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...