tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399347916142840352024-03-05T07:52:52.329-05:00John's "get healthy" planI'm making a new commitment to getting myself healthy -- this is simply a way for me to keep track of what I'm doing, hopefully making me accountable :-)Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-74512574877925227302011-04-05T15:13:00.001-04:002011-04-05T15:15:14.788-04:00Look over there!<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>So, I've decided to re-launch my blog . . . writing, specifically, for healthy stuff just wasn't cutting it . . . so, yeah, I'm closing this down. Well, I'll keep it open for awhile, but I'm going to start posting at <a href="http://daddyrunsalot.com">The Adventures of Daddy Runs a Lot</a> now.</p>
<p>Thanks for checking in here, though</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-92216050703268558302011-03-29T14:11:00.001-04:002011-03-29T14:11:51.603-04:00Damn setbacks<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>It's 33 days until my marathon, and wouldn't you know that life just throws all of the curveballs that I can at me? Last week, I had a horrible stomach flu. I just wasn't feeling right as I walked my dogs in the morning, then I made it to my 6am videoteleconference, and then I made it to my other office. It was one of those things where I kept on feeling like I should be feeling better, but I felt worse throughout the morning, until the entire contents of my stomach started finding their way out of me. I'll be as polite as that.</p>
<p>So, that had me out of commission Monday & Tuesday...I could barely stand for periods of time, didn't go to work, really didn't do anything. Wednesday, I made it back to the office but running was far from my radar...Thursday, too, though I managed to actually feel like myself for a little bit. Friday saw me run for the first time all week, 4.5 miles without pushing myself - it felt good to be back.</p>
<p>My plans were to run a half-marathon on Saturday, and then run 2-3 miles on Sunday, just to get my legs back under me. I just got my Vibram Bikilas, I had just been sick, I didn't want to push myself too much, bring myself back too quickly (and I've conditioned myself well enough that 13 miles really isn't a "big thing" for me . . . my plan is to get that number to 25 so that I could run a marathon with minimal training, but I'm nowhere near that right now).</p>
<p>Alas, plans got in the way, and I only had 90 minutes to run, and try as I might, that's not enough time for me to get 13.1 miles out. But, I did run 9 miles . . . and gave myself a tremendous blister. No running Sunday - in fact, now, Tuesday, it's just starting to feel closer to back to normal, but it's still uncomfortable.</p>
<p>My schedule keeps me from running Monday & Tuesday, so I'll be running tomorrow with moleskin on my foot. Training setbacks are to be anticipated, but I really hoped to have completed a 22 mile run by this point . . . I'm not worried about the marathon just yet - but why can't bad shit happen in the middle of the winter, when I don't have the "big thing" on the horizon?</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-10503173521001766882011-03-28T13:55:00.000-04:002011-03-28T14:49:56.314-04:00Vegetables in Soceity<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>We had a "goodbye" lunch for a developer yesterday...and, as most any "we have no idea how many people will be attending"-type event is, we worked our way to a Chinese buffet. If you've ever been to a buffet with me, you know I see a buffet as a personal challenge. "There is all of this food here, and they're not going to stop you from eating," (cue <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUosUk6X9gE" onclick="window.open('http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUosUk6X9gE'); return false;">John Pinette's "Chinese Buffet" bit</a>) so I just keep on going. Of course, not eating meat, it makes my selections somewhat limited...a huge pile of vegetables grilled on the hibachi, a great big heaping pile of "mixed vegetables," and if I'm feeling really saucy, maybe a vegetable egg roll.</p>
<p>I looked at two of my coworkers, and our plates couldn't be more different. Well, they were both absolutely brimming with food, but there was nothing but meat on their plates. Seriously, just a stack of meat. We joked around for a little bit, but the end result was as simple as they "didn't like vegetables."</p>
<p>Seriously, they didn't eat vegetables because they didn't like them.</p>
<p>I'm brought back to my <a href="http://www.prettyalltrue.com/2011/03/wheel-of-pee/comment-page-2/#comment-61785" onclick="window.open('http://www.prettyalltrue.com/2011/03/wheel-of-pee/comment-page-2/#comment-61785'); return false;">first fiancée</a>, who didn't eat vegetables. When I was in college, I was a bit of a porker, but LOVED ordering Chinese with her, because she's order beef & broccoli, and I'd eat all of her broccoli. To this day, I'm told that my ex still doesn't eat vegetables, and has to play the "do as mommy says, not as mommy does" with the kid.</p>
<p>But, seriously, how do you live life not liking vegetables? I know vegetarianism isn't for everybody . . . but anti-vegetarianism? I don't get it.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-31420657917848308802011-03-08T13:32:00.016-05:002011-03-08T13:40:30.337-05:00I'm Stylish, Dammit<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>So the <a href="http://adiaryofamadwoman.com" onclick="window.open('http://adiaryofamandwoman.com'); return false;">Mad Woman Behind the Blog</a> finds me stylish. Surely, you know of the Mad Woman, don't you? You don't? Well, go the fuck over to her place - she's funny, and smart, and hot, and, you know, actually fucking updates her blog on a regular basis. Really, she's among the best bloggers around and deserves your attention. And, she's pregnant, so if you don't go to visit her, she may just eat you.</p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQ29fRZh4DdQsIs-QYvReEDwkF1tB0Y101-l9uAwiskcHy5Ml97FpZQyrn6TZEI330swVXIlHaG3APaOzFn27QpZRjKJHkNM3ZYyc55RGhM8L7_BuhW6sv-li4FFzRmhOFxUXwgJBoEo9/s1600/stylish-blogger-award.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQ29fRZh4DdQsIs-QYvReEDwkF1tB0Y101-l9uAwiskcHy5Ml97FpZQyrn6TZEI330swVXIlHaG3APaOzFn27QpZRjKJHkNM3ZYyc55RGhM8L7_BuhW6sv-li4FFzRmhOFxUXwgJBoEo9/s320/stylish-blogger-award.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581779103294870402" /></a>
<p>Ok, where was I? Yeah, she finds me "stylish" and gave me an award. Obviously, she knows of the cold days where I've chosen to run in three layered sweatshirts and my Guitar Hero flannel pajama pants. Running, in the dead cold so that icicles formed in my beard so it looks like I just gave a truly sloppy blowjob. I mean, look at me, ain't I stylish?</p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikIte4HqR4k3yo7aOTioRx8pVL98e0gyLqX58_P3RCnBEiVGYlpRys8WH-ndtSEq5gso7u2l0WHDMjq8TR2tRfMHEssYXoFK7bDKDZw4kKibU4PGdkLi7cdaCUpY1Kjk_U_pruVWsrUtD/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikIte4HqR4k3yo7aOTioRx8pVL98e0gyLqX58_P3RCnBEiVGYlpRys8WH-ndtSEq5gso7u2l0WHDMjq8TR2tRfMHEssYXoFK7bDKDZw4kKibU4PGdkLi7cdaCUpY1Kjk_U_pruVWsrUtD/s320/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581778984904868642" /></a>
<p>Ok, enough snark. Thank you momma, for the award - which brings with it several conditions - first, seven things which you may not know about me.</p>
<ol>
<li>I was disqualified from a Pinewood Derby. My first try at the Pinewood Derby was pretty typical - 3<sup>rd</sup> grader gets the kit and wants to spend more time painting it than, you know, carving it. The result was that I had a wooden block that went down the track, and it didn't do too well. The next year, I designed the car with my dad. We came up with this sleek car, all weight taken by removing wood added as lead pellets to the rear of the vehicle. It was fast, it won a whole lot of races, to the point where I went onto the regional level. We moved the wheels further apart at the regionals, though, because that should have made for a faster vehicle on the track. It also violated the rules. Whoops. Read the rulebook first. Heh.</li>
<li>I've been fortunate enough to consider myself a traveler. My grandfather started things - he went all over the world when he was a working man, but as I've learned myself, you really can't visit a place that you travel to while you work. So, he made a list of his favorite places and took his grandchildren with him while he actually got to see them. Between trips with him, and trips with school, and with my family, I've visited (in order, with most countries getting multiple visits) Mexico, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Great Britain. I love traveling, and I've been quite fortunate enough to get to do it as often as I have.</li>
<li>My beard (which is more or less permanent) started on a whim. I was working for a company that had a strict "use it or lose it" policy with vacation. December came and I had been saving vacation on the chance that we'd get a last minute call about <a href="http://batzeradopt.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://batzeradopt.blogspot.com'); return false;">an adoption situation</a>, so I had something like 7 days of vacation to use up. When you start throwing in holidays & weekends, well, I wasn't at work for two straight weeks. And, heaven knows I'm not about to shave when I don't need to. The result was that my beard had just moved from the "scruffy" to the "barely acceptable," and now it feels like it's a part of me.</li>
<li>I am an absolute horror movie freak. If I need to put on something just to "have something on," I always prefer a B-Horror film...the faker the effects, the over-acted the happier I am. I've seen some truly silly films, and some truly deranged, but it's a little scary how much I enjoy them. That said, my favorite movie is a horror film that was quite subtle, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In" onclick="window.open('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In'); return false;">Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In).</a></li>
<li>I am fascinated by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless" onclick="window.open('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless'); return false;">Christopher McCandless</a>. No, I'm not about to pick up and spend a winter in Alaska without provisions, but damn if it's cool to say "I want to do that, I don't care if you think it's crazy, and I'm going to do it all by myself." I spend all day, every day, around a computer, and even if I'm not at a computer, it's not difficult to get a hold of me. Up & "unplugging" for an extended period of time has a real Siren's call. I think I can satiate the call with weekend & week-long camping trips, but the Wild, she calls to me.</li>
<li>If I wasn't working in IT, I really think I'd find my calling as a health care professional - most likely in hospice care. Well, I'll always hold out hope of being a professional author, or playright, or composer, or recipe designer, or musician - I mean, it'd be really cool to make enough money via creative endeavors to get to the point where I can claim "independent wealth," but I really think I'd excel "helping people." I love meeting new people, getting to know someone, helping someone out. The dying, in our society, are kind of swept under the carpet. I don't know, but I just think it would be quite rewarding to know I was providing comfort to someone uncomfortable and scared.</li>
<li>I have a single tattoo, and a single piercing, but I have plans for many more. Well, maybe not "many," but I certainly have plans for more. I think body art is a bit over-done these days. Nothing irks me more when you ask somebody about a tattoo on display to hear "I thought it looked cool." That said, it's the ultimate form of tribute - a piece of your skin devoted entirely to a memory/thought/person/event/idea. As long as they're personal & meaningful, I love body art. My current tattoo is on my right leg, a bicycle chain wrapping around & cutting into my skin . . . it's a reminder that, if I'm not doing something active, and I can be doing something active . . . well, maybe I should be. My next tattoo will be a sleeve on my left arm, filled with little bits & pieces (with holes left for the future) of symbols of my children.</li></ol>
<hr />
<p>Winning this award also dictates that I nominate seven other bloggers for the award...in no particular order:
<ol>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/rachspan" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/rachspan'); return false;">Rachel</a> of <a href="http://www.happyhealthyhomemade.com" onclick="window.open('http://www.happyhealthyhomemade.com'); return false;">Happy, Healthy, Homemade</a> because she can cook some really healthy stuff has bionic boobs.</li>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/lelly28461" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/lelly28461'); return false;">Eleanor</a> of <a href="http://lellysmusings.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://lellysmusings.blogspot.com'); return false;">Lelly's Musings</a> because she keeps me motivated. Every day, I struggle to work out - Lelly cheers me on while I can swear I feel the smile emanating from her own post-workout tweets.</li>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/livenudefood" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/livenudefood'); return false;">Ken</a> from <a href="http://fatkidsuit.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open('http://fatkidsuit.wordpress.com'); return false;">Fat Kid Suit</a> because it's a little uncanny how much alike we are. He's had weight issues, I've had weight issues. We've both had some serious attempts at changing our lives for the better that just didn't quite work out and we can't pinpoint why . . . sometimes, it's just better to know you're not going on a journey alone</li>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/chrissarella" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/chrissarella'); return false;">Chrissa</a> from <a href="http://simplychrissa.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open('http://simplychrissa.wordpress.com'); return false;">A Little Wicked</a> & <a href="http://twitter.com/loripop326" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/loripop326'); return false;">Lori</a> from <a href="http://shesawake.com" onclick="window.open('http://shesawake.com'); return false;">Oh Shit, She's Awake</a> (yeah, two for the one because it's totally impossible to pay attention to one without the other, and their own friendship makes you like them as a whole even more) because they're witty, silly, beautiful, provocative, and currently churning out some of the best blog writing I've ever witnessed in their own 50-50 challenge.</li>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/dana_lu" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/dana_lu'); return false;">Dana</a> of <a href="http://amidlifescrises.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://amidlifescrises.blogspot.com'); return false;">Amid Life's Crises</a> because she's wickedly smart, tremendously sweet, has a great meme with her Sunday Secrets and if she keeps up her workout regimen, she's going to make me seem like I live life standing still.</li>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/alliegresham" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/alliegresham'); return false;">Allie</a> from <a href="http://soihadcancer.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://soihadcancer.blogspot.com'); return false;">So I Had Cancer...</a> because if you ever confuse my words for inspiring, you haven't read Allie.</li>
