Rookie Mistakes...

Every Saturday I do my long run in preparation for the St Jude Half Marathon on Dec 6. Lately I have been heading out to the Greenline to do these runs because my neighborhood is getting old. My goal Saturday was to run 11 miles in 1:55, but I really set myself up for problems.

Saturday morning I invited two friends of mine to run with me. I usually do not like to run in groups, but I have been trying to branch out more and letting people push me further and faster. I find that running with a group makes it harder for me to stop and walk a bit when I am with others. Maybe it is an ego guy thing...

So Saturday I woke up at 6:30 and got ready to meet the guys at 8 AM for 11 miles. One thing that always messes with me is running in the cold because I am always afraid I am going to over dress and get hot. Saturday morning it was 34 degrees here in Memphis, so I really had to start digging out some cold weather gear. So after about three different running clothe changes I finally felt like I had a good combo and heading out to meet the guys. I had my fuelbelt, gloves I could ditch and glasses and I was ready.

The run started off really well. We were all having a good time talking and before I knew it, we were at the 5.5 mile turn around and we started heading back. I was having no issues and I was on my pace I wanted to be on...until about mile 8ish.

Then I realized that I did not eat anything that morning before my run. I had no fuel. And instead of realizing that and hitting the GU I had in my fuelbelt, my focus became about just finishing. Around mile 9.5 or so, I could feel my calf twinging, that good ol calf cramp was coming, but I wanted to keep going. I wanted to hit that 1:55. My running partners slowly inched away from me, leaving me to run alone (which was totally cool!) I could sense that my running gait was changing, but I kept trucking along, and finished in 1:54:33. Right on Target.

So here are my rookie mistakes I made, and I should know better:

1. No food before the run. This was extremely stupid of me and I know better. I had plenty of time to grab a bite before my run and for whatever reason, I didn't. I know this effected me in a bad way!
2. No water at all. While I had two bottles around my waist, I never went to them. After the run I did drink water, but I never had a swig. Now granted it was cold and I don't think I needed as much water as I would on a hot day, but going two hours without water is just stupid.

I am not sure what I was thinking, because we all talked about water stations and gels and how we would use them on race day, but I never even thought about it. It kind of sucked, inviting people to run with you and then being the one that got dropped, but it was a good reminder for me to fuel up before and during a long run. I won't make that mistake next Saturday. Saturday is another 11 miler!!!

FitSnap and Gravity Training

What up Peeps! This blog post is dedicated to two things I am currently digging on. The FitSnap app and my new gravity training system. So let's jump right into these two cool gadgets.

FitSnap:

This is a great app that solves the age old question "how do I post my workout to FB, Instagram or Twitter and still include a cool selfie?" Cause we all know that is what social media is all about, letting the world know how good we have it. In the "old" days, like in the 90's, we had this:

FitSnap let's you do all this in one easy app. It is a great way to document the all important running that we do, and you can also do it with like 50 other activities! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, then you have seen my FitSnaps. And if you haven't, then go follow me!!!! I like the app and think it is cool. It's free in the App Store and I recommend it.

Gravity Training:

This is basically designed like a TRX system. I have some issues with my wrists which make it tough for me to go lift weights. With the design of the handles, I can use my own body weight to lift. Now I know I will not get huge using this, but for what I want it will be perfect. It is designed to be used on any door frame and is portable. I can position my body at different angles which will increase the "weight" of the exercise. When I was working out with my trainer in early 2014, we used a similar device and I really like it because it did not bother my wrist. I am also going to use it to focus mostly on upper body exercises and it is something I can knock out at home. Time seems to be harder to come by each day, so this is a good fit for me. I will let you know how it goes, but please do not ask for pictures :0 (cause I do not want any certain Redman opponent to get all nervous and because I am vain like that and will probably post them without being asked) I think there is a term for those shots called "belfies", like in a combination of selfie and body shot??

Anyways, those are my two cool finds for the fall of 2014. Let me know if you use them or yout thoughts on gravity training!

