Stay Strong - Run Long

Coming up in a few days is one of my favorite times of the the year. Thanksgiving!!! It's not just about the food but also getting to go home and see all of my family. Even though we keep close by phone, email, Facebook and getting to see each other every few weeks I still miss them horribly. I especially miss my nephews. I would love to be closer and for them and my girls to grow up really close, but logistically it's not possible at the moment. Who knows if it will ever be, but that's what makes the holidays so special. For those of you reading this that are far away from your family, enjoy the time that you have with them. On the running front things have been getting much better recently. I am finally back to being excited to run. For a while I was in a funk and couldn't shake it. I was getting out on the trails and road every day or two but it seemed more like a chore than a passion like it has been for the better part of 3 years. I haven't had anything to tra

I haven't posted here in a long time and there is a reason. Everyone goes through those "seasons" in life where you just can't find the time to participate in the things that you love. I am in one of those "seasons" right now. I switched jobs in Feb. 2011. It is a far better situation for me to be working where I work now, but my previous employer had a gym and shower so I could run/workout in the mornings or over lunch and have my evenings to spend with my family. Because the situation was so bad at my previous job it was a no brainer to get out when I had the opportunity. The one thing that I didn't think about though was how it was going to affect my workouts. I know that you should never base a career change on how it is going to affect your working out but with kids that are in so many things it really does hinder things a bit. I have been trying to stay active but when you get home at 5:00, get supper made, hang out with my kids, and put them to be

This morning I decided to go on a different route than I normally run. I am the type of person that needs variety in my runs. Whether it be speed work, hill repeats, long runs, trail runs, treadmill, etc. I decided to go on what most people consider to be a bike trail. The Des Moines area has a very nice trail system for paved biking trails. It is primarily used for biking, but because of the straight line with no hills it does attract runners and walkers as well. I have run this trail many times. It is gorgeous this time of year because the North side of the trail is open fields of corn or beans and the South side of the trail is a highway. There is always a very nice, but sometimes tough, breeze that goes through and helps to keep you cool. I went out this morning at around 5:00 AM. I took my headlamp, as I always do on my early morning runs, for two reasons: 1) For my own safety to be able to see where I am going 2) So that others that may be using the trail at the same time will be

Recently I started a new position with a new company which has...let's just say...set my training back a bit. While I love the company that I now work for I miss a lot of my friends that I used to run with and most certainly my mid-day run. The company that I used to work for had a great workout facility with showers. I am not as lucky with my current employer and that has caused me to shift my runs around a bit. Where I used to run in the middle of the day, shower, go back to work and "be home" when I went home, I am now forced to run at nights. 2 problems with this though. 1) It is hotter later in the day. 2) It forces me to give up some family time. I don't get to spend a lot of time with my kids and my wife so when I get home, I really want to be around for them. In shifting of my schedule I do have to spend some mornings running which means getting up REALLY early. I'm fine getting up early, but 3:30 AM is too freaking early. This morning though, I didn't

As most runners know, we are a group that is very strict on routine. Most people have their specific long run days, a lot of people have their speed work and hill days, we wear our "lucky clothes" to races, we eat the same things before each race or run, we take specific calculated days off, we have specific playlists on our music player for certain runs, etc. There are times though when it's good to make a change. It really can benefit you. I am a person that follows trends in the running world. I love gadgets. Even though I don't own a lot of them, by a lot of peoples standards, I love them. Computers, phones, iPhones/iPod/iPads, watches, GPS's. You name it. I probably own one or know something about it. With all of the technology around us most people have either a cell phone or iPod (or equivalent) that we take with us on runs. Recently when I ran in the 20k Dam To Dam I decided not to take my iPod with me. I really hadn't been training with it so I didn&#

Running can hurt. Running can be repetitive. Some times running can be boring. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut in running and can't seem to get out. I have been there probably hundreds of times. But sometimes one run can change your entire outlook on why you continue to put one foot in front of the other. I took nearly a week off from the run (we were team leads at our awesome Vacation Bible School) and decided that I was going to get out for a run on Saturday. The missus and the kiddies were going to be out of town and I had planned on hanging out with a friend later that evening, so I decided that this may be my chance to get out to hit the trails. I have been in a little bit of a funk lately because I have been running the same routes or spending too much time on the treadmill because of our crazy schedule. I love running on the trails and I didn't care how much it had rained that morning, I was going to do it and nothing was going to stop me. When it comes to running, I am

I’m not famous. Probably will never be. Most people don’t know me, but if you ask the people that have ever met me most refer to me as “that crazy running guy”. I love running more than most people love their pets. 90% of my favorite websites or books have something to do with running. I have read Dean Karnazes’ “ Ultra-Marathon Man ” book 5 times. My internet history browser looks like I am doing research projects for the editor of Runner’s World . I keep every magazine that I have ever bought just because “there’s this one article that I may use sometime”. I have the elevation maps of Leadville, HardRock and Western States hanging on my cube wall. Running is where I can get out of my head and relax. I look forward to my 20 mile runs as a way to get outside and enjoy the world that God has created. But if you met me today you wouldn’t know that my story isn’t much different from most other people when they go off to college and that’s where the pursuit of my purpose began. When we

Hey everyone out there in the blogosphere, I know that it has been some time since I have blogged last. I am terrible at keeping up with this thing. First off, I haven't stopped running. Maybe stepped back a bit. With a year of more than 2,000 miles you have to take some time to recover a bit and get your fire back. I recently switched jobs and that has thrown a huge wrench into the spokes. When I say wrench, I am talking one of those big ones that you see in the news on those mining rigs. I was running so well with my peeps at my last job and really took that for granted. I had a set time and day that I would run. They kept my speed up and pushed me to my limits. Now, I don't have that. I work with a lot of sedentary people. Although all of them are super awesome, none of them show the love for running that I do. A lot are recreational exercisers but can't believe that people actually run more than 26.2. Most think that I need my head examined for even considering it :) I