Me, rambling

I got up today and ran 10 miles with the running club. This is my 3rd day off and I had become accustomed to sleeping a little late and we were to meet at 7 AM. Honestly it was tough to get my body and mind out of the bed and into a running mood. Luckily there was a large group and that was enough to get and keep me going. One important benefit of a running club is that they can motivate you through shame. Sometimes that's what I need. 

It's cold here today. We had some rain last night from the look of my driveway this morning. I guess winter is finally here for good, or at least until tomorrow. My right leg does not like this cold weather. I spent the better part of 5 miles getting the stupid thing to loosen up. It never really did but it got to the point where I could run comfortably and I was happy for that. 

Have you ever read or watch To Kill a Mockingbird? I read it years ago. A good friend of mine mentioned that it was their favorite book a few days ago and it got me thinking about the story. Well today when I got home from the run the movie was on. I love little things like that. When you have a random thought or memory hit you from out of nowhere and you wonder why that thought came into your brain. Then you are plastered with it everywhere you look. It always makes me wonder what someone is trying to tell me. I know I read way to much into something like that but it's who I am and I find it interesting. In my way of thinking there are no coincidences. Everything has meaning and purpose. We just sometimes don't get it until much later. 

So To Kill a Mockingbird, can't figure out why that story has hit me. I'll probably dwell on it for days and never figure it out but maybe I'll look into it and find something I have done to some innocent person and make amends. Maybe not, but I'll analyze myself anyway.

On a different note, my little one is TOTALLY captivated with his Christmas presents. He is constantly talking about what he's getting. He is dropping not so subtle hints about what he wants. You can just look into his eyes and see his torment. I miss that innocence and simple desire. I guess it's good that I have become more of a giver than a receiver. I never understood why people always said it's better to give than receiver when I was younger. It sounded like crap to me! I wanted so many things and had nothing to give. Now I still want many things but don't get the same joy out of receiving things since I have the means to get them myself. I do, however, get great joy from giving things. I love to shop for my kids and can go way overboard if allow. I also love giving great gifts to people I know. I try to find interesting, unexpected gifts. Some years I don't have the time but when I do I absolutely love shopping for people. Funny how we change. 

I still want a Big Wheel this year though! That's the coolest gift EVER!!!!!

Thanks for listening 

Turkey Trot (limp)

The Turkey Trot started at 9 AM! WOW I love that, I got to sleep in and the sun was good and up by the time we started which meant it was well above the 35 degrees they had predicted.

Unfortunately my running didn't go as well as the weather. I was hoping to use this as my normal Thursday tempo run and hit 7 min/miles for the 8K. I started out well and got the first mile in 6:54 but then my persistent injury decided that it would wake up and start hurting. My right quad tightened into a ball and I was having trouble just keeping a normal stride. I started my Terry Fox-like hobbling and it took a toll on me. I was dead tired by halfway. It was a beautiful morning and it was Thanksgiving and I was RUNNING so it didn't bother me too much that I was really struggling. I slowed up and just enjoyed being alive and running.

A friend past me and told me I was limping pretty badly. I guess I truly was hobbling and not really running. Oh well, I've been through this before, all I need is a massage! Gee what a horrible torture I'll have to endure next week. But that's what Willie's all about, doing the hard things that need to be done. I'm an eternal sufferer I guess. Hey maybe I'll hit the hot-tub too.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for this year. We're alive and we're running. Keep it up and the later will help the previous.

Thanks for listening.

Happy pre-Turkey day

I just wanted to drop a quick post to say Happy Thanksgiving to both of you that read this. 

I got my speedwork in last night. I did 3 mile repeats around my neighborhood. I'm afraid I'm getting slower on my miles. I know (will ask Garmin to be sure) that I did mile repeats in under 6:30 before rather easily. Last night I was only able to do 6:33, 6:34, and 6:47 miles. Not that I'm disappointed in those time but I'm sure I've done faster.

Hmm getting faster for 26.2 miles but slower for 1 mile. Ok I'll take it.

Goal for the next few days: Remain within 10 pounds of my marathon weight. May not be achievable but it's a good goal.

Hope everyone finds a Turkey Trot to do tomorrow.

Thanks for listening

Music

For my long run today I did something I rarely ever do. I wore my Ipod. Ahh I know, I try to be a purist and run with just the thoughts in my head but today I was in a weird mood. I actually wore the Ipod so I could listen to one song in particular. I've told you of my love for the Palladia channel and last night I watch a program called Crossroads. They pair a country singer with some pop singer and they do duets and stuff. Last night it was Maroon 5 with Sara Evans. I watched it only because I'm a big fan of Sara Evans, don't really care for Maroon 5 much but they're not bad.