<li><a href="http://twitter.com/gopopgo" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/gopopgo'); return false;">Pop</a> from <a href="http://gopopgo.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open('http://gopopgo.wordpress.com"); return false;">Go, Pop, Go!</a> because, quite frankly, the future years of fatherhood scare the everliving shit out of me, and reading what Pop has gone through makes me think that I might just survive with my sense of humor intact...sometimes.</li></ol>
<p>So, bloggers - go forth, spread the award, but most importantly, write!</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-27195423110133110762011-03-07T11:56:00.001-05:002011-03-07T11:56:32.110-05:00I love sleep, and weather is an asshole<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I had such grand plans. I truly did. I was going to run on Wednesday, rest on Thursday, run on Friday morning, wake up early to run on Saturday. Wake up early to run on Sunday. Rest on Monday. None of that happened. Even the days that I planned to rest? I really didn't rest.</p>
<p>Wednesday was raining. Like, really raining. I don't mind the rain - my first 5k was in a rain storm. My first, successful 100k bike ride was in a monsoon. But, as we're in that part of the year where winter turns to spring, my allergies go on high alert. And with my allergies on high alert, it doesn't take much to get me into "I have a cold" territory - and running in the rain seems to tempt fate. So, I didn't run. I, in fact, chose to spin (my thinking being that it's better to do <em>something</em> than nothing). So, I start up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Troopers" onclick="window.open('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Troopers'); return false;">Super Troopers</a> and my phone rings. "Hmmm, it sure is funny to have my phone ring at 5 in the morning on a Wednesday" I think to myself...it's work. There's a major issue.</p>
<p>Well, "major issue" means different things to different people - and the issue was not "major," but I don't do well with "there's an issue, just let it be" when you interrupt my plans . . . so I did not even spin. I did, however, manage to run that afternoon. I was home, so I might as well do something, and CJ was napping, but Leila was fussy - so into the jogging stroller she went. I'm not sure if she was awake or asleep, but she was quiet, and when I finished and got her out of ths stroller, she had a great big smile on her face.</p>
<p>So, Thursdays are Duffy's days to run, so Duffy ran on Thursday morning, and I took a rare "no band" Thursday night off. The next few days made me rethink that decision.</p>
<p>Friday morning, I woke up with a sore throat (this has progressed into a "productive cough," which is as fun as it sounds when you Google it, but, really, is not all that uncommon for me) and took things lightly. Then my world took me into King of Prussia for the afternoon, which turned into dinner with friends, which meant that I got home at 10pm . . . so there was no work out.</p>
<p>You know what I love? Sleep. Saturday was going to be a big day for me - I had to take all three of my pets to the vet for a yearly checkup, and then one of my best friends had an all-day bachelor party planned. So, if I wanted to run, it had to be at like 5am. And it was Saturday, and I love sleep. Didn't happen, and I still don't feel all that guilty about it. I slept, I parented, I took the animals to the vet, I bought liquor, I went to the party.</p>
<p>I got home from the party at about 1 in the morning...so running at 5AM on Sunday? Yeah, wasn't going to happen. The kids slept horribly, and the dogs were in their "hey, are you awake yet?" mode as soon as both of my little darlings were asleep, so I went to take them for a walk. But, alas, it was raining again. I managed 30 minutes of spinning until it was time for me to get myself ready for church.</p>
<p>Mondays are my "early day" at work, where I'm in at 6. So, if I want, I can run Tuesday afternoon, or get back on my schedule on Wednesday.</p>
<p>In the grand scheme of things, I'm still quite on track - it will be two weeks between "big runs" come a Saturday run, but I think it's quite possible (I'm thinking about going back to my first "big run" location, just for nostalgia sake), but that May 1 marathon is approaching. Despite the fact that clothes are fitting me better, I'm nervous. But, despite bachelor party snacks by the fistful, I'm eating well, and I'm hardly a bump on the log. I got this.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-40304006619906800522011-02-28T14:14:00.002-05:002011-02-28T14:14:44.323-05:0018 Mile Thoughts<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I had to make my big decision before I went to bed. I had a commitment in the mid-morning (dress rehearsal for my symphony concert), so would I wake up early & run a smallish run, or would I wait until after rehearsal to see what kind of run I might be able to fit in.</p>
<p>The early morning had its draw - I mean, I'm used the early morning runs. Since I had some extra time, I'd be able to a little more than my standard 4-6 miles. I'd be able to get a 10 mile run in, head to rehearsal, and then play the rest of the day however I felt like it. But an afternoon run, well, I might be able to test just how "on target" I was for the May 1 marathon.</p>
<p>The kids were up early, and that kind of settled things. Duffy tried to deal with a persnickety CJ for awhile, but something clicked in my mind, and Leila decided that she wanted to play - so I relieved my wife in the kid-watching department. After getting them dressed and fed and keeping them entertained . . . well, it was to head to the dress rehearsal. That's ok, though, I really wanted the afternoon run.</p>
<p>Following the dress rehearsal and lovely family brunch, it was back home. Duffy wanted to run, so I got myself ready as I watched the kids and my wife ran. Then, she was home, and I went out.</p>
<p>My goal was 18 miles - this is the pretty standard "ready for a marathon" run, the theory being that adrenaline is enough to keep somebody going for 8.2 miles . . . although, damn, 8.2 miles is a long way to run on fumes. It was actually a nice-ish day - some cloud cover as the temperature neared the 50's. I left at 3:30, and if I could manage eighteen 10:00 miles, well, that fits neatly into three hours (and puts me well on pace for a 4:30 marathon).</p>
<p>Now, when I'm really running a long distance, I just try to keep things even. I don't want to be "too fast" so that I'm truly sucking wind mid-way through. At the same time, there is nothing worse than sprinting the last mile of a long run and feeling like you <em>still</em> had a lot left in the tank, that you took things way too easy at first.</p>
<p>I'm not even a mile into the run (I have Runkeeper set to chime in with my splits every mile, which is the only reason why I know the approximate distances throughout the run) when I hear something behind me. It's another runner, and he flies right by me. I know I'm not fast, but I have really fucking long legs - to feel like I'm walking as Usain Bolt sprints past? Well, it sucks.</p>
<p>So, I try to process being left in the dust. I knew I was taking it easy, and, ultimately, I'm running my run, he's running his run, so some random runner being faster than me makes absolutely no difference. I absolutely refuse to pick up my pace, even as he gets smaller against the horizon. In fact, I intentionally slow down....and then I hit the first mile mark, which I've hit in 9:02. I was convinced that I was running a 13:00 mile, so that's something.</p>
<p>I continue running in & out of the neighborhood, and then in & out of my own neighborhood, and then in & out of another neighborhood, consistently marking times between 9:00 and 10:12 / mile. I'm feeling good, but then I hit the golf course.</p>
<p>Somehwat near me is the Army Heritage museum, which is a really great little place. It's a walking trail that takes you through US military history - from Revolutionary War forts to Cold War tanks to Vietnam-Era helicopters, to World War II bunkers. It's also adjacent to the Carlisle Barracks golf course, which has a 2 mile jogging trail around it. I hit this right around the 10 mile mark, and my goal was to run everything three times and then work my way back home.</p>
<p>I'm used to running this, though, in bone dry conditions. It's packed pebbles, which aren't too bad to run on when dry, but in melted snow, wearing Vibram Five Fingers? It's pretty icky. Still, though - this was my plan, so I run the jogging trail, and then through the walking path, and then through the jogging trail, and then the walking path when it started to get dark.</p>
<p>Well, it was getting dark, and while I wanted to hit 18 miles, that number was just an "out of the air" number, and didn't really hold any significance. I'd work my way back home maybe run around my own neighborhood once or twice if the mileage isn't just where I want it.</p>
<p>As I ran through the muck, my times started to slow, but I really thought I attributed things to the icky conditions. I was stepping much more carefully, so 10:30, 11:00, even 12:00 miles weren't all that bad. Slipping and falling would be disastrous.</p>
<p>But, when I got back on the road, there was simply no picking up my pace. I could sprint if I needed to, but my "go" simply was turned down a few nothces. I made it back home, hitting the 17 mile mark at the very top of the biggest climb during the entire run. It was dark, and I was rapidly approaching three hours on the road. I decided to skip my 18 mile requirement and sprint my way back home.</p>
<p>17.25 miles in three hours. I was tired. But, I was able to lift my kids and climb the stairs and do all of those things that you're afraid to even try to do at the end of a run.</p>
<p>The Gettysburg marathon is in 60 days, and I'm feeling pretty good. Due to a blister on my right foot (a small hole opened up in the rubber coating the shoe, and I suspect a small stone snuck in - good excuse to buy a new pair of shoes), I took Sunday completely off, and I have early morning work commitments on Mondays, and Duffy runs on Tuesdays, so it will be Wednesday, at the earliest before I get to run again, but I may actually spin, instead, waiting for my new shoes to arrive (although I guess I <em>could</em> run in regular sneakers, but Super Troopers isn't going to watch itself, meow).</p>
<p>My favorite part, after a long weekend run, is how I feel a day or two later. My legs are mostly recovered, but they want to <em>go</em>. My hamstrings aren't quite tight, but I can feel them, as if they were springs ready to be spring. It actually takes restraint to sit at my desk and not just do jumping jacks or sprint to the end of the hall. I absolutely love this feeling - where your body is still in the recovery phase, but, at the same time, it wants more. It's nearly as addictive as logging that next mile.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-4552622143246464702011-02-23T12:29:00.011-05:002011-02-23T13:47:28.086-05:00Work Gets in the Way<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>So it's been a little while since I've posted, again. This really needs to stop happening. No excueses, remember? The issue is that I simply don't have the time in the day to do everything that I'd like to do.</p>
<p>I wake up before 4:30 every weekday, which sucks just as much as it sounds. I have a video teleconference with my offshore team in Manila at 6am on Mondays, so I'm out the door as soon as possible. Tuesdays & Thursdays are my wife's days to run, so I <em>could</em> get some writing done as she's out doing her thing. I could. But, I choose to get a little bit more sleep.</p>
<p>Then, Wednesdays and Fridays, I run in the mornings before work. Sure, I could sacrifice this time for writing, but I have this marathon in May, and, dammit, I'm gonna beat my Harrisburg marathon time. Plus, as we all know, I feel <em>so much</em> better throughout the day when I manage exercise in the mornings.</p>
<p>So, before work - no blogging.</p>
<p>After work - well, have I mentioned my kids lately? They're 15 months & 8 months and they're handfuls. Actually, all things considered, they're not too bad to take care of - but, two kids under a year & a half old . . . yeah, there's not a lot of "free time" that I can spend at a computer.</p>
<p>That leaves work itself. And, unfortunately, I'm quite busy at the new job (don't snicker, I actually am). I can spend a few minutes writing here or there, but that would cut into the few minutes I spend following bloggers. Seriously, I can't miss new pieces from
<a href="http://adiaryofamadwoman.com" onclick="window.open('http://adiaryofamadwoman.com'); return false;">A Diary of a Mad Woman</a>
or
<a href="http://prettyalltrue.com" onclick="window.open('http://prettyalltrue.com'); return false;">Pretty All True</a>
or
<a href="http://fatkidsuit.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open('http://fatkidsuit.wordpress.com'); return false;">Fat Kid Suit</a>
or
<a href="http://simplychrissa.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open('http://simplychrissa.wordpress.com'); return false;">A Little Wicked</a>
or
<a href="http://shesawake.com" onclick="window.open('http://shesawake.com'); return false;">Oh Shit, She's Awake</a>
or
<a href="http://mommakiss.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://mommakiss.blogspot.com.com'); return false;">Momma Kiss</a>
or
<a href="http://pleased-to-meet-you.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://pleased-to-meet-you.blogspot.com'); return false;">Have We Met?</a>
or
<a href="http://amidlifescrises.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://amidlifescrises.blogspot.com'); return false;">Amid Life's Crises</a>
