A Big Goose Egg

Well, I've resigned myself to the fact that I probably won't be running this week (unless I can get one in tomorrow morning). With the kitchen remodel and the entire household being sick, there's just no time at all. I return to the roads on Monday with a new sense of motivation. In the meantime, I have been tagged by Topher.

Ten Years Ago Today
I was living in Phoenix working at a local TV affiliate as a photog/editor. I would love to be in Phoenix this week. My sister and some friends are going to the NFL experience and the Bud Bowl.

5 Things on my To-Do List
Didn't know if this was an "all-time" to do list or a "this week" to do list. I can't imagine anyone would want to read about how I need to get groceries.
All-Time:
-Run a marathon
-Attend all 4 major golf events (Masters, U.S. Open, British, PGA)
-Travel to Ireland
-Attend a mass given by the Pope. (preferably in Vatican City)
-Travel Route 66

Snacks I Enjoy
-Snickers Popables
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Peanut Butter Granola Bars
-Planters Peanuts

Things I'd Do if I were a Billionaire
-Set my kids up with a trust fund so they don't have to worry about money
-Tell my kids they don't get the money unless they go to school, get a job, and work for a living.
-Buy a plane (and hire a pilot) so my wife and I can do the things on my all-time Top 5 list.
-Have Warren Buffet close Nebraska Furniture Mart and Borsheims for one day so my wife and I can go shopping.
*note - Warren actually did this for Bill Gates. Why should I be any different?
-Keep teaching.
-Buy a golf course.
-Buy a house near/at Augusta National.
-Donate on an annual basis to charities/schools of my choice.

Three of My Bad Habits
-I interrupt people
-I procrastinate
-I don't listen well

5 Places I've Lived
Omaha, NE
Iowa City, IA
Phoenix, AZ
Lincoln, NE
Tempe, AZ

5 Jobs I've Had
Videographer/editor
Newscast Director
DJ
Teacher
Commercial Producer
Golf Technician (it sounds a lot cooler than it actually is)

5 Things People Don't Know About Me
-I have a running blog (most of my friends don't know I have one)
-I'm a closet American Idol fan
-I hate talking on the telephone
-Clowns scare the bejeezus out of me
-I've never had a hole-in-one and I'm jealous that my mom has had 5 or 6 (I've lost count)

So, do I tag someone(s), now?

How NOT to Spend a Day Off...Part 2

• RRRIIINNGGGG!!!!!
• It's my wife. We talk about a backup plan if we have no water for the night. In-laws or a hotel. I opt for the hotel. The last thing I need to see first thing in the morning are my in-laws. They don't even own a coffee pot.
  
• **Call waiting**
• Installer calls me to tell me there's another problem. The laminate tiles aren't matching up and I need to come home and make a decision.
• Get home and he tells me that, when the tiles don't match up, there's a good chance that the laminate can chip if someone drags a chair or drags their feet. He gives me options:
• Lay down the floor and the furniture company assumes no responsibility if the floor gets chipped. Nice.
• Reselect a new floor.
  
• Call wife and tell her of our NEW situation.
  
• She leaves work, I leave home, and we haul ass to the furniture store to make a decision. The installer calls and tells me that if we can decide today, he can pick up the materials and start first thing tomorrow morning. Points for the installer.
• We talk to a lady at customer service at the furniture store to set things up. She gets up to pick up a print out, and we see the greater portion of her ass. I could've dropped a silver dollar in that crack. My wife and I can't keep from laughing.
  
• I take 5 (!) samples home. I take at least 25 pictures and email them to my wife so that can decide from work.
• Decision made. Called everyone involved.
• Water is still shut off at the house.
• This is where reason flies past me. I decide that the water that was shooting out from underneath the dishwasher was leftover H2O in the line.
  
• I turn on the main water line.
• Nope. Still gushing water.
• Run (see I told you there was running) back downstairs to shut off valve.
  
• I go to Lowe's to buy 2 caps to cap off the water line. Just in case one doesn't fit.
  
• I go home.
• I go back to Lowe's to try 2 more caps.
• Repeat these steps 3 more times.
• Finally, I go to Home Depot. Eff you, Lowe's
• Guy at Home Depot says the plumbing experts don't come in until 5pm. Fan-friggin'-tastic.
• Tells me to buy a valve and replace that.
• If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not very handy around the house.
  
• Home Depot Guy: "You got a wrench?"
• Me: "Yeah."
• HDG: "You can install the valve."
• Thanks for the pep talk.
• Go home, install valve and voila! We have water! No floor and all of our appliances are scattered throughout the house, but a moral victory for me!

