Calling All Geeks!

I'm a tech geek. I may have mentioned this before, but here's just a snapshot of my geekdom:

• I have accounts on Twitter, Facebook, PodBean, Skype, Talkshoe, etc.
  
• I have 4 email accounts...that I know of.
• I'm on the fence between a Blackberry and an iPhone. I'm a Mac devotee and my life is on my iCal, but I've yet to hear anyone rave about AT&T. I'm giving serious consideration to an iPod touch and using Skype.
• I know how to use Skype.
  
• I have 2 iPods and I use them both.
  
• I subscribe to at least 20 podcasts...that I know of.
  
• I have a Garmin, but I've yet to give it a name.
• I have a pair of Bluetooth Oakleys (thanks SisterDoodle!)
  

To be fair, here's a snapshot of my coolness:

• I go to as many Husker football games as possible and can name the starters by about the 3rd game.
• I drink beer.
• I'd rather go outside than stay indoors and go online.
• I try to carry a 12 handicap in golf and have been known to hit a 300+ yard drive now and again. (quiet MomDoodle!)

Wow, the geekiness outweighs the coolness. I'm gonna have to work on that. I don't suppose blogging about it helps. But, I digress.

For the podcast next week, I want to talk to anyone out there who is a running tech geek like yours truly. If you can't live without your technology, let me know! Feel free to email me and I'll give you all the details for being on the podcast. Until then.....

My Awesomeness

Day 1 - 2 mile run
Day 2 - 3 mile run
Day 3 - 3.5 mile run
Day 4 - 3 mile run

Oh, and this entire week, I walked about 2.2 miles every day....with about 60 lbs. strapped to my back the entire time AND one of those days I had to run back to the clubhouse due to the much documented tornado warnings that prevented someone from running that day.

Hence, my awesomeness.

SSTIFY Friday

This song got in my head, but I can't embed it into my blog. Does the band think they're going to get ripped off from all of the downloads? Is the band/label that hard up? I guess SSTIFY is getting popular.

Have a great weekend everyone. On Monday, I'll explain how I'm so much better than the other two.

Again.

You would think this would get old, but it doesn't! At least not for me.

My blog. My rules.

Oh, HELL no!

A few things:

1. I'm not a sandbagger.
2. It's more of a bruised rib.
3. I injured myself before we made the rules.
4. I'm still going to win.
   

I've cracked a rib before and that hurt like a mo-fo. And it was a really cool injury, too. Normally, I get injured in an uncool way, like throwing my back whilst running to my car to make a Burger King run (true story). No, this one was a sand volleyball injury. My 6'4", 225 lbs playing partner and I got tangled at the net and we both went down in a heap. His elbow met my ribs. I got some *really* cool painkillers out of it, which was nice.

Apparently, this little running competition has become 2 on 1. Fine by me (wink wink nudge nudge, knowwhatimean)! I was willing to be supportive to the other two, but they have the maturity of 5 year olds hopped up on Dew. Trust me on that one. Chalk it up to my superb parenting skills. Whatever. On like Kong, ladies (double meaning, ahem!)

I got run #2 in. I am completely out of shape. Really? Can I lose that much conditioning by only running once a week since January and by traveling to my favorite fast food joints? REALLY???

Chalk the next 2 runs. It's on.

With One Ribcage Tied Behind my Back

Looks like it's "Game On" with these chicks. That's OK. I've already banked a run yesterday, so I opted for yoga today. I've had some mild anxiety attacks as of late so that's inhibited the mileage. Maybe I'm stressed out that my rib is cracked or bruised. Yeah, that's right...golf is a contact sport. At least when you're riding a cart and the other coach body checks you out so that he can drive and your ribs catch the handrail.

I'm just sayin'.

Here's the Deal

People a lot smarter than me kind find all sorts of quotes about taking the first step in a long journey, blah blah blah.

Well, the first step started today.

And it sucked.

Hard.

I opted for the Rubber Band of Doom because I knew this would be rough. I just didn't realize it would be this rough. Looks like I have some work to do. Which brings me to the point of this post (yes! a point!). Xenia and Cross Country Squared (whom I will now refer to as XC2) and I are in a competition. Xenia and I want to run 4 times per week and XC2...who the hell knows? All I know is that losers get to have the winner post on their blog. I've already got something drafted for each of their blogs (it definitely includes a lot swearing and possibly soft core), so this one is in the bag. Chalk it.

Of course, if there's a tie, we're leaving it up to you guys to determine the winner. Seeing as though the running blogosphere tips heavily towards the estrogen side, I'm screwed. No worries, it'll get done.

