180 pounds

Went to the Y this morning and worked out.

I weighed in at 180 pounds.

My right knee is swollen. My left hamstring periodically shocks me. I sat in the pool for 45 minutes after work . . .I have 3 miles tomorrow morning. I am going to knock them out before most of the world even thinks about getting up.

I am sad for my son growing up today. I am glad that he is growing up but I wish that I could freeze time. I walked along the driveway to turn off the garage light this morning and froze in my tracks thinking about how this is the same driveway that I taught him to catch. I really haven't changed. The driveway hasn't really changed . . .but he has. I am sad for the passing of time.

5:40AM . . .12 miles in 20 minutes

5:40 AM
12 miles ahead of me.
I let the dog out and the sticky air hangs out on the street waiting for me.

I don't know why I run.
I get butterflies . . even now . . .when I run longer distances like 12 miles.

12 miles is going to hurt. It comes down to a matter of when in the run it is going to start hurting. If it starts hurting at 2 miles I am in trouble! If it holds off until mile 8 or 9 it will be normal.

My life is so much more fulfilling because I run . . .

This is my church before church.

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12:55pm

I made it. When I got home and took my shoes and socks off  my toe nail was hanging by a thread. I'll put up a picture soon . . .of the 35,000 daily followers (give or take a few thousand) I know that there are some hardcore runners out there that thrive on a good gore shot like a hanging toenail.

Some highlights of the 12 miler:
Mile 8 I smelled maple syrup.
Mile 9 my left hamstring shocked me as I ran up the "Lake Storey" hill. I don't think it is normal when a muscle goes into "shock" mode!
At mile 11 I lifted the top of my shirt to circulate air and was struck with the realization that a couple of my 150 chest hairs was silver.

I was struck today about how running is the easiest/hardest thing to do. As far as skill . . .we learn it in its simplest form at about 1 1/2 years of age. However, the mental side of repeatedly beating your body step after step for an extended period of time is learned. That part of running is not natural.

I am training myself to once again run 26.2 miles . . . that is MY goal.

In church today I learned (or was once again reminded) that GOD's goal is not MY happiness but to transform me into the likeness of Christ . . . .at all costs.

I praised God almost every step this morning. I DO NOT take my health and this journey that running has given me for granted. I KNOW that both can be taken from me (if it God's will) at any given time . . .but in the meantime . . . .each step, no matter how much it hurts, is a gift - -and I am thankful.

I drank 18 ounces of water (with a Nuun tablet to replace the sodium loss) and 2 gels (mile 4 and mile 9).

4 miles in Des Moines this morning . . .12 tomorrow

6:00AM
Des Moines Iowa
Gray's Lake
4 miles

I loved this run.
I love this place.
I loved looking at new people . . .looking at tall buildings . . . .
I loved getting up early from the comfort of a hotel bed and making myself run.

12 miles tomorrow. . .

This is a view from my run this morning:

it is 6:10pm 102 degrees and I am going to run 6 miles

6:10pm
102 degrees
6 miles
it comes down to this . . . . .you either ARE or you AREN'T tough enough for this run.
_________________________________________________________________

9:28pm
I was tough enough.

3 miles in 7.5 hours

11 mile run in 30 mins . .I ran

5:45AM
Sunday
Sticky
The back of my right knee (my bad knee) is swollen from yesterday's run in the rolling hills. I get nervous when anything with that knee doesn't seem right. With tan legs my incision jumps off of my leg . . .my son thinks I need to tell people that it is a shark bite.

My plan today:
I am going to take a gel at mile 3 and mile 6.
The fuel belt that I am borrowing only has 16 ounces so I am going to re-fill one of the water bottles at the park.

I honestly am not very excited about this journey . . .I will be better when the first sweat comes.

I watched The Descendants last night . . .ouch.
____________________________________________________
6:10pm

Another 11 miler under my belt. Speaking of belts . . . I ran today with my buddies fuel belt . . .I'm OUT. I am bringing it back to him tomorrow. It moved around . . didn't carry enough water for me etc . . . .have something tied to my waist didn't bother me as much as the ackwardness of trying to pull the bottles out. I am either going to go with my handheld 20 ounce bottle or get one of those belts that carries one 20 ounce bottle. It was nice however to have my hands free.

This was a great run. It was hot already . . .

I took a gel at miles 3.5 and mile 7.

I seriously could have ran another 4 or 5 miles.

Couple problem spots:
The arch of my left foot started to rub on the top of my shoes.
My right (bad) knee is still swollen.
My hernia (or strain) or whatever it is (down there) . . . .continues to hurt!!!

I hit my chair outside on the back patio when I got home and iced down and fell asleep!!!

