This is who I really am.

This week's Music Monday is 100 Million Miles by Monster Magnet. This is one of my favorite running songs. It's really been my mantra for the last few races I have run. I just finished up the MRTC Road Race Series. This year has been a lot harder because I have been dealing with more pain and injuries. This song reminds me that I just have to keep pushing and that when I am done running I can rest and recuperate. I also love the steady beat of the drums. On a easier run I sync each step with each beat. On my harder days I sync my right foot to each beat. That means a lot of turnover! The song is not about running but the chorus and drum beat make it a perfect running song. "Hey, there ain't no pain! 100 million miles away!" Enjoy!

I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on my most recent races. The 1st MRTC Road Race Series 5K was actually a couple weeks ago but I didn't get around to posting about it until now. The 5Ks this year are at Audubon Park near the Cancer Memorial on Perkins. I ran with Staci because it is fun to get out and run with her. We never get a chance to run together during the week so it is a great opportunity for us. Also, we were without the kids for a few days so we could really enjoy each other's company. The other reason I ran with her is because she was having some foot issues. It was her right foot. So I figured since her right foot was bad and my left knee was bad we could run side by side in case we needed to lean on each other to finish. Our time was 35:54. Not bad considering she hadn't run outside much leading up to it and she was being really tough dealing with her new ailment. She did have a nice strong finish as we got to the last tenth ...

This week's Music Monday is "Warrior" by Disturbed. I picked this song for a few reasons. This weekend my wife came to me with an idea her best friend from college came up with: she wanted to do the Warrior Dash . I had thought about doing it before but never really got too serious about it. We decided we wanted to do it and signed the three of us up. While I was at it, it was time to register for the MRTC Road Race Series . I talked Staci into doing it again this year. We did it last year and had lots of fun. The award you get for finishing all ten races in the series is the "Road Warrior". I will be going for my third "Road Warrior" trophy. Another reason I picked this song is because I am starting a new battle with my weight. I really haven't been trying lately. I let myself go when I was dealing with my tendinitis. I couldn't run for a couple months and I really didn't do the things I needed to do that I could have been doing. I...

This past Sunday was the final race of the MRTC Road Race Series. And since I finished all ten races I am officially a Road Warrior! This last race was a half marathon. Usually I would have tried to get a PR because it is a relatively flat course. But my goal this time was to not get injured two weeks before my marathon. Two weeks before this race was when I got shot in the hamstring. I didn't want something like that to happen again. I just needed to finish. My time was the slowest I have ever run (1:56:31) but I kept it slow and steady. During the week when I was out running I ran by a turtle that was crossing the road. I thought it was hilarious. I thought "I must be the rabbit". The more I thought about it the more I realized that right now I need to slow down a bit. My body is obviously trying to tell me something. I have gone injury free for these last four years since I have been running. No matter how much I put my legs, knees, hamstrings, quads, ankles a...

Sunday's half marathon was the next to last race in the MRTC Road Race Series. That means I am a month away from the St. Jude Marathon. And what an experience..... This was my first time running in a week and a half. The last time I tried to run I had a terrible pain on the very first step I took. It was odd because I had been up and walking around all night at work and never had even the slightest hint of pain. Not even as I was walking out the door to go run. In hindsight it was probably a case of overuse. The night before I had done some fartleks. I had not done any speed work in a while so I pushed it a little. I felt great afterwards and the next morning. The reason I ran like that was because I had to change my schedule to get my workouts in. I probably should have rested instead. After talking to my old running partner/coach and two other trainers I was convinced it would be best not to run the half marathon on Sunday. That was a terrible feeling because I really wa...

Sunday was the second 10 miler of the MRTC Road Race Series. Another race through the hills of Shelby Forest. I was really happy with the way I ran. These last two months have been a little weird for me. In September I had a strange knee pain that sounded like tendinitis. It went away after about a week of rest. A few weeks ago I had a pain in my foot that sounded like a stress fracture. I still feel it a little but not enough to worry. With those worrisome pains comes fear, doubt and a complete loss of confidence. Usually. However, I have a great support group of people to get me through all of these things. My wife Staci helped me by suggesting when to ice and what medicine to take and when to take it. Thank you. My buddy Kate hooked me up with her friend Lee to show me some underwater running workouts. Thank you. My former running partner/running coach Alli showed me some water running techniques and ideas on how to handle my injuries. Thank you....

