The World Is My Gym.

So I was remembering  ( Yes I do it a lot) about a 5k I did a few years ago. I felt sorry for the people putting on the race because only thirty or so showed up. Anyway, I was sitting on a wall afterwards drinking some water when I was pulled into a discussion (I think he pulled me in because we looked to be the same size and frame). The man was in his late fifties and he was telling some women how he stayed in shape. He started with the usual-no processed food, plenty of water....But then he tells them "Why pay for gym membership? The world is my gym!". He goes into showing us all the different exercises he could do right there. He used the curb, the wall, or nothing at all. It really was amazing.

Good thing for me I have someone (my best friend) who is nice enough ( and a a lot smarted than me about this )  to give me workouts so I don't have to figure out what to do. All I need is space and some hand weights. And afterwards I'm wiped! Just trying to type right now is a struggle.

Now if you like the gym that's cool. But there are plenty of ways to get into shape and stay in shape without the cost. Let the world be your gym! We can't run all the time-or can we?

More to come....

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow......

Unless you live where I live! Because with snow we get ice. Ice everywhere- on the roads,on the sidewalks, everywhere. So for almost a week I'm trapped inside going crazy. Good things for my workouts my best friend gave me. Sure they kill you but in a good way. Still nothing like a good run. To rub it in I see people running on my first attempt to the store. I should have been out there but ice and me have a hard time seeing it's out to get me. See me running when there is ice and break out the video camera and wait. I'm guaranteed to bust something and give everybody a good laugh.

Luckily after a week stuck in the house the snow and ice has all but melted away and I'm free. Sure it was rough at first but it still felt sooooo good. Road, trails, paths- it all good! Just out enjoying the view.

More to come.....

What Are You Gonna Do?

I had a bad night the other night. Just when I think things are going good I find out there not. It's all just an illusion . This is my life at the moment. So what are you gonna do? For me its means no sleep and thinking about what's next. So about five in the morning I thought a run was in order. I've known plenty of people through the years who use running to wash the problems of the day away but what about life. For me it can be my escape. If I can clear my mind the world seems right-the world is right.

So I go for a run. Good thing my car is well stocked and I have a place to get lost. The music begins , the time starts and I'm ready to go. First lap 5 miles-still in my head. Second lap 3 miles- still there! Another 5, another 2, 5 more ( 2 bottles and a sandwich) and finally 2 miles and three hours and  I had to stop. Back to life.

The illusion is still there so I guess I keep on running.

More to come....

Blank Slate.

For many of us the new year is about setting up race schedules and these become our goals. For many people the new year is about a new beginning.

I went to get some new shoes yesterday. On Dec 31 of all days! The store was packed and I got a good chuckle out of all the people there in the store. I learned from one of the guys that most of the people that had been in that day were doing the usual new year "I'm going to get back into shape." shopping.

Now four years ago this was me so I applaud these people and hope they not only reach but bust those goals in half!

If I have one thing to offer let it be this. Go into it like you have never run before. Think of it as a blank slate.

I ran from my teens to almost thirty. I ran A LOT! I ran thousands of miles and  raced at any distance I could get to. I ran over a hundred miles a week for eight weeks to just do it.

So when I started back after over ten years off I thought I could just jump right back into it. This is a quick way to get depressed and the quickest way back to the couch. Which is almost what I did until I figured something out.

Everything in life has an expiration date. You cannot let what happened years ago control you today. Think of it as going into the fridge and getting out some milk. You take a drink and it has a taste so sour you throw up. Now do you put that milk back into the fridge? Do you pull it out the next day and do the same thing again?
That is what I did over and over again. I would go out on a run and sure enough I would think about the "old days".  And it would bum me out comparing yesterday me to today me!

Finally I realized. I just need to start over from scratch. I set my sights on twenty minutes . Then 3 miles, 4 miles, 1 hour.....and boom I became a runner. Not a runner again but a new runner. I was able to enjoy all the  milestones because they were new.

I think this works not only in running but in life. Live today.

More to come.....

Something To End The Year On.

I really went into this month trying to think what I have to be thankful for in my life. With all that goes on with the month I'm really proud that I have stuck to my guns on this thought. So in this part of my life here are a few things I am thankful for.

I am so thankful I can run. There is nothing physically stopping me from doing what I love to do without any thought. (Now if I can get over this sinus and ear infection I'm good to go.) I know being able to do this seems like a no brainer but it's really a big deal. There are a lot of people who can't hop out of bed and do ten miles or even one. To be able to run, ride, or swim is something I am really thankful for.

