Janathon, 'sorted'.

See how i worked in that new vocabulary word? shaZAM!
I started the month doing fairly well, at least better than Juneathon. Thennn I got pneumonia. Those buggers residing in my right lower lung kicked my butt. for nearly 3 weeks i was breathing underwater. through a very, very tiny straw. like those stir sticks you get with your fru-fru drinks. (yes, Adam, i mean you.)
then last sunday (not yesterday. the other one) i was suddenly clear. amazing. i love the human body.
anyway, last week i ran a nice, slow coupla miles. i didn't count them anywhere, but i got through them.
i had planned to run over the weekend, but they got put aside in favor of a few other things. and i was mostly ok with that. lemons into lemonade, right? right.
but today i was determined to do SOMETHING on the last day of Janathon. the Higdon schedule that I am considering following called for cross training today, but I really didn't feel like that. I wanted to RUN!
so i did.
earlier in the day Cathy, the wonderful maiden behind Janathon, let me know that both she and I had 22 miles for the month. I sent her a message that I would do 4.2 to make it a full marathon in 31 days. i know. wow, right? well, it is just kinda fun in a dumb kinda way. don't judge me, but i did a marathon, and it took me a MONTH. 31 days, too, not some wimpy February 28 day month. nope. the BIG ONE. 31 days.
but it has made me think of other goals. and other things. like cheese (foreshadowing. Auntie Boo, if you are reading this......). i also played a lot of 'go fish' and 'war' with Bryce. got to enjoy some bball games, and 'rescued' Mike when my truck left him stranded (oops).

even though i didn't run every day, or blog every day, Janathon provided me with new online friends, expanded my vocabulary, and has made me think about many things. so i count that as a WIN.
Thank you, Cathy, and all of the other JANATHONERS. (aren't you glad i didn't say, "fankoo"?)

Where were YOU?

The title is part of a tweet that went around today, in reference to today being the 25th anniversary of the explosion of the Space Shuttle. It was all the rage up here when it happened, mostly because one of the Astronauts was from Maine. Until that point, Maine didn't get much press. Just lobstahs, paper mills, L.L. Bean, and the UMaine Black Bears hockey team. Other than that...not much else. Okok, fine. Blueberries, too. Happy? Moving on.
So, where was I? THAT is easy. I was sitting in the office of my high school. Why? Was i volunteering to help the secretary answer phones, make copies, or something nice like that? Well, although i did do those things, this is not why I was in the office on this day, 25 years ago. This time I was sitting in the office, on in-school suspension, on trumped up charges. Yes, folks, that's right. I was wrongly accused of being bad (this time. most of the time the charges were accurate (sorry, Mom!))
Here's how it all went down:
I was in the library with a few of my friends. Of course, we were studying. What else is there to do? Apparently we were being TOO LOUD for the librarian (who was affectionately known as "Gram", since she was as old as dirt. on a side note, i just found out today that she is STILL THERE (yes, alive) and fills in as librarian once and a while. wow. she's gotta be ancient by now. anyway....). Gram kicked me out. Just me. There had to be at least 3 others who were making noise, but she picked ME. Sad. She told me to go down to the office for the rest of the period since I couldn't conduct myself appropriately in her library.

So i left. She was standing behind the desk (which was standing height. who knew that our little school was so far ahead of it's time?), and as i walked by, i lobbed a magazine at the desk. Of course, it slid across the desk and came to rest right in front of her. I don't even think it put a wrinkle in her cardigan. I walked down to the office.
I was met in the lobby by the principal (who we were convinced was having an affair with Gram, and they both knew our suspicions), and he explained to me that I had 'really done it this time' (or something like that. cut me some slack, it has been 25 years for goodness sake!). Surprised, but not really, I said something like, "why Sir, what do you mean?" (exercising poetic license here. again, cut me some slack.) He proceded to tell me that I was now the proud recipient of an in-school suspension, and had won the right to spend the remainder of the day sitting in the office, in a chair, staring at the wall. No classes, no homework, no interaction. He went to get my hot-lunch and brought it to me (who's the real victime there?)
Anyway, while I was sitting there, banging my desk and screaming, "ATTICA, ATTICA, ATT-I-CA!" news came over the crackly radio that the shuttle had blown up. I was sent running to the AV closet to wheel in the TV. we set it up (no cable in those days, just rabbit ears!) and watched coverage. It was a relatively quiet time in the school for the rest of the day, but for most of us it wouldn't be until we got home that we were able to see coverage of the explosion. I'll never forget the "Y" shaped vapor trails....

