This is who I really am.

Sunday I ran the Germantown Half Marathon. This is one of my favorite races to run. It lines up perfectly that my training for it starts at the first of the year. The weather is usually pretty nice on race day and the area that we run in is very nice. This was the fourth time I've run the race. This year the training has been a little difficult. I have had to deal with my knee thing so I have had to rest more than I would prefer. I learned that I need to do more pool running  a little too late. I probably could have gotten better use of my training time if I would have hit the pool earlier instead of trying to fight through it. Needless to say I felt under trained. The thing I like about the half marathon is that it is not an easy distance, but once you get used to it you really learn how to run it. The first time you run it you think it is horrible. But once you get a few under your belt you get a good feel for how to handle it. Inevitably, unless you are an elite ...

This week's Music Monday is "My Medicine" by The Pretty Reckless. This song was a song that I kept singing to myself during the St. Jude Marathon. It has nothing to do with running and not an inspirational song. I was just bored. I almost always run with my ipod. But because I had run this marathon before I knew that there was just too much atmosphere to enjoy to be listening to my music. There were people cheering and playing music and I really wanted to take it all in this time. So when we got to parts of the race where there wasn't much going on this song popped in my head. Why? I guess it was because I had just gotten this cd and absolutely loved it. If you haven't heard of The Pretty Reckless you should check them out. I finally put my ear buds in around mile 19, that is the part of the race that starts to get boring. There is less crowd and more traffic from around mile 19 to about 24. Although I'm not sure. A lot of the race kinda blended togeth...

It's taken nearly a month but I am finally getting to my St. Jude Marathon recap. I wanted to wait at least a week so the recap wouldn't have to break it into several posts. Everything about the marathon was great. I think I smiled the entire 4:34:23. The organizers do a great job getting people to volunteer and there are tons of people lining the streets cheering. Everyone involved from start to finish is great. Everyone makes you feel like they are there for you. Even the people cheering for their family and friends cheer for you. It is an unbelievable feeling. I am so thankful for everyone that donated to St. Jude through my Heroes program. My total amount raised was $576. Wearing the Heroes shirt this year was an honor. I can't imagine ever running this race without being a part of this awesome program. It really gave me a little extra pride knowing that I was doing this for more than myself. Running 26.2 miles isn't the most fun thing to do but doing it to ...

This week's Music Monday is "Fully Alive" by Flyleaf. I chose this song because it is a song that is about knowing someone that is in pain and has not much of a reason to feel alive.  And yet they do. I signed up for the St. Jude Marathon because I wanted to erase the bad taste of my first marathon. I really didn't enjoy my first one because I took it too seriously and really didn't think about what I should have been running it for. The children of St. Jude. This song really became my rally song for the last few weeks leading up to St. Jude. Every email I received for the race had smiling children. Every piece of mail I received had smiling children. Every time I looked at anything that has to do with St. Jude there was always a smiling child. And here I am upset because I can't train for the race the way I want. This song really hit me when I was on a run one day and these words really resonated within me: All my complaints shrink to...

Yesterday was a great day for running. And by great I mean terrible. Yesterday was windy, rainy and cold. The exact opposite of my ideal weather. The temperature when I was running was 36 but the wind and rain made it seem much colder. My ideal temperature for running is more like 96 and humid. Days like yesterday make a lot of people opt for the treadmill. But yesterday's weather was perfect because as a runner I need to face different weather conditions. If I stayed inside and ran on the treadmill I would miss a chance to get my body used to windy, cold and rainy weather. Sure I've run in it before but I'm preparing for a race and I want my body to be ready for that kind of weather right now. One thing that a lot of people forget is that not only do they have to get their legs ready but they also need to get their body and lungs ready for the weather they will meet on race day. I absolutely hate cold weather. I hate even being cold for a second. Hell, I hate 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...

This week's Music Monday is "Fight Like This" by Decyfer Down. This song was playing at the end of my race this past Sunday when my hamstring was shot and I was fighting like hell to finish the race . It really came on at the right time for me. I needed a new mantra to really get me going and this might be it. Lately I have been having trouble with my marathon training. It seems like every week something happens that derails my training plans. Either it is a new physical problem or a schedule change or a sick kid that's not actually sick or just about anything else. Every time I try to increase my intensity something happens that knocks me back a couple steps. With only a month left until my race I feel a little under prepared. I keep reminding myself that it's not supposed to be easy but I can make it through. I just gotta fight! Physically and mentally. I need to make sure I am doing everything I need physically to succeed. That means I need to get my ...

