode to less pain!

2008-12-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

Oh how wonderful it is to make it 4.5 miles with little pain! I was so afraid the the IT Band problem I've been having was going to sideline me for a long time! After taking one week off and easing back into my runs, I'm up to 3 miles of running with no pain, another mile of slight discomfort that goes away during my half mile cool down walk.

3 Fairly Pain Free Miles!

2008-12-10T22:45:00.000-05:00

After a normal work day and an evening of obedience class with Luau, I hit the TM for a run. With my IT band issues of late, I had no desire to put a distance to the training. I was hoping for a relaxed, pain free run.

I put in the first 2.25 at a 11:19 pace. That's actually pretty fast for me! But I ended with .75 at 12:00. It was kind of like a warm up for my cool down. All in all, 3.5 miles. A bit of hip pain and quad pain towards the end. BUT I AM A HAPPY CAMPER!

December 7, 2008

2008-12-07T18:35:00.000-05:00

Today was a very cold running day. I helped out at the Greater Pittsburgh Road Runners Club's race today. I was looking forward to running the 4 mile course, but I've been nursing my IT band for a week. I helped keep time.

I did run 2.5 miles this evening on the TM. My IT band seems to be a bit better!