I'm Retiring...

I kind of expected this day to come sooner or later, but I really had hoped it would be much later. Regardless of the timing of this post, I can say that the accomplishments have been many. I remember when I first got into this sport many years ago. I really just got into it for the challenge of it, you know, I thought it would be fun, but nothing to stick with, I just wanted to see if I could do it. Well, I did.

And I was hooked.

Yeah, it looked good on me!

I at no time had any dreams of going past a sprint triathlon, but who knew Ironman was in the future? Or half marathons, marathon or even that 50K! It was a good ride and I far exceeded any expectations, but the time has come to retire...my favorite visor. (you didn't think I meant me did you?)

My white ADIDAS visor was with me from the beginning. I have no idea where I got this visor, it has just always kind of been there. I have worn it through the hot Memphis heat and in the cool rains. I have worn it under a skull cap. It was my visor, there are many like it, but that one was mine.



Like all good things, it was beginning to wear out. The Velcro in the back is giving away, and it flops around hitting me in the back of the head with every step, and although I desperately wanted to hang on to it, it kind of buggs the crap out of me while I was running. So I just can't handle it anymore!!!!

It looked real good....

So I bid you farewell my friend!  Don't cry and don't be sad, I probably will not forget you, but I might, cause after all, you are just a visor! So I am retiring you white, sweat stained, non velcroing velcro ADIDAS visor.

Oh Yeah, There Is A Run Involved!

This may be a rookie mistake, but I have been so focused on my biking for Redman, that I feel like I have neglected my running. This is not to say that I have not been running, I mean I hit almost 60 miles last month, and will probably go over that mark in August. What I am saying is that my longest run to date has only been 11 miles!!  And that is starting to concern me.

My concern is this: I wanted to be so ready for the bike because I know bike fitness is very important on the run. No bike fitness, no run finish is the way I see it. So I have really been concerned with my bike miles and time on the saddle. Worse case scenario is that I end up walking a majority of the run. This is not what I want.

Now I plan on walking some, I am not in an unrealistic state of my fitness. I just want it to be a planned walk rather than I hafta walk. So I figure I have 3, maybe 4 weeks of training left before taper and here is what I want to accomplish.

1. 100 mile ride on my Specialized Transition Elite
2. 15+ mile run in my Brooks Glycerin
3. 4500 yd swim with my Zoggs goggles
4. medium bike/short run brick using my Timex Global IM Trainer

This is all doable, and when I hit these marks, I know I will feel more confident at exactly the right time going into Redman.

***I have a couple 4000 yd swims done already, I have an 11 mile run and a 71 mile run already under my belt, so don;t worry about me going to far too fast***

My Thoughts on Boston...

Crazy!
Unbelievable?
Unexplanable!

On a day that should be celebrated for people meeting their goals and overcoming obstacles, instead we are mourning the senseless loss of life.

In a way, I want someone to step up and take responsibility for this. At least that way they would have a chance to explain why. I know we may never know why something like this happened, but I want to know what reason someone could have.

Or maybe I don't. Maybe I don;t want to hear whatever they think made this a good idea as a way to get whatever message they have to the people. Maybe I don't need to hear why many of my friends that ran Boston were in harms way. What are the chances that anything they have to say would make sense??

All I can say is that I will pray for all the families affected by this tradegy and I also pray that they catch the person responsible.

Before today, I never had aspirations of running Boston. I now want too. It may take me a few years to qualify, but determination is a bad thing to mess with.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and mind through Jesus Christ. Phil 4:7

Along with many marathoners across the country, I am wearing my marathon shirt in honor of the victims of the boston Marathon today...

Am I a Race T Shirt Bully?

The other night at church, my bride told me she saw several people wearing the 2012 St Jude Marathon race shirt while she was walking the halls. For some reason, I always think that there is some kindred bond that we have when I see someone wearing a shirt of a race that we ran together. A marathon shirt none the less is extra special, because I know the time, effort and pain that can go into a marathon.

