It's over. I'm done.

The marathon is now only 8 weeks away. I am smack dab in the middle of my training and to be honest, I have been miserable. The training has taken away from my fall race goals. It has worn me out and made me tired. It has been gnawing away at me for the past 2 months. I trained every day last week without rest. Wrapped up the week with three 8 mile runs a 10K race on Saturday and an 8K race on Sunday. It's getting dark at 4pm. It looks like midnight when I get home at 5pm. I'm forced to run on poorly lit sidewalks and wait an eternity at multiple intersections for a walk signal in which I must incorporate all my senses as to not get run over even though I have the right of way. The weather is getting colder and it's likely to rain on many of my upcoming runs. So It's over. I'm done.

I'm done being a mamby pamby jackwagon in need of a tissue. My crybaby mantra of "It's too hard", "I'm too tired", and "I'm bored" is over. It's time for me to man up. I set a goal and I'm going to go after it. I'm all in! I'm going to go after it with the same drive and determination I went after my weight loss. There are many distractions that I'm going to have to deal with and overcome. Poor food choices and inadequate sleep being the top two. My goal of 3:45 just became sub-3:45. I'm going to hit the gym and weight train on my cross training days. I'm going to cut soda and coffee completely out of my diet. I'm going to follow my training plan and run slow when I'm supposed to run slow, and fast when I'm supposed to run fast and rest when I need rest.

I know it's going to be hard. Losing weight was hard. Quitting smoking was hard. Eating healthier was hard. Thanksgiving is coming up. That's going to be hard. I'll be going out of town and need to find a place and time to log some miles. That will be hard. I am all about defeating HARD. I already know that overcoming things that are hard is massively rewarding. I love the opportunities that come up where I get to talk about beating my situations. Talk about paying dividends. Nothing is more rewarding to me than inspiring someone else to positive change. You are my drive, you are my motivation. So it's over; I'm done with the negative path.

Run strong my friends,

Bob

Marathon Training Update

This is training week 8 of 16 of my marathon training. The halfway point. Let me tell you, the training looks a lot easier on paper. I have 5 more weeks until the taper. Two 20 mile runs and a 22 mile run with a 12 and a 16 peppered in for my long runs. I've reached the point where my daily runs are no less than 8 miles.

I am tired. Even worse, I'm bored. 2 hours is just grueling right now. It's not fun, it's not enjoyable, it's barely even tolerable. The good news is: I knew this was coming. The bad news is: I should of prevented it and I didn't. It's not the training plan that got me, it was all the running up to the training plan. I never gave myself a break. I've had my foot on the accelerator since June and I haven't let up. As a result, I haven't really enjoyed the last few races and the performance has been very sub par. The longer training runs are really testing my mental endurance. I'm running dangerously close to burn-out. Which scares me. I love running.

There is hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm going to focus on it. I entered the marathon not to finish it, but to race it. I have a set an aggressive first marathon goal for myself 3:45 or bust. My training and previous races tell me I should be able to do it in 3:30, I've left myself some room for the unexpected, but I'm going to push hard to reach that goal. Second, I'm planning a nice break from running after the marathon. It will be a time of recovery and planning. I want to share my love of running with even more people. I want to teach people how to run. Get people running that never thought they could. I have plans and ideas that need to be worked out. Some time off will help me focus on that. I look forward to all of these things and I will remind myself the next time I falter during a long run that there are multiple goals now.

I'm really sorry for painting such a horrible picture of marathon training. It really is different for everyone. The training program for someone looking to finish a marathon is still some work, but not as torturous as what I'm putting myself through.

My wife should be blogging her experience. She is training for the same marathon as I am, but because of injury set-backs earlier this year she wasn't able to run the volume of miles that I have or race many of the longer races. I've had 3 half marathons and 2 10 mile races. She just finished her first half marathon last weekend, which in turn was the longest distance she ever ran. Previous to this training her longest run was 6.2 miles. She logged 85 miles for October and this weekend she's going to log a 15 miler. She has done amazingly well and will no doubt have a strong marathon in January. She is my current inspiration. If she can come so far in such a short amount of time; what's my excuse?

1,000 Miles of Action

Since my return to running in 2008 I have officially logged 1,000 miles. (Thanks for pointing that out Joel). 700 of those miles have been from this year alone. I got off to a pretty slow start with injuries early on in '08 and '09. Thankfully things have really come together in '10.

