Cycling Through Life

It's Official!!

2010-04-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

I signed up to run the Dexter/Ann Arbor Half Marathon!! It is on June 6th.

http://www.dexterannarborrun.com/

I will have to ramp up my running and get some new kicks. It would also help a lot if this damn cold would get out of my system!! I have been fighting it on and off for a month now. It must really like me. LOL I'll be running tonight and doing my INSANITY workout. My day off yesterday did wonders for my legs. I had not had a rest day in over two weeks. I know...I need my rest. Sometimes I ignore what my body needs and just want to push it as hard as I can.

Tomorrow is my son's first track meet. He was chosen as the anchor of his 1600 meter relay team!! I'm very proud of him. He is only a sophomore so that is pretty cool!! I can't wait to watch him run tomorrow.

Anyway...I had better get back to work. :-) Bye.

Poor Little Garmin...

2010-04-07T08:30:00.003-04:00

My poor Garmin. I had denied it with it's basic needs for so long. I was getting mad at it because it was so slow to link up with the satellites and after my run I hooked it up to my computer and remembered that there was a web updater that I hadn't run in a loooonnnnggg time. OK...the poor thing was on version 1.8 and they are up to 2.9!! Oops...sorry about that little buddy. AND guess what?!?! I turned it on and BOOM it linked right up. I had another OK run, but my legs are very tired today. I am also smack dab in the middle of INSANITY workouts so I'm kind of worried about tonight. I have the fit test which is hard enough and then I have to do MAX Interval Circuits!! It's going to be crazy hard. If I don't survive it please don't fight over all of my vast assets when I'm gone. LOL!! Sha right!! I'm hoping that the weather is nice this weekend so that I can get out on the bike. My friends down in Ohio really want to do a group ride and the MS150 ride is now only 81 days away!! That's hard to believe. Please visit my site if you get a chance.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2106612&pg=personal&fr_id=14081

This is now my fifth year of riding this wonderful event and I always look forward to it. I've seen what this terrible disease can do to people and I want to do everything that I can to help. Have a great day!!

I Remember How To Do This Blogging Thang!!

2010-04-06T14:48:00.004-04:00

I have missed blogging. I thought that Facebook was the way to go, but I do miss posting on here and reading posts about others. A while back I was sent some product to test and I was supposed to post a review on here. I never did it and I've felt bad about it. I was sent some Yaktrax to try out for winter running. I did use them and I have to tell you that they work very well. I never slipped running down a sidewalk that I would have been afraid to walk on before. I also used them on my boots when I would take the kids sledding and they worked great. I was running up every icy slope while the kids were spinning out. LOL I do not sell Yaktrax, but I felt obliged to write this review since I was sent the product to test. If you live in a cold, wintry area, and you still want to run safely, I would highly recommend them. :-) http://www.yaktrax.com/

It is finally spring here in Michigan. I have started to run again, and I am also doing the INSANITY workout series. My sons are growing like weeds. My oldest is now taller than his "old man". I wanted him to be tall, but it's weird looking up at your kid. LOL Anyway....I will try to be on my blog more often now so I hope that some of my long lost blogging friends find their way back here. Take care everyone!!

Blog Revisited....

2009-06-18T08:49:00.003-04:00

OK. I'm here, I'm feeling healthy, and I'm an ass for not blogging much. Now for the rest of the story.....I've resumed training. I worked out on P90X over the winter and now I have started cycling and running again. P90X was the way to go. I started the year in much better shape than I did when I just used the treadmill, and rollers during the winter months. I feel much more strong and lean. I will be riding in my 5th MS150 ride next Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/OHOBikeEvents?px=2106612&pg=personal&fr_id=11150

It is a great event, and I get to spend time with my best friends.

My kids are doing well also. My oldest was a freshman in high school this year, and he earned two varsity letters, was the VP of his class this year, was a scholar athlete, and was just voted to be the president of his class next year. Not a bad year huh? My younger sons, Matt and Will are both moving on in school and are growing too darn fast. They are constantly beating each other up, but they are at a very fun age.

Somehow, my facebook page showed that I was doing an Ironman this year...no, not this year, but it did motivate me to get back at some harder training. I cannot forget that dream. I don't know if it will ever happen, but I have to try.

Anyway, I had better get back to work....Have a great day everyone!!!

www.beachbodycoach.com/jahowie

Still here....

2009-05-04T09:24:00.001-04:00

I know, I KNOW!! I'm a terrible blogger. You all should stone me in the town square. LOL I think about all of you often, and I will get my act together and blog again.

P90X...It works...

2009-04-01T10:35:00.002-04:00

Here is proof. I am now a coach, trying to spread the word, and get more people involved with BeachBody products. I am a true believer!! Check out my site. www.beachbodycoach.com/jahowie

I Know What I Would Say....

2009-03-16T11:28:00.001-04:00

I just can't say it here.

P90X...Halfway There!!

2009-03-05T09:44:00.002-05:00

Today is day 45!! I'm halfway through P90X. I am feeling great!! Last night I kicked Plyometrics out. It is getting easier and I am getting some serious air on some of the moves. I'm noticing differences in my physique and overall fitness. I used to die during Plyo, but now I'm pacing around the room waiting for the next move to start so that I can bring it!! Tonight will be Biceps, and Back, finishing up with my good friend Ab Ripper X. When I first saw the infomercial I never thought that I would be able to do the Mason Twists at the end of the Ab Ripper workout, but now I am doing 60 plus!! I still have a little bit of side chub that I need to knock off, but it's coming along. I'll try to get on my computer at home during lunch and post some pics. I'll try to get on my blog more often too. I haven't had much free time lately. Sorry about that. :-)

P90X Continues....

2009-02-17T13:19:00.003-05:00

Julie and I started week 5, Phase 2, yesterday and it was a very intense workout. We did Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps finishing with Ab Ripper X, and I felt like I was going to throw up. I brought it as hard as I could, and I had a very good pump going. When we finished the 56 minute workout and moved into the abs, my arms were shaking so bad that I wasn't sure if I would make it through the ab workout, but I did with a lot of grunting and groaning. I am still really digging this workout, and I will probably buy the P90X Plus once I finish the 90 days. I want to continue to push myself, and be in the best shape that I can be. Tonight is Plyometrics again, and I am ready to jump, spin, and lunge my way around the living room again. Julie and I are both seeing improvements in our physique and our overall fitness. I'm hoping that the weather will improve soon so that I can get out and combine some running with this. I am planning to run the Dexter/Ann Arbor Half Marathon again this year and I will need to get some running in. I hope that everyone is doing well. I'll report again soon on my progress. Sorry...still no pics....I took some, but I'm typing this at work. Soon....I promise. :-)

Week 4 P90X....

2009-02-12T08:44:00.002-05:00

Still working my tail off on the P90X. I haven't missed a workout and I am seeing results. Anyone who has watched the infomercial and thought about trying it should do it!! I am in my fourth week, and I can see not only strength improvements, but I am getting a lot more flexible which is huge for me. I hope to write a full report with pictures soon.

Phase 1 Done!!

2009-02-09T09:05:00.002-05:00

We completed Phase 1 yesterday on the P90X workout. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is serious about wanting to get into incredible shape. It takes a big commitment, but I can already see and most importantly FEEL the improvements. I am stronger, and I feel great!! Again, sorry no pics. I haven't been on the computer much lately at home. I will get them up as soon as I can. Yesterday was supposed to be a rest day, but we chose to throw in a Cardio X workout instead. It was our first time trying out this DVD so that made it fun. The workout consisted of some Plyometrics, Kenpo, and even some Yoga poses. This week will be a "recovery" week. The book warns you that even though it's called "recovery" that it will seem harder than the first three weeks. It will consist of a lot of core work. I am really looking forward to it!! :-)

2 Weeks In The Books....

2009-02-02T09:10:00.002-05:00

I finished my second week of P90X yesterday. I feel great!! I'm at work now so this post will be short, and without pictures for now. I'm hoping to be able to blog during lunch today. This week will be the last part of Phase 1, and I'm going to "Bring It" as much as I can. I have really been pushing myself on the workouts, and I am feeling much stronger already. When I first started, doing pull ups was almost imposible, and now I'm doing 10 each set!! I can see some differences in my body already too, which is very exciting. More to come later.....

P90X Week 2....

2009-01-28T08:28:00.003-05:00

I started my second week of P90X, and I was wondering how I was going to get through it. I was very sore after the first week, and the thought of climbing up on the pull up bar had me worried. The great thing about P90X is that there is always a warm up and a cool down. So, I stretched on Monday before the Chest and Back exercises and I was able to increase my reps on every exercise!! I felt strong!! I had a great pump going after the workout, and I was exhausted. We then had to get through the Ab Ripper X. I was really worried about having the strength to keep my legs up off the floor. My calf muscle in my right leg was all balled up from my weekend Legs and Back, and I wasn't sure that I would have much strength in that leg. Once again, I surprised myself. I am getting stronger already!! Some of the exercises that I struggled with in week one are getting easier. Last night I had Plyometrics again. I kicked some serious ass!! When I though that I couldn't go anymore I kept going. Jumping and kicking as high as I could, and getting a great workout. I was drenched in sweat, and tired, but I was also very excited about how well I did. P90X is worth the money. The workouts are incredible and I am already seeing results. Tonight is Shoulders and Arms....I can't wait!!!

P90X---Day Three...

2009-01-22T09:12:00.002-05:00

I've completed the third day of P90X, and I am sore in places that I didn't even know had muscles. Yesterday was Plyometrics. I was jumping and sqauting all over the living room. My lungs were burning and my heart was pounding. I was bent over grabbing my knees trying to find some air, and it would be time to go again. My feet were barely coming off the ground for some of the later exercises in the set. It was a good burn, and my legs were very sore yesterday. I told Julie that it was harder than a long run!! Last night was Arms and Shoulders, finishing up with Ab Ripper X. We did 4 different sets of bicep, tricep, and shoulder exercises, plus a bonus set. I was dying once again, but I made it through. THEN it was time for the ab rippers again. I was getting my back up off the floor, but at the end of each set I would about go limp and crash back down. I was really struggling, but feeling the burn. I am very sore today. I can barely lift my drink to my mouth. I guess it's working huh? Tonight will be Yoga X. I have no idea what to expect from that. I'm sure that it will be tough. Especially with about every muscle in my body being sore. LOL!! Believe it or not....I'm still looking forward to it.

P90X Before Pics And First Workout Report...

2009-01-20T12:18:00.004-05:00

I was ready for a tough workout and I got it!! My package came in the mail yesterday with the pull up bar, recovery drink, vitamins, nutrition guides, 30, 40, and 50 resistance bands, and the 12 DVD's for P90X. I was like a kid at Christmas. I started to put the pull up bar together at lunch, and as soon as I got home from work I mounted the brackets on the wall so that I could get started. The first workout was chest and back. This workout consisted of a lot of pull ups, and different variations of pushups and some flys. They told me to pace myself the first time around.....I didn't listen!! Oh yeah, I'll knock out 20 of those, and 20 of these....no problem. OK....now we are going to start the whole thing over again in reverse order. Uh oh!! About halfway through the second time I was dying. I got down to the floor on one of my diamond grip pushups and I didn't come back up. LOL!! It was an intense workout and I was exhausted, but the DVD didn't stop there. I still had to do Ab Ripper X!! Holy S#$*!!!! I was so tired that I couldn't hardly keep my feet off the floor for a lot of the exercises. My arms were tired, my legs were tired and my abs were burning. Yeah baby!!! Just what I wanted!! I can't wait to workout again tonight. I will be doing the Plyometrics workout and I did a preview of it at lunch. It should be pretty sweet!! As you can see I have some winter chub to work off. :-)

I'm Still Here....

2009-01-18T17:11:00.005-05:00

I haven't had much to write about lately. My P90X will be here tomorrow, so I will be posting before and after pics. I can't wait to get started!! I hope that everyone is having a great weekend!!! This is an old pic below. We actually have way more snow now!! :-(

Up, Up, and Away!!!