so where were YOU? not just for this event, but for all of the other big events? your first race? your decision to lose weight and gain fitness? where were you when you decided to get on board with this whole blogging thing? in the shower? stuck in traffic?

so many things happen to us every day that seem so trivial at the time and when we look back at our lives, we tend to think of the things that were significant. Those are often tied to memories like mine, above.

I think that we need to strive harder to make more significant memories, and less of the ones that just take up time.

Good guest on Oprah today? maybe. Having your 4 year old school you in UNO? Unforgettable.

Headphone Review and such....

I think it was last month, in December, when i won a drawing for headphones from our friends over at @RunVermont (web site here). The headphones were unlike any i had seen before; they are designed to sit OUTSIDE your ear, rather than IN your ear. Odd, right? Well, here's what the company says is the reason behind this philosophy:
"The open ear design utilizes the ear to its full advantage by optimizing the ears’ natural ability to interpret sound while allowing users full awareness of their surroundings. Add life to your music! Free your ears! “Using proprietary InAir Technology, AirDrives break the sound barrier that isolates music lovers from their environment.” You shouldn’t have to choose between music and social interaction. AirDrives address the growing health and safety issues and their open architecture means there are no uncomfortable buds in your ears."
I was curious, but a bit skeptical. One of the troubles that I have had in the past with traditional earphones is that they don't seat themselves well in my ear, and constantly fall out or require readjusting. I eventually found a pair of phones with over the ear hooks. This dramatically increased their stability in my ear. I have also experimented with tethering the chord so that it doesn't bounce too much, thus reducing the stress on the ear piece. So when I read that these sit outside my ear, I was skeptical (did i mention that already? sorry...)
A nice little package arrived, and this was inside:

The packaging was a bit more that I thought necessary, but it did look very 'cool'. It did take my wikkid sharp garden shears to cut through the plastic, but I managed without a trip to the ER, so...WIN! Inside was a  fairly big instruction booklet, which i promptly discarded as any self-respecting male would. I mean, really. They are headphones. How much instruction should I really need (don't answer that, Tracey)?

Also included in the packaging was a cute little carrying bag to store the headphones in when not in use. Clever. I like that, since I usually just chuck them into my backpack when i am done, and then have a heck of a time untangling them before each use. I wound them up neatly and placed them in the bag, to get ready for the next time i might be able to use them.

THAT didn't happen until we went to Baltimore over New Year's weekend.

I ran early enough in the morning that traffic wasn't too much of an issue, but i wasn't too keen on the industrial-ness of the area, so i kept the music fairly low. One thing that i did notice was that I had to turn the volume all the way UP on my {droid}just so that i could hear the music. I switched to my mp3 player, but had to do the same thing. no worries, off i ran. The first day i went out there was no traffic, and i stayed on back streets, so there was no real background noise to worry about. On the second day, however, I went out a little later. City buses were on the prowl for commuters and such. When I ran on the parts that took me along the main road, the music was completely lost to the sound of the cars and the buses.

This disappointed me, in that i wanted to still hear my music AND the road noise. 

Here is a link to the company's site. Check them out for more details. They have video tutorials and all that fun, jazzy, web-stuff that you won't find here.

So lemme wrap this up:

The Good:

free!

sound quality. 

allowed me to hear other things, not just my music/podcast/etc.

adjustable over the ear things that held them in place very well.