So my question to my bride was "who was it? Did you know him?" She then proceeded to name a few guys I knew that ran the race, but then she said this, and I am going to paraphrase. There was one guy I asked about it and he said that he did not run the race, his dad works for the race and he got a lot of free shirts. Automatically, I immediately turn into these guys:



Yes, I turn into Cedric and Bob when I see some wearing a race shirt they did not run (unless it is a spouse, they put up with the other spouse training, so they get a pass) or if I see someone wearing the race shirt prior to finishing the race. Call me superstitious if you want, but you won't catch me in that position!

So, as we were leaving church the guy was walking out right in front of us. My bride nudged me and said "That's the guy, that's the guy who is wearing the shirt who did not run the race!" So I wanted to walk up to him and say in my best Hispanic accent:

 So, are you the guy who is wearing the shirt without running the race?  Are you going to run the race in order to wear the shirt? I wear the shirt and I ran the race. He ran the race and he is wearing the shirt, we are all wearing the shirts and we all ran the race, so why aren't you going to run the race? I guess we are just going to have to teach him to run the race if he wants to wear the shirt!

But, I didn't. I mean, Yeah, it does bug me to see people wearing race shirts they did not run, or to see people wearing the race shirt before they actually finish the race, but it is a personal hang up of mine. My bride gets on to me because I will not donate race shirts to the needy because they did not run the race and earn the shirts! Maybe this is something I will back off of one day, and maybe I am just kidding about all this!(Not really)  Honestly, I am getting so many that I try to give them to my wife to wear, because let's be real, after about 4-5 years of racing, most shirts do not mean as much to me, and I only wear certain ones. I do like to start up a conversation with people if I see they have the same shirt on though!

So, what is your stand on race shirts and people wearing them before a race or wearing them when they did not run the race? Are you a race t-shirt bully like me?

Toenails? We Don't Need No Stinkin Toenails!

I was going to slap a picture of my toenails up here, but I decided that nobody really needs to see them. Yes, I said them, as in more than one! Since my marathon on Dec 1, I have three toenails that are slowly turning a stunning, pulchritudinous (look it up, it's a word) mixture of black and purple. My big toenail and my middle toenail will soon be leaving me.

I have only lost a toenail once before, and that was the last marathon I ran.So I always thought of it as a badge of honor, another one of those things that lets people know you are a runner without having to tell them. So it never really bothered me; it doesn't hurt any either, so we will see what happens. I mean, why do we even have toenails, do they really do anything for us? At least  the ladies can paint them, but us guys...I see no reason.

On other notes, I have been really lazy since my last race. After the race, I sat on the couch and ate donuts until dinner time and then I ate a huge steak! I have also been to McDonalds 5 times since Dec 1st! It doesn't help that Egg McMuffins are on sale for $1! I have not run at all, I have swam twice, but that was really more like I got wet so it is hard to count that.

So today was my first run since my marathon 2 weeks ago. I did a measly 3 mile run, but I felt good, which is the important thing. I usually use the last part of December to let the body heal up, but two weeks off made me miss training. I still think it will be more of a benefit for me to not go as hard as normal, but I will start to ease back into workouts. I have several goals that I want for 2013, which I am sure I will blog about later, and I am sure I will do a 2012 in review post, so any extra miles will count for that.

Post Election Thoughts, That Have Nothing To Do With The Election!

So, I have had some time to reflect since the election, my guy lost BTW, and the sun did come up the next day! So that was good. I had thought about doing a post election complaint post, but America has too many people whining and complaining, so I am going to be a good "Merican" and be a good husband, father, will work hard and prep for my 1st IM in 2013.So with that, here are some ramblings that have nothing to do with 4 more years of poor economic growth and the demise of America:

