Run University Blog

Last post here....'Streaking' to....

2011-06-10T19:43:45Z

'Posterous'...if you're interested, you can 'subscribe' there or we'll have a link from my website and post it on FaceBook. Streaking was pretty popular when I was in college, my roommate did it and got caught, I started to do it but kept tripping...oh never mind. Today, when people refer to 'streaking' they usually mean how many days in a row they have done something, like...run. My friend Jeff P. (a great American) has a 'streak' that is over 160 days. In the beginning he challenged himself to 100 days, but the streak is ALIVE! His adoring wife Gerri told me he's lost weight and is hotter and sexier than ever....frankly, I didn't see it (good thing too!). Streaks have to have 'rules', such as: You must run 1 mile to keep it alive (or 2) or whatever. It has to be in the 24 hour period, no make ups or mulligans. I mean you can go on and on and for YOUR streak, it's your rules. I've seen streaks in Runner's World of thousands of days, I don't think I want to do anything EVERY day, yeah I know. I only bring this up because I looked back in my awesome Run University Running Journal written by one of my favorite authors and saw that I'm up to 10 days of running at least 2.5 miles. Why 2.5 miles? 'Cause that's where my current 'C25K' group is; not sure what I'll do next week when they 'cut back' to 2 miles. Will I 'streak' on? Will I let it die a quiet death? Hmmm, really not sure. As wacky as I am about some stuff, streaks have never appealed to me (not to be confused with 'female streaking' which appeals to me immensely....shhh) but for some reason I'm actually entertaining this idea. I'm not real good with streaks, either I lose interest or something happens...I was going to run every Mercedes Marathon, then one year on my last (literally) training run I fell in a damn hole (long story) and when I say 'fell', I mean FELL! Like 'thigh' deep, -a whole slew of jokes could appear here, but it just wasn't that dang funny! That pretty much ended THAT streak. Stay tuned, well maybe not, if I let it die I probably won't mention it. I do know fo sho the streak has 2 more days left in it's infant life. Oddly some days my knee still really acts up (more when I 'stand' around than when I run) and other days it's as if nothing ever happened. Today was one of the good days; 6 miles at a fairly up-tempo pace (for my under-trained body). 2 quick announcements - 1 - Lululemon Athletica is sponsoring a 6 week Speed Clinic led by Micki Haralson (RRCA, AFAA, 62 marathons and a bazillion other races) and it's FREE! In fact, if you attend all 6 sessions Lululemon will pay your entry fee into Trak Shak's Retro Run (sweet!). Thursday's at 6:00 p.m. at either Samford's Track or the GreenSprings end of the Lakeshore Trail. It's all individually set up - your speed work will be designed for YOU, you are racing the clock, no one else no matter who all is out there. And to get the free entry you have to attend ALL 6 sessions...hell it's free!!! What have you got to lose? Find out more info or RSVP to save your spot by e-mailing Micki: mickiharalson@gmail.com Ruben Studdard's Marathon & Half - Big announcement coming soon, I mean big like press conference, Mayor, Kings and Queens all that - but here's what it looks like so far - Training will start in July. We'll have 101 & 102 depending on your goals and experience. 101 will start at 3 miles, 102 should be able to run 8 - 101's goal will be to A: Finish & B: Have Fun! and 102's goals - A: Finish strong (PR?) and B: Have Fun. Marathon Training will start in that same 'area', but you should be able to run 10 - 12 miles COMFORTABLY and the goals will be the same as 101 in the Half. If you want to set a PR in the marathon that's going to require individual coaching, which I'll offer to a limited number (I only have room for 'so many' athletes, schedule wise). Cost and exact dates will be announced soon - it will be less than the Marathon Makeover program...I saw that WOW! Maybe I don't charge enough! Back to streaking...THAT kind, I have seen write ups on 'clothing optional' runs but you know....okay - too many thoughts, I'm sitting her laughing out loud and horrified at the same time. That's a whole 'nother blog - maybe after a beer or 3. See you on Posterous!!!

Oh sure, it's all fun and games...

2011-06-05T18:31:14Z

The Birmingham Marathon & Half Marathon will be Sunday 11/20 (weekend before Thanksgiving) and the 5K will be that Saturday - kind of a bummer cause that's the weekend of Flying Monkey, but - what cha gonna do? There will be an announcement forthcoming, but it's gonna be kind of a big deal so stay tuned. Training programs will start up shortly after that; and by shortly I mean by the end of June if you're interested. We'll have a couple of 'Info' meetings and then start running, if you ever wanted to run a 'Full' or a 'Half', now's the time. Birmingham now has 2 great events and it's a shame to miss 'em! Lotsa good 5K's too, especially Ruben's and the KBR5K (Mercedes Weekend). More on this as we get closer.... Took it easy yesterday running wise since it was our (mine and Micki's) 13 year anniversary. Yes, I made her a 'Finisher's Medal' for her 'Half Marathon' of marriage. Mr. 'Arts & Crafts here, and yes it was sweet and 'G' rated. All I can say is Martha Stewart, LOOK OUT! Today we got to do 2 things we haven't gotten to do much of together lately (no, not THAT); we ran together. An easy 11 miles and the 2nd thing we got to do was suffer together. Even when you know it's coming, it still stinks. We started early by over-weight non-runner's standards (7:00) but by 'runner's with common sense' standards, that was really dumb! I for one did not know that the Mojave Desert had relocated to the Birmingham area, or vice versa. It was all fun and games till the camel died. On days like this I see why my friends in Arizona go run at 3:00, take a nap then go to work or church - ye gods! Pragmatically speaking, it's June, it's the Deep South, better learn to 'cowboy up' and deal with the heat...smartly. I think next Sunday we'll start just a wee bit earlier. I can't say this enough (to myself as well), the best way to hydrate is STAY hydrated! Drink a cup of water first thing in the morning, THEN your coffee. Keep a bottle at your desk and sip on it. You cannot 'hydrate' just before a run - your boy doesn't work like that (over simplification). Just give it what it needs all day, water first thing, get water with every meal and drink it, regardless of your beverage of choice - just keep sipping all day. I think the score among runner's is 98% prefer cold weather for running and 2% go for the heat. I love the heat and summer up till about 10 miles, then it's Miller Time. For really long runs only a true masochist, or idiot, would prefer 'blue blazes', just my .02. Soon enough training for all the Fall marathons will commence and there'll be no way around running in the heat. First, if it's a bad day, slow the pace and cover the distance. It's small consolation now, but the weather will be much cooler here, in Chicago, New York, Memphis, Huntsville...where ever your Fall marathon of choice is. When the heat breaks you'll feel like you can fly, remind yourself of that. A positive thought will help push you through to finish your run. Start early, real early. Especially on the weekends, that's why God invented 'naps'; and run with someone - early cause it'll be cooler, with a 'wing man' for company and just in case you're not as hydrated as you think you are. If it's really a bad day, your wing man can help you through or sit you down and save your life. We're having August weather in June, the good news is it will break, the bad news is it will be back - train smart! It's gonna be toasty at the Runner's Boot Camp this afternoon - pretty sure they'll be having so much fun they won't even notice! Just like kids at camp.......

The Blog is moving.....

2011-06-04T22:15:17Z

For a week or so I'll 'dual post' here and on 'Posterous' under Run University and in that time hopefully we'll gt a link up to the new blog from the Run U website. You can also subscribe to the blog at Posterous, if n you want. Okay, lots of ground to cover and I'll probably have to do it in 2 or 3 blogs - news first: FLASH! The Ruben Studdard Celebration Weekend including the Ruben Studdard Birmingham Marathon & Half Marathon (and Saturday's 5K) is ON! Finally some movement - on the event itself and from Ruben. Let's be clear...I did not name it! We ran the course by the city and they okay'd the 5K but apparently they anticipate trouble from the state cause part of the 'full' is on 1st Ave N AKA a state Hwy...*sigh*, such a great course. I hope we can work it out. We will host a training program, it'll work much like we do in the Fall for Vulcan & Mercedes (in fact, we'll continue that program as well) so be on the lookout for details - We'll offer a 'Couch to Half program, much like the Fall's and a Running 102 program for those a little more advanced. There will also be a Marathon training program - but people will need to be able to run 10 miles comfortably to participate. Will I charge for this? Yeah! It's a lot of work! Ruben will join us on occasion and we WILL have group runs everywhere, including 1 each week in Shelby County (probably alternate weekly a morning and evening run). We'll also 'feed' into some other races especially Vulcan & Mercedes - I believe Birmingham can support 2 quality events and I guess we're about to find out. More later on my 'Runs with Ruben' - sounds like a Reality TV show....I've had some good runs this week, hot...but good. I prefer heat to cold, I really do. Not for 20 + miles, but for anything under 15 I'm okay with it. I had one of those runs Friday morning...it was great! I started before 6 and ran how I felt. In my mind at one point running down hill I was Prefontaine, uptempo gait, perfect form then I morphed right into a schooner just cruising down the street feeling fast whether I was or not. In the end though I was very much the lead dog mushing up that last hill, pulling the sled (or so it felt) up the hill. When I finished it was one of those, "Whoo!" Catch your breath, kind of look around and inside my mind, "Dang! That was fun!"

Runner's Boot Camp Summer Edition

2011-05-24T16:50:59Z

We've taken all the feedback and re-vamped RBC: Starting June 1 the new & improved Runner's Boot Camp. Starts Wednesday June 1 5:45 a.m. at Mt. Brook Elem. soccer field and will be each Wed (5:45 a.m.) followed by Sundays (5:00 p.m. Mt. Brook HS track) for 4 weeks. Participants wanted slightly longer sessions so we could cover everything without 'rushing' & the 'Sunday Sessions' at the track were by far the most popular. There will be an advanced and 'regular/beginner' group rotating (sprinting) back and forth between me & Micki. Each runner will 'seed' themselves from the first 'workout' that first Wednesday. It will be tough enough so that if one has difficulty with it, they know to start out with regular/beginner group (101). If one can complete it relatively well, then they'll go with advanced (102), if they are comfortable with that. We'll concentrate on form, efficiency, stride, and strength (both explosive (as in push off/toe off)) and core. We'll also work hamstrings/glutes/quads...a LOT. We will accomplish through drills and exercises, there will be almost constant movement until we slow down to work our core. It is our opinion that the stronger your butt is, the less your hamstring has to work thus reducing the likelihood of chronic hamstring injury, as well as IT Band, hip, and calf issues. Cost is $199 and can be paid via PayPal on the Run University website, check or cash. All sessions will be rain or shine (we'll worry about lightning if that possibility arises). So will you get hot, sore, tired,and sweaty? Most assuredly; wet? Probably. That's 'camp'! You will finish stronger (there'll be comparisons/measurements from Week 1 to Week 4), hopefully lighter (also a function of diet), and run more efficiently. If you don't think so and you complete 7 of the 8 sessions, you can have your money back. Past participants get 20% off ($159) and if they introduce (bring) a new participant they get Half off. You can go to www.rununiversity.com website for one man's success story (under the tab 'Success Stories)...top story. Questions? Shoot me an e-mail...

Uff da!

2011-05-23T20:20:34Z

Check it off, Fargo (North Dakota) is in the books -that's something like 56 marathons and I think 29 states, guess I better tally them up. I can say this, I'm done marathons 'trained', under trained, and woefully unprepared. 'Trained' is best...yeah there's thins thing called 'effort' that you have to put forth, 'time' you have to make and honestly if you're not willing to do those 2 things, find another way to expend your energy. Under trained is possible but not particularly smart, 'woefully unprepared' is just plain stupid...PEOPLE, learn from my mistakes! I just wish I wasn't such a good 'educator' sometimes...Uff da! Although my time was slow, mostly because this one fell in the 'woefully unprepared' category, the marathon exceeded all expectations. It's not necessarily a 'do-over' for a variety of reasons, but it was fun. We stayed downtown and were really glad we did, everything on the outskirts was a 'chain' and downtown they had some fun places to go, terrific places to eat, and a local running store. The course is flat, flat, flat, flat flat!!!! First off we had to fly through Minneapolis to get there, not bad - then a short drive to the hotel. Really only 2 to stay in right downtown, the Radisson and the Hotel Donaldson. Radisson was nice, but we kind of hung out at the Donaldson...cooler bar. We found JL Beers with a bunch of craft beers and terrific hamburgers...that's it. No chicken, wine, bourbon or Cobb salad....it stayed packed...hmm, post race?? We prepared for the weather - 80% chance of rain and thunder storms, high of mid-60's and dang if I wasn't back in Birmingham! It got to 70 degrees, 80% humidity and not a drop of rain! P.S. of all the tings we CAN control, training, diet, pace...weather is one thing we can't, so need in worrying. We prepared for rain, there was none, rock on! It starts at the FargoDome, like the BJCC, and then finishes inside the 'dome' which was pretty cool. The course was flat with 2,511 turns...I knew where I was, but I had no IDEA where I was! Lots of bands and entertainment on the course, but with no rhyme or reason. In one mile there might be 3 or 4 bands then nothing for 2 miles! Though many of them were funny, some of the spectators were pretty crude (and coming from me that's saying something). The funniest (to me) thing was a guy standing just before the mile 26 marker dressed as the grim reaper (remember, according to some we were only hours away from the apocalypse) with a scythe and a sign that said, "The End is Near" (get it? Mile 26...apocalypse... the 'end' is near? Yeah, well I guess you had to be there). I tried to get Micki to hurry back to the room for one last, um one last hurrah! Kind of wanted to go out with a smile on my face; you know, just in case the real 'end' was near. She must be a communist! Post race was okay, so we hung out (cause she wouldn't put out) and then made our way back to town. Not the hotel mind you, but town...specifically...yup, yup! (as they say) JL Beers. We talked to a few locals when they asked about the marathons, had a few beers, a few laughs and then when we asked for our check the bartender, said, "Nope, an anonymous benefactor treated y'all" Okay, he didn't say 'y'all'....He then winked at us and said, "Speak well of Fargo" and so I shall! I will say this, I loved the downtown area and the volunteers and locals we interacted with were some incredibly nice people. The race is pretty darn good, (You're darn tootin'!), but it's the people of Fargo that make it special. By the way Uff da! Is kind of their way, of saying, well, if Charlie Brown were Norwegian he'd say, "Uff da!" instead of "Good grief"...sort of 'Good grief', 'AY yi yi' and 'Oy vey' rolled into one...

Knicker wadding.....

2011-05-16T18:23:00Z

It reminds me of Billy Crystal in 'Mr. Saturday Night' where he played an old time comedian and he'd run on stage and the 'straight man' would ask him, "Did you have a good day?" and his response was always, "Don't get me starrrttteeddd! Oy, did I have a rough day..." It kind of started in Nashville; why is it people cannot run in a straight line? We call them 'anglers''...they run at an angle. They'll drift left or drift right, bump into you, cut you off (probably can't drive either!) and are just annoying! Or how about those people with ear buds/headphones that have their volume on 'nuclear explosion'. Listen, when I can identify the song, you need to turn your volume down. Okay, guys...never, ever, ever run in Capri tights...ever, EVER. Either tights/track pants that go to your ankles OR shorts...period, paragraph. You probably wear tank tops 3 sizes too small that match your bandana/doo-rag in the summer. It really doesn't mean you're gay; and no, I don't care because all my gay friends have terrific taste and would be mortified to be seen wearing something that, that scary! It means that you have NO taste, you're new to running but want people to think you're Meb....who by the way doesn't even OWN Capri tights and may not know what they are. Run in a straight line, wear appropriate clothing and turn the music down...and oh yeah, if you're in Corral 5 or higher there's really NO need to sprint through a water stop bumping into people, snatching a water cup, grabbing a sip and tossing a half full cup down that splashes other runners and/or volunteers...I'm going out on a limb here in saying that you're probably not gonna win...or place.....or be in the top 20 in your age group. So just tap the brakes and have a little courtesy - running is a solitary sport, but it doesn't mean you're the only runner out there. Karma will be when you get the hiccups...ever run with the hiccups? Can't! Kinda funny, actually...if it's not you (or your wife, cause now you can't laugh even if it is funny). What I hate most though is when a runner I don't coach, comes up to me and tells me what's wrong with them, i.e. why they aren't running. It's not that I don't care, it's just that, um, I don't care. I CARE about my people. Because you are gonna tell me why you're not running - "Well, I have Runner's IT BAND Sciatica that cramps my left butt cheek causing me over pronate so it hurts my 18th metatarsal, it was the same thing Man O'War had so I tried horse liniment, but it didn't work." "Aha, I see....." So my Dr told me to get shot in my knee (that cost about 800 bucks for each in a series of 3) and get these orthotics that cost more than my car and take 6 weeks off." My favorite Part, here it comes: "So I did all that, what do you think?" Deep inside I want to say, "Honestly? I think you're a....." well, never mind. Now this usually happens at parties or large gatherings...if it's someone I know and/or that I 'work' with, then of course my response is a little different; but I'm thinking "Why are you asking me if you've done all this stuff?" Horse liniment? Hell, they shoot horses, don't they? Oughta shoot you! Butt cramp, indeed...brain cramp is more like it, unless both are in the same place..... Actually, I got carried away, I was going to write about some Every Day Magic, but I'll do that tomorrow - all of us have a little every day magic.....Capri tights...I saw him and I crossed the street, just in case!

The heat goes on....

2011-05-11T16:06:00Z

I'm the first to say how much I hate being cold and that I am a warm weather runner (good thing too, 'cause 'heat' follows me to marathons like the salmon to Capistrano), but there is an adaptation period and brother, I'm 'adaptin'.! I mentioned the beach, then Monday & Tuesday's run both were not east, though Tuesday got better the further I went. yes, I know it's the swallows that return to Capistrano...have you never seen 'Dumb & Dumber'? Classic line....Anyway - running at noon during this time is not your best strategy, early morning and late evening combined with consistent water consumption through the day. Slowly you'll adapt...it'll still BE hot, your runs just won't be as difficult. Plus next week when temps moderate a little, running will feel incredible! May and June are fun months since they usually aren't 'training' months; it's usually July when most of us have to get serious in targeting/selecting our Fall/Winter schedule. Ours is set, I think - Huntsville in Dec. & Charleston in January, wanted to go back to Houston but it's the same weekend as Charleston and, well we love both cities but South Carolina is the last Southern state for us to run a marathon in and we've been to Houston a bunch lately...so Charleston it is for a long weekend of running, eating and I seem to recall they have beer there...pretty sure. In September, Oct, Nov we'll stay 'local'...after missing it for 2 years we'll do the Flora-Bama Reverse Duathlon again and a few other races we love. Training begins July 'ish' targeting Huntsville...speed work, gym work, tempo runs, pace runs and most important...rest days. Too often we leave that little nugget out of our training, but it is one of the most important facets of training. If you work 10 - 12 hours a day umpteen days in a row you'll get bleary eyed, grouchy, and your production/effectiveness will fall off. Same with running, we get stronger/faster through the combination of stressing our muscles and then resting them...train hard, rest easy. The older you are, the more important rest is - for those of you over 80 runners.... Here's one other gem - when running in a 'big' race like NYC, Country Music, stuff like that..in the last .2 miles (or .1 if it's a Half) be sure you know where ANY costumed runners are...Do not EVER let Barney, a banana, or SpiderMan pass you at the finish...ever!

So much to say, so little time....

2011-05-09T19:04:00Z

So .... we're gonna have a bunch of blogs over the next few days - first off, the new Couch to 5K starts this week (not too late!), and after the 5K we're headed straight into training for Ruben's Birmingham Marathon & Half Marathon - it's gonna be a great Summer and Fall of running! Also have something to say about the 'Pose' Method of Running, "Chi Running' and the 'correct' or should I say 'best' way to run? Anyway, some fun stuff on that (can you say 'marketing'? Of course you can! - obscure reference to Mr. Rogers.). Well we just got back from the beach and the Sunset Stampede...I told y'all about it, wouldn't listen to me; oh no! Boy did we have fun! M & I got down on Thursday late afternoon so we just ate and crashed. Friday morning still 'cool' (for the beach) so off I went for an easy run (M walked, she was a tad under the weather, but she got better) and it was just nice! The weather, the scenery (ran through neighborhoods a block or 2 off the beach) was varied from houses, big ass houses, the sound and the gulf - I love the way the roads are down there and you can just 'meander'. Saturday came and with it came....the heat! I thought I was acclimating, but, uh...no. The 5K was part of the old Navarre Beach Run and the course was flatter than Twiggy (or Kate Moss, depending on your age). I started well, right on pace and held that through mile 2, then the home stretch is about .75 mile and this big ol Go-rilla jumped on my back! UGH! I fell almost 30 seconds off my pace and just dragged my 'you-know-what' across the finish line. So I learned I'm not in race shape...I can fix that. I learned I haven't acclimated to the heat, I can fix that. I remembered that I'm old and slow and I'll just have to get over that. The post race had beer, music, red beans and rice, and did I mention beer? The Birmingham group (all 4 of us) adjourned back to Paradise where there's an outdoor bar, grill, and band. Man they could do a great version of many 60's & 70's hits - sounded just like the Box Tops, in fact did all their hits (they had more than 'The Letter'). Good times! Then the next day I saw a poster about the band...it WAS the Box Tops. I also learned that 'failure' is not 'failure' unless you view it as such - I had a bad race, I thought. I was 4th in my age group and missed 3rd by 9 seconds...really, that's not bad. My time was off, but then I'm not in 'race shape' - so I learned that I have to get back into race shape, and I'm aware that I WANT to! Nope, no failure this weekend, great learning moment - lesson learned, had some fun and I know where I need to improve. Sometimes drawing success from the mouth of failure makes the moment even more valuable.....Next time you'll listen to me and go on the trip!!!!

The definition of insanity....

2011-05-03T11:50:00Z

is doing the same thing over and and over again and expecting different results. So maybe I 'hoped' for different results from the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon. It's Nashville (fun), expensive (not worth it...all total), hilly (seems to get worse each year) and hot (it is the South in late April). So why do I do it year after year (the 'half' not the full)? I like Nashville, good beer town, restaurants, and music. I have kids and grand kids in Franklin and it's a short hop from Birmingham. The entry fee is high, almost exorbitant - even with coupons which barely cover the 'online registration fee', the hotels only have a few 'marathon rate' rooms then they bend you over, the Expo and finish area are incredibly crowded, and they cannot seem to get the buses to the start organized. They did this in San Antonio too (true story, we were in line in San Antonio an HOUR before start time, we caught literally the last bus, they told the hundreds behind us they had to walk or run to the start and when we got there the race had started!). This time we walked out of our room in N'ville at 5:35 (7:00 start). got to the bus area, waited....and waited...and waited... finally got on a bus, it got caught in traffic (You mean they don't have a buses only 'loop' and the start is MAX 2 miles from the start straight shot from the bus staging area?!?), we off loaded, checked our bag jogged to the start and got in our corral as it crossed the start line. Now, I'm no genius, so if I can figure this out, why can't the organizers of Elite Racing? If they are going to charge 'primo' race entry fee's then there should be no glitches....ever! Especially in a race that's 10 years old!!! I'm sure we'll do this race again, but we know now we can walk to the start (not even run, walk!) in less time than it takes to catch a bus...literally. It's only 1.5 miles straight shot, we'll just run it; but for those already apprehensive about doing their first half or marathon, they should NOT have to go through that anxiety. The organizers OWE them the opportunity for a Class A event free of apprehension...You can't do anything about the hills, I mean, you know it's hilly going in so you really can't moan and groan about the hills; however for what organizers CAN control, I consider this (especially for the money) an extremely poorly organized from Expo to Finish Area event. It was nice to return home to power, Internet, and ability to use the cell phone from my home - I had hoped electricity would be restored, but I didn't pray for it. I'll save my prayers for something a little higher on the importance ladder, like for those who lost family and property, my friends who work for Al. Power, and my friends who lost business, like Yankee Pizzeria (temporary or permanent remains to be seen) and Hug Chiropractic Clinic. On a bright note - The Couch to 5K Summer Edition will have its first group meeting Monday May 9, 6:00 next door to Mt. Brook Y - so get your friends who envy your running to come out and prepare for their first 5K! E-mail me with questions.... So call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure I'll do CMM again next year - and HOPE for different results.

The Day after Easter

2011-04-25T15:21:00Z

What a weekend! Had a great run with about 20 others covering parts of Ruben's Birmingham Marathon and Half Marathon and (fortunately) the comments were universally positive. Okay, it was hot but that's out of my realm. We then got to visit, catch up, and enjoy the best part of running - the post run. Post-run you are happy that you ran, pissed AT your run (but not THAT you ran), stretching, relaxing, and talking a bit with your running buddies. I firmly believe that the vast majority of those that start and continue to run have along the way made friendships that are like a home base. You don't always have to run with them, or WANT to but you always CAN. And when you do, you catch up, visit, and almost always make plans to run again. I genuinely love the people that I run with most ('most' being a relative term, there are some I may not get to run with but once a month, but I've been running with for a year or 2 or 3 (except in one particular person's case - that'd be 13 years....take a wild guess). I do love them and when we do plan to run together, I look forward to those runs most of all....and that's all I have to say about that. Wow - another beautiful Easter come and gone. I think more so than Christmas we need to keep Easter in our hearts year round for a multitude of reasons. Practically, our eternal life is based on it, symbolically it really is a new beginning. When Jesus was crucified Christianity was a radical sect of crazy Jews. Now 2,000 years later....well, from humble beginnings born out of love! The same with our lives, daily or running. Every day is a new beginning. Had a bad 'past'? Screwed up yesterday? Haven't run in a week or month - You can't change the past, but you CAN change the future. Start today, do what 's right for YOU. If you messed it up fix it or let it go and chart a new course! Your own world will expand and progress. Let loose the negative bonds that help you back, in your mind's eye change the negative channel to the Good News Network! If you don't feel like you have any good news, then start today to MAKE news. It is up to you and every day you get a mulligan to right the wrongs or make your world better. The cross points the way, follow your heart, your true heart and make today the best day ever, this week the best week yet, this month first of many great months and this year the best year so far of the rest of your life. I am - I'm walking out the door to the track, I lost those 5 pounds I was moaning about, so now I want to run faster, longer and get a little stronger. New day, gotta go to work! I'm on the GNN...Good News Network producing my own show.

Palm Sunday musings....

2011-04-18T14:27:00Z

First off - good luck to all the Boston Marathon participants today! 2nd - Summer Edition of Running 101's Couch to 5K will begin May 9th, Info Meeting May 1 (Sunday) at the Trak Shak Homewood 5:00 p.m. Training for Ruben's Birmingham Marathon and Half will begin in June..... September 2008 Micki and I spent almost a month in Jerusalem and of course we took our running gear. Our 2nd morning there we set out on a run that one of our 'hosts' recommended (the first day I went alone and got so lost!). The route consisted of running around the 'walled city' which is what they called 'old' Jerusalem, or the Jerusalem that Jesus knew. We ran early starting at about 5:30 a.m. and reaching the other side of the city some 30 minutes later. There was a mountain there and just at that magical moment the sun was peeking over the ridge. It took a second for us to realize it was the Mount of Olives, and this moment was breath taking. Below us lay the Kidron Valley, one section of which is the Garden of Gethsemane; to our right was the grave of Oskar Schindler and opening in front of us was literally the majesty of the Universe! This Holy Week has never been the same for me since that trip. I placed my hands on Golgotha and ran where Jesus and his disciples walked. I ran around the Sea of Galilee, swam in the Dead Sea and saw the birthplace of our Lord. In my mind's eye I still look out over that valley and see the Mount of Olives and the trail (now a road) leading down to the very stone road that Jesus would have used to enter Jerusalem and each time I feel 'the promise'. That day, the throngs were admiring, cheering and begging for his attention, yet in less than a week......they turned on him. He only wanted the best for them, and that's all he wants for us. You were given gifts, talents, promise (should I say 'blessed with'?) and it's never too late to not only use those gifts, but 'grow' them. He not only wants the best for us in the Kingdom of God, but also HERE; and this is where we are now. Running is only a small part of it, but you never know where it will lead; who YOU will inspire, who YOU will make healthier, or who YOU will make friends with. Running has been used to raise BILLIONS (yeah, with a 'B') to fight leukemia and lymphoma, breast cancer and numerous other diseases and causes. It has inspired organizations such as Girls on the Run, a group encouraging young girls to run, and through the experience gain confidence and learn team work. It is well documented that girls who participate in athletics are less likely to enter into (or stay in) abusive relationships, abuse alcohol, drop out of school as well as other pitfalls. Adults gain a whole new perspective into themselves when they actually DO finish a race, they hunger for it...WITHIN, and many continue to run and scale higher running heights. That's the other thing - He wants us to do well HERE, on earth, this world. Inaction, Inactivity, Apathy is the same as turning your back on Him. As Palm Sunday fulfilled scripture and Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, the crowds cheered. Cheer now! Make the best of you, running wise, or other wise. Most importantly, keep cheering - 4 days later the same crowd was hollering, "Give us Barrabas." Make the most of what you have, be the best that you can be - let Him be your inspiration. If you fail it's only for the day, for the hour. Plan another run, and get up tomorrow and go run that run...EVERY DAY we get a do-over, every day! That's the 2nd best news, the best news is that it's never too late. Today...thinking about a 5K, 10K? Do it! Half Marathon? Sure! Marathon...why the heck not? Really, why not?!? We have been given much, we should do much....we should BE much. This week plot a new course, a fun course, one that will showcase the best of you...Will it take a while to get to the best of you? Yeah, forever!! Because we all have SO much promise, the better we get, the better we'll know we can be. That's here, that's now...let's fulfill our promise in the world we know and ask Him to get us to Kingdom He knows....never stop cheering!

Dog, hydrant, dog, hydrant, DOG!!