As much as I love running it's taken a lot of motivation and dedication to actually run those miles. Especially this marathon training ugh!! The love of the sport has lead me to read all kinds of running books, websites, articles and blogs. I've watched countless video's on the sport. I've learned about our bodies bio mechanics and physiology. I know all kinds of training regimen's for any distance you want to train for, and don't even get me started on all my nutritional knowledge! Yes, I am a running guru. Not a master guru by any means but a guru. Because not only do I have the knowledge, but I have the wisdom of actual experience to go with it.

So, recently I've been bitten by this action bug. The social network has been pretty annoying to me lately. With all the copy pasta this for 1 hour, or if you support, or 93% of you won't etc... Come on! It's great that you support some cause, but really. If you want to show support do something more than work your pinkie finger and forefinger to hit ctrl C, ctrl V and push the update status button. Find some way to take action or get involved. Use your God given time, treasure and talents.
Then there's the inspirational quotes. I do love those, but again. They are feel good, warm and fuzzy moments. That really don't do a thing for anyone. Don't get me wrong. The whole social scene isn't all bad. I do enjoy keeping up with friends family and acquaintances. I just think the world could use a little less rehashed thought and a lot more action.

I do have a point I'm going to get to. I just need to put a few more puzzle pieces in so you can understand the picture even if the puzzle isn't finished yet. Tying back into this social network thing and action is this post that my pastor put up on his blog that he read on another blog. You can follow the chain back to the original author from here: Field Notes Today but I really like what he highlighted. It fired me up in a way I haven't been fired up in a long time. Most people will admit to being Christian. Some will even admit to going to church pretty frequently. Myself included. And we usually don't fall asleep in church. And we have scripture memorized. And we know the Gospel. And we know right from wrong. And we know how to tell other people when they are wrong. We've heard all these great sermons. We have all this great knowledge but we don't have the miles...It's all about action. If I don't put in the miles. My knowledge will not get me to the finish line by itself.

I love that running is mentioned in the Bible. Paul, the author of many books in the New Testament, says we are in a race. I have the Bible, a pastor and a church. I have the knowledge. Now it's time to start running.

Life in the slow cooker

Ask any marathoner and they will tell you the hardest part of the marathon isn't the last 6 miles of the race. It's the 16 to 20 weeks of training you do prior to race day. There is no running microwave. There are no short cuts. There is just time and running. Lots of time and lots of running.

I'm wrapping up week 2 of my marathon training program. The entire program runs for 16 weeks and a total of 601 miles. It feels like I'm learning to run all over again. I am chomping at the bit to get to the super long training runs. I want to go run 20 miles tomorrow and I want to do it in less than 2 hours. Thankfully past experience is deeply ingrained in my head. You see, 2 years ago, when I returned from my 16 year hiatus from running, I wanted to get right back into running 3 miles non-stop and I wanted to be fast again. I had run in the past. Surely my body would remember, I'm not 90 years old and I'm not decrepit. Maybe a little overweight, but this should be easy. One or two runs and I'll be right back where I left off sophomore year... of highschool. I immediately signed up for a 10K (6.2 miles) that was about 12 weeks away and I sat on my butt until it was 3 weeks away and then started "training".

I somehow managed to finish the race without stopping in 1 hour and 7 minutes. It only cost me 2 stress fractures and a bout with shin splints that still haunt me to this day. I had to wait 8 weeks before I could start running again and when I did my shins hurt for days at a time after a single mile run. I would have to wait 3 sometimes 5 days after a run before I could again they hurt that bad. It was miserable. It was discouraging and it was depressing. It took 6 months and 30lbs of weight loss before I could run 2 consecutive days in a row without my shins hurting. 2 years later and they still hurt a little after a hard run. That lesson was hard learned and one I will never forget.

No. There is no microwave for running. It's a slow cooker. I take each training run for what it is. It's the ingredients in my award winning chili (I have my dusty ladle trophy to prove it) simmering to perfection. It cannot be rushed. That's not to say I don't train hard, or that I don't push myself. I do. I do when my training calls for it and when my body allows it.

Running is teaching me patience. It's helping me climb out of lifes microwave and into the slow cooker. I race around everyday. With a full schedule and limited time. I can't help to think about the injuries I've incurred in my life because of my microwave lifestyle. I'm sure I've suffered physically, emotionally and spiritually for it. It's time to slow down.

