New Years Resolutions?

Every year when people wake up tired and hungover on this day hopes and aspirations of a better self awake too.
This year I do not have any concrete goals.  They are more approximations and guidelines.  As humans we all want to improve and better ourselves.  So in the spirit of improvement I desire to better myself.

Physically I would love to drop some weight.  Last year at this time I set a goal to get below 160 pounds and I did it for a few weeks.  As I sit and write this I am almost 20 pounds heavier.  I don't know how much I want to lose, but I know in peak form 165-168 pounds is a great racing weight.  I will not be in peak form till May or June, so I have some time.  Around Christmas time I let my self go and begin to eat like junk and run less.  This year the damage is about 15 pounds worth.  Last year I took a weekend in January to reset my body.  I ate juice for breakfast and lunch and a vegetarian meal for dinner.  I plan on doing it again this weekend.  I need to limit my intake of sugar and fatty foods.  I let myself get out of control over the holidays. This post is more of an awaking and confession of bad habits that need to get back in line.

Mentally, I suppose reading more would increase my mental fortitude.  Less television in 2014 would help.  There is too much on TV lately that is crap and awful to subject my children to.

Spiritually, I want to love more.  I wish to be an open and accepting person.  I want to help love people who need it.

All these are good things for the new year, but they are hard to measure.  That is why I feel like they are my guidelines for 2014.  I could say I will only watch 10 hours of TV per week.  What if I watch 11?  Will I be a failure?  I am not setting strict limitations because of a fear of failure, but because I become too legalistic.  I would log my hours spent and think about and plan my life around what I want to watch because I can only watch so much.  If I aim to lose 5 pounds by the end of the month I will weigh my self everyday and count calories like Scrooge.  These actions, all though good for myself, will be a living nightmare for my family.  I desire to live life connect to God and others in freedom.  I want my life to be marked with improvement and maturity.  But not at the cost of others.

Here is to a better 2014!

Obligatory end of year recap

As the end of 2013 draws near I look back on the running year.  Honestly I feel like my running year ended over a month ago.  But as I sit and think I found out, and soon you will too, they are two and the same.  My running year and 2013 as the same.  I know that may sound very logical, but the point I am making is running is my life and my life is running.  What happens in life effects running and my running sheds light into my life situations.  Some hard things happened in 2013.  Running helped me stay calm at times.  Other times I realized that running was labored because of the hardness of life.  But I was okay with this new found ideology, or so I now admit.  This month I have covered 14 miles.  I found that running helps you connect to yourself.  And if you want to call that selfish go ahead.  I would like to argue that getting to know myself better I have become a better person.  In 2013 I learned that not all will go the way you want it to, and that is okay.  I learned to cherish that what you do have.  I learned to love every mile, one day you may not be able to run even one mile.
Looking back there are some major things that got accomplished.  None of them were done on my own.  God was my help in time of trouble.  Many times I thought if I just worked harder a result would appear.  At times the results did appear.  But who was it that allowed it, God.  This is my view as a religious man.  Not all would believe this, I get that.  If you do, you understand that all is to God's glory.
I was able to run 50 miles.  Let me say that again because I still cant believe that.  I ran 50 miles.
in 2013 I was able to pace a half marathons.  I love the feeling of helping others.  And in the selfish sport where so much time is spent alone working on our bodies I was able to give back to the running community.  I also gave back by volunteering at the Ice Age races and the USA Triathlon Nationals.
Personally I officially set a PR in the marathon, half marathon, and 5k.  I was able to cover more than 1300 miles this year.  Most ever.  2013 was a good year for what I accomplished in running.  However life is more than running.  Running will enhance your life.  It will help you see life and appreciate it more.
I have no idea what 2014 will hold.  And I am okay with it.  No lie!

Winter Running.