The first song they played was Fine Place to Start which is my favorite Sara Evans song. I hadn't heard it in a while and it really hit me for some reason. I just couldn't get enough of it. I posted the YouTube video of it just for you guys! Enjoy

So I put it on my Ipod this morning and headed for the lake. I tried to pretend that I wanted to listen to other songs too but it didn't last long. Something about this song just made me happy and made my run so great. I must have listened to it 50 times. I know that's really crazy right? I just kept hitting the repeat button and every time I listened I felt better. By the time I got to mile 8 I was singing out loud! It was difficult to catch my breath and sing but I didn't care. I was belting out the words as loud as I could. I got some giggles and some weird looks from the others on the track but I didn't care. Willie was happy!!!! I even stopped running for a few feet and 2-stepped my way around the track for awhile. If I had been around someone at that time I would have grabbed them and danced with them.

holding you close, chasing down dreams

figuring out what love really means

baby giving you my heart

is a real fine place to start

See there I go again!

It was extremely windy today with South winds blowing somewhere around F-5 tornado strength. My last few miles were with the wind at my back so I was singing, dancing, and sometimes almost flying. I would put my arms out and let the wind carry me along. I tried flapping my arms but I never left the ground.

In a nutshell, I was a total freak today at the lake because of a song! Where did this come from? I'm not a music junkie by any means but I guess music can move me in ways I never knew. Sometimes I love life just for the weird things you discover about yourself. I'm so glad I am still learning things about myself. I'm not ready to be boring yet.

When I came around to the end of my run I saw guys kite-surfing on the lake. It was AWESOME! I had to go get my phone and take some pictures. This is now on my to-do list! I have to try this. I tried to talk the guys on the shore today into letting me try it but they said something about training and drowning etc... so they wouldn't let me. Darn! Guess I'll have to wait.

Oh one more thing. Tomorrow I have to go speak at my son's school about engineering. It's like a career day thing. I volunteered a long time ago and of course forgot about it. I'm up against an FBI agent, a Paleontologist, and a heart surgeon just to name a few. I find this extremely unfair. How can engineering stand up against those jobs? We're geeks who like to fix things, that's about it. I do get to work on cool airplanes but I've never shot anyone or seen the inside of a heart. I may stay and watch their presentations, maybe I'll be a FBI agent when I grow up.

So I'm trying to think of ways to make this interesting. I've thought of a few engineering jokes but only engineers will get them!? Like I said, we're geeks. I guess I could tell a few and see if any of the kids laugh. If they do I will pull them aside and inform them that they may feel like outcasts now in middle school but one day they will find others like them. They'll never fit in anywhere and will find logical solutions to every problem and be harassed because they can't see all the "complications" that those solutions create. If you wanted be to worry about how people "feel" about things you shouldn't have asked me to fix the problem!

Sorry got lost there for a minute.

Oh screw it, I'll just show them cool airplane pictures and tell them to be doctors.

Thanks for listening

Dealing with Post Race Depression

After 6 marathons this year I have come to understand my body so much better. One thing I have learned is that after running 26.2 miles my body takes complete control and no matter how hard I try it's useless to try and force it to do something it doesn't want to do. I believe it happens because my body is stripped bare and it resorts to primal, survival instincts.

Part of this process is a deep depression. It has happened after every marathon I've run. It takes a day or two to set in but it always shows up. I begin to feel worthless and wonder what value I have to anyone in this world. I can't seem to focus on anything but my numerous personal faults and why I can't fix myself and become a better person. This train of thought feeds on itself and, well, you get the picture. There isn't much I can do to prevent this from happening so usually I just withdraw into myself and wait it out. Does this happen to anyone else?

Ok so this time I knew it was coming this time so I took some action to help deal with it.

I got tickets for my son and I to the Metallica concert in Tulsa!!

It was AWESOME! Oh My Goodness it was great. They absolutely rocked that place and we totally got into it. I've never screamed so loud, screamed so long, and banged my head that hard! I was able to totally revert to a teenager again and had a BLAST! I can't explain how great it was to act like a kid again with, well, my kid!







They turned the house lights on











My son jammin'









Some people were surprised to hear the Metallica was still around and playing concerts! I won't mention who would make a remark that would make me feel even older than I actually am but she lives South-of-a-Bay and she's a Girl!!! Yes James, Lairs, and Kirk are going bald but they are still playing GREAT rock and can still throw what's left of their hair around!

This little excursion into letting the teenager inside me loose helped keep my spirits up for a couple days but also made me very tired. We didn't get back home until 1:30 in the morning and I had to get up and go to work today. Couple the lack of sleep, ringing ears, no voice and sore throat, and some marathon-induced depression and Willie is a mess.