2009-01-07T08:37:00.002-05:00

Super Squirrel to the rescue! Or not... @ Yahoo! Video

That video cracks me up. Yes, I'm a big dork!! :-) Last night was a short two miles on the treadmill followed by weights. I worked legs, arms, back, and abs last night. It was a very good workout. Tonight, I am going to switch things up and get on the bike for a while. Swimming starts on Monday. :-)

It Turns Out That....Stretching Works...

2009-01-06T08:51:00.003-05:00

I bet that you didn't know that it's important to stretch before a run. LOL!! I stretched all day, and I didn't have the pain that I had in my knee the other day. I ran a quick 3.5 miles after work, and I felt pretty good. It was about 20 degrees, but not windy like it has been. I was never really cold, and I have been surprised at how well my lungs have been handling the cold air. After my run I did some more stretching, made some vegetarian "chicken" nuggets, and some tater tots and watched Texas barely get by Ohio State. It was an exciting game in the second half with Texas scoring in the last 16 seconds of the game to take the lead. The game kept me up until midnight so I am dragging a bit today. Tonight I'm hoping to get another run in and then some pilates. Have a great day!!

Out Of Shape!!!

2009-01-03T14:46:00.003-05:00

I just went out and ran 5.67 miles in the cold. Yes, I know that I've said that I wouldn't run outside in the winter, but the treadmill is so boring!! Plus, I got some cold weather stuff for Christmas and I wanted to try it out. Other than the wind it wasn't too bad. I ran yesterday too. It was in the 20's both yesterday and today, but at least the sun was out. I am soooooo out of shape. My left left hurt for about the last two miles. I know that it's nothing serious. It just hurt from a lack of use. It's time to get back at it and I am planning to get back in the pool again soon. Still chasing those dreams you know. :-)

It's Been A While....

2008-12-31T08:01:00.004-05:00

I've been very busy the last couple of weeks. I haven't been a very good blogger. I have been busy with the kids, and we got a garage door opener for Christmas so I worked all day yesterday installing that. I hope that everyone is doing well. It was 60 degrees here on Monday!! All of the snow melted, and it was nice to feel warmth. Last night we got about an inch of snow and ice. Not too bad. Nick has had basketball practice at 7:00 a.m. all week, and we have had to get up at 5:30 to get him there. I'm really tired, but at least I haven't been at work. :-) Here are some pics from Christmas. I'll be back to my regular schedule soon, so I hope that I can catch up with my blogger buddies. :-)

My Attempt At Being Positive Is Over...

2008-12-21T12:55:00.003-05:00

Winter SUCKS!!! We have a ton of snow here, and it's been very cold. On friday we had snow, then some rain, freezing rain, and then some snow again. I was out shoveling for two hours yesterday, and now I'm very sore. Today it's nine degrees with over 20 mph winds. Everything that I cleared yesterday is being blown over again, and it's pissing me off!! One positive thing is that we finished our Christmas shopping yesterday. I'm sitting here freezing my ass off. I can actually feel the cold air coming through the walls!! I going to get under a blanket now and watch some football. I hope that everyone is having a good weekend!!

I'm Still Here....

2008-12-15T08:19:00.003-05:00

I haven't been on my blog too much lately. I had a good weekend. Yesterday, Nick and I went shopping with the cross country team for families in need. We had $450 to spend on our family and we really stretched it. The money came from the team's 24 hour run. Some of the money went to the team and the rest went to this charity. I believe it was over $2,000. After we left Walmart, we had to go back to the school and wrap all of the stuff. It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it. In these rough times, it could be any one of us. Things still aren't going well at all here at my work. Orders are not coming in fast enough to have enough work to keep all of the plant employees busy, and it has been stressful. I can't wait for Christmas to be over. I hated spending money this weekend when I don't know what the future is going to hold. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

Got My Prize!!

2008-12-08T11:54:00.002-05:00

Lindsay was nice enough to send me a nice prize!! They were supposed to be her favorite things, but it seemed like I got a bunch of my favorite things. As many of you know I have a weakness for gummy bears. I've already devoured the gummy bears!! I ate the whole bag while I was sitting here surfing the net. I will use the hand sanitizer and Blistex for sure. Very cool. Thanks Lindsay. :-)

I ran Saturday and Sunday on the dreadmill, and I felt lousy!! I ran 4 on Saturday, and 6 on Sunday. I was dying and my speed was awful. I took the day off of work today, so I am going to head out and do some shopping and probably hit some pilates later.

Last Minute Gift Idea...

2008-12-04T09:39:00.003-05:00

If anyone *oink* is looking for a last *oink* minute gift idea *oink* for me. I would be very *oink, oink* happy with this under my *0ink* tree. This is from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that was on CBS last night. I enjoyed it, just a little bit. LOL!!

Havin A Down Day Here....

2008-12-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

I'm not in the best of moods here. Work is depressing. We are so slow right now that we are talking about layoffs. Merry Frickin' Christmas!! I had a rough night too. I didn't get much sleep. I wonder if other cancer survivors, or even cancer patients have dreams of their own demise? I'm not sure why the thoughts were in my head last night, but I had awful dreams about when I was going through treatments. I'm sure that some of it stems from when Nick and I were watching TV the other night, they showed someone having a bone marrow biopsy done. It made me cringe. That was some of the worst pain that I have ever experienced. I don't talk about my experiences very much, but I am feeling compelled to do so today. When I was 25, I discovered a mass just above my left collar bone. I didn't think much of it. I thought that maybe I had strained a muscle or something. I was going to see if it went away on it's own. It didn't. In the next week, I started to have chest pains at work. I didn't know what was going on and I was taken to the E.R. While I'm sitting there waiting for the results of my x-rays, a nurse walks in and says to me, "You know....this isn't a death sentence right?" I'm freaking out!! What the hell is going on?!?! The next day, I'm getting a needle biopsy done and I'm starting to realize that something is very seriously wrong. I wait for the results....it comes back nonconclusive. I'm then sent over to Ann Arbor, which is 30 minutes from my home for a CT Scan, and that was very clear. The next day, I'm told that I have cancer. My wife cried, I just sat there in shock. I went through chemo, radiation, and a botched surgery causing my chest to be cracked open, a loss of my hair, and about 50 pounds off of my already thin build of 165 when it all started. I looked like death, and I felt even worse. It's been 8 years since I was told that I was cured, but I still feel the effects, and it will always be with me. I still have the scars, the hair that will never grow back, and the lungs that will never be the same. I'm alive, and that's great. I got to be the father of two more incredible boys after I was told that children would probably never happen again for me. I know that I'm lucky to be here. I'm not looking for sympathy, and I'm sure that this post went in a million different directions, but I had to get some of it off of my chest. If you have the time this holiday season, give some of it to a cancer center. Donate marrow, blood, or anything that you can give to help someone going through this terrible disease.

Tree Is Up!!

2008-12-01T08:14:00.006-05:00

Here are some pics of the boys decorating our Christmas tree. I hope that everyone had a great holiday weekend!! :-)

Have Fun With This....

2008-11-25T09:11:00.002-05:00

This is a challenge!
Subject: SCATTERGORIES
SCATTERGORIES. ..it's harder than it looks! Hit Forward, erase my answers, enter yours, send it on to 10 people including the one that sent this to you.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up!

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Jeff

BOY NAME: Jim

4 LETTER WORD: Jock

GIRL NAME: Jenny

OCCUPATION: Journalist

A COLOR: Jungle Green

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Jeans

BEVERAGE: Java

FOOD: Jelly

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: John ;-)

A PLACE: Jackson, MI

REASON FOR BEING LATE: Jerk pulled out in front of me!!

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Jackass!!!

So Good.....

2008-11-21T12:31:00.005-05:00

Last night was veggie burger night. I cooked them on the George Foreman. My secret is a lot of worcestershire sauce, some garlic salt, and pepper. Soooo good. :-) After I finished dinner I took a picture of my spoiled cat, and looked outside to see my Jeep getting coated with snow. I'm still smiling here folks. :-) My Wolverines play those evil Buckeyes this weekend. I'm not expecting a victory, but I am hoping to have fun. We are going to a party down in Ohio where there will be lots of food and booze. GO BLUE!! Have a good weekend!!

Got My "Chores" Done....

2008-11-19T12:18:00.010-05:00

Here is my empty patio. How sad. I'll miss the fires on the patio, and a nice relaxing beer after work out there. Yes the birds got fed too. It was garbage day today so I cleaned out the litter box last night and got the garbage out. We now have three cats. Our cat, Murphy, and two cats that we took in when the lady next door just left them, and we couldn't leave them outside to freeze. They come in and out. Murphy is an indoor cat only. They don't save their "stuff" for outdoors though, they save it all for me!! :-) Julie with Murphy.

Paws, and Jack, our two adopted cats. Jack wanted in bad!! It's freezin' out here!! Stop taking my picture and let me in!! :-)

OK...Still Not Complaining...

2008-11-18T12:36:00.003-05:00

This is the view out my back door today. We have snow!!! Yes, I know that the birds don't have any food. I'll fix that after work. Anyway, staying the course on not complaining about winter weather, I will say that I REALLY enjoyed scraping my windshield this morning. Walking out to 17 degree temps was great too!! That snot that has been running out of my nose for the last week stopped because it was frozen!! It was so wonderful!! I also got some of that much needed stretching done. When I got to work and stepped out of my Jeep, the parking lot was iced over and my left foot almost slid out from under me. There you go hamstring, I hope you feel better now. Yay cold temps, ice, and snow!! I love you!! LOL!! Tonight I will be getting that patio furniture put away, and then hopefully finding time to get on the treadmill. I signed Julie and I up for the Turkey Trot in Ann Arbor which is next Thursday. It is always a good run. Cold, but fun. I also see that they are giving out long sleeved t-shirts this year, which makes a lot of sense.

I'm Trying Not To Complain...

2008-11-17T08:45:00.002-05:00

This happens every year. It gets cold and I start complaining about it. I'm going to try and find a positive thing every day to concentrate on. Winter is too long here to bitch and moan about it. I can't allow myself to get down this winter. It has been rough already though. I've had two colds back to back, and it has kept me from training. I did finally get the internet hooked back up at home on Friday, so I should be able to have better posts with more pics. That's my positive thing for today. ;-) Anyway, I hope that everyone had a good weekend. We are very slow here at work so I'm going to start catching up on some blogs.

Not A Lot To Write About....

2008-11-10T08:53:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry, I just don't have much to write about right now. I did see snow falling yesterday while I was outside winterizing the house. It made me sad. I hate winter as most of you know and I went inside, made a pot of coffee,and got out the Bailey's Irish Creme. That made me nice and warm and it raised my spirits. :-) I hope that everyone had a good weekend. Stay warm!! :-)

Detroit Lions Jokes...

2008-11-05T08:26:00.003-05:00

The Michigan State Police are cracking down on speeders heading into Detroit .

For the first offense, they give you two Detroit Lions tickets. If you get stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Q. What do you call 47 millionaires sitting around a TV watching the Super Bowl?

A. The Detroit Lions.

Q What do the Detroit Lions and Billy Graham have in common?

A. They both can make 70,000 people stand up and yell 'Jesus Christ.'

Q. How do you keep a Detroit Lion out of your yard?

A. Put up a goal post.

Q. What do you call a Detroit Lion with a Super Bowl ring?

A. A thief.

Q. What's the difference between the Detroit Lions and a dollar bill?

A. You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. How many Detroit Lions does it take to win a Super Bowl?

A. Nobody knows and we may never find out!

Q. What do the Lions and possums have in common?

A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November....

Our Civic Duty...

2008-11-04T09:24:00.003-05:00

Please be sure to vote today. This is a pic of my voting sticker that I am wearing today. It took about 30 minutes to get through the line and vote. I had a guy in front of me that had eyes that went in opposite directions. He turned and said something to me, and I thought that he was talking to the guy behind me!! LOL!!

Last night was one of the proudest moments of my life. Nick got his varsity letter, that was a given, but then the coach gave out some individual awards. He got trophies for some of the kids who stood out. Nick got an Aggie Award. His team mascot is an Aggie. His coach said, "I'm really glad that this next kid chose to come to Sand Creek, he is a great kid, and the hardest worker on the team, so I give this Aggie Award to Nick Howard." *sniff* I had tears in my eyes. I am so proud of him. :-)

State Meet and Old Man Racing...