2011-04-11T20:18:00Z

As warm as it seemed Saturday and Sunday in 6 weeks we'll pray for 'cool' days like that! Ran 10 miles Saturday with Micki & Nicole as we covered the first 6 (tentative) or so miles of Ruben's Birmingham Marathon & Half Marathon. I was pretty sure I'd like it and I did....a LOT!Good runs with good company always makes for a really good day. A bonus for me was my knee felt terrific as we kept a solid, steady pace. Sunday was almost a different story - I've said before and it is written in the Book of Dan that "Often times the hardest part of any run is walking out the door." That was certainly the case on Sunday. I had no motivation, yet I knew I needed to get some miles in. So we dillied, and we dallied, and dillied some more (not THAT kind of dilly dally! You can always skip a run for bona fide 'dilly dally-ing), meaning I was wasting time. We got to Brownell and saw Kenneth and Al and that's always a good start to any run for me. Then once we got out and got moving it got better & better. I'll admit walking out the door I was the fire hydrant. When we started to run, for about the first 5 miles I was the DOG! Then I started to feel a little hydrant-like. We bumped into some recently married friends who were going out for their run together (me thinks they had dilly-dallied....bona fide) but the slight rest and light hearted banter kind of stoked my engine (not the dilly engine) and I was quite pleased at finishing well and by finishing well I mean upright and sweat soaked...but smiling! As hot as I was and (honestly) as tired as I was, deep inside I was quite pleased with myself for walking out of the door and for running. It wasn't my best run, but the part that made me feel so strong was NOT letting my 'mind' (the 'evil one') talk me into skipping the run. Micki had been great, "You ran well yesterday, if you don't want to go...don't go." So, there was no pressure...It was just me...and I did it! I write these things in the Book of Dan not because they are cute, witty or universally true (most of them), but because I've run them, lived them, suffered through them and sometimes even repeated the mistake. I have lots of 'running' wisdom' and you know what they say about wisdom: "Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement." It's not always easy, but it is always worth it. On the days when you're the 'fire hydrant' before you even walk out the door, don't listen to your 'bad' self. You do have a choice. Walk out the door...be the Dog!

Dammit, Janet....

2011-04-08T19:32:00Z

Obscure Rocky Horror reference....Went for a short (4 mile) run today and the knee ached the whole time - either: a) something else is going on in their or b) What I had done did not solve the problem. Somedays it's great, and others, not so much. I genuinely wish we had an'ortho' here who was accessible, an athlete, didn't work for a factory (like Andrews) who would tell you when to rest, when you needed a shot for inflammation, prescribe an anti-inflammatory or PT/exercises when your hips are weak. Add 'original thinker' too that - every knee pain is NOT runner's knee. I had one, but he went and got 'rich' on me. Didn't share either. One odd thing that is really going to HURT (yes, I yelled that....HURT) is my knee doesn't hurt much at all (IF at all) when I run at an up-tempo pace (better form when I don't go 'purposely' slow?). Unfortunately I'm not in the kind of shape I need to be in to run consistently at that 'up-tempo' pace. But I have to GET in that shape and yes, that's gonna hurt...but once I get there, oh yeah - I'll be happy (and maybe a bit obnoxious).. Okay gripe session is over, no more whining. I wanted to take 'something' anything for my knee and all I had was a Viagra sample. I took it and it got stuck in my throat! I've been sitting here with a stiff neck for hours!!!!! Thank you, I'll be here all week...try the veal.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....

2011-04-06T16:15:00Z

Perhaps one of my favorite novels of all time and I think demonstrates more of Charles Dickens genius than perhaps even 'A Christmas Carol.' For reasons mostly due to scheduling I wasn't able to run Thursday or Friday so I was busting at the seams to run Saturday. I also knew I was running 'long' on Sunday and that included the Talladega 21000 Half Marathon. So I planned to run an easy 4 on Saturday and I did, sorta. It was the first 'warm' day in a while and I felt the 'power'! I ran 'free' for the first time in recent memory. I went at 'my pace', ran smooth, comfortable and pain free - basically a Top Ten Running Day! Then cam Sunday...ugh! The first 4 miles were awful (not including the 1 mile warm up). I couldn't get my rhythm, cadence, mojo....nuthin'! Miles 5 - 10 were pretty darn good. I found a little rhythm, did a little shakin and bakin and felt pretty good. The last 3 miles were uglier than my 2nd date in Jr. High! Where did that come from? I had 'energy' but everything else fell off the wagon. Not only did it fall off the wagon, it rolled into a ditch!No names shall be mentioned but the last 3 miles all we heard over the loud speaker was this 'voice' (female) that could only say 2 things. 1) Woo Hooooo! 2) Y'all look good out there! Repeat, and repeat ad nauseum. Man it was annoying! Woo Hoooo! First off never give that woman a 'live' microphone again....ever! 2nd give your announcer a list of TEN encouraging statements to read down at regular intervals...if they are so unimaginative that they need a list you may not want to use them...just my humble opinion. Or put on some music....but Woo Hooooo...still echos in my head (sort of like that post concert 'ringing' in your ears). If I listen to these voices much longer.....well...no sheep is safe! You see you run through or around the track (2.66 miles) some 3 1/2 times so there was no relief! If one loves NASCAR, cool medals, and a good post race party (and owns a pair of ear plugs) I'd do this one. It announced on the Race Instrux that 2012 edition would be in the Fall. Wow, that's gonna be a crowded schedule in 2012....Vulcan, Montgomery Half, Ruben's Half Marathon & Marathon, and the Red Nose Run - that's all I have to say about that...for now. For a variety of reasons I identify more with Sydney Carton more than any other character in the novel; he of the wasted life and unrequited love for Lucie. And much like the opening paragraph of the novel, running wise, Saturday was the 'best of times' while Sunday was the 'worst of times.' As Carton goes to the guillotine in the final chapter giving his life so Lucie's true love can escape the French Revolution (unlike Cyrano, Lucie's never fully aware of the depth of Sydney's 'affection' for her) he says, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." It's much like that at the end of a run that really, really stunk. If you can push your way through THAT run, then you can do almost anything and complete most any run. You're tired, but it's a 'good' tired...a "far better rest" when you finished. Maybe you just struggled, it was one of those days, but you still DID IT! It's runs like these that allow us to truly appreciate the good ones. A good run after a bad one is in small measure a redemptive type of run, you got back out there. In the end only Carton, Lucie, her husband Charles Darnay really understood Carton's sacrifice and as in many of Dickens novels good triumphs over evil and justice is served to most characters. Most importantly Carton finally achieved his full measure of potential. All the good in him that had been buried inside up till now was revealed in a most dramatic manner. The same with a bad run - it still makes you stronger, helps your body operate more efficiently and most importantly deep inside, shows you that you can persevere and that your potential for inner strength is perhaps greater than you knew. That you could push through difficulty, and you pushed through as it was staring you in the face and riding your shoulders trying to push you down, to make you quit. Yet, you finished and finished hoping, maybe knowing that redemption is only one MORE run away. Wooo Hoooo!

John Denver said it best.....

2011-04-02T15:54:00Z

John Denver said it best, "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy" and boy was it good to see it out there today! That little tease of great weather we had followed by more gloom really affected a lot of people. Several of my runners e-mailed me talking about how they had lost their 'mojo'. No doubt their mood matched the weather, no doubt at all. Many of them had signed up for a local 8K this morning and I'm getting text's and e-mails about PR's and great runs. Talk about your 'outside influences'....Hopefully we have some glorious Spring weather right around the corner....like TOMORROW! I ran an easy 4 miles today, just enough to shake out my legs but not enough to wear them out before tomorrow's long run. I'm going to do the Talladega 21000 Half Marathon, now in it's 3rd year as a Spring Half Marathon with their largest crowd to date! As I ran today I was reminded what a powerful cosmic influence I am...I can be on the most deserted, out of the way street in the city at the most ungodly hour and a car will come down that road. If I'm out on any other road a car will approach me from behind and another will head towards me and all 3 of us will intersect at the center of the Universe...bang! How do I do it? Animal magnetism! On days when I'm struggling and I really, really, really want to get stopped at a red-light to 'catch' my breath I have smooth sailing, nothing but green lights! When I'm in the groove, so to speak...not only do I catch red-lights left and right, there's always a line of traffic, so I have to stand there being cool. As you know in THe Book of Dan it is forbidden to do the pee-pee dance when you're stopped by lights or traffic. Stand there looking regal, breathing deep as if you're burning up 1,000 calories a mile, but do not 'run in place' acting and dancing like you have to pee! Why oh why don't Birmingham drivers use turn signals? It takes no time, lets other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians (read: runner's) know their intentions....- not even going to get into the whole left lane thing since I don't run on hwy's....but! Anyway, use your damn blinker! Another thing that makes me go hmmmmm; when I'm walking across a street or in a cross walk driver's will stop and sweetly wave for me to pass on by....however, if I'm running they will drive like Richard Petty to get through the intersection before me...what the.......?!?!? After a while these things make me smile more than they irritate me. I have to admit running on a beautiful day like to day, I was all smiles!

Running and racing

2011-03-28T14:20:00Z

I think it's the first 5K I've raced since knee surgery and I genuinely forgot what it's like to 'race'. I wanted to set a tone, a baseline if you will for my workouts leading up to 'marathon focus' (if you'll remember I mentioned training hard and setting my sights on Rocket City). It was the Runpshaker 5K, a really quality event and a terrific course. So off I go and mile 1 is about what I expected, however mile 2 is getting a little difficult more mentally than physically. I decided I would try to maintain focus by slowly picking off runners ahead of me. It's the age old question, would you rather by the 'hunter' or the 'hunted'? I'd rather be naturally fast and living in the Bahama's, but that's not an option. So I became the hunter....if you remember the old Saturday morning cartoon (back when cartoons WERE cartoons) there was one with a fox and a hound only the hound was dressed up like a Private Eye and he would proclaim, "I am the HUNTER!" Pretty funny, well that popped into my head and it did 2 things: 1) kept me focused and 2) kept me smiling at least internally. I was pleased with my run though certainly not my best, it did the job of laying my base. I had 2 of the people I coach racing for PR's and both not only set PR's but smashed their old PR's by over a minute, which in a 5K is pretty darn good! The most successful way to 'race' a race is by time and pace. You have to race the clock, not others. In the first place there's no telling who'll show up on what day, and secondarily it's really all about you, your time, and getting better. If being a 'hunter' and trying to 'pick off' runner's in front of you makes it fun and motivates you, then have at it! Whatever works...but base your final results on YOUR accomplishments. Remember, it's YOUR PR, not someone else's... Ran 11 on Sunday on really dead legs and incredibly crappy weather, it just seemed to get colder and windier although the temperature when I finished was the same as when I started. Runner's Boot Camp is coming together, gonna be up-tempo, great form drills, strength exercises (for injury prevention) and core stability and strength (not the same thing). You will feel week's one and 2, in a good way. Mon/Thurs 6:00 a.m. next door to Mt. Brook Y (in case of inclement weather IN the Y's gym). E-mail me for more info...

Well, I did it...

2011-03-23T18:51:00Z

I accepted the position of Race Director and Head Coach of Ruben Studdard's Birmingham Marathon. I actually met with Ruben yesterday because I wasn't to accept the position until I met him and felt like we were 'simpatico' as Beetlejuice said. That being said, OMG what a challenge I've got in front of me! There'll be a few other announcements coming soon, not everything is completely decided but should be by the weekend and I'll put it up here (unofficially, of course). The biggest job ahead of me is to put together an A1 committee and I got a head start on that last night when my kid sister (might as well be) agreed to come on board (as I had hoped) not going to mention names - but a few more like her and the New York City Marathon would be quaking! **Sneak Preview!** I've been talking about the Runner's Boot Camp (an 'Hour of Power!...Oh yeah!) for April and it's going to be unlike any other to date, more uptempo, high energy and effective! Saturday 10:00 RBC 'lite' - want to participate in a FREE session? BB&T Bank parking lot....we'll have a sneak preview (yes, you have to participate) - never tried a 'preview' before...oughta be fun! Great 5 mile run yesterday, beautiful morning and 3 runners doing their first 5 mile run; a good day. As I watch new runners reach heights they never imagined and 'experienced' runners discovering how good they 'can' be with a little effort and guidance; it occurs to me that more times than not, 'being good enough isn't always good enough.' I suppose that's my thought for the day, Never Settle - in life, in love, or in running. Hard to believe that Oprah (the one time runner now constant reminder of what happens to us if we ever stop!) once said this, "Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." I'm not saying you have to run fast, or far, just that if you WANT more, you have to DO more; more training, more long runs, more track work, depending of course on your goals. "I will never let 'good enough' be good enough! Never settle!

The Great, the Good, and the Sad.....

2011-03-21T15:41:00Z

First off the aftermath - the moon this morning was spectacular! I was feeling a little 'blah' when I left the house and then I saw this beautiful ball of silver light in the sky and it reminded me yet again that each day has it's own promise. Like the old aftershave commercial...."Thanks, I needed that." hmmm, to men even wear aftershave anymore? Saturday got in a 12 mile run on New Orleans North Shore (in the Covington, Madisonville area) and veer off onto the Tammany Trace for part of it. The Tammany Trace is a part of the Rails to Trails and I love riding on it, but running on it, especially alone, can get boring. Combining that with running on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, the lake on one side and the beautiful neighborhoods on the other then veering off onto the 'trace' made for a wonderfully unique run. We were there for a beer festival and though the company was terrific, the beers were a bit of a disappointment. I'd had quite a few of them and some of the other varietals were 'gag-alicious'. Of course that didn't detract from the fun! Sunday on the way back we pulled off into Hattiesburg to ride on the Longleaf Trace, another Rails to Trails. It's our custom to do that, then have a burger at Mugshots...the ORIGINAL Mugshots. Burt and Susan followed us up there and we rode the trace for about 25 miles then filed into Mugshots. As good as I remembered, if not better; now for the sad. This morning I was supposed to train Kristie at 5:30 and she had to cancel (kids!), but in her text she told me the Mugshots in H'burg had burned down!!! LAST NIGHT! Ever seen a grown man cry? I knew they had 'hot' wings, but come on! Seriously, so I texted Burt & Micki and Burt was actually driving to B'ham for work and he pulled off and sent me a picture. Thank goodness they just opened one in Birmingham (small chain of about 5, well 4 now I guess) so it wasn't as bad as it could have been! In my life I've lost Ollie's Bar-B-Q, Joy Youngs, Romeo's, The Italian Villa and the Burly Earl...not sure I could have taken the loss of Mugshots. All in all a wonderful weekend with a visual reminder of a great week to come. Working as a coach helping runners who want to a)get in better shape or b) get faster or c) start running in Birmingham Al is not the most lucrative profession out there; but it is immensely rewarding. I try to make myself greet each day and each week with the optimism I want to see in my runners and sometimes the kick start comes from the most unlikely places. After the 'moon' helped me adjust my attitude I met 'Jim' for his weekly 'session'. He's been working with me for about 8 weeks and physically I think has all the tools. He's not 'blazing, and his goal was to break 30 minutes in the 5K. When we met this morning he gave me his race number with 28:30 written on...not only did he break 30:00, he smashed it...and that, that WAS great...

OMG! I am sooo sore!

2011-03-17T16:33:00Z

You may or may not be aware that I'll be conducting a Runner's Boot Camp (I like 'Hour of Power' but I got voted down) in April; sooo I've been experimenting with some new drills and exercises. Some aren't real good for groups, either special equipment, instruction, or monitoring - but I tried those anyway for the individuals I work with. My one word description? Ouch! I dusted off some 'old' stuff and blended it with new stuff (walking up walls, for example) then missed that with the 'staple's (Fishtails...as Nicole said.. "fear the towel!") and man o man o Manischewitz my butt and other area's south of the border are a wee bit tight! My abs just flat out hurt....it's a good hurt now...24 hours later...after a rest and a 2nd workout...wowzer! Got some quality runs in this week in spite of a busy, busy schedule. I did not get to the track but I'm not worried about that until May, though I need some track time to get prepared for the summer workouts as I work my way towards Huntsville (Rocket City). Our registration is in for Fargo & Missoula and my plan is to ease back into racing some 5K's to build a solid base to train from. Kind of in a running 'purgatory' right now; and it's a good time for 'prep' work for those who want to run strong this summer and fall. Hills, short hill repeats, pick ups ans strengthening are all things that can be done now - sort of forging the steel before sharpening it. If I can get up out of this chair I think I'm going to get a little run in before celebrating my Dad's 87th birthday, yep a Scandinavian born on St Paddy's Day...I think I'll have a beer...after...I ....get ....up.

On a more serious note....

2011-03-15T18:42:00Z

We are now almost a week into the Lenten Season and most everyone has either 'given up' what they are going to give up or are not worried about. As an Episcopalian we actually take Lent pretty serious and I had to give a lot of thought as to what discipline I would follow. There's the standard 'give something up', usually alcohol, chocolate, or something like that or we can put some meditation and prayer into it. Lent is a time for the 'believer' (by that I mean those observing Lent so don't give me this "I believe and don't do Lent"...that's fine; we all believe in our own way) to prepare for Holy Week through prayer, repentance, alms giving, and self denial. I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Israel a few years ago. During that time we spent 4 days camping in the Sinai Desert (I'm SUCH an outdoors-man) during which time we climbed Mt. Sinai. I say this because of the one can ascend Mt. Sinai by climbing the 3,750 'steps of penitence'. Some obviously REALLY felt the need to repent and actually climbed these steps on their knees! My point is a lot of the harsh 'repent' and 'penitence' is very old school hard line religion and for some that is fine. Me, though I'm 'old school' in the fact that I actively observe Lent; I personally I believe we have the opportunity to observe Lent not through the harshness of 'old school suffering rather using a form of self denial to improve ourselves for the Glory of God. If we're better people, then we're better children of God. Just some thoughts for Lent that may help you and your running....No junk food - if you can receive through your car window, then don't eat it. Increase your intake of water, fruits, vegetables. It doesn't have to be '5' a day or a gallon of water. Maybe - 15 a week and at least 1 glass of water at every meal. Perhaps to run 5 days a week a minimum of 1 mile...so if you run 3 or 4 days a week and average 4 miles (for ex) add in the extra days and if no time, then you have to get in that 1 mile, late at night or EARLY...it is called a 'discipline'. Maybe cut out something you eat almost daily down to 2 days a week...remember in the 40 days of Lent Sundays are 'feast days' and you're free to eat whatever. If you give up chocolate for ex. you can eat chocolate on Sundays (only....if you gave it up). I'm not saying 'bargain', I'm saying sometimes we're TOO stringent with ourselves and if we try to improve ourselves one step at a time with the inspiration of God, then baby steps should be easy to achieve. If you're truly doing for His Glory and using His inspiration then you have an extra arrow in your quiver during moments of weakness. Remember, it's about prayer too...nothing wrong with 2 word prayers..."Help me" and "Thank you" are work as well as 'thou' and 'dost'....Easter is a time of re-birth and renewal, yes He is risen but we too can make ourselves a little better each day and perhaps as we use Lent as a time to improve ourselves for His glory, we find ourselves a little more deeply committed spiritually to Him by virtue of those 2 word prayers, and hopefully other prayers. Then the rest of the year we are that much better because of what we achieved during Lent and our faith is that much stronger. That would be a wonderful gift to yourself, to Him and to honor His Son who had the courage to give up His life so that we have the opportunity of eternal life....that is my focus this Lent, and with his Help it will be one that will honor Him.

Smiling on the inside...

2011-03-14T19:01:00Z

I've been locked away for 3 days in a conference room working on an ADDITIONAL certification for training runners. Before long I'm gonna have so many initials after my name that people will think I'm Polish. Actually, there was some good information in this class and most of what I took away was information on nutrition. That's a good thing because you're 'talking' to a guy who thinks 3 out of the 5 food groups consists of beer, beer, and more beer. Not a lot of good info in the realm of training; either weights or interval so that was disappointing. In all honesty (and without much humility) Micki and I are past the 'basics' in weight training, strength, training, and interval training for runners - beginners or experienced. So finding new and really insightful information is difficult. For ex. one of my strong beliefs is that it's all connected south of the border; you know: the foot bones connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bones connected to the shin bone etc. etc. and if you have a muscular imbalance in your hips (for example) it can manifest itself in a pulled calf muscle or slow healing hamstring. So you ice, stretch and rest the calf and it gets better....(anything gets better with rest), then you go out again and the calf is good, but your hamstring gets real 'balky'. They wind being the 'symptoms' while the cause is a wayward butt muscle. Sometimes it calls for some 'hands on' research....dang why don't the pectorals affect the legs...ehhh - anyway. I am a strong believer in strength training for runners. Not necessarily with weights - but things like skipping, bounding, hopping - all that strengthens your feet, ankles, and calves. Each time you perform 1 skip or hop (1 rep) you're propelling your body weight upwards and forwards. Done is an 'overload' fashion your feet/ankles/calves must get stronger. When they do each step propels you farther, thus increasing stride length. If your stride length increases 1 inch (+/-) that equates to .25 of a mile over the course of a 10K (other factors apply, but close enough). That's 2:00 minutes off the 10K time of a person who averages 8:00 miles, with no 'extra' effort. I know that's not interesting reading for the general public, but I'm just that 'geeky'. The effort came in the preparation - there's an old saying, "If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail." It's been credited to several but I'm giving credit to Juma Ikangaa, a Tanzanian born runer who finshed 2nd in Boston 3 years in a row; "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare." YES! You can 'want' to do something all day, but (especially in running) if you don't 'train' (i.e. prepare) towards that goal, it ain't going to happen. My favorite workouts, at the gym or on the track, or those that when it's over, I kind of stagger to a place to sit, grab my water and fist bump or slap 5 to my workout partner. It's a great, tired feeling. You sit there and you kind of smile, thinking..."That was tough" and deeper inside, "and I loved it." I'm doing the workouts now and for our Runner's Hour of Power 'boot camp' kinda workout! My weight's not down yet (it will come) but my waist is down an inch already and that's after being held prisoner for the last 3 days. Speed hasn't returned yet, but I know my body is slow to adapt to overloads. That's just me, we're all different. Most importantly to me, I'm loving the workouts! The best runs, the best workouts, the best days are the ones where at the end, when all is said and done there's a giant smile on the inside.....

For a good time.....

2011-03-10T20:01:00Z

I was wondering what was wrong with me; I ran 11 about 10 days ago and it was rough. Then Sunday I ran 10 with M as we explored uncharted (but flat) territory for the (hopefully? tentatively? possibly?) new marathon and half this fall. And again, I was dragging. I mean dragging like the south end of a north bound mule that's been plowing all day. 10 & 11 miles used to be breakfast! I did those as regularly as the salmon returned to Capistrano. (obscure Dumb & Dumber reference) but lately my tail was dragging. I try not to complain a lot because most people either don't listen or don't care. However I did mention my disappointment to my wife and she said, "I know exactly what it is." I was really hoping she'd say 'lack of sex' but no such luck - "You're running with and for others, you're not running for yourself or doing your training." Upon further review...she was right (still holding out for the 'more sex' remedy though). If I'm running with a newer runner I have to do their pace and those I meet at the track who are working on speed, they have to do THEIR workout, at their pace. I can't do 'speed work' with them because they have to run their pace, their workout, and get familiar with it. So, as in life, running wise I'm going to have to carve out some time for me. I have housewives who love their kids and husbands, "but running is MY time! No one yelling 'mommy' or asking where something is, my time." We all have 24 hours a day, never more, never less - how we use it is up to us. What may seem like a waste to me (fishing for ex.) may be wonderful quiet time or relaxing to someone else. Personally I can drink beer right here in my back yard with my feet in a wading pool, don't need a boat or a lake or a trip to Bassmasters. The important thing is to carve out some time for us, our own time, mine. I was once told I really needed to spend some time with myself and get to know me (no she wasn't breaking up with me) & it was some of the best advice I ever received. From time to time I still like to go on a 'walkabout' as the Aussies call it and check in with 'Dan'. Now I see I need to extend that to my running. It'll be time well spent, I think. Get a little stronger, maybe whittle a few seconds or minutes off of some run times, and really, really get to breathe HARD again, that heart pounding 'hurt so good' I haven't 'enjoyed' in a while. I think I'll do that....go running for a good time and a 'good' time... Tomorrow - some thoughts on Lenten Discipline, running fast and the Runner's Boot Camp

Running on Air!!!

2011-03-07T15:54:00Z

It was a heck of a running weekend with the Power Run in Trussville, Junior League Run (fight obesity), and Knights of Columbus here in Birmingham, Snickers Marathon and Half Marathon in Albany, and the Seaside Half Marathon all going on. I think I had runners in every single race. The best news was that they all had fun. Some hit their goals, some came oh so close and a few said, "what the hell, I'll another glass of wine and the seafood nachos." One of my runners was competing in the Snickers Half. He had really been working on his form, strength and speed. As he was running he told me 2 ladies came on him just after a water stop and told him they'd been following him for a few miles and he looked like he was "running on air". I think they were hitting on him, personally...but his response was, "When you're as old as I am you're just that much closer to Heaven." Okay, so beyond making him faster, I now have to teach him how to talk to women. Of course he 'could' have said, "Yeah, I've been working hard, got a great coach, " or even, "Thanks! Want to get a beer after the race" But noooooo, he comes back with some obscure, left handed reference to Bob Dylans 'Knocking on Heavens Door'. He should have slapped them on the butt as he passed them and said, "Are these seats taken?" Oh yeah, I'm smooth...or, or "Baby, if you were words on a page you'd be FINE PRINT!" Or, "Here I am, what are your other 2 wishes?" I gotta a lot of work to do on him..... Seriously, he got verbal confirmation of all his hard work and it did make him feel good. He did tell me, "It was better than taking Gu." It is amazing what a compliment will do. I read an article reporting on a the pasta dinner the night before the Cheaha 50K - let me say right here, I have done a few 50K's (31 miles 'ish') and I'm sure I'll do a few more...BUT, I will NOT do one that is located on ANY states highest peak. So there! Anyway the guest speaker was the First place female from the prior year (sorry, forgot her name), and in her talk she stressed the use of 'mantra's' that I've talked about time and again. Something simple, positive, and powerful..to you. She also had another idea that my great friend Kenneth Harkless has used - when in the late stages of a race and you've used the mantra, dedicate one mile at a time to someone who has meant a lot to you. Can be any one, and reflect in that mile, why they are special to you. Then the next mile do the same thing to another special person in your life and let that get you through the tough miles. It's a good way to push you through, count blessings and remember special people. Do we really do that enough in our lives, I know I don't

Book 'em Dano....

2011-03-01T22:24:00Z

Not sure I like re-makes of classic TV shows - no way they can come up with someone as cool as Peter Gunn or as genuinely funny as Max Baer Jr on the The Beverly Hillbillies - interesting trivia...did you know Buddy Ebsen (Uncle Jed to those of you under what...40?) was the original Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Yep, Uncle Jed started in Hollywood as a song and dance man! Alas he was allergic to the spray paint or make up needed to make the Tin Man....tin. Probably even fewer know that I've done a bunch of theater including song and dance; way more dance, I sing like William Hung on a bad day...he does have a great name though!...ahem, Anyway... After the 15 Saturday, Sunday was a rest day and Monday I taught Spin. the original plan was to run 11 on Monday but the weather forecasters all got together and decided to issue another...'Whoopsy Daisy' forecast. "100% chance of rain, potential severe weather and another 50% chance we'll get it wrong...again." So I ran my 11 today and boy howdy...was I the fire hydrant...TWO dogs worth! That's okay, Momma said there'll be days like this; there'll be days like this my Momma said. Power Run in Trussville Saturday www.powerrun.org If you have friends who've been inspired by your achievements: Run University's Running 101 - Couch to 5K will have an Information Meeting Saturday 9:30 at the Trak Shak in Homewood. We'll go over the program, the costs, the training, and get excited about forming a new group to run a 5K and grow into greater things, the Vulcan Run 10K, Ruben Studdards Bham Marathon & Half Marathon & the Mercedes Marathon/Half Marathon! Lots of opportunities coming to town - lots of opportunities to have fun, make friends, get lean & be healthier...did I mention have fun. Wondering if you can do it? Back to the Wizard of Oz and the Tin Man - Remember the song by America with the lyrics: "Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man, that he didn't already have." Sometimes we just need to be 'told' we can do something. Deep inside, we know, we do...but it just needs to come from another source. Don't sit around wondering if you can run a 5K (or 10K, Half Marathon, etc), or get faster, or get stronger....take action! Start now, otherwise you'll spend the rest of your life wondering and regretting. Like loving and losing (something I'm somewhat of an expert on), 'to try and fail' beats 'never having tried at all' every day of the week! If you come with determination and perseverance the chance that you 'might' fail goes down about 80%. Find a goal, live your dream and have some fun. Why not? Really...why not? Why not YOU? Whatever it is...go for it! and have some fun along the way....follow, no hell, MAKE your Yellow Brick Road!

2 weeks from today....

2011-02-27T16:32:00Z

Daylight Savings Time begins - actually in the 'World of Dan' it'll be last night; bottom line is we'll have more day 'time'. Yowza! Next weekend is the Power Run in Trussville (www.powerrun.org) a 5K and 10K - we don't have many 10K's around. Not only that BUT next Saturday at 9:30 at the Trak Shak in Homewood there'll be an Information Meeting for the 'Spring Edition' of Running 101 - Couch to 5K! So if you know someone who has been inspired by you, send 'em! If you've been on the shelf for over 6 months and need a little help starting back 'slow', come on. 7 Weeks to running a 5K - by next Fall you'll be ready for all the big runs - Vulcan, Ruben's Bham Marathon & Half Marathon and Mercedes. Now is the time, more daylight and warmer weather sprinkled with a little desire ='s accomplishment! Got 15 in yesterday and it wasn't pretty. It wasn't bad it just wasn't good, but I did get it in. Then we saw The King's Speech and I marveled at the parallels between 'Bertie' and many of the runners I know who have a strong inner desire to achieve. Also saw some previews of movies that may keep me awake for the next few days, ye gods! Who thinks of some of that stuff? The dang previews scared and scarred me; I hate to think of what would happen to my inner being if I saw the whole movie...gurk! Just heard of kind of a neat 'challenge'...the 2011 Fight for Air Climb. May 14 at the Wells Fargo Tower (formerly Wachovia Tower which was formerly Southtrust Tower. Kind of like the race up the Empire State Building more info: fightforairclimb.org Not sure I can do it, I swear sometimes I get winded getting out of my chair and I'm supposed to be in shape! March appears to be coming in like a lamb but at least it's bringing longer days and 'Springish' weather. 2011 is shaping up to be an interesting year; keeping my fingers crossed!