or
<a href="http://funnyorsnot.com" onclick="window.open('http://funnyorsnot.com'); return false;">Funny or Snot</a>
or
<a href="http://thekittenthatdates.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open('http://thekittenthatdates.wordpress.com'); return false;">The Kitten that Dates</a>
or
<a href="http://midgetmanofsteel.com" onclick="window.open('http://midgetmanofsteel.com'); return false;">Mental Poo</a>
or
<a href="http://citymidwife.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://citymidwife.blogspot.com'); return false;">City Midwife</a>
or my first blogging crush
<a href="http://jensvoices.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open('http://jensvoices.blogspot.com'); return false;">Jen's Voices</a>? I spend what time I have checking in on these writers, commenting where I can, and between work & stuff, well, that's the end of the day for me.</p>
<p>The thing is, there are certain activities that I simply feel better when I make time for them every day - exercise, meditatate, perform, and write (yes, perverts, you can add something else to this list, too). I need to find time to write - be it here or for myself...take the crazy that lives between my ears & let it out for little bits at a time.</p>
<p>About that blog roll, though? Read through them - as you read, if you're not drawn to be a better writer, yourself, well, you're simply not subject to whimsy.</p>
<hr />
<p>Ok - so that sums up why I haven't been here as often as I should...how is everything else going? Well, it's a rollercoaster. I live in Pennsylvania and this winter has included a fair amount of snow & ice. This means that I haven't been able to run like I want to. As weekends are perfect times for road trips, my long runs don't always happen on schedule. However, I really think I'm ready, today, for a marathon, if I absolutely had to (becuase, you know, there are armed gunmen standing outside that will <em>make me</em> run 26.2 miles because, dammit, if someone doesn't run a marathon right now, the bunny gets shot). Considering I have a full two months left before my next big adventure in making myself tired, I'm well on track.</p>
<p>This morning, it was 7F outside, with a significant breeze - I did not run. I did, however, watch Super Troopers as I spend some time on my spinning bike & with my free weights. Meow.</p>
<p>Eating - well, I have a fun story which, on the surface, appears to have <em>nothing</em> to do with eating. As I was making my way to my father's 65th birthday party last weekend, I stopped to get gas. It was a beautiful, though very windy day. I pull out my debit card (because I'm trying to keep myself from ever getting into major financial dire straights, I only ever carry the debit card) and get startled. The card, I kid you not, catches the breeze and takes off. Whoosh. I couldn't find it.</p>
<p>I call and make the customary "cancel" call, but I'm now on the road with only the cash in my pocket. I beg, borrow, and steal the cash to get myself back home, but I'm still a few days from getting a replacement card. I hold onto any cash I get just in case I need to head somewhere unexpected and need a gallon of gas.</p>
<p>What does all this mean? Well, I'm packing my breakfast and lunch (I always mean to do this, but if I don't do this now, I starve). I'm eating healthier and yummier frugalier than I ever have. I need to keep this up after I get my replacement card.</p>
<p>Anyway, so that's all of what I've been up to as I haven't been here. I'm really going to try to invent the 30 hour day simply for my own blogging.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-35349065479912640542011-02-04T08:45:00.004-05:002011-02-04T10:51:56.356-05:00A Day in the life<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>While I have my eyes on the future, an event on the first day of May seems impossibly far away, so finding shorter-term motivation is a necessity. Let me run through what a typical morning workout is.</p>
<ul>
<li>4:25, wake up to the alarm clock. Swear. Curse. Get really pissed off when one of the dogs decides that he'd rather sleep in than go for a walk.</li>
<li>4:50, return from walk & feed the dogs. Fight off tears of jealousy as the dogs get to go back to bed.</li>
<li>4:55, start drinking water.</li>
<li>5:00, go outside. Remark that it wasn't this cold just a few minutes ago. Start audiobook and runkeeper on my iPhone.</li>
<li>5:01, take mental note that, perhaps, running gloves will be a wise investment.</li>
<li>Sometime before 5:10, cross the one busy street that I must cross</li>
<li>5:10, Runkeeper chimes in that I ran a 10:20 mile and that my current pace (as I climb a hill) is 13:20. Try to see if I can bring my time down to 10:00 / mile.</li>
<li>Sometime before 5:20, have the internal conversation:<ul>
<li>"is that Douglas Ave?"</li><li>"I need to make a right onto Douglas Ave or I'll get lost in this neighborhood."</li><li>"Why the fuck do I run so early when it's dark and so cold that my eyeballs don't work right?"</li><li>"Oh, the street sign is on <em>that</em> corner."</li><li>"No, not Douglas Ave."</li></ul></li>
<li>One minute later, make right onto Douglas Ave.</li>
<li>5:20, hit two miles of running, hear that my pace is now at 10:02 and that I'm running a 9:40 mile.</li>
<li>Sometime before 5:30, "Is that Mary Drive?..."</li>
<li>5:30, hit three miles of running, time per mile down to 9:59, ask self "For how long do I think I can keep this pace up?" Immediately realize that I only have time to log another mile. Kick up the tempo.</li>
<li>5:31, realize that there's a reason that the mile isn't considered a sprint, continue pushing myself without going "balls to the wall."</li>
<li>Sometime before 5:40, with the single busy road busy, say to self "shit, this is going to affect my timing," think about sprinting across street with a car coming that would probably leave me, remind self that, while I'm certainly not a small object, I'd lose against a car.</li>
<li>Seconds later, cross street safely. Pick up pace.</li>
<li>5:40, hit the 4 mile mark and note that my time is down to 9:50 / mile. Begin "balls to the wall" sprint.</li>
<li>5:42, end run.</li>
</ul>
<p>Without this little running commentary (and without Runkeeper chiming in every mile to tell me how I'm doing), I'd really fear the run just being ordinary...I need to find that thing that will allow me to push myself.</p>
<p>Of course, today's run was on a Friday, and Fridays require special handling. As it's the day that my wife works at the library, we need to both take morning showers & get the kids ready & all that stuff. Well, I get upstairs and my wife is, obviously, not feeling all that great . . . so let her sleep in while I get in the shower while recovering from the run.</p>
<p>Did I mention it was cold out?</p>
<p>Trying to find the right shower temperature, I used my hands, which were numb with cold. But, as my body starts to warm, my extremities get downright hot. So, stick hand in stream of water "way too hot," turn the temp down. "Still too hot," turn the temp down. "Still too hot," but maybe I can bear it. Step into stream of water, shriek as it's downright cold. Turn water back up to a reasonable temperature, realize that showering while you can't really feel your hands is really difficult.</p>
<hr />
<p>The best part about this run was that I pushed myself, but it's not affecting my legs right now . . . they feel absolutely great. I'm really hoping that I get home at a decent time tonight (after playing a Battle of the Bands) and the weather cooperates enough to allow run another 13-15 on Saturday before my wife leaves for the Library, because I really don't want to wake up early on Super Bowl Sunday to run such a run.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-35519853314201464342011-02-03T12:35:00.003-05:002011-02-03T14:06:44.137-05:00Workout Entertainment<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I truly prefer to work out outside. I simply don't trust myself to do what I say I'm doing when I do something inside. Yes, I might spin or row for an hour . . . but did I really push myself? Just what did I manage to accomplish? The answer is that i don't know - when I'm outside, I know I managed to go so far. It may be a good workout, it may not be, but I know I went so many miles in such an amount of time, and this compares, directly, to previous workouts. It's easy to map progress.</p>
<p>Inside? Not so much.</p>
<p>As somebody who was born in the technological age, though, I'm someone who needs near constant entertainment. When I'm outside I, obviously, can't be watching anything, so it's been audiobooks - lately, I've been in a bit of a "young adult" kick...the entire Harry Potter saga (for the umpteenth time), the Hunger Games, and now the Artemis Fowl saga for a second time. Soon enough, if my kids are anything like me, I physically won't be able to read enough to satisfy their desire to be read to...so audiobooks it will be.</p>
<p>Audiobooks are good because they keep my mind engaged. I can absolutely lose myself in music, and then you have no idea where the heck you've gone to. For an actual event, music is the way to go (assuming they allow music on the course), just because it's quite rude to ignore somebody that strikes up conversation..."wait, hold on, Wormtail just killed Cederic" is not a best first line when making new friends.</p>
<p>Working out inside, though, brings a whole new level of distraction. It used to be that, during the height of football season, I'd pedal on a stationary bike while playing Madden...but, well, daddyhood has gotten in the way there. If I actually manage to watch football, it's the actual game, and not a video game. So, I watch movies. And I'm attracted to B-Horror films like flies are attracted to those electronic bug zappers. I know they're bad for me, but I can't help myself. I swear, between April Fool's Day & Sleepaway Camp, I could entertain myself for days. Anyway, I just went through a string of three impressive movies (even if they're impressive in the amount that they're depraved):
<ul>
<li>Human Centipede (the First Sequence)</li>
<li>Machete</li>
<li>The Last Exorcism</li>
</ul></p>
<p>I should be watching things that engage my mind, make me think...but, no, I'd rather see people get chopped into little bits and horrible makeup.</p>
<p>The winter is actually really great for this little obsession of mine. There is no shortage of truly horrible Christmas-related horror films...and considering my body's fighting of the change in temperature as you go from "chilly" to "freezing," I end up spending a lot of time in late December indoors (especially if we get early snows).</p>
<p>Anyway, just thought I'd share here . . . I have a more-fun post set for tomorrow :-)</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-37644387684670551452011-02-02T10:09:00.004-05:002011-02-02T11:14:19.882-05:00Events on the horizon<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I was talking on Twitter the other day about running strategy. I've come across an absolute treasure-trove of runners, from the truly competitive to the "just doing this to get myself into shape." Some people run a mile at a time, and some run one-hundred miles in a day. Why some of these people look to me for running advice, well, I haven't a clue (though I kind of think whenever anybody decides to do a LOT of something, they become a bit of an expert).</p>
<p>Staying motivated is, easily, the biggest hurdle to any plan - especially when you don't have an endgame in sight. My goal is to be healthy, which is entirely undefined...yet, I've been paving this road for awhile.</p>
<p>In a conversation with a person who could easily run circles around me as she trains for a March marathon (and, oh how I'd love to be in an area right now that you could actually schedule a marathon in March...too much of a risk for snow/ice here), she asked what I was training for. And, I was able to spit out a whole list of things..this runner came back to me, applauding me for working ahead. I realized, at that moment, that it's how I stay motivated. I like to think I'm not like the <a href="http://adiaryofamadwoman.com/spill-guts" onclick="window.open('http://adiaryofamadwoman.com/spill-guts'); return false;">Mad Woman's Ex Fiance</a>, ignoring those things that are important to me for the next event . . . but I need something to look forward to, lest I grow stagnant.</p>
<p>So far, I have:<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.gettysburgnorthsouthmarathon.com" onclick="window.open('http://www.gettysburgnorthsouthmarathon.com'); return false;">Gettysburg North/South Marathon</a>, which is the very first running, and I think it's pretty damn cool to know that I'll run the very first running of this event.</li>
<li><a href="http://main.diabetes.org/goto/johnbatzer2011" onclick="window.open('http://main.diabetes.org/goto/johnbatzer2011'); return false;">The Central Pennsylvania Tour de Cure</a> which is my big charity event every year. It's a 100km bike ride to benefit diabetes research, and just a very beautiful ride that I look forward to each & every year.</li>
<li><a href="http://ragbrai.com" onclick="window.open('http://ragbrai.com'); return false;">The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI)</a>, which (as the name might lead you to believe) is a bike ride across the great state of Iowa (is Iowa a great state? I don't know . . . my sole memory is of a very, very cold afternoon in downtown Des Moines, a stinky & obese cab driver, and a walk through the woods).</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bstriathlon.com" onclick="window.open(' http://www.bstriathlon.com'); return false;">The Boiling Springs Sprint Triathlon</a>, which will be my first ever triathlon (though it shouldn't be a surprise to any of you that I plan to run an iron man at home point)</li>
<li><a href="http://hersheyhalfmarathon.com" onclick="window.open('http://hersheyhalfmarathon.com'); return false;">The Hershey Half-Marathon</a>, which is the single event that I'd expect other runners with. The Tour de Cure is an absolutely LOVELY bike ride, through some of the prettiest scenery . . . but a 13 mile stroll through the chocolate capital of the world? Well, let's just say that I'm not anticipating doing this by myself.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.threecreekcentury.com" onclick="window.open('http://www.threecreekcentury.com'); return false;">The Three Creek Century</a>, which is one of the most understated bike rides - it's absolutely beautiful, usually occurs in the very peak of fall (my favorite time of year)...a one-hundred mile bike ride benefiting a domestic-abuse shelter. Really, this event should be much larger than it is.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.harrisburgmarathon.com" onclick="window.open('http://www.harrisburgmarathon.com'); return false;">The Harrisburg Marathon</a>, where I'll tackle the course for the second time . . . hopefully, with all of the good and none of the bad from the last running.</li>