The marathon is 14 weeks away. My long run this weekend is 16 miles. I'm going to enjoy the journey. More importantly I'm going to climb in the slow cooker and just simmer.

Happy miles,
Bob

Marathon Training Begins

I'm T-minus 6 days from the start of my first Marathon training run. To say I'm a bit nervous is an understatement. The thought of running for almost 4 hours is intimidating. I've completed 2 half marathons now and after each one I could maybe squeak out 1 more mile in about 20 minutes if you bribed me with - I can't even think of anything you could bribe me with. If you held a gun to my head I would just tell you to shoot me. The thought of turning around and running back to the start line, nope, not happening. I've mapped it out. It's like running from Joliet to Seneca or Gardner. That's nearly a 30 min trip by car... on the highway... at 60 miles an hour... EEP!

I guess it's not so much the race itself as it is the training. I just downloaded my training program. It says I'm doing 20 mile runs on weeks 6,9,11 and 13. EEP! Marathon training is something you can't take lightly. You have to do it. You have to prepare your body as well as your mind for the task of pounding pavement for 4+ hours. I'm sure I'll gain confidence as I go. Right now though, I'm terrified. I currently run 5 times a week for a total of 20 - 25 miles. For marathon training I'm upping that distance to 30 and peaking at 49 miles running 4 days a week. The real fun begins when I try to pepper in my fall short race schedule with my training. I'm a 5K junkie and I love my fall races. Let's see how this plays out.

The journey begins next week!

Goodbye Summer; HELLO Fall!

It's hard to believe it's late August already. I don't think I'll get many arguments if I summarize summer as a hot sticky mess; that will be sorely missed come mid January. But before I get to the frozen waste months let me rewind a bit. I managed to skip over one of the most important seasons. That stretch between extremes where not only does the season change in nature but in our lives as well.

For those with kids the planning starts as early as the last week of July and as late as the second week of August. For me it's the last week of August. That's when I come to terms with my favorite season nearing it's end. I know that in the next few weeks the days are going to get noticeably shorter. In the morning I'll want to turn on the heat and by afternoon I'll want to switch on the A/C. Another week will pass and I'll need a jacket to go outside. It will look 75 degrees out but in reality it will be 50 with a cold stiff wind. Then the rain will show up. Cold brutal rain.

Okay, it's really not so bad. There is actually a lot of good to fall. It's a short little season between Labor Day and Halloween where everything feels new and fresh again. You get to bust out your fall attire and put away your over worn summer outfits. You go from nothing to wear to an entire new wardrobe almost overnight. With fall comes a change in dinner menu options. Fire up the oven for meatloaf and lasagna or load up the crock pot for some chili. For the sports fan it's the start of football season and the World Series for everyone else it's the season premieres of TV drama's. It's Homecoming and bonfires, it's Halloween parties and hay rides. For me it's running season. I'll load up the fall schedule of races and see how the summer training paid off.

I'm excited. I worked hard this summer. Got some great training in. I've enjoyed the heat and humidity as much as I could. I hate to see summer go, but I welcome fall in. I feel renewed and recharged. With my fall goals and todo list I'm going to enjoy the next 2 months as much as I can. Then continue training in winter for my first marathon in January.

Fall's the perfect time to take up running. Go check out the (couch to 5K(3.1 miles)) c25k plan and put it on your fall todo list! http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Run on!

-Bob

Journal entry - Running Analytics

I love when I get to combine two things I love. In this case running and analysis are those two things. Running produces so many data points to analyze. I love to get lost in the spreadsheets and charts and graphs I can create from all those points. So many ways I can track my progress and improvements. One more year of data and I should be able to calculate at what point I will start to see diminishing returns that greatly out weigh the effort to achieve more speed.

Today I'll start with 2009 data. My first race last year I ran a 31:01. My fastest time in 2009 was 24:25 a 21% improvement. In that time I lost 25lbs or 12%. Looking at this I could say I should be 1 minute faster for every 3.84 pounds I lose. Let's compare them with this years numbers but lets assume the training has been consistent year over year. This year so far I've lost only 5 lbs. Which should equate to approx. 1 minute 30 seconds faster than my fastest time last year. My fastest time this year is 22:25 which is exactly 2 min faster than my best time last year. Here's the bummer. I've already put in 138% more miles than last year. Then the question is - does it take a 138% increase in miles for a 30 second gain? Thankfully there are so many factors to running that this isn't necessarily true; however, I do like looking at the correlation.