The Drunken Phoenix has Risen!

So, after the craptacular week that was this past week where I was drained on so many levels, there was only one thing left for me to do:

Drink....and drink heavily.

Some of you might have expected me to lace them up, get a long run in and I'd have left all of my problems out on the trails. Yeah, well apparently I don't run anymore. Besides, the weekend just set itself up for one night of slight debauchery. It's not like I went down to the basement, turned the lights off and got shnockered. I can't do that anymore...the kids can unlock the door. Instead, WifeDoodle and I headed out to a 40th birthday party that had great food and free booze. I immediately gave my keys to her (look at me! I'm being responsible!). Sorry, Viper, nothing quality. It was a quantity/quality issue and I went for quantity.

Lessons learned?:

• Jim Beam is an adequate substitute for Jack Daniels.
• Dewars and water helps with hydration.
• I had one beer to "mix things up a bit". I'll never do that again. It's like talking to a pitcher who's throwing a no-hitter. Why mess up a good thing?

After that, this is the week I get back out on the roads. I'd give you the details for my new found motivation, but there are others out there in blogland that are involved and we're still figuring out the details.

An Open Letter

As you may or may not know, the last episode of the LoungeCast has been pulled off of the Runners Lounge blog. I wholeheartedly agree with this decision. What was intended to be snarky at its worst, became hurtful and insulting. That's not something that I'm about and it's definitely not something that Runners Lounge is about.

Amy and Tom have worked extremely hard to make Runners Lounge an inviting place for every type of runner. I truly believe that this is why it has such an incredible and loyal following. As the producer of the LoungeCast, it's my responsibility to ensure that those same beliefs come through on the podcast. Unfortunately, it didn't. Not by a long shot. And, as a producer, it's also my editorial responsibility to decide what plays and what gets pulled. Long story short: the buck stops with me and I made a poor decision.

I've been in contact with those involved and I feel awful that those people were hurt. Again, I publicly send out my deepest apologies to them. It's easy to say, "It's just a blog/podcast", but the truth is is that people's feelings in this whole matter are very real.

Again, I apologize for my poor decision making. I can only hope that I can get past this and get back to enjoying blogging and podcasting.

Sincerely,
Matt

RazZDoodle's Lack of Motivation.....REACTION!

Normally, I don't like to post twice in one day. I like to let my prose seep into you and marinate for awhile. Consider yourselves twice-blessed my blogosphere presence today.

The reason for the second post is to respond to my blatant call for help in getting back on the road. I'm glad that only 8 of you care to respond. 'preciate that. Even MomDoodle and SisDoodle didn't offer any type of motivation. I teach mom how to blog and Sis how to ride down the stairs in a zipped-up sleeping bag and this is what I get in return. For those of you who did take time out of your hectic lives, I want to say thanks. And since you took the time, I thought I should take the time to respond:

Mrs. V:
a) I didn't give up coffee for Lent. Friends, family, students, and the greater Midwest won't allow that to happen.
b) Hell, I could sleep with my running clothes on and I don't think that'd help.
c) No one that I know of is willing to wake up at 4:30am to run. If you want to, catch the red-eye from L.A. and get your butt out here every other day.

Nitmos:
Nope, didn't take. God bless the ignore/delete/backspace button. Glad you came out of reclusion to kick my ass.

Xenia:
Another meat punch? Hmm....nah. Although the virtual humilation might work. I'm serious. I'm giving serious consideration of my version of a Virtual Run Club where, rather than encouraging one another, we humilate the crap out of each other. Anyone interested?

Vanilla:
Maybe I can just run 10 and then have the Doodle Wagon pick me up. Smart ass.

Marcy:
Vanilla's busting my balls.
1) 6 cups isn't too much? Good. Maybe we should go out for coffee some time and shut the place down. ROFLMAOSSDFAEWERQWERQWETQWERQ!!!!! :)
2) I usually bribe myself with a Venti Bold from Starbucks. Irony sucks.
3) Maybe you AND Mrs. V can come out and motivate me.

JoyRun:
You feel my pain. Thank you.

Rural Runner E:
You ran during golf practice? Nah, I have to play golf. Besides, where we play it's not uncommon to see the Omaha PD helicopter hovering from above. No lie. I can dodge flying Titleists, but not flying lead.

XC2:
Hey, I love the Lincoln race. I do. And I realize the opportunity for you to meet me would have been great for you. Just ask Vanilla.