</ul></p>
<p>Of course, I'll have some 5k/10k runs in there, just to ensure that I keep my eyes looking forward. And, there is the <a href="http://www.piranha-sports.com/Race132.aspx" onclick="window.open('http://www.piranha-sports.com/Race132.aspx'); return false;">Cannonman Half-Ironman</a> in the back of m mind. I'd need to train, and train seriously for it. Even now, while I'm not in the best shape, I'm confident that I can complete each of the branches: 1.2 mile swim, 55 mile bike ride, 13.1 mile run. Well, the swim I'm not entirely sure about, but I'm pretty sure I could . . . the issue is, would I be done for the day? I think I need to sign up at a pool, and quickly, if I want to manage. I can just see my training, though:<ul>
<li>4:00 am: wake up, walk & feed dogs</li>
<li>4:30 am: out the door to the pool</li>
<li>4:45 am: swim swim swim</li>
<li>6:00 am: change into bike gear, bike to work</li>
<li>7:15 am: arrive at Planet Fitness & shower</li>
<li>7:30 am: work</li>
<li>noon: change & run</li>
<li>12:45 pm: back to Planet Fitness to shower the run stink off of me</li>
<li>1:00 pm: back to work</li>
<li>4:30 pm: bike back home</li>
<li>6:00 pm: assume daddy duties</li>
<li>8:30 pm: hope that I can outlast the kids for bedtime</li></ul></p>
<p>What scares me about that schedule? I'm tired thinking about it . . . and, I'm seriously considering trying to live it. Hold me?</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-3867009355289916812011-01-28T08:58:00.004-05:002011-01-28T09:41:30.101-05:00Vanity & The Biggest Loser<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I've been talking about The Biggest Loser a lot lately. This is the first season that I've actually started watching from day one of the season, because I got completely caught up in Rulon Gardner's Olympic saga in 2000 and to know that his weight has more than doubled, well, it's something else. I wanted to see how somebody who was a marvel of health (and, no, he wasn't exactly svelte, but a champion wrestler? Well, his body was built specifically for action, not necessarily for the cameras) ended up sliding so badly.</p>
<p>The biggest thing that bothers me about the show is the humiliation that the contestants need to go through. I'm not exactly shy about my body...but I'd feel quite exposed walking around amongst my friends & family in my underwear. Here, you have the most obese of the obese, and they're essentially in their underwear, and they're on television for millions of people. You're seeing them cry, puke, pass out. In a perfect world, these would be private moments. But, keeping those private doesn't necessarily make good TV.</p>
<p>I'm left wondering at what level you take away the "for the common good" and start investigating "for the best of the individual." I, honestly, believe that The Biggest Loser is good for the nation as a whole. There isn't an office that I know of that hasn't done some sort of "Biggest Loser" competition (and, while we can talk about whether weight loss should be the focus when you're dealing with health, most people, if they want to be healthier, need to lose weight...the only hope is that the weight loss is done in way that's as productive as possible for the body...I should note that weight programs are a significant portion of the Biggest Loser workout, and if weight loss were the only goal, they'd be near completely ignored). The <a href="http://www.pfpchallenge.com" onclick="window.open('http://www.pfpchallenge.com'); return false;">Pound for Pound Challenge</a> that they've initiated is a phenomenal idea. The show is taking a serious problem, finding obvious examples, and putting a harsh mirror onto the american public.</p>
<p>I'd look like a freaking supermodel on the show, and I'd balk at having cameras follow my workout & tape me in my underwear as I stepped on a scale. I guess it's obvious to anybody who signs up that they know what they're getting into. They're getting a certain amount of time with world class trainers & dietitians at the cost of having to check their humility, a certain amount of pride, and their privacy at the door.</p>
<p>I have to imagine, for the best of the contestants, it would be to provide the "Biggest Loser" experience, but to leave the cameras out. Put people who are having real & legitimate issues with their relationship with food at a place where they can concentrate only on themselves. Enable them to make the best decisions about food. Guide their workouts. Keep some element of competition so that people know that sliding will not be tolerated. But, for the love of god, allow people to preserve their dignity. I guess the question is, will that really do any good for anyone beyond the people in the room? Does that stripping of dignity empower more to take inspiration and work for themselves? I, of course, don't know the answers here. I just worry about psychological damage. But, is that damage any worse than going about your daily life thinking that every person you pass thinks you're repulsive (I don't think I'd think "that person is repulsive" if I passed the average contestant on the street, but I know I've certainly thought that people must think that way about me as I've been heavy)?</p>
<p>With all that said, I'd kick absolute ass at "The Moderate Loser," provided I didn't balk every single time a camera found me. I'm actually feeling pretty good about "me" these days. I've been allowing my food plan to slide a bit . . . I broke down and had a doughnut the other day, and I've had the random snack of chips. I've chosen french fries over a salad on several occasions. I've had second helpings when I didn't absolutely need them. With all that said, though, I'm not doing poorly. I'm still running, and I'm aware that the food decisions that I'm making are, perhaps not the best decisions. It's when I stop noticing that I'm making those decisions that I start getting in trouble. Right now, I'm in a golf-shirt that's just the tiniest bit tight around my biceps, which makes me feel all sorts of weird...my "guns" are, maybe .22's, hardly .45's...the shirt was obviously cut weird, but I'll take the ego boost. I actually haven't been doing much in the weight training department because of my elbow, which I'm having looked at next Wednesday...keep your fingers crossed that the pain I've had is just an abnormal & adverse reaction to winter and not something worse.</p>
<hr />
<p>This morning, I did manage to run for a little bit. Last night was a cranky night from Leila. I had the alarm set for 4:30, but I set it for 5 after waking up between 3:30 and 4:00 with her. In all honesty, I'm not really sure who woke up, or what was going on, but I was out of bed, so I reset the alarm. After a quick dog walk, I managed a 30-something minute run. I actually pushed my pace below 10 minutes/mile (which is something, considering that I'm in several layers of clothing, some of which are trying their damndest to fall of my body).</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-27898709894059250322011-01-26T12:24:00.002-05:002011-01-26T12:54:30.014-05:00(Slightly Off Topic) Why I Didn't Work Out This Morning<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I know, in my last post, that I went out of my way to say "no more excuses." Well, I have an excuse, and I think you'll forgive me this time.</p>
<p>The big news as Tuesday turned into Wednesday was snow. We were pretty sure we were getting something, but no idea how much. It was possible that we'd get a rainy/snowy mix that wouldn't amount to anything. It was possible that we'd get 16+ inches of the white stuff. I love those types of winter storms. I actually think the grocery stores are in cahoots with the weathermen to ensure that storm predictions make people crazy.</p>
<p>Anyway, snow. I woke up at 4:30 (because I'm a masochist) to walk the dogs, and it was obvious that there had been some form of wet precipitation the night before. While it was flurrying, there really wasn't anything to talk about.</p>
<p>However, as we walked, the snow started hitting us harder, and I noticed that I was slipping slight amounts. "Better safe than sorry," I thought as I cut the dogs' walk short & decided to not head out to run (but, instead, to spin).</p>
<p>After getting inside, I feed the dogs & Hobbes (the elder, cairn terrier) asks to go outside. Since I cut the walk short, I didn't think twice about letting him out, and of course Snickelfritz (the younger, border terrier) runs out after him. Seconds after they hit the yard, there was a very violent series of barking, and then nothing.</p>
<p>I walk outside to try to see what they've gotten into, and neither will come to me. Eventually, Hobbes comes by, poops, and I'm able to convince him to head through the door. But Snickelfritz stays under the porch. I can see him, I tempt him with a puppy treat, but nothing. I should note that he's <em>all of the way</em> under the porch and there's no way that I can easily go to retrieve him. I walk around to the other side of the porch, to better see what's going on, but it's too dark, and he simply won't come.</p>
<p>So, I walk back into the house, keeping Hobbes at bay (because he desperately wants to go outside again) to get a flash-light. With a flashlight, I walk all of the way around the porch (I need to head out to the steps, then all of the way around in order to get to this area, I'd draw a map, but my artistic skills suck) to see Snickelfritz coming out from under the deck. Dragging a possum corpse.</p>
<p>There are a plethora of emotions that run through your mind when you see a large, dead rodent. Complex, primal emotions: fight, flight, protect, flee, rescue, murder...they're all there. My first thought was "dear god, the fight lasted for seconds, if that, and this thing is larger than Snickelfritz...if the dogs killed it, it was diseased." Then, "what if it got a good bite in beforehand and Hobbes is currently trailing blood throughout the house?" Then, "how the fuck am I going to get rid of this thing?"</p>
<p>My most immediate concern was for my dogs. Hobbes walked into the house without aid, seemingly uninjured. Sure, there might be something wrong, but it's nothing to worry about right at that moment. Snickelfritz, though, well, he was dragging a rodent by the scruff of its neck, so of course he'd be moving funny. And now, here I am, near hysterical with fear. I'm sure there was a "oh, hi dad, aren't you proud of me?"-level emotion running through his head that immediately got confused. This dog knows my emotions better than I know them, myself. He looked up at me and immediately dropped the possum. In a firm voice, I said "drop it, leave it," and directed him into the house. Fortunately, I was able to convince him to go without actually forcing him to move, and I could see that he wasn't actually walking funny.</p>
<p>So, I round both dogs into the kitchen (because, in the family room, there are kids toys and stuff, and I didn't know if I'd be treating wounds), put up the gates, and check them out. Neither dog appears to be injured in the least. Hobbes, honestly, appears no different. There's the smallest amount of blood on Snick's muzzle, but that's it. My brain goes back to the "diseased" route.</p>
<p>Then I remember that I'm dealing with a possum...maybe it's, well, simply "playing possum." I head back upstairs to check with Duffy whether or not I have the right animal (it's not yet 5:00 in the morning, I haven't had any coffee, and therefore I have no idea if I'm capable of thinking straight) and then inform her of what happened, and that I was going to take the animal to the compost pile.</p>
<p>My thoughts here were twofold. First, make sure that Duffy knows what's going on, just in case the dogs start acting crazy, but don't tell her that our dogs just killed a diseased possum in our yard, because that was going to require significant cleanup and vet trips and a lot of stuff that's better thought of when a situation is fully evaluated. Next, give the possum time to move on it's own if it was faking, and leave it in the compost pile if we need to do tests for rabies</p>
<p>So, I grab a snow shovel and head back outside. The possum has not moved one iota. "Shit," I whisper under my breath and start to scoop it into the shovel. I manage to get it into the air and then work my way to the compost pile. As soon as I put the rodent down, it stands up, looks at me as if to say "thanks for the lift," and then walks away. No limp. No scurry. Walks, like it's a cat. I follow it for a little while, flabbergasted, until it looks back and hisses, and then I let it be. Damn possum played possum.</p>
<p>I head back inside, check the dogs for injuries one last time, put ice cubes in the water bowl to force Snickelfritz to drink water (he can't see an ice cube and not drink it) washing the blood from his muzzle, head back upstairs to give Duffy the update, and then head back down to spin.</p>
<p>Only, well, by the time I get on the spinning bike, my legs aren't quite working right. Yuck.</p>
<p>Anyway, that was my ordeal this morning . . . I'll eat right all day & might even try the bike again tonight. Or, just wait until tomorrow and walk the dogs & see what happens from there.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-82669464088698062612011-01-24T10:33:00.002-05:002011-01-24T11:09:14.667-05:00On the road again<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I think I've let my marathon post say up there for long enough. I wanted to give it time, step back from this blog and just revel in the fact that I ran a marathon. It's really cool, and something I never actually thought I'd be able to. But, now it's time to start getting back to what I wanted . . . writing about my health.</p>
<p>I'm still running like a fiend. I really am - I have the <a href="http://www.gettysburgnorthsouthmarathon.com" onclick="window.open('http://www.gettysburgnorthsouthmarathon.com'); return false;">Gettysburg North-South Marathon</a> on May 1. There appear to be two camps of people, those who run a marathon to say they did it, and then never go back . . . and me. I'm not sure I actually have 'the marathon bug,' but I know I can do better than my previous soirée, and I do better when I have a goal in mind. So, right now, I have just over 3 months to continue my training. I got this. I've basically started both running & walking (over lunch) 2-3 days a work week, and then taking a day from the weekend to run a half-marathon. This past weekend has left me with a very sore left heel, but I think that's because I must have stepped on something, didn't feel it because my feet were frozen, so I just kept on going. In short, this weekend's run was very fucking cold.</p>