2008-11-03T08:20:00.002-05:00

On Saturday I was lucky enough to see my son participate in the Michigan State Cross Country Championships. It was an awesome event!! It was being held at Michigan International Speedway(MIS). When we got there I couldn't believe how many cars were in the parking lot. Luckily, Nick's team ran the first race at 10:00 a.m. All of the teams had their names on the tower that is on the infield of the track. That was cool to see my son's name in the big lights. :-) We finally found their team tent amongst all the others and I was able to talk to Nick for a while before he raced. He was very excited. There were 250 kids in his race alone. It was quite the site at the start. All of the different colored jerseys spread out across the field, red, yellows, greens, it was an awesome site. We gave them a big send off and then raced to the one mile marker. I had Matt, Will, and my Dad with me. Will, who is 7, got tired quickly. I put him on my shoulders, and moved as fast as we could to catch a glimpse of Nick. We saw him run through at a 6:07 pace for his first mile. Not too bad. We then tried to race to the finish line. My neck and shoulders were starting to hurt with the extra 60 pounds on them, so I tried to put Will down when we got close to the finish line. His feet had fallen asleep and he couldn't walk!! We didn't reach the finish line in time to see Nick come in. He finished with a time of 20:02. A PR at his biggest event of the year. That's all you can ask for. I am very proud of him. Tonight he will get his varsity letter at their sports banquet. He is rubbing it in a bit. I didn't get my letter until my sophomore year. LOL!! BTW...his team finished 23rd in the state. That's pretty good considering that their team is made up of 3 freshman, 1 sophomore, 2 juniors, and only 1 senior. Hopefully they will keep working and make states again next year.

Yesterday I ran a race of my own. It was cold, only 37 degrees at the start, and I was worried that my lungs wouldn't react well to the cold. I ended up running a 25:32 5k. My best race time of the year. I was pretty happy with it. I should have started my kick sooner yet again, but I can't complain too much. I'll have one more race this year. A turkey trot in Ann Arbor Thanksgiving morning. I hope that everyone did well in their races this weekend too. Back to work here now. :-(

Back In The Swing Of Things...

2008-10-29T08:17:00.004-04:00

First of all let me get my fatherly pride out of the way. My son is on this list!! Nick Howard at states as a freshman. Too cool!! http://www.mhsaa.com/sports/bxc/08bd4q.html

Next, I am geeked about my workout last night. I ran 4 miles on the dreadmill, and then I hit the weights. My legs are a little sore today, but it's a good kind of sore. I'm going to get another run in tonight. I'm feeling good again, and it's an amazing feeling. I was told that I shouldn't swim last night because it was too expensive..........hmmmmm.....I think I'll start swimming next week. Dreams cannot be ignored. :-) Happy Hump Day everyone!!

Awesome Weekend!!

2008-10-27T07:54:00.002-04:00

Friday night was parents night at my son's school. My ex and I were introduced with Nick out on the football field before the game. It was pouring rain and it was only 45 degrees. I was glad that they did it before the game and not at halftime. It was still cool though. Saturday was Nick's Michigan Cross Country State Regional Meet. It was windy and cold, but at least it wasn't raining. His team ended up taking third in their division and qualifying for the state meet this weekend!! It was very exciting!! Yesterday I ran in the Racing For Recovery 5k in Sylvania OH. It was windy and cool, but not raining as forecasted. I ran a 25:44. I was pretty happy with my time. I had enough left at the end that I should have pushed it harder, but at least I'll know that for this weekends race. After the run I met Mel and her husband Todd. I didn't get to talk to Melissa much, but it was nice to meet a fellow blogger. It was a very nice event. I really liked the course, and I'm sure that this race will be on my list for next year. I finished 4th in my AG. Not too bad. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

Heart Scare....

2008-10-23T08:26:00.002-04:00

My family had a little bit of a scare this week. My Dad went in for a stress test this week, and the results were so bad that they got him right in to have a stint put into his heart. He had a heart attack 7 years ago when he was 54, and they put a stint in back then. That stint was still working, but he now had another artery that was 95% blocked. The doctor said that he was on the verge of a major heart attack. After the surgery it is now at 10%, and with diet and exercise they are hoping that it can stay that way. He is supposed to get out of the hospital today. My family has a history of heart problems. That's probably one of the reasons that I exercise so much. I'm sitting here completely exhausted from the last couple of days. While I was up at the hospital with my Dad the ex called and said that I had to pick up the boys. It was 2:40 when she called and Nick needed to be picked up at 4:30 from practice. It was a one and a half hour drive to get Nick and I barely made it. I really didn't want to leave the hospital when I did, but of course she had to be a pain in the ass when I needed to be there for my family. She is "special". I'm sitting here at my desk, and it hurts to keep my eyes open. I will be signing up for the Racing For Recovery 5k tomorrow. http://www.racingforrecovery.com/ I'm not really prepared for it, but I will do my best. It's supposed to get really cold this weekend too. It's only a 5k though so it shouldn't be too bad. OK....back to work. I have a lot of catching up to do after being off yesterday.

Monday, Monday....

2008-10-20T09:12:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's Monday already!! The weekend flew by. Friday night I took the boys to Wal-mart after work. Will had some birthday money to spend so I thought it would be fun for him to go shopping and find something to play with over the weekend. We walked straight back to the toy department. I told him how much he had to spend, and we started walking around, and around, and around, looking at junk, silly string, slime, stuff that would be gone in seconds. I said, "Will you have $55 to spend, this stuff is $3 junk." So the search continues....."Do you want this Will?" "Ummmmmm....noooooo." OK.....30 minutes go by, still nothing. Then all of a sudden the biggest bunch of white trash that I have ever seen starts to crowd the toy department. All I can smell is cigarettes and BO. Crazy, cross eyed kids are running all over, and their parents are speaking their best version of english language. "Hey Clyde....WHERE YOU AT?!!" "Git OV'R HER YOU DUMB SUM BITCH!!" I looked at Nick, Matt, and Will and I said, "Will, you have to choose now!!" "Let's get out of here!!" It was awful. He finally settled on a light saber building kit. Nick and I picked out some cards for Sweetest Day, and he bought his little girlfriend a gift and we were off!! Phew!! We got home, and Matt and Will took their light sabers outside in the dark. All I could see when I look out over the backyard were two light beams thrashing at each other. It was funny.

Saturday, the boys and I hung out. I cut the grass and then I moved a TV out on the patio to watch football. I built a fire and we watched Michigan stink it up again. We had a very nice day together. Sunday, we went down to Sylvania Ohio to see my nephew march in their Fall Festival parade. It was a very nice day for hit. We ate junk all day, and even got to see a horse pee all over the street!! Of course the boys thought that was hilarious. They couldn't wait to see the next band come through. We gave them bags to put all of the candy that was being thrown in, and they made out very well. After the parade, we went back to my brother's house and watched football. We all have fantasy teams so we tracked them while we watched the games. It makes it fun.

Tonight is Nick's last regular meet. I hope that he does well tonight. It's going to be cool, and there is a chance for rain. He runs tonight, and then regionals are on Saturday. Good luck buddy!! :-)

Gluttony At It's Finest....

2008-10-17T10:16:00.003-04:00

Man chews through belly-busting 20-lb. burger
21-year-old finishes meal in less than 5 hours, wins $400 and 3 T-shirts

In this Oct. 13, 2008, photo released by Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, Brad Sciullo of Uniontown, Pa., is seen before attempting to eat a 15-pound cheeseburger with five-pounds of toppings including bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, mild banana peppers and a cup each of ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayonnaise.

CLEARFIELD, Pa. - It took Brad Sciullo 4 hours and 39 minutes to finish a marathon. A meat marathon, that is.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound western Pennsylvania chef is the first person to eat a monstrosity called the Beer Barrel Belly Bruiser: a 15-pound burger with toppings and a bun that brought the total weight to 20.2 pounds. The mountain of beef is the product of Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Clearfield.
Sciullo, 21, of Uniontown, said he was surprised he finished the sandwich Monday. “About three hours into it, things got tough,” he said.

When asked what possessed him to eat a burger that big, Sciullo said: “I wanted to see if I could.”
The burger included a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, mild banana peppers and a cup each of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish, pub owner Dennis Liegey said.
For completing the challenge in the under-five-hour time limit, Sciullo won $400, three T-shirts, a certificate “and a burger hangover, as I call it,” Liegey said.

I'd hate to be around that guy for the next couple of days!! This is really disgusting. Some people consider a marathon, an Ironman, or even a walk around the block as an accomplishment. This guy decides to eat over 20 lbs of food. What a guy!! I bet you ladies are hoping that he's single. LOL!! Have a great weekend!!

I've Been Tagged...

2008-10-14T10:07:00.003-04:00

I just noticed after reading MJC's blog that she tagged me!!

6 Random Things About Me:

1. I can't stand country music. I hate it. Everything about it. The twangy sound, the way the hicks dress with their too tight jeans, big belt buckles, and idiotic cowboy hats....it drives me nuts!! Don't even get me started on line dancing....UGH!!! LOL!!

2. I'm a cancer survivor. After all of the treatments the doctors estimated that I have about 60% of my lung capacity from all of the damage done from the radiation therapy.

3. How I Met Your Mother is my favorite TV show.

4. I went to Eastern Michigan University as a Biology major and I now run a production facility. Go figure.

5. My oldest son and I share a birthday. It's July 1st. He was born the same day at almost exactly the same time as me. Weird.

6. I rarely watch the news on TV. Most of it is too depressing to deal with, so I just ignore it.

Cross Country County Championships...

2008-10-13T08:41:00.003-04:00

This Saturday was the county championships for Nick's cross country team. He ran a PR of 20:20!! I was very proud of him. He said that he wants to run a half marathon with me next year so I guess I have to keep up with this running thing. :-) Friday night was their homecoming, and he went to his first High School dance. Ohhhhh boy.....I'm getting old. He said that is was a lot of fun. Saturday was also a day where my beloved Michigan Wolverines lost to Toledo.....TOLEDO!!! We suck so bad right now. I went riding after the game and burned off some anger. Sunday, I went running in the morning, and Julie and I went shopping in Ann Arbor. We went to lunch at my favorite sports bar downtown, and picked up some things at Target. When we got home, I built a fire on the patio and we relaxed the rest of the night. It was just what I needed. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

I'm Here....

2008-10-08T08:07:00.002-04:00

I'm still here. I haven't posted since the weekend, so here it goes. On Saturday, Nick, my son, ran his fastest race yet. He ran a 20:53 over the 5k cross country course. Not too bad for a Freshman. He is getting faster all the time. On Sunday we had a birthday party for Will, my youngest. He is turning 7 this Saturday, but I will not have the boys this weekend so we had to have his party at my house a week early. We had a pinata, a pumpkin carving contest, numerous yard games, and of course ice cream and cake. We had a great time. I took some pictures, but I haven't had a chance to get them off of my camera yet. In more recent news....I ran a 5k last night after work. No pain again in my left leg, and I'm finally starting to get some lungs back. I ran a 26:37. Not blazing fast, but getting closer to where I was before the injury. Today, I'm at work, and one of the guys in the plant, Bill, lost his brother in an accident. Dave was driving a moped and got hit head on by a car. He died on impact. Dave was the first guy ever hired with this company and he worked here for many years before he left to work with the Coast Guard. Bill is very upset, they were not on speaking terms over some money that Bill owed Dave, and now Dave is gone. Life is too short. Make sure that everyone you care about knows how much you love them. You never know when they will be gone. R.I.P Dave.

NO Pain...

2008-10-02T09:47:00.002-04:00

I ran with very little pain!! How exciting. I felt lousy when I first left the house. I was only running a 9 minute mile and I was dying!! After I warmed up, I started to feel better, and I was actually able to move my left leg forward with some strength behind it!! I haven't felt that in over a month!! I ran my second mile at 8:23, and I finished up my 5k with a last mile of 8:01, and I was able to put together a little sprint for the last .1. I thought for sure that I would wake up this morning in pain, but the leg feels great. I actually have more tightness in my right leg now. I'm hoping to run again tonight, and maybe get a ride in too. It's getting harder get long workouts in after work now with the sun going down so early. OK....back to work. I have to get some stuff done today. I took tomorrow off. I figured I deserved it. :-)

Big House 5k Pics...