Runners LoungeCast - Episode 17 - Laugh Tracks

This one was a lot of fun. Hey, did you hear about that guy from The Biggest Loser that only ran 23 miles? Yeah, well we beat that dead horse one more time just for good measure. We also talk about the finer points of television's most beloved sitcoms, The Golden Girls. Yeah, it's just chock-full of yummy running goodness. Enjoy!

p.s. - don't forget that we want to hear from you on the LoungeCast! (translation: I want to do less work and string a bunch of soundbites together) Call 1-888-329-2461 right now! Hell, I may even throw in a set of steak knives.

Lincoln, We Have a Problem

I'm screwed.

See, I really haven't had more than 4 runs during the week since the marathon. Oh, my intentions are good, but 4:30am is pretty damn early.

Yes, 4:30am.

People ask, "Hey, why don't you just run after school?"

There are 2 problems with that:

• Golf season is upon me and, as the coach, I'm at practice and/or tournaments every night until mid-May.
• After my day gets going, I don't want to run.
  

It's the latter that just baffles me. I had 2 days off this past week. I told myself that I'd drop the kids off, go run some errands, get a run in and go to practice. Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad. Instead, I opted to sit on my arse, get caught up on my DVR'd shows, play some Wii, etc.

A run just wasn't gonna happen.

Now that I'm back to a more regular schedule, I told myself that this is the week that I get back on track. Well, 4:30am came and went this morning. The alarm even went off and I looked at my clock and reset my alarm. I don't know how the hell I'm going to motivate myself. I've been told that when the alarm goes off, just get up and that should help. Oh, I've gotten up. I've even gone downstairs, put on the running gear, and I've still managed to work my way back upstairs and into bed.

"Screwed" is a bit melodramatic, but I just don't see the Lincoln Half happenin' for one Raz Z. Doodle. No worries, though. My main goal is just to get out there on a regular basis.

Wow, this post is really erratic. I need to lay off the coffee. Is 6 cups too much?

SSTIFY Friday

Sorry I'm late with this one. I know how much you all enjoy getting an annoying song with your morning coffee. I slept in and am now off to the golf course.

You guys can thank Cross Country Squared for this one. Don't blame me, blame her for going to Denver to hang out with cheerleaders. I guess whatever happens in Denver, stays in Denver.



I didn't realize how much JD and Oliver from the Brady Bunch look alike. Huh.

How many more pre-1980's references can I make in one post?

LoungeCast - Episode 16 - Your Mom

Actually, "Your Mom" isn't the title of the 'cast. It's "Running Moms", but I like the alternate title. Due to my plumbing issues (not a metaphor), I wasn't able to host this one. Amy bailed me out and hosted. I'm glad she did. I think it worked a lot better with 5 women talking about running moms. I'd have just gotten in the way. I often do when it comes to the ladies.

Oh, by the way...Twitter sucks. I just don't get it. I Twittered the first night of Parent/Teacher conferences and it really didn't do anything for me. At one point, I got so bored I dug through the ROATM archives and pulled up Day 1 and Day 2 of last year's PT conferences. Know what? Not much has changed....except for the me meeting a Quaker part. And I added a couple of chauvanistic comments this year. I know Twitter is all the rage, but I'm over it. Even though it probably is tailored for my bullet point style, I just don't see the draw to it. I'm very early-2000's that way. I'll stick to blogging, podcasting, emailing, etc.

As for running, I wanted to get up and run 4 miles this morning, but DogDoodle kept me up last night with his incessant whining. I'll get the miles in later this week. Besides, it was 4 degrees out this morning and getting up at Butt Crack o' Dawn thirty to run on a treadmill didn't appeal to me.

I'm Saving All My Blogs for Youuuuuuuuuu......

Tonight and tomorrow are Parent-Teacher conferences. The archaic event where parents come in and either:

A) Want to hear about how great their kids are doing
B) Want to blame me because their kid is a lazy pile.

Whatever. I'll slap on a tie and do the dog and pony show. Because I have a lot fewer kids than most teachers, I'll have some free time to catch up on blogs, make pithy comments, and find a way to get back into each and everyone's blogging hearts. There may even be a PT conference Twitter-fest if I'm up to it.

That, or I'll just go to the breakroom and mow down some mini-Snickers.

Running has taken a motivational turn for me. I've only got 9 weeks left until Lincoln, so I better kick it in the arse and get training. I think a sub 2:00:00 is out of the question, but I do want to run it WITHOUT IT band problems. For cross training, I'm considering Wii tennis and Wii fit as part of my routine. It's about 1000% cross training than I did for the last race, so I'll take any kind of progress that I can.

