2015

I have signed up (and paid!) to run a 33.5 mile ultra marathon in April.

I am going to document my training on here similar to when I ran my first marathon.

More to come . . . .

On track . . . .

Still been training for half marathon in Chicago on January 25th along Lake Michigan. Have been training for the cold by heading out between 4:30AM and 5:30AM . . . .On Sunday morning my buddy and ran about 4 miles straight into a 15 mph wind in the 15 degree, dark, icy, uphill morning - it was a spirit breaker.

Heading out tomorrow morning ..calling for 20 below temps!!

My repaired knee is doing fine..other than  a hip issue the only real problem I have is that my handheld water bottle freezes at mile 4!!

THIS SONG HAS BEEN ON REPEAT IN MY MIND THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS! JOSH GARRELS ..DON'T WAIT FOR ME.

It's been a long time . . . . .

I forgot about this blog until I received an alert from GoDaddy saying that it needed re-newed. I looked at the stats just to see if anybody actually has looked at this thing since the last time I put something on here 8 months ago...all I can say is: "Hello Germany. Hello Russia. Hello France. Hello Hungary." CRAZY.

I have been running....about 80 - 90 miles per month.
I am still running in the dark mornings.

Since my surgery last December....the furthest that I have ran is 10 miles. That only happened 2 weeks ago where I thought it would be cool to say that I ran ten miles before work.

Highlights of 2013
5 mile midnight trail run in August.

I am currently training for a half marathon in Chicago on January 25th......yes, outside..yes, along the lake...yes, I am crazy. Since marathon training is so brutal on my wounded knees...I want to do things that are just cool....running 13.1 miles straight into a 20 mph headwind in winter Chicago ...sounds cool.

I'll start writing on this again.

This is what I am listening to:

45 mins ..

Saturday 5:45AM

In 45 minutes I am going to run with my buddy from Ethiopia.

Cold dark March.

I am starting to shred weight . . .

My wife and I went "out" last night . . .we got home at 10:30 which for us is 2:00AM.

Before I got up this morning I prayed that God would give me a whisper of wisdom during my run. Running makes me a better man.

________________________________
8:10AM
3.5 miles
35 degrees
We clip clopped up hills--for never running with anybody - this is OK.

Today . . . .

Today I did intervals on the bike at the Y until my left leg cramped and I sprung off the bike and did a dance . . . .

I drove 240 miles

I shot 2 TV commercials

I did 2 live radio commercials

I recorded 6 radio commercials

I talked to a guy about what the bible says about getting to heaven.

I rode my bike for about 5 miles around the park.

Right now . . .I am taking my kids to the library.

My

Day.

Today

Workout this morning

Drove 240 miles

Worked 10 hours

Ran 2.5 miles this evening in snowflakes so large that I literally choked on them when I inhaled!!

Tonight I am going to take a buddy out for a beer. . .

I am going to run intervals tomorrow morning . . . .

Tuesday 5:03AM

Sunday I rode my bike with my brother to the "little house."
17 miles
3.5 long sweeping hills
50 degrees
rain - - -not drizzle really - --rain
29 miles per hour down a hill
went never behind me - -in my face for final 6 miles
Miserable - -this ride was why I like running!

Monday
Y
lift weights, hard run for 2 miles
My son is growing up too fast - - - my heart is not doing very well with that.

This morning
Going to the Y
Working out
Hopefully will sneak in a run tonight when I get home
 Miles to go before I sleep . . . .

Here . . .

I'm still here.
My time this past week has been spent being a dad, being a husband, battling snow and balancing my career with the rest of my life.

I have run almost every day . .including Saturday with my buddy who has run in 12 marathons.

Tomorrow morning I am going to run outside at 5:45AM. It will be cold and dark.
This morning I ran intervals for 20 mins at the Y. 1 minute jog - -1 minute sprint. The jog part was ok . . .

I am not in very good shape. I am going on a 17 mile bike ride on Sunday to our farmhouse (the "little" house we call it). This will be the longest ride to date . . .I am looking forward to it.