Sunday was the 1st 10 miler of the MRTC Road Race Series. I love running all of the races in this series but the 10 milers are my favorite by far. They are actually harder than the half marathons. The half marathon course is almost completely flat. It goes from one end of Singleton Parkway to the other and then back. Very flat and very boring. The ten mile course is the exact opposite. It is in Shelby Forest and has a bunch of hills, both up and down. It is all road except for some pathways that are mostly paved. I love this course because it is so challenging. There are a few uphills that are extremely steep. Which also make for some extremely steep downhills. And then there are the infamous "switchbacks". Ask anyone who has run this race before about the "switchbacks" and they will most likely cringe. They are located shortly after mile 9. Yes you read that correctly, MILE 9. Once you pass the 9 mile marker you are met with what looks like a steady incline. ...

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...

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...

This week's race in the MRTC Road Race Series was the second 5 miler. And just like the first one, this race was really fun. Staci and I ran together again. This time we took over a minute off of our time from 59:06 to 58:04. We only stopped to walk at the two water stops. The first stop was at mile 2 and the second stop was at mile 4. I was so proud of Staci because she just kept pushing. I shouldn't be surprised though. After all she is an athlete. Running is my sport. Running is exercise for her sport (volleyball). The best part of the race was the last 3/4 of a mile. A lady running beside us said "you two are gonna beat me again. I have been trying to catch you the whole race." She also told us we had a good pace. (And no I did not take credit for that, haha.) Staci picked it up a little and we didn't see that nice little lady again. After we passed a few other people we came up on a couple about a tenth of a mile from the finish line. And yeah, we smoke...

Sunday was the first 5 miler of the MRTC Road Race Series. And it was probably the most enjoyable race I have ever run. These past two weeks have been very busy at my house. Staci getting back to work teaching and coaching volleyball. Nate starting 1st grade and summer baseball season. And Sophie and Olivia getting back to their daycare and babysitter. Everything went from slow-paced, let's find something to do to this needs to be done now and let's get moving! So Staci and I haven't really had time to enjoy each other's company. In fact we hardly talked for most of last week because we were so wrapped up in everything that was going on we didn't take time to find out what each of us were so upset about. Finally, when it looked like we couldn't stand each other anymore it was time to take the kids to my Mother's house to spend the night. We finally got a chance to talk and found out we, and by we I mean me, were just being stubborn and silly. So Sun...

I can't believe it has been almost two weeks since the second 5k in the Road Race Series and I am just now getting to the recap. Once again Staci finished with a new PR. And once again she beat it by a minute exactly. She has run three 5k's this year. Her times were: 36:16, 35:16, and 34:16. Each race she took a minute off of her time. Amazing! She only walked when she went through the two water stops this time around. And I think she really enjoyed it. As for me, I finished with a decent time: 22:31. Not bad because my main goal was to not have a heat stroke. It was extremely hot. I don't think I have ever seen that many great runners look that tired and that drained after a 5k. Usually the runners that finish ahead of me look like they could run the race again with ease. Not this time. Most of them were done. I did finish strong. I really didn't try to push it until about 2 1/2 miles in. In a 5k that is where I usually figure out how much I have left in the tank...

Sunday morning was the first race in the MRTC Road Race Series. A 5k in Overton Park on a very hot morning. There is actually some shade on this course because there are alot of trees around the area but it was still very hot. People were sweating heavily at the starting line so you knew everyone was gonna be running slower. Except for one lovely young lady. That's right, my wife set a new PR in the 5k! 35:16 was her time. A whole minute faster than her previous best. This was actually the first 5k that we have ever run together. We have run a 10k together. We have also been in a few races at the same time but ran them at our own pace. She said it helped that I was running with her but she did all of the work. I usually try to motivate people when we run but Staci doesn't really like that too much. So I tried to be quiet until she told me to talk to her. I helped her pick songs for a playlist for the next race so she should have a highly motivating set of songs to keep h...

Well, I did something I said I wasn't going to do. I signed up for the 2011 MRTC Road Race Series. I said I wasn't going to do it because I really wanted to focus on the St. Jude Marathon  and not get distracted by getting too competitive. But I REALLY want to do this. I really NEED to do this. I was recently at Shelby Farms, the site of the 10k races, when I finally decided I HAVE to do this. Luckily my wife was really receptive to it. We are both signed up. Staci is not a runner. In fact I think she hates running as much as I love running. But she knows it is good for her and she wants the challenge. She did part of it with me in 2009. We ran one of the 10k together because I was too hungover to run my pace (it was the day after a big Ohio State football loss.) The rest of the races we ran our own pace. This year we are going to run one race distance together and one race distance at our own pace. Again, she hates running so her plan is to run the 2-5k, 2-5...