This is who I really am.

This week's Music Monday is "I Love Myself Today" by Bif Naked. I was recently asked "why do you have a blog?" My best answer was "because it is something I like to do." One of the things about me that is slowly changing is that I don't really talk about some of the stuff I blog about. I have gotten better about that but mostly I try and act as if I have no problems and I am bulletproof and very confident. The truth is that I do have problems and I am not bulletproof and at times have zero confidence. Things that I don't like to talk about. However, when I can share these things through my blog I don't have to say them. I can type them and if someone reads them it is ok. I can't really explain it. For some reason it just comes easier for me to do it this way. Someone once said "it gets the crazy out." Which I thought was a funny way to put it. But I like the fact that I can share these things about me and maybe someone can...

Sunday was the last 10k of the MRTC Road Race Series. It was also the last race that Staci will be doing together in this series. Our time was 1:14:29, which was two minutes slower that the last race. But once again it was Staci's first run since the last race two weeks ago. So I would say she did great. She has gotten better each race and I think she actually likes it a little. Maybe a little more after the race is over. We both really enjoyed the time together during our races and it stinks that we won't have anymore to do together. I am kinda excited to get back to being competitive in the 10 milers and half marathons. However it will be much different without her by my side. I am dissapointed that we didn't follow through on my idea of getting "I'm with stupid" t-shirts to run in during the races. That would have been freaking hilarious. I really wanted to do this series without getting too competitive since I am training for my marathon. Running w...

This is a post I originally wanted to write a week ago today. There was so much emotion flowing through me that I was just too exhausted to write it at the time. I had trouble finishing it throughout the week because I couldn't quite recapture the feeling I had. Hopefully by the end of this post it comes through. Enjoy! Wednesday's run was something special. It was a seven mile run that started with a one mile loop around the YMCA and out to the golf course and back. Pretty boring. What made the run "special" is the reason I am a runner. The day "started" with me buying a knee brace and a pack of 5 Hour Energy after I got off work. My knee had responded well to my three mile run the day before but I thought I might need a little more support. The 5 Hour Energy was needed because I was tired - as usual. I had a plan of: med ball core workout - yoga - 7 mile run. So I needed the extra boost to get me through. The core workout went great and we stretched...

This week's Music Monday is Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll". This song is very special to me because it is me and my Dad's song. When I was younger, probably 8 or 9, we would listen to the Bob Seger "Nine Tonight" tape all the time. It is a "live" album and one of my all-time favorites. Any time we would go somewhere I would ask him to play it. I always wanted to hear this song but those of you old enough to remember tapes know that it was not easy to just go to a song. So we would listen to the whole tape and turn it up when this song came on. I remember my parents being pretty big Bob Seger fans. I remember once they went to his concert and me and my sister had to spend the night with a family friend. I was pretty upset that I didn't get to go. I couldn't wait to see my dad and ask him all about it. "How was it?" "What songs did he play?" "How many people were there?" "Were there any kids ...

This week's Music Monday is the song "Awake and Alive" by Skillet. Skillet is a Christian Rock band from Memphis. I remember hearing about them when they were an up and coming band here locally but never really checked them out. I heard the label "Christian Rock band" and figured they couldn't be that good. I heard a few songs in those early years (late 90's) that got some good air time and I thought they were good. (Back when we actually had a rock/alternative radio station in Memphis - but that is a rant for another day. Oh, and it is a rant!) The song is clearly about their faith and knowing what they believe in and how it gives them strength. I like to interpret songs to suit me. I'm kinda selfish like that. This is a great song to workout with while I am training. I think of it as reminding me to believe in myself and to continue working towards my goal. And to not give in to bad habits and negativity that tries to creep up on me. Just las...

Sunday was the first 10k race of the MRTC Road Race Series. It was also my birthday. What better way to spend my birthday than to get to run through Shelby Farms with my wonderful wife. She does not consider herself a runner so the fact that she is doing this series to spend time with me is very unselfish and sweet. Once again we ran together because it is so much fun. However, we both went in a little nervous. She hadn't run in two weeks, since the last 5 miler. I hadn't run all week because of a very scary knee pain. It was scary because 1. I am a wuss and 2. everyone I talked to had a look on their face like "it might be serious" when I told them about it. It started immediately after my 12 miler last Sunday. It never fully went away. Tuesday I tried running on it and the first step was terrible. I rested it until Friday but it still hurt a little when I took off. So after I ran a few feet I decided to wait until Sunday. There is no way I am missing a race in thi...

I just recently got my tattoo finished and added a few. I already had the letter N with my wife and kid's names in it. I just added the latest (and last!) addition to our family and added a crest. The N was pretty plain for a reason. I really wanted to get a tattoo with the names in an N but I really wasn't sure how I wanted it to look. I went to a shop and the guy that helped me didn't really help me much at all. But I knew I at least wanted the names and the N because the names line up perfectly. The two Ss line up and the two Es line up. I decided that I could get that and finish it later somewhere else. Probably a good idea. I kinda toyed with ideas for what I wanted to do and got close to getting it done. And then the surprise. We had Olivia. So now I have to find a way to get her name on it. The idea for her name came from a hat my Grandfather had given me a few years ago from our family reunion. The second N in my last name has a tilde above it. The hat had one o...

This week's Music Monday is "Undone" by Aranda. I heard the song probably last week. But I only caught the end. I typed it in my notes on my phone and actually forgot about it until Saturday night. Any time I hear a new song that I like I make a note in my phone then check it out on iTunes and see if I want to get it. As I said I only caught the end so I couldn't remember what it was about. Before my minute and a half preview was over I had already decided this is my song! I even tweeted that I had my Music Monday song before the preview was done. I had heard of one of Aranda's songs before and thought it was good but never checked it out. After hearing this song and previewing their first album from 2008 I was sold. In fact as I started writing this I was downloading it. This song came out in July and I have yet to find anything about a new album coming out but if it does I am sure it will be great. This song is AMAZING! It is a song that is so ins...

Today I had a great run. It was a 12 miler that went from Navy Lake to the YMCA and back. That is 10 miles so I turned back around and ran a mile out and back. This was my long run for the week. I usually get excited for my long runs but lately they have all been stinkers. I have actually had to walk at some point during each of them. If you know me, you know that is not what I do. I never want to walk during a run. Never. My ego gets in the way. Now, if I am running with someone else I will walk as much as they would like. I have no problem with that because I enjoy the company. But if it is just me....HELL NO! I have had to walk for a few reasons: water belt malfunctions, old ladies asking for directions, saw a piece of metal in the street that would blow out a tire, stomach issues, near dehydration and just being really freaking tired. The real problem has been the tired part. I let myself walk. Because I was tired. But why? Is my weight catching up with me? Am I that sleep de...

Sometimes I just need a "mental day off". A day to get my head straight. Or as the great Cincinnati Reds TV announcer George Grande calls it - "a check-up from the neck-up". Maybe I need to find my focus. Maybe I know my body really needs a break even if I don't want to give it one. But usually for me a mental day is just a day to get some sleep. A day to go straight home and not think about running or working out. Just rest. I do some kind of workout almost every day. I usually run five or six days a week. I usually lift weights two or three days a week. I try to make it to as many yoga and pilates classes as I can. I also try to fit in other core workouts when possible. I try to take at least one day off a week, usually Saturday or Sunday. Or both if we have a busy weekend. The problem is during the week. I do all of this in the morning after I have been at work all night. Now, getting all of these things done takes a little bit of time. Add in the fact ...