I could NOt let this go by......

2011-02-24T15:47:00Z

A recent survey found: "A new survey found that 51 per cent of women would choose the body of their dreams over a year of love-making." Link: www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1358025/Sex-starved-How-half-women-sacrifice-year-making-love-meant-skinny.html?ito=feeds-newsxml I'm going out on a 'limb' here and I'm going to posit that the majority of those women were ugly, or (sadly, more likely) married. HOWEVER! If they just worked out really 'smart' they could have the body of their dreams in 3 or 4 months, unless they are built like 'Free Willy', then maybe a little more time. I've seen some amazing transformations in some of the people I worked with. They had one common denominator - they would WORK! They had desire and determination and they were doing it for themselves. Sometimes compromise is necessary, but not this kind. You can actually enhance the quality of your life by working to reach your goal. There's enormous self-satisfaction with that achievement and perhaps it would even improve the quality (and dare I say frequency) of your love-making...From Running Coach to The Love Master..... We are capable of anything (within reason) if we just harness our inner 'ness'....remember 'You, Me, & Dupree'? Not that good a movie, but Kate Hudson was pretty cute...anyway, when Dupree got onto Carl for giving up. He told him he had to find his 'ness', his 'Carlness'....basically what made Carl, Carl. The same thing that makes you, YOU! It's in there, it's in all of us we just have to find that 'switch' that turns it on for us. That survey surprises me, but it doesn't shock me. I come from the school of why not have both: the Michelob School of 'You Can Have It All'. You'll get that great feeling of accomplishment. Don't 'compromise' like the article suggests, see what you want, know what you want, make a plan, and go get it! As opposed to 'skinny' I prefer 'athletic', I don't want the media to dictate to me, for one - there are 'skinny fat people' out there...why not healthy? And honestly the women whose company I enjoy most (platonically of course), are usually the ones I run with simply because of their self image, self confidence and if something is NOT to their liking they'll fix it. Okay...GUYS...If you look down and you can't see your....shoes - then get off YOUR ass and make a better 'you' the same way and for all the same reasons. I don't have time/space/or energy to put in all the caveats in here where people might object or take issue; so I hope you get the gist of what I'm saying & if you don't, well...okay. Maybe you need to quit reading me and watch more Oprah. Had to meet a client EARLY this morning, then ran 3 with my 'small group' of ladies so I did not get my planned hill repeat session in...dang it. But I'm meeting another group tonight so I'm going to a) get it in then b) scare the hell out of 'em..."What is he doing?!?" "Is he crazy? Running up and down that hill...what the..." Nope, just determined. Like I said the weight is slowly (drip, drip, drip) coming off...so now I need to work on speed, strength, & tone. Instead of Tone Loc, it's Tone Dan..."Let's do it!" Hill repeats is one way I know of to accomplish all 3 via 1 workout. Plus I want a strong base when I hit my stride and start to focus on Rocket City. PSA - Reuben Studdard's Birmingham Marathon is creeping ever closer to becoming a reality....

Yay! I'm back...now, where was I?

2011-02-23T13:53:00Z

It's amazing what technology has allowed us to accomplish - 10 years ago this 'blog' would have to be a magazine with a readerships of ZERO because I couldn't afford to publish it. Now today we can post, e-mail, text, "Call me" call? That's sooo yesterday! However, when this silly thing called a website goes down...Aiiieeee- panic! That's especially true when I'm trying to get the word out about the NEXT Edition of RUNNING 101's Couch to 5K - Info meeting Saturday March 5 9:30 at Trak Shak Homewood....right after I haul butt to the Trak Shak from the Power Run (www.powerrun.org) a 5K/10K in Trussville..."Mommy, how come your coach smells like a locker room?" The program will begin Monday March 14th 6:00 p.m. next door to Mt. Brook YMCA (BB&T Bank Bldg parking lot). I'm hoping most everyone has recovered from Mercedes, it amazes me how so many people will put there body through the training, run hard, try hard and then only rest for about 10 minutes post race. I have one girl (lady) that PR'd at Mercedes and the following Tuesday she was ready to meet me at the track. I tried to dissuade her, but she said, "No, I feel good, I'm ready to go!" Well, she went okay...right down the tubes after her first 800. "We'll do a recovery workout, we'll warm up and then just 4 800's, then some drills." She looked at me, "Just 4?!?" "Yep, trust me." I love to say trust me....Anyway, her first one was spot on, 2nd 10 seconds too slow, 3rd an additional 10 seconds too slow - so I stopped her, point made. A few drills and the rest of the week off of running...she got the point. Let your body recover! Your 'mind' and your body are not always in sync - that's why we sometimes bite off more than we can chew and sometimes have severe lazy attacks. Sometimes you need if not a coach, a friend or running partner to say, "Time out! Take a rest day, or even 2." I understand working hard is the path to improvement - but REST is the key to strength. No different from your job...if you work 2 double shifts 3 days in a row, or some 10 - 12 hour days a couple of days in a row, you're gassed. You don't think as sharp, you're testy, touchy, no fun to be around and you need a REST. After a little down time, you're as good as new. It's a matter of learning when you need to push and when you need to back off; there is no formula. Everyone is an experiment of ONE. Find what works for you and stick with it and make 'recovery/rest' a part of your training regimen! Update time - Weight is down, running is up - focus falls on Fargo ND, then Missoula MT. Massage day today, intervals tomorrow. Since this was a short week I may do a double tough workout tomorrow: 200 meter hill repeats. That's my plan, then Friday as an easy recovery day, say 5 miles 'ish'. Then Saturday I'll meet my 'groups' for an early 6 then add on 9 more. Sunday I'll eat, drink and be Danny......

Training and rampant illiteracy....

2011-02-18T20:05:00Z

I'm not going to count down the days to rocket City, in fact I've already lost count...295 or something like that; however I'll still know because my training will continue to increase in intensity. I did a really nice 4 mile run today, okay, it was nice until I got to the hill repeats part of the workout. I have a place on Southside where the hill is almost perfect in ascent. It'd be MORE perfect if it was flat, but then I guess it wouldn't be much of a hill. So, as I always do I eased into it with my plan being to add one repeat each week till I get to 10, then I'll reduce my number of repeats back to 5 and run the full hill and build back up to 10. The 'hill' makes a right turn and now I'm running to the 'turn', about 200 meters. After it makes 'the turn' it goes on another 200 meters - yeah, it's a bear...I'll do this once a week as I move towards the 'schedule' part of my training. For now I have (easy) intervals once a week and hills once a week, soon I'll add a mid-week long run and start really ramping up my miles. I do plan on holding true to the hard/easy order of runs. I LOVE IT when I'm right! I started out knowing what I was gonna do and I had the luxury of time this morning. I could go early as long as I finished in time to meet RL, one of my training clients...OR go after working out RL thus giving me more time to talk myself out of this (and yes, I do that sometimes - I'm sad to say). But a couple of things happened - 1) I reminded myself of my goals. If I put off the workouts, I put off the goal or worse, never accomplish it. Often times the hardest part of a workout is walking out of the door...today, for ex. I was just feeling lazy...and 2nd) I looked a picture of a girl (lady) whose body I would love to have (on several levels *ahem*) but since we're talking about working out *heavy sigh* and that helped increase my resolve...then I shoved the magazine back under the mattress before my wife walked in...whaaaaa! Just kidding!!! Seriously, I do that - visual reminders, sayings, mantras, stories. I do all these things I preach - I have a mantra (about 30 of 'em really), I keep inspirational passages and visual reminders of what I want to accomplish. I left early and started about 6 am...I wasn't 100 yards into the run when I knew, I just knew it was th right thing to do. After I finished I had a few minutes before RL showed up and deep inside I had the warmest glow, just the best feeling because I had done what I needed to do. It was a small victory over 'self', over my 'mind', but it was an important one and pretty much set the tone of my mood (FANTASTIC) for the rest of the day...except for that idiot who cut me off on the Red Mtn Expressway - may he burn in hell, but other than that. Use what you need to use to get you out the door, to accomplish your goal - people may say, "Aww, that's corny" and it may be corny, but corny works. Just ask your wife or girlfriend...it works. Then notice your mood when you finish..I did, when I could breathe again...and it was great. Something like the proverbial 'runner's high', but I prefer to think of today as an 'Accomplishment High'....It was brought home to me how rampant illiteracy is in our city. I ran by the hospital and there were no smoking signs posted all over the outside in this one area...where about 6 people stood smoking! First off, smoking...at a hospital...really?! 2nd, total disregard for the signage. Only thing I can figure is that none of 'em could read. I thought about stopping and helping..."Danny presents 'Hooked on Phonics' to the idiots hooked on smoking...but I had some hills to run and the words Nicole texted me kept ringing in my ears...'Bring it!' "Nobody ever laid in bed at night wishing they had NOT run that day; but people all the time lay in bed at night wishing they HAD run that day."

The 300...

2011-02-15T21:58:00Z

"The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move." - John Wooden It's 300 (okay 299, but it WAS 300) days to the Rocket City Marathon and I'm off to a good start. Went to the track today and ran 'straights & curves' to get my body prepared for 'speed' work. If you've trained with me then you know what S&C are - if not, well ignorance can be bliss. Consistency will be my plan - if I can consistently do the miles, speed work, gym work mixed in with those I'm training then I think I'll have given myself every opportunity for success. I'm offering another Runner's Camp (boot camp style) in April and this time I plan on doing all the workouts with the inmates, I mean participants. Long runs, as in really long runs will start in July (nice!), but I'll be getting in some 10 - 15 milers before then. Bottom line, I'm in a period of preparation and base building right now. I've gone back through my running journals (which is EXACTLY why I keep one and wrote one - yes, they're still available) and heretofore I was pretty consistent with my training. I let myself get derailed and that I believe is the root of the problem. I read something the other day that really hit home, it said "Happiness is a habit, if you want to be happy PRACTICE being happy, smile at 5 things a day." That's really true, grumpy people are grumpy almost all the time. They relish being Eeyores, splashing cold water on others ideas and happiness. Happy people are almost always happy; nothing is 100% all the time. But most happy people I know are generally happy and when they get 'frumpy' it doesn't last too long. That started me to thinking about other stuff - training. Before I was in the habit of getting certain runs in and doing the others for fun whether with a group or someone I was training or alone. Then I let the habit get away...couple that with reading a book on motivation and attitude where the author cut right to the chase when he said (and I paraphrase), "It ain't the job, the weather, your family, or your friends. It's you and always has been." Well that kind of struck home (I'm slow) - In a more positive manner - if you remember the movie 'Invictus'; "I am the captain if my soul, I am the master of my fate." It's me and always has been, no one else. So I re-set the sails remind myself to BE THE DOG, and set sail on a new course to success through consistency. I'm committed (not 'should' be...I AM) to my success in training. Will that guarantee me a 3:40 in Huntsville? No, hell no it won't - there are no guarantees in a marathon. Huntsville will be a celebration of Mission Accomplished - that doesn't mean I won't try! So Day 1 Goal 1 for the 300 Days of Dan...Consistency. If I am consistent, I will be successful. It must be developed like a habit, a good habit. And so I will, my schedule is laid out week by week for now. Starting in July it will be laid out through the marathon. Tune in later this week for goal 2...Consistent running + consistent training will = new habit "The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret" - Sarah Bombell

A great day!

2011-02-14T20:16:00Z

Saturday at the 5KBR 5K Run we had quite a crew, a small one, but quality nonetheless run their first 5K, what a treat! I was a little disappointed in the number that dropped out of the program, but heck, I can't make 'em run. The ones that DID participate had a blast, they ran strong and finished happy. That's a good day. What made it even better is almost all have decided to progress onto the 10K! I love it when we 'set the hook' and then reel 'em in. If Saturday was good, then Sunday was sheer magic - there PR's and fun runs everywhere. I saw more smiles, more FaceBook posts that now have shiny, happy runners with medals as profile pictures than I've ever seen. Yesterday was one great day! It never fails to crack me up the number of people that say, "Oh, I'm 'just' doing the Half" as if running 13.1 miles was like a 'snap' or something. THIRTEEN MILES!!! Or, "Well, I did it but I was slow..." pfft. You want slow? Go watch people walking into WalMart or Golden Corral that not only can't run 13.1 miles, they can't IMAGINE running 1 mile!!! Several (several? A bunch!) PR'd yesterday (ran a personal best AKA personal record) and said, "I PR'd! I wanted to run faster though!" AIEEEEEe....a PR is a PR! One day there will be no more PR's, so celebrate your achievement, never, I repeat NEVER belittle it! We ALL want to go faster; Hell I want to win the New York City Marathon (while we're at it, live in Belize and have a harem) but it just ain't happening! Let's set priorities here, first we're blessed to be able to run at all...there are many who would swap with us tomorrow (The Bell Center and Make A Wish were running to raise money to help some of those very people). We (and I include myself) take that ability/blessing for granted way to often. We are blessed to be able to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles and then run it again to go faster! Most important, we are blessed to have friends to celebrate those moments with - that actually 'care' to hear our running stories, right after we listen to theirs...and we love it! Regardless of 'how' you ran yesterday, think back and count your blessings. If you came up with less than 3, then you may not have been trying. A good day is one you go to sleep at night satisfied with, a great day brings smiles to your for days on end...making THOSE days good days. Any day you can smile is a good day, any day you can smile and run is a great day! Congratulations to all.....

It's 'Showtime'.....

2011-02-10T19:56:00Z

This is the weekend every one's trained for, either a 5K, Half Marathon, or Marathon! It becomes so much more than just running a set distance, it's the belief, the inner confidence that you can do something, or do it faster, or longer than ever before, or even once more. The best place in the world is the Finish Line whether you're a participant or an observer; for the participant it means 'Mission Accomplished' while for the observer they get to see stories of inspiration unfold before their eyes, pain, suffering, joy, elation...the best of mankind. The 'best' of us...what a great day! I ran 9 on Tuesday and felt pretty darn good, though my 5 on Wednesday wasn't too sporty. Tonight I go speak to an awards banquet for a Cross Country team east Jefferson County, something I genuinely love doing. I'll spend the rest of the weekend with my 5K/Half Marathoners pumping them up before the big day. Then Sunday I'm going to run, but I'm going to give up a spot to pace one of my people in. I've run Mercedes before - 8 times before. The only 2 I missed, I missed because I was injured and that's the breaks. But this year it's more important to me that my runner have a good race than anything I could accomplish. I hope I can be that distraction (that doesn't sound too good, does it?) that'll bring her in. She's strong and a great runner and when she doesn't 'think' or is distracted she'll run much better than when she over analyzes each step. With a beautiful day on tap, her tunes and my unbelievable sharp and witty banter, I'm hoping she has a great run; besides I think they'll still let me drink beer.

I wanna be a weatherman....

2011-02-06T14:03:00Z

Heck, I can miss the mark as good as these guys - maybe better! Mix in a little 'alarm' ("significant winter storm possible with lows near zero - for the Thurs. before Mercedes), back it up with a caveat.."More likely a wintry mix and lows in teens" then combine with a whole new forecast that shows a mild warming trend...like Scooby Do says, "Ruh?!?" In Birmingham especially I seldom get worked up about the weather until 36 - 48 hours beforehand. As far as forecasting from these guys, how'd they do on Thursday's icing? I think the general consensus was, "Wow! Where'd that come from?" One actually said, "didn't see that coming." Sometimes I think the Three Stooges would be more reliable, certainly more fun to watch. I can see how they might miss rain/snow; Birmingham sits in the foothills of the Appalachians and the swirling winds can push 'low weather event' clouds north or south of us, but temperature? Oh well...The run yesterday was pretty much a weather event in itself - snow, rain, wind - brrr. I ran downtown with 2 of my groups and at one point was almost stopped in my tracks by a headwind. When there was no wind it was kinda pleasant. The C25K ran their first 3 miler around the course and were terrific. The Mercedes group was cutting back to 10 miles and for them it was just another walk in the park. It is so great watching their confidence grow week after week, so gradually they don't even see it...I love my job. Running with Noel for a mile or so yesterday she told me of something she posts after each 'run' in her Running Journal and I think it is a great idea - She'll write about at least 1 GOOD thing that happened during her run, every run! Be it a sunrise, sunset, fun conversation with running buddy, polite drivers, great view...whatever stayed with her. If nothing did, she'll think about it til she remembers that ONE GOOD THING. I think that's a brilliant way to remember a run. Think how nice that'll be to look back on a week/month/ year later....Too often we forget the simple joys as time goes by. We don't mean too, it's not uncommon, we just 'move' on. We might have a pleasant memory about something and not remember why specifically...thanks to Noel, I'll write down that 'specific' from now on. We have to remember that WE ARE LIVING THE GOOD OLD DAYS! These ARE the good old days; our memories come from NOW! Write stuff down so that you can re-live those times and that 'specific' memory will not only linger through time, but it can be brought back and re-lived. As I sit here now, a wave of memories is crashing through my 'widdle head', from the beginning with Steve and Janis; it was my 2nd marathon and I was running the old Vulcan Marathon under the tutelage of Al DiMicco. Steve and Janis each did 20 miles that day as the 3 of us were doing Huntsville - you cannot believe the difference in marathons then and now. I remember some from each of my groups, most especially the first one. People telling me their stories and adventures (yes, I remember 'em - blackmail IS an option!), my first run with Micki. Runs in Vancouvers' Stanley Park, over Diamond Head, Athens, Dublin, London where we saw a double rainbow, sunsets and sun rises in Birmingham, the beaches, Cook Inlet in Alaska....all running! The best part? The people, no question....not even close, not EVEN close. As Buffet sings, "Good times and witches and son of a bitches; I've seen more than I can recall." REALLY good times.....

Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T19:02:00Z

I absolutely 'love' that movie...Phil Connors starts off as a jerk misusing and abusing everyone around him, including himself until slowly he 'gets' it. And through the process of daily renewal (for lack of a better phrase) he becomes the best 'Phil Connors' that Phil Connors could be. A little trivia, according to an interview with Harold Ramis, he and Bill Murray argued over the tone of the film. Murray wanted the film to be more philosophical while Ramis wanted it to be more comedic. The two argued throughout the production and have not spoken to each other since. It's similar to the Aristotle philosophy that the 'soul' continues to return to earth until through practice and works it's pure enough to enter 'Heaven'...Wow, from Hee Haw to Aristotle.... The reason I'm dwelling on this is by now, many of us have let our goals for 2011 lose some of their 'shine' and we need to keep renewing our 'vows' to ourselves to become the best 'us' we can be. If Punxsutawney Phil is right (and what moron started looking to a groundhog and his shadow for long distant weather reports anyway) we'll have an early Spring with Easter to follow; 2 more reminders to keep sharpening our 'edges', to keep improving. Be like the shark, keep moving, keep getting better lest we die, or worse, stop improving. The great thing is we don't have to wait for New Year's or Groundhog Day or Easter or.....every day we get a do-over. I flew back from Houston on Monday so I didn't run. Planned on running Tuesday morning with my 'peeps' only to have a car with a dead battery and a comedy of errors to follow - guess what? There's always Wednesday so I meet my first personal training 'victim' at 5:00 (yes...5 A.M.) and my 2nd at 6:00 and at 7:00 I'm out to the car to get my clothes when a 'nice' guest of wind fuh-reezezz me. Nope, windchill of 19 too cold today (it was my 4th time outside, too), so I bagged it. Going to run tonight, got the time and location set...it's still there. As I've said before, just like a puppy going for a walk....So tonight, I get a do-over. Keep your goals in mind and don't be afraid to modify them if need be. Like the shark, keep moving, stay fresh - shed the old you like a snake sheds it's skin to reveal another step in the evolution that is the BEST you to come. Then when Punxsutawney Phil comes out your image will be so bright, he'll just 'think' it's the sum; but it'll be a better, brighter YOU.

And the 'hits' just keep on coming....

2011-02-01T20:34:00Z

Houston Marathon...okay in the first place, this IS a fun race. They have one of the best 'expo's ever; and by that I mean there are actually some bargains there instead of tons of 'mark down' over priced race souvenirs like the Rock N Roll series (and a few others). Also, logistically it's easy - tons of hotels and restaurants downtown. A $25 cab ride and you can walk everywhere, expo, restaurants, start/finish, post-run beer - pretty cool. Good course, well organized, good post-run runner's 'swag', flat and fast course and lots of spectators. A little crowded, but not unbearable or 'time' delaying, all that being said (sigh) after 24 hours I still fee like Nathan Brittles, "Mission failure"...in fact it's worse. Though I had planned on running the full and pacing Nicole slow recovery from knee surgery prevented that (failure), planned to complete Full (failure) and that's about it. Nicole had a good run, though she is capable of so much more...it will come. Micki had a worse day, her bum ankle AND an oncoming sinus infection (she's at Dr now) - husband as care taker (failure). There were some positives (clean bathrooms), as there always are, but in the big picture of what I wanted to accomplish pffft! Like the old Hee Haw song (gawd, I'm reduced to Hee Haw , can I be MORE pitiful?) : "Where, oh where, are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone? I searched the world over, and I thought I'd found true love, You met another, and PFFT! You was gone!" That's me singing to Lady Luck - so, how to turn lemons into lemonade...well, I look you see where the short comings were and you correct/attack them. I understand that 'Man plans, and God laughs' - but rather than sit around and wait on 'life' to happen to me, I think I'll stick my neck out again (or is that 'head in a noose') and say it right here...Huntsville - <3:40. It's not my PR (added confidence), in fact I have double digit <3:40 marathons, just not in the 2 years. Plus I have a few friends who really want to run that time and there's power in the 'group' (hopefully). My weight is already dropping, 2 - 3 'weight' sessions at gym and showers as needed (as least 1 every other day...or so). I have my training program set and any who want to join me this summer on long runs, with 2nd half at 'pace' are welcome. I'll post 'em here and on my website calendar as well as my interval sessions (time and place). From now to May I'll start base building and running 5K's & 10K's (when I can find a 10K) to set my base line times for training. Tony Horton the P90X guy makes a good point; we don't do certain things because they are hard or difficult - for ex. how often do you run hills? In fact many avoid hills cause...why? They are hard. So we tend to lean toward our strengths and levels of comfort...myself included. Time to change, (speaking for myself only) I have to return to enjoying the achievement and being excited and aroused by the challenge and the accomplishment. CAN I do it? No doubt! WILL I do it, yes if there are no extinuating circumstances; will it be fun...you betcha. I won't beat you over the head with it, I'll just mention it from time to time (like I did my weight up there) and see how lemonade really taste; I hope it taste like beer!

A sad, sad, day....

2011-02-01T01:47:00Z

My prayers go out to Sundeep Caplash and his family - he was hit (and killed) in an area I run probably twice a week. He and I worked together a few years back in my (at the time) 'real job'. Funny, then he thought I was a crazy runner until he got the bug. He was having fun with it too. The world is a little poorer today.... For you drivers that get so irritated at us, I'm pretty sure the driver that killed Sundeep will not enjoy an untroubled sleep for a long time - take 2 extra minutes and slow down. Regardless of who was 'right or wrong', a good man is gone and someone has to live with it. In a few days I'll write my Houston report - bottom line; Micki had a bad, bad day and asked if we could turn off at the half. I was really there to see family, drink a beer (okay...several), and get a medal and though I really, really wanted to do the 'full'...I really, really want to stay married. Seriously - she said (and meant it) that I could go on, but she was in a tremendous amount of pain from rolling her ankle (long story) so discretion was the better part of valor and I turned off with her. Good thing too, in retrospect - she was really hurting. She's better now, RICE (Rest, Ice Compression, Elevation) and a few beers will cure most anything. We've still got Austin and (tentatively) Fargo (wanna go?) coming up...but as a whole.....I love the movie 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon' with John Wayne as Capt. Nathan Brittles...love it, love it. Was originally supposed to pace Nicole in Houston...couldn't, meant to run the whole anyway, didn't...as Capt. Brittles said, "Mission failure" the whole mission was a failure...*sigh* (we had fun, but the 'mission'...ehhh...). Again, please be careful out there - we never, ever know when as Sean Costello sings, "We're going home to be with God," but I love you all and don't want to miss you before it's your 'true' time. So be careful, give flowers to the living, sing like you're in the shower, run as if your life depends on it (it does) and love as if there's no tomorrow...one day there won't be

The 'trickle down' theory of inspiration.....

2011-01-26T19:38:00Z

Miss me? Don't say so if you didn't...This 'blog' is a little information about running, a little motivation (I hope) and a little personal about my running, so sometimes if nothings going on then I don't post. Truthfully the last few days I've been in a bit of a 'funk' and I DO know that my writing, such as it is, tends to reflect my mood. So I opted not to post rather than channel my inner Edge Allen Poe (morbid, dreary...) plus, really, I didn't have much to say. Combine that with no sun, short runs, cold weather, under-trained, bad hair....well, if 'things' get any worse I'm moving my cocktail up (again) earlier than noon! Some things are happening - for ex. if you're interested: Feb 5 (Sat.) from 10:30 - 12:00 at the Mt. Brook YMCA I'm hosting/conducting a 'Runner's Symposium' with everything you wanted to know about how to run Mercedes. How to make it your best run, how not to 'blow up', how to finish strong and other topics, for ex - 'myths of the marathon' (hint - carbo loading....good or bad). It is FREE and in fact they are bringing in lunch - so you need a reservation (e-mail Lisa - lhart@ymcabham.org) and make your reservation. Again, no charge, 90 minutes, Mt. Brook YMCA 2/5/11. Saw the announcement about Reuben Studdard bringing a marathon and half marathon to Birmingham this Fall in the words of 'Angelica' in 'Joe Vs. the Volcano'..."I have no response to that." I actually met with 'the guy' - twice. I think Birmingham could support 2 marathons, in fact I think the heightened awareness may actually increase participation - but Mercedes has set the bar pretty high as far as being 'runner friendly' so anything less than that I believe will not last. Can't do anything about the topography, there will always be hills in this area, but in actual production Mercedes is as good as any I've run so they have a tough act to match. Looking forward to a great running weekend with some of my very favorite people - full report on Tuesday... Had lunch with one of the Run U 'graduates' and we had a great conversation - this lady is sharp. She's smart, pretty and I always thought she was around 30 'ish' till today she told me she'd just turned 40 - I knew it was her b'day, but FORTY?!? No way (still think she's pulling my leg) - anyway she was talking about how much running has meant to her...she's healthier, leaner, added a whole circle of friends, new goals and accomplishments...very inspiring person. She pointed out that finishing her Half Marathon was right under marriage and children and I thought for a second and had to agree....Being married won't automatically make you a good parent, and being a good parent doesn't make you a good marriage partner - but running and all it's positives will make you a better parent and partner. It allows you to live life rather than watch it. You can be ACTIVELY involved with your partner and kids...you can DO more, you know you can do more and you BELIEVE that you can do more. Most importantly, without even trying you have given them something to aspire to; they see your running as inspiration and the seed is planted...quietly, unobtrusively, and maybe even deeply; but planted it is. As Yoda would say, "Run like you, the will......one day." Thanks for the inspiration...

I can't see!!!!

2011-01-17T21:41:00Z

There's this big orange ball in the sky and it hurts my eyes! I feel like Johnny Cash being stuck in Folsom Prison and "I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when." Went out for a 12 mile run yesterday with a few of my Mercedes group and once the sun (aka big orange ball) came up it wasn't awful. Notice that's not saying it was good, that's saying it wasn't awful - cold is cold, just not AS cold. We almost had an eclipse! We were on Highland and I heard the girl (lady) behind me trip, stumble and I know she was close behind me...didn't know how close. She reached for me and grabbed the waist band of my pants and were almost singing that old Flamingo's song, "There's a moon out tonight...." Well, I'm pretty sure she's seen a man's ass before (mine's not perfect...it's cracked), so I reached back for her hands...I missed...but so did she. My pants (barely) stayed up and she did her Chris Berman imitation ,"rumblin, stumblin, bumblin..." till finally she 'landed'. Fortunately for her she stumbled so much that the fall was anti-climatic; no scrapes or torn clothing. Just a little bruised pride, heck we've all been there. She finished the run - she's tough, she's a runner babe! Our last 2 miles went by the new Rail Road Park which is very nice (take your kids and picnic, or be romantic and just the 2 of you go) and the rest rooms are heated. I went in and almost just stayed since it was so warm and I was (and still am) tired of being cold. Not sure how people would react to the Fox 6 LIVE - "Local Running Coach Danny Haralson was arrested for sleeping under a urinal at Rail Road Park today, he claims it was warmer than being outside." Reporter Emily Luxen (wowser!) will check under a urinal to see how warm it really is...that's coming up in the 10 o'clock hour. Steve...' The weight is staying steady so now I'm considering 'colon blow' but I'm afraid that'll leave me with a semi-colon. Also I'm pretty sure I don't have that much uh, 'stuff' to purge - at least I HOPE not and if I do I'm not telling ANYONE! Seriously, I know my body is 'adapting' or getting used to the increase in mileage and the gradual build up of intensity that I'm putting into my running, so when it does start burning off some of this 'winter coat' I'll see some positive results . Winter coat? Heck I've got a winter coat, thermal underwear, long johns and Ugg Boots! If it's true that you gain 2 seconds per mile per pound in speed as you lose weight then pretty sure I can race at Daytona in about 6 weeks. I joke - but I believe what Sandra Koularides teaches and that is your food is fuel, put the best available in your body (over simplification). The best fuel/food is not high calorically so you get the benefit of nutritious fuel/food and not a ton of calories. She also believes in 20% +/- of your weekly calories being in cheat or fun foods so that you get your rewards too. We all have that urge for something. Sadly mine is 50% of my calories coming from beer...well, maybe 60%...I think. The trick is to balance your optimal weight with running. If you lose too much, then your performance will decline simply because you won't be strong enough - you can be too thin to run. It looks like a great week of running because of the variety of runs I have scheduled and the fact that it's not going to be brass bra cold! Heck, I may have to break out the sunglasses..I sure hope so!