Of course this is all just my "funny math" and many of you astute scholars will probably want to pick it apart. Have at it, though I would appreciate more constructive criticism than just plain criticism. As it looks right now if I drop another 5 lbs and increase mileage by another 138% I should be able to run a 20:25 which would just make my year.

Here are my fall goals.

5K under 20:30

10K under 45:00

10 Miler 1:15:00

1/2 Marathon 1:42:00

Marathon 3:45:00

Keep the miles coming!

-Bob

Post Race - Rock 'n' Roll Half

I think I like the post race a little more than the pre-race. While it's fun to prepare for the challenge ahead the true joy is in analyzing the run after. This is where the drive to do it all again comes from.

The alarm went off at 3:45am this morning and I popped right out of bed. I was fresh and ready. After a quick shower I donned my gear and made my way to the kitchen for a quick glass of OJ before I started making breakfast. I made my usual fair of 2 pancakes and a second glass of OJ. After I inhaled, I grabbed my duffel bag loaded it with 2 Gatorade and a water and ran out the door. I was pretty surprised by the amount of traffic on the roads at 4am on a Sunday morning. I assumed most were the Saturday night crowd waking from their drunken coma's enough to drive home. The drive into the city was event-less and parking was quick and easy at the Grant st. garage.

I parked grabbed my bag and proceeded to the main area of the race. The air was cool but humid. The sun hadn't risen yet. I felt like I was missing a cup of coffee, a donut and the morning paper. I drove through some very mild fog on the way in and it was gone by the time I arrived. Though the humidity remained. They were still in the throws of set up at 5:30 and didn't get the music going until about 5:45. I found a nice concrete step to sit on and crowd watch. Sadly nothing of interest to report in my mass people stalking. Runners are typically good, organized respectable people. I pulled out my iPhone logging into foursquare and decided I'd better go find the bag check and a potty. With those two items out of the way it was 6:10 and time to find my corral.

For some reason still unknown to me. My pace group (1:45) was in corral 4. I was assigned corral 3 and at the expo they moved me down into corral 2. I opted to stay in 3 and start at the back of the corral. I figured I needed the head start.

If there was a race bible this rule would make the 10 commandments of running. Thou shalt not go out too fast, but as every runner will attest to; it's way too easy to go out too fast. You get caught up in the moment, the excitement the adrenaline and with the days rest leading up to the race you feel like a fully charged battery. I was fearful of going out too fast. Being downtown with the skyscrapers blocking satellite signal on my GPS watch added to the problem. I knew I was going to have to run on feel and truthfully I felt great. Combine that with a bunch of other runners presumably not monitoring their start and you have the perfect mix for a quick couple miles.

The first 5 miles were ran in the downtown area where I had no GPS signal. I ended up with a slightly slower than 10K pace, which was a bit too fast for a half marathon in the humid conditions. At mile 6 it was pretty much over for me. I was tired. I wished the race over. 7 more miles sounded hard. Turns out, it was. By mile 9 I had started my run walk combo's. I was keeping pretty good pace during the run portions, but I felt like I was walking too much. The 10 mile mark is both a joy and a curse. You know you have a simple little 5K left. The problem is there is no gas left in the tank to run it. The last half mile I was cruising again. I just wanted it to be over. It's very much like going on a long 8 hour road trip in a car and finally arriving at the destination. That's the exact feeling when you cross the finish line. I'm here! Finally!

I remember telling myself how I'm not going to do any more long runs. Telling myself that the marathon in January will be my one and only. Then I'll stick to the 5 and 10K's. As I sit here and type this out I can't help to think of my mistakes and how I could improve them and make it a more enjoyable run. How I'm going to do things differently at my next half. I can't help but compare it to giving birth... well, at least how I imagine it. You go through pain and suffering. You endure until you think you are going to die. Then you recover. Then you have joy. Then you forget about the pain and suffering and want to do it all over again. Yeah. That's running.