Which brings me to my next topic.

Runner dies in Tulsa Route 66 1/2 Marathon

After the marathon I heard from my buddy that he saw paramedics giving CPR to someone at the top of the biggest hill on the course. Turns out it was this guy and he didn't make it. Runner's World has a big spread about runners dying during marathons this month also. Our running club had a speaker scheduled to talk about running and heart attacks. Talk about coincidences. I don't really believe in coincidences so I'm a little worried that someone's trying to tell me something.

I'll apologize now for being insensitive but my first thought when faced with all this news of dying while running a marathon was, "What a wonderful way to go!". Maybe it's the depression coming through but I couldn't think of a better way to die. Go out for a nice long run and just not come back. That to me is so much better than laying in a hospital bed with tubes sticking out of me while some teenage doctor conducts experiments on what's left of the vessel that contains my soul. Give me a sudden heart attack on any mile after 13 (please let me at least get half way) and I'll go with a smile. My soul will finish the race.

Thanks for listening

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 639 ft Location: Tulsa, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 11/16/08 Up/Downhill: [+639/-639] Time: 08:00 AM Difficulty: 3.8 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   55 F temp; 31% humidity   55 F heat index; winds SW 12 Performance Distance: 26.38 miles Time: 3:32:40 Speed: 7.4 mph Pace: 8' 04 /mi Calories: 3663 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 10 +0' 06 7.3 -0.1 -13 ft 2 7' 56 -0' 08 7.6 +0.1 -10 ft 3 7' 53 -0' 11 7.6 +0.2 +14 ft 4 7' 56 -0' 08 7.6 +0.1 -14 ft 5 7' 49 -0' 15 7.7 +0.2 +7 ft 6 7' 56 -0' 08 7.6 +0.1 0 ft 7 7' 48 -0' 16 7.7 +0.2 0 ft 8 7' 48 -0' 16 7.7 +0.3 -9 ft 9 7' 56 -0' 08 7.5 +0.1 0 ft 10 8' 02 -0' 02 7.5 +0.0 +3 ft 11 7' 56 -0' 08 7.6 +0.1 -13 ft 12 7' 51 -0' 13 7.6 +0.2 +3 ft 13 7' 46 -0' 18 7.7 +0.3 +3 ft 14 7' 58 -0' 06 7.5 +0.1 -4 ft 15 8' 03 -0' 01 7.4 +0.0 +6 ft 16 8' 00 -0' 04 7.5 +0.1 0 ft 17 8' 01 -0' 03 7.5 +0.0 +4 ft 18 8' 01 -0' 03 7.5 +0.0 -3 ft 19 8' 03 -0' 01 7.4 +0.0 0 ft 20 8' 03 -0' 01 7.4 +0.0 +10 ft 21 8' 05 +0' 01 7.4 -0.0 0 ft 22 8' 15 +0' 11 7.3 -0.2 +10 ft 23 8' 31 +0' 27 7.0 -0.4 +46 ft 24 8' 50 +0' 46 6.8 -0.7 +43 ft 25 8' 40 +0' 36 6.9 -0.5 +39 ft 26 7' 56 -0' 08 7.6 +0.1 -109 ft end 7' 33 -0' 31 7.9 +0.5 -13 ft Versus average of 8' 04 min/mile

Posted from traininglog.roadrunnersports.com

NEW PR IN TULSA

The marathon that I wasn't going to run turned out to be my best!

Today I SUPPOSED to do a 22 mile training run and was going to use the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon to do it. My plan was to run 22 miles at 8 min/mile pace and then walk through the hills and cool-down. That was the plan, it really was. That plan last right up until mile 21 of the marathon, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

My buddy (who is training for Dallas and a BQ) got together to carpool up to Tulsa for this race. I had done the 1/2 last year and had a good time and enjoyed the race so I wanted to do it again this year. If you remember my posts from a week or two ago I had originally planned to run the 1/2 again this year because I was burnt out and really tired from the 5 other marathons I'd done this year. And if you remember my post from about 1 week ago I changed my mind and decided to run the full marathon as a training run. See a pattern here???? 

So we got up early and headed over to Tulsa today and it was COLD with a capital COLD! I think it was in the 30's when we started driving. Luckily there was little wind (weird in Oklahoma) which made it somewhat bearable once the sun came up. 

Once the race started, my buddy and I fell into a nice 8 min pace and were having a pretty good time. We were just behind the 3:30 pace group. The course follows the river for what seems like forever but it is a pretty scene with lots of trees and houses so it's not mundane. We were easily keeping the pace and eventually caught the 3:30 pace group which was a nice help breaking the little bit of southern wind. 