2008-09-29T14:00:00.008-04:00

Me and my stupid dinosaur arm. Geeze....why does that always happen? LOL!!!
Accidentally giving my sister the finger. LOL!!

Throwing my nephew, Scott, a water bottle pass down the sideline.

Big House, Big Heart Race Report....

2008-09-29T10:04:00.002-04:00

We arrived in Ann Arbor at around 11:45. Our race didn't start until 1:00 p.m. It was starting to get warm. It was sunny, and about 75 degrees, but it felt much hotter. We walked to the stadium and the 1 mile fun run was about to start. There were a lot of people dressed up in costumes for the kids, and they had a nice inflated start line for them too. I was stretching, and feeling some pain in my left leg, but I didn't think that it would be too bad. The gun went off for the 1 mile run and of course some guy shorts that were way too short for him and no shirt on takes off really fast. I guess he was going to show those kids, and older people a thing or two!! LOL!! We then walked over to where the 5k was starting. There were 7,000 people signed up for this event, and we were all packed in on a very narrow two lane road. When the gun finally went off it was chaos. Runners were on the sidewalks, in yards, and there was a lot of contact. I was trying to find my spot amongst all of this, and before I knew it we had completed one mile already. My first mile split was 8:10. Not bad. I was starting to feel some pain, but nothing that I couldn't handle. We then climbed a pretty steep hill and that's when the leg let me know that I was not ready to race. I was limping, and I had an awful side stitch for about 1.5 miles. I wanted to charge into Michigan's football stadium really bad, so I slowed down a bit before I reached the tunnel leading to the field. It was cool. They had speakers in the tunnel that were playing the Michigan fight song, and it was a nice downhill run onto the football field. I was able to fake it to the finish line, and my sister took some good pics, so hopefull she will send them to me and I'll post them. My time was awful, 26:46, but I'm still glad that I ran. I'm trying to get in for a massage on Friday, and I'll keep working at getting back to "normal" as soon as possible. I'm planning to run the Racing For Recovery run down in Ohio on the 26th of October so hopefully I can get this straightened out soon. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

Big House, Big Heart 5k Race....

2008-09-26T09:56:00.001-04:00

I've always been a HUGE Michigan fan. This is going to be such a thrill for me. I'm not 100% right now, but I'll be good enough to have a great time!! :-) I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!

Big House, Big Heart Is A Go...

2008-09-24T08:09:00.003-04:00

I registered for the race on Sunday at the Big House in Ann Arbor. My leg is starting to feel much better now. I ran a 5k Monday with very little pain, and last night I went for a 20 mile bike ride. Most of the pain is now in the arch of my foot. I've been wearing the power step inserts in my shoes with arch support and that seems to be helping a lot. This race will finish on the 50 yard line at Michigan's football stadium. We will run down the same tunnel where the players enter the field!! I'm really excited about it.

I'm sorry that I've been gone so long again. It's been a crazy couple of days here at work. I had to fire a guy, and now I have to pick up the slack out in Quality Control meaning that I not only have to run the plant and keep track of every job going through, but now I have to inspect product and help get it shipped out the door. I'm starting to believe that younger people just don't know how to work anymore, and they have no respect for authority. This "kid" came into my office after I caught him screwing around and gave ME attitude!! SEE YA!!! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!! LOL!! Anyway....I had better get back to work. I hope that everyone is doing well.

On The Road To Recovery....

2008-09-17T10:20:00.002-04:00

My leg is starting to feel a lot better. I haven't run on it all week, and I've been stretching and massaging it every night. I've also been wearing power steps in my shoes, and that seems to be helping with the pain in the arch of my foot. I hope to ride tomorrow night, and maybe run by the end of the weekend, or at least by Monday. I'm starting to feel more positive that I will get through this soon enough to race on the 28th.

Nick ran a 21:23 last night in his fourth meet. He got stung by a bee out on the course and still ran a PR. It was a cool course. I was able to see him at several points of the race. I tried to get him to kick it to the finish line, but he was in obvious pain. His next meet is on Saturday. I'm hoping that he can avoid the bees and the side stitches in his next race.

Happy Hump Day Everyone!!

Is this the creepiest thing ever or what?!?! LOL

We Have A Moron Here!!!

2008-09-15T15:24:00.004-04:00

That would be me. I'm a moron!! I ran yesterday in between rain storms, and I'm paying for it today. I got through the first mile of my planned 5k at an 8:30 pace and then it started to fall apart. I could feel my left leg starting to get stif and lose strength. By the time I got to the 2 mile mark, I was pretty much dragging my left leg along. I finished my run with a horrible time of 28:26, and I was in pain. I walked in the house and Julie asked me how my run went. I said, "I might be done for this year." I threw my hat and running clothes in the washer, and moved to the shower dejected, and very worried. I just don't know how this could have happened. It's been such a good year for me, and now it's all going by the wayside. I've been rubbing, icing, and stretching and it's not getting any better. I'm going to make an appointment this week for a massage, and if that doesn't give me some relief, I will have to see a doctor. It was a lousy weekend. We got over 5 inches of rain, my Wolverines looked terrible in their loss to Notre Dame, the Lions lost, and poor Nick had to run in his 24 hour charity event in the rain. He was exhausted, wet, and very grumpy by the time it was all over. I felt bad for him. OK...enough negativity. It's a new week. I'm sure that things will get better. They always to eventually.

It's The Weekend!!!

2008-09-12T11:34:00.004-04:00

TGIF!!! I went home yesterday, had a beer, and decided to get on my bike. I didn't ride really hard, but at least I got out there. My leg is feeling pretty good today. I still don't have full strength in it yet, but the limping is getting better. It's going to be a lousy weekend. We are going to have rain all weekend and into Monday. Nick has his 24 hour run going on, and they sleep in tents. That should be interesting. I'm thinking that it will be a good weekend to stretch the leg out, grab some snacks and watch my Wolverines beat the tar out of Notre Dame!! I hope that it happens. I can't stand those golden domers!! Not to mention their coach said to hell with Michigan in an interview during their spring games. To hell with Michigan?!?! We taught your piece of shit school how to play football you fat ass!! I hope that we can beat them badly like we have the last few years. This is what Charlie Weis said:

"I've always been one never to make excuses," Weis told the Domer faithful. "You back your words by your performance on the field. I think that's the message our team is going to follow on September 6 with San Diego State. I think the first opportunity we'll have to make a statement is that day.""Then we'll listen to Michigan have all their excuses as they come running in, saying how they have a new coaching staff and those changes. To hell with Michigan."

Thems fightin' words partner. LOL!! Go BLUE!!!

Injury Update....

2008-09-10T08:56:00.004-04:00

After a couple of rest days, a lot of extensive stretching, and massaging, my hip is feeling better. I do think that I have a case of plantar fasciitis. I have pain running down the back of my leg and into the arch of my foot now. Vickie suggested that maybe I have an IT band problem. That's still possible. I tried to jog a couple of steps yesterday and I still have a lot of tightness running from my hip down towards my knee. I'm going to try some Powerstep insoles in my running shoes this weekend. I WILL run this weekend. One way or another, I will break this leg before I give up on the rest of the year. I'm going to rest today, and maybe tomorrow and give it a go. I will continue to stretch, ice, and massage tonight, and hopefully I can run without pain by Friday. Thank you for the concern, kind words, and advice that you all have given me. I really appreciate it.

On a better note, my son ran a 21:37 in his third cross country meet last night. He is a freshman this year, and his time has improved by two minutes already in only his third meet. I'm very proud of him. He is running varsity as a freshman. His goal is to get under 20. I have no doubts that he will do it. He actually told me that the 8 miler that we ran on Sunday made that 5k seem like nothing. I told him that was the idea. :-) Friday night they are having a 24 hour run. Half of the donations go to their team, and the other half go to a program called Adopt A Family. The team will get a list of families in need, and what their kids want for Christmas. They will take the money, do the shopping and present the gifts. I think that's pretty cool. So I'm going out there Friday night to help out and put up a tent for Nick and his friends to sleep in. It should be a lot of fun. Nick told me that the team likes me. I guess I made an impression when I said that I would vote for McCain because Palin is hot. LOL!! I'm just kidding....that is only half of the reason that I will vote for him. LOL!!!

Injury Report...

2008-09-08T08:22:00.002-04:00

I'm hurting and right now I'm too pissed off to even write about it. Nick and I did an 8 miler yesterday and at about the 6th mile I felt something wrong in my left hip. I'm hoping that it's just out of place or something, but I can hardly walk on it today and my leg hurts from my hip down to my ankle. :-(

Oops, I Forgot My Blog...

2008-09-04T11:03:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry that I didn't write about my weekend yesterday. I had a very busy day, and I just didn't get to it.

Saturday morning: I wake up and realize that Julie is still disappointed that we aren't going to the Michigan football game. I had a chance for tickets and I turned them down earlier in the week because we originally thought that some family was coming over to watch the game. Once I make plans with someone, I don't back out on them. I have friends who do that all the time and I find it very annoying. Anyway, everyone ended up canceling on us Friday night, so I called my friend and luckily he still had the tickets. We him and his wife in Ann Arbor and we went to the tailgate party where Bob made some nice steaks for everyone, and we drank way too much. We headed into the stadium and it was very hot. I was hoping that our new team would be good enough that I wouldn't mind sitting hip to hip and sweating my butt off, but that wasn't the case. By the start of the third quarter I was miserable, and Bob and I left the stadium headed back to watch the rest of the game on TV, with some more nice cold drinks. Julie and his wife wanted to stay in the stadium to watch the rest of the game. Michigan made a game of it late, but they still lost. I do still have some hope for the season. We are a very young team with a new coaching staff.

Sunday: I got up early and did a five mile run, and then we headed up to the cottage at the lake for a BBQ. It was another very hot day so it was nice being able to jump in the lake. There were a lot of parties going on around us. No booze for me. I had plenty on Saturday. :-)

Monday: We headed down to Ohio. My friends and I planned to ride 40, and then have a BBQ. It was a beautiful day for riding. There were five of us riding, and we were flying through the miles, when all of a sudden we heard sirens coming from behind us. I turned to look, and I heard Bob ask me if they were coming our way, and I said, "OH yeah!! They are coming all right!!" Two Ohio state troopers flew by us, and we were all wondering what was going on. We got up to the intersection and there was one of the troopers outside of his cruiser telling us to get over to the side of the road. Then he said, "No, get way over.....secret service get's nervous about people on the side of the road." McCain was coming through and he waved to us as he went by. That was kind of cool. After our ride we went to the store and bought a bunch of food. We sat out on Bob's deck the rest of the day, eating, drinking, and laughing. We solved a lot of the world's problems once we drank ourselves smart. It's just too bad we can't rememeber any of it. LOL!!

More To Come....

2008-09-02T14:04:00.003-04:00

I'm really tired today from the weekend. It involved Michigan football at the Big House, running, swimming at the lake, riding, dodging police escorts for John McCain, and maybe just a little bit of drinking. :-) I'll write more about my weekend tomorrow. I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did.

Nick's Meet...

2008-08-29T08:28:00.002-04:00

Nick finished his first high school cross country meet with a time of 23:17. There were 11 teams at this meet, and he finished in 47th place. He said afterwards that he didn't think that he went out fast enough. His time was a PR so you can't ask for more than that. It was a very warm day, and the coach said that it was probably one of the most challenging courses that they will see all year. I was very proud of him. I took some pics, but I haven't had a chance to get them off of the camera yet.

I'm looking forward to this three day weekend!! Tomorrow will be all day football. Michigan plays at 3:30 and I won't move until the game is over. Sunday we are going to the lake for a BBQ, and Monday I will be riding with my friends in Ohio, and having a BBQ and many, many drinks after the ride. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!