The sad thing is, throughout all of this ordeal, I'm telling myself:

• Self: "This is going in the blog."

All for this (the purple part is the underlayment):

How NOT to Spend a Day Off....Part 1

What you are about to read has absolutely nothing to do with running, save for me running up and down stairs in my house.

My wife received a good bonus at the end of the year and she'd been itching to remodel something in the house. Sure, we've splashed some paint in the bedrooms, bathrooms, etc., but nothing extensive. So, she chose a kitchen floor which, I must admit, was a great choice.

My intention was to take the day off, let the installer in, help him move the appliances out, and get some much needed work done. No, really.

Instead, here's what happened:

• Installer calls me 5 minutes after dropping the kids off at daycare.
  
• Installer: "With the bad weather (-15 degree wind chill) and the winds (35-40mph gusts), would you mind if we pushed back the install until tomorrow? I have to cut the flooring so that it'll fit and I usually cut outside."
• Me: "Yeah, I kinda took today off. You can use my garage, though."
• Installer: "OK, if you don't mind."
• I didn't mind. I just wanted to get this started.
• Let him in, moved the appliances. I bolted for Starbucks.
• Got back home, sat down and checked emails.
• Installer: "Um, there's a problem."
• Is there anything worse than hearing that from an installer? My Spidey senses immediately start to tingle.
• He tells me that we have to move the dishwasher because the old floor goes ALL the way underneath it. Why, I have no idea. He also tells me that, due to the potential threat of the furniture store getting sued for flooding my house, he can't disconnect the dishwasher.
• Have you ever disconnected a dishwasher? Neither have I.
  
• Much like my teaching, I'm going to have to learn on the fly.
• Disconnect power to diswhasher: check
• Shut-off valve under sink: check
• Detach wires from dishwasher: check
• Unscrew copper piping from dishwasher and start to see animals walk by in 2s onto an ark: check.
• Ran downstairs to shut off main water supply.
• Installer tells me that the subfloor is really wet and we need to get it dry.
• No shit.
  
• I bum a fan off of our daycare provider.
• Once things have settled down, I go to Target to do some grocery/essentials shopping.
• Before I leave, I tell him to call me if there are any issues.
  
• I pray that my phone doesn't ring.
• RRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!
  

Stay tuned for Part 2! Maybe even a Part 3!

Biohazard!

It (the flu) started with my son and it's spread. I'm 99% sure that I'm next. Light headed, no discernible appetite. That's usually the order of things. STAY AWAY!!!!! Pretty soon, I'm going to call the HazMat team in.

I did, however, manage to sign up for my first 10 mile run. Once I financially commit to a race, I don't look back. Now I just need to commit to the HM. I probably will next month.

Must...run....soon!

Missed my long run today and probably won't be able to get out this weekend. Sick kid and a really full schedule are my excuses. Nevertheless, I still feel obligated to post something.

• I just went to Gmaps and realized that, if need be, I could run to school (6.5 miles). I have to be there tonight because of girls/boys basketball games. Hmmmm.......Might need to, too. If I get there late, I'm parking in Iowa. Here's what's going on at the school:
  
• The aforementioned basketball games
• Big swimming invite
• Regional Show Choir competition
  
• Test drove the new iPod touch this week. See, I'm a gadget freak. I've said this before, but if it lights up, blinks, and makes noises, I have to have it. I'm trying out the Touch because I'm trying to organize, school, home, and business (click here for a shameless plug). Anyway, my entire life is on my iCal on my MacBook and this little bugger just syncs up with it PLUS I can enter events on the iPod. That, and I can show off my movies to clients. See my justification? I doubt that Apple and Verizon will ever get along, so I'm going to have to do something. "Hey, how about a $20 planner?" they ask. "But it doesn't light up!" is my response. $300 at my local Apple retailer. Yikes.
• I think there's a "You Know You're Addicted to Blogging When.." post in my future.
• I passed on the Trek Up the Tower run. $45 to run up stairs is pretty steep (pun intended). I'm sure it's for a good cause, but I'm going to pass.
• A minimum of 5 runs was my goal this year. Here's how it's shaping up:
• State Farm 10 miler
  
• Lincoln National Guard Half Marathon
• Husker 5K (it used to be the Coach Callahan run, but since we canned his ass, I'm hoping the run will continue. I say "we" because I've yet to find someone in this state that wanted him around another year.)
• Corporate Cup Run (10K)
• Race for the Cure (5K)
• Des Moines Marathon (still a maybe on that one)
• Gotta go figure out the strategy for running to school today. Still "hmm"ing on that one.
  