I didn't notice at the time but the majority of the course was on concrete. I would notice later. 

We ran by Oral Roberts University which is very near a casino which I found very funny but then again I'm weird like that. Once past that little comic relief, around mile 9, we turned and crossed the river into Jenks OK. This was the site of the 1/2 I ran 2 weeks ago. We ran around Jenks until mile 13 and then crossed back over the river and hit the same river road we had run down on. My buddy had told me he was going to run some BQ race pace starting at mile 14 so he left me and took off at  a 7 sub 7:30 pace. Willie was VERY content to maintain the 8's we'd been running. In fact, Willie was wondering how much long he could actually keep up this pace. I honestly thought I would hit the wall at mile 17-19. 

I had staggered my E-Gel's every 6 miles. This worked great. In previous marathons I had gone every 8 miles and always felt drained by mile 20. This new strategy forced me to carry more E-Gels but I figured it was a training run and I could experiment a little. 

So I was coming down the river road and my thighs really began to burn. I tried to change my stride and loosen them up and it just kept getting worse. Every step began to hurt. It's hard to describe but it felt like I was pounding on my legs with a hammer every step. I put this pain out of my mind and continued. I was feeling good and had plenty of energy but my legs! Oh they were burning! 

I made it to mile 18 and the 3:30 pace group finally caught me. I'd been ahead of them since the bridge and wanted to keep them there because it was giving me a mental boost knowing I was ahead of the pace. When they past me I heard them talking about the concrete and the pain they were having in their thighs. Hmmm, at least I wasn't the only one. I really didn't think it was the concrete because I've never bought into that theory that asphalt is softer than concrete for runners. Sounded like an excuse to me. 

So they past me but I was still keeping very near an 8 min/mile pace. I don't know what they were up to but they were much faster than 8. At mile 20 I started having thoughts of NOT stopping at mile 22. The rationale for that thought was weird. I requested a quick damage report from my body. My upper body and arms reported in fine, my strength reported in exceptional. My legs, however, reported severe damage to the left thigh and a worsening pain in the left knee. My upper left thigh, which is already injured, also gave a very unfavorable report. 

Interestingly my left butt cheek didn't report. It had gone numb at some point! I've NEVER had this happen before. This caused me to actually reach around and feel it to make sure it was still there. I'm glad there were no cameras around while I was rubbing my ass at mile 21. It was really weird but I didn't know what to do about it and it wasn't causing me any problems so I let it sleep. This may be a new strategy for me. Put as many body parts to sleep as possible! 

My left big toe was also numb. It would eventually start hurting really bad and I'm afraid it could be broke. It didn't bother me much but it was another pain that I had to deal with.

So here's my rationale for continuing: I'm hurt, I could be really hurt. I've run a great race up to this point. If I continue at this pace which I think I can, I'll PR and possibly break 3:30 which would be fabulous! If that happens I'll be OK with the injuries because I've ended my year on a high note with a great PR. If I stop at 22 like I planned, I may not heal in time for Dallas and could end up really low. All this ended with the thought, SCREW IT WILLIE, GO FOR IT! You may not get this chance again. (That's my little devil Willie that I try to control but who gets the better of me more than I care to admit.)

So I pushed through 21 miles. One problem literally arouse after this however. Hills.  Mile 22 begins the hills in Tulsa. I knew this. I'd run these same hills last year in the 1/2. I'd been told about them a million times all week long. Everyone hates these hills! If you ask me how I could have forgotten about them then you don't know me well enough. There are no limits to Willie's ability to forget things. I believe my memory is kept in my hair which is falling out daily.

So I hit these hills and my pace fell off. I wasn't catching my mile paces as Garmin yelled them out to me but when I did glance down at my beloved now and again she wasn't showing a good pace at all. On the biggest hill I noticed a 10:10 pace. I comforted myself with the fact that I was still running! Most people around me were walking. Good Willie.

So I caught my buddy sometime around mile 23 and informed him of my decision to keep going. He encouraged me but kept on walking. He did eventually catch up to me and said he'd run with me awhile. I really needed it. I was struggling with the pain. It was a new type of pain for me. Normally I get really tired and just want to stop. Today I wasn't tired at all but every step was shooting pain up each leg. I didn't want to stop and never felt the need to. In fact I really wanted to run faster so I could get to the finish line and stop completely! 

I met a new friend who lives here in Edmond. He introduced himself at mile 25. I told him I was on a PR pace. When I told him my previous PR was 3:39 he was very encouraging and told me I at least had a PR. Then he asked me how many marathons this was for me. I said, 6... this year. His response, "Got a little OCD do we Willie?" I laughed very hard. I told him I just like marathons and that yes, I do have a problem but it's a good one. 

