The Cold Run

3.15 miles
18 degrees
27:48

Well, I chickened out of the Turkey Trot, but I managed to suck it up and go out on the road for a run in lieu of gorging myself later on.

I wussed out because I found out the Trot was a combination road/cross country run. No problem, save for the fact that we got about an inch of snow on Wednesday. At that point, I'll just run on/in my friendly confines.

Socks for 18 degrees. That's what I need to add to the list. My feet were pretty damn cold during the run. The rest of me was fine. Oh yeah, except for my s****y gloves. They need to be replaced, too.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I ate too much, avoided my in-laws, kept my head down, and persevered.

GBR

Return of the Living Dead....not quite

I must warn you that in my profile, I say that I run and run and then stop running...or something to that effect. Has it really been since November 3rd? Wow, I've really fallen into blogging obscurity. Actually, when I look at how many subscribers I have, obscurity would be moving up. *Note-many thanks to my 3 subscribers! 3 of them have dealt with my ramblings and whatnot (sp?)! Either that, or they've forgotten to unsubscribe. Nevertheless, I blog on.....

Let's move on to what's been happening:

• Philadelphia was interesting. The historical aspect was very cool and the people were surprisingly nice. I was expecting the East Coast intensity that I've experienced in Boston. The kids were well-behaved, but I don't think I got anything substantial from the convention. Many cheesesteaks were consumed, so I'm a happy guy. The other advisor and I had planned on running to the Rocky steps (a.k.a. - The Philadelphia Museum of Art) one morning, but we had walked 10 miles in one day and our legs felt it the rest of the trip. Kind of helped justify eating 5+ cheesesteaks on the trip.

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• Much like the rest of the country, it's gotten cold here in the Heartland. I've put off running in the morning and have made some GREAT excuses: too cold, too windy, need sleep, funny little scratch in my throat, etc. Finally, this Tuesday, I jumped out of bed (almost literally) and hit the road. Good to get out, but I was disappointed that I stopped my run short. Maybe it's the Revenge of the Cheesesteak!
• Just got done with the football video (oh yeah, that was another excuse for me not to run) and that was pretty well received. Maybe some recruiting video business will come out of it. If not, I guess I just keep plugging away at highlight videos and, if necessary, weddings.
• I've agreed to run in the Omaha Turkey Trot tomorrow. It was going to be a couple of teachers and a few students. Now, I'm the Only Teacher Standing. The kids are excited....even though it'll be about 20 degrees tomorrow morning, so I guess I'll go. It'll justify all of the food I'll be throwing down tomorrow.

Hands down, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Here's why:

• Food, food, and more food. Even if it's out of a can, it still tastes better on Thanksgiving.
• Booze
• Football on THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, and SUNDAY
• 4 days off from the students who, at this point, are mailing it in anyway.

This year's Thanksgiving is going to be different. Parents are with sis in Phoenix this year, so I'll be with the in-laws. Always interesting fun. Also, my beloved Husker football team should be looking for a new coach within a few short hours. Yes, we Husker fans, have been counting down ever since Oklahoma State bent us over last month.

Lastly, since everyone else is doing it, here's what I'm thankful for:

• Loving family
• 2 great kids
• Good friends
• Food
• Booze
• Husker football
• Bitching about the Husker "coaching" staff
  
• Long runs with the iPod
• Short runs without
• Reading and enjoying other blogs
• Getting out of school at 3:45p the day before Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Network of Sorts

6:30am
29 degrees
4.25 miles
41:24

So this is the long run, huh? Earlier this summer, I had gotten the long run up to 7 miles. That was before the IT band issue. That, and the fact that I was a lazy pile for a good portion of the early fall. Nevertheless, here we go.

Cold, but it doesn't seem as cold as Thursday. Wonder why? Still can't bring myself to shedding a layer and trying it out.

For the long runs, I take the iPod. On the playlist....Steve Runner's "Pheddipidations". It keeps my mind off the fact that it's a long run and he's goofy enough to keep me amused and motivated. Plus, he's a Red Sox fan. Did I mention that they won the World Series? Again? GO SOX!!!

Good production value on the podcast this week. I should get back to teaching my kids about audio podcasting, but I've only got so much time and space. They're doing great with the video podcasting, so I'll consider building into the curriculum for next year.

He's talking about different types of paces. I really only know one pace, so I think I'll try taking it easy today and just listen to the podcast.

Something about "Things You Have to do Before you Die." Good morning! What a great topic. Oh well, I see where he's going with it.

Must do a marathon before 40. Number 1 on the list for yours truly.

Still going back and forth between an HM and a marathon for this May. Leaning towards HM now.