So You've Decided to Run....

The following announcement from Running Off at the Mind does not necessarily reflect all runners or their advertisers:

So you've decided to run. First off, good for you! You've read about all of the benefits, it's a new year, etc., etc. Well, here's what you need to know from a 1 year veteran:

1. Buy shoes. They really help when you're on concrete. More specifically, buy shoes from someone who knows what the heck they're talking about. If Cubby is in the corner of the MegaSports store texting his girlfriend, that store's probably not for you. Go to store that specializes in running. It's worth the few extra dollars.
2. Find a program that works for you. Don't expect to crank out a 5 mile run right off the bat. That is, of course, you're a Marine or something. Take it easy. Couch to 5K got me started/addicted.
3. You're going to have bad runs. Deal with it. Learn from it. Don't dwell on it.
   
4. Races tell you a lot about yourself.
   
5. Buy as much running crap as possible. Technical shirt, running shorts, moisture wicking socks, an iPod WITH the Nike + software, reflective wristbands, aforementioned shoes, sunglasses, compression shirts, wind pants, wind jacket, hat, gloves, tights, etc. Basically, anything that says Under Armour or Nike, buy it.
   
6. You're going to have an "a-HA" moment at some point. You're going to be running, asking yourself why the hell you're doing this and then, it'll hit you. That's your a-ha moment.
7. Run outside. It's a LOT more fun than the treadmill.
8. Make friends and play nice. Find a running group.
9. Blogs are you friends. Addictive, but funny and helpful.
10. Have fun!
    

Things That Go "Creak" in the Night

• Bad run yesterday. Our schedule is messed up due to scheduling conferences (different than the typical Parent-Teacher "my son's failing and you're the problem" conferences). Consequently lunch was a little earlier and I didn't eat before my 4:30pm run. My good intentions had me going another 4 mile treadmill run, but I only got 2.6.
• Hope I can get a short run in on Thursday and then my long run on Friday. I may have to consider morning runs again. My schedule after school is starting to fill up. Won't get better when the spring sports season starts.
• I'm really sore this morning. I even had to resort to Advil.
  
• Stairs are the enemy. I actually can hear myself creak. Yikes. How old am I?
  
• Wednesday = rest day
• My first race is in late-March. 10 miler in Lincoln. It'll get me ready for the HM in May.
• Wow, this is the most boring post of all-time. Maybe I should just delete it and wait for inspiration.
• Nah.
  

The Golden Post

I really didn't get the whole point of blogs. When I was doing research for my masters degree, we were supposed to research up and coming technologies that were going to revolutionize the way we teach. I stumbled upon both blogging and podcasting. Podcasting really appealed to me. More gadgets used. If it lights up and it looks cool, I want it. Besides, I was in college radio, so I had a knack. Well, after producing a couple of A-W-F-U-L podcasts, I opted to merely listen to as many podcasts as possible.

Blogging never interested me. I saw the value it had for improving writing skills, but why in God's name would anyone want to read what I had to say and/or think? Seemed pretty pointless.

That was until I listened to a podcast.

Phedippidations (see Links column) is something I normally listen to during my long runs. During one episode, he went on and on about the value of running and blogging. A fellow Red Sox fan wouldn't let me down, right? Fine, I'll give it a shot. Maybe it would be good for me to jot down some things that go on in my head. For awhile, I was content with my blogging and then I started reading others. And then people started commenting on my blog. Wow! People are reading!

So what I've found is that, after a meager 50 posts, I'm a part of a great community. Full of support and laughs. Honestly, there are some days that I don't want to run, but I do anyway because either someone has unknowingly kicked me out the door to do it or I just wanted to justify posting again. Thanks to all that have read and commented, especially the "regulars":

-Topher (I'll Run for Donuts) - fantastic insight and the only one I know of that actually admits he subscribes to this silly blog. I'm actively looking for a donut vending machine on eBay. My students thought that that was the coolest thing ever!
-Vanilla (Half Fast) - one of the first blogs I subscribed to. Very funny and an even bigger Nebraska fan than I am!
-P.O.M. - Very funny and a great perspective on many things. Even though I'm a GUY, I enjoy this chick blog. Ha ha. (I'll let it go now).
-Frayed Laces-I started reading her blog when she was injured. After the doctors rebuilt her, she'll be even stronger. (cue Six Million Dollar Man music)
-Non-Runner Nancy (Notes of a Non-Runner) - always glad to see/hear from her. No pictures on the blog yet, but the kids may make a cameo soon. I'm still contemplating the DM Marathon in October.
-Christine (Runnin Duff) - she's in grad school AND she still runs...sometimes twice a day! Plus, her blog includes Nike + graphics. I'm trying to justify updating to an iPod nano just so I can buy the Nike+ kit. I'm jealous!