<p>Other areas of "health," however, I'm lacking with. I switched jobs at the end of the December, and with that, I no longer have an office. For the most part, this isn't that big an issue, but I was holding true to my "pushups every time I close or open my office door" rule, and now the rule is moot. Boo. So, I need to start getting more serious with my strength training. Pushups & situps - they're all I need to go with everything else I'm doing, so I just need to stop making excuses.</p>
<p>Speaking of making excuses, I need to stop making them for some mental-health issues. I've been battling a "come & go" funk for the longest time. Sometimes, I just feel a little blue. Sometimes, it takes all of my effort to keep from breaking into tears when I exhale. The thing about this is that I have <em>no idea</em> why I'm feeling this way. So, I need to find somebody who is completely removed from bias from my life to help me sort out my head. When I'm "good," I'm damn good. Most of the time, I'm "pretty ok," but those low points have been popping up, lower, deeper, and lasting longer each time. I can't live like that. Any advice here is beyond welcome (feel free to email if you don't want to comment).</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-59213141792951874052010-11-16T09:16:00.003-05:002010-11-16T11:17:15.503-05:00My First Marathon<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>For anyone who doesn't want to read through everything, I finished. I'm incredibly proud of myself, and I fully intend to make marathons a regular part of my year. A full account is after the jump.</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>The night before was a rough one. In just about every marathon guide, they say not to worry about sleep the night before your first marathon. You're going to be excited, you're going to toss & turn - just try to sleep up the week leading to the marathon and you'll be fine. I went to bed early (after taking a hearty nap during the afternoon), but my son's sleep-avoidance antics meant that I didn't sleep too well. On top of that, I developed a bit of a cough around midnight (cue the foreshadow).</p>
<p>My alarm was set for 5:00, but I got out of bed a minute or two before it went off. I went downstairs and started myself a cup of coffee before hopping in the shower (yes, I showered before a huge run). The shower wasn't so much for actual showering but for, um, manscaping. Hair, in certain places, tends to rub the wrong way over long distances . . . so I had to remove said hair. Plus, a lone tree always looks taller when there aren't shrubs right around. I'll leave things at that. Ahem.</p>
<p>I finished my manscaping, ran into the bedroom to put my running clothes on (running tights and lightweight shorts below the waist, a compression mock turtleneck and a wicking shirt above), and then to the kitchen for breakfast. I made myself a big bowl of oatmeal with honey, drank my coffee, and just relaxed with my thoughts. As 6:30 approached, I went back upstairs and packed my bags (I needed two bags here - the first was simply "dry clothing" that I could put on after the run: t-shirt, sweat pants, nice, thick hiking socks, and sneakers (because I run in my <a href="http://vibram.com" onclick="window.open('http://vibram.com'); return false;">Vibrams</a>) and then the bag for the piano recital: corduroys, a nice shirt, dress socks, and dress shoes), kissed my family goodbye and worked my way over.</p>
<p>I parked in a nearly empty parking lot at Harrisburg's City Island about an hour before the starting gun, worked my way to the registration tent (which was set up in an empty municipal parking garage), got my registration kit, checked my check-in bag, visited the port-a-potty before the pre-race line started. With the better part of an hour to kill, I hung out near a space heater with a few other runners. We talked about everything - from parenting to marathon strategy, to the cost of marathon registration, back to parenting...and all of the sudden, we had 10 minutes to go.</p>
<p>I worked my way to the latter 2/3 of the crowd at the start, heard the gun, and started running probably two or three minutes later. I'll admit that I let my excitement get the better of me early. I ran at my typical pace (as I've written before, I really only have "stop," "walk," and "run." I ran. We started out through the roads of Harrisburg. I made some very early mistakes, though. If my pace was just slightly faster than a runner ahead of me, I'd pick up just a bit to move in front - but then, well, I'd be just slightly faster than the next person in front of me . . . you see where this leads. For the first four miles or so, I just tried to find "my pace," which I did by measuring myself against others. At the five-mile mark, I was running at 45:00 . . . 9 minute miles . . . much faster than I was planning.</p>
<p>So, I slowed down - yeah, I started out too fast, but it's my first marathon, that's only to be expected. The problem was that I was running "Run Keeper" on my iPhone as I ran, and whenever I'd look down, it would tell me my current pace. After the five mile mark, we ran on a gravel trail - which doesn't exactly feel good in Vibrams . . . and, seeing a pace of 12:00/mile on my iPhone, I pushed myself again. I should take note that this gravel trail had a lot of twists & turns . . . so I shouldn't have taken note of the pace time on my iPhone.</p>
<p>After the second water stop, it was back to city island, which was pretty darn cool. Most of the race was a pretty lonely run, but city island was anything but. There were two "sidewalk bands" playing inspirational music, the streets were lined with crowds carrying signs, kids everywhere were sticking out their hands for high-fives. Again, I pushed myself . . . simply, I couldn't help it. The adrenaline had me, and I was loving it.</p>
<p>After city island, we had a beautiful run down by the Susquehanna river. It was truly a gorgeous run with the sun high in the sky, a cool breeze coming off the water. It's days like this that you just want to keep running and running and running and running. I continued to run. I crossed the 10 mile line and my time was 1:31. Yes, those are still 9 minute miles. "Go slower, go slower," I told myself.</p>
<p>After the 10 mile mark, we started running through a residential zone . . . there were a few people out on their front porch to watch the runners, but since all of the "elite" runners had passed, the main cheering was from the volunteers (I really cannot say enough about how great the volunteers for this run were). The weather was still beautiful, but the allure of the run was fading . . . the early run went through some very boring parts, but it was the opening of a marathon, so who cares? Then, there were crowds, so yay! Then there was truly majestic scenery, so double yay! Residential zone, though? Meh. After the residential zone, we hit the halfway point . . . in an industrial zone. 13.1 miles and my time was 2:02. With 31:00 passing from miles 10 to 13.1, I knew I was now running 10:00 miles, closer to where I wanted to be. And, honestly, I was still feeling pretty good. But, we continued running through the industrial zone - the crowds grew increasingly sparse. There were glimpses of runners coming the other way, which is always a little discouraging. I'll admit that, in this area, for the first time, I was looking forward to the run being done.</p>
<p>I passed mile marker 16 thinking "just 10 more miles, just 10 more miles . . . that's a simple training run". Then, we reached the Harrisburg Area Community College parking lot, where there were people again, and I started to work myself up a bit . . . I was feeling better. But, after we left the HACC campus, we hit the park.</p>
<p>I knew the park was coming. I knew it was hilly. But, this is why I trained on hilly courses. "Just push through it," I thought to myself. Then, as I worked my way up the first hill, I tripped over my own feet. I never hit the ground, but I stumbled around for a bit. I started trying to run again, but I just wasn't "feeling it." I pushed myself too hard in the early going. My goal was to cross the finish line powered by only my two feet - I'll continue that . . . just take a nice walk in the park, get my legs back under me, give up a few minutes per mile now, and then finish strong. That was my goal. So, I walked through the park . . . the very, very hilly park.</p>
<p>There was a water break at the end, and just as I started running again, a volunteer with a stereoscope approached me "number 40, can I have a quick word?" Well, it turns out that a volunteer saw my quasi-stumble and asked if I was ok. I was listening to my music and didn't hear, so said volunteer radio'd ahead to say "number 40 may be dehydrated." After a quick vitals check, the volunteer asked if I knew I had bronchitis - I said that I had a cough overnight, but I didn't think much of it. He said "if I can hear it with a stethoscope, it's bronchitis" and went into a whole thing about how he was going to have somebody check me at the next water station. This guy (Jeff) knew it was my first marathon, and didn't want to stop me from finishing, but the next guy (Mark) thought marathon runners were a little bit crazy, and might try to keep me from crossing the line if he found an excuse. "Listen man, you're doing great, it's your first, don't overdo anything and just walk things off a bit," was his advice, and I walked back through the residential area, getting to mile marker 22. Mark sat me down, my blood pressure was a little elevated (to be expected during mid-workout) but I was doing ok. He made me drink some water and a vitamin drink, then asked me to eat a gel packet. Well, he handed me a chocolate flavored gel packet and saw me gag. "I saw that, what's up?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I just don't like chocolate," I responded.</p>
<p>"What kind of asshole doesn't like chocolate?" he snorted back (at this point, as he was joking around, I erased any last doubt that continuing was a bad idea . . . if he was joking with me, I was ok to continue).</p>
<p>"This kind of asshole," I said, and finished the gel pack, somehow managing to not upchuck it right back.</p>
<p>I started to run, but my feet were hurting, and my knee was hurting, and I hadn't been running for quite some time, so I just couldn't get "that gear" going. So I walked for another few miles, telling myself that my goal was to finish - simply to finish. Other marathons, I'll care about time. The thing about me walking, though, is that I walk faster than most anybody else . . . and there were people who were running that I actually walked right past. I continued walking until mile marker 25, when I started to jog. By this time, the volunteers were calling me by name "go John!", and I certainly had my second wind.</p>
<p>I crossed the finish line in about 5:20 and got a final medical checkup before putting on my comfy socks. My feet were really, really sore, but I only had a single, minor blister on my right big toe.</p>
<p>My post-race treat was a tower of onion rings (mmmm, salty) and a breadbowl of clam chowder . . . but no beer for me, as I worked my way over to a benefit concert at my mother's church.</p>
<p>I changed clothes in my truck, walking into my mom's church a few minutes before the concert started . . . drank her tea and just rested (I should note that my feet felt <em>so comfortable</em> in my hiking socks and sneakers that I kept those on). After about a half hour, my body started sweating again, which tells me that I may have actually been a bit dehydrated at the finish line. This concert had four acts - the first was an a capella quartet, then a phenomenal violinist, then I played (I kind of made up what I was playing as I went along - there was video taken, and I'll try to post things if you'd like to see - for anybody who has never seen me play, here is the link to <a href="http://youtube.com/johnbatzer" onclick="window.open('http://youtube.com/johnbatzer'); return false;">my Youtube channel</a>), then a Native-American/Danish singer/songwriter played. I had a few cookies afterward and worked my way back home.</p>
<p>Of course, overnight, the bronchitis got worse. I woke up with sore legs (a badge of honor) but a cough that just would not quit. I called off work. As I finish this post the Tuesday after the run, my legs are nearly back to normal - I have a little bit of tightness both my left knee & my right hamstring, but I'm now able to walk stairs normally, and I swear I'm feeling better by the minute.</p>
<p>All in all, I had a truly marvelous time, and I'm quite proud of myself for finishing. I fully plan to run future marathons . . . and in any future marathon, I'll abide by my own rules: take it easy at the start, run my own race, don't care about times. If I follow those rules, each marathon will be enjoyable, even if I may have abandoned them for a kickass "half marathon" time this time around.</p>
<p>So, I think my next run will be May 1, for the <a href="http://gettysburgnorthsouthmarathon.com" onclick="window.open('http://gettysburgnorthsouthmarathon.com'); return false;"> Inaugural Gettysburg North-South Marathon</a>. Who's with me?</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-85298404565582878252010-11-13T15:18:00.003-05:002010-11-13T15:26:48.658-05:00The Playlist<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I just spent <strong>way too much time</strong> setting this up. I started, I ended up with a 15 hour playlist...and then chopped and chopped and chopped. As it stands, this comes in at a little under 5 hours, which seems just about right. I start slow and loose . . . and I get progressively faster and angrier (mixing some inspirational stuff in). My main goal - keep relaxed. Hope you enjoy.</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #C0C0C0; font-weight: bold;">Artist</td>
<td style="background-color: #C0C0C0; font-weight: bold;">Name</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bruce Springsteen</td>
<td>Born To Run</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>P.M. Dawn</td>
<td>Set Adrift on Memory Bliss</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Aerosmith</td>
<td>Just Push Play</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>The Beatles</td>
<td>With a Little Help from My Fri</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Elton John</td>
<td>Rocket Man</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>The Kinks</td>
<td>Lola</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Blues Traveler</td>
