Just a Little Run...

Got Races?

2012-06-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

In my last post I alluded to my upcoming race schedule, so I figured I would spill the beans and put it out there. After all, I am not merely hoping to complete these races, but rather, I am hoping to set new PRs for the half and full.

Given my lack of running for the last quarter of 2011 and the first half of 2012, it might be a stretch to PR the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon over Labor Day, but if I’m feeling good, it’s a great course; flat and fast! My current half-marathon PR (1:46) was set at this race in 2010, so it’d be great to break 1:45 here.

The next race will be a month later in Hampton, VA and is the inaugural running of the event. I’ve never run in Hampton before, but given it’s proximity to Virginia Beach and the fact that the race is put on by J&A Racing, there is little doubt that it will be a great event. If I miss a PR at the R&R half, this might be a great candidate for try #2!

After two solid half-marathons, Julie and I are going to run the Blue Moon Wicked 10K in Virginia Beach. It is a great time and we’ll just be running for fun, and maybe in costume! Given that our marathon is just around the corner from this event, we’ll make sure to keep the pace light!

After missing the Big Sur Marathon earlier this year due to recovery from surgery, my first marathon will be the Anthem Richmond Marathon, billed as “America’s Friendliest Marathon!” Richmond is only an hour from our house and I hope to be in shape to best my 3:49 marathon time that I ran at San Francisco in 2011. The course looks like it is much easier than the San Francisco course, so depending on my performance(s) in the two half-marathons preceding this race, I’d like to go sub 3:45!

To finish out 2012, Julie and I will be running another favorite J&A race in Virginia Beach, the Surf-n-Santa 10 miler. We ran this race in 2010 just before we moved to Monterey and it was a great time, although it was quite chilly!

2013 will bring my second running of the Virginia is For Lovers 14K with my bride and lifetime running partner, Julie. While it can be chilly in February in Virginia Beach (it snowed when I ran this race in 2010), the course is fun and the festivities are great! This race will also be very cool to do again as it was the first ever race that I ran!

Finally, at least for now, Julie and I are registered for the Shamrock Marathon in March 2013. In 2010, we ran the half-marathon and that was our first race together. We wore bright green wigs and tons of shamrock inspired gear and just put our best feet forward! The course is flat and fast and will make a great venue to try and PR the marathon again! Perhaps a sub 3:40?

What races are you running for the rest of 2012? Are you running any of these?

Getting Back On Board

2012-06-27T09:09:00.001-07:00

It’s been a busy few months. Actually, that’s quite the understatement, but you get the picture I’m sure. Research travel in February, surgery in March, recovery and a birthday in April and May, and graduation in June directly followed by a move across the country from California to Virginia. Yeah, it’s been a little hectic. The frantic pace and high stress load was only further compounded by the fact that there was no real running happening. In truth, I’ve been doing too much of this…

and not enough of this…

To recap, in March I had surgery to repair a torn adductor longus and oblique on the right side of my groin. This was supposed to get me back up and running pain free. After several months of rest and rehab I’m sad to say that the original pain that brought me down has still not gone away. With that said, the pain was never at a point where it was debilitating; only nagging, and it still is. So my new plan is to try and get back to where I was last summer (in marathon shape) and see what I feel like as I get there. I figure that will be a good gauge as to whether or not I seek further treatment and time away from running right now.

May and June saw a frantic effort to finish up the last quarter of school and to complete my thesis. I’m happy to report that those efforts went off without a hitch and that I successfully completed the requirements for graduation from the Naval Postgraduate School on June 15, 2012.

Immediately following graduation, we loaded up the 3 kids and the 3 pets in the 1 minivan and started hauling ass east on I-40 to our new home in Virginia.

Due to a scheduling SNAFU, we ended up cancelling all of the hotel reservations for our planned leisurely drive across the country, instead opting for the 4 days of hell drive. Fortunately, the drive was excellent, with great weather, open roads, and most importantly, cooperative kids!

We arrived at our new home in Virginia on the 19th of June and sat in our empty house for four days until the first of our furniture arrived.

Now it’s time to get back onboard the fitness train and get back in shape! It’s gonna be a long hot summer and I’ve got a lot of work to do! I’m looking forward to reconnecting with all of you and getting back to regular blog updates. I currently have seven races on tap from now till March of 2013 comprising everything from 10K to marathons. I’ve also got some cool FitFluential stuff coming up!

Better with age?

2012-05-25T01:12:00.001-07:00

I’m getting better. I mean that literally and figuratively. There is no doubt about it either. I’m back to running again, albeit very slowly and very methodically, but it’s running. I’m getting older too. One of my favorite Marine Corps sayings is that “you can’t stop the clock!” I usually utter that phrase incessantly as a deployment grinds on, but I find it strikingly appropriate today as I celebrate another birthday.
At this time last year, I was getting ready to run my first marathon in San Francisco (review here), and the miles were coming quickly and easily. I had also already registered to run my first ultra, the North Face Endurance Challenge, though that didn’t happen due to my injury. Anyway, my point is that last year I boldly declared that I would run 35 miles on my 35th birthday. Obviously that didn’t happen given my physical condition, but it didn’t stop me from thinking about it. So today came and went with no 35 mile run, nor even a 3.5 mile run, but it’s OK because I’m getting better with age. While I may be worse physically, I am much better mentally as I now realize that my only competition is myself. In my mind, that realization is “one giant leap for Mikekind!” (I did a guest post for ViewSPORT today on this subject if you’re interested. You can check it out here).
Anyway, like I said, you can’t stop the clock, so you better get moving, I know I am! My goal these days is just to be better than I was yesterday, and for now, that’s good enough.
By the way, if you’re looking for an innovative product, check out the ViewSPORT stuff. The sweat activated technology is definitely a cool concept. Hell, I just ordered another shirt today (I have 2 others already).

A Few of My Favorite Things

2012-05-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

Running Warehouse has the Saucony Kinvara 2 on liquidation (both Mens and Womens). I have many shoes, but the Kinvara has been my favorite distance shoe since last year. The two pair above make my 5th and 6th pairs. Hopefully, my rehab will continue to go well and I can rotate the 3 pair I have right now into a bunch of high mileage runs over the next several months.

Have you tried the Kinvara? What are your thoughts?

So...Wanna Know What I Did Today?

2012-04-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

How do you follow up a good run?

OK, OK. I know that you all expected that I would run today. I really wanted to, but the truth is I just ran out of time. "Why did I run out of time" you ask? Well because I was busy buying this house in King George, VA! That's right, Julie and I are proud 2nd time home owners and we couldn't be more excited! Virginia here we come!

No more silly titles, it's back to business tomorrow. Gotta run....seriously. I have to run tomorrow!

See you then!

Guess What I Did Today...

2012-04-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

I ran today!

Well, you knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Today (tonight actually), I ran. It was the 1st time that I have run since the 23rd of February and it felt pretty good overall. Running 15 lbs heavier sucks, but it's better than not running at all! Hopefully through a slow (and smart) rehab, I'll be back to new and back to my "fighting weight" before I know it!

