If I Knew Then.....

*This post is in reference to Runner's Lounge Take it and Run Thursday.

If I knew then, what I know now about running:

• I would've started earlier. The physical and emotional rewards are second to none. After a run, I'm more focused, more centered and I fell 1000 times better about myself.
  
• I'd have saved up money. They say you only need a pair of shoes. Ha. Technical shirts, iPods, $$ for iTunes, socks, race entry fees, etc. It adds up.
  
• I'd have started with a running partner. I really enjoy running, but I think I'd be a lot more motivated if I had started with a partner. That way, he/she wouldn't have let me have so many excuses.
• I'd have prepped my family for what was about to come. "Oh, by the way, I'm going to set the alarm at 4:30am on Saturday morning so that I can get in an 8 mile run." baffles my wife and kids. Sometimes it baffles me, too.
  
• I'd have blogged a lot sooner. I laughed at people that wrote blogs. Who cares about my day and why should I care about yours? Now, I draw a lot of inspiration (and laughs) from those who share about their trials and tribulations out on the road. There have been numerous times when I don 't want to get a run in and then I read about how someone just got in from running in a blizzard, after being sick, etc.
  

I'm Committed

Yours truly wrote the check for my first half marathon today. It's in Lincoln, NE and, if anyone wants to join, feel free. It's a flat, fast track....at least, so I've been told. So now I'm financially committed, which is 100% different than being emotionally committed. That, my friends, is the true motivator for me.

A few random observations:

• We had rain, hail, and snow yesterday. That can only mean one thing: golf season officially starts! Needless to say, there was only a team meeting.
• I had to work 2 playoff basketball games last night.
  
• There was the priest that sported a green, felt fedora for the game. He basically looked like a catholic pimp.
• One of the supervisors for their school had "creeper" written all over him. Think Steve Winwood meets Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. *shiver* I called my wife and told her to lock our doors. He was that creepy.
  
• There was the woman who yelled, "Throw my baby the f***ing rock!" at the game. By the way, she was with child, holding a toddler, and had no shoes on. Hand to God.
  
• There was the point guard from the catholic high school that dropped an F-Bomb after getting his 5th foul. Classy. Father Pimp was not pleased.
• Yes, I know I'm probably going to hell after making these observations.
  

Junk Miles

Wow. A blazing 10:00/mile on the treadmill today. I wanted to get some miles in before the rest of the week gets chaotic. My wife's aunt funeral is this week and, not only does my wife have to deal with that, she has to deal with allllllll of the ensuing dysfunction. Yee haw. Just for my own sanity, I'm going to get a longer run (4-5ish miles) in on Wednesday, the day of the funeral. Quite honestly, I won't even care if it's -25 degrees and snowing. I'm runnin'!

Once in awhile, I ask myself why I run. I could write on and on and on about it and I may do that soon, but for now it's the sense of accomplishment. I want to be able to say that I got 5 miles in before work. I want to be able to say that I can run to work, downtown, etc. The health benefits are there as are the kewl people with whom I've been so lucky to share my ramblings. The #1 reason, though is the mental gold star I give myself after I push my own limits.

Amazing what gets into my head for a 2 mile run, huh?

I Hate Running

I missed a great opportunity to run Saturday afternoon, so I forced myself to run Sunday morning. I was not pleased. Oddly enough, I set out for a 7.5 mile run and it turned out to be 8. I guess it turned out OK. For most of the run, however, I determined why I hate running.

• I hate the fact that people say, "Well, running's cheap because you only need a pair of shoes." Really? That all depends on if you're a neutral runner, overpronator, etc. Not to mention the fact that I've spent about $20,000 on running. And that's just technical shirts.
  
• $40 to run for 2 hours? Really? And for what? A t-shirt?
  
• *note-if the entry fee goes to a great cause, so be it. I'm cool with that.
  
• I hate how I am when I miss my long run. I get downright cranky. Ask my friends, students and loved ones.
• I hate how it takes me at least 20 minutes to organize what I want to listen to on my iPod for my next run.
• I hate the internal debate I have about whether or not to run with my iPod.
• I hate the fact that I have 2 laundry piles. One for "regular" clothes and another pile for running clothes.
• I hate the fact that I spend most of my time online reading and reacting to other blogs about...you guessed it...running.
  
• I hate the fact that I know when certain bloggers have a race this weekend, are out of town on business, are sick, etc., and yet I still forget some of my student's names.
• I hate it that I know my login names and passwords for runnersworld.com, coolrunning.com, blogger.com and yet I still have to call my wife and ask for her Social Security number.
• I hate running on ice.
• I hate falling on my ass at 6:15 on a Sunday morning when I could be in bed.
• I hate the fact that I care about what I eat before I run the next morning.
  