1. I am ready to start back with S/B and R! The marathon training has been going fairly well I think, but I do miss swimming and biking. I have not rode Stella since Sept and once a week swimming is not cutting it.
2. After my marathon, I am really thinking of getting into the weight room some, if my wrists will allow me too. I think December might be a good time to "lift things up and put them back down!" Maybe I even start that core regiment we all want to start.
3. I really wanted to grow my hair longer, but there is way too much grey coming in! Wonder of I am worried about something??? The grey really shows up when my hair is longer, so by the time this publishes, JFORD might be rockin a new doo!
4. I am very appreciative to everyone that donated money to St Jude's Hospital and supported me through the marathon, I have surpassed my goal and I humbly say Thank You!
5. One of my favorite TV Shows right now is Sons of Anarchy, love that show!
6. I am still waking up at 4:45 AM, which my body thinks is 5:45 thanks to Daylight Savings Time.
7. I have finally decided on my marathon goal time for 2012. Last year I finished in 6:08, and I am planning on blowing that out of the water.
8. Work is about to get crazy! Crazy whack funky! Retail+Black Friday = NUTS!!!!
9. Another favorite TV show is Duck Dynasty, although it is hard to believe all the stuff they get into is not setup. Doesn't matter, Si and Jase make me laugh.
10. I need to start looking forward to my 2013 race schedule. I think I want to participate in a relay this year, that'd be fun!

Marathon Training Plan...

I started my marathon training this morning.  Well, I should back up a bit, I planned out my marathon training last week and I started it today. I am hopping into the middle of a plan due to NashVegas last weekend, but since I was already doing 11 to 13 mile runs, it should not be that big of a deal to start midway.

When I woke up this morning, it was raining. I did not want to get out of bed, but I was also ready to start running again. I had only logged one mile since last weekend, so I knew I had plenty of time to recover. I also know that I have eaten like crap this past week. Whatever I wanted, I ate. I drank Dr. Peppers instead of water, I ate OREOS (double stuffed of course) and even went to Baskin Robbins! (They have this chocolate chip cookie dough sundae that is amazing!) And I stuffed myself on my wife's chili this weekend!  Chili dogs are great football food!

So anyways, I wake up this morning to rain. Now part of me says "screw it" get out there and run in the rain. Seems like most of my bigger distance races have been out in the rain, so why not. Channel my inner badassness and get out there. Which I almost did! But I thought it was only a 4 mile run today, so I could do this at they gym on the dreadmill. last thing I want is to get a cold and get sick, so the dreadmill won out.

But, I did get it done. It wasn't pretty at all though. It was awkward, like I had never run on one before. My ankle was hurting, my stomach was not cooperating (that's got to be the chili dogs, but they were soo good), and I really did not want to be on a treadmill. And it was also slow, but I got it done, and that is the important thing. Now I hope the rains move on out and I can get outside again soon.

My marathon plan has me running 4 days a week averaging between 30-35 miles a week. My longest run will be 20 miles and basically consists of Monday being short, Wednesday being medium, Thursday short and Saturday long. I also have some other road races thrown in the mix, so I should be good and ready come December. Plus I am working in some core work ( I know I say this a lot), but I really mean it. The goal to beat is 6:08:27. I am looking for somewhere closer to 5 hours or under!

3 Days Later and A Giveaway In The Works

It's Wednesday, 4 days after my first ever marathon and I am feeling great. Surprisingly great! I am totally surprised by this too. I mean I was ready to quit running all together after Sat. Saturday night I had some major calve cramps. I drank milk, ate bananas, Gatorade, Tums (calcium) stretched, sticked, foam rolled and massaged those suckers and it was just bad.  I ended up taking some Ibuprofen PM and slept like a log.

Sunday I woke feeling pretty good, even made it to church, but I'll admit to using the elevator instead of the stairs. That afternoon after lunch, it was over. I could not keep my eyes open. I was just physically tired. It was cold and raining outside, football was on the TV and the couch was mine. I woke up about 5 PM.

Monday, I still a little sore, but still feeling better. I had scheduled a massage for Monday and I was looking forward to it. It hurt so good. She was able to work out some soreness, especially in my legs. It was the perfect time for it too. I highly recommend it in the future.