<td>Hook</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>The Black Crowes</td>
<td>Remedy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dave Matthews Band</td>
<td>Ants Marching</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Michael Jackson</td>
<td>Billie Jean</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>The Killers</td>
<td>Tranquilize (Feat. Lou Reed)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Black Eyed Peas</td>
<td>Pump It</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Janis Joplin</td>
<td>Me And Bobby Mcgee</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Def Leppard</td>
<td>Pour Some Sugar On Me</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>The Beatles</td>
<td>I Am The Walrus</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Eminem</td>
<td>Without Me</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Queen</td>
<td>Under Pressure</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Black Eyed Peas</td>
<td>Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Everlast</td>
<td>What It's Like</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Red Hot Chili Peppers</td>
<td>Californication</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>OutKast</td>
<td>Ms. Jackson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gloria Gaynor</td>
<td>I Will Survive</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Guns N' Roses</td>
<td>Sweet Child O' Mine</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Geto Boys</td>
<td>Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bon Jovi</td>
<td>Blaze of Glory</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pixies</td>
<td>Where Is My Mind?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Red Hot Chili Peppers</td>
<td>Breaking The Girl</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>The Rolling Stones</td>
<td>Paint It Black</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Warren G (featuring Nate Dogg)</td>
<td>Regulate</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Beastie Boys</td>
<td>Sabotage</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kid Rock</td>
<td>Cowboy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bob Dylan</td>
<td>Knockin' On Heaven's Door</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kid Rock</td>
<td>Only God Knows Why</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Temple of the Dog</td>
<td>Hunger Strike</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Aerosmith</td>
<td>What It Takes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kid Rock</td>
<td>I Am</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Black Sabbath</td>
<td>Iron Man</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Metallica</td>
<td>Whiskey In The Jar</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>U2</td>
<td>Sunday Bloody Sunday</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rocky</td>
<td>Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Metallica</td>
<td>Enter Sandman</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Faith No More</td>
<td>Epic</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bon Jovi</td>
<td>Livin' On A Prayer</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Red Hot Chili Peppers</td>
<td>Scar Tissue</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dinosaur Jr.</td>
<td>Feel The Pain</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kanye West</td>
<td>Jesus Walks</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Red Hot Chili Peppers</td>
<td>Suck My Kiss</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Midnight Oil</td>
<td>Beds Are Burning</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nirvana</td>
<td>Smells Like Teen Spirit</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Orff</td>
<td>Carmina Burana</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Eminem</td>
<td>Lose Yourself</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>OutKast</td>
<td>The Whole World</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Outkast</td>
<td>Hey Ya</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Queen</td>
<td>The Show Must Go On</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Red Hot Chili Peppers</td>
<td>Cant Stop</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>T.a.T.u</td>
<td>All The Things She Said</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Toad The Wet Sprocket</td>
<td>Walk on the Ocean</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Vangelis</td>
<td>Chariots of Fire</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>U2</td>
<td>Beautiful Day</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kid Rock</td>
<td>Bawitdaba</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Queen</td>
<td>We Are The Champions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>REM</td>
<td>Everybody Hurts</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Survivor</td>
<td>Eye of the Tiger</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dr. Dre (featuring Eminem)</td>
<td>Forgot About Dre</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>LL Cool J</td>
<td>Mama Said Knock You Out</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-72804078885501390872010-11-12T10:49:00.002-05:002010-11-12T11:37:28.843-05:00The Plan<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>In two-days time, I'll actively be on the marathon course. My excitement is hybrid of that felt before a big concert and a first date. I'm giddy. I'm nervous. I'm confident that I'm going to rock, but at the same time I'm running through a list of things that could go wrong. I feel that I'm both criminally over-prepared and horribly under-prepared. This is all new.</p>
<p>My plan for the next few days is pretty simple. I've been abstaining from caffeine all week (save for a single cup a few days ago because the kids had me up and I figured it would be bad to fall asleep at the office). I haven't had a drop of liquor since CJ's birthday party. I'll start "carb loading" with pasta today, which means that I'll simply have some pasta at meals (as opposed to the "eat tons of pasta because it's there, I'm not changing my eating habits, just choosing to eat portions of pasta instead of a sandwich or salad).</p>
<p>Tomorrow, outside of chores & "daddy duties," I'll drive over the Harrisburg to pick up my race packet. I'll organize my running play list. I'll drink lots of water. I'll try to stay off of my feet as much as possible.</p>
<p>Sunday, I'll wake up early and make myself a big cup of coffee. I'll drink that with a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water. I'll be completely done putting liquids in my body by 7, when I'll leave for the run.</p>
<p>The run starts at 8:30. The most important thing from that point forward is that I truly do not care about my time. My goal is to finish. Plain and simple - finish the run. I'll follow my time, surely, but that will be a curiosity thing. I will finish. I will not care about my time. Maybe, if I chose to run future marathons, I'll have a time goal - but not on Sunday. Just cross the finish line, having been powered by nothing by my own two feet.</p>
<hr />
<p>Tapering my running this week has lead to some very interesting side effects. First off, my legs are itching to go. I mean, I can almost hear them asking me "what's up?". I've gone on two small runs this week, and that's it. My legs are ready for something. Second, I have a true explosion of energy. I haven't had any coffee today, yet I am "wide awake & busy tailed." Maybe it's just adrenaline kicking in early, but it really feels like my body is starting to say "you need to do that thing you trained for, and soon!" Of course, there's a significant amount of excess energy in <em>that</em> department, too. Ahem. I shall say no more.</p>
<p>So, I'll be posting as I can to <a href="http://twitter.com/johnbatzer" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/johnbatzer'); return false;">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/johnbatzer" onclick="window.open('http://facebook.com/johnbatzer'); return false;">Facebook</a> throughout the weekend. And, of course, expect at least two posts here - one with my playlist and one with a breakdown as I go.</p>
<p>Thank you, all, for cheering me on.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-38032478389576240002010-11-10T08:52:00.003-05:002010-11-10T15:20:24.245-05:00The Last Run<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I'm hesitant to post this. There's a chance that my kids will wake up screaming before the butt crack of dawn the next two days, and then I'll be wide awake. Of course, then they'll go straight back to sleep, so I'll think "screw it, I'm running." Barring that highly likely event, however, I think this morning was my last run before the marathon.</p>
<p>I ran four miles - and rather than the new route through two neighborhoods that I've been running (3 miles in total), I ran my original 5k training route. Four-tenths of a mile to the trailhead, then seven-tenths of a mile per lap for 4 laps, then six-tenths of a mile back home (via a different route). I worked up a little bit of sweat, but I was hardly "tired".</p>
<p>For a "last run," it was simple, but it was a good one.</p>
<p>Now, my dear reader, I need a favor. I have somewhere between 3 1/2 and 5 hours that I'll be running on Sunday. I am allowed an iPod. I need a playlist. I'll be starting "relaxed" and working my way to "super-motivational" (e.g. "angry"). What songs do I need on this? Obviously, I'll post my running playlist after the run.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-69916710932257629042010-11-09T09:16:00.003-05:002010-11-09T10:57:33.452-05:00Why I'm Running<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I think there's something in New Providence's water supply. Seriously, when I look through my Facebook friends (specifically people I went to high school with), there is a seriously disproportionate number of serious athletes. Marathon runners, triathletes, cyclists, distance swimmers, cross-country skiers, rock climbers . . . you name the grueling event, I can point you to a former classmate that participates. In fact, for most of the above, I can list at least 3 or 4 individuals. This person biked across the country. That person has run four marathons. This person has not only completed, but has been competitive in half-Iron Mans. That person popped out three kids and would probably qualify for the olympic triathlon team if it weren't for her fear that she'll be eaten by a shark in the open water.</p>
<p>My graduating class was 94 people. It seriously feels like there are significantly more endurance athletes that I went to school with than non-endurance athletes.</p>
<p>I'm not running this marathon to join the ranks of my classmates.</p>
<hr />
<p>People participate in endurance events for great causes. However difficult it is to run 26.2 miles, or bike 100+, or swim until you're pretty sure your skin is so saturated that it will just fall off your body, that's nothing compared to overcoming breast cancer, or fighting diabetes every day, or living with an physically abusive spouse, or losing a loved one to prostate cancer. For some people, the act of waking up, getting out of bed, and trying to "live a normal life" requires more effort, perseverance, and inner strength than the world could ever know.</p>
<p>I'm not running this marathon to raise money or awareness for a noble cause.</p>
<hr />
<p>I am running this marathon for myself. Somewhere along the way, I told myself that I could do this. And, at that point, it became mandatory. In five days, I'm going to show myself that I can set a goal and do it - even a seemingly impossible goal if you knew the John of a few years ago.</p>
<p>I don't care about my time. I don't care where I finish. The only thing that matters is that I will have traveled twenty-six miles and three hundred eighty-five yards, powered by nothing but my own two feet. I will do this. And I will allow myself to be proud of the feat.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-82515086089047703052010-11-03T13:41:00.006-04:002010-11-03T14:35:07.180-04:00Yes, I'm still ignoring my weight<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I've kind of gotten used to the fact that there will be a segment of the population that simply won't believe that I don't know, exactly, how tall I am. When people ask, I tell them "about 6'3" ," but inevitably somebody will say something like "my second cousin's next-door-neighbor's kindergarten teacher's father was 6'3" and you're way taller/shorter than that person!" Of course, I have no comeback to that - the truth is that I've been measured anywhere from 6'1" to 6'6". Most of the time, it's right around 6'3", and that's what I say. I know there are people who are adamant that they are 6'4" that I'm taller than. I know there are people that claim to be 6'3" that I'm shorter than. It doesn't matter to me - but it seems that the vertically challenged portion of the population absolutely refuses to believe that "that number" doesn't really matter.</p>
<p>Well, since I've started running, I've been getting a lot of "how much weight have you lost?" questions. This time, I can't even give a guess. I, honestly, do not know. And, not knowing is keeping me a bit more sane. See, the last time I got serious about my weight loss, I weighed myself daily: nude, 6:30AM, after a workout, at the gym. I'd track this number, chart this number. I'd fret if the number didn't move in the right direction or if it moved "too far" in the other. The important thing was that I was making myself healthier, and I was working out and I was eating right (well, maybe not eating enough at the time, but that's a story for another post). I was doing things that were doing good for me. That fact should have been enough, it should have been all that should have mattered. But, I obsessed about "the number".</p>
<p>If we use "weight" as a barometer for one's health (and, we shouldn't, but it's such an easy metric to follow that it's difficult not to), it's best to treat it like a retirement investment account. If you must check "the number," check in on it only every now & then. Just make sure that it's traveling in the right direction, moving toward a goal. The best analysts will tell you that, if you trust your strategy, follow your strategy and know that the results will be there when you need them. If you obsess about a $100 drop when you're looking to make $1,000,000, well, you're going to go crazy. And, the last time I was looking out for my health, I think I may well have been crazy. As I approached my "goal weight," I'd obsess, plain & simple. I wasn't healthy.</p>