A Whole Lot Of Nothin'....

2008-08-26T09:15:00.002-04:00

I really don't have much to report here. I ran 5.5 miles last night. It was a nice night for running. We have had some cooler temps the last couple of days, and a nice breeze. I'm hoping to get on the bike tonight. I had to cut my weeds down in my lawn last night. We haven't had any real rain in about a month now, and my grass is fried. Tomorrow I am taking a half day vacation to attend Nick's first cross country meet. His coach told him that he should have a good chance at lettering in his freshman year!! I can't wait to watch him run again. He has been working really hard in practice. I'll take my camera and get some good shots. I hope that everyone is doing well and training well. :-)

Duathlon Pics....

2008-08-20T09:37:00.009-04:00

Here are some pics from the Sanford and Sun Duathlon.

My friend Amy, my girlfriend Julie, and I before the race.

Our run coordinator laying down the law.

Amy and Julie at the start.

A very blury me with a big thumbs up coming into the finish. Sorry there aren't any cycling pics. My parents were taking the pics and completely missed me out on the bike.

Julie coming into the finish looking strong. I'm very proud of her. Last year she could hardly run a mile.

Amy coming into the finish with me cheering her on.

The three of us with our finishers medals.

Sanford And Sun Duathlon Race Report...

2008-08-18T10:54:00.003-04:00

I'm hooked!! I can't wait to do another one!! I am also very pissed off right now. I took 3rd place in my age group, out of three, but nevermind that :-), and I left me medal there. We left after the girls found out that they didn't win anything and I had a medal waiting for me!! I'm really bummed about that. They said before the event that they would not mail any awards. We got there early, picked up our race numbers, chips, and had our numbers written on our arms and legs(another first for me). It was very cool in the morning at about 49 degrees. It was going to be a perfect day for racing. We set our transition areas up, and waited for the triathlons to begin on the beach. That was very cool to watch. My parents showed up and my Mom brought binoculars. I was able to watch the swimmers battling out in the lake and it got me very pumped up. Finally, our run coordinator guided all of the duathletes to the run start. I wasn't nervous at all anymore. It was now 65 degrees, and I just wanted to get started. We were off and I started in the middle of the pack, which was a mistake. I had to push my way through a lot of traffic. We ran about a half mile of trail running. I rolled my ankle in the woods leading up a very loose hill and I was lucky not to hurt it. I was running at a pretty good pace, and feeling good. I finished the two mile run with a time of 15:35, 7:48 pace. I was happy with that. My first ever transition was horrible. It took me a long time, 1:48, to get out of there. I took off on the bike, and there was very little wind. I was moving along at a steady pace, and passing a lot of the sprint triathletes. The course was very flat with only a couple of small hills. We turned around in a very tight area at the turnaround and luckily I was alone and didn't have to worry about being taken out. The ride in seemed much easier, and I was averaging well over 19 mph. I finished with an average speed of 19.5 mph, time 38:05 over 12.4 miles. Then it was back in transition. My stuff was kicked around!! My shoes were kicked around, my hat was turned over and full of sand, and I was pretty much pissed off!! I finally got out of transition with a very slow 2:09. This is where it got interesting. My stomach started to bother me at about the 1 mile mark, and I was worried that I might have to jump into the bushes somewhere. My second mile was very slow, and I was getting worried with the cramping getting worse that I might not make it without stopping. I tried to calm myself, and the cramping did ease up enough to pick up the pace. There was a very big crowd waiting at the park and I could hear the cheering from about a half mile out. That really pumped me up!! I started running hard to the finish and managed to pass 5 more people. I finished with a 5k time of 26:07, 8:25 pace. Not great, but OK considering how I felt out there. My name was announced as I crossed the finish line, and I was feeling great. My parents were there, and my Dad looked very proud. My Mom was taking pictures so there will be some posted as soon as I can get them. I finished in 26th place overall out of 78, and 3rd in my AG, out of 3, but once again try to ignore that. LOL!! I am ready to do another one. Oh, and my sister called on my way up there. She is starting a photography business and she wants to sponsor me in my events!! Very cool. :-) I can't wait to run another event and the best thing is that it will be paid for!! :-) I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

MALE AGE GROUP 35 - 39Place No. Name Ag City/state Rank Run1 Pace T1 Rank Bike Rate T2 Rank Run2 Pace Finish ===== ==== =================== == =================== ==== ======= ===== ======= ==== ======= ==== ======= ==== ======= ===== =======
3 416 Jahowie 36 MI 2 15:35 7:48 1:48 2 38:05 19.5 2:09 3 26:07 8:25 1:23:42

Sanford or Bust....

2008-08-15T09:09:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is the big day. I'm sitting here at my desk making a checklist of all of things that I need to pack. I'm not really feeling too nervous today. I'm more excited than anything else which is making the clock move really slow. I'm going to fill the Jeep up during lunch and rack the bikes. Julie has the day off so she will be doing a lot of the packing. We laid out what we wanted to take last night so it should just be a matter of putting in our bags. Tomorrow's forecast in Sanford calls for a low of 60, and a high of 83, mostly sunny, with 54% humidity. Winds 10 - 15 mph out of the west. If that's the case then we should have a headwind on the way out and a tailwind back in. Our host where we are staying is going to make us some pasta tonight that will be ready when we get there between 8:00 and 8:30, and then I'm hoping to get to bed early. Julie and I stayed up late last night watching the women's gymnastics which was very exciting, but I didn't get to bed until about 1:30 a.m. I was just getting comfortable and drifting off when Murphy, our stupid cat, jumped up on the dresser and knocked Julie's water glass over, spilling it everywhere. I could have killed him!! I was so tired, and I knew that I was going to pay for it this morning. Mt. Dew is about the only thing keeping me awake right now. I'm trying to avoid working too hard today, but the monkeys in the plant can't seem to leave me alone. I don't feel nervous today. I'm focused on what I need to do, and I'm more excited and ready to go than nervous. I know that will all change tomorrow morning. We won't get there soon enough tonight to pick up our packets so we will have to do all of that in the morning. That might make the morning a little more hectic. I just can't wait to get to the starting line. Wish me luck!! :-)

Newbie Needs Help...

2008-08-14T10:23:00.003-04:00

I need some help here. Please give me advice on how I should lay out my transition area. Should I hook my shoes to the bike? What should I lay out? Any help will be appreciated.

This Weekend!!!

2008-08-11T14:58:00.002-04:00

Take away the swimming, and this will be the area that we will be racing in this weekend. :-) I'm getting a little nervous already here folks.

Dirty Deal.....

2008-08-08T09:24:00.002-04:00

I just looked at the race site for next Saturdays duathlon, and they changed the bike distance from 10 miles to a 20k(12.4miles). Not that big of a deal, but I have been training at the 10 mile distance in my practice runs. It's kind of odd that they would change it now isn't it? Anyway, I think I'm ready for it. I still wish that I was a faster runner, but there isn't much I can do about that now. I will be a newbie without aero bars for this race. If I like it, I will sell a kidney or something to be able to afford all of the new gear that I will need and to be able to afford the race entries. LOL!!

It's almost the weekend!!

I've Got Nothin'.....

2008-08-06T11:03:00.003-04:00

Not a whole lot going on here today. There was a major mistake here at work, and I've had to deal with handing out discipline all morning. One of the many things that I hate about my job. Back to training tonight. A fast 10 miles on the bike and a 5k after. That should make me feel better. In the meantime this will have to do.....Yay for the BULL!! I always cheer for the bull when they are able to get the best of those sadistic bastards!!

Weekend Training...

2008-08-04T09:10:00.004-04:00

Friday night, Julie and I ran a 10k together. It was still very humid at 9 o'clock, and I was soaked with sweat. It was Julie's first ever run at that distance. We finished with a time of 1:04:15. She was very tired, but also proud of herself for being able to run that far when she couldn't hardly run a mile last year. On Saturday, I got up and put my bike up on the rack to clean up the chain, lube it, and it needed a slight adjustment on the rear derailer. I then ate some breakfast, and waited until around noon to eat some more before heading out into the wind. We had winds that were blowing 15 - 20 mph out of the north, and I wasn't really looking forward to riding. I ate a PB&J, and some pretzels, slowly put on my cycling stuff, and got my butt out there. It wasn't too bad out on the rail trail with the trees lining the path and keeping the wind behind them, but once I got off the trail and headed out in the country the wind was blowing directly in my face, and there is a lot of climbing on this route. I was having a miserable ride. Julie called me on the bike and she couldn't even hear me because the wind was blowing so hard. I got to the halfway point in my ride, and I was looking foward to turning south to enjoy a nice tailwind. I was feeling very tired, and I was only averaging 17 mph at this point. I turned the bike around, stopped and ate a Rice Crispy Treat,took a swig of Gatordae (great combination there), and took off again. It felt great to have a nice tailwind. I was flying up the same hills that I had struggled on earlier and with very little effort. I finished the ride going back into the wind, but at least most of that was back on the rail trail. Sunday morning Julie wanted to run our duathlon distances together. I find it hard to run and bike with her for long distances, because I have to alter my stride so much to stay at her pace in the run, and when we ride together I get bored and my butt hurts from riding so slow. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of her for doing this race with me in two weeks, but it's hard to slow down so much. We did our two mile run and she did pretty well, then it was time for the 10 mile bike ride. We were riding down the road that leads to the rail trail, and Julie was doing her usual 14 mph pace. In her defense, she does ride a heavy Schwinn mountain bike, but anyway this crazy old guy from out fine town was out there on his moped. He had what looked like a stick hanging out on the left side with a foxtail hanging on it. He kept waving at us to come forward. We weren't moving fast enough to get right up there, and he kept swerving side to side and waving like an idiot. I finally got pissed off and yelled, "Get the f#*k out of the way!!" He was still waving us forward, I then got really pissed and took off after him, I got up beside him and as I looked over to start telling him off again, he crouched down like he wanted to race. I flew by him, and then waited at the bottom of the hill for Julie. He drove up and said, "I got it up to 20 that time!!" I said, "Big FU*#ING DEAL!!" "Get out of my way next time or I'll push your ass over on that piece of sh#$!!" LOL!!! He didn't say anything to that and we both took off in seperate directions. We finished the 10 mile bike ride, and started our 5k run at a pretty good pace. At around the 2 mile mark Julie started to cramp up, and it was slow going after that. She did finish the distance, and I think that she learned that she needs to eat less or at least eat earlier before the race. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

Duathlon Trial Run....

2008-08-01T08:10:00.002-04:00

Last night I ran a practice run for the duathlon. I ran the 2 miles first, with splits of 8:36, and 8:16. I then put ate a power bar and jumped on the bike. I was already dripping in sweat from the run, but my legs felt good. It was 85 degrees when I left the house, and the wind was blowing at around 15 mph. I went up and back on the rail trail, with all of the starts, stops, and slow downs with an average speed of 18.5 mph. I then got off the bike, still feeling pretty good, and ran my 5k. My legs were feeling pretty good, but I wasn't sure how hard to push it. I finished with a 26:49 5k time, and I had a lot left. This run gave me some confidence for the Sanford and Sun Duathlon in two weeks. I'm going to run again tonight, and go for a long ride tomorrow, with another test run on Sunday with Julie. I will run the whole thing with her on Sunday, so it will be a bit slow, but still good training. Good luck to Vickie this weekend at Steelhead, and anyone else who might have races. Time for me to work now.....man, it's been a long week!!

Tuesday Training....

2008-07-30T08:28:00.002-04:00

Last night was a good night for training. I rode the rail trail and back, which is 17 miles, at an average speed of 18.1 mph. I thought that was pretty good considering all of the slowing down that is involved on the trail for other walkers, bikes, dogs, intersections.....etc. I then went home and ran a 5k. I felt a little tired at first, but then my legs warmed up and I had a good run too. We are supposed to get some severe weather here today, but if it clears out in time tonight, I will probably do more of the same with the brick training.

Random song that is in my head for some reason.....I don't know why this stuff pops in my head. Kind of scary. LOL!!!

Ladder Golf...

