Saturday Morning Run - Holy Cow that was a lot of people

First off let me just say that I run with an amazing group of people! I'm not sure exactly how many people were out there at 6am for the second group (yeah that's right second group, some of them had been out there since 4:30am) but we were like a tribe as we headed out of Crow Creek park.

Today was the perfect day for a run in my opinion, mid 40's low wind, overcast skies, simply awesome morning for a run. We headed out going south down Devils Glen and hopped on the bike path for 45 min before heading back. As always the main group broke up into a couple smaller groups as runners of different abilities settle into their own rhythm. This is one of the reasons that I love running with the group so much, their is a wide range of runners, like John who is training for The Leadville 100 mile Ultra Marathon to
Marathon trainers and people who are just out getting in 10-12 miles for a half marathon or shorter. Today I spent the majority of the day running with Jay who is making a comeback to running after back to back injuries that have left him sidelined for the past couple months. He broke his jaw during a fall and then after recovering from that he had a back injury, just the mere fact that he was out running is a testament to his dedication and perseverance.

I have run with this group 3 or 4 times over the last month and each time I get to meet someone new and spend some quality time getting some quality miles in. You really get to know someone over the course of an hour or 2 while running, and its funny the range of topics you might cover, everything from blister prevention to your child's activities and everything in between. It's funny some of the people I've met only a couple of times and spent only a handful of hours with but I have had more in depth conversations with them than I have with some of my closest friends whom I've know for years.

After finishing up with our 90 min loop we all met back at crow creek where some other LU members along with the PV Girls cross country team were waiting to join up for the next round. I was only going to join them for another 2-3 miles since I was almost to my miles and had to get headed back home soon. After a quick photo op we headed out of the park with 20+ people, we were like a gang of runners, it must have been a funny sight for the people driving by us as we headed out on our way down Devils Glen, I can only imagine what it must have looked like...pretty awesome...or strange depending on your perspective I guess.

I finished up with Anne and Jay who turned around at the same time I did, with 13 miles in just under 2 hours at a 9 min mile pace which once again is still remarkable to me. I am running just as fast on my group long runs as I am on my shorter solo runs. Days like today when running feels easy and almost effortless I get a glimpse at what kind of potential I have to get better and it only fuels my desire to keep pushing my body further. I felt better at the end of 13 miles than I did at the beginning, I felt like I could have kept going had it not been for time constraints and done 18 miles today, how smart that would have been is a whole nother debate. But when running feels like it did this morning, its easy to understand just how addicting it can be...best drug in the world!

After I got home from my run I wrestled with the boys for awhile before doing 3 rounds of 20/20 crunches and push ups and the boys joined me afterwards, then I taught them how to do headstands, don't tell their mother not sure if shed appreciate at that or not, ha-ha!!!

Time now for the boys first soccer game, then I'm going to hit the pool at the Y and try and get a good work out in since I missed 2 swims this week, than we have a birthday party to go to this afternoon, busy, busy day, but I wouldn't want it any other way.


Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Dealing with changes when plans don't go according to plan

This week has been a mixed bag of missed workouts and running breakthroughs. I've missed 2 of my 3 swim workouts because of exhaustion and/or horrible sleep, thank you thunderstorms last night for making my neurotic dog go crazy all night. I was up at 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep until almost 4. Alarm was set to go off at 4:30 and i was exhausted, needless to say I didn't make it to the pool this morning. Couple that with the fact that I skipped my bike workout last night cause I was just too wiped out, and i could be really down about my training right now. But I'm choosing to look on the bright side of things, this week I've really made some breakthroughs with my running. First I was able to get in 2 evening runs with little to no complications like dizziness or feeling faint like I normally do when i try to run at night. In fact I had one of my best tempo runs on Wednesday night, which started off as an easy 3 miler.

I realize that in training much as in life things are not always going to go as planned, and my outlook on these unexpected changes is what's really important. I could choose to dwell on the poor efforts or missed workouts, or I could celebrate the small victories and use those as motivation to get back on track.