I know that there are probably some that I've missed and I apologize. It's been a fun 50 posts with many more to come. Thanks!

A Running Tally

Let's take a look at my day, shall we?

• Monday morning...early. For some reason, wife is still P.O.'d at me. A carryover from last night. Still don't know why. -0.5 miles
• Got 4 year old out of bed and managed to get breakfast in her. +0.5 miles
• 4 year old decides that she doesn't want to get dressed. Rips off her clothes. I pray to God that it's not foreshadowing. -0.5 miles
• Now wife and 4 year old are pissed. I take off for work. -1.0 miles
• Venti bold from Starbucks. +.25 miles.
• Teacher behind me pays for it! +1 mile
• Teaching on MLK Day. Controversial? You bet! "Living The Dream" is the theme this year. I'm livin' it. -.25 miles
• Actually got something accomplished with both my juniors and sophomores. +.5 miles
• Growing suspicion that my senior producer is lying to me. -2.0 miles
• Meat loaf for lunch plus homemade chocolate chip cookies. +.25 miles
• Argument with students about whether Show Choir is a sport. Give me a ****'n break. I win argument hands down. +.25 miles
• Ran 4 miles. +4 miles
• Upon arriving home, found out my dog crapped all over the basement. - 2.0 miles
• Dog has "intestinal distress". -2.0 miles
• We have no doggie shampoo. -.25 miles
• I get my son to laugh. +2.0 miles.

By my account, I'm up .25 miles. Not bad. Tomorrow, I only have to run 1.75 versus the full 2, right?

Long Run Ramblings

Some very random thoughts whilst running on the treadmill yesterday:

• Had a fun competition with my students. We got around to talking about songs that get stuck in your head. They tried to get some stuck in mine, but quite honestly, that's like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Their music was more cheesy than "it's going to be stuck in my head all day". They threw in some "really old" songs like:
• You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
• Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel
• Here's what I threw at 'em:
• Don't Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
• Love Me, Love Me, Say that You Love Me - the Cardigans
• Loving You, Is Easy 'Cuz You're Beautiful - no idea on the artist
• Brother Song - Weird guy from Wednesday's American Idol. I'd post it, but then I would get that song in my head. If you'd like, you can click here.
• I won. You're probably thinking, "Good use of class time, there." Actually, my kids are in my room even if there isn't class. It's like a lab, really. It's pretty nice because then the kids can come in, work on other homework or their stories. Of all the complaining I do about them, I'm really pretty lucky. Did I just say that?
  

• What's the minimum amount of time one can spend at a Barnes and Noble? Can you just "get in and out" in under 20 minutes? I like to read. I mean, I can't discuss the nuances of The Iliad or anything, but I know the process is left to right, top to bottom, turn page, repeat. What is it about B&N? Maybe it's the Starbucks. I think they pump something into their stores. Kinda like a Vegas casino.

• Do we really need Game Plan on High Def DVD? Has anyone really said, "Well, this movie is good and all, but I need to see The Rock's pores in the last scene.
• I think shoveling needs to be posted in "My Latest Workouts". Anyone in the Midwest or North knows what I'm talking about. A high of 8 degrees is expected for tomorrow. 8. That's the warmest it's going to be. Fun fun! More treadmill runs in my future. Yeah!
  

New Digs

I'm throwing caution to the wind and am just moving into my new digs. Missing widgets be damned! I'm working on some other stuff. Hey, it beats teaching the little cherubs. Nothing groundbreaking. I was always told by my professors that when you have new toys/effects, make sure the story is still told. Screw that. I'm trying to dress up this pig. :)

Who knows? Maybe I'll even write about running at some point. Novel concept!

Well, That's Just Great!

I got a wild hair today to tinker with my template. Nice job, idiot. At one point, I had a Lincoln Continental on my header. What the hell??????

Now, I've managed to lose most, if not all, of my customizations. (not as if there were many in the first place). So much for spiffin' up the joint. Any recommendations and/or links? Much appreciated!