The Bad:

required me to turn up the volume too high, which shortens battery life.

music was completely drowned out in traffic areas.

when wearing them in the car, other people could hear the music, too, which annoyed the crap out of them.

Overall:

If you have a tough time with earphones staying put, these are a GREAT alternative.

If you need to hear other things around you because you frequently run in traffic and such, then these are GREAT.

If you want to disappear into your music and become oblivious to everything else, don't buy these.

FCC mumbo-jumbo: I was fortunate enough to win these, and the opinions are my own.

"Begin with the end in mind." Steven Covey

As you know, I have been ill and not able to run. Others at home are sick, too, so time for the computer has been pushed aside in favour of taking care of each other at home. I much prefer that, anyway.

I did, however, write a short article for the Wellness Page on our hospital's intranet. Please allow me to share it with you, too:
---
New Year, New YOU!
Let's take some time to think about what it is we want from ourselves this year, specifically in terms of WELLNESS. I don't mean just physical fitness, but overall wellness. Mind, body, soul...that sort of thing.
As with any journey, I believe that it is important to 'begin with the end in mind' (S. Covey) before you actually DO anything. What do I mean? Let's take a simple approach: when you go on a trip, you don't just jump in the car and go, right? It may seem like it, especially when just going to town to get vittles, but it isn't really as simple as get in the car and go: you need a destination first. otherwise you'll just wander around town. who knows, chance are that you might come home with the right stuff, but there's a good (better) chance that you won't.
When you decide to go on vacation, how often have you just gone to the airport with a suitcase and picked a random flight? You first think something like, "man, i could use a vacation, " and you do some research, talk to friends, find a place you'd like to go. (begin with the end in mind). Then you make flight arrangements, buy the right clothes, find someone to watch the dog while you go, and begin your journey. Things might try to trip you up on the way (no one can watch your dog, flight delays, etc.) but you don't give up on the goal. You adapt, you overcome, and you GET THERE.
And your life is better because of it. You accomplished something that you wanted, you feel rejuvinated because of it, it renews your sense that you CAN get things done that you want to get done, and you are ready to face the world again, and of course set new vacation goals.
The same things apply to wellness. I'll give you some time to think about this approach, and then next week i'll write a bit about laying the ground work to help ensure success. Hit me up in the comments!
Be well, Gene.
---
I hope that this weekend finds all of your long runs to be just tough enough to remind you that they are long runs, but not so tough that you can't walk after. remember, peak for performance, not for training.

-g-

angry birds

have you seen this? if not, have you heard about it? i wish that i had had the opportunity to try this app before i got my smart-phone. it would have saved me some hassle. why?
well around 1030 last night i downloaded the Angry Birds app to my phone. I finally went to bed around 1am. when i got up this morning, i went straight back into it.
so for the most part i have been sucked in for going on 9 hours. if i had know this about A/B, i never would have  downloaded the app.
as far as my lung goes, it is on the mend. last night was the worst night so far, and this morning was especially horrible. the coughing produced some really odd sounds and feelings from my chest that i have never heard or felt before, and will be thankful if i never do again.
sitting around is not for me. i am going stir crazy, and have become very intolerant of people. excuse me, did you just blink? i thought i could hear you. turn it down, will you?
teens are driving me nuts.
youngest is getting on my nerves.
we reap what we sow, and harvest time is right around the corner.
very glad that i have had Angry Birds, actually, because it has helped me not be as much of an Angry Dad.