• I hate that BBQ ribs are not my friend the night before a run.
• I hate that when I drive, I look at my odometer and yell, "Hey! I ran that far today!"
• I hate that I don't make fun of runners anymore. "I only run when I'm being chased" got me a few laughs now and then.
• I hate the fact that I know how to make a smoothie.
• I hate that my stack of Runner's World magazines out-towers my books on my nightstand.
• I hate 4:30am.
• I hate myself for hating myself for skipping a 4:30am run.
  

I hate running. And, you know what? I wouldn't change it for the world.

The 5 Stages of Treadmill Running

Back on the 'mill again today. I'm in the latter stages of this cold, so I didn't want to push it by going outside. I feel sort of remiss because I really haven't reflected much on my running, or anything else for that matter. I'll be honest, I really didn't know when I would feel like posting.

Fortunately, that all changed.

As I hopped on, I told myself 5 miles. Then, it was 4 miles...5 miles if I'm "feelin it". This got me to thinking about the stages that I go through when I'm on the treadmill. They're eerily similar to the 5 stages of grief.

• Denial - "Treadmill runs aren't so bad. I don't have to worry about weather, getting smacked by a Buick. If I want to go up a hill, I can go up a hill. If I want to run a 9:15/mile pace, I can just set the timer. No guesswork. It's actually pretty nice."
• Anger - "Jesus, I've only been running for 2 miles???!!! I think this @#$%@#@ timer is broken!"
• Bargaining - "OK, maybe if I just run 4 miles, I can sneak in 2 miles tomorrow (normally an off day) and call it even. I mean, I'm recovering from (cue echo) the most ferocious cold known to mankind.
• Depression - "This sucks. My legs hurt. My back hurts. I look like an idiot running in place. My iPod shuffle is not shuffling the way it should be. I'm never going to make 13.1 miles at this point. I don't have anything to write about in my blog. Ugh."
• Acceptance - "Well, hell. You've gotten this far. You only have .5 miles left. You've pretty much done it. Just read the closed captioning on Oprah and get it over with."
  

Actually, a nice story to go along while in the "acceptance" phase: In the weight room today, the football team had strength testing. There was a little guy, 16 years old, at most. He was squatting while having 2 of this year's captains spot for him. When he finished, one of the captains gave him a high five and told him to look at the records on the wall. After he saw that he broke a record, his face lit up and then the entire team applauded him. How cool is that? That got me through the last .5 miles in no time!

I'm still here

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. Here's a recap:

• I managed to have the cold that everyone has gotten. Bronchitis, sinus infection, etc. Needless to say, I haven't run in a week.
• Once I was vertical, we went out to eat at a Japanese restaurant where they cook the food in front of you. Our 4 year old was mesmerized the entire time. I kept wondering if the health department could shut the place down. After dicing the chicken, our chef would just wipe off his knife and then dice up the veggies. Hmm. I'm not a germophobe, but that was questionable. My hunch was confirmed immediately when we got home.
  
• Did I see Kool and the Gang perform at the pre-race show for Daytona 500? Who's the bigger sellout in this scenario? Daytona or the Gang?
• I need a gadget.
  
• More importantly, I need a run.

That's about it for now. Maybe I can add more to the blogosphere after a 5 mile run today.

Fan-damn-tastic

I woke up this morning with a nagging cough and the feeling that I just blazed through 2 packs of Marlboros. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a chest cold! Somehow, I need to take advantage of my silky, smooth voice emanating from me. Maybe I can start a podcast where I play Barry White music. Hey baby.

My last 2 runs have gotten me out of the winter doldrums, but I also think that my Monday run outside didn't help this cold.

I don't have much else to say. Yesterday's run was on the 'mill and it hit me that I'm going to have to start running in the morning soon. Spring sports practice starts soon and my afternoons will be on the golf course. Yes, not only do I teach TV, I'm also a golf coach. Sweet gig, huh?

Since I'm a slave to the bullet points (and it's been mentioned in the blogosphere more than once), here goes:

• hack
• cough
• gurgle

Oh, one more thing. If you're bored, here's a website that'll keep you busy.

http://flightsimx.archive.amnesia.com.au/

my record is 65 meters. I guarantee you that you won't get anything done for the rest of the day.

Back on Track?

Monday
3:45pm
15 degrees
5 miles
44:35
8:55/mile

It was great to get back out on the road after this past weekend. I thought about a longer run than 5, but my wife and our youngest are sick, so I offered to pick up medicine at Walgreen's. It didn't sound like it wasn't an option.

