Memorial Day 16

Hmm, such an auspicious day to revisit my old blog. You see, I buried it a long time ago...a lifetime really. And to even consider it again was very strange; like wanting to speak to your parent that passed years ago, or your ex-spouse in terms that only they would actually get.

Yet, here I am, and I am once again starting out running. Starting over for the Nth time. Remembering the joys that came from the run, not just the "runner's high" but just the childlike joy in movement. In finding one's stride and breath, knowing that for a while there is only you and the earth...no others around--I run alone most of the time very early in the morning. I miss the feeling of finally getting "warmed up" at about a mile or two in, and feeling like I could run all day from about miles 4 to 12. I miss long runs, I miss ice baths. Sick and wrong though they may be.

I did not run today. I ran yesterday. I missed my morning run and put in the time in the afternoon. I am supposed to run tomorrow, but it might wait until Wednesday. I will have to wait and see. Work beckons at 5:00 am and that means I am out the door in a vehicle by 4:30....I'm still awake, so no chance of a 3:00 am run. I would rather miss the run than fall asleep during my three hour drive to where I am working tomorrow.  I will likely put in the miles on Wednesday. That is fine. I am starting over, so it is run-walk for me for now.

I miss this. All of this. And, yet, part of me is fearful of it as well.

Until next time....

Fin

So, I started this blog back in 9. And it has been two years since I have really consistently run. Since then I have met some of the readers of this blog, and have wanted to meet a few others. There were a few that started following me here from the Loop on Runner's World, and those I will ultimately miss the most. But I feel like the reason I started running has been met.  Now that I have killed the six-fingered man, I don't know what to do. So I suppose I will close this account and move on. I hear there are positions available as a bandit. 

Farewell friends, I don't know when I'll actually kill this account, but likely June first. 

So long. 

Guess I need to start running.

So, I signed up for a race today.  I will need to get up to speed in the next 12 weeks.  I paid for it, so I have no choice.  I guess that was always why I felt the need to spend money on "the next race".  It was the fire under the back-side to get out the door when the lazies took over.

I lost my mojo a while ago.  The three of you that read this, can probably figure out where and when.  But, I have been putting the past behind me and coming to terms with my own failings and shortfalls, and learning from those mistakes and miscues.  So, now to begin anew and to get my days started before the dawn and to find new paths to run.  I have a whole new area to explore now, and I will begin going to a gym soon as well.  My new partner in crime is excited to see us get into shape, and to begin being healthy active folks again.  She wants to join me on my long runs (when the get to be long) by riding her bike next to me...so that is going to be interesting.  I am looking forward to that.

I have a few other ideas about the things I would like to do, but I will start with the running and the going to the gym, and see where that takes me.  I know that I am now back to the weight I was back in the dark ages of 2009...so, I know I need to run.  I can't wear my kilt right now, and that is NO GOOD.

I will be here more often as well.  I promise Keeley, you will have more blogs to comment on, and I in turn will try to read more blogs myself.  I do want to know how you guys are doing.

Cheers for now.

Fleas On My Dog!!!

I "wrote" new words for that song.  My girls love it.

     Fleas on my dog
     Fleas on my dog
     Fleas on my dog, they make him itch and bite and scratch.
     Fleas on my dog
     Fleas on my dog
     Fleas on my dog, they make him itch and bite and scratch.
     I want to give my dog a flea-bath
     I want to give my dog a flea-bath
     I want to give my dog a flea-bath; so that he won't itch and scratch.

Like I said, the girls love it.  I got in two runs in the last week, feeling studly...NOT!  But it is a start.  I am finished with my holiday, the girls and I celebrated the Yule on Saturday, and had a lovely stew and opened presents and in general made merry.  They are with their mum today and tomorrow, so this works out well for all of us.  I am beginning to make up my spreadsheet to track my beer and running, so look for weekly and monthly MPG reports soon.  Right now I'm at about 1 GPM.  I feel like an old Chevy.  I am looking at getting up to at least Versa mileage.  We'll see.

Keeping this one quick and fun, and I hope that all of you (all three) don't read this until Thursday and that you have spent the next 36 hours or more with your loved ones and are home -- at least in spirit--for the holiday.

Cheers!

Early New Year's Challenge!

Well, it has been a while...and with the new year rapidly approaching, I think that I have a great idea to both increase my running and perhaps even increase the traffic here.  Not that getting a lot of people checking me out is that important, but I have seen a little thing of Facebook and a couple of other places that intrigued me.  It is this:

So, this brings me to my thought….this is for AVERAGE Americans...but what about “us”?  I am going to track every beer I drink over the next year, and add that to the mileage tracking that I already do.  And to make the data even MORE fun, who would be willing to contribute their own data to the pool?  I think we could put together a large enough data pool to create a worthwhile picture of what runners get per gallon of beer.  We might need to add in wine as well for some of our more grape-based runners, but that would be up to them to decide that.

Who is in?  I am going to start on Jan. 1 2014 and track every beer until Dec. 31, 2014 and publish my results both within a week of that.  I will post weekly updates and hopefully get a picture of how things are going.  I would love for there to be some crazy ultra-runners and tri-ers involved as well.

Cheers!!!

PS.  With as much running as I have been doing, I would be happy with 1 mile per gallon.  Let’s see if I can’t get better than a Prius.

Been busy....but in a good way

So life took a small turn that was completely unexpected.  I won't go into the details yet, it is still new and I don't want to jinx it by talking too much about it.  But it is fantastic and wondrous.

I have found that running took a backseat to life for the last fortnight, but I will begin afresh and anew this week.  I have been happier the last two weeks than I have been in a long time, so much so that others have even noticed it.  So, the changes I have made, and continue to make, are clearly working.

I have been reading more, and that is a good thing too.  Nothing too cerebral, but it is nice to "escape" from the world for a couple of hours.

I will be back here more oft, I feel the need to write again...so while this post is particularly short and of little substance, know that I will be back boring you all three of you to tears again soon.

Cheers

First Day of Fall! And a new beginning.....

Well this kinda says it all....

Many look at this season as the END of things.  And I used to joke myself, that I liked Fall the best because "everything dies".  But the truth is quite the opposite.  When do the plants drop their seeds?  When you are out, look on the ground, the Fall is when all those acorns get gathered by the squirrels.  It is the time to gather up, take stock and begin planning for the winter.  For me, the Fall has always been the "start of the new year" with school and my birthday being relatively close together.  So, as the song says, it is time to turn the page on what was, and begin to take stock and start anew.

This place was once my solace and refuge, now I think I shall call this place my alchemists notebook.  The thing I am going to change from base to gold is not some cheap metal (though given the scarcity of hunting ammo, lead may actually be more valuable than gold) but, in fact, myself.  I have much work to do, and all the time in the world.  I need to tap into my patience and my perfectionist's spirit and keep in mind that even Rome wasn't sacked in a day.

Cheers, until tomorrow.  Oh, I suppose I should tell you I ran, 3 miles at a blistering 11:37 pace.