Click here to watch the video

hopefully by week's end i will be able to do some running, even if it is just for short periods and distances.
another interesting thing that happened today was an international discussion on the correct way to pronounce "scone". How would you pronounce it? Rhyme it in the comments. This could be good.........
Make it a great week!
-g-

phlegm, glorious phlegm

oh, wait. mebbe i got that wrong. i am not usually one to wallow when i get sick. but lemme tell you, THIS time round is different. i have been knocked on my keister for 3 days now, and it is tough for me to focus that there actually will be an end in sight.
i have been taking my meds (even the sugar-free alcohol-free generic Robitussin DM that i was prescribed) right on schedule, and must admit that i have noticed some improvement. i am able to cough more easily, and what i am coughing up would make Bill Cosby think twice about being a spokesperson for a certain 'after school treat'. mmmmm,,,,Butterscotch. These aren't my lungs, but pretty darn close:

that opaque thing in the middle is the heart. lub-dub, lub-dub. in the lower left (which is actually the patient's RIGHT), you can see some, what do they call it?, oh. consolidation. it is fluid in the lung. Not like coke or water or that, but more like butterscotch pudding. (there, i said it. sorry to all of you who (until now) like(d) butterscotch pudding. really i am. so anyway, back to the lesson. that junk is 'the pneumonia', as in "mr. jones, you have a pneumonia in your right lower lobe." i used mr. jones because i didn't get my diagnosis that way. mine was more direct. something like this, "dude. woah. you are one sick puppy."
before i was sent for the x-rays, the NP took my temp. (no, Adam, not rectally.) sheesh. i couldn't see the number, but her reaction was, and this is a quote, "wow. i usually don't see this kind of temp in here!" marvelous. lady, i know you are earthy and have those cute little Tibetan Prayer Flags strung up in your office (i want some!) and you have other 'crunchy' things around, but just gimme the digits. I'm an ICU nurse for goodnessakes. "what is it?", i queried. "103.9" yep. and that was AFTER 2 dayquil and an acetaminophen (i prefer generics) 325mg tablet. yep. i was COOKING. so home i went, reluctantly, because i have to finish a presentation due Wednesday. It is mostly set, but it is the first time i have presented to the Clinical Excellence Board, and I am a bit nervous about it. this, too, shall pass.

Have fun this weekend, everyone. Likely I'll be back a few times; not much else i can do. bleh.

hiatus

i haven't run or done anything since tuesday. i started to feel sick, and yesterday some obnoxious infestation took up residence in my head and bronchial trees. i am not happy about it, and told the little buggers that the space was intentionally left blank. They would have none of my reasoning, claimed squatter's rights, gave me the finger, and invited their friends over to play.
I took a hand full of pretty colored gel cap meds that i found in the bathroom closet (no PMS for me!) drank a bottle of water to wash them down and went to bed early. i slept most of the way through the night, but woke up to find that someone (probably the pranksters in my chest) replaced my tongue with a dried up sponge. i glanced in the mirror (well, after i hobbled to the bathroom, there are no mirrors in the bedroom) to check to see if they had used a sharpie on my face, which they hadn't. whew.
popped some more pills, ate a yogurt, and went back to bed.
i've been here most of the day, venturing out only for short periods. it is starting to feel good to be vertical again, and the coughing has subsided. i haven't taken any daytime meds, but will take more as soon as the sun goes down.
i missed #sfcfit chat on twitter last night, but don't want to miss the one hosted by @mizfitonline tonight. i will be well enough by then. that is my afternoon's mantra.
so, fellow Janathoners, what aspect of janathon do you find most daunting? the running or the blogging?

Sunday evening, in the gym

I was nice and snug, curled up on the couch with my bestie. We'd settled down to watch some shows that she'd recorded after having put in a busy day (well, SHE did) around the house, and my mind was content. Right as I was starting to drift off (again), a voice said, "Aren't you going to run today?"
Wha? Huh? "oh, sure. I said. Right. I have to run today. bleh."
"well, YOU'RE the one who signed up for (in a sing-song voice) Janathon."
dag-nabbit. she was right. Janathon. oooh, how i love to hate thee, Janathon. And it is only the 9th day of our relationship.
After the show was over, I lazily gathered my stuff and gathered the energy to go run on the treadmill quickly jumped into my running clothes and ran out the door to the gym. When I got there, I was greeted by a croud of people that must have numbered somewhere close to 1. Actually, the place was empty.
I turned on the Food Network (my favourite thing to have on the tele) and was able to watch that burley guy from Dinner Impossible run around like Scrat chasing the ever-elusive prize. I had the volume turned off because I was listening to a random shuffle on the 'ol mp3.