Stuff happens, I just have to deal with it. And the fact that i have been able to roll with it this week instead of relentlessly obsessing about it and driving myself and others crazy with my antics shows me a new level of maturity, and that I can take pride in.

Going to try and hit it hard this weekend with a long run on deck for tomorrow, until next time...

Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Sunday Fun-Day

So my day started off with an easy 2 hour ride on my bike trainer (yeah I know the words easy and 2 hour bike ride don't belong in the same sentence and I'm seeking professional help for it, well not really). Watched a movie and then caught a half hour of Joel Osteen before getting ready for church.

After church and lunch did some yard work before heading out for a bike ride with the family. This was our first real time going for a family bike ride since both boys have been out of training wheels and they both did awesome, can't say the same for Deanna. She was struggling to keep up with me and the boys and by the time we reached our designated turn around area I think she was ready to be done. We took a little break and let the boys play for a bit before heading back. Deanna jokingly suggested (I think) that me and the boys could ride back, get the car and come back and pick her up faster, she was a trooper though and solider on. We eventually made our way back to the car and I'm pretty sure Deanna was glad it was over.

After our bike ride it was time for some burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Deanna made us some healthier baked fries and some amazing spicy red pepper turkey burgers. Grilling out was the perfect end to a great day and a great weekend. Back to the grind tomorrow, but we already have plans for another bike ride next weekend maybe and definitely some more grilling.

Until next time...

Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Family Fun Night at the Mallards game

So last night the whole family went to watch the QC Mallards hockey game, and we had a blast. After last night I'm convinced that Caden is going to be that rabid sports fan that yells at his tv. He was screaming to shoot it shoot it every time a Mallards player had the puck, and when the other team scored you would have though his world had ended.

All in all it was a great night and we all had a fun time.

Saturday group long run

So my schedule called for 9 miles today, but the LU group was running 15, I debated on whether I was going to join them this week or not. The plan was to meet at the Isle of Capri parking lot and run an out and back to Credit Island, so if I wanted to turn around after 5 miles I could. Besides doing a long run with others is so much more enjoyable and the miles always go by quicker. This run felt easy, which is weird to say considering I averaged nearly a minute per mile faster than my normal long run pace, and it was easily the longest run I've done in some time but the miles ticked off and I felt like I had a lot left in me even after we finished.

It is so awesome to get to run with a great group of people and it certainly helps having much faster and capable runners to help push me past my comfort zone.

After the run I called to let my wife know I was on my way home and she told me she had a surprise for me when I got home. I knew exactly what she was talking about and I enthusiastically proclaimed "PANCAKES!" over the phone. To any of you non-runners married to or in a relationship with a runner, trust me when I tell you nothing says I love you quite like a stack of warm pancakes after a long run.

After devouring a stack of cakes it was off to our first soccer practice of the year. Now a little downtime before an early dinner and then the family is going to a hockey game tonight, Living Uncommon at its finest today.

Until next time...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Wednesday Long Swim

Woke up late this morning and rushed off to the pool, energy level was seriously dragging, really would have rather slept in some more but was excited to implement some of the techniques I picked up the other day.

Workout for today was
400 warm up
500 swim, 400 pull, 300 kick 200 swim, 100 pull, 100 swim down.

Workout was tough and it was made tougher by the fact that I was constantly thinking about my stroke and what i was doing with my legs. I could definitely feel the difference though, my shoulders are sore from utilizing different muscles. Surprisingly even though I felt like I was crawling through the water my times were not bad. The rest of this week and most likely for the next couple of weeks I'm going to really focus on getting comfortable using the techniques i learned, and not be worried so much about times and distance.

St. Patrick's Day Race

Today was the first race of the year for me and it was the first race of the Live Uncommon Revolution Race Series. Started the day off with a warm up run before we headed down to the race, the boys were running the 1/4 mile tot trot and they were both super excited. Caden wanted me to run along side him and I was happy to join him. When the race started Casey took off and me and Caden started weeding our way through the crowd, it was so funny when ever we would hit an open patch Caden would take off like a rocket and I was struggling to keep up with him while dodging little kids and trying to keep an eye on Casey who was doing awesome. We made the turn around and it opened up a bit and both boys were off and running, it was so awesome to see them having such a great time running and doing such a great job.