Pay it forward....

2011-01-15T20:39:00Z

I love that concept. I thought the movie (what I remember of it) was terribly depressing (spoiler alert!) because as I recall the kid died tragically in the end, but the original CONCEPT I think is magical. There were 3 of us together today, running distances from 14 miles to 19. It was cold and cloudy, sort of a 'I really don't want to be here' kind of run. Jack had said from the get-go that today was not his day, yet he pressed on. We wound down through English Village and I see a guy jogging up the hill towards us and he yells a greeting to Jack. Then, "Jack, you inspired me! I see what you're doing and I decided I had to get out here." Well that pretty much put a rocket in Jack's pants! His entire countenance changed, as it should have. Jack's been running now for 3 years. He's lost 30 pounds and is gunning for his first marathon. He's not verbose character, not shy, but certainly not an attention seeker. What he does, he does by example - he loves running, it's improved his life dramatically and he's happy. If you're happy and you know RUN your feet! His happiness shows therefore it inspires. It is never too late or too early. In my group now I have a mom running with 2 of her kids, one a sophomore to be and the other a 9th grader. They are having a blast. Jack's college age daughter is training for the half and running with him and you know what, they are all having fun! If you have fun with passion, you can't hide that light under 2 blankets. It shows! It shows in how you act, talk, look, and feel. I am continually reminded of the movie 'The Bucket List' during which Carter wrote to Edward in his final note, "Find the joy in your life." My great friend Nicole has taken 2 vacations that I know of this year with her family; the purpose of which was to run a marathon or a half. She has inspired her family and they are creating memories they'll have forever. Most of my favorite memories consist of 'stuff' that I did WITH others (except that time with Betty Sue Buckhalter...what she did to ME, well I....oh, ahem...sorry), those are the richest of memories for me. Do not underestimate your power over others. A life lived with passion cannot help but reflect the goodness in you and the joy you spread. It doesn't have to pour from the very source of your being. Most all runners I know think of running as something that they DO, not something that they are. It's still passion, and it still shows, and it can make you leaner, more confident, lose weight, sleep better, look better and happier. Dang! That's a pretty good package! It can also save or prolong some one's life if your efforts inspire them to give it a go. Mother Teresa once said, "If you can't feed a hundred, then feed one." If your passion from something you enjoy inspires just one person, then you have indeed 'paid it forward'. Pretty sure I'm going to have to pay for some new scales, these keep going in the wrong direction! My nutrition is sound (not perfect), my hours of exercise continue to increase and at some point my 'metabolism' is going to have to give in. Patience may be the hardest part of trying to improve. In this microwave, drive through, gotta have it now society patience can get kicked to the curb. So, I'll continue to do what I know works and if it ever warms up add more speed sessions and drills. I think it can only help my metabolism if I vary the intensity more than I do know (I HATE intervals in the cold...what am I saying... I hate the cold, period!). Plus it can only help my knee if as I run I spend less time on my feet via running quicker and lighter. Sometimes this running stuff is like a shark; we keep trying to continue to improve, conquer new distances, courses, run faster - keep swimming lest we stop and drown. Well, as George Sheehan (I think) said, "Nobody ever drowned in sweat."

"Your body's a wonderland..."

2011-01-11T21:52:00Z

You heard it right folks, that's me singing and channeling my inner John Mayer. Since we were given a 2nd 'snow' day (ice day?), I slept in a little before meeting dbarry and running in our neighborhood. First off, that's something I rarely do because where we live if you go one way it's uphill to get outta here and if you go the other it starts downhill, but it's a dandy uphill to get back. So we went uphill first and headed to what I was pretty sure was a secluded road and it was a 'wonderland'. Much of the ice was still pristine, a few limbs covered in ice leaning over the road and 3 intrepid runners high stepping and looking for sure footing as we ran down the road in a crystal wonderland. I get it; he and I are talking about 2 kinds of excitement and 2 different kinds of 'wonderland' but when you've suffering from cabin fever then pretty much any 'wonderland' will do. It was pretty enough to make us forget the cold, high stepping to keep our feet dry and faces being gently pelted by the last gentle flakes of the day. There's a bakery in our neighborhood as well and our planned start/finish point; just one more (planned) opportunity to make our run special. See, we could have bitched and moaned about it being cold, damp, wet and hilly. We could have groused about the ice we were dodging so we didn't fall or get our shoes soaked. The hills could have presented another grouchy obstacle along the way. Though all of that 'happened', I mean it was there - what we saw was mid-winter's majesty and a warm muffin to top the run off. We immediately began talking about where the run would take us and we decided to head down 'Robert Frost Road' (the "road less taken", I just call it Robert Frost Road) enjoying the beauty of the season and the bonus off day. When we got back in to 'civilization' we began talking about post run coffee and fresh baked muffins (or kolaches or .....) and anticipation began pushing us home. 5 years from now I might not even remember this run...might, but I might not. But in my life today, today was special. It was nothing 'special' that made it special, I mean, nothing really. But today, it made me catch my breath, think about it, and remember it some hours later.... I know a lot of people use this quote, but I think it's used often because of the truth it contains. If it's not true in a life, I think they want it to be, so either way it resonates.... "In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away."

"That was really stupid..."

2011-01-10T22:43:00Z

That's a line from Ghostbusters II which wasn't very funny though it had it's moments. I always remember Ernie Hudson saying that - in fact I paraphrased it about 20 times Sunday while running 18 miles in a 12 degree wind chill...but, it had to be done. When you sign up for marathon (or your distance of choice) you have 2 choices: 1) is to train so that you are fit and ready for the competition and the other is 2) Hope. Hope you don't quit (DNF aka Did Not Finish), Hope you don't suffer, Hope you make the finish line. I'm opting for #1 - The problem is 'quitting' is forever; you can never erase that. Now if you quit running, you can always start back. That's a great thing; running gives you a 'do over' every day. Bad run - take a mulligan tomorrow, chances are it'll be a better run. Injured? Shut down and get well and the first day you feel like it, running is there with open arms. Lazy, iced in, day off or off day running is like a loving dog. The next day when the sun comes up it's sitting there wagging it's metaphorical tail waiting for you to come out and play. However, if you enter a race and you have to quit and it is your fault for being ill prepared, then it will haunt you forever. If you're injured, get injured or run into a fire hydrant, that's different. That's not quitting, that's withdrawing which is the smart thing to do. I'm talking about quitting. Take the time, put in the effort and enjoy the rewards of doing it right. If you do then forever more running will be jumping up and down on you begging you to go outside...

Shake weight

2011-01-06T17:09:00Z

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I love the feeling of 'starting' over, re-assessing goals, making new ones and putting the last year to bed. Sometimes we sit there and think, "Wow, what a great year." Other times....eehhh, not so much. I don't think I'll miss 2010, and I'm very hopeful for 2011 - gotta have hope, right? I've heard it said that the miles we run are like big erasers there to remove some of the dark spots of our past...too many calories, too sedentary, lack of confidence - and I believe that. It takes time, but the miles erase those effects, after a few months you're slimmer and hopefully have a better outlook on your life and taking care of yourself. Same with other 'mistakes'...it allows me time to re-hash them and let my time alone and the miles wash them from my soul. There's a reason a lot of that stuff and all those people are in our past, they don't belong in our future. Running lets me put all that in perspective while doing something really good for me. Let's not be too dreary, those miles have brought me some of the happiest moments, or led to some of the happiest moments of my adult life. They've led me to some great, great friendships, and opportunities I might never have known. When you get all of that from a 'hobby', then you've got one hulluva a hobby...and I do. I ran 10 miles Tuesday, another 6 yesterday with 6 on tap for tonight. Hopefully these miles will start to erase these pounds, I mean, did I pack these pounds on with Krazy Glue? Well, the scales don't lie so we'll find out tomorrow...WEIGHT DAY...D-Day! I've been in the gym and the last ingredient I need to add is the 'track'. The workouts have been designed, the goal is just to regain (regain in the figurative sense) some speed so I can at least 'place' in my age group. Thought about getting the 'shake weight', but then I noticed that's what I was doing when I was running...shaking all that weight....I kinda like this quote...."If your problem has a solution then...why worry about it? If your problem doesn’t have solution then...why worry about it?"

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T19:08:00Z

And what a great year it's gonna be....I got my goals lined up, I got some irons in the fire and I got a boat load of desire! Now if the world of circumstances will just be kind to me - ran 14 miles Sunday, and what a great run; it was cold but not bitter. We combined parts of the Rumpshaker 5K with the Power Company Run (went to RailRoad Park) for 5 1/2 miles, then we got water and ran it backwards. It's amazing how different things look when you run a course backwards, that's a great way to change things up when you don't want to change them up too drastically. Today I sent the 5:30 group off then hit the weight room before meeting up with Randy and Amber for a 'late early' morning 10 miler. So I guess I hit the 'wait' room...hahhahahahha....whew, that was a good un. I'll get back on the scales Friday for the first 'weigh in' of 2011 and if progress isn't made I'll guess I have to go to No Beer Monday...sort of put my toe in the water. Don't want to go crazy and do the whole 'quit drinking' thing for a month...yes, I know the empty calories in alcohol. I also know how good looking, smart, and funny I am when I drink! (kidding! kidding!). Here's hoping you set your goals for 2011 - I heard a guy last night loudly proclaiming he didn't make New Year's Resolutions - what a crock! If you don't have plans/goals/resolve for the future how the heck do you know if you're going anywhere? When you went to college you went with the goal, the intention of graduating (resolution!), when you say "I'm going to run a 5K/10K/half/whole this year" that's a goal, that's a resolution. I love 'em. It gives me something to aim for; I set a few way high (really in the 'hope' category) and few attainable with sub goals. I try to keep it simple, max 5 on the attainables and I have to have 2 plans of action to achieve those goals. Lastly, they have to be specific - for ex. "to get in shape", well that's not a goal...'round' is a shape. But, to 'run a 5K by June' is - to 'run a marathon this Fall', is - to complete a triathlon by Labor Day is a goal. Then you have to put your plan in action...My favorite goal is to run the year in miles, so my goals is 2011 miles - I've made it every year since I started except last year. To help that along I pay myself $1 for every mile and I make that deposit twice a week so I don't fall behind. Can't touch it till the end of the year - no IOU's, no borrowing. Guess what, in a year in which I had surgery, battled injury, swamp fever and hostiles (or so it seems) I ran 1,272 miles; which equals $1,272 real American dollars! Good came of a less than stellar year! Same thing in business, you set a sales goal or production goal and that's all well and good, but what you might want to do is set a 'calls per day/week/month' goal....Depending on your business, but 10 calls a week, that's 2 a day or 40 a month - it's do-able, you can track it, and if you make those calls by numbers alone sales will follow. Marriage the same way - here's something I learned this year: I can control MY attitude, I cannot control anyone else's - period. Man, that's a hard lesson. So, if I want something from my wife (or anyone for that matter, said Brett Favre), anything from more (ahem) 'action' (who doesn't!?!?!?!) to her being more content, happy, thrilled...whatever - then I have to make it happen...1 nice thing a day, from something thoughtful, to romantic to bawdy (hey - you know who you're reading right?), to thoughtful again. But I can make improvements and set the standard and hopefully all else falls into line - please don't misunderstand, everything is fine here. Fine is not the standard I aspire to, 'great' is. And if I make life great for the people I love, then self satisfaction wise, life will be great for me. Can misfortune strike? Sure - now, how do I deal with it? All that I control....If I start my day with a good run with people I'm genuinely fond of - okay, the occasional 'fly-rod' will join in the group runs (smile and run faster than them), then my day and my attitude gets started right. If I start my day right, my attitude right, and I'm excited about my goals and plan of action then I'm better equipped to attack the rest of the day properly! Lastly, quarterly I run a 'self check' and see if I need to turn up the heat, change directions, replace an accomplished goal with a new one OR BEST OF ALL, I'm close to accomplishing one of my 'hope' goals! That's fun! Happy New Year and may it be your best year yet!

"And Leon's getting larger!"

2010-12-28T19:06:00Z

I'm the first to admit that my sense of humor can be sophomoric (juvenile, silly, ribald, and so forth and so on), but any list fo the funniest movies ever that doesn't include 'Airplane' is misguided at best. When I had my surgery I weighed just under 170#, and now some 14 weeks later I'm (on a good day) hitting 175, but closer to the 176 - 178. I blame it on the 'forced' inactivity of the first 5 weeks and the fact that I'm just now getting my weekly miles back. Still I feel mushy and sluggish when I run, I'm feeling myself carry each of those pounds. Used to be I didn't care, I'd modify my diet, run a little extra and Presto! The pounds would be gone...no more. What's worse is that I'm getting kinda OC about them....I mean I'm turning into a girl! Ye gods! So, I can either pretend they aren't there (yeah...fat chance, and yes I mean FAT) or I can get busy - to paraphrase Clint Eastwood I can "either get busy living or get busy being fat." I understand 'body image' and the like, but I have extra incentive. Pretty sure nobody wants Butterbean (you know the fat guy boxer in Jasper) as a Personal Trainer or Coach, just guessing; so I have to step my game up. Here's the plan - I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do with one caveat....beer. My friend Sandra Koulourides who is a (www.fuelplusfitness.com) kick butt instructor (check out her video's or class at the Mt. Brook YMCA) and a runner. She tells her clients to eat 'good' (I'm paraphrasing) 80% of the time. Well good (this is Danny, not Sandra) is 2 things to me...one 'smart/healthy' and the other is PORTION SIZE! I could go on, but here's the gist....10#. I'm going to weigh myself 3 days in a row and average it, then (and I started today) I'm going to 'fuel' myself smartly and watch my portions. For every 72 hours (3 days) that I do well, I get a 'cheat' meal. I don't have to take it and I can't save them like 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards, but the 'reward' is out there. That should allow me to 'fuel' myself properly with 'quality' food, while not depriving myself of calories. Big difference for athletes - we can't really go into calorie deprivation and expect to perform. However, when you fuel properly, you don't need a massive amounts of calories. For the foreseeable future I'm going to put 'premium' gas in my tank and not regular. The good thing is, when you use 'premium' you don't need as much (quantity-wise) gas as when you use 'regular'. I'll get my miles back to the 40 - 50 miles weekly (almost there), get in the gym twice weekly (for me, not my boot camps or trainee's) and follow a scripted workout each time. So I'm modifying my intake (reduced calories) and increasing my 'out go' (burning more calories) and I'm gonna buy TWO shake weights...one for each arm! (Joke!). It's not rocket surgery (I said that on purpose), actually it's the only way to lose weight, look how I want to look (Like Jackie Warner with a few, um, anatomical changes...the rest is cool, I mean we both like girls), and feel like I want to feel. "Elaine, you're a member of the crew, can you face some unpleasant facts?" Elaine: "No." It may interest some, bore others, and if you want to share in the experience or share YOUR experience, then post it in the comment section and I'll include your posts (unless you say 'don't') in the blog until I hit my target weight. In the movie Kung Fu Panda, Shifu (his master) trains him using food, denial until he achieves - but when he DOES achieve and Shifu tells Po he's free to eat, Po says, "Nah, I'm not hungry." He's conquered himself and the 'cheat meal' though available was no longer desired. Habits are hard to break, bad eating is just a habit, I got lazy.."I picked a bad day to give up glue sniffing", but I picked a good day to re-set my chain of thought. By the way, this is NOT a resolution. It's a change...big difference. I prefer 'goal-setting' to resolution anyway...but you'll have to read my newsletter to get my thoughts on that. It was cold on the run today - 21 degrees, but, I wore a compression shirt (man, I love those) as my base layer and a looser regular long sleeve running shirt on over it. Combined with my tights (yep <30 I wear tights) and gloves after about 2 miles I was 'toasty'. Those compression shirts are great for keeping body heat IN, then cover it with another layer. It's still light weight and you have 2 layers, not bulky on and you're quite comfortable. I hate being cold, so most anyone should be comfortable dressed that way - but we're all a little different...I mean Shana took her gloves off!!!! Just try it the compression shirt/layering thing. The 5 Sun Rise Run was simply magnificent! There's something about the pre-dawn sky when it's that cold. The air is almost shiney it's so clear; the stars are just disappearing. The moon is still in the sky and along the crest is a crayon line of dull yellow telling us the rest of the world is beginning to stir. "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"

Don't 'snow' on my parade.....

2010-12-26T19:12:00Z

The actual lyrics are 'don't rain on my parade', but in light of the season and the weather....Of course I read in this mornings paper that 'technically' it wasn't a white Christmas because blah, blah, blah "technically the amount of accumulation in certain area wasn't enough...yada, yada" - well here's a newsflash, where I was (home and then my parents) there was a LOT of snow on the ground and it was white! Then we came home and there was snow on the ground and it was white - even after a few beers; too cold for yellow snow! And when I got up today (the day after) it was STILL white, so to me I'm going Bing Crosby on Christmas 2010 till I die! Thursday we ran the annual Christmas light Run of about 3.5 miles (up a great hill though) and saw some really pretty lights as well as a great Birmingham vista. It's odd how night time lights are so much prettier when the air is 'crisp'. Sadly, we had a low turn out, but it was quality! I think that was because it was Christmas Eve, eve. Christmas Eve we ran 10 miles around and through downtown, very little traffic, very cold, gray skies - the perfect Christmas Eve day. A hot cup of joe afterwards at Starbucks with a few of the group and some heart felt Merry Christmas's as the group separated. It's like serving in the military, really - not many others (read non-runners) understand what we go through to train for a Half or a Marathon. Working around holidays and families to get our runs in, watching our diets (some of us), running in all kinds of weather from 60 degrees & 90% humidity earlier this week to 30 degrees on Christmas Eve and scheduling holiday events. It's a challenge, from the weather to conflicts, to nay-sayers (negative nellies, Johnny Rainclouds - once I heard a person say, "Man! I can't imagine getting up day after day at 5:00 and running in cold and dark." I loved the response, "I can't imagine NOT doing it.") So when we end our 10 (a few of the group met at 4:30 to run 20...and yes that was a.m.) we went "Ahhh" and into Starbucks to talk a little - laugh a lot, then left wishing each other a "Merry Christmas". There is a bond, an understanding, a deeper feeling FOR each other more so than a co-worker, or a neighbor. Those are my favorite runs. New Years Day we'll run again and once again we'll wish each other 'Happy New Year' as we part, and as most, we'll mean it. But acquaintances and the like mean simply...'have a good year' in general. When we wish our fellow runners 'Happy New Year' we say so much more in those 2 words. We mean, run healthy, stay injury free. We mean, run well, set PR's, meet your goals, finish that marathon (or half, or 10K...whatever), qualify for Boston...we mean SOMETHING! Set your goals...forget 'resolutions', those are more like promises to yourself - set goals. Because with goals we have to choose a course of action for ex. "I resolve to lose 10 pounds"...great, how? " I resolve to run a sub (whatever, let's say for ex.) 2 hour Half Marathon. In order to that I have to a) run more b) run further c) add some form of speed work) d) watch my nutrition and d) lose some weight. Now, if you do a, b, & c then 'd' will be a natural consequence. New Year's GOALS...I like that better than New Years Resolutions. There's a course of action, and nobody somewhere else can say 'on a technicality' that you did not hit your goal (like the White Christmas)...the clock doesn't lie.

In the merry, merry month of May......

2010-12-22T21:00:00Z

The only time I don't 'hate' cold weather is November and December; I think it's completely necessary to feel Thanksgiving -y and Christmasy. However, as soon as January 2nd gets here I'm okay if they turn the thermostat back up! Ran 13 miles this morning and it was 61 degrees and 90% humidity. Tonight it'll be 31 degrees, what the........ Now we're hearing talk of rain and snow Saturday and Sunday. I was filming the last couple of sections of my Running 101 C210K's DVD at the TV station and the weather guy was in there doing some work. We were talking about the fact that B'ham has never had a White Christmas, ever. Now, it has 'snowed' (as in flurries) but never an official, snow on the ground, Bing Crosby White Christmas....till now. Forget this 'head to the grocery store for mile and bread', I'm off to the liquor store! As I tried to explain to my fellow runners (all out on their first 13, ever) - they reason why the were seeming 'dragging' was in fact the humidity. Much like summer, when you're not used to humidity it sucks the life right out of you, and all of your hydration. We also discussed one of the cruelest inventions of the 20th (last) century - Pay Toilets! I think the Geneva Convention outlawed them. You have to be a Baby Boomer to even remember them - they were mostly in airports. Usually not a big deal, unless warning sirens were going off in you GI Tract and you didn't have a quarter. Option 1, crawl under, option 2, squeeze and beg for .25 and option 3, well let's just say Option 3 wasn't good for anyone, you or the people around. They're gone now, a relic of man's inhumanity to man.... ****Couple of quick announcements**** Winter Edition of R101 (Couch to 5K) will begin Jan 2 4:00 next door to the Mt. Brook YMCA - gonna run the KBR5K the Saturday of Mercedes Weekend. Lots of good runner's swag, good course, and a great way to kick off the New Year. Also we start Boot Camp Jan 3 at the Mt. Brook Y (indoors) and it will be a calorie scorching, ab tightening, butt curving set of workouts - 4 weeks, 8 sessions (Mon - Thu 6:00 a.m. - 7:00). $199 for non-members - $150 for members...you can e-mail me for more info...In February a Mid-Morning Moms Boot Camp for those with 'responsibilities' in the early morning. Now, these are NOT runner specific, they are fitness, toning, calorie scorching specific...We'll do another Runner's Boot Camp in March. Boot Camp is a 'catch-all' phrase, this is more intense movement, strengthening, non-stop kick ass for 1 hour workout...it's just easier to say Boot Camp. I'll have my Christmas 'blog' up tomorrow and a challenge in the next few days (hint - weight loss)...I gained 15# after my surgery and I've only shaved off 5. So...that means an all out frontal assault - cardio, weights, and (ugh) REALLY watching my diet...I have a gauntlet and I'll be tossing it down....

Beautiful run this morning....

2010-12-21T20:01:00Z

An easy 6 mile run that took us along the ridge of the mountain so that the city lights were sparkling below us. To me the way to make or keep something special is to do something different so we took a detour on the Sun Rise Run. We went along Argyle and looped around a side street that is on the crest of the mountain and the view was awe-inspring. The city with all it's night lights glowing laid out in the valley below us. We continued on through neighborhoods some with lights left on all night and others looking almost ghostly. An incredilbe way to start the day.....

2010 is winding down....

2010-12-19T15:48:00Z

Strange how a year can wind up so different than where you 'thought' or hoped for it to go just 11 1/2 months ago. We have 1 of 2 choices, we can mope, pout, bemoan our fate and rotten luck meanwhile noting that there is absolutely nothing we can do about it...OR, we can prepare to kick ass in 2011! I seldom make resolutions; but I always set goals. That just works better for me. Up until the New Year I'll post a few of my goals heading into 2011 and just as importantly how I intend to attain them. It's similar to training for a marathon, you pick the marathon, set your training schedule and then one day at a time, one run at a time you (to paraphrase Vince Lombardi) relentlessly pursue it. He said, if I recall, "Gentlemen we will relentlessly pursue perfection. Perfection is not attainable, but if we pursue perfection we can catch excellence." I've also heard it said that excellence is a 'state of being', so it would be what is excellent to you. Yesterday I ran my 1200th mile of 2010 - my original goal was 2010 miles (yes, I try to run the # of miles in that year, while I can); however circumstances re-arranged that goal. So I missed 2010, I was really beginning to sweat 1200, but I made it. To me, today, that makes an excellent year of running mileage wise. It was a good run, we started at 7:00 and I think the rain and sleet stopped at 6:59. It was cold but humid so when I finished I was soaking wet, and 2 more minutes after I finished I was no longer sweating, but shaking like a naked Eskimo doing the 'bumpa' in an igloo, and not having near the fun. I swear it took me 2 hours to warm back up. One of my favorite quotes is from Leo Buscaglia, sort of a New Age Philosopher (was...sadly, he left us) and he said, " "Don't spend your precious time asking "Why isn't the world a better place?" It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is "How can I make it better?" To that there is an answer." — Leo Buscaglia That pretty much sums up my approach to 2011 - If I ask why didn't that happen or this happen, or why did they do this or that, I'm wasting my time. What do I want? What can I do to make it happen? To those questions I do hold the key. Can circumstances change, sure (see: Danny - knee surgery 2010), but the measure is not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get back up, and have fun doing it!!! So we'll see if I have what it takes - in 2010 I published a book (Run University's Running Journal), that so far everyone has been very please with, I put C210K on DVD (soon be available on the website), I've planned a 'regular' Boot Camp (it's different - e.mail me for details, I'm confident enough to offer a money back guarantee) for January (January #3) to jump start people's fitness for 2011, and Running 101 Couch to 5K starting January 2)....you see, if we TRY to be the people we always wanted to be, then we're happier with ourselves. The happier we are with OURSELVES, the happier we can be with others. We have confidence in ourselves and joy in our lives. One thing I have learned is that we have to MAKE it happen, it ain't gonna 'just' happen. To paraphrase Leo Buscaglia, "How can I make ME better?" How can I attain MY 'state' of being excellent? To that....there is an answer! Here's to 2011 miles in 2011 - Let's get this party started.....

Baby it's cold outside.....

2010-12-15T14:38:00Z

Normally after I run a marathon I take a week off to rest and recover and boy did I take the right week off! It's no secret I hate cold weather and right now I'm caught in the middle. You just can't have Christmas and New Year's without cold weather, it's just not right. I've been in Hawaii twice in December and it was weird. On the other hand, once January 2 gets here I'm okay with some more Global Warming...or to heck with global, Birmingham warming.I'm like Dennis Miller - running in shorts and no gloves in January, what's the downside to global warming? We did the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon last week and I virtually never go into a marathon without a goal, even if it's as simple as 'get the medal'. I will say that it was my slowest marathon ever. That's not to say it wasn't one of my best. I had registered for and missed Omaha and Flying Monkey and I was determined to find out if I was going to be able to run 'distance' again. I knew going into it I was woefully under-trained (bordering on stupid), but sometimes I have to coach from the 'do as I say, not as I do' school of coaching. When I hit mile 17 at 3:45 I remember thinking, "I've got close to 20 complete marathons faster than this," but my plan was to keep it S L O W and if I ran anywhere near pain free, it would be a great day...bottom line, it was. It also gave me the perspective of being in the back of the pack, we started there (as we should have knowing we would be slow) and stayed there (that was easy!). Those people (back of the packers) had a great time, some struggled, many were with a friend and just had a 'gay old time' (can you say that anymore? Fred Flintstone said it....). As we neared the finish line I noticed more than 1 band packing up - either they left early or the organizers of Thunder Road weren't too concerned with the back of the pack. When we got to the finish line much of the food was gone, and some of the tents had been taken down. WTH?!? Do back of the packers get a refund? They pay the same amount, work just as hard if not harder - but in Charlotte they were totally disregarded...there was beer. They also had a changing tent for women, but not for men. Now I'm pretty sure if I change clothes in public I'll get arrested; but if a woman changes in public - out come the cell phone camera's. My point is shouldn't there be a changing tent for men? And yes, if a woman was changing clothes I would take a peek. I have a new perspective on the back of the pack and as I'll write on the race survey, shame on you Thunder Road Marathon Race Director - if you have a 5, 6, 7, or even 8 hour time limit then keep the Finish Line hopping till then. Quick aside - some runners have a problem with run/walking - or walking a marathon; you didn't ask, but here's my .02. Why do you care? If I'm gonna go all out at a marathon (or any race) then I'm running MY race. Back of the packers, walkers, run /walkers go do your thing. Do I have an opinion about run/walking? You bet - I also have an opinion about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, but who cares? They don't affect me. My suggestion, don't criticize others that don't affect you - you run YOUR race, I'll run mine and they run theirs. In my mind at least they are doing SOMETHING. Lastly God didn't bless us all with the same ability in running, so if someone else is slower than me but doing their best, God Bless 'em and I'm proud of them. They may be able to apply Algebra to every day life...I can't. We are all blessed, just with different talents. Can't wait for Saturday to run, and to be honest it's the first time I've look forward to running, I'm excited to run. Heretofore there's been apprehension each time...I think I'm cured, now if I can just hold on for warmer weather!

Ahh, the joys of being stupid....

2010-12-13T16:01:00Z

We've been on the road to North Carolina, Charlotte specifically, to run the Thunder Road Marathon. Yep 13 weeks and 3 days after knee surgery I am running a marathon, and even worse, I was woefully under trained. Worse than that I knew it and did it anyway! The whole point was to test the knee (duh!), and it passed with flying colors. I knew it would be slow (it was) so I positioned myself at the back of the pack and took my own sweet time. I wasn't really talking about me in in the title; as I was running along about mile 10 ish a young guy comes up and asks, "What's your pace?" He then goes on to explain. " I've been trying to keep up with you. It's my first half and I want to be my friend back there." Well, I'm thinking he's in trouble because I'm on pace for my slowest marathon ever, potentially. He passes me and I see him 2 or 3 more times and he is flagging, his head has dropped and he is hurting. Every time he sees me he smiles....I turned to Micki and said that sometimes I miss being stupid - blissfully unaware, really. He was miserable, struggling, running 13.1 miles and having the time of his life. I thought it was great. We sometimes (well, I do) forget the 'joy' of running. Just the sheer joy of being out there, time or pace be damned. Saturday was great, I never once looked at my watch (heck you could have timed me with a sundial) to see my pace, not once. And I had a blast! On a personal note one of the runners I coach qualified for Boston in her first marathon - I usually recommend people run for fun the first time so they know what to expect, but her training was going so well, we went for it with the proviso that if the wheels came of the wagon she'd back it down and just run for the medal. She had a race plan and she stuck to it perfectly congrats LR! On the tragic side a runner friend (who actually went to Boston with us in 05, I think) ran in Memphis, qualified again, then passed away while we were gone. I say this a lot, but still not enough - have fun out there, enjoy your runs. We never know which run will be our last - we have no guarantees. And please, please give 'flowers' to the living, if you think a compliment, say it. If you love someone tell 'em. Don't let them leave and your thought be, "I wished I had said/done XXXXXX." "If only"...those may be the 2 saddest words in the English Language. So live and love, I like those quotes about "dance as if no one is looking" etc.... If you think it and it's good say it! If it's bad swallow it, do your best, try to win everyday at whatever you do. If you run, run your run, at work, at home, win at being a Mom, win at being a wife (2 different things) win at being a husband, a friend, a person.....Try to win every day. "Never regret! If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's 'bad', it's experience."