• COLD today. I'm really ready for winter to be over. I even think my mood has been affected by it. Usually, I don't buy into that, but lately I've been pretty apathetic about a lot of things. I'm hoping this run will clear some of that out and I can perk up.
• My lungs really shrunk up when I got out there. I have this recurring thing with my breathing. The doctors have eliminated bronchitis and asthma. I think they're leaning towards mild anxiety attacks. The hell? Actually, that's one of the reasons I started running. My doctor told me that I needed to manage stress. I had shoes, an iPod, and some free time at 5am. Odd thing with this whole breathing thing is that it gets better when I run, so maybe it is stress.
• Really quiet on my route. I went sans iPod, so I noticed it. I didn't miss the iPod, but I think I'll use it during long runs.
  
• Got done with my run and went to Walgreen's. Sometimes, I'll get this superiority complex after a run. It's not something I'm proud of, but it happens. I look around and think to myself, "I just got 5 miles in, did you?" From the looks of things, I think it's a safe bet that I was the only one, especially in the pharmacy.
• Is there anything worse than working the pharmacy counter at Walgreen's during flu season? Yikes. I feel bad for them. They have to deal with sick, cranky people. Our Walgreen's is notoriously late on filling prescriptions, too. That doesn't help the situation.

This week is shaping up pretty well for 4 runs. I hope to get at least 16 miles in this week. Hopefully, I'm back on track.

I apologize for the "blah" entry. That's where I'm at right now, though.

We Don't Need Another Hero

Let's just get this out of the way: I didn't run the 9 on the 9th. I just couldn't. I spent the latter half of this past week getting ready for my daughter's birthday. I was going to get it done Friday morning (wife and kids were staying home, so I didn't have to get anyone ready). No dice. Daughter woke up and wanted to start her birthday at 5:30am. Wanted to get it in on Saturday morning. No dice. 5am came and went and I opted to stay and bed and rest up. Little did I know how much I rest I would need.

Friday night - Went to the Amazing Pizza Machine with the family for daughter's official birthday. Big buffet, edible food (even with the Lenten rules in effect), LOTS of games for the kids. It was like they were prepping them for Vegas. Lots of lights, lots of games, lots of payouts (in the form of tickets), no clocks, etc. The only thing missing were waitresses offering the kids milk and juice while they were playing. Our daughter and our 7 month old had sensory overload within about 20 seconds of setting foot into the arcade.

Saturday - We had 15 kids AND their parents in our house Saturday morning. I'd recap it all, but that would take too long. It was like Thunderdome with cake. Kids everywhere. One in particular, had a good time trashing the rooms that were off-limits. She was the one that didn't have a parent. He took off after his daughter was "settled". Party ended at 1pm. I had a beer open at 1:00:01pm.

Saturday night - Yes, another party. This time, at a swimming pool. Actually, that was a lot of fun. Everyone was pretty run down by the end of the night. I poured myself a nice glass of single malt, decompressed, and went to bed.

Sunday - Birthday party #4. Very low key. Got in, ate cake, and watched him open presents.

I'm giving serious consideration to making "Birthday World Tour" t-shirts next year, complete with dates and locations. I'd make a fortune!

Today, I officially begin my HM training per Hal Higdon. Let's see if I can stick to his plan. If not, I don't think it'll be the end of my world.

Give it Up!

"Got to Got to Give it Up! Howww!!! Hep me! Good God! (indeterminable screaming)
-James Brown

That's right, folks! The World Series of Catholicism starts today. For those of you not familiar with the game, it's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, where Catholics around the world get drunk at fish fries and give something up! Here's what yours truly has considered giving up:

-Coffee
-Fast Food
-Swearing
-Beer
-Cigarettes
-Loose women

The last one didn't go over well with the missus, so we're down to the other 5. I don't smoke, so that's out. I've already had about 4 cups of coffee: that one's out for the safety of my family, my students, and mankind. Haven't had any fast food yet NOR have I had a beer....yet. Looks like fast food is the winner! So, now when I go to BK, I'll just tell them to take their time. Ha!

So what is fast food? I first thought that anything that had a drive thru. Then, I remembered that Starbucks have those. Now, I'm defining "fast food" as follows:

fast food - (n) - anything that has a drive thru AND a fryer.

*editor's note - I've opted to give up fast food and anything fried. Me without having a french fry for an extended period of time is sufficient enough sacrifice.

Crappy day already AND I can't get a run and/or work out tonight. Here's a list:

• My nice watch stopped...again. Just got it fixed and it still went out. It's a Seiko Kinetic, so I don't see how it could die.
• 2 computers in class died today and, of course, we have a deadline to meet by Friday.
• My senior producers haven't produced jack squat, so I suspended them. That went over well.
• I had to kill a story because they tried to produce the story last minute.
• I've been told to eff-off TWICE in a span of about 5 minutes during my supervision.
• I can't have fast food. Actually, that doesn't bother me, it annoys me, but things are compiling.
• No snacking. No meat. So, Slim Jims are out. Haven't snapped into one of those, but they sound good, don't they?