Where I live is a big thank you. I have tons of places to run. I have roads with lanes to run on. I have hundreds of miles of trails. I can do long tempo runs, hills, track.... you name it and I can run it. Most of the time the weather is not a problem. There is always sometime during the day when I can run and usually you will see somebody running at all times of the day around here. Which leads me that I'm thankful for living in an area where there is so many runners and running is ingrained into the community. I can a race every weekend if I want to without going any father than twenty miles. I have three running stores and two cycling stores within ten miles of me. Wow! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And to me the most important thing to be thankful for is the support of great friends. To have so many wonderful people in your corner who love doing the things you do gives me the perfect lift I need to try all the things I love.  To say lets run a marathon and to have people jump in the "lets go" is beyond great. And to have a group that really cheers for each other is the best bonus a person could ask for.

Just take a moment and think of all the things you can be thankful for in your life.

More to come.....

A Few of My Favorite Things.

I had to include something from my Jingle Jog last weekend. Another one of my favorite things.

1. "Don't focus on the fall-focus on getting up!"
It was another day at work when this VP called. I could hear him yelling over the phone three cubes away. Next thing I know I see people freaking out all upset trying to figure out what went wrong. Then there was Lynda. She was a processor of thirty years and she was shaking her head and waving me over. With a slight grin she said to me " Let's fix this.". In less than an hour the problem was solved. Everybody else were still upset blaming this and that, bla, bla, bla. Later I found an email instructing them not to work that file until he approved it. The guy was so nice he didn't even apologize.
Don't waist you time on the problem. I believe in doing so only increases its size. Focus on solving and feel a whole lot better.

2. "If you can't grow corn, grow beans! If you can't grow beans, grow potatoes......."
I admire the guy down the street. I see him the other day putting flyers in the mailboxes and he stops by to say hi. He tells me it's too cold to paint so he was working as a trainer. Also he is running a website. And has another few logs in the fire. The guy doesn't stop! He just keeps on going. You have to love it.
If you run into a wall go around, go under,go through! Just keep going.

3. "The most important things for survival."
Food, fuel, shelter, and the biggie-positive attitude! You can have the first three but you will never get up without the forth. I can rely on this every time to get me out any problem. A positive attitude is the map that shows you all the options (see 1 and 2). Don't get wrong I've crawled into the hole on numerous occasions. But just starting to put myself in a better place opens up those doors and windows keeping me in.

So here has been my situation. Sick kids. A nice little bug that took up camp in school.
Should I just be bummed I can't run and blame the kids? I love my kids and the first thing I want to do is care for them and I always will because they are the greatest kids on earth. (No bias here right). So I'm not going to bummed over the situation if I can't run.
After a second of thought I could figure out when I could run. I have a 1.1 mile route around the block I could  do after the kids go to sleep and my wife could watch them. I have a dozen or so workouts a friend gave me. Those can be 20 minutes that gets the heart and muscles going good. I have a trainer for my bike. And so on...If I want to workout I can.

Another one of my favorite things is my friends. I have great friends. More often than not they show you how to get up, help you figure out what to grow, and give you a shot of positive attitude. All you have to do is be open to it.

More to come....

The First Step is the Hardest. Pt II

I think it's true in what ever we do in our life. My first step today was getting out in 20deg (feels like 14) weather. And like my grandmother would say " just eat it!". So after sitting in my car for five minutes I jumped out and started my run. Why was I dreading this? I love running in the cold! Feels great and I can't wait to get back out there.I can't wait for a long run-most likely Friday.

Also I believe in the saying "Do what you love-love what you do". What can I do to make a living running? I would love to be a running partner. Not a trainer or a coach but a running partner. I would love to help people who want to start or just started running what it's all about. Help with a plan, find some shoes, whatever they want to get out of running. They want to run a marathon- I will be more than happy to take every step with them to achieve their goal. One of the best things I've seen is when I saw a woman run out to her car and proudly put a 26.2 sticker on her back window. She was so proud I had to clap with her. I want to help people get that feeling. That " I did it !" feeling. Is that not the greatest feeling in the world. I will be your biggest cheerleader. I'm not going to yell at you in a negative way. If you don't feel like running that day-no big deal. We just adjust and move on. I would work cheap too. I think I could start at $5 a regular run and more for longer ones. Pay for my race number and I'm there right beside you the whole way. What a way to make a living.

Now I just need to figure out the first step.

Also a moment for John on the anniversary -Give peace a chance...

More to come.......