2008-07-29T09:37:00.004-04:00

Chris asked me what ladder golf is. I talked about playing it at the lake in my previous post. It's a very fun yard game. I've included a link below. :-)

http://www.laddergolf.com/

Weekend Wrap Up....

2008-07-28T09:05:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that it's Monday already. Friday night we drove down to Ohio to pick my two nephews up so that they could go with us to the cottage at the lake this weekend. We stayed down at my brother's house for a while and played some games before heading home. I got up Saturday morning and ran 5.5 miles before we had to leave for the lake. We had 83% humidity here Saturday and I had an awful run. When I got home the boys were all over me about hurrying up to get out to the cottage. I took a quick shower and we were off. It was a great weekend to be up at the lake. There was a nice breeze coming off of the water both days that we were there, and it was nice and cool at night with the windows open. We played a lot of football in the water, and some ladder golf up in the yard. My brother, and my parents came up yesterday, and we all had a very good time before we had to head home. I couldn't believe that it was Sunday night already!! The boys all had a great time, and they were exhausted. After their baths and showers, they all crashed in the living room. I had to carry Matty to bed, and Will was really fighting it, so I had him go to bed also. Nick and I stayed up until 11:00 watching Caddy Shack on ESPN Classic(edited so that the boy could watch it). I love that movie. :-) Tonight, I will be running and riding again. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

Hurts So Good....

2008-07-23T08:07:00.002-04:00

I got my new trisuit yesterday. I wanted to try it out, so I decided to take a short run, and a bike ride. My duathlon in August will start with a 2 mile run, so I wanted to see what I can do. I was disappointed. I only ran the two miles with an average pace of 8:23/mile. I have to get faster!! My trisuit however felt awesome. It was like having a second skin. Air moves right through it so it kept me nice and cool. I got home from the run and I got on my bike. I was a little concerned that the padding in the suit would not be enough for me to have a comfortable ride, but I was wrong. I was very comfortable in the saddle. I rode 20.2 miles with an average speed at 17.6 mph. Not the fastest ride that I have ever had, but I had a lot of slow downs on the trail for kids, dogs, and of course rabbits. Does anyone else find that their runs are harder after they work all day? I just seem to have a lot of trouble getting going. I feel so much better if I run in the morning. I didn't get my grass cut last night, so tonight I have a date with the lawn, and hopefully I can find time for a late evening run. For some reason I have a case of shin splints in my right leg again. I'm hoping that it goes away quickly this time. I have to pick up time on my running!!

Kelly Carter Scholarship 10k Race Report...

2008-07-21T08:50:00.002-04:00

I didn't get much sleep the night before this race. For some reason I was more nervous about this run then I was for the half marathon. When I got up at 6:45 a.m., 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off, I looked outside to see that it was lightly raining. I continued to get ready and the rain stopped very quickly, but it was still cloudy which wasn't such a bad thing. The race started from the Carter Rehab Center which is less than a mile from our house. We were able to walk to this race and that was very nice. We didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn and drive so that helped. When we arrived I grabbed an apple and Julie went inside to use the bathroom for about the 5th time since she got up. She was running the 5k race and this was her first race since she ran last year. She was very nervous. Her race didn't go very well last year and she was disappointed with how slow her time was. She was still inside when they called out for all of the 5k racers to get to the line. I waited for a second, but then I went racing inside to get her. I found her and she had to run to the line. I told her good luck and they were off. We had to wait 10 minutes for the start of the 10k so that the police could be at all of the intersections to stop traffic. It was very humid, but with the cloud cover, it wasn't too hot. I had a pace in mind, and I was going to stick to it. Finally, we were off. The course went right by my house, and my friend Denise who was running in the 10k also came up with a plan to stop at my house, throw some water on our face to simulate sweat, drive to a point and get to the finish line in record time. LOL!! We decided against it and continued on. I was actually feeling really good. My pace was comfortable, and the light rain had actually helped the dirt road flatten out and not be so dusty. My 5k split was 27:58. I was pretty happy with that. The humidity was making me sweat really bad now, and I could feel that my legs were even soaked and the sweat was running down onto my socks. I took a cup of water at the first water stop, and I took a small sip and poured the rest over my head. Ahhhh....that's nice. :-) I passed about 6 more people on my way in, and one of them was my bosses friend who is planning to run Chicago. They were going on and on about how he was in my boss' church running group and how he was going to run in Chicago. He was also in my age group, so it felt too to pass him. Don't worry, I didn't pass by and say, "See ya bitch!!" I was nice. I told him that he was doing great and to keep it up. My goal was to finish in 56 to 57 minutes. I finished in 55:33. I wanted to run 9:00 miles, and I ended up at and 8:58 average. I took second place in my age group and I got a silver medal. I was very happy with how I ran. Julie ran a PR also. Last year she was running in the high 30's and she ran a 29:17 5k. I was very proud of her. As we walked home it started to rain again and it felt really good. Now it's on to duathlon training. I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!

Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 8:53
Mile 2: 8:58
Mile 3: 9:06
Mile 4: 9:00
Mile 5: 9:06
Mile 6: 8:56
Mile .2: 1:31 (7:25 pace)

Warmup Run...

2008-07-18T08:59:00.003-04:00

I decided to run again last night. I waited until 8:00 p.m., when the sun would be going down, and even though it was still warm and humid, it really helped not having the sun beating down on me. I ran just under 4.5 miles at a pretty casual pace of 9:00 to just under nine minute miles. I felt a lot better than I did the other day so I have some renewed hope for tomorrows 10k race. I'm estimating a 56 minute 10k tomorrow. Nothing too fast, but good enough for me. It's supposed to be very warm and humid again tomorrow and there is a chance for rain. After tomorrow it will be on to heavy duathlon concentrated training. August is right around the corner now, and that's very hard to believe. The summer is flying by as it always does. I ordered an Orca trisuit the other day for the race in August and it's supposed to be here on Tuesday. I will not have any aero bars on my bike so there will not be any confusion about me being a pro. ;-) I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!

Brick Training...

2008-07-16T07:59:00.003-04:00

Last night I decided to run the 10k course that I would be racing on Saturday. It was hot, about 88 degrees with 86% humidity last night, and I felt it. I couldn't believe how dead my legs were at just a mile into the run. I was already drenched in sweat, but I pressed on. OK, turn down Ives Road....WTF?!?! It's a dirt road!!! Not only was it a dirt road but the gravel was very loose. Now I'm really not happy. At the end of the dirt road, I stop in the shade for just a second. I'm dying!! I then had to turn onto a busy road with a big hill, and I had to run into the grass several times to avoid being hit by oncoming traffic. This course sucks!! If I would have known that this is what I would be running, I would have just signed up for the 5k or not at all. I finally get off of the busy road and cross into some nicer city streets which were much easier to deal with and offered some shade. I only ran a 57:47 time, and I was feeling lousy when I got home. I sat down, extremely hot and naked, and ate the PB & J and apple slices that I had made before I left for my run, and then got my cycling stuff on. I was planning to ride the rail trail and back which would be 17 miles. I had a much better ride than my run. The sun was starting to go down and take some of the heat with it. For once, there wasn't much traffic on the trail and I was able to ride at a pretty good pace. My legs were feeling pretty good despite the rough time that I had on the run. I got home just a little bit after eight o'clock, and watched Wipeout, I Survived A Japanese Gameshow, and some of the All Star Game. My legs feel good today. I have to start running in the mornings though. That heat was just too much.

One Helluva Ride Report...

2008-07-14T09:34:00.003-04:00

My friends from Ohio showed up at my place right on time at 6:00 a.m. I was really looking forward to the day of riding, but as we moved along during the 30 minute ride to the fairgrounds all I heard was bitching!!! It would get worse. If only you knew how many times I had been down there to ride. They were complaining about how early that they had to get up....blah, blah, blah.....one guy had a F---ING hangover!! It would get worse. We got to the fairgrounds and picked up our packets. We were ready to ride by 7:15. I was looking for Shelley, but I never saw her. Bummer. We took off and hangover boy was already dragging us down. He couldn't keep up and I knew it was going to be a long day. These guys aren't used to riding hills at all. Northwest Ohio, where they are all from, is flat as a pancake, and this was not fun for them. We were riding along, and I would hit the top of the hills and look back, yeah....he's still coming. My friend Bob was doing well to keep up but the other two that were in our group were so slow. At one point hangover boy rode up beside me and asked if we were in a race....I got really pissed now....I said, "Listen, if you want me to slow down then just ask, don't speak in f---ing riddles!!" LOL I wasn't even pushing it that hard. I knew that it was supposed to rain and I didn't want to be out there all day. We finally hit the lunch break at the 38 mile mark, and the skies were looking really bad. We ate our lunch, and it started to rain. As we were getting ready to leave they were all huddled around a map trying to figure out how to cut our day short. Whatever!! They found a route that would take us directly back to the fairgrounds and cut about 10 miles off. We started to ride again and the rain started to come down very hard. We had to stop and let it ease up a bit before we could continue. We rode about 16 miles in the rain, and once we got back to the fairgrounds, I was glad that it was over. I couldn't handle anymore complaining. I changed into some dry clothes and offered to buy the first round. We went to a little pub and once we all had a few beers in us, our moods were a lot better, and we had a good time. I would like to do this ride again next year. I am looking for a few good riders to do it with. Any takers? :-)

One Helluva Ride...

2008-07-09T09:06:00.003-04:00

This Saturday I will be riding in the One Helluva Ride here in Michigan. My friends from Ohio and I will be riding the 63 mile route. I wish that we were going for the century, but it will still be a lot of fun. Tonight I'm planning to run despite the high humidity and very warm temps. I'm hoping to get at least a 4 mile run in. Next weekend I have a 10k race. It will be my first time racing that distance and I need to start figuring out a good pace for that one. Has anyone else been watching the Tour De France? I have really enjoyed it so far, and I have really liked the ads that rip the dopers. The ad that I could do without is the ad for Saab, "With perfect fuel efficiency and performance we use energy from exhaust and recycle it".... and so on, and so on......LOL!!!

I'm Back!!!

2008-07-08T09:40:00.001-04:00

I'm back from my vacation which was wonderful!! It sucked having to pull pants on today. It was shorts and a t-shirt everyday for the last 10 days. So nice.....well back to reality now. I'm digging out here at work and then I'll be reading some blogs later. I hope that everyone is doing well.

On Vacation...

2008-06-27T16:06:00.002-04:00

I'm out of here for a week!! I'll be back on July 8th. I hope that everyone has a good 4th of July weekend!! Bye for now.

Training News....

2008-06-25T13:07:00.002-04:00

I ran during my lunch break and although the temperature is only 68, the humidity must be really high. I had a very hard time breathing today. I ran a 5k from home, and my time was 25:36. I'm at a stand still here. My times aren't getting much faster and I'm starting to get a little bit frustrated.

Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 8:16
Mile 2: 8:11
Mile 3: 8:24
Mile.1: :42

On a good note, I only have two more days of work until I'm on vacation for a week. I'll be off until the 7th. I'm not really going anywhere, maybe up to the lake to stay at the cottage, but I should have my boys all week which is more than enough for me. I can't wait!! We are having a big birthday party on Saturday for Nick, his birthday is on the 1st, Matty, his is on the 3rd, and me, my birthday is also on the 1st. Nick will be 14, Matt will be 8, and I will be, holy s$#@, 36!!! :-)

I've Been Tagged...

2008-06-23T08:17:00.003-04:00

I was tagged by Laura.

Here are the rules as explained to me.Copy the rules (or your version of them) and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers and then tag 5 new people. If tagged, you’ll find your name at the end of this post.To be sure everyone tagged knows they’ve been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a comment notifying and referring them to your blog for details.Lastly, once the chosen have answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.Here are my responses.

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

I thought that I was dying from cancer, so I wasn't running. Cue Debbie Downer music. Man, that was a real bummer!!

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

Best – Running my first half marathon this year. It was an amazing feeling to cross that finish line.

Worst – In high school I ran my whole senior year with a stress fracture. I was popping aspirin like candy just so that I could run with the pain and not miss my final year.