Just One More

My day was setting up for a good run. Our 4 year old had pushed us to the edge the night before (Damien, put the dog down, Damien), the weather was brisk, and I was just ready. I started getting into my warm clothes and noticed no hat or gloves. Like I said, the weather was brisk, but I still needed the trusty hat and gloves. However, because I am SO prepared (er....lucky), I had a change of clothes for the treadmill. Soo...I was a little deterred, but off I went.

Crap. No iPod to drown out the little cherubs.

Holy crap. It's like 80 degrees in here.

Holy holy crap. I'm the only teacher in here.

I start up and then another teacher gets on the treadmill next to me. We talk about this and that and then we start talking about being in training for the same HM. She then asks me how many miles I'm going to do today. I say 4.

She says 5.

There is NO WAY I'm doing less miles. NOW I'm committed to a 5 miler.

Not only that, but I look at her pace: 6.5

I move mine up to 7.0. And crank up the incline to 1.0.

After our little competition, we settle in and give each other about as much encouragement as you can when you're on a treadmill. All in all, a good run except for the fact that I didn't have a technical shirt and the cotton shirt was a little smaller than I would like (read: chafing). I'll just leave on that image.

The Longest Run

Thought I'd get back out there and finish up my week on a much more positive note. 6.5 miles yesterday. 6.5. It wasn't until about mile 5 that I realized that 6.5 would be my longest run....ever. I then started to reflect on how I got started running and all of the trials and tribulations that have gone with it.

It was a good run. I got to decompress after a crappy week. The first week back from break is tough. I don't know who hates it more: the kids or the teachers.

How do I celebrate my longest run to date? By treating myself to one of these:

Yep, the Elvis sandwich. Follow me on this:
-Whole wheat bread (grains)
-Turkey bacon (protein)
-Banana (fruit)
-Peanut Butter (more protein)

That's my justification and I'm sticking to it.


Other random thoughts:
-I need to get this guy back outside for a run. This is my dog, Maxfli. He's a really great dog, but he gets a little too excited when it comes to running. Last year, I used to take him out for 3-4 mile runs, but I think I overdid it and got an injury (ITBS). Max only knows 2 speeds: the one you see in the picture and then a dead-ass sprint. I think if I can devise a 2 mile route for us, I'll be fine. He's a good dog and he deserves it!



-I'm trying to organize a running group at school. Listening to my iPod is great on long runs, but I have a feeling that my motivation will soon wane on my way to training for the HM. I've never run with someone else, so it should be interesting. 4pm Tuesday is when we take off. Don't know if I should've set a distance or not.

Ugh

*note - the following post is PG-13 at best.

In a span of about 30 minutes today at school, I was called an "asshole" TWICE and a "racist" once. At no point in my 10 years in broadcasting was I ever called either of those 2 names and I worked with quite a variety of people. Needless to say, this doesn't help the mood I've been in. It really makes me wonder why the hell I'm even in the teaching profession at all.

So what did I do? I ran my ass off. I'm calling it a "Red Ass Run". Whenever I did something with a little extra effort, my parents would say, "Well, that had a little red ass on it, didn't it?" It was only 2 miles tonight (long run tomorrow), but it was about 1 minute per mile faster. Seemed to help a little bit. Kept my assholish/racist mind busy.

On a MUCH lighter note, I read an archived article from one of my favorite columnists, Bill Simmons. It's his take on being a spectator of the Boston Marathon. Made me laugh. Thought I'd share.

Sloshing On the Slush

Went out on a run today after school. My hope was that I'd get out of this little funk I'm in and I could clear my head. I took a new route and was doing pretty well. I love new routes. I feel like Lewis and/or Clark when I do that.

All was well until about mile 3. That's when the hardened slush caked the sidewalk. Some of you are thinking, "Well, why didn't you just run around the slush?" I would've loved that option, believe me. In fact, here were my options:

1. Turn around. I determined that I was committed and I wasn't Nancying out on this one (no offense to any readers named Nancy)
2. Veer to the right. Nope. More snow and the neighbors wouldn't like it. I half-expected an old guy in a rocking chair and a shotgun yelling, "Geet offa mah land!"
   
3. Veer to the left. Not crazy about running on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city. I don't need to get smacked by a Chrysler, thank you very much.
4. Plod ahead and pray to God I don't twist an ankle.

#4 was the only viable option and I plodded ahead. Not too bad, but I'm sure my ankles and calves will feel this in the morning. Long post short, I managed to clear my head and I feel a little better than I did at the end of my day, thank you very much.