Thanks for all your well wishes and support while I was away wallowing in self pity and recovering from my surgery!

BTW, if you think that this run was cool, wait till you see what I do tomorrow!

Making It Count

2012-02-01T22:19:00.001-08:00

Have you seen this?

Have you seen the Nike+ Fuelband commercial? It’s pretty cool if I do say so myself (and I do). It’s also pretty motivating. Lately, I’ve had little reason to be motivated as I’ve been dealing with a lingering injury that kept me initially from running, and the last month from doing anything at all! Anyway, back to the point. As I continued to see the commercials for the Nike+ Fuelband I started to think that being fit isn’t only about running, lifting, cycling, or whatever other activity you might be into. You see, being fit and making it count applies to so much more than just a workout.

You might remember my review of Working Out Sucks!, and in it Brian Zehetner talks about the concept of non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT is a concept studied by famed obesity researcher James Levine from the Mayo Clinic (here is one article). That fancy word thermogenesis and that neat acronym NEAT are simply talking about energy expended by all your other activity besides sleeping, eating and working out. According to the book, NEAT makes up about 15% of energy burned in sedentary individuals and as much as 50% in active individuals! That’s pretty phenomenal if you ask me; simply moving burns calories and helps with overall fitness.

So as I sat around last month wallowing in self pity because I couldn’t work out, it hit me that while I can’t work out the way I want to, there are many things that I CAN do, and they all count! Here are some of those things:

Learn – Down time is a great time to learn about the things that interest you. Those interests might be fitness related such as running with better form or investigating new training plans, but can also be about other non-fitness related interests like progressing your education.
Focus on Nutrition – Sometimes (OK, always) when I’m deep into a training plan my nutrition totally goes out the window as I eat everything in sight, justifying it by reasoning that with as many calories as I burn, I can eat anything I want. Obviously this is not true, so use your downtime to focus in and dial in your nutrition.
Rest – Yup, I said it, I stated the obvious. Use your forced downtime to catch up on all that sleep you miss from getting up early to workout. Take time to let your body heal up from all the beatings you dole out on a regular basis.
Focus on Friends & Family – Like nutrition, in the midst of marathon training, friends and family can easily get thrown to the wayside as I train. While I try to let my running have as little impact as possible on them, the truth is that I can pretty easily get consumed by the miles and not realize that I might not be as engaged at home as I should be.
Catch Up – Downtime is a great time to catch up on all the things you’ve been putting off. Read that book that’s been sitting on your nightstand, fix that leaky sink, or clean out the garage.
Dream – Yes, dream. I’m not saying dream of rainbows and unicorns (unless that’s your thing), I’m really talking about your goals. Where do you want to go? Why? How are you going to get there? Take the time to reflect and dream about all the things you want to do so that when you get back on the road, you have a path to follow!

How do you make it count when you’re injured?

**UPDATE** – Harold at A Veteran Runnah saw my post and totally took it to the next level! He brings up an excellent point, and one that I totally violated while I was injured. I did not stay connected to the running community, though they were always there for me and offered fellowship and support that I definitely needed! Take a minute and check out his post.

Fitness Free till Februmapril

2012-01-18T22:11:00.001-08:00

Lately I’ve been doing too much of this…

Where have I been you ask? I’ve been here and there, but mostly there and mostly trying to stay away from here. You see here is a running blog, a blog about running, but I’m not running. Nope, I’m still not running. In fact, I’m not doing much of anything physical. I’ve branded this lack of physical activity as “Fitness Free Till February,” though admittedly it may last much longer (see the title). This hiatus serves a purpose, at least in theory. The purpose is not to serve as an endless whining dialogue of how bad it sucks to be unable to run.

And not enough of this.

The purpose of being “Fitness Free Till February” is to heal up from the osteitis pubis that has plagued me for the last few months. I did not become fully fitness free until the end of December. Prior to that, I stopped running, but supplemented full body workouts in the place of running. These full body workouts did not help with my injury, hence the decision to finally be fitness free. So what’s the problem? Well the problem is that I am not convinced that being fitness free is helping me to heal and I’m beating myself up for not working out!

Products in need of a JALR review!

The other problem is that this is a running blog. Of late though there has been no running to speak of, only injury. This is not an injury blog though it may seem so at times and I am most definitely not qualified to discuss injuries, though I have been injured of late. So it is with this that I bid you farewell for the day.

On a positive note, I have a ton of posts lined up that I need to pull the trigger on, the majority of them are gear reviews! In the hopper, I’ve got the GoSport ID, 1Band ID, Road ID, a Tommie Copper compression shirt, the Simple Hydration Bottle, ViewSPORT shirts and the Altra Instincts. Even though I haven’t been running, you can rest assured that I have been using these products myself and by proxy through Julie.

How have you dealt with long layoffs from injury in the past?

My 100th Post and a Winner

2012-01-09T16:49:00.001-08:00

Wow, it’s hard to believe that this is my 100th post on Just a Little Run. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun. I think it’s also fitting that the purpose of this post is to announce the 3 winners of the Working Out Sucks giveaway! Without further ado, the winners are:

Brigid

Jodie

Cheri

Please e-mail me at justalittlerun (at) gmail (dot) com with a mailing address so that I can send you your book.

Congratulations to the 3 of you and a huge thank you to all who entered! Win or lose, I hope you enjoyed the book review and I hope that perhaps it has motivated you to put aside your excuses and to get moving!

Don’t forget to check out Anytime Fitness and their website Anytimehealth.com, as well as Workingoutsucks.com for all your working out needs!

Working Out Sucks! Book Review and Giveaway

2012-01-02T17:49:00.001-08:00

“Working out sucks, but self pity sucks more.”

Let’s be honest, working out sucks. Granted, there are too many benefits to name that are gained from working out, but all the same, it can be hard, painful, intimidating, time consuming, and sometimes costly. It doesn’t have to be this way though, and that’s the thrust of a new book from Anytime Fitness CEO and cofounder Chuck Runyon. Runyon, along with registered dietician and certified strength and conditioning specialist Brian Zehetner and social worker and therapist Rebecca DeRossett, have put out a compelling, easy-to-read book suitable for all fitness levels, but aimed specifically at those looking for a place to start.

“Working out sucks, but refusing to challenge yourself sucks more.”

This book is great. A quick glance at the cover and I was hooked. First, I’m a fan of straight talk, so even though I disagreed with the bold yellow letters proclaiming that Working Out Sucks, I immediately knew that I would probably like the tone of the book. This is NOT a soft, sappy, feel better about yourself love fest. This is a brutally honest, pull no punches sort of book aimed at getting you off your butt and into gear! Second, the cover image of a hamster in a wheel made me chuckle. How often have you heard people refer with disdain to the treadmill as the “dreadmill,” or some other pejorative term? If you’re on the DailyMile, you see it every day.

“Working out sucks, but setting yourself up for failure sucks more.”