Lots of Christmas music running through my head...

2010-12-08T19:48:00Z

and yes I know a lot of folks would say,"there's a lot of room to run'....hahahaha - not funny. Sorry for the delay, but I've had 'real world' issues to deal with and dang, that's time consuming! 1) I see why people get paid for shipping and handling. Though I must admit every time I ship one of my Running Journals I get excited. 2) I'm losing a few of my favorite 'coachees' - their marathons are this weekend; and I'm assimilating some new people into the program, so the one on one coaching is approaching max capacity (and that's a good thing), but it keeps me hoppin'. Run Run Rudolph is in there for all those 'marathoning' this weekend in Huntsville and Charlotte, and it was in there last weekend for the St. Jude's folks. "We'll have to muddle through some how" is my basic plan for Charlotte - some 12 1/2 weeks post knee surgery - the falls under the heading of 'do as I say do, not as I do'. 'One horse open sleigh' (remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer had Rusty the horse eat the 'beeferini' and he (as the Brits say) got the 'wind') - well....that's nothing to do with anything...I just thought it was funny. A group of us ran Tuesday along the Vulcan Trail just before the sun rose and it was magnificent - a beautiful carpet of lights laid out in the valley below. It was cold, more 'crisp' really and clear, clear, clear - a spectacular run. I keep reminding people, and I learned this the hard way, to layer out there. I see people running in sweat pants and flees jackets - Try this, go to Academy or Dick's (heck, WalMart or Target) and buy a compression top - whether you have the body for it or not, THEN put a looser top on over it. I guarantee you'll be warm when you run. If you are really cold natured add 2 tops on, but that would be max. Cold legs? Get a pair of track pants (looser tights) and wear them over regular tights - you'll roast!!! Ladies, if they don't have them in your size head on over to the men and boys departments and get a Boys L or Men's S or M - try 'em on. I'm tellin you! Cold hands? Thin gloves covered by a thicker looser pair - layers! The trick is not to keep cold air out, it's keep your body temp IN - that's 98.6 degrees, bucko. Compression tops are 19.95 and 29.95 - for Nike and other brands; Under Armour is a little more. Always dress as if it were 10 - 15 degrees warmer so you'll avoid over dressing. I get asked a lot about your lungs freezing, like Cher said to Nicholas Cage in 'Moonstruck', "Snap out of it!" Listen, you'll adapt...if we didn't adapt, you think anyone would live in the Yukon Territory? It may take a short run or 2 or going outside for 2 minutes, back in, back out, back in then go run, but it'll pass. "Ooh the weather outside is frightful", well so far this year not as frightful as last year, so here's to a mild winter. Speaking of the holdiays, somewhere in here go treat yourself to something you want, not need, but want. You've worked hard this year, you've run well, or consistently, or even just didn't quit - all are good. Treat yourself - if you followed my long ago suggestion of paying yourself for each mile you run then you have some spare coin. You give to your job, you give to your family, your friends, and quite often to strangers, in a way YOU are Santa Claus so...Santa, on a day other than Christmas, be good to yourself, be proud of yourself and know how great you are. You don't really need to tell anyone (chances are they know it), but just reflect back on what you did well this year - ran a marathon, a half? a 5K? Whatever it was, it most certainly IS an accomplishment. Mentally and 'attitudinally' you need that, it will help you as take off into the next year...and let me be the second one to (after 'you') to say "well done" and to thank you for inspiring me. "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus"...and it scarred me, cause I also saw WHERE she tickled him!

What a day, and it's only half over....

2010-12-02T17:23:00Z

Had a late appointment to train someone this morning so I got to sleep a little extra then I went for a run. It was a short one by design, but since I got rained out Tuesday and had too many appointments yesterday I was like a wino jonesing for Boones Farm. Brother, can you spare a run? Couldn't decide really wear to go, then I remembered the 4 mile Vulcan Trail run; as they say in the texting world OMG! It was incredible. The trail was strewn with leaves, proof positive that Autumn is here and the view off the side of the mountain was truly majestic. You could see all of Jones Valley laid out below, a few plums of smoke from the occasional factory and sun inching it's way along waking the valley below. At one point I had to just stop to drink it all in. I also love that the trail is marked in 1/4's if you know where so I used that to toss in a little speed on the return. I love these days when the run, my inner self, and the world around all seem to melt together into a gumbo of joy. "For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are that you're not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap (or a run!), then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness." –Andy Rooney

I love to do this.....

2010-12-01T16:54:00Z

Do what? You ask - Look for a MAJOR announcement running wise here and on my newsletter (you guys will be the first to know) just after the first of the year. See, now you'll want to know...what? I can't tell you..yet. Sort of "I know what you got for Christmas and I'm not tellin'" in that little sing song obnoxious way. I know something you don't know, I know something... I was thinking about this when I was doing my 10 miles at 'Monkey' and during the 15 last Sunday and I'm pretty sure it'll be on my mind during my long run this weekend - what if I can't get back to where I was, running wise? I wasn't the fastest guy around, but my times were representative, I usually placed in Master's or my age group. I could pretty much run 17 miles whenever I wanted and jumped to marathon distance without much of an effort - now, that's not RACING the marathon, just covering the distance. When I raced a marathon (had a time goal) I worked hard at it. What if those days are behind me? I think I'm okay with it...I think. Here's why, because of lack of 'natural' talent I had to work at it. I did weekly speed workouts, I ran tempo runs, hills, pick ups, pace runs and distance and I enjoyed it. I also run for fun and on a different level I enjoyed that too. I think the reason I'm okay with it is that I got out there and TRIED. I pushed HARD to see what I was capable of, and either came close or was the best I'll ever be. I've tried. I'm not one of those souls who will always wonder what 'could' I have been, running wise. I at least went out and got dirty. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not done - I will channel Dylan Thomas as long as I can (Do not go gentle into that good night.....) but one day, even though I may still "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," alas the light will die. However, as 'Dad' in 'Spamalot' says/sings, "I'm not dead yet."

"Yeah baby, YEAH!!!!(In my best Austin Powers voice)

2010-11-28T20:00:00Z

The plan wasn't to be gone 8 days: but then along came Thanksgiving and a knock on our door and family was here for Thanksgiving. My office is across from the guest room so I just took a blog break - but now it's 'catch up' time and I have a lot and the good news is I'll spread it over a couple of days. First off, Flying Monkey was good for me; I ran my first double digit run since surgery...10 miles. Can you dig it? No, but I can DIGIT, double digit and on those hills? Wow. It was tough, spectacularly beautiful, and rewarding. I needed that. Today was 15 miles - I am doing Charlotte (Thunder Road) the full in 2 weeks dammit, so I'm ramping up. Now would I ever coach someone this way? Heck no! This falls under the heading of "do as I say do, not as I do." I was a little apprehensive, but the run went great. At some point I suppose I'll stop worrying about the knee and just...GO! I did prepare my 'attitude' though, listen, if you think this attitude stuff I'm talking about is silly. It's not silly, it's hokey. Here's the difference, silly is silly - hokey is valid. There's a lot that goes into it, but the gist is this...Life is choices, and we make 'em. Over eat? Under exercise? Job stress? Raining, so you can't run? Kids? "It ain't the snow, the boss, the competition, the spouse, the money, the car, the job, the kids, or your knees - it's you. And it always has been." (J. Gitomer). This morning I reminded myself of all the positive things I've done running, I remembered the injuries I've come back from, the way it felt and how it got better. Then I went out and ran 15 miles. Like Forest Gump, "I just felt like running." Each day (now) I'm reminding myself of what I want to work on to make myself better, to achieve my goals (and yes, the goals are written down); but also and just as important I am reminding myself of what I've done to get me this far. Is your goal to run a Half Marathon? Then remind yourself that you once struggled through 2 miles (but you did it). Once a 5K seemed like from here to the moon, but you did it. 10K? Heck, 6 miles is breakfast! Your short run used to be your long run! Tap into that energy, remember those feelings, use that memory, that energy to propel you to success. Block out the negativity of your job/situation/whatever...if you need to, at the end of the day take a 10 minute walk and dump your brain. You CANNOT and WILL NOT solve the problems of the world, they will be there tomorrow. Use your running like life, each step, each day, each run helps you progress to your ultimate running goal - whatever it is. Can't start running then do a 20 miler. Work won't go away, leave work at work or find time to dump it, and list what needs to be done tomorrow - then enjoy the run. You'll slowly feel your attitude growing more positive....list your successes, put them on your bathroom mirror so you'll see them each morning before you go run...or put them in the bathroom...where ever you um, spend the most time in the morning. Make the choice to BELIEVE in yourself, to encourage yourself and to remind you of your successes. No more negative self talk...no more, starting now. You have been successful before, and you will be again, believe in you and make it happen - one day at a time....

Some days are diamonds.....

2010-11-20T17:06:00Z

and today was certainly one of them! With the sun rising over the mountain and long strokes of sunlight escaping from the clouds; it was an incredible start to a really fun run. We did a 5 mile preview of the Sam Lapidus Montclair Run for my Run University group. It's a good run sponsored by the Levite Jewish Community Center every Thanksgiving Day, been around for years. They named it after young Sam Lapidus and I encourage you to read about him in their materials. In 'The Bucket List' Carter tells Edward about the ancient Egyptians going before the gods to gain admission into the hereafter. They are asked 2 questions, 1) "Did you find joy in your life?" (Running brings me great joy) and 2) "Did you bring joy to others" - well I find joy and inspiration to be not too terribly different on the providing end and Sam Lapidus did that. I did not know him, just read about him, but in his short time he has created a legacy. the inspiration and power of others can certainly help inspire and push YOU to new heights. Back to the run.....Great turnout, good weather, terrific group and confidence was everywhere! They now are having 'Aha'! moments about their running. 5 miles? Nothing to it....Confidence is a funny thing in running, it comes along so slowly that you really don't realize it - perfect case in point: The Indomitable Nicole has had several friends start the program, ground zero, no real running before. The first time they had to run 2 laps, they were panic stricken. Now, 12 weeks later, they run 5 miles with regularity, they wake her to go to some runs and their observations and questions are all about running. They have become true athletes and I don't think they even realize the transformation. We've improved and increased so gradually that running 3, 4, and 5 miles is common place while others can't imagine running ONE mile. It's a beautiful thing to wake up and go run with friends, new or old. This morning I ran part of the way with one group and the girls (ladies) were dressed to kill running wise; they had the color wheel ON! The fun thing was we talked about funny stuff and graduated to You Tube (the double rainbow...funny, put to music, funnier!) and the Shake Weight. Good times. People hear me talk about this stuff, the distance, the runs, the fun and they'll say to me, "I can't imagine doing that." Funny.....I can't imagine NOT doing it.

It's about time.....

2010-11-18T20:25:00Z

I decided to bite the bullet, my knee still stiffens up but I can either s l o w l y pull the band aid off or I can RIP it right off - so today I did my first set of speed work.....ow....I teach Spin tonight and then I go run an easy 4 with the Mercedes Training Group so it will be the toughest test to date. I don't always 'do as I would teach' but today I did - just a series of straights and curves to get the legs used to rapid turnover. I'll continue that next week with some 'pick ups' thrown in before I actually hit the track for intervals. It was a little unwieldy, but damn it felt good! A little cloudy this morning, but every otherwise it was a great morning to run; cool but not too cool...nice! I'm putting together a 'life lesson' on attitude changing and I'm going to experiment on myself first to see if it works. I find lately I need to 'adjust' my attitude more than I used to and I'm not sure why. Traffic bugs me less, but people are not only getting on my last nerve, they are getting on my first nerve and I'm letting it (I think) interfere with my running - which I know makes me happy. I'll keep you posted...I'm looking forward to the challenge. For the 2nd time in 12 years we're not running the Atlanta Half and now the marathon is dead and the half is unrecognizable. Every Thanksgiving morning we awoke in Atlanta and rode MARTA out to Chamblee then ran all the way back to Ted Turner Field passing under the Olympic Rings. When we first started it wasn't a big deal, then it grew and grew till it sold out at around 10,000. The Atlanta Marathon (can you say difficult? Of course you can...) always hovered at <1,000. That's why it died, too damned hard! We volunteered, we ate at the Vortex, Fat Matt's, South City Kitchen, 1 MidTown, Two Urban Licks and a bunch of other places (trust me on ANY of these!). It was always fun. This year we decided just to stay home for no reason. Now it looks like we'll have to go back once more to run the new course. It's all through downtown/midtown and by all the 'sites' or most of them anyway and you still pass under the Olympic Rings which to me was worth the price of admission. They reminded me each time you finish regardless of your ability, you are rewarded for your consistency, your determination and desire. Somewhere inside of you, if you'll let it come out, you'll have a 'feeling' of victory; you'll have YOUR gold medal moment. If for no other reason than to award yourself for the effort; try to feel it when you finish, it's in there. Let it shine...all the way through....

When I'm right, I'm right!

2010-11-15T14:46:00Z

And I was right about Saturday, beautiful day, Highland was laid out in all of it's glory and my run went wonderfully well. Again, at this point in time a 'successful' run is one that is pain free, and it was. Slowly my attention is turning to distance; I have a few marathons on the horizon and one is just a long training run. However if I don't get my distance up it's going to be a long MISERABLE training run. I'm sprinkling in some pick ups and soon I hope to get to the track on a regular basis. The hardest part has been trying to reverse this weight gain process that I've been saddled with. I was inactive for 4 weeks and my body apparently thought HOLIDAY!!! I went from burning up 4,000 - 5,000 calories a week to 'nada'. Now I'm a little 'mooshie' and can't quite seem to melt the stuff away. Okay, first off, no, I'm not giving up beer, ain't gone happen no way no how. I am eating smarter and I did restrict calories to a point, but at some point it becomes torture and I didn't want the Geneva Convention guys or Amnesty International people coming around and arresting me for being mean to me. How would that look in today's paper, "Fidel Castro has been censured by Amnesty International for being mean to the people of Cuba." Anyway, that's my real focus - getting my weight back to wear I'm comfortable, not over done. People can't seem to realize that if you lose too much weight then you IMPAIR your performances. You don't have the strength or energy to perform at all, much less perform well, but that's another whole topic. Yesterday was a scheduled off day, today is 'bonus run' day (or not) since I Xtrain this evening. My goal is to crack 35 miles this week. I'm going to have to skip Flying Monkey, so my plan is to go up there and volunteer, hopefully run 1/2 the course (still brutal) and maybe volunteer some more. That's another topic for a blog (soap box kinda topic) but if you're injured why not volunteer? How selfish can you be, especially if you like to run races! People tell me, "I can't bear to watch, it hurts, I want to be out there." Yeah? Balderdash! If there are no volunteers, there are no races. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder - if it did you'd still be lusting after your high school crush (if you are I do NOT want to hear about it). Now a distant memory (ahhh, Baby,baby...where did our love go....did I ever tell you I hate the Supremes? Really..hate 'em....don't know why...ANYWAY). Running is a habit and if you distance yourself from it I think it's harder to come back. Change your attitude, volunteer and use those runners to inspire you. Whether you look at it positively - "Man, they look great!" Or, "I coulda placed in my age group" or even, "Ooo this makes we want to run...rehab, rehab, rehab!!!" Or negatively, "It just hurts, if I can't be out there, I don't want to watch." is really a choice, a state of mind, and you DO control that.....okay, so I went ahead and made it a 'topic'....Volunteer, have fun, choose 'positive' mental positions and know I'm suffering from being a tub of goo....there, I summed it up in one sentence....

Beautiful, beautiful....

2010-11-12T16:20:00Z

We have just a few perfect days each year where the the weather is just right, the sun is peeking over the hillside, and the leaves are just beginning to carpet the ground and we are in the sweet spot right now. Short run along Highland today and it was gorgeous. The sun was lighting things up, the temperature was mild and the scenery was real and it was spectacular! Tomorrow we have a longer run planned and I'll go along Highland twice; on days like that I run with great anticipation. They have Ginkgo trees and a few other varieties that are a beautiful golden color still in the trees, then as they fall they create an elegant sea of color. Take a moment or 10 this weekend as you run to notice some of the color, is it as spectacular as in years past? Maybe not, but it is still beautiful. Even a bad run is still a good run os some levels, but when runs fill me with wonder, well that is a different level of special....

And Moses said, "Let my people go!"

2010-11-10T23:01:00Z

If you know anything about me, or have run over 1 mile you know that I don't do snakes and I don't do needles, snakes I just run screaming the other way. Needles are a little more complicated - Tuesday I got my 3rd and final injection of viscosupplementation therapy which is medical speak for they stuck me with a d#^* needle. Oddly the first one was the day we left for Kentucky to run the Bourbon Chase Relay and I was sorta like Rocky talking to Clubber Lang, "Ain't so bad"... the 2nd one HURT, and then the 3rd one Tuesday, SWEET MYSTERY OF LIFE!!! My 'grip' impression is still in the table - wowser! You gotta be cool cause there's this (I hope of legal age) nurse in there built like Bubbles Latour, "Is there anything I can do for you?" "Hold me..." I whimpered...dang I hate shots. The Dr. reassuringly pushes me out the door after I quit crying and let go of the table AND his assistant and says, "In 6 weeks you should be fine." Listen, I was in sales for 20+ years, 'should be' is double speak for 'hope so' and Latin for "NEXT!" I got in 5 good miles before the Dr. and 8 today, so it's coming back. I have NO speed and my breathing is harder than a high schooler in the back seat (do they even do that anymore? Man, going 'parking' used to be an art! Uh, or so I've heard...I was always at the library). I get to drive a lot of early mornings going to meet people I coach and for 80% of you...ARE YOU CRAZY?!? It's dark out there...where something reflective!!! I try to be as nice and considerate as I can, but 1) it's 4:30/5:00/5:30 in the morning, "can you say dark? Of course you can, " and sometimes you guys are running 2 and 3 abreast and I am still asleep. Micki says I 'get up' but I don't 'wake up'. If I can't see you, no matter how considerate I want to be, you're going to either be dead or you're going to get a lot of shots. Be smart - even if you don't like those blinky lights, they weigh what an oz? Then get a reflective band for your ankle and opposite wrist; a small bit of discomfort is way better then a hood ornament up your rear, or tire tracks all over your body. Truthfully, I often forget I have the ankle reflector on, and it's not tiny. Please, be safe, we need you. If a runner did something cool and only runners saw it, would it make a sound? Janet Cherobon comes to Birmingham a week after winning a MAJOR marathon and the local media yawns. That's to be expected from the sports equivalent of a dunce stool group of reporters we have...not only about running and multi-sport, but baseball, tennis, the list goes on and on...they barely know about football and that's all they write about, a little basketball, and then golf...Golf? It's a sport, but they ain't athlete's. Now, when they carry their own bags, and score by time as well as strokes, we'll talk. But the national media...Shalayne Flanagan finishes 2nd in the New York City Marathon..THE MACK DADDY, (only 20 seconds back!), the first American women to finish 2nd in what 20 years? But let her give Cameron Newton $5 and she's all over ESPN. Yeah, I'm an Alabama fan but that's secondary - Cam Newton IS innocent until proven guilty, he ABSOLUTELY deserves the Heisman Trophy, and he's eligible to play, so get back to me when you have something more than innuendo, he said/she said mumbo jumbo. So I've been completely released, discharged, broken and repaired - I just hope I'm not in the running wilderness for 40 years.....

"I love it when a plan comes together." John 'Hannibal' Smith (The A Team)

2010-11-08T18:40:00Z

Have to admit that was a 'guilty pleasure' TV show - how could you not love Mad Dog Murdoch and Mr. T? The 2010 Vulcan Run has been laid to rest and preliminary work on 2011 has begun. It's amazing how it starts out so disjointed and eventually, right before the start gun goes off seems to smooth right out, the 'plan' comes together. Sadly I don't get to run it and many times I don't run that weekend cause I'm just whipped by the time we close it down. With the time change bringing a little extra sleep I decided to go for a little jaunt Sunday morning and though I had NO pep in my step I eked out 7 miles and felt okay. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't meant to be; I wanted to just clear my head. In the last 10 weeks I've been cut on, started a new C210K group, not run, started back running painfully, and scheduled my runs around others since I wasn't able to run every day. So selfishly, Sunday was just for moi!It was a gorgeous day, I ran one of my favorite routes and I felt pretty darn good! Reflected back on Vulcan and what I would change - not much (order more female smalls) and try to figure out ways to increase participation. But I also got to NOT think, just run, just 'be' and that was the best part of the day. I tell my runners frequently that every run (when you're training) should have a plan - even if the plan is to have no plan. Sometimes you gotta just....go....run. I get a week off sort of, then this weekend is the 'unofficial' start of Mercedes Training and the official start is the 20th (a week from Saturday) for those that want to train for the Mercedes Half. Actually this is one of my favorite running/training events. The participants know each other to some degree and they are a lot more confident. Regardless, I do love it - like Patton about war, "God help me, I do love it so." However my reason is much more simple than Patton's, of course he was talking about war and I'm talking about runnining - which ain't always easy. "You can only have fun helping other people have fun if you're having fun doing it." And I DO have fun......

There's got to be a morning after.......

2010-11-07T13:07:00Z

I'm really going to 'date' myself by talking about the original 'Poseidon Adventure' and the theme song sung by Maureen Mcgovern - "There's got to be a Morning After' which was (I think) a song of hope for those surviving a disaster. Well, Vulcan was anything BUT a disaster; we had an incredible finish in the Men's race, we had the winner of a first class International marathon (Marine Corp) win our race for the 4th time in a row and 5 out of the last 6 and we had dozens of Run University's runners complete their first 10K. What a great day!!! Vulcan is one of my favorite races, sadly I can't run it anymore due to official duties. If this is my last year (the Birmingham Track Club decides that) then I'll be right back to running it, if not then we'll try to improve upon it. As always there's a glitch or 2, the annual 'jerking around' Supreme Beverage gives for example but that's to be expected for an event this size. My annual rant - if this were a 'golf tournament' (maybe what 200 participants in a golf tournament?), then Regions, BB&T, Tom Williams, etc etc would be falling all over themselves to offer sponsorships. I get calls from companies I've never heard of who won't pay $500.00 for a sponsorship and we have TWO THOUSAND participants?!? WTH?!?! Can someone help me out here? The Vulcan Run provides a venue that not only offers a training program to get your from 'the couch' to running and helps change lifestyles it promotes health, fights obesity, displays Birmingham in it's best light, brings thousands downtown, helps individuals grow in confidence and feelings of accomplishment. Corporately (which I will say Vulcan Materials strongly encourages their employees to run and pays entry fees), we have virtually no organized participation. Corporate bigwigs - isn't it your job to help reduce expenses? Hasn't it been proven AD NAUSEUM that healthy active employee cost you less (and the state, and the nation) in lower health care and related costs? Fine, don't support Vulcan for whatever reason, but most any moron can se that running and walking helps burn calories, strengthens bones, joint, hearts and lungs and would over time (ain't no magic bullets) INCREASE your net profits. I just shake my head over the lack of organized community involvement in running/multi-sport activities. For any objection you want to give me - explain why New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Nashville the list goes on and on find financially beneficial to SHUT THE CITY DOWN once or twice (or sometimes more) for annual running events. Running brings in MILLIONS of tourism dollars...that's 'millions' with an M and it is plural. They didn't just 'happen' - the original New York City Marathon was 4 loops plus around Central Park. The original Peachtree Run had what, 112 participants? Downtown Birmingham is beautiful, we have rolling hills and some great potential courses...shame shame on our business community. That being said, what an awesome day it was yesterday! I watched runners, beaming, running, shining as they created a kaleidoscope of color and form coursing through the asphalt veins of our city....it was incredible!!!! A ton of planning goes into laying out the event and I am eternally grateful to the volunteers that crop up year after year to stand in heat, cold (yesterday), and rain to make sure the run goes well. Without volunteers, there is no Vulcan Run....when my brain returns to normal (don't say it!), I'll try to write a little about what all goes into something like this - from porta-lets (almost forgot them this year), to other organizations undermining you (wth does 'Duck's Unlimited' do anyway?), to unbelievable cooperation (Kevin Arrington at Boutwell, the Mayor's office) it is surreal sometimes to see it all come together...but come together it does...35 years in a row....I'm still smiling from watching you guys parade up 20th Street...There is a morning after and you, and I are better, healthier, happier and more confident today because of the Vulcan Run.

Dadgummit!!!!!

2010-10-29T17:59:00Z

I think it's the 'spell check' - so bear with me, I'll try to do this one without spell check; sometimes my brain goes faster than my fingers. So, we go to Kentucky but right before we leave I go to the Dr. for my knee and YAY! He releases me...darn good thing too, since I left there to go meet my peeps for ROAD TRIP to the Bourbon Chase. The basics: It's a 200 mile team relay - each team has 12 runners, 2 vans (6 each) plus 2 drivers in each van - and how they did this before Garmin I will NEVER know. One drives and the other navigates, talk about a thankless job!!! So off we go - We start at the Jim Beam Distillery (hate that!) so yes, my day started with Bourbon tasting...almost ended there too, but my team mates pulled (drug? dragged?) me out. We're OFF! So we pile in Van 1 and head to the exchange point and we do this for every leg. The average leg was 6 miles +/- with one person getting the shortest legs and one the longest. I was hoping that since I was physically impaired I would get the short legs...ha! I was the anchor leg for our van, the last runner in each of 3 segments. Segment 1 was pretty uneventful - I was a little out of practice 'race' wise as I was reminded after sucking 'O' after the first mile. I had to remind myself MY goal was to run pain free, so I backed it down and had a really nice run. This isn't quite 'coal' country up there, but it's not New York City either; I see lots of farmland...ordinary Alabama type farms, dilapidated houses, stuff like that. Segment 1 is in the books - one thing we did discover, Ky is H I L L Y and I don't mean 'gently rolling hills' either....man! More on that in Segment 2 - or The Devil Went Down to Kentucky...Now we are in the heartland, we've each run a bunch, no shower and we're off again. My leg starts at 2:30 A.M. and it's graded 'Easy'....easy my #($@! It's dark, it's cold and I'm on my way to Danville. I've seen sunsets on the run, sunrises on a run and full moons on the run, but never in the same 12 - 14 hours...till now. It's actually very quiet, eerily beautiful as I run bathed in moonlight with no sound except my rhythmic footsteps. I see the "1 Mile to go" sign and then I see THE HILL! Wait, wasn't this rated E for easy? Sister Mary Francis!!! It's a hill like from Homewood (or Birmingham) to Vulcan...only a mile long! No longer is it just the rhythm of my footsteps it's the gasping of breathing couple with my moans, groans and oh yeah cursing that sounds like an angry orgy! I turn left onto the Main Street and hand off to Tom (lead runner of Van 2) at 3:30 ish, catch my breath and head to the van. Most everyone is asleep and we head to the hotel for a nap and shower. Ahh,the hotel. It was 'billed' as a golf resort, yeah like Pet Sematary was Happydale. It's the Bates Motel on a bad day, but it's a bed and shower except I just ran 6 miles in 40 degree weather and I am AWAKE! We fall into bed and then 2 hours later we're in the shower and headed out - you REALLY need to be friends to do a relay together (5 people, 1 shower - 20 minutes...oh yeah!). We're off to Heavenly Hills Distillery to meet the other van to start our 3rd and final segment. Did you know bourbon is really quite good when you need an early morning 'pick me up'? Rocket fuel!!!! My leg is last and I start off on ANOTHER hill, oy! I'm in horse country and million dollar homes I've seen, but million dollar barns are new to me. Some of it is like a picture post card, just stunning as the trees put on a cavalcade of colors limbs reaching for one another across the road on a clear, clear day. I pass a stud horse, out in his blanket like a rich man strolling out for the morning paper in his robe and slippers. What a life! You live in a million dollar barn, and do nothing but the 'bumpa' with mares all day...he probably eats too to keep up his 'energy'. I could do that (metaphorically speaking, horses don't appeal to me in 'that' way - ever heard the term 'stump broke'? Uhh, me neither) but *sigh* I'm just out for a run. I pass the ' 1 Mile' sign and then another runner. I give them the thumbs up as I pass I just hear an utterance, "This is BRUTAL"! "One mile" I toss back over my shoulder,"it's all we have." I turn into Woodford Reserve (oh yeah), I see Tom, quick hug and as I give him the 'baton' I tell him, "Van 1 is over and OUT!" We head in to our finish line hotel, shower a burger and a beer...okay 5 - then to the finish line to catch up with Van 2 as our last runner comes in and we officially finish. It's pretty cool, Danielle led and we all ran across behind her, team photo, more beer! This relay stuff isn't for everyone. If you REALLY like bourbon you probably can't afford this one & probably won't finish! We went to 8 distilleries and had tastings at 7...which one WAS the cheap-o? We were lucky, we had 12 great team mates, no problems, just running and funning - except for the whole lack of sleep thing. Again, it's where your brain will amaze you - we were all up at the finish, went to party a little and stayed up till 8 or 9 - so 36 hours 'ish' with little or no sleep. The goals were to run pain free and have fun...Mission Accomplished. Learned a little something too - I can run tough courses, I can stay up and function mentally and physically a long time, especially when I have too (couldn't quit, the team would have DNF'd) and I can still drink whisky EARLY. Good friends who became better friends, good whisky, good running = Good times, real good times.

