This is who I really am.

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...

Yesterday's run was a little interesting. Not all of my runs are interesting so I don't feel the need to post about every one of them. But sometimes I will have one that sticks out and seems worthy (at least to me) of a post. If you follow me on twitter then you may have noticed that Monday I deemed this "Hell Week" for myself. I just got back from a great vacation (if you like to eat you need to go on vacation with me) and I need to get back on track with the goals I set a few months ago. I really planned on losing some weight and getting in better shape before I start training for my marathon. The marathon is in December so my training program starts in August. Well....I really haven't gotten to where I want to be so this week I am doing as much extra cardio as I possibly can. Monday's workout, along with the fact that my shoes are in need of replacement, left my feet absolutely screaming. So, monday night before I went to work I used my foot soothin...

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...

Running is my passion. No matter what kind of running I am doing at the moment I am enjoying it. I love running races. I love training for races. Running a race gives me a goal. Training for a race gives me an opportunity to achieve my goal. I look at every race as an opportunity to set an new PR. When I sign up for a race I set up my training program and decide what time I want to finish. The answer is always simple: faster than my current PR. Training gives me discipline. When I am training for a race I try to follow my program exactly. Distance, time and effort are my goals that I need to reach for each run. I always use Hal Higdon's  training programs. He has three levels of programs for novice, intermediate and advanced runners. I usually use either an intermediate or advanced program depending on my goal and where I feel I am physically. I always feel like training is more fun. Until race day comes and I am ready to rock! The adrenaline kick I get during a r...

I have always loved music. One of the things that I love about music is that sometimes you find that perfect song that seems to say what you want to say. Or maybe a song that completely expresses the way you feel or have felt. There is one band in particular that always seems to put out songs that so perfectly fit me that I swear that I must have written them in my sleep and sent them the lyrics. Our Lady Peace is the name of that band. Their music is a little on the lighter side of what I usually listen to. I have loved their music since the day I really paid attention to the lyrics. At the time I was in a really bad place. Nobody knew what was going on but I was really struggling. Like most 18-21 year olds I was trying to figure out who I was, where I was and why I was there. I am pretty sure everyone has gone through that or will go through it. For me, my way out was music. Some of the music I was listening to at that time was dark and negative. That really didn't hel...

"Gotta finish strong!" If you have ever run with me then you have probably heard me say this. No matter if it is a race, a training run or just an easy run just to get some exercise it always feels good to finish strong. For me the best way to make sure that I can be happy with my run is to finish strong. Some days you just have a hard time where you are tired and don't feel like you can keep going. Some days you might be hurting and feel like quitting. All you have to do is get to that last mile. I have heard it called "the victory lap" or "the easiest mile". I always look at it as a way to judge exactly where I am physically. When I know I have one mile left I know I can make it. Now it is time to see what I've got. I don't just take off and throw it into another gear. I start to pick up my pace a little. My adrenaline is usually starting to really kick in. Sometimes I have to fight the urge to just take off. Once I get to a half-mile I rea...

Right now I am in a bit of a funk. Right now I am having trouble getting where I want to be. I just started a new workout. The problem is that I am eating way too much. I am doing more physically than I was but the real problem is what I am eating. I know what to do. I am just having trouble making myself do it. I have been here before. The point of "something has to change". Sometimes you get to a point where you just deal with things the way they are because, well, it is just easier. You may not be happy with your body or your job or the person you are with. You may not be happy with it but you tell yourself you really can't do anything about it. But you can. Most people know that I went through a big change a few years ago. I weighed 260 pounds. I was all fat, no muscle. I didn't really feel like I could change. When I joined a weight loss competition at work I learned that I could change. 78 pounds later I was a new person. I have since added alot more weight. M...