<p>So, when I re-launched this blog, my goal was to be "healthy." The goal was never anything more than that. Sure, I have goals like "run a marathon", "complete an iron man", etc. but I don't have a picture in my mind of what I'll look like when I'm "healthy." There isn't a scale reading that will say "hey, look, I made it." "Healthy" is a commitment to yourself for forever. And, it's wonderfully vague. I'll never be able to obsess.</p>
<hr />
<p>Well, all that was a longwinded way to say that, yeah, my clothes are fitting me differently. My face is thinner. I can squeeze places that I wasn't able to squeeze at some point. People who have known me ask how much weight I've lost. I always have to say "I haven't a clue." Nobody believes me. That's fine, though - I'm feeling pretty good about myself these days.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-49681455836251694112010-11-02T14:16:00.003-04:002010-11-02T14:36:38.654-04:00Feeling Good, though I Didn't Run<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I did not run this morning. Did you hear that?</p>
<p><span style="font-size: larger; font-weight: bold;">I did not run this morning!</span></p>
<p>Ahem</p>
<p>All in all, I feel pretty good about it. The kids, well, they had me up for some weird hours of the night. It was Duffy's day to run (she's doing the Couch to 5k, running Tuesdays, Thursdays, and a day every weekend), and the bed just seemed extra comfy at 4 in the morning. I ate well on Monday. I have no regrets in getting a little extra sleep.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, though, I'm out the door by 4.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-77430506820704474822010-11-01T15:06:00.002-04:002010-11-01T16:20:05.080-04:00Enough Excuses (Back to Writing)<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I keep on saying "hey, I'm going to post to this blog more," but then time passes and I don't. So, yeah, I suck - but y'all knew that anyway. Well, we're at the beginning of <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org" onclick="window.open('http://www.nanowrimo.org'); return false;">National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)</a>, I'm 13 days away from my marathon, I've promised myself that <a href="http://healthybatzer.blogspot.com/2010/06/setting-goals.html" onclick="window.open('http://healthybatzer.blogspot.com/2010/06/setting-goals.html'); return false;">I'd write for an hour a day</a> a long, long time ago...It's time to stop making excuses for not writing this blog.</p>
<p>Personally, things are as crazy as they've ever been - CJ turns one on Thursday, Leila is growing like a weed. The dogs like to bark. The cat has decided, now that it's getting cold out at night, to spend more time inside (meaning that she whines a lot more to get the human servants to abide by her wishes). I still have symphony rehearsals on Mondays and band practices on Thursdays. Work is everlasting. I'm still running.</p>
<p>The marathon is in 13 days. The marathon is in 13 days. Actually, I think I'm well-prepared for this run. Over the past several weeks, I've done some pretty kick-ass training runs on the weekend. A week after <a href="http://healthybatzer.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-won-something.html" onclick="window.open('http://healthybatzer.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-won-something.html'); return false;">I won a motherfucking medal</a>, I returned to the <a href="http://www.cvrtc.org/" onclick="window.open('http://www.cvrtc.org/'); return false;">Cumberland Valley Rail-Trail</a> and ran it. I started in Newville and ran to Shippensburg, took a quick rest break and then ran back. Round trip, it was twenty-two miles. I was tired. I was hungry. I was sore. But, I wasn't dead. In fact, I was able to drive myself back home without stopping at a diner and ordering the menu. I was proud of myself.</p>
<p>Of course, it took me a little while to recover. Three or four days went by before I ran again, but I eventually ran again, and it felt good. Then, two weeks ago, my mom was in town to help with some babysitting duties (as Duffy and I were both involved in the <a href="http://www.carlisletheatre.org" onclick="window.open('http://www.carlisletheatre.org'); return false;">Carlisle Theather</a>'s production of Beauty & the Beast), and with her still around in the morning, I went for a run. This time, it was "only" 17 miles, but it was my favorite 25k biking loop. It's a hilly 17 miles. I'll admit that this was significantly more difficult than flat 22 mile run. But, again, I made it. I got back, didn't die, somehow managed to clean myself up. I made it to the theater for a 2PM matinée, then out to dinner with my wife & mother, then played a 7:30 show. I went to bed quite tired, but also with a great feeling of accomplishment.</p>
<p>Again, I took a few days off of running after that run - just to let the legs recover (I'll likely take a full week off after the marathon), but I was back out, training, before too long. And, I swear I feel stronger pounding pavement each time I'm on the road.</p>
<p>Of course, then there was a tiny bout of panic. I was running along, barely paying attention to the road when I misstepped. I hit a ditch on along a gravel path and my ankle felt a bit funny. I walked it off, and it was still a bit sore. I went home, went back to bed, slept for an hour with it iced, kept ice on all day, and then gave it two days of rest. In all honesty, I probably over-babied it . . . I actually think I could have completed my run that day (the lure of my bed for an hour, though, proved a Siren's call), and then sleep issues the next two nights were as much a part of my not running as the ankle recovery. Still, an injury that close to the actual event, well, it freaked me out a bit.</p>
<p>So, I started being extra careful when I ran, and last weekend, I completed my last "long" training run. Twenty-two miles - that hilly 17 mile course, with a 1 mile loop thrown in, then a 4 mile meandering ending. For the most part, the run was great. It was a beautiful day (started cold, but I had on a long-sleeved shirt which I ended up stripping off at about the 15 mile mark), the roads were barely trafficked, and I just kept on going. Well, until my last climb. This is a hill that I climb a lot - I work up it as part of my typical morning run, and while it's not very long, it's very steep (18% grade). I started the climb, and *nothing*. I tried to make my legs go, but they just wouldn't. So, I stopped and tried again. And again, nothing. Just standing there. I reached to my water pack, had some water, gave myself a minute, and powered through the climb. I reached the top of the hill and, then, the last mile until my "cool down" point. That, well, was weird - but considering the general flatness of the Harrisburg marathon, I don't think I need be worried. And, even if the marathon were hilly, I did manage through - it just took a little while.</p>
<p>So, I got home, made macaroni & cheese for an afternoon party, played with my kids, showered, and then partied. Again, I went to bed exhausted, but I went to bed feeling accomplished.</p>
<p>Now I'm 13 days out from the "big run." I ran 5 miles this morning, I'll run between 5 and 15 miles each morning this week. Saturday, I'll run a final training run - probably 13 hilly miles - and then take a full week off.</p>
<p>And I'll post here every day between now & the marathon.</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-73631243903440925572010-10-06T09:43:00.004-04:002010-10-06T11:41:28.650-04:00I Won Something!<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I started running on my own. I did it for me (well, I started a little bit for Megan, who talked me into my first 5k), but I made myself a promise that I wouldn't care about other runners. I'd always be slow - I would never concentrate on winning...if I finish an event, it means I "won". I wanted to enjoy running, not get caught up in my time, somebody else's time, or where I rank among my peers. I wanted to concentrate on my distance and how I felt at the end of the run. Sure, time would play into things (most marathons stop providing runner support after a certain time, so if you can't finish in 6, 7, 8 hours, they need you to register specially, and nobody would want to do that), but it's a curiosity. It's much like my weight - I have a time when I complete a run, and I have a weight as I go about during the day. If I find out either, fine, but I don't care. However, if you post it, I might just take a look.</p>
<p>My friend Michael drove in on Saturday night to run the "Fall Down on the Trail" 5k with me (as an aside, I've driven nearly 200 miles to run a 3 mile run . . . he just drive over 100 to do the same . . . clearly, there is something logically wrong with runners), and we got up early to run. We managed to get to the Newville trailhead of the Cumberland-Valley Rail Trail with a good 45 minutes to go before the run. After registering, we talked at length with a very excitable man about the Carlisle extension (the current trail runs 11 miles between Newville and Shippensburg - the extension will be another 11 miles and will put the trail basically to my front yard) and then it was time to run.</p>
<p>There were "only" 93 runners, and the congestion at the beginning of the event simply wasn't there, so my "asshole approach to running" wasn't called for. On a very chilly morning, I ran my pace. At about the first mile, I started to see some separation between myself and many of the other "non-serious" runners (it should be stated that the entire Shippensburg University cross-country team came out to this event, so there were some very fast runners). With no timing on the course, though, I never knew how I was doing - just that I was feeling pretty good.</p>
<p>Well, one of the runners that I passed around the mile mark passed me soon after the turnaround but then stayed directly in front of me (almost like he took it as an insult that I passed him). Well, when we hit the 2.75 mile marker (and things changed from packed gravel to pavement), I had a little left in my tank, so I picked up the pace. Soon after I started my kick, I was able to see the clock at the finish line. I thought I saw 28:00, and I was quite happy with that time. As I got closer, though, I saw it was 24:00 clicking through. Hmmm, maybe my eyesight isn't as good as I once thought it was (I'll blame the cold - it was less than 50°F at race time with a little bit of a breeze, so my eyes were watering). I picked up the pace as much as I could and finished with a time of 25:27.</p>
<p>I hung around the finish line for my friend, who came crossing just a little bit later. We both commented that it's really difficult to hold back your pace at the end of an event whenever people are cheering you on at the finish. In fact, it's easy to over-exert yourself.</p>
<p>Well, we hung around talking to people, and I answered a bunch of questions about my <a href="http://vibram.com" onclick="window.open('http://vibram.com'); return false;">silly shoes</a> when somebody mentioned that they listed the times.</p>
<p>I knew I had finished somewhere between 25:00 and 26:00, but a neighbor of mine ran and I could not remember his first name - so I looked through the list to see if I could determine it (his last name happens to match the name of his business, and he drives a van with that on it, so it was just a matter of hoping that there weren't too many people who shared that name . . . there weren't). Well, I found his name as Dennis and I asked him what he thought about his time - he mentioned that this was his personal record and that he finished first in his age group (40-49). Then, he asked how I did, so we looked up my name - and there was a red "2" next to it. Turns out that I finished second in my age group (30-39). This was quite unexpected.</p>
<p>Before anybody makes a big deal about me finishing where I did, I would have finished 7th in the 40-49 bracket and well into the teens of the 20-29 bracket (because of all of the Shippensburg runners, none of whom finished with a time more than 20:00), but it still felt really cool to be handed a medal.</p>
<p>As for my goals or approach, they haven't changed in the least. I'm going to continue running when I can, pushing myself to go further and further whenever possible. I'm going to continue to treat my time as a curiosity and nothing more. If future runs have me winning more stuff to take home, great. If I never get another medal for finishing, great. I'm going to run for the love of running.</p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4tgeqNmOPLgxhwS4jiIaN4jEb4uRlsk-qpFa1pxEgZpITcxXgwwzhbTFWUOAAOwjJbNBfkDOdTGH76z8SvUkN-17VEi51g4GzjjrQu4TU6QT_Vu6C8pt5wfpyQ6vv2FxRm_T15fUwyHY/s1600/x2_2e16f39.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4tgeqNmOPLgxhwS4jiIaN4jEb4uRlsk-qpFa1pxEgZpITcxXgwwzhbTFWUOAAOwjJbNBfkDOdTGH76z8SvUkN-17VEi51g4GzjjrQu4TU6QT_Vu6C8pt5wfpyQ6vv2FxRm_T15fUwyHY/s320/x2_2e16f39.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524958232564543154" /></a>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-2614955455114943032010-10-01T15:11:00.006-04:002010-10-05T11:54:17.799-04:00The Mud Run<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>As I get closer and closer to the marathon, each run gains a bit more importance. I need to remember my posture. I need to keep my breathing in check. I need to take closer inventory of my body. Now, I've learned to really love running, but there is a bit of an element of "work" - it's not pure fun.</p>
<p>At least, there wasn't until I ran the mud run.</p>
<p>As much in my life does, this started on Twitter. I've become friends with a group of people in & around West Chester, PA. It just so happens that running happens to be one of the things that this group is into. A few months ago, I drove out & ran a 5k with them - and when <a href="http://twitter.com/KimDeC" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/KimDeC'); return false;">Kim</a> sent out a note asking who might be interested in running a mud run with her, well, I jumped at the opportunity without really thinking about what a mud run might involve.</p>
<p>After agreeing to run, I looked things up. The mud run was basically a 5k race on a dirt trail that would include muddy obstacles. It was going to rock.</p>