It is that time of year once again.  And no I am not talking about Christmas and yule logs.  It is winter running time.  The roads are icy and the sidewalks snowy.  What is one addicted runner going to do?  If you are training for a spring marathon you need to keep the intensity up through the winter months.  Than means 15-20 mile runs in the snow.  Some people head indoors for three months and use the treadmill.  By March everyone is calling it the dreadmill.  I prefer to run on trails and occasionally at an indoor track.  Personally I cannot run on a treadmill I give those who can credit.
What I do to battle the snow and ice is screws in my shoes.  Some people use a product called yak tracks that attach over a shoe to give them added grip.  I prefer the grip screws give me.  Go to a local hardware store and ask for sheet metal screws.  I use #10 hex bolt that are 1/2 inch long.  If they are longer they may poke through the bottom of the shoe.  If they are shorter they may not grab in the shoe.  Use a screw driver or ratchet to tap them into the foam.  Where do you place the screws is a question I get.  I like to look where your current tread is worn down and place a screw there.  If the tread is worn on the bottom that is a frequent place your foot makes contact with the ground and would be a best place for added traction.  Divide the sole of the shoe into three sections that run from toe to heal.  Inner, Middle, and Outer edge.  Place two screws in each zone.  One towards the toe and the other towards the heal.  You can see form the picture below how I have placed the six screws.  If you have a forefoot strike place more of your screws under the forefoot where you will be landing most of the time when you run.  You will find that you can still take a fall even when running in screw shoes.  But I believe you will have better footing with screws.
Another way to deal with winter running is to not run at all.  But then what kind of running addict would you be?  Get out there in winter and run.  Bundle up you will be amazed at the places your feet can take you!

What's been going on.

It has been over a month since my last post.  Life has been busy, in fact it always is.  As I grow older my focus changes.  I place more importance on lasting relationships and people.  I will always have a heart for running.  It is a place my soul feels free and a way I can communicate with my creator.
During this holiday season I encourage you to run.  After all it is a great way to counter act some of those extra calories.  But connect with your loved ones and spend time with family.  Help a stranger.
I am happy to report my cast is off.  I am working through a twisted knee from sledding with my kids last weekend.  I have not run much in the last two weeks.  I opted to spend time sledding versus a run for myself.  Now I did wear my Garmin to see how many miles of hill repeats I covered sledding, just cause.  You can curb the runner in me, but it is part of my life.  I recently took down my running medals that were displayed in the main hallway.  I felt it was showing off and felt too prideful to my guests.  If you truly know me, you know I am a running geek.  I want to help others bring out the geek.  But I wanted to hang something more important to my life in that place of honor.  My wife found the perfect thing and put up some of my kids artwork!
I did not run that 20k.  Money has been tight so I opted to use the money and spend it on a pizza party with my kids.  I don't if they will remember this exact party.  However it is about investing time and building a relationship with them.  I don't know if I would remember a 20k event 5 years down the road.
I am still shooting to run the John Dick 50k or at least the first 10k.  No medals, just running in the woods me and my creator and some running buddies.
Get back to family this season, share the love.  It is okay to take a break.

Addicted to sugar

I love sugar.  Let me say that again, I LOOOOOVE SUGAR.  Cookies wont last more than a day in this house, because I eat them all.  You would think I'm covered in blue fur the way I eat cookies.  It is not because I am hiding in the closet or waiting till the kids go to bed.  I am eating them in the wide open,  in the daylight with the curtains open.  No shame in my sugar game.  It's not just cookies, but chocolate too and mints from the drawer at work.  Did I mention ice cream, or should I say custard.  Custard is like ice cream, but way better.  I have lost all control.  When I was in training for my 50 I gave up a lot of sugar.  I knew that if I limited my body sugar, when I needed it during a run in the form of a gel my body would respond better.
Fast forward two months and 8 pounds heavier.  I am not running nearly as many miles I used to.  And I have no event to work for.  Add to that stress.  My diet has been lost.  I've been eating pizza because its easy.  Extra bowls of cereal after eating a big dinner.  Stress eating is nothing new to me.  I discovered that frightening truth about myself on my journey.  I just got off the scale 173.4.  Something needs to be done before it gets worse.  Holidays are right around the corner too, a usually difficult dieting time of year.  My summer running weight is around 165, +- 2 pounds.

 The way I see it I can either run more miles or face the issue.  If you have any ideas let me know.  I plan on eating lots of apples.  I heard an idea to melt dark chocolate in peanut butter and grab only a spoonful when faced with a craving.

 Until I can figure a way to cut sugar from my diet and fight cravings I will be cranky and irritable.

  Pass the cookies please.