My buddy dropped off again to walk and my new friend pulled me through that last mile. I'm very grateful to him because I would never have run that fast without him. We finished in 3:32:50 by the clock. My legs were shot. I stumbled around and found it very hard to walk. I made it over to the chip takers and put my foot out for them. After a minute I noticed they still hadn't taken my chip. That's when I noticed I had given them the wrong foot. They were very nice and asked if I need help. I said yes but not that kind of help. 

I stumbled over and got my medal. I also stumbled over to a camera guy. I had just run a 7 minute PR and by God I was going to get my picture taken!

After that I found the beer tent. {insert blurry memory here}

Afterwards my buddy, who's a physical therapist, told me all about how bad the Tulsa concrete is on legs. I guess there are some people in our club that won't run Tulsa just because of the concrete and the pounding it puts on your legs. I'm a believer! I haven't surveyed all the damage but I know I'll need some extended recovery time. 

We hit a pizza place on the way home and then we all wanted ice cream so I splurged and got some Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. It was wonderful! 

So I've now run a 3:32:50. There was a time that I never, ever, ever thought I could run that. I'm still not sure I've come to terms with this. I still feel like I'm trying to break 4 hours! Does that make any sense at all? I feel a little like I'm only acting at this new pace. I'm waiting for someone to come along and say, "Ok it's over, it never really happened." I don't know, maybe I'm still loopy from the run. I had a really great day today, really great.

Thanks for listening.

Out of sorts

After a week off (sorta) from work I'm a total mess. I don't feel like I know what's going on at work which drives me crazy since I'm a not-so-recovering control freak. I haven't showered in 2 days, am still wearing my bedroom slippers, wore the same clothes to drop-off and pick up my son from school 2 days in a row, finished the trim in the 3rd bathroom which I'd been putting off for over a year, cleaned up the backyard, did all the laundry, did the dishes, cleaned up my teenage son's bedroom (aka snooped through his stuff), and generally made a nuisance of myself to my children.

I'M LOSING IT!

I need my schedule back. I want my stress back! The guy at Starbucks even asked me why I hadn't been coming in at 5:30 like normal. My life misses me!!!

I haven't run since Wednesday because my leg is aching. This makes it worse. I have all this time on my hands and can't even run. I'm resting for the marathon tomorrow.

Ok enough rambling, I'm so excited for everyone running San Antonio tomorrow! You guys are going to do great! I hope the weather is great and that you have a great time and make some great memories. Good luck Jen and Sarah and all those Okies who are down there! I'll be thinking of you while I'm running Tulsa.

Have any of you ever watched Palladia? I just switched from Dish Network (bite me!) to cable and have discovered this wonderful channel. It's a HD music channel that shows concerts and stuff. Right now The Who is on, it's a concert from 1970. The other night I saw a Dave Matthews band concert and the night before I saw Kenny Chesney. A few weeks ago my son and I watched an AC/DC concert which was AWESOME. I'm kinda hooked on this channel. It's like MTV with actual music! Just the way I remember it from my childhood.

Thanks for listening.

Mr Mom

Man I could get used to this!

I didn't go into work today. I called into some meetings and answered some emails but did it all in my pajamas and house slippers! What a wonderful way to work.

I went and got a hair cut. Love Sports Clips! Such a sexist marketing scheme but we're guys and we don't really care. There's ESPN on little TV's by each chair for goodness sakes, who wouldn't love this place.

Oh and I went to the grocery store too! It was fabulous. They had food everywhere! I needed milk and peanut butter which are staples in Willie's diet. I also got some soda and bread. Oh and some salad for tonight. I forgot cereal (the other staple in my diet) so I will only have salad for dinner tonight. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow for the cereal. Can't live without it. Took some pictures too, here they are:


Oh I also got the little one a Lunchable so he could eat before school. We did McDonalds yesterday so that's 2 days in a row I've made him lunch. Yea me!

After I dropped the little one at school I went out for a little run just because I had nothing better to do. It was a beautiful day and I ran easy for about 4 miles. Leg still hurts so I'll massage and ice it again tonight.

When I got back it was time to get the little one. Why does he even go to school? He's only there for like 10 minutes?!?! What a bunch of crap. Guess they don't realize he's my son and will never absorb any information in such a short amount of time. It's not his fault really and they just assume he's normal. Fools!

I was still sweaty from the run so I threw on some clothes quickly and wore my slippers to pick him up. I'm only days away from wearing a house coat I'm afraid! Took pictures:


The big one needs to go to Hobby Lobby for some materials for a school project. That may be too much for me. Hobby Lobby? Seriously? That's a mecca for estrogen isn't it? Maybe they have model airplanes and stuff so I could just hang out in that isle while he get's his stuff. I really want to keep my "man-card".

