Sometimes You Just Have To Say What The Heck

By now, you've read or heard how rough marathon No. 5 was. It wasn't a pretty race. It drained me, and running was not as much fun as it used to be. While I took it nice and easy during the race and enjoyed the journey, that marathon took a lot out of me physically.

Coming back from Greenville, S.C., I was looking forward to recovery and taking a break from running. Not running for a week really appealed to me at the moment.

In fact, I ended up taking nine days off.

And it was glorious.

It was rather nice to run without any pressure of a race coming up. Just lace up the shoes and run for fitness and for the enjoyment of it.

But then, something changed.

Changing Things Up From The Original Plan

Sometimes life gets in the way of our plans. When this happens, all we can do is reassess, adjust and move forward.

No need to get bitter or upset over it for I don't see a goal denied as the end of the road. For me, a goal denied is merely a goal delayed. Just because I won't be accomplish something right now does not me I won't be able to compete the task somewhere on down the road.

All year I had been saying 2014 was the year I'd become an ultra marathoner. I even went as far as finding a race to get baptized into the ultra world: the Triple Lakes Race - a 40-miler in Greensboro, N.C., in October.

Yet, after number of changes in my life, I am having to put this dream on hold. With my new job and unsure what all it will entail and encompass, I wasn't sure I'd be able to train properly for this race. Also, the 40-miler is a trail race, and I usually can't get on the trails around here until October and November.

But have no fear, I have a race all lined up.

Basket Of Nerves: Do You Ever Feel Ready?

Ready to line up under the Sunsphere!

It feels like forever since I last posted. Nearly 2 months seems like an eternity.

A lot has gone on with work and life, preventing me from posting here. But as I make final preparations for the Knoxville Marathon, I have the overwhelming need to write because I have so much swimming in my head lately.

To say it's been a wild and wacky training season would be an understatement. So much has happened to try to disrupt things, not the least of these being the wonderful winter weather we experienced. Granted, winter here in Kentucky was not nearly as bad as other parts of the country. Still, it wasn't the norm and made things interesting trying to get my runs in.

But work has been crazy with three week-long road trips interspersed over the past couple of months, making trying to figure out when I can and can't get a run in very interesting.

Still Alive And Running

I love my job. I love it so much that it doesn't seem like a job.

And that's a good thing.

However, working in college athletics can be crazy. Summers are busy, but the job becomes much more laid-back and very 9-to-5. Yet, once August hits and the fall sports student-athletes report, all bets are off. The whirlwind begins and I kiss my bride and kids goodbye until May or June.

OK, it's not that crazy, but it seems that way at times. (Ask my bride and kids how much they see me during the first of November, from late-February through mid-March and in May.)

Because of this craziness, my blogging suffers and I'm unable to update here regularly. Thankfully, my running doesn't suffer. To be honest, it can't suffer since that is how I keep my sanity.

Best Running Week Ever? Quite Possibly

No two ways about it. I've had a pretty amazing week.

It's definitely been one of my favorite weeks running-wise, and it really had very little to do with me.
Yes, I did have a pretty good week, posting another 40-mile week and recording back-to-back days with double-digit mileage. However, none of that made this week special.

No, it was my family that made this week special ... especially my daughter.

Can't really explain it, but she seems to have caught the running bug.

On Wednesday, Haylee decided to join my bride and I at the track. She ran with us for a while, but after a little over mile she was done. She had enough.

Gel-Bot: My Secret Weapon To Help Get Me To A Sub-2

I've made it no secret I'm shooting for a sub-2 hour half marathon. Additionally, I've made it no secret I'm gunning for this sub-2 at the Iron Horse Half on Oct. 13.

Consequently, I'm doing and looking for any advantage I can get to help cut and save time. I'm upping my speed work. But anything that can help me maintain my pace and not slow me down, I want to employ it.

Enter the Gel-Bot.

I first heard about the Gel-Bot on a post by Scott on his blog iRunnerBlog, and I wanted one. My lovely bride then bought it for me for my birthday last November. (The actual post I first read about the Gel-Bot is here.)

However, I really haven't figured out how to incorporate the Gel-Bot into my running because it did not have a pocket/handle for me to better carry it during my runs. This is important to me because of comfort and since I always carry my cell phone with me for safety purposes.

But then I had a stroke of genius to hit me.

Y'all, I Did Crossfit And Did Not Die

Tried something new yesterday: crossfit.