Here's my "to work on" list from this run.
1. I need to up my weekly training mileage 22- 26 is not enough
2. Breakfast could use some fine tuning
3. I need to really focus on a slower start
4. I need to practice refueling mid race

Here are the positives
1. I got good rest leading up to the race 3 days off
2. The first mile was spot on.
3. I was feeling good that first 10K
4. My hydration was spot on. before and during the race
5. I did minimal walk runs
6. I stayed below a 9min mile even with walks

Until next time

Stay strong, stay fit and keep on running!

-Bob

The Pre Race - Rock n Roll Half Marathon

For me big races begin at 10 miles and up. These are the races that I spend a lot of time planning. Everything from sleep to meals, hydration and rest. The feeling well...it's equivalent to the day before you leave on vacation. The flood of emotions is just amazing. You're excited, nervous, thrilled, energized. The anticipation is killer.

This race prep started on Friday. I took the day off of work so I could go down town pickup my race packet and experience the expo prior to Saturday when undoubtedly the other 29,000 participants were going to be there. I would have to say it paid off. There were probably no more than 400 people there while I was there. It wasn't over crowded nor were there long lines for anything. Lot's of free samples including MGD64; my father in law was thrilled. My only complaint with that whole experience was the location McCormick place. $19 just to park and that wasn't easy. My F250 pickup truck sits 6 feet 8" tall and the underground lot has a clearance of 6'4" and of course security nor the parking attendants were of any help. They suggested we take turns going in while the other drives the truck in a circle - for real?! I did manage to find parking off to the west of 31st street. Still cost $19 and a $8 cab ride and a 1/2 mile walk back, but whatever.

Went to bed at 11pm and got up at 7:30am. I would normally have slept in until at least 9am, but I wanted to make sure I could fall asleep around 8pm tonight so I can get up at 4am on race day. The start is 6:30am and with a 45 min drive downtown and parking (this time I'll take my wife's car) I'll need to get out the door by 4:30.

I got up this morning (Saturday) ate my cup of oatmeal and took dog to the groomer. Came back home and plopped in front of the computer. Ahhh I love rest days. Usually the groomer calls around noon to tell us we can come get the dog. Of course today had to be different and the call didn't come until 2pm when we had decided to go to lunch since we were both starving. Really monkeyed up my day. I wanted lunch, then shopping for racing singlet then home for more rest. Instead it was lunch go back get dog then go back out shopping. In the end it worked out.

Tonight I'm going to pasta up a little bit, keep the fluids up a little higher than usual and hopefully drift off to sleep by 8:30. It will most likely be 10 by the time I fall asleep, but I'll try. I've got my D-tag (electronic chip they use to time you in a race) on my shoes. My bib and pace number pinned to my shirt. My shorts shoes and socks laid out. I have my duffel bag with my bag drop tag attached and loaded with my towel, comfy shoes(crocs), dry shirt and some additional Gatorade for after the race.

I am feeling a little nervous about tomorrow. I really want to hit my stretch goal of 1:42 but really want to make sure I hit 1:45. I know my training was solid. The question will be whether or not the weather cooperates. Low of 67 tonight but foggy, which indicates to me, the untrained weatherman, that it's going to be humid. I fear that will add to the perceived effort making for a very tough PR attempt. Minus the rain today would have been a perfect race conditions. I guess we shall see tomorrow.

I'll leave you now with my new favorite slogan I picked up at the expo -

May you always have:
The courage to start
The strength to endure
The resolve to finish


-Bob

Weightloss diet = No good

There is no such thing as a weight loss diet. Sure there are many of them out there Atkins, South Beach, blood type, Alkaline, and 100 mile just to name a few and yes they temporarily remove weight. I say temporarily because I have yet to meet someone that lost weight and kept it off on any of the above diets once they stopped those diets.

The only diet that truly works is a life change diet. You have to change your eating habits forever. The good news is you don't have to eat perfect. You're not stuck eating rabbit food the rest of your life. I'm not going to lie it's pretty tough at first. Eating habits are the hardest habits to change. It was far easier for me to quit smoking than it was to change how and what I ate and I still don't do it perfectly. Which really is the good news.

I'm not a nutrionalist so I won't pretend to be one. Everything I've said above I'm sure you've heard before. Sit down with a nutrionalist and they will say the same thing. Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you hanging on how to actually do this amazing life change process. I will share what worked for me.

1. I set a date 2 weeks out.I would suggest a Tuesday in case you have a bad Monday. Then I ate whatever I wanted guilt free for two weeks. Let me tell you how liberating that was!

