End of the Month

Where the hell has 2008 gone?  July is over as of today, and with it, my time off for the summer.  When the calendar flips over to August it means back-to-work time for me.  At least I have almost two weeks to ease myself back into it before preseason soccer starts on the 13th.  Classes start on the 25th.

So, July.  Not a bad month running wise really.  Thanks to the trip to Cincy and my inability to stay on my feet last weekend I missed 6 out of 22 scheduled runs for the month, which means I completed 73% of my training plan this month.  Not great, but not horrible either.

I ran a total of 137 miles this month.  That is 921 miles for 2008.  Only 579 miles to meet my goal for the year.

I'm actually looking forward to August.  Last year August was the month I ran the most miles in while dealing with all the aforementioned back-to-work/school issues.  Hopefully this year will be similar.

Little Things Add Up

Dear Left Hamstring/Glute complex,

I'm sorry I've neglected you over the last few weeks.  I know I've been asking more of you since we started strength training again and the mileage for Chicago has increased and you've been trying to tell me in your own way that you were being neglected but did you have to make such a scene today?  All I wanted to do was run an easy 6 mile recovery run.

I promise that the stretching I did today won't be a one-time thing.  I'll do my best to pay more attention to you and stretch, foam roll, warm-up even if you'll just calm down and let me run tomorrow.

Thanks,

KP

...and He's Back!

I ran an uneventful 12 miles this morning and the ankle/shin was not a problem - in fact didn't bother me at all.

I mentioned this is a post over on KR but not too long ago a 12 mile run would have been a major undertaking for me.  I would've needed some extra time to mentally prepare for the run, I would take some Clif Shot Blocks/Gus/gels/etc for some food during the run, and most likely I would have been a zombie the rest of the day.

Today I just got up, had a snack (Clif Bar, okay I like their stuff) got dressed and I was out the door.  It was just another midweek run in this training cycle for Chicago.

I guess I am actually making progress in this absurd pastime of mine.

*%!&#*

Today's schedule 18 mile long run has been cancelled due to a mishap while working in the front yard.

T and I were cleaning out the flower beds in front of the house and planting some new things.  I had completed digging out the flower bed for the new plants, went to step out of the 5-6" hole I had dug across the flower bed and some how managed to not notice the largish vertical support for the front of the flower bed.

Landed in a heap in the front yard screaming profanities.  Neighbor from across the street came to check on me.

My left ankle/shin is bruised and sore from about midshin down to my ankle.

Luckily it doesn't really hurt to walk today, but no running until Tuesday at the earliest I've been told by my in-house health care provider.

Something To Ponder...

"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame someone else."

Steve Prefontaine

The Dark Knight

That movie may be one of the best four or five films I've ever seen. No matter what the genre.

Ledger deserves the Oscar nomination if he gets it...and he deserves it for the performance not out of sentimentality over his death.

So Far So Good

It's only Tuesday and I've accomplished more yesterday and today than I feel like I did all of last week. Good workout yesterday (and accomplished some things around the house) and a great run today.

Now, off to see The Dark Knight at the local IMAX theater.

Do I Have What It Takes?

The idea of self discipline generally, and do I possess it specifically, has been bouncing around in my head over the last 2-3 weeks…basically since I’ve started training for the Chicago marathon in October.

As I sat and looked back at how things were; what I did right, what I could do better, what did I need to completely overhaul, leading up to Grandma’s Marathon I kept asking myself do I really have the self discipline I need to train successfully for this 26.2 mile race on October 12.

My schedule is about to get busy again as fall sports return and classes start shortly after. I haven’t had the best results dragging my sorry ass out of bed this summer, and do I expect a giant switch to be flipped come August 13th that will magically make getting up at 6 a.m. (or earlier) to run and exercise easy in addition to putting in 10+ hour days?

So I began to debate self discipline in my head. Do I have it? Better yet what is it really? What can I do to increase it?

Maybe I am self disciplined and events of real life have gotten me off track and in a funk (no nothing horrible has happened like a death in the family or the loss of a friend – just normal things like spending most of the month of June traveling and spending most of a week in July in Cincinnati with family and friends) and I just need a bit of a kick in the pants to get myself back on track.

Then I started asking myself what that kick in the pants might be…and I came back to self discipline.

Chicken? Egg?

I’ve gotten some ideas, some new things to try. I’ll let you know how I do.

Right now, I need to go cook dinner.

How Many Does It Take?

Question: How many trips to Home Depot does it take for a new kitchen faucet to properly installed?

Answer: Three, but only two were really needed, and that doesn't include the trip about a month ago when the faucet itself was purchased. It also doesn't take into account the trip tomorrow to return the items purchased (and not needed) during trip three today.

At least three hours after starting the project it was done, and the new faucet does look good.

Back To Normalcy

Only a few weeks left in the summer, well at least my part of the summer where I get June & July off from work. Just back from a visit to Ohio - spent Saturday night with friends in Toledo and then made our way to my family in Cincy on Sunday.

Returned to the great state of Michigan yesterday.

Now just have to get a few things accomplished before it's time to punch the ol' time clock again in a few weeks.

Commemorating

To mark recent accomplishments.

Yellow one is for Madison Half Marathon.
Orange one is for Grandma's Marathon.

Music

a band from Grand Rapids...waiting for this song to be available for purchase. Enjoy.

Once More With Feeling...

Ever wish life, as an adult was like it was when you were a kid? Ever wish for a do-over? Or wish you could yell “car” and everything you were doing would be put on hold for a second or two until it was safe again?

Kind of how I’ve been feeling since mid-April. Thanks to a hectic spring sports season, the end of the school year, training for my first marathon, traveling to see some friends (and run a half marathon with ‘em), traveling to see family, family health issues, friends struggling with life changing issues, dealing with my own issues I just wanted to call “time-out” for about 3-4 days and just hide from the world.

Then I ran Grandma’s Marathon. Things are different now. I came out of that weekend with a whole different perspective on everything that had been weighing me down. I realized as I ran the last 1.2 miles that day that I can deal with anything if I focus and push forward. Focus and determination, and support from the people that love and care about you (another thing I realized that day – I’ve got a lot of people that care about me, some where there physically for me that day, others there in spirit) will empower you and help you accomplish your goals.

Friends are still dealing with serious issues in their lives, as I’m sure I will again at some point, and I hope that I can be like T and the rest of the 30s gang* that were there for me on June 21: screaming my head off cheering them on as they battle to cross the finish line, and even if the friend can’t hear me they will know I’m right there with them.

*the next time someone rolls their eyes, gives me the “oh-my-god-friends-from-the-internet-is-creepy” look, or says they aren’t real when I mention these people I may come unglued. Just because they don’t live down the street from me doesn’t mean they aren’t real friends for fuck’s sake. Some of them are as much a part of my life as the friends who give me those looks.