After about 3/4 of a mile, my middle region was telling me that i needed to stop and take care of business, but my brain was trying to convince the organs otherwise. In the end (aahahaha.... no pun intended) the three organs in my middle beat out the one organ in my cabesa and i stopped at one mile. Promptly took care of business, and was back on the mill. This time I turned the pace up a little bit, as the trax being played were more up beat. I continued to watch the chef run around as I ran on and on. I decided that I would to until the end of the show so that i could see how he (once again!) got in right under the wire and everything was happy in chef-land and there were no burned forearms or scalded fingers or singed eyebrows in the kitchen made up of mostly non-cooking staffers who got roped into the deal for one reason or another. I love it when a plan comes together.

So i ran for a total of 4 leisurely miles. When I got back home, I thanked my coach and took a shower. We then ate, settled back on the couch, and Bryce fell asleep in my lap. Another day, another day.

FYTO5K and Janathon

This is what happens when worlds collide...
Ok, not really as dramatic as all that. Not even close. But it is a line from one of my favourite songs, so what the hey.
Yesterday, Saturday, was the Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K virtual race, hosted by Adam. I didn't get out the door to do it during daylight hours, so i went out at night. I had been told that there was some game on TV involving small horses from Indianapolis, and decided to go while they were playing. Wise choice.
I gathered my gear:

I got all of my clothes on, filled a water bottle, and sampled a Banana Strawberry GU. Bryce tried a dollop, too. His comment was, "Dad, when i get older, you can get me some of this for my birthday." Ok, little man, Ok.
I re-checked the race information just to be sure that I was going on the right day, or that i had enough time left in the day, to get this 5k done. I had been reading tweets all day from other participants, and their times were coming in around 15-20 minutes faster than my predicted time.
But that's ok, right? My only competition is ME (and Mother Nature, in this case). NeilZee raced in the arctic tundra near Calgary, barefoot, so I should be able to tackle this.
When I got to the designated parking area, I was a bit nervous; it was eerily empty:

Hmm....well, i paid my fee, so i ran. I love this trail. I have been on it many, many times, in most kinds of weather, since i discovered it a few years ago. I've taken Bryce on it, Tracey, Zach for a little bit, and Riley. I know pretty much every turn, every up and down. I can anticipate where I can rest a bit, and where i just need to push it and get over the top.

That mostly changed last night. The cold air sapped my lungs. The inadequate amounts of energy that I had consumed through the day left me a bit flat. But I ran on.
I lost the trail a few times, but was able to get back on without too much trouble. Others had left foot prints all around, so it was easy to get side tracked. A good adventure, to be sure. Even with a few signs along the way, it was still interesting. One of my favourite things about running at night in the woods is that your head lamp forces you to focus. All you can see is what is illuminated by your light. Beautiful.

At the turn around point I sent a text message to Tracey to let her know that I had made it half way, and then trudged back up the hill that I had just caromed down. THAT wasn't fun.

Near the beginning/end, there is a section of trail that goes through a tunnel of evergreens. I love that part of the trail, and last night was no let down. I had to duck as I ran to avoid knocking the freshly fallen snow down my back.
When i got back to the truck, i checked my time, and I was very happy with the result. Not the fastest time I have run this trail, but certainly the best I've done at night in winter. I may have to try to improve this as the season progresses. I leave you with some pics. Have a Great Sunday, and get ready for a FANTASTIC WEEK!!