My race went much better than expected, I had planned on starting out slow which wasn't too much of a problem since I started out in the back of the pack. After weeding my way through the joggers and walkers and turning the corner I was able to open it up. I was really surprised to look down at my watch and see I was hitting a 7:30/min mile. I was hoping to get under 24 minutes so anything under 8 min miles was awesome. I decided after the first mile to let it go and keep pushing. I was happy to finish 1 min off my 5k PR from last year so early in the year and with little to no real speed training so far this year, my unofficial time was 22:26.

After the race we hung around for the parade and met up with some friends to watch and then grabbed some lunch with them afterwards. It was a great day and really embodied the spirit of the LU Revolution, Family, Fun, Friends and a chance to give back to CASI doing something we all enjoyed. Awesome event, awesome race, awesome LU support!!!

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Tuesday Night Trail Run

Hit my favorite place to run when I stay in Ames, nice little flat trail at the park. Weather was amazing, first time I've run outside in just shorts and a t-shirt in a long time. Still having my issues with running at night, tried eating a little more later in the afternoon today but still got that exausted fatigued feeling half way through the run, wanted to shoot for 5 miles but called it after the second loop because I was getting dizzy. Maybe I just run better on a fasted state first thing in the morning, oh well at least my knee wasn't hurting before or after. I was concerned with running on the uneven terrain that it might flare up, but no issues to speak off.

First Live Uncommon RevoLUtion Race is this Saturday and I'm still looking for donations, big thank you for those who have already stepped up and made a donation, I really appreciate it. If you would like to make a donation to the cause you can access my page here.

Thank you for reading...

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Training Week #10 - Saturday and Sunday

Was able to join up with a group on Saturday morning for a 10 mile run, the pace was a little faster than I've been used to lately but it was good to push myself outside of my comfort zone for a change. I run the majority of my miles by myself and it's easy to get into a rut so getting to run with other people was a welcomed change of pace. It was also good to catch up with some friends I haven't had the opportunity to run with in awhile and also get to meet some fellow Live Uncommoners for the first time.

Later in the afternoon on Saturday I hit the pool at the Y for what was meant to be an easy swim, but seeing as how I missed my long swim I decided I would try and get some extra laps in. The original plan was to do 4 x 200's for my main set but once I got started on my first 200 I changed my course and went a different direction. There is one workout in my routine that I have been avoiding and that is the all out 800 yard swim, frankly it intimidates me. Anything more than 200 yards at time starts to prove difficult for me and I have intentionally avoided doing the 800 for that reason. But I was feeling good and decided to see if I could do it, I would take it 100 yards at a time. Once I got through the first 400 yards I knew I was going to go all the way some how. It was a struggle but once I finished I felt really good like I had accomplished something big, and it has given me the confidence that I can indeed complete the swim leg in the triathlon.

Sunday I took the opportunity to sleep in instead of getting up at 4:30 to ride my bike trainer. With the time change I was going to lose an extra hour of sleep and just coming off being sick I opted for the extra sleep, besides I knew it was going to be nice in the afternoon and I was looking forward to riding outside again. After visiting with family from out of town in the morning and early afternoon I was finally able to head out for my long ride. The plan for the day was 55 miles but not having rode outside I was going to be happy with anything I could get. First off let me say I completely forgot how much I hate riding in wind, when riding the bike path along the river it seems like no matter what direction your going its always into the wind! I started out with it in my face thinking great I'll have it at my back later, ya right! It was really more of a cross wind since it was coming out of the south but either way it blew. I ended up with 41 miles in just over 2.5 hours, my pace was slow at times, definitely a difference between rode shape and trainer shape, but I was happy with the workout overall. Looking forward to many, many more miles outdoors in the very near future.