<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJAbNhkMn1IcOQ1A6LjOZYqMrvdkZZYRR8EmO3lBXlzrxpqP0Dei-hSiuvNidDtfUXFzUlmxyoHn005l8zSFhFp8msdN3CypbIRc-JMhG1M5kEnkTCizAOMekzd5nf7buR80HJYl_Bgce/s1600/StartLine.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJAbNhkMn1IcOQ1A6LjOZYqMrvdkZZYRR8EmO3lBXlzrxpqP0Dei-hSiuvNidDtfUXFzUlmxyoHn005l8zSFhFp8msdN3CypbIRc-JMhG1M5kEnkTCizAOMekzd5nf7buR80HJYl_Bgce/s320/StartLine.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523178204419134434" /></a>I woke up at 4AM on the day of the run to drive out to <a href="http://twitter.com/WendeLooWho" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/WendeLooWho'); return false;">Wende</a>'s house because it was easy to park (it's now 6AM). We drove out to and picked up Kim before driving down to Delaware to pick up <a href="http://twitter.com/302runner" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/302runner'); return false;">T</a> before driving out to a Wawa where we boarded Kim's sisters' (Tina & Gina) minivan and drove into the event.</p>
<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VzhBH8y-0ZrOreUOySxYxOKieZGwLZiUqJ9BFf2DLHOmk7_7C0y91zeHusAHAPmFODYl4NxR9GJm9qUv3TrPwd8NLBTbswaD4jpVG9DykgWc0J04AvF99ecINLhuxhUI1-GpZGhqpE8z/s1600/Smurfs.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VzhBH8y-0ZrOreUOySxYxOKieZGwLZiUqJ9BFf2DLHOmk7_7C0y91zeHusAHAPmFODYl4NxR9GJm9qUv3TrPwd8NLBTbswaD4jpVG9DykgWc0J04AvF99ecINLhuxhUI1-GpZGhqpE8z/s200/Smurfs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523178032101388754" /></a>Early on, we noticed that the "costume contest" wasn't taken lightly. The four of us were dressed comfortably, but without coordination. We quickly discovered that many of the teams, however, made their own shirts for the event. And not a small fraction of teams came in full costume - for awhile, it seemed that each costumed team was more creative than the last. There were professional wrestlers, angels, princesses, superheroes. "The Smurfs" won the costume contest, hands-down.</p>
<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyIGlGQJiO9Y1Ab37G9_NzpWt5r9WTuorRN5UZ59LGJ7-bCHIeK3Wlcgr3iXFz6WScKFwy-3H-w-WanWixEG6eHQvuDqhVazb9xiBKeSZJsWQ2R1LUp_AaNswxDXwmRUb2GP76K8TE462/s1600/Pinning.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyIGlGQJiO9Y1Ab37G9_NzpWt5r9WTuorRN5UZ59LGJ7-bCHIeK3Wlcgr3iXFz6WScKFwy-3H-w-WanWixEG6eHQvuDqhVazb9xiBKeSZJsWQ2R1LUp_AaNswxDXwmRUb2GP76K8TE462/s200/Pinning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524589437933024674" /></a>After people watching for awhile, preparing for the race, and checking out the hardcore tailgaters, it was time to start. Normally, in any running event, I maintain my "asshole technique" and hang out at the start line until the crowd is all gone. Then, I run - the elite runners, well, I never stand a chance of running with them anyway. But, starting a minute late allows me to get the feeling of passing a bunch of people while never getting passed myself. Hey - I'm an asshole, it's about time you learned to deal with it :-)</p>
<p>However, since we were a team here, the asshole technique wasn't going to work - we ran. The event was supposed to have three heats - since we signed up early, we were part of the first heat. Well, I say "supposed to" because a shitload of runners with numbers outside of that first heat ran with us. That, in itself, is fine, because really, at the end of the day, a mud run is about having a good time and raising money for a charity (because cancer fucking sucks). But, it means that the start is super congested, and considering this was a trail run, it made for some very, very slow going.</p>
<p>Still, though, we made it out of the weeds and it wasn't too long before we hit the first obstacle - simply the trail was cut away and the hole was then flooded. In other words, we ran through a big muddle puddle. There were two of these, and then a little more running, and then a third. Somehow, during this third mud puddle, I took the absolute slipperiest route getting out of the muck. Poor Kim, who weighs like 1/3 of what I do, had to help me up.</p>
<p>Throughout the rest of the run, we encountered several obstacles. Some were as easy as hay bales that we had to hurdle over. The longest span of straight running was probably right around a single mile with a pretty significant hill, and the guys ran to keep an eye on each of the female runners (there was a LOT of drinking on the course, and some of the teams wanted to get a bit handsy . . . I may not be a specimen of fitness, but I'm 6'3" with a good amount of heft behind me -- if it looks like I'm looking out for somebody, you might think twice about copping an unwelcome feel). The obstacles ranged from simple (hay bale hurdles) to truly complex (tripwire that you had to cross underwater). All said, there were two walls that we had to scale, a set of log balance beams, a rope climb (where you had to pull yourself up a rope in order to get to a higher point), a two-rope bridge (where you walked on one rope using another rope to keep your balance . . . here, I felt really bad for Kimmie because I'm quite tall and she's quite short - I ended up having to be near parallel to the ground in order to cross this obstacle where she could have just kept her hands at eye level and gone across vertically), a tripwire grid (where you had to step through the holes in the wire), a barbed-wire dirt pit (where you had to "army crawl" under the obstacle in loose dirt), and two sets of sewer drains (each were about twenty feet long, with water coming up about 1/3 of the way - you had to propel yourself through them).</p>
<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh223GAPUu-NmUQejPTja6r5mBVEFZDQqqAh-J20888RgKTbvbdU5xIN_ceS3hRmxv3UmNYztGmtuyJ39IiaLYMT6aTW2eVmyxR5wZUfJZ-rYUeVY7wphjH1vdb9GJk7QpjuRMpVZ_d-U/s1600/FinalObstacle.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh223GAPUu-NmUQejPTja6r5mBVEFZDQqqAh-J20888RgKTbvbdU5xIN_ceS3hRmxv3UmNYztGmtuyJ39IiaLYMT6aTW2eVmyxR5wZUfJZ-rYUeVY7wphjH1vdb9GJk7QpjuRMpVZ_d-U/s320/FinalObstacle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524589162522003058" /></a>Finally, the last set of obstacles were a large hill followed by a large mud pit with a barbed-wire mud pit (meaning you had to fully submerse yourself in water to get across).</p>
<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmZsP-rrFBX_MGLW53ybtQF-Si36s_cMwTGNEhiNifdmotl1lYl2su8ykkgnpvbfdZXs0cN9ajhq8yErlWCGgIdAOPlysIPVNv3xhnUVvI425NRzIbAAA6rK7WSHbiMdji65H9LCdg3A_/s1600/Finish.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmZsP-rrFBX_MGLW53ybtQF-Si36s_cMwTGNEhiNifdmotl1lYl2su8ykkgnpvbfdZXs0cN9ajhq8yErlWCGgIdAOPlysIPVNv3xhnUVvI425NRzIbAAA6rK7WSHbiMdji65H9LCdg3A_/s320/Finish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524589845592680866" /></a>We finished the run, the four of us hand-in-hand, at about 40:00 . . . finishing in the top 10% of all teams.</p>
<p>This, easily, was the most fun I've ever had working out.</p>
<p>As we got cleaned up and stuff, we realized a few things. First, we need to make sure that we come in costume next year - we're thinking nude body stockings. Teams are set as teams of four, but there's nothing preventing us from coming with multiple teams all geared together. And, while we had a few beers for a post-race cocktail, we need bloody marys for a pre-event high. As we pulled away, I saw that my "asshole running technique" would absolutely have failed, as there was a long line for many of the obstacles.</p>
<p>This is certainly something I plan to do again, and I highly recommend any mudrun to anyone who enjoys running.</p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNwaE15YFrv1pWjl89kklIct7BMUPEz8VDelSTuW8C3jRUQz_3vJLg9B3DujV0xmCOdoyK8XaVxMZXOWz4FzlGSYcae_u7BmTd66iJRaxJd5I74w7PvoGldpKTejJt2LnA5bVukS_Gpju/s1600/DirtyGirls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNwaE15YFrv1pWjl89kklIct7BMUPEz8VDelSTuW8C3jRUQz_3vJLg9B3DujV0xmCOdoyK8XaVxMZXOWz4FzlGSYcae_u7BmTd66iJRaxJd5I74w7PvoGldpKTejJt2LnA5bVukS_Gpju/s320/DirtyGirls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524590856840142338" /></a>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-6328531677945502502010-09-22T13:45:00.003-04:002010-09-22T15:32:10.607-04:00Meditation<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I come in from the run, sweat pouring down my body, and switch the shower on. I disrobe. I'm nude, unadorned - my thoughts are my only armor.</p>
<p>I climb in and sit in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_position" onclick="window.open('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_position'); return false;">Lotus Position</a>, letting the water fall around me. I close my eyes.</p>
<p>Breathing in with my nose, feeling my body fill with air. The air is full of colors - red, blue, purple, green, yellow, brown, black . . . and suddenly my body is full of those colors. I breathe in until my body can simply take no more - no more mass, no more air, no more color. I hold.</p>
<p>I ignore the water splashing about me. I ignore the sweat still seeping from my body. I ignore the songs playing in my head. The thoughts/concerns that accompany me everywhere disappear. I'm full. I consciously stop breathing. It's me - and only me. I feel inside and wait for a heartbeat. One, two, three, four. Those colors inside switch to white and I slowly release from my mouth.</p>
<p>My eyes still closed, I watch the white fill the shower with my mind's eye - then the bathroom, the house, the street, the neighborhood, the city, state, country, world, solar system, universe. White travelling to all areas at once, until there is no breath left inside of me.</p>
<p>Again, I find my heartbeat. I allow the water splashing over my body to re-enter my consciousness, then my nakedness. I listen for an internal song, never surprised when it's right there. I look for my thoughts, and I find that the day's concerns are slower to find their way back to me. Slowly, I open my eyes, and again find my heartbeat.</p>
<p>I close my eyes.</p>
<p>Breathing in with my nose, feeling my body fill with air....</p>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-639934791614284035.post-80473490151092130422010-09-17T10:17:00.004-04:002010-09-17T11:49:47.595-04:00When things are going well<div style="font-family: Verdana; color: #006600;">
<p>I have not forgotten about this blog. The issue is, when things are going according to plan, it's really boring to write about. "I ran 10 miles this morning before work". "I ran 18 miles on a Saturday morning". My training is going well, my diet is working. My "healthy" stuff, well, is boring.</p>
<p>But, well, some updates.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I've solved my chafing issue. For awhile, anytime I went on a "long" run (anything more than 7 or 8 miles), I had some serious issues with raw skin between my legs (and lets not forget my nipple bleeding). I purchased some compression shorts and that seems to have solved my issue. My longest run since ensuring that I was wearing them while running has been 18 miles, and I haven't had any issues on any run. I've also purchased compression shirts, and my nipples have been thanking me.</p></li>
<li><p>It's a good thing I run primarily before sunrise. With the compression wear, well, there's not much to the imagination. Especially if my mind wanders during my run.</p>
<p>*ahem*</p>
<p>Anyway, I typically wear loose fitting clothing over my compression wear so as to not make any passers-by sick to their stomach as I run by. This morning, though, I had to kick off the shorts. They were literally falling off of me as I ran.</p></li>
<li><p>Fat is melting off. Try as I might, I can't deny this. I may have an image of a "robust" John in my head, but my body is actually becoming that of a runner. Clothing that used to be loose on me simply falls off. Heck, clothing that used to fit me "just right" is getting dangerously big around my middle. Dress shirts that I used to avoid because they were tight around the chest now actually look good. I'm at the last hole on my favorite belt.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm eating intuitively without even trying. I eat when I'm hungry. I snack all day at work on fruit & veggies. I eat helpings with dinner because my body is saying "you should eat". This is a good feeling. Knowing when you're actually hungry is a difficult step.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm not sure where the fat ends and the skin begins. This is an issue I dealt with the last time I dropped weight, and it's an issue now. I know there's still plenty of fat around me, but there's a whole lot less than there was only a few months ago. At some point, my body is going to start telling me that I either need to eat more or work out less. When I reach that point (and I do believe that I'm "in-tune" with my body well enough that I'll recognize the signs when they're with me), I'll have to decide whether a surgical option to get rid of the skin should be investigated. Fortunately, I know of some kick-ass people who have chosen to go through with the surgery, and to live with loose skin. Heck, I even know somebody is planning on going through with the surgery at some future date. Whatever I chose, I'll post here.</p></li>
<li><p>I have been meditating. I'm planning a post to talk about what I go through, just because several people have asked me what advantages I get out of it, and how it works.</p></li>
<li><p>My work schedule has been hectic. This means lots of conference calls. Yes, I'm still enforcing the "every time I close or open my office door, I do 10 pushups" rule. My elbow isn't always happy with this (especially on rainy days), but I'm getting through the pushups without strain (as opposed to when I started this rule). I may be switching to 15 pushups per door opening.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm two months away from the marathon. <strong><em>gulp</em></strong>.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm realizing that I have more than just four speeds. It used to be that I had "stop", "walk", "go", and "sprint". "Go" was, essentially, slightly faster than a brisk walk. When I started running, that meant 12:00 miles, and now it means about a 9:30 mile. However, at the end of all of my runs, lately, I've kicked things up - far from a sprint, but much faster than I've been running (I'd guess I'm coming in at 6:30-7:00 mile pace). When I find engage this gear, I'm able to keep up for up to a mile and a half. For my first marathon, I'm going to lay back for the entire thing (unless I hit mile marker 25 and realize that I have a lot of juice in the tank), but I'm actually excited that I've been able to kick in something at the end. It reminds me that I'll be able to push things faster in the future. Because, well, I always need a goal, and this "run a marathon" thing is pretty big - I don't want to gear myself up to run it and then have nothing to work for.</p></li>
<li><p>Speaking of stuff to work for, I'm still thinking about an Iron Man.</p></li>
<li><p>I have absolutely no desire to weigh myself, despite the number of people who ask how much weight I've lost.</p></li>
</ol>
</div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805939293906938812noreply@blogger.com4