OH! I almost forgot. This race was billed as a CLOTHING OPTIONAL event. I understand that there was a group who was surprised when one of their...umm...members showed up nude. Or maybe not. I can't be sure. Anyway, here is my obligatory nude photo from the race. You have been warned....

sorry, gotta run.

yesterday i was really hoping to crank out a nice steady 8 miles on the mill after work. just felt like i 'needed' some time to clear my head. for various reasons i was not able to have the time window that i require for 8 miles (say, 3 hours...heh heh heh), so i stormed around my office shaking my fist in rage had to readjust my wishes for the evening. I tweeted:
"wanted to run for an hour or more tonight, but my window has been reduced to only 25 minutes. bag it or do it anyway? #treadmill"
tick-tock, tick-tock...would anyone answer? would 'they' let me off the hook? I actually didn't have to wait long:

262milejourney  said this:

"@boutdrz do it anyway."

dang it!

around 5 of 4 i got changed and then headed downstairs right at 4. if i didn't have an office mate, i would do this every day. but she is a clock watcher, so no sneaking out early for me! (she doesn't work on Fridays, so....) Anyway, I got down there and the place was empty. before i got to the dreadmills, though, another RN came in. she works on the machines in her street clothes nearly every day. i think that she catches a bus because she is always in and out before 420. very happy for her that she is consistent about utilizing her time well. i should take note.

I pulled up a track from AudioFuel that i've had kicking around my mp3 player since last summer. It is a BETA version of an interval workout that goes like this:

5 minute warm up at 150 bpm.

30 seconds at 190 (bpm) (managable. feels good to stretch it out. mill speed at 9mph)

60 sec at 150

45 sec at 194 (hmm. a bit different than 190. i expected less of a difference. mill at 9.4)

60 sec at 150 (ah. can i make it 90 seconds? no? ok. fine.)

60 sec at 196 (ummm...WHAT? can my legs keep up? getting strange looks from that other RN. mill at 9.6)

60 sec at 150 (annnd JUMP! onto the rails. whew. ahhh...pause mp3. i'll get my extra 15 seconds while the mill slows. the big one is next. yes, yes, i hear you, AudioFuel. "get ready." fine. i'm ready. LEMME HAVE IT!)

75 sec at 200 (mill set at 10. i swear i smelled smoke. maybe it was my legs, as i didn't use body glide. i dunno. anyway, the mill is humming along, i am running fast, concentrating on a spot on the wall across the room so i don't look away and break stride and then fall and then get stuck between the (WHAT??? it has only been 15 seconds????) wall and the mill going at 10 FREAKISH mph and have all my skin sanded off of my body. okokokok. yes, yes, take deep breaths, yes, yes....wait, what did he just say? "This is what the world looks like at 200 bpm"? ummm....from where i stand, it looks the same as it did at 150, or even 10 bpm. holy crap. i don't think i can hang on much longer here but i have to do this i want to do this this is pretty cool i don't think that i could have done this 2 years ago. WHAT? HALF WAY THERE???? DARN YOU AUDIOFUEL! I am SO greatful to have been given this BETA track.....why is the RN walking toward the emergency phone while keeping here eyes on me? "That's the top of the pyramid, sorted." comes the voice in my ears.

ANNNNND JUMP!

so i made it to the top. wow. yes, i still had the way down to go, but it all seemed so easy. (not really)

quite a great workout, and it was done in about 25 minutes. this morning i can still feel it in the tops of my thighs and in my hips. feels good to stretch out my stride. i tend to get lazy on the mill. 

will be running in the FYTO5K this afternoon, or tonight. I have a nice woodsy trail all picked out. Freshly fallen snow should lure the snowshoers who will (i hope) pack the trail down nicely. it has been billed as 'clothing optional', but unless i can find some chipmunks who can work a camera, there will be NO race photos...

is it only the 6th?

Lost: mojo

Last Seen: December, 2010

Area: Visions of Janathon

Reward: my everlasting thanks 

A few nights ago i participated in #SFCFIT chat on Twitter. It was great. Positive vibes all around, helpful fitness tips being tossed back and forth; collegiality. I loved it.

Annnnd I'm spent.