Other odds and ends:

• You know how you guys are always caring about other people when it comes to their races? Giving "shout outs", if you will. Well, we're "down with that" on the LoungeCast! We're trying a virtual mailbox where you can call 1-888-329-2461, leave a message and I'll put it on the next episode of the 'Cast. I'm dying to do my Larry King voice. "Butte, Montana...hello!"
  
• There's a new player in the blogosphere: MomDoodle. It's called "Just for the Health of It". She's blogging about her attempt at a healthier lifestyle. Yeah mom! I thought I'd mention it seeing as though she gave me life, cared for me, taught me how to make a Gin and Tonic at age 7. You know, the essentials.
  
• We've got some kewl stuff coming for the LoungeCast. That's all I'm sayin'.

I Just Can't Quit Myself

I know, I know. I fully expect to be raked over the virtual coals on this one. Feel free to take your shots. I deserve it. I was going to explain my to irrational decision, but that wastes too much of my time and yours.

My blog, my rules.

I would go into the fact that this heading into my stressful time of year, that my iCal now looks like a pack of Fruit Stripe gum, blah blah blah.

Essentially, I just realized a few things:

• It's just a blog. Don't be so f***ing melodramatic.
  
• Call the bartender over and order a big, tall glass of perspective.
• According to Google Analytics, I'm very big in Sweden.

At this point, you can call bullshit. Some will say this was an attention-getting stunt, but that wasn't my intent.

For now, the podcasts will still be going on strong and there will probably be more lurking than posting, but rest assured, I'll still be around. Who knows...maybe getting my virtual head out of my virtual ass will actually get me back to quality writing. Maybe even quality running. Here's hoping.

Until then, lycklig löpning

SSTIFY Friday - Don't Ask

I know, I know.....I'll explain on Monday.

For now,

TIART - The Audio Version

This week on the LoungeCast, I give an audio version of TIART a try. The Cardinal Sins of Running. Believe me, I've bent and broken a few of 'em.

Finally, after much deliberation, I've decided to hit the pause button on Running Off at the Mind. There were many factors, and - in true ROATM form - here are a few of them:

• Lack of content on my part
• Lack of running on my part
  
• Focus has changed
• Small bit of apathy (towards the blog, not towards you guys)

I want to thank all of you for letting me into your running lives. It's been fun celebrating and commiserating with you.

Crack Goes the Toilet

Shockingly, this post has nothing to do with running. Zip. Zero. Zilch. I know you have high expectations from ROATM and you cling to my every word, but oh well.

Here's what I do well:

• Shoot and edit video
• Golf
• Run
• Write
• Snark
• bow-chica-BOW-WOW

Here's what I don't do well:

• Fix cars
• Build things

I tell you this because I'm fully aware of my limitations which, as I just illustrated, are few and far between.

As of this past Saturday morning, we can add another bullet to the latter list.

Let me preface the following incident by stating that I have replaced a toilet twice before without incident. I told my wife as much before I headed upstairs to install the new head. Get it?

In our effort to be more energy efficient for 2009, we decided to replace the master bath toilet. It had been running on its own and, after replacing everything in the bowl, I just said "eff it, we're buying a new one." Besides, Lowes had one that could "flush a bucket of golf balls!". If I didn't have kids, I'd have said, "WTF?" Since I do have kids, though, it was more like, "Hey, something to do this summer."

My wife had suggested that a plumber install it, but I insisted (see statement in bold italics above). I removed the old toilet without incident. I cleaned up the old wax, debris, etc. and I placed the new bowl on the mounting bolts. I rocked it back and forth so that the wax ring could smush (technical term) to the floor and get a good seal. To ensure a damn good seal, I sat on the bowl and rocked it harder*.

*crack*

"Shit**." Bowl was fine, but the a piece flange that holds the bolts to the floor cracked off. OK, don't panic. Super glue it? Epoxy? Pray for divine intervention?

"Why did you say, 'shit'"? It turns out WifeDoodle was upstairs changing KidDoodle2 when I learned of my knew level of I'm Screwed-ness.

"Uh." I said, waiting for the Dear Lord to meld the pieces back together.***

"Why are you saying 'uh'?"

"Nothing. I don't think."

My wife walked away muttering words like "more money" and "grounds for divorce".

I relented and called plumbers. Turns out, they're more than willing to financially violate you just to look at how you 'effed up. After about 4 plumbers, one finally gave me an estimate over the phone and it was something I could live with and not have to sell a kidney. He comes over after work today. Wish me luck.

If it doesn't work out, I'll need a place to crash. Just give me your address. I don't eat much and I won't try to fix anything.

*euphamism, you pervs
**pun intended
***Wasn't giving up Starbucks for 40 days enough for you??