2. I psyched myself up for it. I decided I was going to go hard and strict for 12 weeks. 12 measly weeks. I lost the majority of the weight I wanted to lose in those 12 weeks.

3. Once week 1 day 1 starts - start a food journal. Record everything you put in your mouth in a day. Everything. Eliminate all junk food from the house. Get rid of the chocolate, the ice cream, the chips, soda. Replace these items with fresh fruits and vegetables. Try some raw peanuts, almonds, cashews. Get a bag of granola. Cut out all fast food and all fried food.

4. The only way to lose weight is to use more calories than you take in during the day. Start by knowing how many calories you need to take in to lose weight. My personal favorite calculator is here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and start reading the labels on all the foods you eat. Check the calories, check the fat content. Realize that it takes approximately 30 min of walking to burn 100 calories.

5. Get active. I don't care if you walk, bike, swim, skip rope, lift weights or run. But do something every other day for at least 30 min. You can find the time! No excuses!

At the end of 12 weeks if you really feel the need go ahead and have a junk meal. If you've been good for the 12 weeks you will probably like your results and won't want to stray from your good eating habits. If you do have that unhealthy meal I'll be surprised if you don't notice how crappy you feel after eating it, and wonder how you ever ate like that all the time.

The benefits are amazing! It's been over a year for me and I've continued to lose weight and still enjoy some of the junk I used to. I just don't eat it near as often or in the quantity I used to. My everyday food choices never leave me feeling stuffed or bloated. My immune system is strong and rarely am I sick and when I am it's for a very short duration. I look and feel younger and I'm way happier than I have ever been. It was the best,hardest action plan I've followed up on to date.

Running Seasons

I was out for a late run last night and I was really enjoying this run. It's my normal 3 mile default course so I wasn't taken by the scenery like I usually am on my less frequent routes. That's one of the great things about a well known course. Your mind has the freedom to wander all over the place. Instead of wandering away from the run mine was engaged in the pure endorphin high of the moment. I thought about how much I was enjoying the warm night air on my face and the hypnotic rhythm of my Nike clad foot falls. I was in my zone.

It was in that moment I was thinking about my current running season. I've come to the realization that my running goals have changed a lot over the past 6 months. Prior to this year I was only interested in running faster and faster 5K's and as many as I could squeeze in. Then in February I started training for my first 1/2 marathon. The beginning of this new season in my running. Because of the demands of longer races I'm sticking to training plan. Instead of running 5K's on the weekend I'm running long training runs. Part of me misses the 5K's and the old routine, but I know that season shall return.

I had a moment of fear while I was running last night. A fear that I might grow tired of running, that perhaps this is just a phase I was going through. That may have been the case if I didn't discover the depth of running. Last night I really started thinking about the whole spectrum of running. There are just so many facets. Running will be a part of my life for the rest of my life. Just to give you a feel for the depth of running here is a list of running life as a whole. You have your sprint races everything from a mile to a 5K. You have middle distance 10K - 25K then you have your endurance your marathon up to ultra marathons. You can become a running travel and try to run a race in all 50 states. Think of all the different places you could go that you normally wouldn't have a reason to. You can train and run all of these, or you can run with no set goals and just enjoy the night air, the wind in your face and the chewed up asphalt/concrete/trail behind you. Then there is the volunteer side to running. Races don't happen without volunteers. I'll blog on this subject later as I think it deserves it's own topic.

Keep running friends!

The time is NOW!

One year ago today I made a decision to change my life, but that decision wasn't to start running. I was already running for almost a year at this point. No, I set out to do what most people say they want to do, attempt to do, fail and say they are still going to do... some day. Yep. Weight loss. One year ago today I was 225lbs and I hid it very well. Today I am 47lbs lighter.

I had finally made up my mind that this was the year I was going to lose weight. I planned 2 weeks in advance of June 1st. I gorged myself on every kind of fast food, every Little Debbie snack and I would be doing much better had I owned stock in Pepsi. With my 8 can a day habit I'm sure I was sending someone's kid to Harvard. Well I convinced myself that I could abstain from those food sources for 12 weeks. A measly 12 weeks after which if I wanted to I could indulge in all those things that made me happy as much as I wanted, but I had to abstain for 12 weeks.