All in all a pretty decent week of training even with being sick 2 days and not at 100% this weekend still. Looking forward to putting in some good training in the weeks ahead, got my eye on possibly doing my first tri at the end of May, after my swim yesterday I'm feeling confident in my capabilities and I'm ready to test myself, but before that I have my first RevoLUtion Race this coming Saturday. If you have the opportunity please check out my page and consider donating to some worthy causes.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Training Week #10 - Friday Swim and Sickness

Wow what a difference a couple of days makes; at the beginning of this week I was feeling great and my training was hitting on all cylinders and today an easy swim workout kicked my butt.

Tuesday afternoon a sneaky, and nasty little cold crept up on me and knocked my flat for the past 2 days. Normally when I get hit with a cold I can usually power through it and keep on training. I subscribe to the philosophy that if I make my body as inhospitable a host as I can then no germ or sickness will want to tag along. Usually this works for minor illness but not this one, I have not wanted to do anything but lie in bed or on my couch and veg-out in front of the TV for the past 2 days. I slept most of the day on Wednesday and was hoping that I could get back after it yesterday, but when I woke up at 5 am I knew that wasn't happening and went back to bed. My youngest son stayed home with me yesterday and we spent the day watching a mixed bag on TV shows, like Thundercats, Gator Boys, and Finding Bigfoot. My one observation from watching Finding Bigfoot is that when they are out in the woods making their Sasquatch calls they almost always hear one call back, but oddly enough can never seem to find one. I find myself for some reason feeling kind of sorry for the people on this show, they don't seem delusional but they definitely aren't completely in touch with reality. Far be it for me to discount the existence of Bigfoot but when one of your leading researchers is a guy named Bobo (which always makes me think of Bozo the clown) its kind of hard to take anything serious from the show.

Anyway, today kicked my butt, but it was good to get back after it. I have become so accustomed to living in a state of exercise induced exaustion that not working out for 2 straight days left me feeling anxious and excitable. I probably should have taken today off too but I needed to do something. Friday's normal plan was for me to get an hour on the bike than head off for an easy swim. When I woke up I knew that would be overly ambitious so I bagged the bike workout slept in a little longer and then made my way to the pool. My workout called for 1500 yd swim but after doing my warm up I knew that wasn't going to happen. I end up doing what I could and called it after 1250 yds and I felt okay about that. It's hard for me to skip workouts or cut them short and not feel guilty about it, it's something I'm working on and I still need some help letting missed workouts go. Like the 3 missed workouts from the last 2 days, I've been trying to figure out where I could squeeze in extra mileage or an extra workout this weekend, but after this morning I know I'm not going to accomplish anything positive by pushing to hard to quickly and certainly not going to do any good over taxing my body trying to put extra workouts in when I'm still recovering from my illness. I just have to remember to tell myself to "Let it go Joe!" and move on to the next day and forget about what has been missed. I know the best prescription is rest and get back after it next week.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Training Week #10 - Tuesday Morning Run

Since I don't have to travel this week for work I'm mixing things up a bit, normally I do my long swim on Tuesday morning and this week that is getting pushed to tomorrow and my Tuesday evening run gets bumped up to this morning. I'm not taking a scheduled rest day this week but I'm hoping it won't be needed with the rearrangement of my training schedule which will give me a couple of additional nights off to relax a little.

Today's run went okay, was definitely feeling my bike ride from last night. I got up a little later than usual but still woke up tired. The wind was howling this morning, not as bad as this weekend but it was certainly noticeable when I turned into it. It took a little while to get into a groove running but once I did it felt great, the goal of this run was just nice and easy mileage which I accomplished. I finished up right at 5 miles but I certainly felt like I could have done more and in retrospect I almost wish I had. After my run I had an easy weight lifting session planned, but I had a hard time getting in to it. I piddled my way through a shoulder and arm workout with some crunches and cut it at 30 minutes. I'm thinking those 30 mins would have been better served running but oh well.

Up on deck tonight, NOTHING!!!! Well actually the boys have football and soccer practice which I normally don't get to attend since I usually travel on Tuesday's so I'm looking forward to going to those this evening. Soccer season is going to be starting here real soon, with baseball and t-ball practices just right around the corner. This summer is going to be crazy with both boys in soccer and baseball, should be interesting trying to get to all the games and practices and still fitting in the time to train but that is a challenge I'm looking forward to.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Training Week # 10 - Monday morning run and swim

Woke up this morning at 4:10, 5 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, not sure I feel about this. On the one hand I'm glad I'm becoming so accustomed to waking so early that I'm getting up before my alarm, but on the other hand I feel robbed of a little bit of sleep, even if it was only 5 minutes.