By Tuesday and Wednesday, I was pretty much feeling better than before the race. Good enough to plan on running this marathon again next year. I have a time to beat in 2012. I admit it is a little embarrassing for me to say my time, but I think I really need to reassess my goal times, cause I do not think I met one of them this year. So next year, anything better than 6:08 will be a win!

Now as for the giveaway I am planning. Plans are in the works and I will be giving away a signed copy of  See Dane Run. Dane Rauschenberg ran 52 marathons in 52 consecutive weeks. I met him at the expo, and wrote about meeting him in my last post. Well, he was looking at race reports and read Daily Trainings and left a comment, and through email he agreed to let me give away a signed copy of his book. I can't wait to read it, it has gotten really great reviews on Amazon! So stay tuned for this giveaway!

my 1st Marathon & a Conversation with the "Jack-Rabbit

This morning I signed up for my first marathon ever! I will be running the St. Jude's Memphis Marathon on December 11, 2011, and I am worried. As soon as I hit the submit button, I got this feeling in my stomach, the "what have I done" feeling. A marathon was always a goal of mine and I figured I should do a marathon before I did my first Ironman, but the commitment has been made, and the money paid.

My HIM is in late Sept, so I will have all of October and November to prepare, so I am sure I can be ready, well pretty sure at least. I have started the Memphis Road Race Series which will only help me.

As a matter of fact, the 1st 5k run was yesterday morning. This was the first stand alone 5K I have done in a long time, so I wasn't sure what to expect. There were over 1,200 people registered for this race, so it was very crowded. I lined up about 1/3 of the way back next to a guy that had to be running on straight Red Bull. He was bouncing all over the place and was a very interesting character.

Picture Dwight Shrute from the office. This guy was dressed in all black, knee high socks and a bandanna on his head. He called himself a Jackrabbit. Here is how it went:

Jack-rabbit: I hate starting so far back, it makes it hard for a jack-rabbit like me.
Me: Excuse me?
Jack-rabbit: I said I hate starting so far back, it makes it hard for a jack-rabbit like me.
Me: You're a jack-rabbit?
Jack-rabbit: Yeah.
Me: Sighs...what's a jack-rabbit?
Jack-rabbit: someone that takes off way to fast and has to dodge everyone before I start losing energy.
Me:Uh, Yeah. Good luck

Anyways, I had a decent race. I miscalculated the ending of the run, which made me to use up my kick way early, but I finished at 25:43 (8:10 pace) I was 32 out of 92 in my Ag and 236 out of 1022 people overall. Next up in the series is a 5 miler in August.

Also I am very happy to say that my wife has joined a women's running group. She is going to work her way up to running a 5K in the fall. I am very excited to cheer her on and watch her finish. I think she is going to do much better than she thinks she will. It is going to be fun.

I am looking for 1 Pig and 1 Cow!??!!!

If you read this blog, you know that I once again missed the cutoff for the Memphis Marathon in Dec. I went to sign up in late September and was shocked to see that it had sold out of the half marathon already. Last year I tried to sign up in late October, so I thought I was safe. WRONG!

So since I can't run it, I want to participate and I need two amigos who are willing to dress up in costumes and make asses out of themselves. Here's some background...

There is a hilarious blog that I read named Steve in a Speedo?! Gross (link to the right). This guy lives in Minnesota and is also into multi sports. He seems to be more of a run specialist and judging by his times, he is crazy fast compared to anything I will ever post! Anyways, after running a 10 mile race, him and his bros-in-law decided to cheer on the marathon racers in a different way than most people. In fact, here is the video of them.



This cracks me up everytime! Anyways, Steve (talkin like I know him, but I don't)has received another copycat type video of other people doing this at a different marathon, I think it was done in Iowa. He thought it would be great to see this catch on and spread throughout the country, and I agree! So I am looking for 2 other souls to go out and have a good time Dec 5 at the St Jude's/Memphis Marathon!

If interested, email me! we can keep your name out of it if you do not wish to be identified...