Day 2 and I still have 2 children at home! Yea me! The dog is drinking out of a flower pot though??! Should I be worried about that? It's not technically a child. It was a beautiful day so I left her little butt outside all day. She's pissed! Won't even look at me. I feel it's my job to remind her she's a dog. I've only got a week so I have to use aggressive tactics. She may not even get her neck scratched tonight. Ok so she will probably get that, she is VERY cute after all.

Thanks for listening

Day one down, 3 to go

I started today with two children and I've still got two with me tonight! Yea me!

I even took the little one to the doctor and acted like I knew what I was talking about when they asked me questions. Poor little guy is having trouble hearing. He was born with a cleft lip and has had tons of ear trouble. Doctor says his right ear is partially collapsed but not too bad. His left ear is fine so we'll move him to the other side of the room. Problem solved. Doc says there is not much else we can do.

I also got him to school ON TIME and picked him up ON TIME! Yea me #2!

I also made the big one breakfast. He didn't appreciate it but that's just teenagers I guess.

Other than that I didn't do much else today. I was on my work laptop all day but nobody really sent me much to do. Turns out my boss was handling everything today. Oh lord, I guess I'll fix that mess next week.

It's Tuesday so it's speedwork day. Tonight was 3x1600 at 6:30 pace. I decided to do it around my house since the kids would be home alone. I jogged around the block to measure out a mile. I set Garmin to keep me on pace for the miles and started my first interval. As usual I started out way to quick and was gasping for air within 1/4 mile. I got it back and made the first mile in 6:39. The second was a little quicker at 6:31 and the third was 6:41. I walked a little to cool-down and hit the house to ice my leg. It was really bugging me. I stretched it out and iced it so I hope it doesn't give me trouble tomorrow.

I know everyone is getting ready for some big races this weekend. I can't wait to hear all about the events. Myself, I'm just hoping for a good training run in Tulsa and that's all I can ask for.

Thanks for listening

A foolish consistency

Remember all that stuff I said about not running any more marathons and being tired and feeling burnt out and "oh I've done too much this year" and "oh I'm taking a break" and blah, blah, blah....

Well let's try to act like it never happened, Ok? If I was a lawyer (EEEEE Gaddds! what a thought) I would advise you to strike those posts from the record.

I registered for the Tulsa Route 66 FULL marathon tonight! Did you catch that, FULL MARATHON? Oh come on, we all knew it would happen. When have I ever followed through on anything that relates to NOT running? Hell I knew when I was typing it that as soon as I felt better I would probably default on the commitment. It's just how I am.

This blog is an insight into my soul and I feel a need to be honest. Even when that honesty makes me look foolish. Well, truth is, I am a fool and I do swing with the prevailing wind of my emotions most of the time. I wish I was a steadfast rock of consistency of thought and belief but I'm not and I'm not going to act like it here. Now get off my back about it!!!!

One of my favorite writers, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds". The way I'm going my mind will be HUGE if that's true.

Even though I have registered for the full I will, in reality, only run 20-22 miles of it at anything near a good pace. I plan to use this like I did the Spirit of Survival marathon as a training run. My goal is to hit 8 min/mile pace for 20. I have some level of confidence after last weekends good 19 mile run.

On a lower note, my wife's grandfather past away yesterday. She knew it was coming so it wasn't a great shock. What this means though is that I have to play father for a week while she is gone. In the past I have been very successful at keeping both children alive while she has been gone but I hate taking that chance any more than necessary. The big one can take care of himself so I don't worry about him but the little one will forget to eat if you don't watch him. Since I have the same problem we really aren't good together. I plan to stock up on food and just leave it out for them. This seems to work well for the dog and she is a total moron so I have hope that the little humans in the house will pick up the theory quickly. I like my kids and I feel sorry for them that they got me as a father. On the plus side, this means I get to take the rest of the week off work! Yea me!

Thanks for listening

A good day

Today I ran 20 miles (minus 1) in a very interesting way. A good friend of mine, who is on track to qualify for Boston BTW, wanted to run 20 today so in true old-school-Willie form I said what the heck and agreed to join him. The running club had a series race today out at Lake Overholser so we wanted to do that race also so we combined them.

The race started at 8 AM so we figured we could meet at 6:15 run 1 lap of the lake (8 miles), stop and pick up our timing chips, run 4 more, then start the race to get the last 8 miles. Good plan!

The first lap went well and we stopped to get our chips. We were a little behind schedule but figured we could still get 4 miles in and make the start on time. So grabbed out chips, strapped them on, said hi to some friends and took off again. This is when Willie's stomach decided to act up. Actually my stomach let me get 1.5 miles away from the starting line before it got my attention. I quickly found a porta-potty but this ruined our schedule. We were hauling butt back to the starting line and got to within a few hundred yards of it before we heard the gun go off.