My sentiments of the evening.

When I agreed to go, I did not realize how tough of a workout this was. I know it  was a challenging workout, but I honestly didn't know to what degree.

Sadly, I agreed to this workout with the same flippancy I did when I agreed to run my first half marathon. Let me just say, I was not as worn out after the half marathon as I was this nearly 20-minute workout. Wish I was joking about that, but I'm not.

Fred, a member of our local running group, has been doing this program for several months, and a few of us were intrigued so we went to check it out. Actually, Chris - the head of our running group, was intrigued and roped a couple of us in to suffer with join him.

I fully admit to being naive. That won't happen again.

RunGuard: Product Review And Giveaway

When I started running, I never realized I'd 'need' a variety of different gear and products. I mean, it's running. "Don't I only need the five S's? Shorts, shirts, stopwatch, socks and shoes?"

As I racked up the miles, I soon found out how much other things I needed to go run. A GPS watch, a fuel belt and/or a hand-held water bottle, GU gels or some other type of food/fuel, headlamp and other safety running gear. And the list goes on and on.

It was during training for my first marathon I learned runners sometimes chaff.

Talk about a painful lesson. Not fun at all.

I had heard stories of male runners getting bloody nipples, but to be honest, I thought it would never happen to me.

Sad to say, I was wrong.

Consequently, I sought ways to prevent this from happening again.

I Think I Can! I Think I Can! I Think I Can!

Not going to lie, when I first studied the training plan I found to help me shoot for a sub-2 hour half marathon, I was a wee bit apprehensive. I mean, I've never been confused with being a speed demon ...

Like ever. (To borrow a phrase from Taylor Swift)

But being one to set goals for myself, I figured why don't shoot for the sub-2. After all, my current half marathon PR is 2:05:13 and I set that without really trying to. (True story! Check out the recap here.)

That all said, the thoughts of averaging 9:10/mile for 13.1 miles seems very daunting to me. For a plodder like me, that's a lot of speedy consistency.

Yet, as Thomas Jefferson once said, "Anything worth having is worth fighting for." I'm sure he was referring to our nation's freedom, but it aptly applies to anything that's worth having - even a simple running goal. If I am to hit that sub-2 mark, I'm going to have to work for it.

Especially since speed does not come easy for me.

Halfway There At The Halfway Mark

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself.
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

- Dr. Seuss "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" 

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever had thought I would travel so many miles ... on foot!

Running never had any appeal to me whatsoever. Of course, I blame this largely on playing basketball where my coaches insisted on using running laps - and lots of them - as punishment. Sucked all the joy out of running for me.

Fortunately, I fell in love with running, albeit much later in life. And I've amazed at how much more fun and challenging running has become with each passing mile. Nothing like seeing how far you can go.

Or better yet, how far you've come.

Training Is A Process

Me after a hot run this summer - which summarizes my
feelings of yesterday's run.

So, I announced on Monday to the world I've set the goal of running a sub-2 half marathon this fall. My first attempt at this mark is now less than 16 weeks away. Yesterday was my first training session for this race, and what do I do?

Cram all the sessions in to one.

Yup, yesterday's run was a bad one.

Apparently, I thought I should try to run a sub-2 on Day 1. I know better, and my body quickly reminded me of how foolish I was being.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was a tortoise turned into a sub-2 half marathoner.

Time To Up The Ante: Seeking The Sub-2 Half

"You can't hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can't catch a fish unless you put your line in the water. You can't reach your goals unless you try." ~ Kathy Seligman 

I love setting goals for myself. They give me something to shoot and strive for. No matter the area of life, you need goals to give you direction and drive. Otherwise, you end up going about life aimlessly.

Early in my running, I saw the importance of have a goal out there to keep me motivated, to keep me going, to keep me getting up early and hit the pavement.

At first, signing up for a race was enough motivation. I had to run and train in order to be able to finish. Then it was to PR, to try a new distance and so on and so forth.

But with each goal achieved, a new one must replace it.

And the ante must be upped.

A Year Later And I Keep Coming Back For More

Yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary of my first full marathon. It's crazy to think that it's been a year since that amazing day, and it's even crazier to think about how far I've come (and gone) since then.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I would be running my third marathon in just over a year after my first. (In case I hadn't mentioned it before, I'm running the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon on Sunday.) Heck, I am still in awe I even ran one marathon!