The book is broken into 4 sections and is a quick read, but one you’ll want to earmark and highlight for future reference, be it for motivational quotes like those listed above or to re-read nutritional or workout tips. Runyon kicks the book off by outlining all the common excuses that people give for not working out and burns each to the ground with his simple, no nonsense approach. Within the first 20 pages, he dispels the myth that we have neither time nor money to work out as he cleverly illustrates that the time and money needed to work out only encompasses about 1% of our resources respectively. He goes further and challenges obesity rates as well as the skyrocketing costs of health insurance and the relationship between them.

“Beginning your journey up the mountain requires three critical steps: unlocking the power of your imagination, creating your vision statement, and setting your goals.”

In part two – Changing Behavior Sucks Too, But… - DeRossett takes a tried and true approach to convincing you that not only can you change your behaviors, but that it’s not that hard given discipline and determination. Using easy steps such as those quoted above, she gives an easy to follow plan that relies on journalizing your progress and rewarding your effort as well as your results. DeRossett suggests that it takes about 66 days for good habits to become ingrained, but only 21 for them to become muscle memory, and never asks for perfection, instead extolling the virtues of an 80/20 rule; meaning that if you can stay on track with your goals 80% of the time, you’ll be well on your way to success in modifying your behaviors.

“Marry nutrition, and let exercise be your mistress.”

Brian Zehetner tackles the final two chapters – Nutrition Sucks and Fitness Sucks – continuing in the no BS, right down the middle approach that Runyon began. Zehetner makes understanding the basics of nutrition “so easy that a caveman could do it” (no offense to any caveman readers out there). He discounts fad diets and dangerous nutrition trends as just that, faddish and dangerous. Zehetner takes a middle of the road approach to nutrition relying on a balanced diet rather than one of extremes. He also ably points out that neither good nutrition or regular exercise alone results in the changes we desire, instead explaining that it IS the combination of lifestyle changes – motivation, thinking, diet, and fitness.

“Moving Is NEAT.”

Finally, Zehetner closes the book by suggesting that for many – especially beginners – just moving may be enough of a start for you to see results. In fact, the entire book is centered around the beginner and the simple approach to fitness is refreshing. Nothing about this process is complicated, nor should it be. For most people, the combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise is just the prescription. Zehetner concludes by presenting the 21 Day Kick Start plan to get you started, and I can tell you that it’s a great workout, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran just trying to get started again.

What I liked:

This book is written in plain language that is easy to understand and is free of all the medical and fitness jargon that turn so many off to fitness books.
This book is an all encompassing plan to get you going. You truly do not need anything else, as the nutrition and work out plan is included.
The nutrition and fitness plans are realistic. They are not so detailed that you feel like you cannot substitute food choices or exercises, and the workouts are quick and easy.
The book has a detailed notes section so you can check the sources of the claims that are made throughout the book. Too many fitness and nutrition books are full of claims that aren’t backed up anywhere.
According to Runyon, 100% of the net proceeds from sales of the book are going to Limbs for Life, which is a “global nonprofit organization that provides fully functional prosthetic care for individuals who can’t otherwise afford it.”

What I didn’t like:

Throughout the book, the website www.anytimehealth.com is listed as a place to get more information or tools to help you in your journey. While there is a lot of good info on the website, you do have to register for it, and much of it is restricted to Anytime Fitness members or paying subscribers ($49.95 a year – which is only $4 a month). I am neither. Unfortunately, there aren’t any Anytime Fitness locations in my area yet and I think that a code for the book should be provided so that you can register for a full online membership so that you can log and track ALL of your meals, workouts, and body composition data. *Note: There are multiple articles and videos though that can be viewed for free.

**UPDATE** – There IS a coupon at the very end of the book that has a code for a Free Premium 12-Month Pass to Anytimehealth.com. So far I have been unable to get it to work, but the code may not be live just yet (I only found this via luck as it is the 3rd to last page in the book, preceded by the Index and followed by two blank pages. A note somewhere would have been extremely helpful to me).

**UPDATE** – **UPDATE** 1/5/2012 – Andy from Anytime Fitness left a comment (you can see below) to notify me that the coupon code is now working. I went back in and checked, and it IS indeed working. Julie has been messing around putting in all her info and she is pretty impressed so far. She is also on Day 4 of the 21 Day Kick Start plan on Monday and is really enjoying the workouts! So thanks Andy and thanks Anytime Fitness. With this update, I am happy to report that I have zero complaints with the book and am impressed with Anytime Fitness’ attention to detail in getting this issue resolved quickly.

So what do you think, want a copy? If you answered yes, you are in luck, as the folks at Anytime Fitness were kind enough to give me 3 copies to giveaway to you! Here’s how you can win a copy!

Mandatory: Leave a comment with an excuse you have used to getting out of working out. (You can do this as often as you want, but each excuse must be different AND each must be a separate comment. Multiple excuses in 1 comment will be counted as 1 entry).

Optional: Tweet “I want to win the @AnytimeFitness book #WorkingOutSucks from @justalittlerun at http://goo.gl/xCORj” For ease, you can copy and paste the preceding text.

This giveaway will be open for entry until 11:59 PM PST Sunday, January 8, 2012, when I will randomly select three winners. US readers only please.

Best of luck and be sure to share this post! If you don’t win a copy, don’t worry, the book is for sell at your favorite book retailer and includes a companion site that should go live by the end of the week (www.workingoutsucks.com).

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Just a Little Rundown 2011: A Year of Firsts

2011-12-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

As 2011 draws to a close I wanted to make sure that I took a few minutes to reflect on what a great year it was.

2011 was most definitely a year of firsts for me: 1^stenlisted Marine at NPS, 1^st marathon completed, 1^st year running more than 1000 miles, 1^st injury that kept me from running, 1^st surgery, 1^st time running the 50K distance, and of course my 1^st blog post. So without further ado, here’s a quick recap.

Naval PostGraduate School, Monterey, CA

In January I started graduate school at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Many, many military members attend NPS annually, but I was the first enlisted Marine to be selected to attend. It’s kind of a big deal and I am extremely proud and humbled. I will graduate in June with a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis.

In February, Julie and I ran our 1^st race in Monterey, the Together With Love 10K which supports the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center.

March saw the two of us complete our first Mud Run, the Big Sur Mud Run at the old Fort Ord.

In April we ran the Santa Cruz Half Marathon and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, though truth be told we were not in the best running shape.

The 1st header, drawn by my daughter

June saw the start of Just a Little Run, though initially it was called ThinkyDoer and was going to focus on academic type stuff. Check out my first couple of posts hereand here. Thankfully for all involved I had a slight conflict with someone else over the name ThinkyDoer and decided to abandon it completely in favor of Just a Little Run. Although I was upset at the time, in hindsight I think it was the absolute right call.

Blogging has been a great ride so far and the site has grown to 53 followers, 10K pageviews, 76 FB fans, and 514 Twitter followers in 6 months. I can’t wait to see where 2012 takes us!