The rest of the story....

2010-10-26T19:25:00Z

Day 4 - my poor wife says "I can't run today, I'm still too beat up." And I know how she feels, however a nice EASY 7 miles this morning felt okay, more encouragement. As with any event some teams do race the Bourbon Chase and I found it really interesting that after 200 miles only :45 seconds separated the top 3 teams! And to me the more 'fun' part of the weekend was seeing and hearing the names of the teams called out - some are quite adult oriented puns and you know I love 'em, but this is not the place for an education of that sort - no time to explain son! So here are a few of my favorite Team names...and yes, a few teams referenced George Dickel which is a Tennessee whisky and very different to the discerning palate than Kentucky Bourbon (different process)- but why let that stand in the way of creativity...if the organizers didn't mind, who am I to question? All Grain, No Pain Running A Still 12 Little Dickels Beasts of Bourbon Children of the Fermented Corn Bourb Your Enthusiasm Hunka Hunka Bourbon Love Dickel Me, Elmo and my personal favorite: Drunk and Inappropriate So with the knee's final exam passed we shall have no more discussion of it - thank you for your patience. Time to focus on the future: Flying Monkey Marathon (still a possibility), Charlotte Marathon (long training run) and Houston Marathon......

The Fellowship of the Runs

2010-10-25T15:14:00Z

Blue Moon......

2010-10-21T10:55:00Z

Sometimes it is really hard to stay upbeat, people disappoint you then things seem to snow ball argh! So, I started to give a bit of rare and true insight from someone who tries to stay positive as much as possible. Then I realized a) no one really gives a rip (not really...they can identify, but they have their own problems) and 2) dwelling on things and people that disappoint you is just as harmful if not 'worser' than letting it go. Much like a bad run, what do you do? Why the next day you get back on that horse and go! People will always fail you; that, as my friend Greg once said after 112 Miller Lite beers (how does he drink that stuff), "is what makes life...life." The bonus is that they can always surprise you too, and the joy from a friend's surprise, that unexpected phone call, text, e-mail, invitation or just something that says, "hey, we ARE friends and I'm glad" is so deeply joyful. I've seen rainbows in London, sunrises over the Mount of Olives and stood in Agamemnon's throne room, and none of it compares to how a friend can make me feel. A great run with a friend can set the tone not only for the day, but for several days. It doesn't have to be anything deep and profound, you don't even have to talk much...it was just being there, meeting, starting, and finishing. I never think about it WHEN I'm running with someone like that, but hours later or even the next day I'll stop and just smile, even if it's only on the inside when I reflect on how nice the run was, then I realize how good the 'company' was; in can open up a whole can of sunshine! Like the country song says..."That's the good stuff."

What a day this has been, what a rare mood I'm in........

2010-10-16T15:33:00Z

Ran with the 'C210K group' this morning - 6 miles..I have no idea what this means, I think it's an expression of excitement, and I am excited. Everybody does it on Facebook and I don't want to be left out, so....WOOT! Again, I have no idea - I think it's supposed to be 'cool', yet it rhymes with 'poot' so how can it be cool? Admit it! You laughed.... My life is half over and I can't shake the sophomoric humor.....But yeah! 6 miles - we ran the Vulcan course starting at the Fountain - the weather was FANTABULOUS; crisp, cool and the sky was Carolina blue - and I'm NOT a Tarheel fan but there's no denying THAT blue. Just a wonderful run....thanks be to God. Then I treated myself to a little breakfast and the check out lady said, "I see you on the news; yesterday for sure - you on the TV ain't you." I told her yes, once a week and thank you. Ahhh, fame! On the other hand, fame is a double edged sword - leaving CBS42 the other morning I met (briefly) Butch Patrick and Lindsay Loring; you know them better as Eddie Munster and Wednesday Addams (different shows). Okay, I could see a little of Eddie in Butch (still) and he looked a little rough. I mean once you're over 30 you really shouldn't wear do-rags or your hat backwards - there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Lindsay was hotter as Wednesday (prepubescent too!) than today...and that was scary. Billy Donovan (UF basketball coach...and a good one) looks more like a grown up Eddie Munster to me...I have to admit I loved the Addams Family. John Astin as Gomez (what a great name) was classic....newspaper reporter knocks on the door; Gomez opens it, "How do you do, I'm Brown, from the Sun." Gomez, "Well you certainly don't look it." (think about it.....). He's also Sean Astin's dad (Frodo, Rudy...) - enough of that. Thank you, Thing. Well, I still have to be smart so I won't run tomorrow, and maybe Monday off for an extra rest day - then off we go! Well, okay, not officially till Thursday when I see the doc again - 6 weeks post surgery...but if he says so I'll be officially back in the game. BUT, since I don't want to do anything stupid (what? who? me?!?), I'll keep it to every other day (after Bourbon Chase), then I'll try to get back in the game. It's 15 weeks to Houston, my next 'serious' run. I've got Flying Monkey (hopefully) and Charlotte (long run for Houston) looming, but Houston is the target. I hope you all enjoyed today as much as I did. I'd like to think that I would have loved running today even if it wasn't my first '6' in a while just because it was such a pretty day!

"Stupid is as stupid does, Mrs. Blue"

2010-10-12T19:01:00Z

Or should I be like some love struck teen ager (just my maturity level) rolling in at dawn singing "Oh what a night...." I taught Spin (cycle) class last night then the C210K group for a run this morning. I took the shorter option, on account of I'm a genius, and ran an easy 4 with them. Beautiful sunrise, 'Goldilocks' temperature - not too hot, not too cold....juuuust right! Just a damn fine morning! Though I could tell my leg/knee was a little tired it was more the calf than the knee and I think from class last night. Then I met a lady that I coach individually and run 2 more EASY miles, nonetheless, I knew I was "one toke over the line"....so now my calf is sore (expected) and my knee is 'tender' - so I'm thinking along the lines of Forrest Gump here. On the other hand I got to move, I got to sweat, and with the next 36 hours off from running I bet (hope) that I'm back to feeling like a million bucks. Tomorrow it's 5 weeks, so it's time to move and groove. I go back to the Dr. Thursday week and if he doesn't have a polygraph I figure I'm in the clear. It's easy to 'preach' patience when you don't have to be patient, however anyone who has run for any period of time has experienced an injury. Hopefully by that time the 'hook' will be set and you will really want to get over your injury and get back out there. Unfortunately all injuries aren't equal, nor are all Dr.'s. I'll leave that alone....for now. One bit of advice I have is from observation as well as personal experience is do NOT remove yourself from the 'running experience'. If you have friends who run, go watch them race, go to the post run social gatherings - meet up for coffee once a week or so; absence does NOT make the heart grow fonder. Absence makes the 'distance' grow greater; the more you are away from it, the less exposure you have to it thus the less likely it is you'll want to return. Running is fun and it's a habit - after a few weeks you fall out of the habit, you sleep in, have coffee and read the paper then get showered and go to work or whatever new routine you form; then THAT becomes habit. So make a little time to volunteer, meet your friends, go to post run coffee or beer or YOU invite THEM (Hey, tell me that you're buying and I am THERE!) then hang out a little, listen to their stories and as good friends will, they'll encourage you to hang in there and make you WANT to get back out there. Exposure (the good kind) makes the heart yearn for what it loves; and you'll see that your running and more importantly your running friends, love you and want you back.....I've been there and people were wonderful to me (still are), and I intend to 'pay it forward'. If you're not injured, count your blessings and be the kind of friend you would want if you WERE injured; if you are injured - hang in there, make getting back a part of your training (swim/bike/spin/aqua jog/lift weights - whatever) and stay exposed. I'll be glad to help if I can, just e-mail me, and in the words of Michael Jackson, "I'll be there." Oooo Oooo Oooo, just look over your shoulder baby! (last line of the song....too much?) News flash! Danny's Running Journal is going to print - It's dated (hate those I have to put in my own date), has monthly essays (if you're read my e-mails, similar), good paper (I have no idea what 'stock' it is, I just know it's good), and room for mileage (daily and cumulative), weather, route, and comments and 'tips' for the new and experienced (though nothing for the 'know it alls').....It'll be offered on the website soon.

Old habits die hard...or should I say "Yippee!!!!"

2010-10-10T16:43:00Z

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

2010-10-08T13:04:00Z

Kind of an odd week, knee wise - Monday I taught my first Spin class (cycle class) since surgery and was pleasantly surprised at how good my knee felt and how well it responded. Tuesday pretty good, Wednesday was awful, it was still and hurt all day. I hate days like that, it feels like I'm never going to be back to running. Then came Thursday - started out feeling pretty good. Then I met a lady I coach individually mid-morning at Mt. Brook track and I had to 'jog' 15 - 20 yards a couple of times to stay ahead of her and.....hmm, that feels pretty normal. I remember (vaguely) feeling normal. only now instead of normal it feels GREAT! I tempered my enthusiasm with the fear (knowledge?) that it might stiffen up.....nope. Spin class at 4:30 and I did not hold back (cute girls in class always make me work harder), and my knee felt even better than Monday. I'm beginning to feel like a kid on Dec 22.....anticipation is building. It's been 4 weeks, so I'm going to run Sunday...very easy, very short (3 'ish'). Then regardless it gets Monday off and depending on how Sunday felt, we might go again. I'll stay on that every other day for a bit to let it recover and re-acclimate itself to running (and the rest of my un-used body too). I know I've said this before about the song 'Big Yellow Taxi' and Joni sings, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone..." Well I did know - I had the surgery (elective) so I could return to running even 'more better'. That doesn't help with missing it right now. A parallel (sort of) is like my current R101 group - they will run their 1st 5K tomorrow and I know they are excited. I'm excited for them. I'll run Sunday, don't want to wish my life away, but I'm ready for it to be here. Unlike my R101 group I may not be successful - they will be, I may hurt. But I'm excited about trying, I have hope. Without hope we wither and die. If you never believe it'll get better (whatever 'it' is) then you are living in a cold gray world. R101 knows they'll run a 5K, they HOPE for a 10K - I know I'll run Sunday, I hope I'll run pain free. Hope springs eternal - we have a bad run today, we hope it'll be better tomorrow. What ever is bad in your life, have hope that it will get better. You have to take action and that can make hope and realization so much more meaningful. If you 'hope' you'll lose weight as you open another bag of chips, then that's really not even hope, that's wishful thinking (with a dash of delusion). But if you exercise and eat smart your hope will come to fruition. The late Rev. John Claypool said once that "Despair is presumptuous." It is, "Oh woe is me" will do nothing for you but leave you in that cold gray place. You 'presume' the worst - but if you take action against the negative forces in your life then a seed of hope is planted and it slowly grows larger as you grow 'brighter'. It will spring eternal until one day your hope becomes your goal ACCOMPLISHED. All in all I'm excited about this weekend, more important - I'm hopeful.

A little bit of Flo Rida comin atcha....

2010-10-05T20:15:00Z

"You spin me right round baby....." First real physical action in almost 4 weeks last night when I returned to teaching Spin classes, boy it felt good to sweat! And (while we're quoting musicians and songwriters) in the words of Jimmy Buffet, "Things were better off than I had feared....." My knee hadn't felt great for a day or 2, nothing bad just no progress. What progress I was having was coming in inches and I'm wanting yards (actually miles, to be honest.) so I was getting a little bummed. But after class last night, I got up this morning and dang if it didn't feel way better! Unfortunately it got a little stiff after I had to stand for a while, but it loosens back up. Not sure if I'm on the Road to Wellville yet, but I'm ready! Physically this has not been fun, I've gone from burning up 5000 calories a week to ZERO so I'm kinda turning a little mushy. Plus I'm itching to GO...but mentally it's been even harder. I know what I want to do, I watch my runners and 'couch' group run, I meet them and then hang out while they run. Grrrr....I do think in the long run that hanging around will benefit me. I know of too many others that just couldn't 'bear it' so they distanced themselves. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder, it makes a memory even more distant the longer the absence is. You get out of the habit of running, you do different stuff until you can run and just maybe that 'different stuff' becomes the new 'norm'. Then you remember how you 'were' and don't take the time to rebuild; you get disheartened and discouraged until you fall out of love with running. We're not getting divorce, this is just a separation and not even a trial one at that....As soon as I can return to running I will, I'll start slow and easy, then we're going to renew our vows. We've had a 10 and 15 year anniversary (I've pretty much always 'run', but I count the real start from the year I did my first marathon) and just because my knee has to take a little Viagra (no wonder it got stiff!), it's still healthy enough for, uh, activity. Okay - why do the couple in the Cialis commercial sit in seperate tubs? Is the time not right????? I'm thinking if I took one of those 'pills' I'd want her IN the tub WITH me, I'm just sayin'. What's scary is that they do 'focus groups' on that type of stuff and that '2 tub stuff' resonated with the audience...I'm gonna bet THAT audience was mostly women. "You take that pill again and you're not getting near me!" "Come her Mamasita! Aieeeee...." Anyway......Wednesday is 4 weeks, I'm going to teach Spin again Thursday and then Sunday try to run (shhhhh). So we'll see - I'm going to work on this relationship. I've got too much invested in running to let something that's really neither of our faults create distance. As Buffet said " I miss you so badly, hell I love you madly......."

"Keep your eye on the sparrow"...

2010-10-03T15:03:00Z

Now I'm really dating myself, that's a line from the theme song to the TV show 'Baretta' starring Robert Blake, before he allegedly tried to 'whack' his wife, or have her whacked - he's always been kind of a whack job so I hear. Starring in the movie version of 'In Cold Blood' would do that to you. I read the book and KNEW I wasn't going to see the movie. ANYWAY - there's not much to blog about when you can't run. Went to meet my XC kids yesterday and trying to coach 'home school' kids is a challenge at best, unlike most coaches I only get them once a week and that's if their parents consider the work out more important than other 'stuff'. Not sure I'll repeat that, I have enough XC kids that want to get better and faster that I can work with in addition to what they do at school. You can be the fastest, strongest runner around, but if you don't have the desire it will never happen for you. After that my C210K group ran their first 5K in a trial run, I LOVE those smiles! They were coming up 20th street grinning from ear to ear, what's more they were coming up 20th Street finally believing that they were runners! If I can't run the next best thing is to watch others running and having fun while doing so. This afternoon we kick of our next group of Sunday Sessions, sort of a Runner's Boot Camp/Advanced Runners Clinic where we do drills, strengthening and core work for about 90 minutes - it's free and at MBHS. I'll participate more than I usually do to start building the hips/quads/calves even stronger. When I can start running I want to be ready go full bore, wisely of course, but I want to control myself not have a weakness or imbalance hold me back. So we'll see, my plan is to try to 'jog' again next Sunday - that'll be 41/2 weeks post-op. It's better, not 100% yet, but better. Meanwhile I'll keep my "eye on the sparrow" which in my case is not only getting well and running, but getting well completely - that's my 'sparrow'. Talking about desire earlier makes me really appreciate my C210K groups, they are just excited to be running, to think of themselves as athlete's and to accomplish goals. It reminds me of kids running. All too often I hear, "I've never been a runner" or "I can't run." Balderdash! You CHOOSED not to run and all you have to do is go to a kindergarten or elementary school (careful, don't dress is perv clothes!) or a 'Tot Lot' and watch the kids. Count how many times you hear "Johnny/Becky....slow down!" or "Don't run!' Then count how many times you hear, "Becky/Johnny, run!" We ALL used to run, that's what kids do. As we get older we switch to our 'minds' (instead of our brains) and think 'can't' way too often. Nobody has a sign in their front yard that says, "Nice dog here" or 'Beware of good dog" - I watched those people who now think can instead of can't and will, instead of won't. Give it a stab, try a longer run, a new route a faster pace. Make your running mantra, "I can, I will". I love that, wish I'd thought of it but I saw it on a half marathoner's shirt in Omaha - the front read, "I can, I will" and on the back it said, "I am a runner." His desire was on the front of his shirt, his belief on the back and his sparrow, the finish line.

The Kubler-Ross model for injury...

2010-09-30T19:52:00Z

Most of us have heard of the 5 Stages of Grief or death - Denial, Anger Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance - I wondering if there's not some sort of 'model' for injury, especially surgery... I was Optimistic, now I'm Depressed (wish 'depressed was a funny word like 'randy' and I could do an Austin Powers "Did the surgery make you Deeepressed, baby?" " Do I make you depressed baby".......wait a minute, don't answer that) anyway...... depressed just sounds, well, depressing. Maybe that's it - might a 3rd stage of sheer excitement when the Dr says, "Gedouddahere...and go run" then there'll be trepidation....Sports psychology is easy compared to whacked out people like me grieving injured or injured grieving. I can see where injured people sometimes don't come back - they remove themselves from contact cause they don't want to see runners since they can't run; it's painful. I'm guess I' masochistic (always backwards - masochistic from a guy who's deathly afraid of needles...shouldn't I be sadistic SOMEHWERE in here? Okay, that's rhetorical...) but I go watch the runners, some Wednesday nights, I always meet me C210K groups - it keeps the fire lit...okay, right now it's sparks flickering, but soon the good Dr will release me and the fire will rage yet again! This Saturday is the Hueytown 5K/10K and the Montgomery Half; kind of shame 2 quality races are on the same weekend when we have so many other crappy races on other weekends - here's hoping Hueytown moves theirs (pretty sure Mgmy won't move) but if Hueytown did it the week before (last week end in Sept) it would be a dynamite time trial leading up to Mgmy...just a thought. More later, putting it down in words made me feel better, I'm going in off the ledge now.....

Guerrilla Warfare & some reflections....

2010-09-28T14:17:00Z

By 'guerrilla warfare' I mean some hit and run news items.... Tonight Tuesday 9/28 - ESPN 7:00 on their 30 for 30 series - 'Into the Wind' the Terry Fox story - watch it, DVR/record it and watch it again. If ever there was a better example of courage and the power we ALL have (yes, YOU) to make a difference with nothing more than a dream and desire...Terry Fox was the example....one last thought: as you watch it, use his story, his desire, to fuel your own passion. Let it inspire you to dream, to reach. In life Terry didn't finish his run but he reached his goal. His inspiration, his legacy, created the world's largest one day fund raiser for cancer research. I care now more than ever as a dear, dear friend lost her battle with cancer over the weekend; she was one of the true saints. I'm certain that when she got to Heaven's Gates there was no line for her and today she is finally resting comfortably, dressed in the robes of God's Love that we earthbound can't even comprehend. Those robes will fit her perfectly..... Runner's Boot Camp for Beginners and Advanced Running Clinic starts Wednesday 10/6at 6:00 a.m. The 2 will run simultaneously though be nothing alike. Wednesdays at 6:00 a.m. and Sunday's at 4:30 - Sunday sessions will be lengthy. Cost is $125.00 You will get stronger, leaner, and run more efficiently going further with less effort - if you try at all. Thursday p.m. group runs move to 6:00 p.m. at Independent Presbyterian Church from now till Spring. Knee is healing, just not fast enough dammit! Still 'aware' of it and not quite able to run (willing, but not able)....rehab is progressing, still missing Jessica Rabbit but have a healthy respect for Attila. Went and watched the Omaha Marathon this weekend (THAT hurt), but M had fun and ran well. It's a great town, but a tough marathon - Nebraska has hills...who knew? And I mean hills like Ridge in Mt. Brook (if you remember the 3rd edition of the Mercedes Marathon, or run down it on the Sun Rise Run). Nice medal, tough course, cool finish, but they charge for beer, argh!!!! A great town to visit, the half is a good course, but (based on what I was told) the marathon is not a do-over. On to re-hab, goal of the Bourbon Chase Relay, Flying Monkey, Charlotte, and Houston.....

He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good......

2010-09-21T17:52:00Z

Sounds better when you sing it....Back to the Dr. today and we talked about my knee; bottom line we have a philosophical difference of opinion. I want to run and he doesn't want me to run. Apparently the meniscal repair went really well but the 'bonus' work he did in there takes longer to heal. Dang they said it 3 times in front of my and it sounded a lot like colonoscopy but I've had one of those so I'm sure that wasn't it. Whatever kind of 'oscopy' it was, it takes longer to heal. He didn't say NOT to run, but some 'mumbo jumbo' about 'cross training' and 'lack of high impact' for right now then some other high falootin stuff.....cross training, cross dressing - too much alike. So if I can't do 'high' impact, does that mean 'low' impact is okay? (Rhetorical question). I happened to be at Mt. Brook track mid-morning coaching one of my 'peeps' and while she was running I thought, "huh, maybe just a light jog on the really soft grass (low impact) just to test drive this bad boy. Ahhhhhhh, those few 'steps' were mother's milk! I'm thinking by the weekend? Also had to endure PT with a new therapist (I was at different location so Dr. could see me too)...okay it's amazing how much fun PT can be when your therapist is a knock out! Holy Cow!! I mean I had to ask her over and over again how to do stuff, it was c o m p l i c a t e d. I was confused - so she had to show me, again, and again, and....well you get the picture. I scheduled 8 sessions with her tomorrow, so much better when you go from Attila the Hunney to Jessica Rabbit!!! Of course I told her I'd still respect her profession in the morning! Thus begins the countdown - he didn't exactly say, "let pain be your guide" but that's what it sounded like to me.

Terry Fox, and some really good moments...

2010-09-17T22:22:00Z

I had been planning on writing about Terry Fox for several weeks and last night during our R101/R201 celebration for them running 2 and 4 miles respectively I was talking about doing just that when one of the girls (ladies) I was talking to who is herself a 'delayed onset adult athlete' said excitedly, "I know all about him"...and she did. That brief bit of 'magic' got me off my duff for part of this blog....I became familiar with Terry Fox when Micki and I went to Vancouver with Team In Training (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) to run the Vancouver Marathon. 2 words... DO IT! We were there with Al and Kenny and a few others; in fact later one participants daughter did R101 and I later coached her in Cross Country...but enough about me...Terry Fox was a young athletic Canadian who at 18 was found to have cancer. They had to amputate his leg. Rather than wallow in self pity he decided (and it is a decision) to turn his personal tragedy in triumph. He wanted to raise money and awareness - his goal was 1 dollar for each Canadian, $24 million...so began his Marathon of Hope. We've all heard of Dean Karnazes doing 50 marathons in 50 Days (didn't a guy from Mississippi do it before Dean? To raise awareness of Katrina's damage in Ms.? Sam Johnson? I should know that)....anyway, this was back in 1980...with ONE LEG, he decided to run across Canada. So he dipped his shoe in the Atlantic in New Brunswick and set off. Initially he drew little attention and much skepticism, but slowly Canada took notice. In the beginning it was just Terry, a few friends and a van. No traveling masseuse, no dietitian...just a kid really, with one leg trying to cure cancer. Today Terry Fox is a national hero, his foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and in 1999 he was named Canada's greatest Sports Hero. There are numerous schools, roads, highways, and even a mountain named after him. He was honored with a postage stamp, but sadly he saw none of it. His cancer spread during the run and he was forced to abandon his quest , but only after running 3,339 miles in 143 days. That's an average if over 23 miles a day, just shy of a marathon a day on 1 leg. He died shortly thereafter but his desire and effort left a legacy that is still growing today. He is remembered annually with the Terry Fox Run that is the world's largest one day fundraiser for cancer research. Let that sink in...WORLD'S largest....Terry Fox, the greatest runner no one in the States has ever heard of and one of the greatest people... That was kind of a magic/happy moment and compounded by remembering the fun we had in Vancouver. Then today before I went ion to see Attila the Hunney a song came on country radio...yeah, my Sirius receiver died (not so magic moment) and my wife put it on country...that'll inspire me to get my duff to get it fixed. BUT, had the circumstances not allowed...I heard a re-make of one of my favorite all time songs that I had completely forgotten about (I know, favorite, but forgotten..) by Sonia Dada...hey, I didn't name the band. So off to I Tunes I go and poof another Magic Moment in my day. Plus getting some errands accomplished and just small stuff...but good stuff. If I can't have a great run, I can dream of them while I do other stuff...Tuesday is the day with the Dr...fingers crossed. I would say I'd bribe him with a 50 to let me run, but he probably lights his cigars with 50's.....Here's hoping you have some 'magic moments' in your days this weekend....and forever more.

So, we're off to PT

2010-09-15T16:53:00Z

Legend has it that Attila the Hun was responsible for the deaths of 10's of thousands....well, I realized through my own research that his great, great, great etc. grand daughter is a physical therapist. Yep, I went to Attila the Hun -ney. If she ever wants to change career's I'm sure she can get work with the World Wrestling Federation - I mean this girl could clean Rowdy Roddy Piper's clock!! We're trying ...okay... no 'we' to it, she's trying to put range of motion back into my knee; who knew you could only get range of motion while being locked in the 'pretzel' hold? She also employed electrical stimulation, well she called it that - I called it a cattle prod. ZZZT...ZZZZT. "Let me know if it gets painful....." I thought the tears running down my cheeks might give THAT away. There were 2 other victim's, er patients tied to the rack in there, sort of a holding room for the Spanish Inquisition.... It has to be done and I'm pretty encouraged by the results so far, though I don't get a follow up visit with the Dr (and hopefully my 'release') till next Tuesday. I did make the 1st appt of the day - 7:00. Think it would be overkill to sleep outside of his house Monday night? I'm behaving, I have to; I've gone from burning around an extra 5,000 calories a week to ZERO. I'm like 'Tigris' in Kung Fu Panda trying to exist off the dew of off plants and absorbing the energy of others; tell that to my stomach. ALso those nights I used to go to bed tired cause I ran X number of miles that day? HELLO 4 A.M. Now I'm up and running around like Ricochet Rabbit - one of the ladies I train I meet at 5:00 a.m....today I was EARLY!!!!!! To TRUSSVILLE!!!!! This ain't right. I bought a voodoo doll...Tiny Dan, and I'm pouring glucosamine and chondroitin on it's knee and offering his knee to all the mommies I see; you know how Mom's are always, "You want me to kiss it and make it well", or "Can I kiss it and make it feel better?" Better the Tiny Dan doll get slapped than me; and hey! If it works.....I'll keep you posted. Back to Attila the Hunney Friday, the Doc on Tuesday...by the way, that's not thunder; that's my d^*# stomach rumbling!!!!

The next step...be a champion today....

2010-09-12T14:34:00Z

I'm AALLLIiiive!!

2010-09-09T10:33:00Z

Dum da dum dum.....or An ounce of prevention....

2010-09-08T10:26:00Z

That's "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I know (believe me, I know) that once you really get into this running/exercise/fitness stuff that it can be an addiction; especially if you have an 'addictive' personality. But your body can only handle so much and when it's fed up it will let you know, kind of like a woman. The difference is usually, eventually the woman will forgive you (she'll never let you forget whatever it was, but she'll forgive you....sorta), your body won't. If you don't rest a pulled calf (for ex.) then it will NOT get better. You can't train through it. I love to run, more than that I love to run PAIN FREE. My lesson for today is simple - though I'm undergoing a procedure, it's not that different from shutting down till your calf/ankle/heel/foot/quad do forth and so on QUITS hurting. Not till "it's better" which loosely translated means 'it still hurts, just not as bad', but quits hurting. Step one is to get your head wrapped around it - you know you have to shut down, so shut down. Make your down time part of your training. I'm not saying head to Milo's, then Ben & Jerry's, I'm saying make getting well a priority. If you need to rest, say a sore knee, rest it. If you're about to 'pop' use this time to improve another aspect of your body or training. Work on a stronger core, you don't need knees for that. Get a trainer or a coach or a really smart person to show you planks, then variations on those planks that will work everything NORTH of the 'border' (your hips). Hit the gym, use a roman chair for your glutes, sit ups/crunches shoulder work - practice good arm technique with weights...what have you wanted to improve along with your running? Wanted to lose those 5 pounds, or develop a '6 pack' or stronger shoulders? Good time to do it...make THAT your training focus as your 'knee' (or whatever) heals/recovers. All running and nothing else is fine until you lose that running even temporarily, pizza is good too, but I don't want it every day. So that's plan 'A' for me, follow my Dr's advice - I have a great friend and fellow runner who's a PT and I swear he's seen it all...except the Met's win a World Series and even though I'm a Braves fan I do wish that for him before he goes to the great trail run in the sky...and I intend to pick his brain. Gather information, see what works for you in recovery...I plan to be active, active, active until I can run, run, run! I'll work out, get my core in better shape, I want a stronger upper body, maybe (for the last time before age catches up) a flat belly with even a hint of a 6 pack (love beer references) ...and when I can work the knee, I'll do what I'm told. Now, if he says I can do 'X' in 10 days...I'll set my watch and be ready to go the second I can, but I want to heal COMPLETELY AND SUCCESSFULLY, so I will rest and recover. Emotionally I'm ready now, apprehensive sure (it's the right knee, the RIGHT knee), and a little...um, relieved that action, corrective positive action is being taken. So mentally and emotionally I'm good, now, how will I feel when I'm in pain from the surgery? I expect to have to rally my focus and inner drive - let the surgically caused pain pass (maybe a beer will help), then plan my workouts. I do plan on watching my diet; not going crazy just going to eliminate unnecessary calories. I can do that (see the mental resolve?). I'm gonna make this kinda like a diary in hopes that (heaven forbid) anything close happens to you, there'll be a road map. Truthfully, if you run far enough and often enough it's gonna happen. The trick to longevity is how you rebound...I plan to make Bret Farve look like a piker with 1 more comeback. My ultimate goal of a sub 20:00 5K may be fading, but I intend to come back better than I was. Yes, I'm older (leave me alone), but "Once a King, always a King....once a knight is enough!" (think about it.......). I'm off to see the 'wizard' (aka surgeon) and I plan to (hope to) be as upbeat and driven post-op. I'll try not to blog until the anesthesia wears off...man, could THAT get me in trouble! Keep rest and recovery as part of your training plan......

Sorry about the time between posts.....