At work yesterday things just didn't seem to fall into place. I got through my projects, but found that I was playing Devil's Advocate much more often and with much more enthusiasm than was probably necessary. Not a good sign. So i tried to spend some time alone to regroup, but that didn't work, either. I became consumed with guilt that i was 'just sitting around' in the cafeteria. Little did anyone know the turmoil going on in my head. I have a history of keeping things inside, which i am working on not doing anymore, and i can feel myself slipping back into that mode. I don't like it there, but I am comfortable there. Does that make sense to anyone other than me?

So today is going to be a turn around day.

I will not wallow in troubles from the past.

I will not place high expectations on others.

I will focus on the positive in every situation.

I will allow myself some 'wiggle room'.

I will relocate my mojo and put it to good use.

I will spread positive energy into every situation I face today.

Seems reasonable, doesn't it? Matt Long, who many of you have read or heard about, is getting together a foundation to do something. Exactly what that is, I dunno. BUT....the website has a static display page on it right now that I have been trying hard to incorporate into my mantras lately. For quite a while it was the wallpaper on my computer at work. You can see it here: www.iwillfoundation.com .

As far as Janathon goes, I walked yesterday. I didn't run. I walked about 2 miles within the hospital. seriously. it is just about .25 miles from my office to the cafeteria. (and the ER, and medical services offices, etc.).

Today I will be bringing my TRX to work since my office mate doesn't work on Fridays. I will also be running after work. Or before. It is not even 430 now. I have been awake since 2.

Happy Friday!!!

Comic relief.

ran this afternoon on the treadmill. nothing exciting happened to ME while I was there, but the dude next to and slightly ahead of me to my left? yea. I think he'll have a bruise in the morning....
you see, he was cruising along at around 5.4 miles per hour. headphones on, still in his work clothes (pants and golf-type shirt), minding his own business. he stands about 6'2", weighs in probably around 220lbs.
one of his buddies was walking by the window (floor to ceiling), and decided to knock and mock him.
well......
not only did dreadmill guy wave back, but in the process, he somehow slapped the emergency stop button. ever wonder what would happen if suddenly your gym lost power and all of the treadmills suddenly stopped? i saw it happen tonight.
and it wasn't pretty.
imagine running along, not a care in the world, when suddenly a WALL appears from nowhere and you have no choice but to smack into it. yea, it was like that. he ran straight into the panel of the treadmill going 5.4 mph. BAM!! i tried REALLY, REALLY hard not to laugh, mostly for fear that i would go sailing out the back of my rubber band of doom and get pinned between the sander belt and the wall. but of course, i didn't laugh. out loud.
he was fine, yada yada, and kept running. kudos.

i didn't laugh then, but i thought for sure that i was gonna pee when i was telling the story to Z on our way to bball practice. holy. flippin. COW that was funny stuff. i really hope that it never happens to me (again). What? yes, i went sailing off the back of a 'mill a buncha years ago. big fat hairy deal. but this guy? YOWZA that was a RIOT!

and so ends Janathon day 5. 4 miler of hills on the mill. max incline 7%. good times.
-g-

hey, treadmill. been coming here long?

yesterday, Janathon 4th, I had a date with the treadmill.
let's just keep it PG and say that there was some sweat and some creaking, but i was glad to leave after our time was over.
will i be back? oh, you bet. for at least two reasons.
1) it is Janathon
2) it is too cold outside for me to run comfortably or safely. no real sidewalks where we live, and the roads aren't in fantastic shape.
ok, so that was more than two reasons.

having a bit of fun on the 'mill lately, actually, so i am looking forward to tonight's session. i wish that there was a way that i could jot things down while i ran so that i don't forget them. bunches of ideas flow through my noggin while i run, but afterward i have a hard time recalling them. hmmm...
as an aside, did anyone else watch that train wreck last night on NBC? Lordy, what have we done? I think that there should be a show where they take an average fitness group of people and train them to do something great, like a sub 3 marathon or an IronMan. Train for a body building competition or something. Let us see average folks do great things, instead of people who have wrecked their lives being pushed through unsafe routines and instant life changes.
Of course, the DVR is set to record next week's show. Call me a "casualty vampire", but I'll still tune in.
Like last night, though, I'll likely have #fitchat going on my twitter feed. things happen so fast there, though, it is tough to multitask. totally worth it, though.

enough for now, peeps. nothing too drastic or dramatic here today. i am working on a post about cheese that i hope to have ready in time for the weekend. hint: lemons into lemonade.
peace, yo!