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....

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." One of the hardest things about a training schedule is making sure I get all of my workouts done. For me it's not a matter of not wanting to do them or not being able to do them. My problem is that sometimes there are other things I need to do. Right now I am training for a marathon . I have a plan going into every week for what I need to get done and how and when I plan to do it. The problem is that there always seems to be something unexpected that pops up. Usually it is a sick kid or something that needs to be fixed. Sometimes the problem is that I just completely over planned, forgetting that I had already made other plans or that I may actually need to sleep. (Yes, I do live by the saying - "I'll sleep when I'm dead.") One thing I have learned about training is that I need to be flexible with my schedule. I work at night so when something needs to be done during the day I can do it. My...

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. ...

I finally did something that I have been needing to do for my marathon training. I added my name to a list that I found through Twitter called #GoTheDist. Some of the people I follow on Twitter kept tweeting about it so I checked it out and found all of the info here on an awesome blog by Fat Girl vs.World. You should check it it out it is a great blog to read. Here is a summary of what #GoTheDist is all about: What is #GoTheDist? It's you challenging yourself to meet a goal that is not measured by pounds or inches lost.  It is not measured against the distance of any other person (as we all have different abilities).  It is only measured by your ability to push yourself to meet the goals you set for yourself (we measure success by percentage of goal complete).  The community provides the support, motivation, and inspiration for you to reach your goal. I wanted to sign up because it sounded like a lot of fun. Setting a goal or goals and charting your progre...

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...

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 ...

This week's Music Monday is the song "Not Again" by Staind. It is a new song that has been out for a couple weeks. But I really just caught onto it early last week. My training schedule for my marathon is set. No problem there. The problem has been adjusting to everybody else's new schedule and everything else life throws at me. The first week did not go nearly as well as I wanted. It was so busy that I didn't really get a chance to do everything I wanted. The second week went well but ended with a "bad" long run. Last week was my third week, which had my one year old sick on the two most important days of my training. I had a 5k on Saturday and needed my harder workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now I am not complaining about things not going my way, I know how to handle that. In fact I have a blog post that I need to finish right now about being flexible with your training schedule but I have been too busy to write it. Because I have been being fle...

Today is the day I start training for the St. Jude Marathon. I always love starting a new workout or training routine. This time I have what I think is a great plan. I have my running schedule thanks to Hal Higdon . I have some great workouts thanks to Runnerdude . And I have some great yoga, pilates and muscle works classes at the YMCA. My running schedule is exciting because I like having a set amount of miles to run. Most of the runs are easy runs so that is a little different. I love doing speed work but for now my main focus is getting stretched out for distance. I still get to work on speed somewhat but not as much as I like. There is also a day for cross-training. Cross-training is any aerobic type activity other than running. I am not crazy about swimming, the eliptical or the bike but I am gonna try to make that work instead of running. I also have a plan for lifting weights. I will have one day of heavy weights for the upper body. One day for light weights for the u...

About a month ago I signed up for the St. Jude Marathon . It is something that I have wanted to do since I finished my first marathon. My reason for wanting to do it is very much a selfish one: I want to RUN the whole thing. As I mentioned before, hearing people's joy that I was "doing this for their baby" was very special. This time around I have sworn to keep things in perspective. If I don't RUN the whole thing I will still feel good because I did something to help children that need help. Well when I found out that the running group, the Road Dawgs, that I run with had a team for the Heroes program I decided I should join them. What better way to help support St. Jude  than to also help raise money for the hospital. My goal to reach for this fundraiser is $750. That is a pretty big goal for someone who is not good at asking people for money. However, it is for an extremely good cause and with the help of social media and the people ...

It is official: I am signed up for the 2011 St. Jude Marathon. This will be my second marathon. My first was the 2009 St. Jude Marathon. It was one of the most unique experiences I have ever had. As I have posted before I love training. Before that first marathon I really don't think I completely understood what I was getting into. I used Hal Higdon's novice training program and got advice from my running buddy Alli. During the training the MRTC Road Race Series was going on. I completed all of the races and was deemed a Road Warrior. I took some step classes as well as pilates and yoga classes. I ate better. I backed away from lifting weights a little. I was in the best shape of my life. My problem? I probably overtrained. And I went in a little cocky. As I mentioned, I was in the middle of the Road Race Series. It is a series of ten races with each race two weeks apart. Two 5ks, two 5 milers, two 10ks, two 10 milers and two half marathons in that order. I l...