I remember crossing the finish line of my first half marathon, loving the feeling and already planning to run my next half. But one other thought prevailed: "There's no way I'm ever running a full marathon!"

Funny how things change.

Not only do I love the marathon, I love training for a marathon.

And before all of you question my sanity, in the words of the Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper: "I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested."

OMG! I Did What?!?!

This picture seemed appropriate for this post.

Funny how some things take you by surprise.

As runners, we are notorious for setting goals, giving us things to shoot for and strive for. To make yourself better and stronger, you need to put goals out there to challenge yourself.

I did that last year when I put out there I wanted to post a 175-mile month. It didn't happen last year, but that did not deter me. I simply put on the list again for 2013.

And then without really striving for it, I FREAKING GOT IT!!!

Funny thing is, I didn't really try for this goal. It wasn't something I set out to do this month, but it just happened.

Is It Race Day Yet?

Scenes from my 22-miler this past weekend.

On the one hand, I can't believe I am in week 14 of my marathon training. Yet, on the other hand, I can't believe the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is still 17 days away!

As per my normal insanity, I am enjoying marathon training. Call me crazy (FYI, you won't be the first nor the last to do so), but I really do enjoy training. The constant challenge, the upping of the mileage, the tons of miles being logged, hill and tempo workouts.

I mean, what's not to love?

But while I do love training, I am so ready for race day to be here ... LIKE NOW!

A Fun Time Was Had By All - Strawberry Plains Half & 10K Recap

The t-shirt design for this year's race.

This is a race I had circled on my calendar. I was so looking forward to this year's Strawberry Plains Half Marathon and 10K for a number of reasons.

First, this is my first repeat race. Since I began running in April 2010, I had run 10 races, but all of them different events. This was the first time I had run the same race twice.

Secondly, I really enjoyed this race. It's a small race with a beautiful course. It's a challenging course, but fun nonetheless.

Lastly, my bride was running her first 10K!!!

Yes, I've been a bit geeked up about Genople running, but especially with her pushing herself past the 5K and to attempt a 10K.

Oops! I Did It Again

Road rash is pretty, isn't it?

It's funny how history can repeat itself.

Last time I was marathon training, I hit a little 'bump' on the trial. (OK, it was a root.) So, I was really wanting to avoid a situation like that again.

But yesterday, I took a 'trip' down memory lane.

Set out with the plan to run 5 miles and finish at the rec center to do a spin session before running the mile-plus way home. It was a simple, easy plan. What could possibly go wrong you say?

Well, how about another fall?

Yes, I took another tumble. This time, though, it was on the sidewalk.

How I Saved Myself Hundreds Of Dollars

Did the title catch your eye? Good! It was supposed to.

But I must tell you this is no get-rich-quick scheme nor is it how you can save hundreds off your car insurance. No, this is just a simple running tip I feel the need to share with you.

So, how did I save myself hundreds of dollars? Two words: Ziplock baggies.

Scratching your head yet? Great. Keep reading.

Remember last autumn when I took a great fall while trailing running? Sure, you do. It was epic! I mean, it happened right smack in the middle of my training for the 7 Bridges Marathon. Well, I didn't share every detail about that spill, but now you will get to hear (in the words of the late Paul Harvey) the rest of the story.

5 Weeks Down, 11 More To Go - Training Update

I can't believe how fast time flies. Seems just like yesterday I started my training plan for the 2013 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. Yet, here I am with five weeks under my belt already.

Thus far, I am feeling good about things. My approach this time is more focused as I'm looking to find ways to improve my performance, and more importantly to me, my endurance.

Above everything, I want to be able to remain strong throughout the race. This takes place planning, focus and practice. Slowly but surely, I'm coming to understand it is OK to have a slower, consistent pace at the beginning of a run/race in order to have more in the tank at the end of the run/race.

This is not an easy concept for me to put into practice. Being a bit Type A, I want to go all out from the get go. And this approach wears me out, forcing me to take more and more walk breaks during the final stages of the run/race.

My Impromptu Rest Day

I was planning to do my long run this morning. Just a mere 13 miles or so.

I was mentally prepared to do this; after all, I have ran this distance numerous times, so much so I've lost count.

I was going to mix up my route just to spice things up. To better prepare for the Knoxville Marathon, I was going to add hill or two early in the run and then another one or two hills during the end of the run.

But my body had other ideas.