This has been a great weekend for running. I thought alot today on my run about my kids and how I can continue to improve on being their dad. They need a good dad. My wife needs a good husband. The world needs a good man . . .running allows me the time to think about those things.

Rest day tomorrow. Going to the Y in the early morning to workout and then tomorrow night my wife got me a certificate for a full body massage. It will be nice to get un-knotted.

6 miles thu . . .6 miles this morning at our farm

5:30AM

Spent night at my mom's farmhouse last night.
This morning was the best run that I have had all year.
6 miles.
Country road.
No people.
No cars. Smell of wet woods and gravel.
It was the perfect combination of sweat and hurt.
I could have ran straight into heaven this morning.

11 miles tomorrow.
Borrowed my buddies fuel belt to see how I will like it.

Couple of photos from this morning:

I LOVE my Brooks Cascadia's. They are trail shoes but sometimes I run in them on country roads when I can run on the gravel shoulder of the road like I did this morning.

I SKIPPED MY RUN TODAY

I HAD TO TRAVEL FOR MY WORK TODAY AND HAD TO LEAVE AT 4:30am

I SKIPPED MY RUN

I AM GOING TO MAKE IT UP TOMORROW MORNING . . . 6 MILES

I WISH THAT I COULD HAVE THE YEARS 23 TO 35 BACK.

I AM CERTAIN THAT WHEN I FINALLY SHRED MY KNEES THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE ME WITH SOMETHING THAT GIVES ME THE SAME TYPE OF BUZZ THAT RUNNING DOES

I HAVE LISTENED TO THIS RYAN ADAMS SONG 12 TIMES TODAY:

I AM READING THIS BOOK AGAIN FOR ABOUT THE 5TH TIME:

5:15AM . . new weight 177 pounds!

It is 5:15AM
I have just 3 miles ahead.
3 miles seem like a marathon to me right now as I am still half asleep, it is dark down here and the tick of the grandfather clock and the low hum of the trains lull me back to sleep.

This is the part of me that I like. The part that will overcome the temptation to go lay on the couch, turn on the TV  and sleep for another 30 minutes. It is mornings like these that the "run" becomes much more than 3 miles . . .this is the "journey" part of training for something that most people can't overcome.

If only I could carry this discipline into other aspect of my life . . . .

I weighed in at 177 yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________
6:15AM

I'm back.
3.5 miles  . . .I ran a half mile further because I had a medium chocolate malt last night.
I cranked it the whole run . . .AND . . . .did 40 pushups when I got done. I have been stuck on 35! I want to go into this marathon FIT . . not just running fit but fit.

I didn't really think about anything this run . . . .I praised God for things and sucked in the morning. If this is my last day . . this was a good day to start it out.

10 miles this weekend

Saturday
100 degrees!
4 miles
Hardest run in the heat I have ever had. I had to stop 4 times.

Sunday
80 degrees
4pm
6 miles
One of the best runs of the year. I felt fresh, fit and light. I am wearing my new shoes now. I thought I was forming a blister but today it felt ok. For the most part, nothing really hurt today. I am looking forward to going to the Y to weigh myself tomorrow.

This was my 3rd week of marathon training. This Coldplay song has been dominating my brain waves:

96 degrees July 4th run

Sat by the pool from 11am to 3:30pm

96 degrees
4:00pm
5 miles

I drank about 16 ounces.
I could smell people's grills.
I have been done running for 20 minutes and can't quit sweating.
I ran down the highway (150) to torture myself even more with no trees.
I am tougher than 5 miles in 96 degree heat . . .not sure if I am tougher than ten though.
I am going to wear my new shoes on tomorrow's 3 mile run. I wore a new pair of Smartwool socks today . . .there is nothing better than a new pair of socks. I am fairly certain that God will meet me in heaven with a pair of Smartwools in hand . . .

9.3 miles

5:30AM
9.3 miles
I started sweating within feet from leaving my front door.
I ran hard for 9.3 miles.
I got back and iced, drank a cup of coffee, ate a half a banana, popped 3 ibuprofen and started my day.
I am quite certain that I have some sort of sports hernia, groin tear etc . . .I had a hernia as a boy. It is not one of my cooler injuries . . .especially when I stand up and ice falls out of my shorts. You can only imagine how cool my 14 year thinks that is.

12 hours later . . .I feel good.
Tomorrow is a rest day and I hate rest days.

This is the song that hit me the hardest this 9.3 mile Sunday . . .Kanye and Coldplay "Homecoming"

It is 5:13AM . . I don't want to run.

Sunday
5:13AM
9 miles ahead of me.
I don't want to go.
My feet ache from trail running in the mud yesterday.
It is hot outside already.
It is at precisely this moment that separates the talkers from the do-ers. My life is more than
half over, I don't want to be a talker.