3. Why do you run?

I started running as a favor to a friend a couple of years ago. Her company was sponsoring a run and she asked me if I would do it. The proceeds went to the Relay For Life, so I figured that I should do it. I struggled badly, but I made it, and I was hooked again. I thought that I was in good shape from all of my cycling, but that run prooved that I wasn't a well rounded athlete.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?

Best - Go get fitted for a good pair of running shoes.

Worst - My high school sports trainer...."No, you just have shin splints, you can keep running." "Let me tape you up" Ummmm...NOT!! Broken leg here!!

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

This is a tough one. I'm pretty much an open book. I guess it may be surprising that I've never traveled west of the Mississippi.

These are the folks I'm tagging:

Anyone who reads this and wants to play along.

Windy City?

2008-06-19T08:48:00.003-04:00

It has been windy here almost everyday lately. I'm not talking a breeze, I mean 15 - 20 mph winds every single day. It hasn't even been calm in the morning. I'm hoping to get a ride in tonight and I can already see the trees blowing around outside from my office. I guess it will make me stronger, but I don't find it fun to ride into this kind of wind. I ran 4 miles on Tuesday, legs still felt heavy, but I finished up with a 7:54 mile so I was feeling pretty good about that, and yesterday I ran a 5k during lunch with a time of 25:49. Not fast, but getting back to where I was before the half marathon.

This video made me laugh. I can't stand Oprah!! LOL!!

Father's Day....

2008-06-17T08:51:00.002-04:00

Father's Day weekend was very nice. We stayed up at a lake here in the Irish Hills all weekend. Julie made me pancakes in the morning, and after we let our stomachs settle my son and I went out for our run. Sorry to say, we didn't race. We ran 4 miles together, and he did very well. I don't know if the "old man" even gave him a workout. I was drenched in sweat, and very tired. He finished, changed, and played with Matt and Will in the lake while I just laid there on a raft. I haven't been able to get my legs back since the half. I've really been struggling with my speed, and my legs feel very heavy. I took Monday, and Tuesday off with the hope of getting some rest and some strength back. Anyway, we left the lake and went over to my parent's house for a while. We played some yard games and grilled out. It was a very nice day, and I was able to avoid all of the race traffic from the NASCAR folks. If you go to our grocery store here on race weekend it's hard to find a case of beer or a bag of ice anywhere!! LOL!!!

TGIF!!!

2008-06-13T08:26:00.004-04:00

It's Friday!! I'm looking forward to a nice weekend with the boys. We are going to head up to the cottage and have some fun at the lake Saturday, and then we are going to two different cookouts for Father's Day on Sunday. It should be a good time. We will have to avoid going through town all weekend. It's also NASCAR weekend, and all of the race traffic leading to the track goes through our small town here. You should see some of the vehicles that these people drive. Old school buses hand painted with their favorite drivers colors, and some kind of lousy scafold looking things on the roofs for them to all stand on so that they can drink their beer, get very sun burned, and root for their favorite circle driving hick. I went to the track a few times with a vendor through work and it was a cesspool. People drinking, smoking weed, pissing anywhere they felt like it, throwing up, screwing on the top of their makeshift "campers". We pretty much saw it all. I stopped going because it just wasn't my thing. Don't get me wrong, I like to have a good time, but it just wasn't my crowd. I think that some of these people spend their life savings just to go watch these cars go round and round in circles for hours!! Boring!! Anyway, we will avoid that crowd, and find some peace and quiet at the lake. Sunday, my Father's Day present will be a run with my son. He said that he would like to run with me, so he can take the old man out and remind me of how old I am. :-) I hope that everyone has a good weekend!!

Here Are Some Pics From My Half Marathon. I have no idea what my son was doing to that poor fire hydrant. LOL!!

Not A Whole Lot Going On....

2008-06-10T09:27:00.002-04:00

I don't have a whole lot going on right now. I'm not even sure what to write about right now. I go to work, I run, and I have been reading. I go to work, I ride, and I read or watch TV until I go to bed. Nothing too exciting here. I'm reading the Divinci Code right now and I'm really getting into it. I have seen the movie, but the book is a lot better.

Back In The Saddle....

2008-06-05T09:09:00.002-04:00

All I wanted to do last night when I got home was take a nap. I was sitting in the recliner when Julie got home and she asked me if I was still going riding. I told her that I didn't feel like it, but sitting on my ass in this chair is what a lazy person would do, and I'm not lazy!! :-) I got my sorry butt up out of that chair and slowly moved around the house getting my cycling stuff ready. I got on my bike and took off. It was a very nice night for riding. It was cloudy, but warm, and there was very little wind. I decided to ride the rail trail, which I hate because it's too narrow and there are usually a bunch of people out there with dogs and kids, but I wasn't in the mood for a lot of climbing. My legs were feeling good, and once I got to the trail there really wasn't anyone on it at all, but for some reason there were a lot of rabbits out there. I kept whistling to make them run into the trees which was working pretty good.....for a while. My Garmin kept auto stopping all along the trail last night, and I was getting some goofy readings. I'm not sure if it was just the tree lined trail, or if it was from the low ceiling of thick clouds, or maybe both, but it would show that I was going over 20 mph and then shoot right down to 14, and then nothing. It was driving me nuts!! I came to the end of the trail and I decided to leave it and do some climbing which turned out to be a good thing. I had a very nice ride, and there wasn't a lot of traffic last night. I finished up some hills and got back on the trail to head home. This is where my whistling the rabbits away stopped working. They were everywhere!! I was being cautious with one hand on the brake at all times, and then this one really fat cottontailed S.O.B. decided that he had enough of his life of hopping and carrot stealing and he ran right out in front of me!! I pulled my brake lever hard,and my back wheel was skidding and I closed my eyes for a second waiting to be thrown over the handlebars by this suicidal rabbit, but as I straightened the bike back out, I saw him shoot just in front of me and back into the weeds. I couldn't wait to get off of the trail after that. My Garmin continued to go on and off the rest of the way down the trail. Once I reached the end and got back on the open roads it worked fine. I finished with 20.22 miles, with an average speed(according to the Garmin) of 17.4 mph. I am planning to run for the first time since my half today at lunch. It's going to be hot here today...I can't wait!!

Run Photos...

2008-06-04T09:34:00.002-04:00

I'm planning to get some pics during my lunch from my camera, but if you just can't wait...LOL!! Go to www.runphotos.com and put in my bib number, 795. It was the Dexter/Ann Arbor Half Marathon.

Dexter/Ann Arbor Half Marathon Report...

2008-06-02T13:24:00.003-04:00

My day started at 4:45 a.m. I had about 3 hours of sleep and I was awake before the alarm went off, so I got up a little bit earlier than Julie, and my son Nick. Julie was getting irritated because I was so happy to be awake and was ready to run. She is not a morning person. Nick was dragging around the house. We let his cousin stay with us so that he could go to the race with us. My brother and sister-in-law were watching Matt and Will for me and they would come to see the finish of our races later. My friends Denise, and Amy were at the house at 5:30, and we were off to Ann Arbor. It takes about 35 minutes to reach downtown Ann Arbor from here, so we were quite early. They dropped me off so that I could catch a bus to Dexter, and they went to the high school where the start for the 5k, 10k, and my finish would be. I arrived in Dexter just before 7:00 a.m. and my start time wasn't until 9:05!! My ass was going numb sitting for so long so I made some rounds looking for people that I knew would be running. I didn't find anyone for a long time until I saw my boss, and I hung out with him for a bit, and I decided to take one more trip through the gym to look for Vickie from here in blogland. I was surprised to find her sitting in the gym. I walked towards her smiling, and she was looking at me like she was wondering who in the hell is this guy? LOL!! Anyway, she finally realized who I was when I said her name, and we got to hang out for a while before the race. I was very glad to have finally met her. Vickie had met Chia from blogland also so I got to meet her as well. She seemed nice too. We were finally called out for the opening ceremony at around 8:45 or so. We walked passed the long line of last minute port-a-potty people and to the even longer line of runners waiting for the start. I heard that there were 2,500 in the half alone. The gun went off and we were finally on our way. There was a long line of bobbing heads in front of us and it took about two minutes for us to reach the timing pad. I was feeling good right from the start. I had it in my mind to shoot for a two hour time, meaning I would have to run nine minute splits. I skipped the first water stop and I was still feeling very comfortable. At mile 4, I took in some Gatorade, and kept on going. We were running through some rolling hills but it wasn't anything too brutal until we hit mile 7. Oh mile 7.....I had heard a guy telling his friend that there was a bad hill coming up, and he wasn't kidding, it was pretty tough, but not too long. I reached the top and I was feeling a little tired, but I was able to get back to my regular pace, and at the 8 mile water stop I was feeling good again. This is also where Weezy started running near me. This woman sounded like she was near death. Her breathing was terrible and very hard to listen to. She would weeze by me, and then stop and walk, run by me again, and then stop and walk, the whole time weezing very loudly. I felt bad for her. It really didn't look like she was having any fun at all. I felt good until around mile 9.5. My legs started to get tired, and I got my first glimpse of the hill that I would have to climb to the finish. We were being looped around so we could now see some of the runners that were in front of us on the other side of the road, and I saw my boss running by. I yelled out his name and gave him a high five. We hit the turnaround and the wind had picked up. I was now running on very tired legs, into a headwind, and with a monster hill looming in the distance. I was starting to realize that I was not going to reach my time goal, but I was OK with that. I just wanted to finish strong. When I reached the nasty hill there was a slight turn before I could see just how steep the hill really was. I couldn't even see the top!! I started to climb, and climb, and climb. My right knee was starting to scream in pain now so I walked a little bit of the hill at the 12 mile water stop. I then got some encouragement from a fellow runner, and I started to press on again. I reached a slight flat spot in the hill and I saw that it continued into another hill and it was every bit as steep. I was really struggling now to reach the top. When I finally got to the top there was about .6 miles left. "Just around the school and to the finish!!" I kept hearing the volunteers yelling that out and it did help to hear that. Suddenly I found some strength in the 1/2 mile to kick it back up and as I was approaching the finish line I could see that both sides were lined with a lot of spectators, and they were cheering loudly. I could hear the names of some of the finishers being announced at the line and I started to run as fast as I could. I was starting to feel goosebumps, and a tear fell from my right eye. I was going to finish!! Eight years ago, I was almost dead, three years ago, I couldn't hardly run a half mile without feeling like my lungs were going to give out, and here I was finishing a half marathon. It was almost too much. My oldest son, and my two nephews were the first ones that I saw as I finished. My legs were so weak that I had trouble picking one of them up for the volunteer to remove my chip. I had done it!! My time wasn't what I wanted, 2:03:40, but I finished, and I finished strong. My son hugged me, my friends Amy and Denise then gave me a hug. I felt very proud. I found Julie with my other boys and she told me how proud she was of me, and she gave me a kiss, and a hug. This will not be my last run, but for me it was one of my best days. One that I will never forget.

I will post some pictures as soon as I can. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!

Below is the elevation profile. That hill was nasty!! :-)

Dexter/Ann Arbor Half Marathon...

2008-05-30T13:09:00.001-04:00

This Sunday is it. No time to back out now. I'll have a full report on Monday. Have a good weekend everyone!!

Don't Quit Your Day Job....

2008-05-29T13:58:00.002-04:00

There is a reason that Mariah can sing.....of course, most pitchers don't go to the mound with 6" heels on!! As much as I appreciate the heels, this pitch is still pretty pathetic. LOL!!!

I'm So Broke Duathlon...