My 1st marathon, a 3:49 effort in San Francisco.
It was most definitely worth the hurt!

In July I ran my 1^st marathon, the San Francisco Marathon, in San Francisco, CA. It was a great time and I can’t believe I ran a 3:49 on that super hilly course! I wrote about it hereand posted a “lessons learned and key takeaways” post here.

Ready for the 2002 Marine Corps Ball!

Julie and I celebrated 11 years of marriage in August. I cannot stress enough how thankful I am for her continuing sacrifice in not only putting up with my crap, but also in picking up and moving wherever the Marine Corps sends us every few years. After all, Marriage is a lot like a long run.

Still sideways...sorry

In September I hit 1000 miles for the year for the 1^sttime ever and was interviewed by myself. Then, just two days later I ran 32 miles as part of the “Do Epic Shit Non-Jog” put on by Logan over at The UnaRunner’s Manifesto. In October, I finally admitted that I was really injured and through a series of appointments figured out that I had bilateral inguinal hernias as well as osteitis pubis. I wrote about my injuries in progressively here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Are you FitFluential? To me, being FitFluential is a state of mind that involves being the best YOU that you can be while helping others to achieve their potential as well. I was fortunate enough to be selected as a FitFluential Ambassador (post here) and am currently working on my 1^st assignment which will be live the first week in January. Here’s a preview: #WorkingOutSucks

Hernia surgery sucks!

Finally, in December I had surgery to repair my hernias and also got an injection of lidocaine and steroids to help my osteitis pubis (as well as a large daily dose of anti-inflammatories. Oh yeah, Julie and I decided to begin simplifying our lives by giving away 100 thingsby the end of the year AND I started running again!

So there you have it, a year of firsts! I hope you enjoyed reading about my exploits as much as I enjoyed experiencing them and writing about them! 2012 is going to be a great year, so stay tuned for my official 2012 goals. Here’s a quick preview!

2012: A Year in Preview

2011-12-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

While everyone is busy doing their 2011 Year in Review, I thought I would take a couple minutes and do a 2012 Year in Preview. Oh don’t you worry, I’ll do the obligatory recap of 2011 in the next few days, but the truth is that I’m so pumped to be back running and working out again that I don’t feel like looking backwards right now, only forward.

2012 is going to be a great year all around; running and fitness wise, as well as both personally and professionally. Here’s a quick preview!

Run Simple:

As of right now, I am only registered for the Big Sur International Marathon on April 29, 2012, though I have a few others on my list. From everything I have heard and read about Big Sur, it is one of the premier marathons in the country.

“Runner’s World magazine has picked Big Sur as one of the three best marathons in the America as well as the nation’s Best Destination Marathon!”

I have been running in my VFFs and have ordered some Altra Instincts (Zero Drop shoes) that I cannot wait to get!

Fitness wise, I have several things I want to accomplish such as riding the bike more and swimming more as well as 50 pullups and many other challenges!

Blogging:

First and foremost, I hope to continue to provide great content for all of you, so if there is something you would like to see in 2012, please let me know.

Second, I’ve got some reviews lined up! I have the Tommie Copper compression top to review as well as ID bands from 1BandID, GoSportIDand RoadID, and shirts from ViewSport.

As you know, I am a FitFluential Ambassador, and as such was given the opportunity to review Chuck Runyon’s new book Working out Sucks. Chuck Runyon is the CEO of Anytime Fitness and the book looks to be very good (video trailer here). http://workingoutsucks.com/

Live Simple:

The #100thingsgiveaway went better than expected (see more hereand here). We were able to donate more than 200 items in just two days and are looking to do even more in 2012.

Julie and I will also get serious about our debt and use the blog as an accountability tool to attempt to get debt free once and for all.

Alright, I don’t want to spoil all the surprises, but 2012 is shaping up to be a great year no matter how you look at it!

I sincerely hope that all of you will join me as I continue to press forward and try to be the best me that I can be! Remember, this isn’t a one-way conversation, so consider joining me and becoming the best you that you can be as well!

I Ran Yesterday!

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

You normally see this when you run right?

I ran yesterday! I fully expected rainbows and unicorns, but they were nowhere to be found; instead I felt winded and slow. I also felt the 8 lbs I have gained in the last couple months as well as every footfall along the road. While yesterday I thought that my run sucked, in hindsight I realize that it was awesome! I was happy that I was able to run, but frustrated that I had lost so much during my time away. In the good news category, the pain in my groin was nearly non-existent though I could still feel a tiny bit of residual soreness from the surgery in my abs. Overall though, pain was not an issue.

Today, my legs below the knees are sore. My lower calves, balls of my feet and all the other lateral moving muscles from my lower calves to my ankles are sore. For shoes, I wore my VFFs as I have committed to running simple in 2012. I realize that some of the soreness was due to the VFFs as well as my long layoff. I have run before in my VFFs, but never loved them like some people do. I never disliked them necessarily; I just enjoyed my Kinvaras more. Some say that if nothing is broke, then nothing should be fixed, and while I agree with that, I wanted to continue down the minimalist path, and that includes my VFFs as well as the new Altra Instincts that I recently ordered.

It’s weird running again. It’s not the running really, but rather the desire to run. If you have followed for a while you know that I was a reluctant runner, so it’s weird wanting to run instead of wanting to avoid running. I love it! I was always the one to say that I would start next week or next month, and there I was, frustrated that I wasn’t able to run.

Anyway, here’s to running again! I’m trying to play it smart and take it slow so as not to get injured, but I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow!

Hope your running is going well! I’ve got a big 2012 planned that I’ll be discussing over the next few days!

How about you? What do you have planned for 2012?

100 Things Gone!

2011-12-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

Today was pretty productive. We took the 100+ items we set aside yesterday and dropped them off around town. We started in the neighborhood by dropping off the kids books at the elementary school where they will definitely be put to good use. Then we headed out to our local Fleet Feet and donated 5 pair of our running shoes to the Soles 4 Souls donation box.

"The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 16 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed to people in over 127 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States."

Next we headed out to our local Salvation Army thrift store and dropped off 5 bags of mine and Julie's clothes. These were in great shape and I hope that they get put to good use. The store was packed, so we are hopeful that our donation will make a difference.

Our last stop was at the post office to mail off some last minute Christmas stuff as well as a couple of books that you saw on last night's post. Interestingly enough, I got to talking with the clerk there and I am hopeful that I made a difference for her and she will give 100 things as well.

Giving feels great, and today was an excellent day, but it's just the beginning!

Have you started yet? Giving 100 things and simplifying your life is easier than you might expect!

100 Things Ready to Go!

2011-12-21T00:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is blurry. Not sure what is going on with my camera, but I’ll get it figured out

I did it. It was scary, but way easier than I thought it would be. This afternoon/evening, I set aside 109 things that I own to get rid of. In fact, between Julie and I, we got rid of more than 200 things combined, and that was just from our bedroom! It was pretty damn liberating! I might get to live a laid back life of running and traveling after all!