I need a beer and a smoke.

Sir, Please Put Down the iPod and No One Will Get Hurt

Went out for my run yesterday. Really needed it too. Needed to sort out some things out and decompress from a funky day. 4.7 miles. Again, I reflected on how anything over 4 miles was a pipe dream 2 years ago. Now, it's a Monday run.

When I run after school, I obviously have to pack my gear. 34 degree day and I had ALLLLLL the gear for it....except for gloves. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but it turned out that it kinda was. North wind on the out route, so I was really missing them then. Not so bad on the way back.

That's my running report. Nothing spectacular. And do you know why???? I'm blaming it on my iPod.

If you type "Should I Run with My iPod" on any running message board, two things will happen:

1. You'll get a minimum of about 4000 responses.
2. The responses will be about 50/50.

By no means am I anti-iPod when it comes to running. Hell, I have 3 of them (one's a loaner). I even think that the iPod is the main reason for the current resurgence in running. If an iPod gets you out on the road or in the gym, then use it by all means. Just as long as you are aware of your surroundings (almost learned that the hard way).

When I started running, I had to bring it with me. It helped me block out the fact that I was gasping for air. One morning, though, I left my iPod at school. It was probably one of the best runs I've had. I got to think about my day, reflect on the previous day, and get some things done mentally.

I'll go back and forth on bringing the iPod. I have to find a happy medium. I have to use it for treadmill runs and I might be able to do without it for the long runs. Although, at some point it might dawn on me that I've been running for over an hour.

So, my conundrum continues.

Morning Insanity

"Waking up just an hour early (to run) can honestly change your life." - P.O.M.

Yesterday, I thought that I probably would be putting up the Big Zero for miles this week. Then, I thought, "Well, I could probably run Friday morning." I was committed. Brought out all of the winter gear for a frigid run. Here's a rundown:

• 4 year old gets up and informs us that she has to go potty. So much for getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep. If I go back to bed, I'm not getting this run in.
  
• Downstairs I go. "7.5 degrees"....farenheit. Ugh.
• Turn on the TV to watch The Weather Channel just to get another temperature. 10 degrees, no wind. Well, it's better than 10 degrees with 15mph winds and snow. For a split second, I think about going back to bed, but then I'd have to take off all of my running stuff, take out my contacts, etc. Too much work at this point.
• Holy **** it's cold out here!
• No face mask-thingy. Maybe I can get one on clearance soon. I'm thinking that this has to be one of the last single digit mornings, right? I mean, it's February, so we're almost out of the woods. RIGHT???????? I live in the Midwest, so I know better.
  
• Off I go. My intent was 3.5 miles today, but with the temps and the fact that my lungs are freezing up, I'll just go 3.
• I took my "old route". It brought back memories when I was a devoted follower of the C25K program. I thought back to when I dreaded my first 20 minute run. Good times.
• I took to the streets because people in this town don't shovel their sidewalks. City ordinance, people! Before I ran, this didn't matter to me at all.
  
• I get the feeling that the few people that are on the roads think I'm certifiable. To pass the time, I try to read their minds.
• "Gladys, there's someone stretching by our mailbox. He's dressed in black and is wearing a stocking hat and gloves."
• "Is he wearing a ski mask?"
• "No"
• "Then he's an idiot, dear. Go back to bed."
• "Why is he running at 5 in the morning? Did his car break down? Should I stop to see if he's OK? Nah."
• "Whoa. Where's he going and why aren't the police chasing him?"
• "This guy is a f***ing moron. Get a life, loser."
• Finish my run in 28:25. 9:00 miles. Not bad considering.
• Wife and 4 year old are awake when I get home.
• 4 year old: "Where did you go daddy?"
• Me: "I went jogging."
• 4 year old: "You're crazy, daddy!"
• That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?

A few other random observations:

• Is it a requirement to be pregnant when you work for The Weather Channel? What the hell is in the water there? If I were working there, I'd be pissed cuz I'd be chipping in "just a few bucks" every 10 minutes for a baby gift.
• At Starbucks this morning, I opened the door for a guy and, in return, I was expecting him to let me get ahead of him in line. Note that "expecting" is in italics. It takes him at least 3 minutes to order. 2 minutes figuring out what they have and then another minute just reciting the order. To paraphrase Bill Maher, "The longer your order at a coffee shop, the more of an (expletive) you are."
• Thankfully, I got ahead of 6 high school girls.
• Girl 1: "So, what's a mocha like?
• Girl 2: "It's like, chocolatey and soooo yummy."
• Girl 3: "I get a latte."
• Girl 1: "What's that like?"
• WHITE NOISE

Hope to get a semi-long run in tomorrow morning before weekend chaos begins.