2008-05-27T09:14:00.002-04:00

There was supposed to be four of us running the first annual I'm So Broke Duathlon from my house on Memorial Day. My two friends backed out for various reasons, and that left just my girlfriend and I. I told her that we were still going to do it. We left for the 2 mile run and it was very windy and warm, but the 2 miles went by very fast. We were ready to get on the bikes after grabbing a couple of moon pies, and a drink. When we left the house the wind was blowing very hard and right in our faces. I told Julie to tuck in behind me, and I would get her through it. We rode a very conservative pace 5 miles out on the rail trail, and back home with a very nice tailwind to get our 10 miles in on the bike. I was feeling pretty good, and I changed quickly for the 3 mile run. Julie was not to eager to run, but she really wanted to finish. We started off and she cramped up. I thought for sure that she was going to turn around and walk home, but she continued on. We walked a little bit, and then she was ready to run again. We ran almost all of the three miles, with the last mile being horrible. The wind was blowing so hard that it was pushing me back, and it felt like all of the dirt from the road was being thrown up my nose. I leaned forward and tried to stay in front to shield Julie from as much as I could. She was really starting to struggle. I convinced her that once we turned towards home that we would have a tailwind for the last 1/2 mile. We turned and the wind was practically picking me up off the road. Julie was now yelling at my Garmin to chime telling her that we had reached out mileage. LOL!! We did it!! I was very proud of her for finishing. After our run my family started to show up shortly after and we had a BBQ, and played yard games all day. It was a very nice day, but I got way too much sun. Let the goofy tanlines begin. I have color up to my shoulders, on my face, and my legs just below my cycling short lines and down to my sock line. My feet are almost glowing from being so white next to my legs. LOL!! I hope that everyone else had a nice holiday weekend.

P.S.
This weekend is my HM. I'm starting to feel a little bit nervous about it.

David.....COOK.....Wins!!!

2008-05-22T10:40:00.003-04:00

For any of you that follow my blog, you know that I have a hatred for David Archuletta from American Idol. I had prepared myself to be disappointed last night when I watched the finale. I just knew that he was going to win and I was going to be pissed. Anyway, my oldest son, Nick, and I sat through the 2 hour long advertisement for anything that Fox is selling, and after what seemed like an hour long performance from the singer formerly known as George Michael the results were finally brought out. Nick was saying how mad he would be if that "Stupid kid" won. I told him to prepare himself to be let down. I thought for sure that the little teenie boppers would out vote us pathetic middle aged people who are so lame that we hate a 17 year old kid who has the guts to sing in front of millions of people week in and week out. LOL!! I'm sorry, but kids like him who have the overbearing parents guiding their every move through life just irritate me. I'm really not that mean, but his slumped over stature, and the way that he acted just rubbed me the wrong way. OK...I'm off my soapbox......back to the results......THE WINNER IS....DAVID COOK!! I couldn't believe it!! Nick and I were so happy. How pathetic is that? LOL!!

Holiday Weekend...

2008-05-20T08:29:00.002-04:00

It's only Tuesday and I am already thinking about the long weekend. My friends and I have organized a small duathlon from my house on Memorial Day. We are all low on money right now so finding a run that we had to pay for was out of the question. We are calling it the I'M SO BROKE DUATHLON. We will start from my house at 9:00 a.m. Our kids and families will be in the "transition area" to give us encouragement and drinks. We will be running 2 miles, cycling 10, and running 3 miles. It is the same distance that we will all be running in August when we run the Sanford & Sun Duathlon. We will run together on this one since it's just for fun, and then we are going to get cleaned up, have a BBQ, drinks of course, and we will all sit around a fire that night and try not to get too drunk since we have to work the next day. I'm really looking forward to it. So far the 10 day forecast is showing very nice weather for the weekend, and that Monday as well.

What Was I Thinking?!?!

2008-05-15T08:23:00.002-04:00

My boys came over last night, and my ex told me that she had allowed Will to go outside and play!!! I couldn't believe it!! I checked his stitches and his nut was badly swollen again. She is so stupid!! The sad thing is that she is a nurse, and she ignored the doctors orders!! I had William relax last night, and Matt sat with him to play video games. NO RUNNING AROUND!! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I found her, but when I think back I don't think that she was always like this. Hmmmmmm....maybe she was. LOL!! I did get three great kids out of the deal so I can't complain too much. :-) Anyway, Nick's league championship meet was postponed due to weather yesterday, and it will be made up tonight. His team should dominate like they have all year. I am really proud of how well he has done. If you look to the right you will see that I only have 16 more days until my first half marathon. I read yesterday that the course had to be changed due to road construction and the killer hill that is usually at the end has been replaced with a hill that is 80 feet higher!!! Holy S@#$!! I don't need that. LOL!! I am still looking forward to it. Anyway, I should get back to work. Have a great day everyone!!

William Update...

2008-05-13T09:36:00.001-04:00

Will had to have surgery Friday night to repair the damage that he did on the fence. He is doing very well, but he can't do a whole lot right now. I took the day off of work yesterday to be with him and make sure that he didn't hurt himself again. Thanks for all of the well wishes. I hope to post more when I get time.

Place Witty Title Here...

2008-05-08T09:32:00.003-04:00

Last night Nick had another track meet. It was raining, but the thunderstorms had missed us so I stood in the rain and watched. I still had my work clothes on and let me tell you, dress shoes are not meant for walking through wet grass. My feet were wet and cold, and I just wanted it to be over. It was a very unorganized meet. The high jump didn't get over until almost the end. Nick took second in the high jump, third in the 800m, and his relay team was beaten right at the line. It was their first loss of the season in the relay. They just didn't seem to have it last night. His team still won, so they remain undefeated with only two meets left. While I was there, my ex called to tell me that she had to take Will, my 6 year old, to the ER. Evidently, he and his brother were climbing a fence in her yard, and he snagged his little boys on the fence. OUCH!! He twisted something in there and one of his "boys" was swollen and it hurt him to pee. They did and ultrasound on them and determined that there was still blood flow. He was given something for the pain and sent home. The ex is taking him in today for another scan to make sure that it is going to get better on it's own without surgery.

I'm planning to run on my lunch break today as I have another track meet to attend tonight as long as Will and his boys are up to it. ;-)

Weekend Wrap Up....

2008-05-05T09:38:00.004-04:00

Once again it was supposed to rain on Saturday. Nick was very worried Friday night that his invitational meet would be canceled on Saturday. We woke up and it was very windy, but not raining. It stayed that way all day. We never saw the sun, but it never did rain. His team won the invitational, his relay team took second place, and he took sixth in the high jump. Not too bad. I was proud of him. After his meet, my brother and I took him out for lunch at Applebees. My ex had Matt and Will. Matty had skateboarding lessons and I couldn't be in both places at the same time, so she missed his meet even though she could have got out there in plenty of time to see him run. She chose not to. Oh well. Saturday night after Matt and Will went to bed we watched I Am Legend. It was a pretty good movie. Nerve racking, but good. Sunday morning I went running. It was a beautiful day for it. The sun was out and there was very little wind and it was in the 50's at 9:00 when I left the house. I ran 10.13 miles, and I felt good the whole time.

Here are my splits and elevation profile:

Mile 1: 9:15
Mile 2: 9:09
Mile 3: 9:10
Mile 4: 9:14
Mile 5: 9:32 (sucked)
Mile 6: 9:22
Mile 7: 9:33
Mile 8: 9:25
Mile 9: 9:33
Mile 10: 9:11
Mile 10.13: 1:06

After my run, I mowed the grass, and the boys and I played in the yard. It was a very nice weekend.

See...I'm Not The Only One....

2008-05-01T09:49:00.002-04:00

http://justyouwatch.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-hate-david-archuleta.html

Other than my hatred for David Archuleta, not much has been going on. The boys have me running all over this county for their various events and I am slipping in runs whenever I can. I ran a 5k on Monday, and I plan to run on my lunch today, and hopefully get another run in later if the rain holds off. We are supposed to have rain here for the next four days. It's only 30 days until my HM in Ann Arbor, so I would really like to get a couple of long runs in before I'm supposed to taper. It's clouding up so I might just have to run in the rain, or maybe even get back on the dreadmill. Anyway, it's back to work for me. These monkeys are in rare form today. "Duhhhhhh....can this go .100 too small?" NO!! Now wipe the drool off of your chin and get back to work!!! LOL!!! I'm really not that mean to the guys in the plant. Although, sometimes I'd like to be. I realize that their job can be difficult, but some of these guys really make it harder than it needs to be. Happy May Day everyone!!

Sick of Being Sick....

2008-04-28T13:23:00.003-04:00

I was still sick all weekend. This cold hit me, and it's not letting go without a fight. It didn't help that I stood out in the cold and wind for Matty's skateboard practice Saturday morning, but I wouldn't miss it either. He smiles the whole time that he is out there. Saturday night I was dizzy from the congestion, and I used a whole box of Kleenex. I hadn't slept very well Thursday or Friday, so I took a double dose of NyQuil Saturday night and I was out until 10:30 in the morning when my ex called and woke me up. She wanted me to take the boys, which was very cool. I drove over and picked them up and Will asked if we could fly kites. I said that we could. I spent about an hour untangling all of the kites and we were out in the backyard flying them for as long as the wind would allow us to. It was one of those days where the wind would blow constant for a few minutes, and then suddenly die. This went on for about an hour, and we hung it up to play some bocce, and horse shoes. Nick and I let Matt and Will stand closer to throw the shoes, they were really cute. Will actually got a ringer!! I know it's kind of a hick activity, but we have fun with it. Their Mom picked them up at around 6:00 and I made some veggie burgers on the grill and watched the Pistons finally get their heads out of their asses in the second half to win. I ran on the treadmill today at lunch, and my legs felt really good, but I was drowning the whole time from my sinuses. I have to get better soon. My half marathon will be here soon, and I don't want to miss any training. Nick has a meet tonight and it will be chilly again. He is switching over to the high jump instead of the long jump for his field event. That should be interesting. He is still running the 800m, and the 3200m relay. I hope that they can continue to dominate leading up to their invitational this weekend.

Shark Attack On Triathlete...

2008-04-25T13:43:00.000-04:00

Good Night For A 10 Miler...

2008-04-23T08:42:00.003-04:00

I ran 10 miles last night. I chose a hilly route. It was warm, cloudy, and there was a slight breeze. A very nice night for running. I had a good first half of my run, but I really need to get a fuel belt to wear on my longer runs. I think that I was starting to get dehydrated at about the 6 mile mark. I hit a very hard hill and it about drained me. My face was covered in salt and my lips were very dried out. I was planning to stop by my parents house which was along the route to get a drink, but they weren't home. I took it easy for a mile and I started to feel better. I know that I will be able to run the HM, and I feel strong today. I'm less nervous now, and more excited.

Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 9:02

Mile 2: 8:50

Mile 3: 9:11

Mile 4: 9:06

Mile 5: 9:30

Mile 6: 9:29

Mile 7: 9:51

Mile 8: 9:36

Mile 9: 9:37

Mile 10: 9:06

Elevation Profile:

Weathermen Off Again...

2008-04-21T09:47:00.002-04:00

It was supposed to rain here pretty much all weekend. It never rained so much as a drop. On Saturday the skies were blue, and Matty had his first skateboarding lesson. It had been rained out the first two weeks, and he was very excited. His hero is Tony Hawk, and although he doesn't turn 8 until July 3rd, they let him in the class. The guy teaching it was your typical "skater dude". He was very good with the kids though. He even put Matty up on the half-pipe for some beginners lessons. After his practice we went home and I threw a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven. There was about 3 minutes left to cook when all of a sudden our power went out!! I still dont' know why. Like I said, it was sunny. Luckily, there was enough heat left in the oven to finish their lunches. After lunch we spent most of the day outside playing football, and riding scooters. Our power wasn't restored for a few hours, but at least it was nice enough outside that we could keep busy. Matt and Will went with their grandparents Saturday night. My Mom wanted to do something special with just the little guys this time, so Nick stayed with us at home. I put some chicken on the grill, and we watched some movies. Sunday, Nick wanted me to take him down the the high school track. We ran four 800m intervals at full speed, a 400m, a 200m, and a 100m. He smoked the "old man" on the first two, but he lacked endurance, so I was able to show him that his Dad still has some speed on the last four runs. We then worked on his long jump and I was able to help him improve his positioning in the air and increase his distance by two feet. We had a lot of fun working out together. I have to admit that I am very sore today though. I'm not used to running that much at top speed. That's a good thing though right? We went home after the run and watched the Redwings move on in the playoffs, the Tigers suck again, and the Pistons blow it!! Not a good night for Michigan sports. Oh well.....it was a good weekend despite that. Good luck to everyone running in Boston today!!