Most of the things I set aside today were clothing related, though I did throw away a lot of little stuff that had been hanging around in the closet. I think I’ll work on a running tally of the things I am letting go of and post it on here so you can see the type of things I’m tossing. While we would like to make a couple bucks if possible, we really want to ensure more than anything that other people can make use of the things we no longer need.

For example, these:

2 pair of the Kinvara and the Frees are going to a new home tomorrow!

Are going to our local running store to get donated. And these:

Read any good books lately?

These will go to the library or maybe to a military unit. If you see any titles you are interested in, let me know and they’re yours if you pay for shipping!

So there it is. I think I’m gonna need a bigger goal! Join me in my quest to simplify. Make a commitment yourself to simplify and live easier.

Simplifying My Life

2011-12-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

photo credit

I love running. You can probably tell that from the title of this blog and the majority of my content here. Hell, even the posts I write about injury are about running. It is my passion and something that I want to do for the rest of my life. Stay with me here, I’m not gonna get all sentimental; in fact this post is gonna go a whole other direction completely.

It’s time for a change.

I have lived most of my adult life amassing things. I have long believed that money can buy happiness, because I was the happiest when I had money and bought things. Of course the happiness was always fleeting, so I just made more money so that I could buy more things. It really didn’t matter what those things were.

It’s time to simplify my life and focus on the things that are important - like family and dreams and passions. Julie said it best tonight as we looked at some pictures of our family, when she said “none of these were taking in a store, these are all pictures of things we have experienced, not things we have.” I’m not gonna spill all the details now, because honestly I don’t know what they are yet, but I’ll leave you with this:

I will simplify my life starting today, by getting rid (selling or donating) of at least 100 things I own by January 1^st.

I am doing this with an ultimate goal of being 100% debt free when I retire from the Marine Corps in 5 years, so that we can live stress / debt free and I can further explore my passion of running.

Hopefully you will help to keep me accountable and maybe you’ll be motivated to simplify your life as well. After all, do I really need 5 TVs? That’s one for each member of my family, and that’s ridiculous.

If you still need help getting motivated, check out this video courtesy of Man Vs Debt via Jason Robillard at Barefoot Running University. Thanks Jason for sharing this.

Have you ever tried this before? If so, how did it work out for you?

Welcome to the Procrastination Station!

2011-12-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

It’s been awhile since I have blogged, and it pains me. Believe me when I say that every day since the last post, I have thought about blogging, but I couldn’t.

I couldn’t because I was procrastinating.

I wasn’t procrastinating about blogging. No sir, I love blogging. I was procrastinating with my school work and I would not let myself blog until I was finished with my finals. School is a love/hate relationship for me. I love the intellectual stimulation, but despise the drudgery. I tell myself that it’s because I’m bored or that I’m just not interested, but while these are partially true, the real truth is that I am lazy. I’m lazy and schoolwork is just not where my head is at right now; it’s not what I want to do. What I want to do is run, but that’s a story for another time.

I had a good friend that used to always say that “There are thing you wanna do and things you gotta do,” whenever I tried to get him to slack off from work. He is right of course, and all too often, we unfortunately put off the things we have to do for the things we want to do. This is backwards of course, and that’s what we call procrastination.

For me, I want to run, I want to blog, I want to check out Facebook and Twitter, but I have to do my schoolwork. Did you catch the difference between the “want to” and the “have to?” I am even so fortunate that I am at a time and place in my life where I am being paid to go to school as my full-time job and I still can’t stay focused.

So with that, I leave you with a pledge for a “Procrastination Free 2012,” and some tips for how we can all avoid this bad habit.

*Disclaimer – I am writing these tips as much for me as I am for you! This is one of those “do as I say, not as I do” sort of things. Lol! Give me a break, I’m a work in progress.

Prioritize the things you have to do. Make a list of everything that you have to get done, no matter how trivial. If you have to do it, write it down. Next, take your “have to dos” and prioritize them from most important to least important. The beauty of this list is that you will have something to see how much you are actually getting done as well as a tool to keep you accountable.
Make a schedule. Take your list and schedule time to get the things on the list done. As you make your schedule, also build in time for rewards. For example, for every hour that you work, give yourself 15 minutes to screw off. Basically what you will have is a prioritized schedule of the things you have to do, interspersed with the things that you want to do, as a reward for your productivity.
Clear the distractions. Get rid of all of the things that normally tempt you away from the things you have to do. If you have to work on your computer, shut the browser windows so you won’t be tempted to click on FB or twitter or the news; if you have to, work offline. This works great for me, especially when I am writing, as I can easily outline the things I want to write or research on my notepad so that when I get back to the computer I am ready to go. Also, turn off the notifications on your phone or put it out of site so you aren’t tempted to get distracted that way either.
Be disciplined. Realize that ultimately you will have more time for the things you want to do if you first finish the things you have to do. This one is hard I know. I tend to take lots of breaks and reward myself far too often and then my schedule gets flipped to where I am now doing ten minutes of work and 30 minutes of break. Stay disciplined and stay tough.

Alright, there it is. I truly hope these tips work for you. They do work for me when I am disciplined enough to use them. Also, while I have written this list towards getting work done, it will also work if you are trying to ensure that you get a workout, or a run in. So if you want to ensure you work out, make it a priority on your list, schedule time for it, clear all the other distractions and be disciplined enough to get it done!

So what say you, Do you procrastinate? About what? What are your tips for avoiding it?

The first step is the hardest

2011-12-05T23:47:00.001-08:00

While I’m relatively fit now and try to be the best fit that I can be, it hasn’t always been that way. Sure, today I’m a FitFluential Ambassadorand do everything I can to not only be fit, but to live fit. It’s not always easy, and it will take some hard work and dedication, but with perseverance and the right attitude it is totally achievable. So what does it mean to be Fit Fluential? To me, it’s a state of mind that involves being the best YOU that you can be and helping others to achieve their potential as well. Here’s my story.

I started running in 1996 because the Marine Corps made me. I never ran in high school and even loathed it when I joined the Marine Corps. As you might imagine, I was not very good at it, not very fast, and did not enjoy being yelled at to run. With that said, I never embraced it, instead only running just enough to continue to pass the bi-annual physical fitness test (PFT) requirements (3 miles in less than 28 minutes). As a young Marine, running 3 miles twice a year within the limits was no problem. As I got older though, it was much more difficult. Fortunately, in 2009, that all changed for me.