Kept thinking about the blogs I read yesterday. It's quite a network that runners have, isn't it? There are a lot of us, but so few on the "outside" really appreciate what we go through. Waking up at 6am on a 29 degree Saturday morning comes to mind. Anyway, as I sped read through these blogs which, by the way, were pretty entertaining, I realized how we're all somehow connected. I'm new to the whole running thing, but I have never been associated with such a supportive group of people. From the message boards, the blogs, the race volunteers, to other runners, it's a great network. Some would call it a cult, but I don't wear a shroud and purple Nikes.

I need to find a new route. There is nothing to look at when you run through a business park. Yee haw. Hope there's a good route in Philadelphia. Never been there, but I've never heard anyone say, "You HAVE to visit Philadelphia!", either. Not knocking it, just don't know anything about it. Like I said, my goal is to run on the "Rocky" steps at the Museum of Art.

Wow, this is an easy pace. I'm almost done and I have a lot left. I'd go further, but I've got a lot of stuff to do before I sit down to watch my beloved Huskers get whooped by Kansas. Actually, I don't know the big deal with KU this year. I really don't think they've played anyone tough. Maybe the Big Red will learn how to wrap up and tackle. Crap, I completely forgot about our new quarterback. Uh....well, at least we can have fun in speculating as to who NU's next coach will be.

Done. 41:24??? Geez, I don't remember walking at any point. I guess that's what they call an easy pace, huh?

Have a good weekend.

The Ups and Downs of running and life

5am
32 degrees
3.55 miles
31:24

2 days I've planned to run in the morning and 2 days I've gotten up and done it. Moral victory!

Hat, gloves, tights, wind pants, long sleeve T, short sleeve T, wind jacket.

Tight legs on warmup. Switched to power walking so I could get the muscles stretched and the blood flowing quicker. Seemed to work.

I really don't mind the 32 degrees. I wonder what my cutoff point will be before I run after school when it's a bit warmer?

*start*

A good Halloween. Anna seemed to have a lot of fun as Snow White and Charlie was a great Grumpy Dwarf! I give my wife all the credit for the great costume for Charlie. I hope Anna won't want candy for breakfast. Might want to prepare for that battle. How about saying that if you don't have candy for breakfast, you'll have a lot for later on. Yeah, a 3 year old can reason like that.

Quick prayer for family, friends, etc. As I look up at the constellations, I realize how lucky I am.

Philly is quickly approaching. It'll be fun. Still don't know how the presentation will go, but I'm not too concerned. It's not like this convention really caters to Broadcast advisers. It concentrates itself more on print journalism.

I think I could ditch the short sleeve tee and either the pants or the tights. Kind of warm. That'll be the layer for sub-25 maybe? Gloves still suck.

Dark trail and it seems like I'm a little more alone. I consider more of "solitude". I'd like to say that it's more conducive to a deeper understanding of my running and/or well being, but all I can really concentrate on is how $@#$ cold my fingers are.

Hey, you know I haven't had to stop and walk for awhile. Why did you just think that?????? It's 95% mental and I'm thinking about stopping? Idiot.

*halfway point*

Ladies and gentlemen, we've hit the a** kicker stage of the run! Isn't there always one of those? That point on your route where the hill is steeper or the wind gets more intense? It's kind of like life. Hang on a second......IS THAT ANOTHER RUNNER??????

"Good morning."

"Morning."

The guy is wearing a long sleeve tee and shorts! Geez, now I feel like I'm a wrestler trying to lose weight. Might as well be wearing a trash bag, too. I think I may need to reassess what to wear at 32 degrees. Guy blows past me. It's obvious that I have some work to do.

Where was I? Oh yeah....running is like life.

*this is my deep thought for the day*

Running is like life. There are hills. Sometimes you run uphill gradually. It's tough, but manageable and it's necessary to get to where you need to go. (raising kids, maintaining relationships, job, etc.)

Sometimes you get a break and get to go downhill. It's pretty easy and you get to take a breath (vacations, parties, spending time with family and friends, etc.)

Sometimes, the road is flat. Status quo.

Sometimes there are really steep hills. You tackle it. You run or you walk, but you don't stop. You know that, at some point, the steep hill will level itself out (family tragedy, stress, anxiety, etc.)

Whew! That's a LOT of deep thinking for a TV teacher. Hope I don't strain myself later on. I've got nothing left in the tank, but I can finish out the last .25 miles. You still have something in the tank.

Finish. Kind of tough to stop the watch with these @#@##! gloves on.

31:24. A minute slower? Maybe it's because I have too many clothes on.

Until Saturday. 4.25 miles!

"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."