2010-09-06T17:27:00Z

The last 10 days have been incredibly busy for me: I started a new R101 (couch to 10K group), I am Race Director for Fat Danny's Trial by Trail trail run and I (drum roll please) I've had to get my head wrapped around having my knee 'scoped'. I'll bring you up to date and then keep you posted on the range of emotions, trials, tribulations and thought processes I go through - hopefully it'll be a positive educational experience. First off, we've decided to remove Fat Danny's from the B'ham Track Club - sadly there's no interest from the BTC in this event. We'll still offer it in 2011, it'll just be a regular 'independent' event. The R101 group is huge! They are digging this too, this may be one of my all time groups! More later as they progress..... During my last long run (Feb 2009) for Mercedes with my group (like 30 witnesses) I stepped into a 'dan-hole' (formerly called manholes) where an unnamed company (who WILL pay for my surgery) and I managed to tear my meniscus. Slight tear (horizontal) so the prognosis is very good (outside of the fact that I won't let it be anything BUT good! Mentally and emotionally I've really been worried - with al the negative what if's so much like Disney I had to re-arrange my thinking. It hurts now, it'll be better, maybe better than in a while (promise of the future), so let's make this surgery part of my training. It has to be done, so let's make it the best surgery ever! That's my thinking, that's my plan, and that's the way it will be!

And now, the rrrrest of the story......

2010-08-27T18:30:00Z

So if Pheidippides ran 25 miles, give or take, I heard the battery on his Garmin died, how did the marathon become 26.2 miles. There's actually some interesting twists and turns in there. The marathon was re-born at the 1896 Olympics and was won by Spirodon Louis,a Greek. Which was a good thing since the 1st modern Olympics were in 1896 IN Greece and the Greeks hadn't medal-ed yet! In March of 1896 they held a qualifying Olympics where Louis finished 5th. The Olympics were 1 month later - see there is something to pacing and taper...told ya. At the 1908 London Olympics it was decided they would have a marathon of "about 25 miles" beginning at Windsor Castle and finishing in the Olympic stadium. Because of certain logistical problems they re-routed the marathon and it was closer to 26 miles, then they would finish in the stadium. Well, more logistical problems cropped up and Queen Alexandra wanted the race to finish at or go past the Royal Box (King Edward was a big 'fan' of the Royal Box) so as they entered the stadium the runners were routed 'clockwise' rather than the customary counter clockwise and the race totaled out to 42 Kilometers +/-. It remained approximate until 1921 were it was set at 42 kilometers or for you Garmin types, 42.195K which translates into 26 miles 385 yards. There's a whole lot more about this race that a running geek like me loves, Dorando Pietro staggering and collapsing several times before race officials actually carried him across the finish (I know how he felt), where he was ultimately disqualified. However the pictures and news stories of the race captivated the hearts and minds of the world and it became known as the Race of the Century....and now you know the rest of the story (if you know who Paul Harvey was). Boston too had it's quirky traditions, for years it was only 25 miles and it started at noon up until a few years ago simply because of tradition. In hte early days the contestants had to ride the train to the start, so they had to start it at noon. It is a difficult course and everyone has heard of 'Heartbreak Hill', well it's not because it's that tough of a hill. In fact it's the 3rd in a series of hills, 'The Hills of Newton' but THAT'S not the reason either. In 1936 defending champion Johnny Kelly (Sr.) caught up to race leader 'Tarzan' Brown (what a great nick name) and as he did so he kind of patted him on the shoulder (or butt). Well, this p. o.'d Tarzan and he ran Kelly down and went on to win the race "breaking Kelly's heart." (according to the news reports of the day) One of the years I ran Boston it was the 2nd hottest Boston ever and is quite the story in it self, I'll save that. Saw 2 of my favorite 'media' personalities out running together with their future track stars; Brooke and Stephanie who both look amazing as new mothers and runners are living proof that life doesn't end for you as an athlete when you have a child (Meredith too, but she's not a media person - just a superstar). It was also one of the first cooler days and it was welcomed with open arms! Just in time too as marathoners get serious for the Fall and the Fall Session of Running 101 and 102 fire up. I love this time of year, the racing season starts right after Labor Day, football, baseball playoffs.....man oh man it's fun.... No more excuses, we have 5K's the Vulcan Run, and so much more as the leaves turn and the air turns crisp....ahhhh.....

The Wisdom of the Ages (or is that of the 'aged')

2010-08-24T18:30:00Z

There was a difference in the air this morning and it was niiiiccceee! I had to coach my XC runners so I didn't get to run until 8:30 ish and damn if it wasn't still (relatively) nice. I actually had dry places on my shorts after we got through. Like Scoobie and Astro say, "ruh?" So Astro's in the future and Scoobie is 'now'; is Astro Scoobies great, great, grand puppy or something? Lot's of little injuries are cropping up on runner's now a days; it's hot, they're tired (leads to sloppy form), the runs are getting long (got to do the long runs) and just maybe inadequate recovery. First off you have GOT to re-fuel your system, period. One of the best recovery drinks out there is non-fat chocolate milk.....okay, beer,but I'm writing this for the masses. You have GOT to re-load! Non fat chocolate milk has a near perfect blend of protein to carbs as well as calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals, plus it's like a buck. If you don't like it or want to use Endurox or whatever, knock yourself out but put SOMETHING constructive back in your system before the post run cheeseburger or breakfast. Second is it just me or do I not hear of many people taking a cold soaking bath after a long run to aid in your recovery? Call me crazy, but if it's good enough for elite athlete's then it's good enough for us. I'm not even suggesting ice, just a cold bath hip bone deep and sit in it for12-15 minutes. There are physiological reasons for this but I'm too lazy to type them out. How about the hard/easy principle? Run an easy recovery run the day after a long, hard, or long and hard workout - the operative word is EASY. Psst, people here's some news - 99% of injuries are CUMULATIVE. Combine wear and tear (hard/long runs with inadequate recovery/rest/easy runs and poor refueling + lack of recovery (cold baths). Sprinkle in being too busy or whatever reason to get the occasional massage and the wear and tear will eventually bring you down. Heck, we all love to run. We love running, racing, medals, shirts, finishing, friends, post run hanging out, we love it! But love your body too, take care of it. Treat your 'chassis' with some love and kindness post run. Re-fuel, bath it (cold bath), feed it, and rub it down, then take it out for a 'stroll' the next day. It will do more than keep your body fie tuned, it'll keep you from burnout. I ran my first marathon in 1994 and I remember training for it and the '95 Vulcan running from the gas station under Vulcan across from the Walgreens, of course back then it was Aldridges. The first Sunday or 2 of training cars lined Diaper Road almost all the way to the Expressway; now 16 years later I can look around Brownell (where the runs originate) or I can look at my Running 101 groups and see dozens of fresh faces, new runners, and some only a few years old. Listen, take advantage of my wisdom - you know where wisdom comes from? Wisdom comes from experience; know where 'experience' comes from? Bad judgement! I have exercised my fair share of bad judgement, so learn from my wisdom (i.e. my mistakes). Re-fuel, recover, relax (easy runs) and the occasional off day won't hurt you either. If you think running is fun now, won't it be fun to still be running when you have grand kids? When you're the only one on race day in your age group? When instead of letting others inspire you, YOU inspire others.....now that'll be fun!

"Rejoice, we conquer..."

2010-08-23T19:11:00Z

It's not being loudly trumpeted, but this year they are celebrating the 2500 year anniversary of The Battle of Marathon and Pheidippides climactic run to Athens and into history. That wass the event that spawned the modern day marathon that has its origin with Pheidippides run from the Plains of Marathon to Athens. Actually, there's a little more to it than that. A few years back Micki and I traveled to Greece to run the Athens Marathon to follow in the footsteps of Pheidippides (no one knows his last name...I think his last name WAS Pheidippides and his first name was Ralph or Ed or something). I have always been very interested in Greco-Roman history so this trip was a dream come true for me. Persia was the dominant empire (forget the nonsense in 300) of the time while Greece was merely a collection of city states more often than not at odds with each other. The Persians under Darius I amassed a great army and navy preparing to invade Greece as they extended their domination towards what is now known as Europe. The Athenians got wind of this and quickly gathered their own army and prepared to meet the invaders. The Persians landed at Marathon a flat area some 25 miles outside of Athens. The Athenians marched out, camped on the hillside overlooking the plains below and found a army 4 times the size of their own. They successfully blocked the 2 passes towards Athens from Marathon creating a stalemate. This gave them time to dispatch Pheidippides, their swiftest runner, some 70 miles to Sparta to ask for aid and reinforcements. Sparta said they would help but not until the new moon ended their religious festival. On his way back to Marathon Pheidippides was met by the mythological Pan who asked why the Athenians neglected him. Pheidippides responded that the Athenians worshipped the gods that aided them wondering why Pan neglected Athens then continued on his way. Early on the 5th day the Athenians decided to attack the vastly superior Persian forces and as they began their attack a thick fog enveloped the Persian positions increasing the Athenians element of surprise. The Athenians credited the god Pan for confusing their enemy and creating PANdemonium. At battles end over 6,000 Persians lay dead compared to 192 Athenian casualties. Pheidippides was dispatched to Athens with news of this great victory. This is not easy terrain, it's mostly uphill from Marathon to Athens and as Pheidippides staggered into the city he uttered "Nike" (actually pronounced nee-kay) collapsed and died. Some 2495 years later, Danny and Micki stand at the Olympic rings with a thousand others, near where Pheidippides once stood and begin the 26.2 mile trek to Athens. We circle the tomb of the Athenian soldiers who died so many years ago and steadily climb the 17 miles towards Athens. The spectators are few but generous, clapping and shouting "Bravo, Bravo!" We continue on until we reach the peak some 6 miles outside of Athens then began a wonderful descent into the sprawling land of democracy laid out before us. We reach the stadium, built on the same spot where the first modern day Olympics were held in 1896 and enter the stadium for the final lap. We notice that there aren't many spectators for our moment in history. It seems quiet as we circle the track and prepare to cross the Finish Line to a smattering of cheers and back ground noise. We grab hands and raise our arms triumphantly. I glance at Micki and declare"Nike!"; she captures my gaze and responds strongly, "Nike!" We had come to Athens to live history, to run with the Spirit of Pheidippides, and we were victorious!

Zip a Dee Doo Dah.....

2010-08-17T18:19:00Z

Woke up this morning after a restless night and lo and behold I had no one to coach! No where to be, so I drove over to the Y to do the Sunrise Run with whomever. Not a big group this morning (pssst, people, it ain't going to get any cooler than it is at 5:30) and off we went. I got to run with Randy, Jack, David and Caroline none of whom I've run with in a while and speaking for me, despite the humidity, it was a GREAT run. The sunrise was gorgeous (thank you, Lord), the company was interesting, and I felt good.What a way to start the day. Yeah it's hot, but hey it's mid-August, summer is winding down not heating up. Saw one guy walk out of the 'Y' headed for a brisk walk as we returned...he was back within 5 minutes. "Hot out there" he said to me, as I was standing there dripping like I'd just gotten out of the pool. "Yes, Captain Obvious, it is." I felt like Bill Engval, "here's your sign." Nothing like a good run with friends to 'right the ship'. I do enjoy most everyone I coach, but some people that I run with make it (running) fun. They are smart, insightful, witty, or just good 'people' to be around. That's what I enjoy most about running; I mean I enjoy the calories BURNED (I enjoyed them going in too...too much, dang it), I enjoy the health benefits, I enjoy nature (sunrises and sunsets), I enjoy the competition with myself and with Father Time (so far he's kicking my tail) and so much more. However, there's a whole world of people that I would never have met or gotten to know had I not started running. Some are younger (again, not many left that are older), none cuter (ha!), smarter, faster, married, single, and in every stage of life imaginable and all just some of the best people around. I've run with Kenneth and Al off and on for 16 years (from Alaska to Vancouver to Dublin) and though we may not run together or see each other for months, on any given Sunday we can pick right back up. I've got some friends I've done interval work with as we trained for marathons, early in the morning we didn't speak much (not awake, then running hard), but still something comforting about their presence, their friendship. I can run with my wife and in the latter stages of a long run barely a word passes between us and it's still all good. I wish I could articulate this better, but the camaraderie, the friendship, the company running has given me is priceless. That's why today was such a good run, I realized it during the run and remembered it after the run. These people, they aren't 'running friends' they are FRIENDS who run....my oh my what a wonderful day.

Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend

2010-08-16T15:26:00Z

Okay, so I'm not a Loverboy fan, but I do like THAT song - and after this past weekend maybe it should say 'Everybody's workin' out this weekend'. Kudo's to the Mtn. Lakes Tri finishers - sounds like perfect weather. Saturday was an 'off' day for me - like John Wayne in 'McClintock' someone asks him (when he's in the saloon), "Day off?" the Duke says, "Off day." My plans were to run long this weekend maybe on Saturday then meet up with some folks for an easy 7 on Sunday, but we opted for an 'off day', ran early Sunday, circled back and ran the 7 more with the others. Well, okay, it was more of a 'swim' with the humidity. Honestly, it kicked my bootay! I think my shoes are dry now but since I've showered I'm not sure I want to pick them up. Then Sunday afternoon we conducted what we call a 'Sunday Session' - kind of a Runner's Boot Camp preview, where we conduct drills, demonstrate proper form, do a little core work and work hamstrings/glutes/and hips to help strength issues and reduce the opportunity for injury. We had over 30 people show up and they were terrific! Slogging along for fitness is fine, I admire ANYONE who actually 'moves' but if running is going to be a hobby, a means to better oneself and compete with oneself, then running injury free, running strong with good form and economy only makes perfect sense to me. If you have a 100 mile daily commute you probably don't want a Hummer, you want something more efficient and economical. We had great fun! Hopefully they carried home a few ideas of things they ca work on to make them stronger and more efficient. If not,heck we'll do it again. It's not a 'Boot Camp' or Cross Fit' either of which are fine for general or overall fitness; rather a running specific style workout to help improve your form and strength which in turn will help you run with greater economy of motion and efficiency. So you run further & faster with less effort. There's no magic pill, it takes work - you're strengthening muscles and re-educating them for a specific task. I have nothing against weights, but this was a 'general' workout for 30 people; individuals have different strengths and weaknesses that often require time in the weight room. One of our coaches, a former Olympian, told Micki, "you are good, but you are weak, meet me at the gym." She put my butt in there too for about 6 weeks. Workouts can be structured for a group or an individual, but for the Sunday Sessions it's trying to get the most bang for the time allowed. Funny thing about runners and other individual sport delayed onset adult athletes, few of us train to bet some ONE, we train to beat our past. Even as we age (careful!!) we want to do better in a race or on a route than we did last time. I frequently tell people that their only competition is the person they were 2 weeks ago. We CAN change. Want to lose 5, 10 or ?? pounds? You can, no matter how long you've held that weight. Been 'slogging' for a year and now want to see maybe how fast you CAN run a 5K or 10K? If you smoked for years (and yes, I did), over ate or drank (where do you think Fat Danny came from), or just found comfort in food or self destruction because of an unhappy 'situation'. Guess what? IT CAN BE REVERSED. You can change...or should I say improve?!?! From the Island of Misfit Toys, "put one foot in front of the other..." Know what change you want to make then break it down to small bites. If you run (or walk) each day (per your schedule) then each day you get a little stronger, a little better, a little nearer your goal. You step over enough pebbles, then soon enough you've climbed over the mountain! Keep the goals GLOBAL, but your daily steps local. Forget the past, notice how big your front windshield is compared to your rear view mirror? Hitch up your pants and go to work on your goals...one day at a time, one run at a time and soon enough - you'll be there....“A competitive world offers two possibilities. You can lose. Or, if you want to win, you can change.”

Anchor's Aweigh! Good thing they didn't ask the passengers to weigh......

2010-08-10T19:46:00Z

It's been a while so let's catch up...my lovely bride celebrated a 'milestone' birthday so we took a long weekend cruise. For the first time since we've been together we traveled WITHOUT running shoes. No gear whatsoever! We took a cruise to Mexico and back and it was fun, we simply relaxed. No alarm clocks, no 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. coaching appointments, no schedule at all - since you can eat like 24 hours a day on a cruise ship. So we relaxed. The thing I remember most is how cruises are like Wal-Mart meets DisneyWorld - I mean holy cow! The average person on this cruise was, um, huge! When they talk about the ship's gross tonnage I don't think they were talking about the boat! What has happened to people? Seriously! I know I ate more than I normally do, but then I am not as big as a life boat either. If our ship floundered no one would have thrown me overboard and tried to row me to safety. It was almost depressing, so I had a few beers to get over it and it worked! If you haven't been to Disney then you haven't seen marketing at it's finest - everything is for sale there..."Psst, hey handsome, wanna see some pictures of Daisy Duck?" Well, on the ship AND in Cozumel it was a constant barrage of "Buy this, buy that!" One thing the cruise did was steel my resolve to drop these last 10 pounds and I am determined! Please don't misunderstand me, I have a bunch of runners that are not thin, but they are TRYING! They are constantly working to improve themselves and I tell people all the time if you are better than you were 2 weeks ago, then you ARE improving. But 'gaining' and improving are not always the same thing. - So I don't repeat myself you can check out the newsletter which will go out tomorrow for the top 10 ways for RUNNERS to lose weight. I had some time to think about it. Another thing I have noticed for years and haven't written much about: what is it about runners (not all, but a bunch) in this town not speaking? I run with a few people who speak to EVERYONE they pass and seldom are they a) spoken to first or b) replied to....C'mon, this business about not speaking to strangers went away when you went to college (or vocational school, or reform school). And cyclist! Please! I think for 95% of them when they buy a bike they also get "Being a Jerk for Idiots"...yeah I said it - I ride too, a lot! And on the Lakeshore Trail there is seldom a "on your left" and when you get a group of 10 +/- or more they will ride 3+ abreast. You can wave, you can speak....One thing I hear over and over again is how people were 'intimidated' to start riding or running with a group...shy might be a better word. If we want our community to grow, then step outside of your bad self and just speak or wave. I'm not suggesting you invite others to your house, just wave or grunt "hey". It ain't that hard....and if you have an IPOD, turn it DOWN! When I can hear Slim Shady coming through your ears (or nose, or mouth if it's open), then your music is too loud and you won't hear me speak...worse yet you might not hear that car. It doesn't take much to be nice and encourage others; then maybe our community will grow. Then we can get more bike lanes, more trails, and perhaps our greater metropolitan area will get into the act! Cue Louis Armstrong...."I see leaves of green...red roses too.........what a wonderful woild." (well, he says it like that.....).

Runner's Boot Camp Sampler and The Fall 'edition' of R101's 'Couch to 5K/10K'.....

2010-08-02T20:39:00Z

So...our Runner's Boot Camp gets larger every time and Sunday a week ago we held an 'open' make up session that went over so well (only 2 people cried!) that we're doing it again. This Sunday, August 8th at 5:00 p.m. - Mt. Brook High School Track Micki and I will host a Runner's Boot Camp style workout for all comers...no charge. Bring 2 towels (1 to wipe the sweat with the other to put under you when we have you work out on the ground...yep, core, planks, hamstring, hip, and butt work) and water. We'll use the field, the track, the stadium....do they have a kitchen sink? Rain or shine (if it's raining it'll probably be just a summer shower and you're gonna be wet from sweat anyway) - it's a lot of fun and we keep it moving. We're usually done in an hour...or when we hear pleas for mercy. Feel free to contact me with any questions....danny@rununiversity.com Saturday August 28th R101 and R201 Couch to 5K/10K will hold it's informational meeting at Trak Shak Homewood. R101 is literally from the couch or inactivity and R201 is for those who can run 2 miles but have trouble getting over the 'hump'. If you're not sure which group we'll have a group run or 2 and you can 'seed' yourself. I want to show you what you CAN do, not tell you what you can't do. Whichever group, we'll ALL work towards the Race for the Cure and Vulcan Run - just slightly different methods and schedules. Same thing - danny@rununiversity.com with questions. Man I was bushed the other day...that's why God invented the 7th Day. We require rest! The enigma of energy is the more we use the more we have; and the more we 'stress' our bodies the stronger they get when coupled with ADEQUATE REST! So take your rest days...if you don't, ultimately your performance will suffer and (worser!) you could get injured. I know we all as athletes are a little OC, but it doesn't mean we have to OCI (obsessive compulsive idiot). I know the left brain runner gets out there and if he/she is supposed to run 6 miles and the Garmin says 5.923 they'll run around a lamp post until they hit 6. As if their body really knows...pfft. But, hey, if it makes you happy. In the Book of Dan it is written that "in distance round up; in time round down". So if you run what you think is 6 miles and you drive it to measure, or use google maps (few true Disciples of Dan have a Garmin) to measure and it says 5.8 miles *Poof*! ...Its 6. And if you ran that 6 in 49:59, you ran it in 49 minutes....dang it! Round up, round down! Hey, if it's good enough for the Boston Athletic Association, it's good enough for me!

As Lili Von Shtupp said, "Let's face it, I'm bushed...."

2010-08-01T18:50:00Z

Is it nap time? Let's see, an easy 8 on Friday with 2 of my 'girls' (coachee's almost sounds like the Indian Chief, Cochise) and then 12-13 Saturday with my 'main squeeze'. Saturday's run was great, not fast, but I got in a groove where I felt like I could run for days. I like days like that, sometimes it's all we can do to finish a run, especially in the heat, but Saturday was a good, good running day. We spent 4 hours Saturday afternoon filming the R101 Couch to 10K DVD...we will NOT include the 'out takes', 'cause if it isn't 'G' rated it might not sell. On the other hand, there's some uh, different stuff that we 'took out' - sort of during our 'silly' time....me? Silly? Go on withcher bad self! Sunday a big group of us were supposed to head for a 40 mile ride but apparently more than a few decided to see just how much um, triple sec and lime juice they could drink Saturday night. I'm thinking the triple sec and lime juice was mixed with tequila (margarita......ay caramba!!!!)! A quality group of no shows, what can I say. So Burt, Susan, Brad and I headed out and what a great ride it was, hills, woodlands a brief detour through the projects (speed work!) and back. Whoo, my legs are barking! I've heard the quote that says, "No one ever drowned in sweat" Well, that person never ran with me, yesterday I almost needed a snorkel! Today wasn't much better except on a bike you get a better breeze. The people who buy/get my DVD for Christmas are going to wonder what the hell's making that guy sweat? It's 30 degrees outside. I may put a disclaimer that says, "This was filmed in July in Equatorial Alabama ON A TRACK, so I sweated....so there!" Something like that...... Found a great t-shirt slogan or hill mantra...a little history...I'm race director for the Vulcan Run and Fat Danny's Trial by Trail (a REALLY fun trail run with terrific after party) and people all the time say, "I can't run Vulcan it's hilly" or "aren't trails hilly?" WTH?!? We live in Birmingham in the foothills of the Appalachians!!! Ever heard of Red MOUNTAIN, Shades MOUNTAIN, Ruffner MOUNTAIN, Oak MOUNTAIN.....yeah it's hilly here....like R Lee Ermy says in the Geico commercial, "why don't you go over to namby-pamby land and get you some self confidence"...love that commercial...but the slogan was...."Yeah it's a hill, get over it." Think about it, it'll come to you... ("get over it" mentally AND actually run and get over it.). Regardless of the difficulties we're encountering out there; It's hilly, it's hot...Listen, we are registered for races and no matter what else happens the calendar will keep moving till 'Race Day' is upon us. If I know one thing about running it's that you CANNOT cram 18 weeks of training into 10 weeks. Get up earlier, run slower, do what you have to do! Summer is almost over, we're in August and September and October will be here in the blink of an eye. You've lasted this long, c'mon...picture the finish line, see your finisher's photo with YOUR arms raised and that medal around your neck....it WILL be worth it...YOU are worth it!

Retro Run or Drag Race......

2010-07-28T19:39:00Z

Saturday was the Retro Run and true to tradition it rained about an hour before just in time to turn this annual run/street party into a steam bath. Not sure I've ever seen as many good runners walking during the late stages as I did Saturday. So you can just guess how many 'newbies' were struggling, just to finish. On the other hand a bunch of runners had an 'Aha'! moment and said to themselves, "Self, it's hot so I'm gonna start nice and easy and get into a groove." That includes yours truly. That night I was doing my Gretchen Wilson imitation, I was just there for the party. Had a good run, had fun, waved, enjoyed myself and still sweated like a farmer on plow day. A bunch of terrific costumes, but not all were 'retro', I saw a running Rubik's Cube, a lady with a boom box and Rainbow Brite. Shilonqua's "Super Fly' girlfriend complete with a real 'Fro and one of Charlie's Angels. One guy (yep, guy!) ran in a females flowered 1 piece swim suit and bathing cap! Okay, so now instead of the Retro Run, it was a drag race. This mornings run was pretty nice, the sunrise was magnificent and it stayed reasonably comfortable until after I finished running (8:30 ish), so not bad at all. I spent yesterday at UAB giving talks to a group of Type II diabetic people in a study. It seems they sometimes lack motivation to continue (or to start) their exercise program. Like Scooby Doo says, "Ruh?!?". "Sir/Ma'am (actually 4 times as many women as men in there!!), you need to exercise >30 minutes a day or you're going to die......soon!" That would motivate ME, I'm jus sayin'......So we talked about TANGIBLE goals (this program encourages 200 minutes a week of exercise/movement) and having an 'Action Plan' to not only achieve 200 minutes but to exceed 200 minutes a week. It was an interesting experience and the program is quite successful...until Dan here set 'em back yesterday. It wasn't one of my prepared speeches, I spoke a lot off the cuff pointing to the benefit of having a 'real' goal (specifically walking a 5K), and then working towards that goal. Focusing on the walk (run) each day, not tomorrow, not next week, but TODAY'S effort. If they do that, the 5K's not so intimidating, and when it does come into focus it won't seem insurmountable. It'll be just another walk, except that it'll have SUCCESS written all over the finish line (figuratively speaking). And my suggestion to them if/when they had doubts was simple....2 questions: Why not? Why not me? Some one says you can't do something think, why not? Why not me? Heck! Go get 'em Tiger! (Not Tiger Woods, that's what got him IN trouble was going to 'get' em.....Tiger in 'general'). Think about that when you doubt if you can achieve anything, a new distance, a new PR, even something at work....Why not? Why not ME? Why not, indeed!!!!

Me mind of fire, me soul on fire, feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot....

2010-07-25T15:25:00Z

Nothing like the rockin' tunes of Buster Poindexter to 'heat' things up! Yesterday rode 31 miles a.m. with NB as she prepares for her triathlon, had a ball! Had a nice salad for lunch since I was planning on the Retro Run (sounds like 'Astro' on the Jetsons, doesn't it? "Ret - ro Run...Ro Reorge....) and I didn't want to feel 'full' or heavy especially in the heat. Like I said, I don't mind the heat; I much prefer it to cold, but that doesn't mean I want to go stupid town by eating a burger and fries for lunch before I go run. THAT'S a recipe for disaster and I don't mean bad gas, that's 'throw up' medicine right there. 'Blap' is not how I want to be remembered. It was fun as always, good crowd, hot, lots of people haul ass that first mile and crawl the last 2 (it's a 5K), but if you start 'under control' you'll do well...or as well as you can in the heat. I wasn't trying to run hard or fast, just consistent especially after that ride and I met my goals. What was cool is that 2 of my 'graduates' Randy and Abby were both getting stronger and stronger and though they weren't 'racing' either, if it had been a 4 mile run they would have passed me with ease! Randy had run 13 or so that morning, too. Again, racing and running well is not always about speed (refer to Tortoise and the Hare) - Randy and Abby started wisely and finished strong! I don't know how many people I passed in the last mile (a bunch) but I'd be willing to bet they passed even more. When running 'hard' or racing try to plan your run so that your pace is consistent, not too fast (especially in the beginning...I repeat: ESPECIALLY IN THE BEGINNING) and of course not too slow, but save enough so that you can pick it up the last mile and turn on the afterburners for the last 200 meters or so. The last mile (in 5K's and 10K's) is, for the most part, where PR's are set - the last 3 in Half Marathons and the last 5 'ish' in marathons for those who've run several. The heat was definitely a factor and again starting under control allows you to control your temperature whereas too fast, will cause that mercury to skyrocket in your thermo meter! We're having another Sunday afternoon workout at MBHS track and I'm saving my energy for that - today is gonna be a blast. I've designed a challenging, fun, Kick A workout (I think) that'll let your muscles know they've been used while burning up a bunch of calories. Running form focused with intense cardio and muscle challenge for the whole body...man I can't wait! The ab workout alone is going to create an Instant 6 Pack, while the other stuff is going to have 'em loose, strong, and running like track stars! I must admit, I have to do most of it with them, too much fun at the Ret - Ro Run post party (do the words 'free' and 'beer' really belong together for the good of mankind?) so to paraphrase Hugo Peabody in 'Bye Bye 'Birdie'..."I got a lot of sweatin to dooooo". That's all today from the Equatorial Alabama.....

It's a 'Danny' day!!!