In 2009, while stationed as an instructor for Marine analysts, I finally realized that I had to embrace PT instead of shying away from it as 1) it wasn't getting any easier, and 2) I am a leader of Marines and I owe it to those I lead to set the example in every facet of our profession. Fortunately, as I made this realization, I also connected fitness wise with my mentor. While he had always been there for a rousing mental debate, I had always been afraid to workout with him. He was what we call a “PT stud,” and was training for a MMA fight. Through a lot of good natured ribbing, he finally coaxed me into coming out and being his punching bag. Fight training also involves lots of cardio, so there I was, first getting beat up and then second, forced to run! In a word, it was awesome. I began to quickly see improvement and began to be known as one of the “fit” guys in the command. Toward the end of the year, another buddy of mine confided in me that he wanted to run a half-marathon because he was tired of struggling to keep his weight down and tired of being a poor runner. He, like me, avoided running at all costs and I told him that I would help him to reach his potential. As this point, I still had yet to run anything longer than 6 miles.

So why a half-marathon? Mainly because it was the most insane distance we could think of at the time, realizing that a full marathon was likely beyond our reach, but finishing 13.1 miles might be conquered if we got to training. So that's what we did. We ran at lunch and met on the weekends for long runs. It was humbling at first and then so liberating as we continued. We ran, and we ran, and we completed that first half-marathon. I was even able to get my wife on board and got her started running as well. We completed that first half-marathon in March 2010 in 2:05 and went on to complete two more half-marathons that year culminating with a 1:46 PR in September. I also completed a few other races (10Ks and 10 miler) as well as a half ironman that us "fit" guys ran at work. Today I have completed several more races and even a 3:49 marathon, not to mention a 32 mile training run! Through all of these accomplishments, I realize now that the hardest part was not continuing to work out, but rather making the initial decision to do it, and then taking the first step.

So what’s holding you back? What’s keeping you from getting started?

Here are some tips to help you get out there!

Do Something. Sounds easy because it is. Set your mind to do something to change your situation and get busy. If you find yourself sitting around watching TV, vow to go for a walk instead, which leads to #2.
Start small. While it’s great to Dream Big (thanks Dorothy), sometimes you have to start small. While a marathon or an Ironman might be your ultimate goal, it’s easy to get discouraged going from 0 to 26.2 miles. Start with a 5K (3.1 miles) or a sprint triathlon instead. There’s no shame in that and it will give you a realistic goal to shoot for.
Set a goal (or goals). There is nothing like paying your hard earned money for a race entry to get you out the door and training. Find a race and set your mind to do it. Then tell everybody you know, as their good natured inquiries will help to keep you motivated and accountable.
Find a friend. Surround yourself with people who share your goals and your motivation to better yourself. If you don’t know someone in real life (IRL), then check out the Daily Mile. The Daily Mile has changed my running life and I have met a ton of motivated people who are there to encourage me and help me to stay accountable.
Leave old habits behind. If you are trying to quit smoking you cannot remain around the places or people that you share that activity with. If you are trying to quit drinking you must surround yourself with new people and supportive environments.
Ask questions. This might sound like the simplest of all the tips so far, but if you’re anything like me, then you’re hesitant to show your ignorance to others, especially all those super slim, super fit runners out there. Well don’t be. Ask questions and do not be embarrassed. At some point we were all beginners with a ton of questions.
Make working out a priority. If you do not schedule time for your workouts, they will not happen. You must make them a priority and ensure that they happen. For me, this means getting up super early so that I can get my workout finished before I do anything else. It is my time and it ensures that no matter what else happens that day, my workout is done.

Alright, I hope these tips help you to get inspired and to get out there and be the best that YOU can be! After all, FitFluential is a state of mind!

Vices, Virtues, and a Missed Opportunity

2011-12-04T00:44:00.001-08:00

Keeping with the #Resound11 theme, I decided to incorporate the last two prompts into tonight’s post. If you haven’t checked out the Resound11 site or somehow missed the title, those two prompts are vices and virtues. Without further ado, here are mine.

Vices – These are some of the things that really bother me and that I would like to change for 2012:

Procrastination – especially when it comes to school work. I am terrible. Right now, I have two 20 page papers due on the 9^thand 16^th respectively and haven’t started either. Fortunately school seems to be the only thing I procrastinate on. Before my injury, running was my way out and it helped me to gather my thoughts.
Social media addict - I love being in the middle of whatever is going on, even if it doesn’t involve me. I just have to know who’s saying what on Twitter or Facebook. Sadly, this “need to know” interferes with family time and totally irks my loving wife.
Sweets - I love sweets. Chocolate, candy, you name it and I like it. I am actually typing this while eating Ben & Jerry’s Late Night Snack ice cream! I cannot leave them alone. If they are in the house I will eat them and I’ll also fight the kids for them. Lol!

Virtues – It’s hard to give myself credit for anything, but here are 3 things that I am proud of:

An indomitable spirit - This is especially true with running, as I latch onto a training plan and you can consider it done. I will complete it to the numbers. This loyalty has really paid off this year, as I ran a 3:49 1^st marathon and was well on my way to completing my first ultra.
Giving to my kids – I drop everything for my kids and will do whatever it takes to make sure that they are happy and healthy. In many ways they are spoiled rotten and it bites me in the long run, but I try to make being a good father one of my highest priorities.
Hard Worker – This kind of ties in with the 1^stvirtue, but I don’t believe in doing anything half ass. Whether it’s a run or actual work, you can rest assured that I will give you everything that I’ve got no matter the cost.

In other news, as you may know, today was my “A” race, The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in San Francisco. I missed it, instead opting to watch some college football and work on Christmas decorations. My running partner went out and killed it though, completing his first 50 mile race. I won’t steal his thunder, but he ran an awesome race and if you have not checked out his blog, you should. I have no doubt that he’ll have a killer race recap up in the next few days.

So what about you? Have you heard of #Resound11? What are some of your vices and virtues?

Firsts - My 2011

2011-12-01T21:26:00.001-08:00

The other day, I saw a tweet from Dawn over at Dawnie’s Life about a campaign called Resound 11, aimed at reflecting on our 2011 accomplishments and looking forward to 2012. I’m normally not a fan of things like this, but the first prompt – “one word” – really caught my attention. Here’s the prompt:

“What is one word to describe your 2011? Why does that word sum up your year? (We'll be writing about our one word for 2012 later, so just focus on this year!)”

I immediately started typing notes and trying to really figure out what my one word would be. After some brainstorming and deliberation, I settled on “firsts.” I really think that “firsts” is a great word for my 2011. After all, even though I’m ending the year on the bench, it was a pretty great year. Here are a few of my firsts:

I’m the 1^st enlisted Marine to attend the Naval Postgraduate School as a full-time Master’s Degree student
I ran my first marathon! An exhilarating 3:49 on the tough course at the San Francisco Marathon (read about it here, hereand here)
I suffered my 1^st major injury. This one as you know is still not resolved, nor adequately diagnosed, but it’s been a bear (read about it here, here, and here).
I started a blog! Check out my very first entry to see how far it’s come (here). Yes, at first this blog was not so fitness related and I had aspirations of writing about many things, including academic stuff. As I continued to train over the summer and write both the miles and the words about the miles came naturally and morphed into what you see today. I still can’t believe that other people are interested in what I have to say and read what I write! Thank you all so much!