As I ran, I think I came up with some future posts if nothing with any depth and/or substance comes to me, so stay tuned. I'm sure you're going to be refreshing this page every 30 seconds or so to see what I've come up with.

Wanted: Motivation

I have to admit it. I'm gaining a newfound respect for those that can write/post something on a daily or semi-weekly basis. I'm experiencing some major post-block. I'm thinking that some apple juice or prunes should take care of it. Nevertheless, here are some random thoughts since the last blog:

• I managed to get a 6 mile run in on Saturday morning. It was dark when I started and it felt really desolate. I think that's because most sane people are still sleeping. Seeing as though our 4 year old now likes to get up uber-early and our 6 month old likes to do the same, I needed to get my long run in before our Saturday began. It was cool, though. The trail that I take has a railroad track next to it and 2 trains passed by. (insert Superman reference here) A good run at a decent pace.
• I need some valid reasons to get excited about this semester. My seniors are on the downslide (senioritis in 3...2...1...) and my juniors have yet to thrill me. The only unknown are my sophomores. New group this semester. I have high hopes for this bunch. If 1st semester is any indication, it could be fun. Stay tuned.
• I'm back and forth on half marathon or a marathon in May. I'm leaning toward the HM and I had better make up my mind to get training for the appropriate mileage.
  
• 4 runs this week - 3.5, 3.5, 2, and 6. That's the goal.
• Another resolution that I didn't previously post was to get organized. I bought an organizer last fall and I fell off the wagon. I need to use that. I started writing my mileage in the organizer to get me out either after school or 1st thing in the morning.

OK, really boring post after re-reading it. Hopefully, I can be more pithy later on. GO LSU! Go Bo Pelini!

The Bullet Points Run Amok!

Well, I'm going to scratch out this blog posting. Who knows? Maybe one of the bullet points will turn into a full-blown blog posting. I doubt it, though. I'm back at school getting ready for the little cherubs, so my motivation is at an all-time high. yeah.

Random observations:

• Where's the best place to steal a car? In front of any Starbucks. I went in to enjoy my usual (Venti bold, no room) and I noticed 3 unattended cars running. Not ONE of them under $40,000, either (2 BMW's and an Acura). Hmmmm......
• Running in a 25 mph crosswind is a treat. How do I log that? 4.5 miles forward and 2 miles to the left?
• I can make chili in less than 20 minutes....and it's damn good!
  
• The Crock Pot has to be one of the Top 5 inventions of all time.
• I love my new running pants. If I didn't have a meeting today with a local news director, I'd be wearing them right now. Hell, I'd probably be in them until I had to go back to school on Monday.
• My friend wants me to compete in The Trek Up the Tower in February. 40 floors for $45. I think that would be considered cross training for the HM, huh? How does that work exactly? We all race up stairs? Wouldn't a lot of us get pummeled at the beginning? I hate the beginning of a road race, so I can only imagine that this would be much more chaotic.*note - I chose the worm's eye view of the tower to make it look much more menacing.
  

I saw that I have 8 subscribers now. An all-time high, ladies and gentlemen! Thanks to all that keep reading. I'm sure the above bullet points don't help. I'll try to post a cohesive and coherent thought next time.

P.S. - I've noticed a lot of cool blog layouts out there. If anyone can point me in the direction of where I can find good ideas on how to shnazz up this blog, I'd be more than appreciative! Or, if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Be gentle, though. I'm pretty fragile.

2008 Goals

I've been enjoying 2008 for about 20 minutes now, so I might as well post some goals so that I can refer back to them at some point. Last year, I wrote them down somewhere in a "2007 Runner's Log" (gift from sister), but I can't find them. I'll blame that on this very short and cute kid.



This year's theme is Quantity over Quality. Nevertheless, here are my Running Goals for 2008:

• Lincoln Half Marathon. Run it and finish it. NO WALKING.
• At least 3 runs per week.
• At least 1 day a week for cross training.
  
• Run in at least 5 races.
• Run in at least 2 Fun Runs.
• Des Moines Marathon. Contingent upon (HM goal)
• Post to blog at least twice a week.

I've got to say that, in the short amount of time that I've been blogging, it's been an absolute blast reading all the different types of blogs out there. It's nice to know there are people out there that have to balance all the same things that I do and can still manage to get their miles in. It's been inspirational and hilarious at the same time. I look forward to reading more in 2008. I wish everyone a healthy and Happy 2008!