2010-07-23T18:06:00Z

SWEET! I decided yesterday that I would do anything that needed to be done - and by 'needed' I meant life or death - today by noon and after that I was on mini-vacation. I'm a bachelor tonight (early cocktail hour...hmmmm?) since M is going to her college roommates 50th birthday party and I'm not (long story and not all the interesting - silly Tennessee Volunteers) so I've proclaimed the rest of the day to be National Dan Day! So far it's been pretty good; ran 4 miles this morning with one of my 'padawans'. She is great, but man-o-man is she negative! I mean this girl (lady) has all the ability in the world but she makes Eeyore look like a stand up comedian! It's just that she's had these doubts for so long that I'm having to go "Earnest Angely' on her..."Out devil, OUT!" Doesn't that happen to so many of us? We ran mid-morning and I was so proud of me (working on my negativity too) for reminding myself, "just run" and it not only wasn't 'bad', it was good! So we talked attitude, how it's a habit and if you focus on the positive and MAKE yourself find it then eventually it will become second nature. i.e. a habit! Why are some of us so negative? Why do we doubt ourselves so deeply? Sometimes success isn't enough, we doubt our triumphs, start to belittle them then stare down our next goal. The solution is simple, however putting the solution in practice is really difficult. Negativity is a habit, pure and simple and to change the negativity you have to change your way of thinking. If you go for a run and you continue to repeat to yourself, "this is hard." It will be, and it will get harder! When you feel those doubts creeping in, change your line of thinking; don't just say, "It's easy!" Re-direct your thoughts - look at something and think about it (a building - hmm, who's in there, what kind of view do they have, will they see me if I stop and moon them? Or a creek, or cars...whatever!), or remind yourself to 'run tall' or 'quick step, quick step' or sing '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall' (2 rules: not out loud and stop at 90). Redirect your thoughts 2 or 3 times and your run is almost over. Then congratulate yourself on your run; no matter how it was: short, far, slow, fast, hot, cold...YOU DID IT! Take pride in the moment. Slowly, day by day, then week by week it will become habit. In Alabama everyone is football crazy and few people are neutral - love or hate Alabama and Nick Saban, he's got it right. He talks about his 'process' - do the little things right in practice (running) and in life and the big things (games/races/long runs/PR's/goals/meeting cute guys or sexy momma's/career) will take care of itself. I guarantee you in one way or another Gene Chizik (and the other coaches) say the same thing in one fashion or another. You do the little things (re-direct your thoughts, congratulate yourself, compliment yourself, DO YOUR RUNS) and you'll find your attitude improving. One last thing, if the people you hang around bring you down, look around for some new playmates - don't be like the frog in the pot. Frog's in a pot on the stove and the heat is gradually increased until the water is boiling. Frog won't jump out, he'll stay until, well, until he 'stews'. You stay with negative people and you'll stay negative. You can't change others, only yourself. Find some fun people who laugh, that value you for YOU, and are proud of what you are doing. They are easy to find and they are out there. Negativity breeds negativity...break the cycle. Believe in yourself and SAY so! Find others that believe in you and start to believe in them...then have a 'Danny' Day (or 'Whoever You Are' Day). It's fun! I am sooo looking forward to the rest of the day and night! Anyone know where I can find some Egyptian belly dancers to feed me bon-bons?

Oh to be young again.......

2010-07-22T16:31:00Z

with the caveat that I get to know what I know now; otherwise I'll be just as dumb as I was the first time around, and you can leave current brain power out of it, thank you very much! I met 2 of my young 'padawans' early this morning, before Runner's Boot Camp and ran the course of the Retro Run. These 2 ladies are really excited about their progress, as I am I. When ever possible I try to get my 'peeps' to run a course to familiarize themselves with it so they can concentrate on having fun. I was thinking as we ran how I didn't used to think a whole lot about the heat, or the cold, or the elements (except lightning), I just went and ran. Did my schedule call for a 4 miler or 7 miler, okay...go run! Now I think I think too much...I believe it has a lot to do with my childhood; my parents moved a lot when I was a child, but I always found them. (Rodney Dangerfield...I miss him). Seriously I think I'm going to try to revert to my old simple self and just go run. Doesn't mean I won't look at the temperature to know how to dress, but once I know, I'll just go! It takes me a while to catch on; I was in the gym on Highland putting someone through their 'paces' the other day and one of my graduates ran by. She's had open heart surgery, is on the 'north side' of 50 and was out running kind of late in the morning. It dawned on me, I used to be like that! (excluding the open heart surgery) - It was pretty cool to be inspired by one of my own, so to speak. When I see Trudi I have to give her big ups! I was out walking with one of my other ladies (she's building up to a run) one afternoon and saw the Indomitable Nicole out doing intervals - 5:00 in the afternoon! Hot? Yeah, but it's what she planned to do and she was doing it. That's just the way it was. My kids are showing me the way! The wheels started turning and I realized it was just 'me'. It's basically the same weather in Alabama every summer...hot or hotter with a dash of humidity tossed in. Guess what? It'll be cold again this winter...whaddaya gonna do? Me, I'm gonna fuggedaboudit! I'm gonna just go run, and let my fat cells cry or as David B put it his fat cells were having "an emotional breakdown of epic proportion today!" As Mark Twain said, "Why does everyone complain about the weather, you can't do anything about it." So true. It'll be hard, bad habits are harder to break than good habits are to start, but start I will. The bad habit is whining/complaining about the weather - the good habit will be - just run. The weather will be what it will be and I'll run what I need to run. On the GREAT days I'll shout Hallelujah! The rest of the days I'll just run and be glad I can. Back to a simpler 'Dan'; ever notice how no one says, "Don't touch that dial!" No more dials, (radio, television, telephones all had 'dials'), well no more of that. I'll do what you have to do, quietly...no fuss. It'll be like brushing my teeth, I won't think about it, I'll just do it - same with running. Time to run 'young' again.......

Well, it's coming to a head......

2010-07-20T19:55:00Z

The last 2 entries for The Run University Running Journal are in, I've sent the pictures that I have (are there ever enough?)...and we're going to press! I know 'printed' books and journals are dinosaurs, but I just believe a runner's diary works better in hard copy than on line. I refer to my old ones all the time. Oh well, maybe I AM a dinosaur (let's see brains the size of walnuts, laying eggs, big...well, never mind); back to the picture thing. I swear starting Labor Day when my Fall groups ramp up I'm going to spend more time taking pictures of the groups and the people I coach and run with...action photo's, just finished photo's, post coffee or beer photo's. These are the people, aside from family that mean the most to me. I've seen them grow, sweat, and work. We've covered miles together and solved most of the worlds problems. I WANT them in my book. Well, the good thing about the 'journal' is that if it's successful then there'll be another one next year and I can be sure that they are in that one. Very few things in this life are as important to me as a loyal friend and there's too damn few real people like that, sadly. So I treasure the ones I have...and no I probably haven't told them though I 'think' most everyone knows where they stand with me...good, bad or indifferent (for better or worse). I have to be careful though on the pics and not move into the creepy category but I guess that would only happen if I suggested a photo shoot in my upstairs studio (hmmm, now that I think of it....). Plus the DVD of C210K is only weeks away, so it won't be free on the web much longer. I'm thinking 10 years is fair enough for me to give it away. It's gonna be interesting how the filming goes down...stay tuned! My running has really suffered over the last 4 days or so, but I'm ramping up again starting tomorrow (it's gonna huuurrtttt!). Maybe I'll be back in the groove quickly; that 14 of Sunday a week ago seems like a year ago now. Newsflash - my orthopedist has changed his mind on surgery for my knee and wants to treat it differently...okay 1) I treat all knees the same, I can't show favoritism. 2) and seriously, I disagree with him so it's off for a 2nd opinion (and exactly when DID you graduate from medical school MR. Haralson. So we'll see...boy, for once I hope I'm wrong! Well Huntsville is 20 weeks away and we're having August weather in July...okay, we're having August weather from Borneo here in July. Like it or not, the race is 20 weeks away and they won't shorten it for those who didn't run because "it's too hottt." Sorry, I know I'm all over the place today - no one theme and I'm playing catch up. Okay Alley Oop here signing off hoping for a better organized, more thoughtful, insightful blog attempt tomorrow or the next day.

Busy, busy, busy!!!!

2010-07-14T13:28:00Z

Putting the 'finishing' touches on the Run University Training Journal - yes it's going to be an old fashioned 'book' with select excerpts from the Book of Dan and pages (dated) to enter info about your daily run. I know it seems dinosaur 'ish' in this computer age, but so what? If your computer crashes all that stuff is gone! Plus it's easier for ME to look back in a journal to see what I did, flip through pages if I need to look around that date or check on mileage....anyway, hopefully it'll be out around Labor Day - We are in week 1 (day 2 is tomorrow) of Runner's Boot Camp and I actually am enjoying (for lack of a better phrase) a back log of coaching (i.e. waiting list). I keep reminding myself in this heat/humidity how MUCH I hated the cold. It helps me while I'm sweating like a horse pulling a wagon out there. If sweat is "fat cells crying" then my fat cells are just watched a double feature of 'Old Yeller' and 'Love Story'....something like 'Marley and Me' and 'Message in a Bottle' for you youngsters, only you need twice as many tissues for 'Old Yeller'....saw it when I was like 5 and I'm scarred for LIFE! Fall schedule is taking shape and that means my training schedule better START taking shape! It's looking like Omaha Marathon in September, Flying Monkey in November, Thunder Road in December and TARGET ONE - Houston Marathon in January. All the others will just be long training runs - Houston the goal is <3:40. I like for each run to have a purpose, Omaha will just be for the distance, get my legs under me and be prepared to run 26.2 miles, get some strength and get my body used to marathon distance 'fuel' wise. Flying Monkey on one hand will be for strength, on the other hand...survival. That is one tough course....yowza! It's in Nashville at Percy Warner Park - if you're familiar then you know...if you're not...well if ever there was a case that ignorance is bliss.....this is it! It is beautiful though; what I remember through the tears. Charlotte will be a negative split/specific training run for Houston. The first half I'll plan to run in 'X' with the 2nd half faster. It'll be a measure of fitness and training. If all goes well, great! If not, I've got 6 weeks to get the gremlins out of the system. Now the's time! Make a plan for the Fall and use it to get you on track...Montgomery Half in October, Vulcan Run in November - there's stuff to look toward. Don't press your pace right now, just run. Hot or not, each run fast or slow build strength - muscular and aerobically. Like the yankee general, Gen. McDowall said to his troops as the retreated during the Battle of Bull Run....."Keep running!"

Back to reality, oops there goes gravity....

2010-07-11T19:15:00Z

My daughter HATES it when I quote Eminem (or Snoop Dog, or Flava Fav etc), but I can't help it if I'm a 'happenin' guy, if I'm the shizzle. Took off to the Baltimore/D.C. Secret Service Academy graduation, yep, my oldest son is now Special Agent Haralson - I don't usually 'blog' on trips or before I go just in case there's some nefarious plot afoot to break in our house and steal our 8 track tapes. Anyway, it was cool and sad because he's been assigned to Houston and they went from Baltimore to Houston...*sniff*, that's okay, if all goes well M, the Indomitable, and I will go to Houston for the marathon (it's a lottery now...oy!) and then we'll hang a few extra days. Oh yeah, the Astro's are there too....yay! We saw the National's play and lucked into watching Strasburg pitch and he's as good as advertised. He gave a lead off home run then settled down and mowed 'em down. 2/3 of his pitches were strikes...fun game average stadium (for a new one). I didn't love the 'sight lines', and we had good seats. If people one section over and a few rows down stand, you're blocked. Oh well, still, you can't beat fun at the old ball park! Oh yeah, they had some pretty tasty brews up there! Love Baltimore...HATE their drivers! Wow! They'll cut you off in a flash....let's see if I can squeeze between these 2 cars doing 80.....yep! Just enough room! They made our local idiots look like AAA school graduates! Slow in the left lane, oh you're gonna be 'cut' fo sho! We were in a suburb really, so the running was like being anywhere else - so when we returned late Saturday early to bed it was for 15 this a.m. The funny thing is as hot as it is down here, they were having a heat wave so it was HOTTER up there. This morning was a balmy 75 at the start, and I did not have a dry stitch after the first 5. Ahh, but it was good to be back in the saddle, running with my favorite person (the divine Miss (Mrs.) M...for Micki) as well as Al and Kenny...are we the only 2 that call him 'Kenny'....Kenneth sounds so, so....pretentious. He's a lot of things but pretentious he ain't ! This blog is gonna take a serious turn today so 2 things....1) soon to come....the DUMBEST thing the local TNT chapter could have done; and I don't know the particulars - but it's still dumb - and 2: I write about this a lot, a LOT and every time it rears its head I get sad and try to make myself better. We were in Orange Beach last weekend and saw in the paper about a lady who drowned in the gulf going in after a 3 year old (not hers). Man, I thought, what a tragedy - 1) how did the 3 year old...you know...and 2) how sad about the lady. It turns out she's the ex-wife of a good friend and running buddy of mine...she left behind 3 daughters all at or near adolescence. He was on good terms with her (a rarity) and has been having to re-arrange his life to take his daughters in. He doesn't mind, in fact he'd love it if it were any other circumstance.....People - when you run miles with someone you can't help but get close; you talk about anything and everything and a lot of times nothing. Often times after 10 miles or so the silence is still a method of communicating because you're friends! I'm reminded of the story of Laurel and Hardy...I love their comedy. Most people are WAY too young to know them, but what a great comedy team. They made dozens of movies and shorts, they were the model for Abbott and Costello as well as the 3 Stooges (I'm smiling just thinking of these guys). Oliver Hardy was the big one and Stan Laurel was the smaller of the 2 and near the 'end', Oliver had a stroke, was bedridden and pretty much incommunicado. Every day Stan, despite his own declining health, would come by and just sit, silently, with his friend and partner. I like to encourage people to 'give flowers to the living'. Laurel was too ill to attend Hardy's funeral, he said in fact, "Babe (one of Hardy's nicknames) will understand." He gave flowers to Oliver Hardy when he was alive. I tell my runners all they time how good they look running, and otherwise, how well they are doing etc. etc. I try to do it with my kids, and probably no where near enough with my wife (I'm usually right though...thought I'd get that in HERE). When someone's gone, what good do the flowers do then? Not saying I'm great, I'm terrible at it, I just want YOU to think about it. Just surprise 'em sometimes...your husband, your kids, your friends and your running partners....hey you're running partners pull you through DAILY!!!! Just a simple, "I really enjoyed our run today"....hey when I hear that, I walk on clouds for hours. Anyway, she's gone now and she'll be missed. When my friends are gone, they are missed - when I quit training with people I miss 'em and I get excited when we run again on the 'every so often' trail. But I try to let 'e, know I love 'em....in that running buddy kind of love...like a combo of little sisters and great friends. The guys well...I love 'em and miss them too....we've had some good times and great conversations. Nothing wrong with telling them; because when they're gone.........Just think about it....Tim McGraw does that 'Live like you were dying' song....I prefer to live like I was living...That way my focus will be on giving...yeah, I like that, think I'll write a song for Snoop Dog, "Live like you were living, the shizznit flowers are for giving...to da living"! I LIKE it.........

As Clubber Lang would say, "Come on, I got a lotta mo for ya...got a lotta mo!'

2010-07-05T15:35:00Z

Obscure Rocky 3 reference....Busy month so I'll be writing when I can - spent the weekend at Orange Beach, but we stayed at The Wharf for the Make A Wish Stars and Stripes 5K. Normally we do Peachtree, but we got such a great deal on the condo that we stayed for 2 nights what Atlanta would cost us for 1. 10 years in a row of doing Peachtree and we missed the last 2 years...eh, variety is the spice of life, or so I'm told. Try explaining 'variety is the spice of life' to your spouse....oops! Anyway, Saturday (7/3) we went to the Gulf State Park and ran around the lake, a perfect 5.5 mile run. Not much traffic, pretty, and the weather was great! They've also made an off road trail so you can turn this into a 10-12 mile run with shade. It's still hot, I mean c'mon...Alabama, Deep South, the beach, July....carry your own water and enjoy it. It's great! Then Sunday was the 5K - my plan was just to run as I felt. I'd run Saturday then biked 15 or so miles so I knew it wouldn't be fast and it wasn't <24:00, but it was fun!!!! Not all races ARE fun, they can be immensely rewarding and still not be fun but yesterday was fun. Then we had to drive back and leaving is always a bummer. I get a lot of e-mails from 'older' people (don't even TALK to me about age...I'm so old I have to take ginkgo biloba to remember to take my viagra! Ahhh, I'm just messin with ya, I don't even take ginkgo biloba.....), wanting to run. I hear all the time about 'life time couch potato' never been an athlete, I'm over weight....blah, blah, blah....I like the 'Moonlighting' school of therapy...SNAP OUT OF IT! The great thing about running is that it's never too late to start - just start where YOU are comfortable! I had TL in my last group, a 50 ish school marm, who's cardiologist encouraged her to start running AFTER OPEN HEART SURGERY! It's great for your heart, it' great for weight loss, just know that if you've been inactive for 20 years it'll take a while...but it won't take another 20 years! Within 6 months you can REVERSE most of the effects of a lifetime of inactivity. SIX MONTHS! That's incredible! But, YOU have to do it! TL was determined, she started slow and easy, doing the C210K program and in the end ran a 10K. I was there at the finish and it was incredible, she was so excited. We all get 2nd and 3rd chances, we just may not know we're getting them...she KNEW and she made the most of it. Her time? I have no idea, didn't matter - what mattered was that she DID IT! Her heart is stronger than it's ever been, she's got some nice legs, and a world of confidence that she didn't have. So if you're wondering if you can do it, wonder no more - take life by the horns! YOU happen to life, don't let life HAPPEN to you. If you're already running, be proud of what you're doing and keep yourself healthy. The Animals (60's British rock group) had a song "It's My Life" and one of the lines...."and I can do what I want". You can, but you have to WANT it. It won't just 'happen'...YOU have to HAPPEN...and you can and when you do you get a 'lotta mo' life and fun, and health, and happiness, and....... Lastly - Runner's Boot Camp - Mt. Brook YMCA 7/13 6:00 - 7:00 a.m. each Tues/Thurs for 4 weeks. $150.00. Core work (trust me, we'll find some muscles you didn't know you had), form and efficiency. The smoother and more efficient you run, the further and faster you can run with less effort. Let me know of any questions.....more later......

Whippersnapped by a young whippersnapper....

2010-07-01T16:11:00Z

The Mouse that Roared......

2010-06-28T18:23:00Z

Quick caveat, I am a Peter Sellers fan and I still think that the original 'Pink Panther' is one of the best movies ever, all things considered...Peter Sellers is hilarious, David Niven is the definition of cool, Claudia Cardinale and Simone....well....va va va voom; and the score by Henry Mancini is my all time favorite soundtrack. So successful that the piano intro has become entwined with the Pink Panther himself, which is also 'wrong'. The actual Pink Panther was a diamond (in the movie)...so there! Anyway, Sellers was in The Mouse that Roared (my original point) about the tiny country of Grand Fenwick which declares war on the U.S. The mouse I'm referring to is MBH who said I could use her name, I'm just more comfortable not - she went through C210K last August all the way through the Vulcan 10K.. Cute, cute cute!!!! Very smart and personable and a little quiet (thus 'the mouse'), and I mean that in a flattering way. She made a bunch of the group runs, ran the 5K, the Vulcan Run and decided to push on to run the Mercedes Half. Somewhere right around the time of the Mercedes, I think right after she sent me an e-mail telling me how much fun she had and what an achievement it was for her. Then she added, "not sure if you know my story".....and I did not. MBH was a swimmer, healthy and used to hard work as most swimmers are, then she 'contracted' Cystic Fibrosis. Google it, it is a debilitating disease that allows a sticky mucus build up in the lungs (in her case). It is not uncommon in children and young adults and can result in early death. MBH said in her e-mail that here she was mid 20's, in graduate school,living at home with her parents and lugging around an oxygen tank. Not a great recipe for a social life. Fast forward a couple of years - MBH had a successful DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT and completed the Mercedes Half. I still recall the end of her e-mail; "I don't know that I love running, but I love that I can run; maybe I'm channeling my donor." Out of tragedy (the donors death) came triumph, MBH's life! Sometime when you're really whiny - or to paraphrase George Gipp, "when you're really up against it", and the run (or runs) just isn't (aren't) going your way remember that in so many ways your struggle could be worse. Kit Armstrong pointed out that too often we say "I HAVE to go run", when we should say "I GET to go run." As a parallel - "I have to go get my kids" vs "I get to go get my kids." What if you didn't have them.....we GET to do a lot of stuff that we say we HAVE to do. Running is my stress relief, my 'diet' (if the furnace is hot enough, it'll burn anything), my therapy, my brain dump. my church, my prayer time, my ooohhmmmmm time, my happy time. And more times than not it has turned my angry/mad/pissed off time into my...okay, I understand and can rationally deal with that #*&%$ moron. With apologies to Dickens it is my best of times and never my worst of times, not reflectively. I've had some pretty awful runs....but like MBH I'm still excited that I CAN run. Had a hot 3 miles today, kind of a recovery run from Saturday's 5K and yesterdays 8 miler - Saturday was great as always, and yesterday was just a 'cover the distance' kind of run. As Rumpole of the Bailey said, 'She who must be obeyed' was angry with me - (hell, who knows why...she was probably mad when she woke up and saw that she was STILL married to the idiot), so I ran alone and pretty much for my life. This morning I'm running with RD who's progress has been terrific, we were doing 3 miles, at her pace, on the sidewalk. Now, when I'm running a much slower pace or tired or both, I sometimes don't pick my feet up like I normally do or like I should! All of a sudden I'm reeling like a drunken sailor and somewhere Chris Berman is yelling, "there does Danny Haralson rumbling, bumbling, stumbling down the sidewalk". "Whop!" The good thing is when you rumble/bumble/stumble you can sorta pick out your landing spot and I did...a nice soft grassy spot. It's so hard to be cool when you trip - whether you fall or just stumble, there's no way to recover gracefully. You just hope no one saw and change the subject, "Yeah I'm fine (sweaty and covered in grass clippings like a green Sasquatch); how bout them Braves"? Thankfully it was only about 6 feet from the end of the run so I didn't have to run through Trussville with the police trying to capture a green Bigfoot, or scaring small children (I do that already). So I wiped off, trying hard to be nonchalant and failing miserably and in the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

"I can't do this......."

2010-06-27T15:21:00Z

It was overcast which in the month of June is a blessing, it was humid, it was warm and it was AWESOME! The Summer edition of C25K ran the Race to the Courthouse and they were real AND spectacular! As soon as I finished and cooled off a tad I jogged back down the road to run a few of them in. I caught up with one group of 3 as they turned onto 20th Street. They were maybe 7 blocks from the finish and one lady said (cried? Screamed?), "I CAN'T do it!!!!" I reminded her that she could, one step at a time - forget the 7 blocks, 1 step at a time was all she needed to think about. Her running buddies gently encouraged her and danged if slowly but sure she didn't pass another lady! Then she was only a block away and I couldn't resist, "There's a word you need to drop from your vocabulary." "What's that?" "Can't...because you did it! Can't say can't anymore." This world is full of "nattering nabobs of negativism" as Spiro Agnew christened them. The problem is we all too often listen to them. When people don't like your success, they tear you down; when they are jealous or envious, same thing - when they see you doing something they wish they could/should do, they belittle your efforts. Our society fosters this, if you're proud of your achievements and say too much you are a bragger, you're arrogant or cocky. They do this out of their own lack of self esteem rather than build their self esteem which might take some effort they can attack you, which takes minimal effort. Rather than say, "Ooo she's lost weight with this running thing...." and then thinking, hmmmm, maybe I should give it a whirl to see wht kind of results I can get. It's easier to say, "she ignores her husband/job/kids to run".... or "her legs look kinda thick" or "running makes her butt look big." To some people EVERYTHING makes their butt look big. Queen said 'Fat bottom girls make the rockin world go round'.....big butts is relative! Actually, it tones legs and butts and if you run thus accelerating your calorie burn and do NOT increase your caloric intake it is a physiological impossibility NOT to lose weight...if that's the goal. I think that we really need to recognize the negative influences in our life and 1) as the Brits say, 'get shed of them' or if they for some reason are near and dear to our heart call 'em on it. Tell them to stop it...period. Back to the C25K group - the real accomplishment was their growth in confidence. When people start running 2 or 3 miles seems like forever...but once you're at 3, then running 2 miles is nothing. You CAN do it! People who regularly run 7, 8, 9 don't even think about the occasional 5K. They are confident that they can cover the distance....confident. So are my graduates, maybe not confident in '3' yet; but certainly confident in 1 mile and 6 weeks ago they were worried about running 1/2 mile! Don't say you can't do it, work on being positive for you. Adopt the 'Little Engine That Could' attitude......"I think I can, I think I can" and it will eventually become, "I know I can I know I can," and lastly....instead of " I can't do this....." I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!" and, you know what? She did!

In the 'Grand Scheme of Things......'

2010-06-24T14:53:00Z

Couple of things going on here.....Ran last night from the Trak Shak with my buddy KDS and it was hot! When I say 'hot' I mean HOT! I wilted like Chamberlain and I like the heat!!! We may have started a bit too fast (don't do as I do, do as I SAY do!), but we backed it down pretty quick. I still prefer warm weather over cold. Don't have to think about gloves, long sleeves, short sleeves, yada, yada. I know it's gonna be shorts, socks, jock let's go! However, I don't want to belittle the potential damage of running in the heat - either distance or being unprepared. I've known runners that have suffered from heat exhaustion (including yours truly at the Honolulu Marathon) and one in particular some years back that died - a tragic loss. We're smarter (cumulatively) now, so be careful out there. It is muy caliente and that will affect your performance, so lower your expectations, keep your aerobic base up and run for fun. It helps when you think that sweat is your fat cells crying and if you're like me those bad boys are bawling! I'm sweating like a hairy mule pulling a wagon; but in a perverse fashion....I like it! I always preach that running isn't for those with an 'instant gratification' mindset. It's not a microwave, drive through run a marathon, lose 10 pounds NOW kind of thing. However last night I was talking to one of my 'runners'; a guy who (by his own definition) is "overweight, out of shape, and trying to get back"(into shape). In fact, and I'm paraphrasing, he said that, 'when you've been on basically worthless for 30 years and have 3 stents, it's gonna take a while.' Good point! I'm proud of him for making the effort and he's really doing quite well. In 7 weeks he's gone from literally nothing to running 3 miles! He still runs out of gas around 2.5 miles, but he's doing great by almost any standards (take THAT Pearl Izumi and your idiotic ad campaign....we'll discuss later). My point is that in, let's say 15 weeks, he should be running 5 miles (actually more, it is 10K in 10 weeks, but let's tap the brakes) 4 to 5 days a week. He'll weigh less even without modifying his diet, be stronger, leaner and more confident. His heart will be stronger and his lung capacity greater. Will he be where he was 30 years ago? Maybe not exactly, but I'm going to say close. If he keeps it up to say 26 weeks, modifies his nutrition at all and keeps running he will not only be where he was 30 years ago, but BETTER! What's the old saying, "If a man learns nothing, changes nothing in his life from age 20 to 50, then he has only succeeded in wasting 30 years." Well in the Grand Scheme of Things 20 weeks +/- or minus is microwave/drive through/gotta have it now. It IS instant gratification! Think about that, it's 1/60th of the 30 years (give or take). Okay, it's still not a *poof* miracle, or 'blink of an eye'...but it's a s l o w *poof*. Maybe 2 blinks....30 years is a long time. If he keeps this up, maybe he just 'existed' these last 30 years; but he can truly be ALIVE for the REST of his years, in the Grand Scheme of Things.

The 'C' word......

2010-06-22T12:01:00Z

Commitment! We were at the beach over the weekend for a little R & R (how come I always need a vacation when I get back from vacation?) and it was beautiful! We were due, we'd been down there 4 times already helping coach a small group out of Fort Walton and each time we went the weather, well it wasn't bad it just wasn't beach weather. This time however as Dickie V would say, "Awesome baybee!" We were out running one morning ("Can you say 'hot'? Sure you can....." obscure Mr. Rogers reference) and heard someone calling our name....actually they called Micki's name which just wasn't fair since I'm the big Kahuna! It was one of the participants in our current R101 group, out running, at the beach! I felt like a proud papa....except that she called Micki's name......harrrumph! It was good to see that she was committed to her success in running. Success is defined according to your individual goals and in R101 I encourage people to define success by covering the distance. Speed will come, let's do the distance first. The only way to be successful running is to, well, run! And Beth was doing just that, on vacation...commitment! We had some great runs down there as well as a couple of terrific bike rides, we ran all through Sandestin one day, then road through it on our bikes. The next day we opted for a long bike ride along 30A; 40 miles and when we got through it was HOT! "Can you say hot?" yeah, yeah.....This week is graduation for R101, The Summer Edition; it's a funny thing about each group. My last group had a lot of stick-to-it-tiveness, but this group had 'em drop like flies! If I knew the magic formula to get people to follow their dreams I'd be following mine and selling the magic formula via infomercial..."Hi! I'm Danny and I've got YOUR magic formula...and if you call within the next 10 minutes, I'll double the offer." I think a some people see the 'romance' of running or being a runner and don't realize that the 'magic' is effort. There's no pill, just effort. I often say running and what it can and will do for you IS a miracle, just not a *poof* miracle. Saw some pictures of my friend AM on Facebook, he's been running a year. In that year he's lost 40 pounds. I never thought he was heavy to start with, but his 'before and after' pictures are quite dramatic. He started with the R101 (Couch to 10K) a year ago (2009) and has now run 3 or 4 half marathons and looks phenomenal - I love a before and after picture! He was never a big 'rah rah' guy, but he was committed. He wanted to succeed and as his success came, his commitment grew! Running is a series of successes - each day, each run is a success. A new distance, a new route, a PR (personal best AKA personal record) is a success. It's a feeling you can feed on, grow on and as your commitment grows, your confidence grows and the proof is in your mirror and your pants size. I love the saying that "Sweat is your fat cells crying." Love it, George Sheehan also said, "Sweat cleanses you in places soap will never reach." It can and will wash away a 'bad past'. It erases dietary indiscretions, it eliminates the possibility of bad decisions made from low self esteem because you are growing more confident with each run - commit to yourself, commit to your run, to your success. Make those fat cells cry, clean yourself from the inside out. It can't eliminate the past, but it WILL pave the way to a brighter future. Get committed, stay committed! ****RUNNER'S BOOT CAMP - Summer Edition will start Tuesday July 13 6:00 a.m. It will run through Thursday August 5 (4 weeks). The focus is on form and efficiency. Not much distance running, but a lot of core work, leg strengthening (hips,hammies, glutes, calfs - for injury avoidance), and drills to help your run further, faster, with less effort. Mt. Brook YMCA - $150.00 for non-members, $125.00 for members. However non-members get to use the Y facilities the days of boot camp (can locker there and shower for work, and check out the equipment....can check out the girls/guys too, but don't be conspicuous). You can e-mail me your interest. Sign up starts July 5th (we'll enjoy the holiday first).******