With that I’ll close tonight. I just wanted to share some of these things with all of you because it’s been a very special year and this blog, and by extension, all of you have been a big part of it!

P.S. – Joe V. over at 1BandIDhas provided me with a great product (review coming soon) and a coupon code to share with all of you! Unlike other ID bands that you wear on your wrist, the 1BandID “is the first and only wearable athlete ID to securely attach and display critical information on your watch, GPS or HR monitor. 1BandID is small and light but visible, ultra-durable ID for triathletes, runners, cyclists and all active people.”

To save 10% (or $2) off a 1BandID of your very own, enter this coupon code at checkout mike93936. The code is good for 90 days!

Injury Update

2011-11-30T23:26:00.001-08:00

It hurts here!

Saturday is TNF 50; my goal race, my first ultra, though it’s not to be. I have mixed feelings about that, as I am bummed to have to abandon a race (giving up is not something I do), but I am happy that I am getting my injury treated. On that note, since many of you have asked, I figured I would give you a quick update on the ongoing saga that is my undiagnosed injury. In a nutshell, it’s an injury to my groin/manly parts/nether region (pick your term) area. It hurts when I run, cough, sneeze, do situps, get up from lying down, etc… Basically I have sharp pain when I do the aforementioned movements and a constant dull pain at all other times.

So far, I’ve had 6 visits to the doctor in the last 5 weeks:

Visit to Dr – thought I might have a hernia and sent me for an ultrasound.
Ultrasound – inconclusive results. No hernia noted.
Back to Dr – since no hernia was found, he felt it might be an issue for physical therapy (PT) and thought it might be hip flexor related (inner muscles).
1^st visit to PT – Ruled out hip flexor or groin rather quickly. Felt it might be a hernia in the inguinal canal. Wanted to talk to my Dr and see me again.
2^nd visit to PT – Did some ultrasound therapy and referred me back to my Dr
3^rd visit to Dr – Examined me again, thinks I may have a soft tissue injury and referred me to a surgeon and a urologist for tests and treatment

So to recap, I got injured in June while doing speedwork or situps during the PFT I think (best I can figure out from my training log), continued running until October, took a 2 week break from running, ran again once and still hurt, and then quit running completely. To date I have been injured for 5, going on 6 months and the pain has not gotten any better. On a positive note though, it does not seem to have gotten worse.

As you know, I’ve been staying busy trying to do some cross training and trying to remain positive, but believe me when I tell you that there are not many exercises that you can do that do not engage this part of the body. Anyway, this isn’t a rant, just an update. I’m still waiting, but remaining positive. If you feel injured, learn something from me and get it taken care of sooner rather than later. While I initially thought that a few weeks off would cure me, now I am beginning to think about having to abandon the Big Sur Marathon in April as well.

In better news…

I’m working on a head to head to head review of the GoSport ID, 1BandID and Road ID, and have a coupon code to save $1 on a RoadID if you’re interested.

Coupon Number: ThanksMike9412667

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 12/31/2011. To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:

http://www.RoadID.com/?CID=ThanksMike9412667

Alright, have a great one and thanks for reading!

How I'm staying busy not running

2011-11-28T22:49:00.001-08:00

For this post, I figured I would outline some of the activities that I am involved in these days since I can’t run. My goal was not only to take my mind off not running, but also to work on weak areas so that when I am back to running I will be a better athlete all the way around.

Not my pool. (photo credit)

Swimming - OK, so I’m not a strong swimmer. I can swim, but I just don’t do it very well. I am inefficient and slow and I tend to get easily frustrated with my shortcomings in the water. To right some of these wrongs, I signed up for lessons, but after the 1^st two, they quickly lost their appeal. There were too many students for the one instructor which meant very little individual instruction and too little pool set aside to practice in meaning that most of my time was spent avoiding head on collisions. Not to worry though, I will continue to swim and I will get better. There is an Ironman in my future

This bike needs miles...

Biking – Last year, I completed a local half ironman distance triathlon while side stroking the swim and riding a mountain bike. It was ~~not fun~~ a blast, but not the best way to complete 70.3 miles. A month or two after the event, I bought a road bike with hopes of riding more and completing another triathlon. After a month or two on the bike, I put it away and just pulled it back out after a 10 month hiatus. I figure that the bike is a great way to keep up my fitness and I also branched out into spin classes at the gym which are a good time and a great workout.

Pullups - As a Marine, pullups are part of our physical fitness test (PFT) and therefore, a part of life, so I wholeheartedly climbed aboard the 50 pullups website as I figured that doing 50 pullups is totally hardcore (plan here). I am even now involved in a challenge to see who can do the most "dead hang pullups" by New Year's Eve! Want in? Let me know!

Pushups - I've never really considered doing 100 pushups, but they are a great exercise, so I figured "why not?" Being able to do 100 pushups on a whim is a pretty cool fitness feat in my mind! I am following the 100 pushups plan.

Dips – OK, so on the 100pushups page is also a link to 150 dips as well as many others (200 situps, 200 squats and 25 pullups). I can’t do the situps or squats due to my injury, so I figured that pushups are a chest exercise and tricep exercises go perfectly with chest exercise, so why not? Additionally, one of my goals at the beginning of the year was to do a muscleup. I am not there yet, but between the pullups, pushups, and dips, I should be close. Right?

Not the best option... (photo credit)

Boxing drills – One of the other things that is a great workout, but something I haven’t done in a while is Boxing and MMA. I have quite a bit of gear from several years ago when I was training a lot, so Julie and I have picked up the gear and started working. We have a Wave Master “bag.” It’s not great, but it’s workable. Most of the time though we just put on the focus mitts and work with each other. Generally, we box for a minute, jump rope for a minute, and then take 30 seconds rest before repeating it.

Not shaking (photo credit)

Plank a day – I’ve done planks before, but did not realize that it was a twitter craze until just the last few weeks. Planks are a great exercise, and damn hard work. After about 30 seconds, I’m shaking like a leaf in a tree!

Alright, I think that about sums it up. What other challenges are out there? What am I missing? What do you do for crosstraining?

In other news, you may have noticed the new badge gracing the webpage. Yes that is the FitFluential badge! This weekend, I found out that I was chosen as an official FitFluential Ambassador and I’m super excited at the opportunity to work with such a great group. I have to say a big "Thank You" to both Dorothy at Mile-Posts and Kelly from FitFluential!

Are you interested in becoming a FitFluential Ambassador? If so, let me know.

Lessons Learned: Are You Hurt Or Injured?

2011-11-22T22:33:00.001-08:00

(Photo Credit)

Coach - "You injured, Jefferson, or just hurt?"

Jefferson - "What do you mean?"

Coach - "If you're hurt, you can still play. If you're injured you can't. Are you hurt or are you injured?"

Jefferson - "I think I'm just hurt."

Coach - "O.K., then get up."

The Program, 1993.

I'm writing this post for several reasons. First, I'm not running right now due to injury, so healing, doctors, and injury prevention is about all that's on my mind lately. Additionally, I am also questioning myself and my training mentality so that when I am healed I hopefully will not have the same issues I am dealing with now. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, if this conversation helps one of you, then it's well worth the time to write this post.