So we started our race 2 minutes behind the walkers. Ooops. It didn't matter much since we were on a training run anyway but it was weird coming through the walkers. We got many a confused look.

My buddy was able to pick up the pace and move up through the pack quickly. I, on the other hand, was really feeling the 12 miles we had just done and couldn't keep up with him. I was very content to run with the back-of-the-packers since I knew most of them anyway. Hell it was only 1 year ago I was with them! Loved it!

I made it with negative splits to about mile 17 where I found this wall thing. It was a big wall. BIG WALL. Did I mention it was a big wall? Well it was. I fell off the pace like a rock. That's when I noticed the remaining E-Gel in my Race-Ready shorts pocket. Ooops #2, forgot to take that last one a few miles before. Too late to take it now, wouldn't kick in until I was done so I just pushed through the wall to the finish of the race. This got me to mile 19, 1 short of my goal. I tried to keep going after the finish, I really did, but I couldn't. I was dizzy and a little out of it. Screw it, I'm done. I walked to the truck and put on my pants and a new shirt. Did I mention it was cold? It was cold. I was cold. I didn't like being cold. So I got warm. Then I got food! They had big fluffy muffins at the finish and hot apple cider.

Needless to say I didn't win any medals today. I was too far back from the start. Once I figured this little fact out I was on a bee-line to the nearest Starbucks! Mmmm Starbucks.

After all this excitement it was College Football time! And beer. Way to go Iowa! As much as I love the Big Ten (Go Buckeyes) I really wanted Penn State to get beat. They are good but just don't belong in the top 5. The Big 12 and the SEC are so much better this year. Oh and Alabama almost got knocked off too!

Is this a perfect day or what? I think I may explode.

Thanks for listening

He doesn't look like a runner

"He doesn't look like a runner, good for him"

That comment was made to me yesterday by a good friend. At the time I didn't think anything of it, in fact I thought it a nice compliment. Then I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it some more.

Flash back, well more years than I care to admit, to Willie in High School. I ran cross country and track since the 7th grade. I was hooked at an early age and I was pretty good too. It was the only sport that I had any success with and I took a lot of pride in the fact that I was a runner. In my Sophmore year my gym teacher/track coach/football coach pulled me aside and said, "You're too big to be a long distance runner, you should come play tight-end for me." Well I was crushed. At the time I actually respected this guy and looked up to him and here he was telling me that I didn't have the correct body to do what I really wanted to do. I had always known that I was heavier and bigger than the elite runners. I wasn't a skinny little bean-pole like the runners that won the state meets and that I saw on TV. But I was also pretty good at this running thing and had won a few meets in my time. None of that mattered to a young, impressionable, still forming my self-image Willie though. My whole world came crashing down! Was I just wasting my time at this running thing? Should I change gears and try something that "everyone else" thought I would be better at?

I didn't stop running because of that comment but I did struggle with my self image for many, many years. In some ways I still do I guess since I'm writing this entry! Eventually I came to what is probably an unhealthy attitude toward it. "Screw you if you don't think I'm built like a runner, I know I'm not! Bite me!" If I want to run I'll run, and I apply that to everyone else equally. So when I heard that comment yesterday I should have responded, I feel like I owe it to all of us non-runner-built runners out there. Are the only "real" runners the ones who race at 4 min/mile and weigh 90 pounds?? If you don't fit that mold you're not a runner? Fuck that! A runner is anyone who, well, runs! That's really the only requirement. If you get out there and put one foot in front of the other you have joined that small, elite club of athletes who should be respectfully called "runners". You can kiss my big-boned ass if you think otherwise, I don't care, I'll be out running.

{Willie steps down from his soapbox}

Tuesday was speedwork. I got home from work late and was informed that our waterline had burst out by the sidewalk that the city had just rebuilt. Gee, I wonder how that could have happened??!?! The city says it's just a coincidence and that it's my responsibility. I'm obviously stupid because I feel differently. Go figure!

Oh yea, speedwork. So I hit the track late and the sun was almost set by the time I started. I ran an 800m warmup and then did my 1 mile, 2x800m, 1 mile workout. I did them all at 6:20 pace and it didn't hurt too much. I did feel tired and struggled to keep my focus but I got it done. As I was finishing I noticed a security vehicle looking around my truck. I got over to talk with him and he said I was about to be locked into the track parking lot and I needed to leave NOW! Ok, don't have to tell Willie twice! I'm outta here. So I left.