I toughed it out and at the end of 12 weeks I was down 30 lbs and I felt and looked great. I was doing so great in fact I didn't miss my weekly Big Mac, well maybe a little. But there was no way I was going to start putting that weight back on. Nope, I sit here today at 178 lbs. I went from 38" jeans down to 32". I was running 9.5 min miles now I'm running 7.25 min miles. I measured 44" around my stomach now I'm 36".

All that stuff is great for me and I'm proud of my accomplishments, but it was during a long run this past winter. I was hit with something that is well known yet often treated as trivial. I was jogging along Jefferson street listening to my iPod when a song from DC Talk started playing. The song title is "Time is ticking away" The lyrics really struck a chord with me during that run. "All the money in the world can never stop the hands of time, and a wasted day in your life is more than a crime" I got to thinking about all the things we put off in life assuming we'll get to them later. Lose weight, get in shape, save money, clean up my life, quit smoking, eat better, exercise daily, start running, read more, watch TV less, go to church, get right with God, read my Bible, spend more time with my kids, spend more time with my wife etc... Time is ticking away just ask any parent with grown kids. That's why the time is NOW. Some things you want to do will be easier to do while you are younger(meaning now)others you want to complete before you leave this planet.

I encourage you to start something this summer. Something you've been putting off. Something that you insist you were going to do later. Make later now. I can now tell you from my experience that it's a great and rewarding feeling. I can tell you that I have my list of laters that I'm working on now. The journey is just as great as the destination. Instead of leaving me a comment saying "congrats" or something, tell me what later you are going to start now.

The Love of Running

I remember the day I was first introduced to distance running. I was at school in my homeroom class; a fresh new sixth grader. It was early September, perhaps the second week of school. I was already overwhelmed at being in a larger school. The PA system cracked and popped to life and the pledge of allegiance followed by the morning announcements began. They started with the lunch menu and then got into the after school activities. There was soccer, inter mural flag football and band. Now there is no arguing that I am a naive person. It's just my nature. For the next part of the announcements I had to go down to the office after class just to make sure I heard the last part of the after school announcement correctly. They said stop by the office to sign up for Cross Country Running, you'll need $10 and a physical.

The thought of running across the country truly excited me. Though that fantasy was short lived as I quickly found out the following week when we just ran around the school yard that we were not going to run across the country. It didn't matter I was hooked. In all my time as a kid I had never run more than just down the block. Now I was going to be running miles. While that was "neat" it wasn't what really pulled me in. What really pulled me in was the other runners, my teammates. It was in that first year, in that first season I learned what kind of people runners were.

I never ran for competition, sorry coach. I ran because that's what this group of people I was with did. Running is what we did between the bus rides to and from the meets. In between the conversations of jr. high life. We ran, we encouraged, we laughed and we had a great time.

I knew I was hooked at our first invitational. It was at Troy Jr. High School. Because I was only a 6th grader I only got to do a boring mile around the soccer fields 2 laps, I think; however, the 7th and 8th graders got to go into Hammel Woods and run on dirt trails and through little streams and a "monster" hill. If I was going to see this hill I would have to stay in cross country and come back next year and I did.

There were 2 things that kept me in cross country from 6th grade through Sophomore year of high school (having to work ended my running career). One was the people. My teammates, no, my friends. Friends that didn't care where you finished, friends that cheered you on at every turn of the race. Friends that were always there for you. Two was the courses. I loved a new course, I loved the scenery, the woods, the trails.

I sort of got back into running in July of 2006 when a cross country friend sent me an email (which I still have the entire chain of them) inviting me to the Plainfield Harvest 5K. I ran 2 races the year after that and then it really started in 2008 I got my wife to join me for our first 10K race. We barely had enough training to finish a 5K. We both finished the race and we both loved it. We've been running fools ever since.

There are now 3 things I love about running. #1 is still the community. I love runners. 99.9% of them are good people, but while I've made a lot of new friends in the running world I really cherish my high school and jr high cross country teammates that still run with me today. It's a great group of guys that still motivate and support each other. #2 I still love the courses, while I have switched to more road style running. I still love running in new locales. #3 I love the way running makes me feel. I love the burn of a hard workout. I love the last mile of agony. I love the satisfaction of completing a tough run. I love competing against myself and improving all the time.

Yes, I love running and I hope someday I can be that 75 year old that can still turn in a 19min 5K.