So how do you judge whether you are hurt or injured and what do you do in either case? First off, when it hurts, stop. Even if it's just for 30 seconds to assess your pain, stop. Do not keep going unless your life depends on it, or you really don't want to train and have been looking for an excuse to quit. After running for 4 months injured, I am now on 2 months of not running and have still yet to identify the cause of my pain. Unfortunately, my pain has not subsided either. Admittedly, this doesn't mean that had I stopped running as soon as I felt pain that the cause would have been found any sooner, or that I would be healed, but chances are that I’d probably be a lot closer to recovery today if I had. So what have I ultimately lost? Well in yearly goals, I ran my first marathon, a 3:49 in San Francisco (July), though I did it hurt (posts here, here, and here). I also achieved my goal of running 1000 miles (September), but I did that hurt too. Finally, I had to abandon my quest to complete The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in December because I’m still hurt (post here). Now the questions become; how badly am I hurt, was it caused by running, has my hardheadedness led to a worse injury, and how long will it take to get me back on the road?

My point to you is to not be dumb like me. When you hurt, take a break and figure out why you are hurting. Is it just an owwie, meaning something that you tweaked that will go away with some RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) or are you truly injured, meaning severe pain caused by an identifiable event that does not get better with RICE. If it is the latter, or if it is a recurring version of the former, take the time to get help. You'll be glad you did in the long run. I sure wish I would've.

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, therapist, or in any way associated with the medical community. I am an idiot and have traditionally tried to avoid the doctor's office at all costs.

Getting to know me (this is weird)...

2011-11-20T20:10:00.001-08:00

So a couple of weeks ago, blogger extraordinaire XLMICtagged me in a game where you share 7 random things about yourself and then tag 15 more bloggers to do the same. It has taken me some time and courage, but finally I have cobbled together my post! So, in no particular order, here are 7 random things about me!

Apollo the Great Dane (he did not attack me). (photo credit)

1. When I was 5, I was attacked by a Great Dane. Great Danes normally aren’t violent, but this one had just lost some pups and the kids I was with were antagonizing the dog. He bit me in the face, breaking my nose and jaw and putting me in the hospital for a week!

The 1994 Port St. Joe High School Band of Gold

2. I wasn't always a svelte athlete. In fact, in high school I was a band geek, initially playing the clarinet and then moving on to the much cooler percussion section!

From L to R top to bottom: Me 1997, Graduation from bootcamp 1997, Julie and I USMC Ball 2007, Julie at Parris Island 1998, Julie and a fellow Marine 2000, Me in Afganistan 2005, Me in Iraq 2007.

3. I received a full academic scholarship through AFROTC to attend the University of Florida. I was an idiot and quit college after one semester and then enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1996. I am still on active duty and am a combat veteran of Kosovo (99), Afghanistan (05) and Iraq (06 and 07). Even lesser known is the fact that my wife was an active duty Marine as well (98-02)

Aspiring rockstar! 2000

4. I used to be in a band called The Proxy Sessions in Jacksonville, NC. I played drums and the band consisted of 4 Marines and one civilian. The 4 Marines all got out of the Marine Corps to pursue stardom. I only lasted 6 months before I realized that I needed a regular paycheck and rejoined the Corps. The former lead singer is still a full-time musician with a band called Chronic Jester out of Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

Not me, but you get the point (photo credit)

5. I am on my computer far too much. Well maybe this isn't unknown about me, but I think it's worth mentioning. I blame it on school, but truth be told I am a world class time waster and have an insatiable desire to know what's going on. I am most addicted to reading other blogs. I follow 75 and add more all the time. Sad, but true, story.

Not these type of "johns" (photo credit, photo credit)

6. Even though everyone calls me Mike, my first name is John and my middle name is Michael. I don't go by John because all of the other males outside my immediate family were Johns (not that type of john).

My most recent tattoo, 1 of 8. This one is on my left inside bicep.

7. I have 8 tattoos. Most of them are hidden in normal clothing (chest, upper back, stomach, left shoulder, left bicep, right shoulder, right bicep, right calf). I still think tattoos are pretty cool, but they were way cooler when I was a young Marine…

So there's 7 things and they're all true! Now it's your turn! If you see your name below, consider yourself tagged. If your name is not below and you want to play along, please do!

Please leave me a comment and let me know if you're gonna play!

Marcus @ The Running Jackalope
Courtenay @ I Swear My Legs are on Auto-pilot...
Julie @ 40 Buckets
Andrea @ Run to Run to Be Me
Steve @ Soul Runner
Becky @ The Good The Bad and The Becky
Travis @ The Slow Progress Runner
Aileen @ SLOultrarunner
Karen @ River Run Dry
David @ Voices in My Head
Betsy @ The Everyday Warrior
Kevin @ Run Long and Prosper
Brigid @ Live, Breathe, HUZZAH!
Heidi @ Banana Buzzbomb
Skibba @ SkibbaDoo

I really hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about me. It was definitely fun tripping down memory lane to find some interesting things for you all. This is a great way to get beyond all the 140 character tweets or daily workout and FB updates to get to know someone a little better! Have fun and get creative! I can't wait to read all your posts.

I'm Pulling My Hair Out!

2011-11-17T21:24:00.001-08:00

Me pulling my hair out (and extremely excited that the Broncos won).
Also, notice my snazzy new Go Sport ID?

Well I haven’t posted in a few days. I’ve wanted to and I have half written several posts, but they just don’t feel right. I want to yell in frustration with my injury predicament, but you all deserve more than that from me, so for the last few days I’ve just been laying low and trying to get my head right. It’s so ironic that I hated running 2 years ago and now I would do anything to be able to go for a run, and I can’t. I’m still hurt and not getting better! With that said, I am shutting it down for 2011 and however much of 2012 it takes to get fully healed. No more runs until told I should do so. No more cycling or spin class until told I should do so. No more silly fitness classes until told that I should do so. I'm done.

At this point, the things that I can do completely pains free are swimming and upper body exercises that don't involve any lower abs. To say I am frustrated would be a huge understatement. While I have accepted my fate as an injured athlete, I am at rock bottom as far as options go and trying to continue progressing athletically (endurance, strength, ability) while also recovering. What’s wrong with me you ask? I wish I knew…honestly. The main problem is a groin/lower abs injury that has plagued me since June. Now granted, I did not go to the doctor until mid- October and that’s bad on me, but I need some relief and some closure. I’m currently bouncing between my doctor and physical therapy doing tests and waiting for some answers, and oh yeah, not running.

Anyway, since my running is officially over for the year, it’s time to move on. As I said, I’ve got some posts in the hopper, including a couple of gear reviews. So with that, thanks for your understanding and thanks for your unrelenting support here, on Facebook, on Twitter, and especially on DailyMile. There is no doubt I’d be in much worse place right now without all your support.