Janathon the 3rd

And on the 3rd day, I fouled up my scheduling and wasn't able to get out of the house to run. what to do, what to do? I have a new TRX set that TLW gave me for Christmas.....so i set that up downstairs and did some Atomic Push-ups (sounds like a VS product, doesn't it?), some arm curls, and some squats.
then, out of the corner of my eye, i saw an oft-neglected piece of exercise equipment. what could it be? well, yes, it was none other than the revolutionary Gazelle, hawked by that guy Tony with the mullet. remember that? ohhh, yes you do! before the ab-roller 6000 and the shake weight, we had the Gazelle!
With that in mind, I leave you with this inspirational video. The sequence lasted about 25 minutes, which, again, is about a 5k, but i spared you, my dear reader, from having to watch this for 25 minutes. Video-graphy credits go to Zacher, mad editing skills are mine, and the sound track belongs to some guy named Copeland. And i don't mean Sting. (Although you might be tempted to call the Police after watching this.)

Please note that I am wearing my RoadID during this exercise. I never know when Tracey might come to her senses and chuck me out onto the curb. I'd want my remains to be easily identified....wouldn't you?

a day late. travel complete

yesterday, Janathon 2nd, saw me running around Timonium, MD, at around 730 am. All 5 of us stayed in a small, dry, kinda musty smelling hotel room. I didn't get much sleep, as i was fending off Bryce's karate kicks and other nonsense while he slept. What is it with little kids and being so flippin MOBILE whilst they slumber? I swear that kid does a 5k in his sleep every night. At this rate, he should be ready to set a new WR by the time he reaches 2nd grade. intervals, baby, intervals. this is where we stayed. i give it 2 stars.
I ran around a block that was largely industrial, with a shopping center thrown in for good measure. Since the rest of the room wasn't planning on getting up until close to 9, i figured that i had quite a bit of time to get in a decent run, even if it was at a reduced pace. Mother Nature had other plans, though. Since I was raised to respect my Mom (and ipso-facto (?)) ALL Mothers, I took heed and finished my run at 3.1 miles. For some reason, now that I reflect, 5k seems to be a magic distance for me. I hope that this is only temporary, because I have many more K's to go to reach my goal for this year....more on that later.
I ran the 5k with around a 9 min/mile pace, which was  a bit slower than i'd like, but the last mile or so was spent clenching my cheeks. Finally, at 3.1, i could barely stand up straight, let alone run. oh, look, a dark, abandoned parking lot with lots of bushes.....
and then i walked back to the hotel, about 0.06 miles. Janathon 2nd in the books.
Today I will most likely run #3 on a treadmill, since local temps are expected to stay in the low 30's to high 20's.
ta....
-g-

1.1.11

move along, there's nothing to see here.
got up in our hotel with plenty of time to do a nice run. went back to sleep. got up again a little while later to do a  halfway decent run, but went back to sleep. finally got up with just enough time to squeeze in a lazy 2 mile run. route took me past an indoor climbing facility that i visited during my transition from my former life to my current life. during that time, all hell had broken loose for me. sadly, it was all my undoing. happily, i am in a better place now than i have ever been. more on that later.
this entry isn't for that.
glad i finally got up and got to get out for the run. Thank you, @janathon_ for pushing me.
 i am at my BIL's house in Maryland until tomorrow evening, so this post, like my run, is short and to the point. more like this tomorrow, with a real run and post starting Monday.
Happy New Year, everyone.
Here's to moving on from the things that anchor us to our past and to making new waves in the future!

-g-