Seeing as how I woke up so early (I usually hit the snooze a couple of times) I took my time getting ready for my run and really allowed myself to wake up, and it showed in my run. I started out fast, faster than I normally want to but quickly settled into a nice rhythm. It was a great morning to run, cool and crisp with hardly any wind. The streets and sidewalks were a little slick in some spots from the snow yesterday afternoon/evening which made for some interesting moments, I almost bit it once turning a corner, did not see the patch of ice. All in all another good run, and no knee pain which is hopefully all in the rear view mirror.

After finishing up my run I headed out to the Y for my swim workout, I was not looking forward to this workout. My arms, chest and back were still sore and tight from lifting weights on Saturday and I was dreading having to do 50 yd repeats. I went through my warm ups and kind of loosened up a bit and got started on my main set of repeats. The first 8 went by with some struggles, I ended up taking a minute break half way through to catch my breath and let my heart rate drop. After that I was able to pick it up a bit, plus its always easier when you know the majority of the workout is behind you are almost done. I finished up strong, did my cool down and ended the workout feeling good about what I had accomplished. I could have very easily skipped this swim or cut it back but I stuck with the plan and made my way through which is always reassuring.

Thanks everyone for reading and don't forget to check out my Revolution Race Team Page and consider making a charitable donation.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Training Week #9 - Recap and Revolution Race Team

Week 9 of my triathlon training came to a close today with a 50 mile ride on the bike trainer. This represents my longest ride to date and the finale to my highest mileage week this year. I logged 14+ hours for a total of 144 miles, with 6900 yds swimming, 115 miles biked and 24 miles running. The best part about this week was my ability to recover from one day to the next, I did not have a single off day (lifted weights on Wednesday morning which is my typical rest day) and did not miss a single workout all week. Saturday I was able to get up extra early and jump on the treadmill for a 10 mile run before heading to the Y for a swim, I had packed my workout close just in case I felt like lifting afterwards but didn't think I would actually do it, but much to my surprise I was not only up for the workout but I felt surprisingly fresh and strong. I have really noticed this week how well I'm starting to adapt to the increased training load I have been subjecting myself to lately.

The end of this month will be the 3 year anniversary of my decision to change my life and get dedicated to a healthy active lifestyle again, and in away it feels like I'm coming up on a birthday. I still look back at how I was 3 years ago and where my life was heading and I'm in awe of how much things have changed. It has not been easy, getting started was difficult but sticking with it day in and day out has proven to be just as tough some days, but knowing how far I've come is incredibly rewarding and knowing that I'm laying a foundation for my children to model their life after makes me proud. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my boys are 2 of my biggest motivators in life, not just my athletic endeavors but in all things, setting the right example for them to follow is my responsibility as a father and one I take to heart. That's why I'm proud to announce my involvement with the Live Uncommon Revolution Race Team, I have pledged to to help raise $700 towards an overall goal of $100,000 dollars for some worthy causes, here's who we're running for:

CASI: Center for Active Seniors...provides services that meet the needs of older adults and fosters respect, dignity and quality of life.
Project Renewal: To be a positive presence for the children and families in our low income neighborhood of Davenport, Iowa.
Race For the Cure: Susan G. Komen...Breast Cancer
Moonlight Chase: Helping support the Scott County Library, Eldridge Volunteer Fire department, trees forever, the Food pantry and more...
OUCH: Wound Reach Foundation, Wound Care, Research Education And Clinical Health.
Q.C. Marathon: Us & Too (Prostate Cancer Education & Support), Erika Kate (Children with heart disease)

You can help me reach my goal by clicking here and making a donation to my participant page. Not sure how much to donate...one idea I had was donating a dollar for every mile/km I run, first event is the St. Patrick's Day 5k Race, so start with a five spot or more, every little bit counts.

Thank you,

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.