Oh the plumber just showed up. Gotta go, I'll finish this later.

Ok I'm back. Bad thunderstorms are overhead so I told the plumber he can wait until tomorrow to fix the leak. Don't want him working in the rain/hail/tornados. I know, I'm nice like that.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, How could I forget this!!!

Paula Wins (another) NY City Marathon!













She is amazing. One day she will wake up and figure out that Oklahoma is so much better than England. I just know it. Is stalking illegal in England? Maybe it's not even considered stalking over there? One day I will go see her run live. It's now on my to-do list. Maybe I'll run London next year! She says she wants to challenge her marathon world record at that race, I could pace her (for a few yards)!

Oh it's nice to dream. Now let's wake up and go separate the children before they kill each other or tear my house down. Is it bad when they chase each other around with clubs and I hear breaking glass coming from the other room? No crying yet..... Maybe I can keep blogging until I hear some. Here are some sounds from Willie's house tonight: Is that blood? Get your brother down! Don't bend his arm like that! "I didn't do it". Ouch! Daddy! Bang! Dad do we have any Bandages?

Oh the joy of boys.

P.S. Honey if you're reading this I'm exaggerating, the boys are fine..... sorta.

Thanks for listening.

Jenks Half Marathon

I ran the Jenks half marathon today and did pretty good. I held a consistent pace which is good. I wish it had been faster but this is what I's got! I's ain't got no mo'. Life goes on.... Thanks for listening Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Jenks, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 11/02/08 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 08:01 AM Difficulty: 0 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 61 F temp; 89% humidity 61 F heat index; winds NA Performance Distance: 13.18 miles Time: 1:39:45 Speed: 7.9 mph Pace: 7' 34 /mi Calories: 1839 Map Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 7' 12 -0' 22 8.3 +0.4 -- ft 2 7' 34 +0' 00 7.9 -0.0 -- ft 3 7' 38 +0' 04 7.9 -0.1 -- ft 4 7' 35 +0' 01 7.9 -0.0 -- ft 5 7' 32 -0' 02 8.0 +0.0 -- ft 6 7' 42 +0' 08 7.8 -0.1 -- ft 7 7' 38 +0' 04 7.8 -0.1 -- ft 8 7' 41 +0' 07 7.8 -0.1 -- ft 9 7' 32 -0' 02 8.0 +0.0 -- ft 10 7' 33 -0' 01 7.9 +0.0 -- ft 11 7' 33 -0' 01 7.9 +0.0 -- ft 12 7' 45 +0' 11 7.7 -0.2 -- ft 13 7' 31 -0' 03 8.0 +0.0 -- ft end 6' 34 -1' 00 9.1 +1.2 -- ft Versus average of 7' 34 min/mile

Posted from traininglog.roadrunnersports.com

Total System Shutdown

It's 5:18 in the afternoon and I'm on the couch napping, still in my pajamas. If you had looked at 2 PM you would have seen the same picture. At noon, same picture. At 10 AM, same picture except I was in bed. I'VE DONE NOTHING TODAY.

I had a stressful week at work. I started getting to work at 6 AM again like I used to do. I got out of this mode for most of this year because I really didn't feel the need to get up that early. Well this week forced me to get in early. It seemed every time I answered the phone someone else wanted something from me that was due yesterday! I'm usually very good at remembering and meeting deadlines but for some reason I got way behind recently. I hate that feeling.

My wife and I went to a college Halloween party last night. She is getting her MBA and as a result hangs out with college students that are 10-15 years younger than us. This party didn't even start until 8 PM! That's an hour before my bedtime for goodness sakes. We had a great time hanging with the kids singing karaoke all night. We made it home at about 2 in the morning. I was driving so I wasn't drinking but I am feeling the effects of the late night.

So Willie's body is in system shutdown today. I've never been able to sleep in late since I go to work so early but I can lounge and nap. I was up at 8 to make breakfast for my little one. I made some coffee and hit the couch. Spent a few minutes there and one of the little one's friends called and want him to come play so he left. Then the big one said he was going to hang-out with some of his friends so he left. What does a married couple do when they have the house to themselves for the first time in decades? They go back to bed! I slept from 10 until 2:30 and it was wonderful! Only reason I got up then was for the Oklahoma State game so I had to transfer from the bed back to the couch. More napping.

Running? Yea I ran this week. I got in runs on Tuesday and Wednesday. 4.5 miles each with Tuesday's run all being in the 7's/mile. I'm running the Jenks, OK 1/2 marathon tomorrow. It's the oldest 1/2 marathon in Oklahoma and a bunch of us from the running club are road-tripping over there early. Should be a lot of fun. The weather here in the center of the USA is wonderful, 70's and sunny.

Thanks for listening