My knee seems to be coming along . . .

So does my gut . . . .

Snow . . .

Tuesday.
Home.
Inches upon inches of snow.
I work at home in my office . . not as hard as if I were at work . . . .but working.

I am going to go to the park late this afternoon.
I am going to take my kids. They need to know what it is to be the first person to walk where nobody has walked.

I am into this right now:
the 2013 Iditarod Trail race . . .350 miles by foot or bike across Alaska. It is going on now .. .

Mt. Marathon ....google it . . . .I am working on my wife to let me at least see if I could get lucky enough to get my name drawn. It is in Alaska . . .if I get in . . I'll figure it out!!!

I need to lose weight!!! I am close to 190 lbs!!! I am going to start doing intervals today at the Y.

I have been working out. I haven't really been eating like crap . .But . . . . .I am scared to run much more than 3 miles and that is not burning enough calories to cut it.

I rode my bike 12 miles on Sunday. I averaged 11.9 mph. My top speed was 29 mph going down Lake Storey hill (toward Henderson Street).

Sunny Sunday . . .

Yesterday I rode my bike 8.5 miles.
I went 21.5 mph down a hill.

This morning at 7AM I met a buddy at the Y for a 3 mile run. He is Ethiopian and has run 12 marathons...including Boston. He has been talking about running with me for over a year. Today was our first day. He has not run in over 3 years and needed motivation to "get out of the door." He kept thanking me for going with him. He said that atleast today he won't feel guilty. Interesting that even with 12 marathons under his belt . . .it is easy to slide backwards in our fitness and lifestyle.

It is going to be over 30 degrees here today . . I am going for a ten mile bike ride.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OUTSIDE AGAIN TODAY!!!

Day off today . . .

I don't do very good at taking days off from my work.
Today is one of those days.
I am taking my wife to the doctor in Peoria. I woke up this morning to a 3" snow. I scooped at 5:30AM. I am old school that way.

I went to the hospital yesterday and ate lunch with a friend whose dad is dying. I am sorry for the end of life in deep, deep ways.

I ran a 5k yesterday morning at the Y.
I drove county roads to work yesterday. I am going to ride my bike 50 miles to the Mississippi river in July. I am preparing the way now . . .
I rode my bike late yesterday afternoon because I knew that the snow was coming.

I have ran everyday since Monday . . .I really need to take a day off but . . . . . . I can't.

If your joy is in your family . . .what happens to your joy when your family is gone? If your joy is in your work? What happens when your work is over? Or your health? If you put your joy in the Lord the bible says that "I will never leave you or forsake you." I want this to be really "real" to me and not just something that I say.

I am on the verge of another pair of running shoes. As I have mentioned before Mizuno quit making the kind (Nirvana) I have bought my last 4 pairs. I am looking at Asics Gel Kayanos (had them before) or Brooks Glycerin.

Samantha Crain - Santa Fe. THIS song is trying to make its way onto my funeral CD.

10 miles on the feet . . .5 miles on the road

Only a combined 15 miles this week.
I worked out every day but one.
I just got back from a run . . .20 degrees....sunny...windy. My repaired knee groaned the whole time. I was stiff and hot. I have a tendency of overdressing.

I will be in Chicago tomorrow so I won't be able to do any sort of workout. Sunday is usually the only day that I have time to "get out" and not have to watch my clock. My son and I are going to go and sit in cars that aren't ours at the Chicago Auto Show.

I have heavy things on my mind.

2 hours later . . . .

I keep my bike in my office inside my house. It makes me sick to see it sitting in there . . . .not doing what it was created to do  . . .to be outside. It makes me sick to see myself inside . . . .not doing what I was created to do . . . .to be outside. So I took her for a quick ten minute spin. When I put it in 1-1 (the lowest gear - or highest(?) ) I feel like I could climb straight up a mountain. There are not very many hills where I live . . . .but the ones that I have came across . . .I shred them with this bike.
I praise GOD every day that I am able to run, and ride and be active again. I have been listening to these guys lately: Wake Owl