Misfitrunner

Goals Change

2012-02-13T20:05:00.000-06:00

Since my last post it has been over a Month. In that month I have trained harder than I have in my Military Career. At the same time I was able to take the time and get my miles in to train for the two Half-Marathons I have signed up for in April.

As I looked at my picture last month I was not totally on board with it, so I started to revamp what I had been doing. It got more difficult with the work tempo increasing each day. However, I was able to overcome most of the time constraints staying motivated throughout January and into February.

My picture stays in my mind as I have had to change my goals for the year. Since I will not be able to race as much this year I have to go for mileage instead of bling. Many runners these days are all about the Bling or the swag. Don’t be ashamed if you are, it is perfectly natural to run for the reward at the end of the race. For some it is the bling, for others it is the euphoria of making it the distance. I have seen first time runners break into straight tears of joy when they finish their first 5K. That impresses me more than the multi marathoner. The beginning is all about going for the goal. You either will be strong and push yourself the 5000 meters or call it a day after the first couple hundred meters. These are the same runners who progress slowly going from 5K to 10K to Half-Marathon, silently pursuing their own dream. They talk to runners in the corral with them and get advice from “seasoned” Runners who usually will be friendly and offer what they have done for success. So for this year I will only get one new Bling with a possible 2. The miles however, will continue to mount as I hit the road again.

I have noticed that when I train for the sake of staying in shape I run a lot further and with a lot more freedom. It is like finding your favorite hobby all over again, and may have made me a better runner for it.

Have you ever had to change your approach to racing? Or to anything in Life? If so what did you do?

Take a Picture

2012-01-02T22:12:00.000-06:00

Welcome 2012!!!

I know we all have made the mistake year in and year out to resolve to do something this year or that year. We also have seen those resolutions fall to the side of the couch like crumbs from your snacks.

I have read numerous posts on Facebook and other blogs bringing resolutions to light. Now it is January 2^nd and I am sure many of those resolutions are being put on the back burner. Do not stop reading now and say this is crap, how does the MisFit know this? This is because we ALL have done this, we ALL have made some crap resolution which sounded great on December 28-31 while we were bragging to friends about what we would do the next year. Then less than a week later we were done resolving and back to the daily grind.

How do we stop the cycle?

Step 1:

Take a picture of you and look at it honestly. Then tell yourself if you like what you see or not. It is said that if you look at the same thing every day you will never see a difference. It is not that the mirror lies, it is that you see what you want to in it. When you take a picture you cannot make it what you want it to be without Photoshop, or imagination. Now when you see it do you like it? If yes stop right here do not make any moves to a different you. If you do not like it lets meander down to the next step.

Step 2:

What didn’t you like about the picture? Were you heavier than you thought? Were you older than you saw yourself to be? Both of those things are fixable. Is your hair a different color than you thought? This is also fixable. None of these take resolutions for the year to fix. They require you to make a life change which will turn you into a different picture to everyone, most importantly yourself.

Now you have to decide how to change the things that made you into what you are now.

I like to run so that is what I do. I also throw in anaerobic workouts and cut down on the bad food intake to sustain my changes in life. I am in no way perfect nor is anyone. I do try to be a little better each day than the last though. Sometimes that is all you need to make things start to click in your life.

So after you start to change the picture, take another one to ensure you are still on the right path which you chose. If there are still some adjustments to be made, you make them.

We need to stop buying into the resolution theories and just be better each day than the last. It does not take a calendar year to make you change, it takes a Picture.

Santa Hustle

2011-12-13T21:53:00.000-06:00

     A fall race schedule that included a couple 5Ks a couple half marathons and one full marathon is culminating in the Mountains of Eastern Tennessee.

     As winter is settling in all around us, we travel almost four hours to Sevierville, Tn for our last race of the season. This race is a unique one for a few reasons. 1. 1,800 people will be running and dressed in Santa Clause outfits of some sort. 2. The first two graduates of the LaMonica Running and fitness school are running in this race. 3. The race starts and stops at an indoor water park. The ride complete we stroll through the hotel to find the packet pick-up site.

     Flashing back a few weeks to the Savannah race and that expo we expected about the same. By this I mean athletic goods more specifically running goods for sale, samples of energy goods and maybe race advertisements. We did not get any of this. The main sponsor Reebok had a stand where they were selling items and giving out door prize tickets. You could feel this was a first year race and was going to have a few hiccups. Is it bad after a while we can sense these things?

     We left the "expo" checked into our Hotel and then drove to Gatlinburg to drop off the founder of R1 productions so he could rest before his first half Marathon. It was then family time and of course shopping in the Christmas store and the outlets. After walking through the stores until almost 1900 we went to the Mellow Mushroom for dinner. Nothing like cosmic Pizza and Humus to get you ready for the long run.

It was then time to relax and prep race gear for the morning.

Waking up in the mountains is always awesome but also this time of year it is cold. This day started in the 20s and hovered around the mid 30s throughout the run.

This was the first time this year I had to scrape the frost off my windshield, it was bone chilling cold. As I went out to go pick up MisFit 23B you could still see the frost over the road, I knew then it was going to be a tough run. I also knew that all three of us were trained well enough to complete this no matter what the extremes would be. After final prep getting dressed and protecting from the elements we were ready to race.

The wait inside the wilderness was worth it. Staying out of the cold for a bit saved us all from the elements for a little while.

As you all know you can only postpone so long, then you must take the plunge into the elements. It was time to go and join the other 1797 Santa's for the record breaking start of the Santa Hustle Half-Marathon and 5K.

     Even the biggest scrooge would be moved by seeing that sea of Santas. This is a great way to spread Happiness during tough times.

     As the gun went off and the sea of red took off you could feel the cold crisp air hitting you. Worried that the clouds from Saturday would be here on race day, we had a pleasant surprise of crisp blue skies and bright sunshine. That makes the run seem a lot easier. (13.1 miles is never simple)

     As we hit mile one the first glimpse of a different rest stop appeared with moose munch being offered. Yes I said Moose Munch. This was followed by two cookie stops and one jelly bean stop.   Of course there was the traditional water and Gatorade stops to make it safer for all the runners. As we approached the half way mark a typical impatient driver nearly ran me over. He drove right out of a hotel driveway and just missed me. It took a lot but the MisFit just gave him the thumbs up and drove on (others were not as nice).

     We got to see all of the Pigeon Forge attractions along with the greater Sevierville City offerings. The sights kept you going and both cities' police force were out on nearly every corner to ensure our safety. This was a great thing and I thank them all.

Of course in the end we all had fun and were very excited to see the finish line. It was a tough course but everyone finished with good times. Raymone Byrd AKA MisFit 23B finished his first Half Marathon and graduated from the LaMonica Running and Fitness school, Gwen finished her third half in just over a month and fourth of the year. Great job to both of them, they did awesome.

Now it is time for the off season and prepping for the next season. Oh well On to the Next!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jingle Bell Jog

2011-12-05T20:10:00.000-06:00

As we all know the year comes to an end in a few weeks. This also means one season of running is coming to an end and we start our training for the next 12 months of pounding the pavement. I have one scheduled race left for this year the Santa Hustle in Sevierville, Tn. It should be a ton of fun. This will culminate a year which started horrendously for me in Afghanistan. Before we could raise our glasses of water we lost a young Sergeant. He was the last Screaming Eagle taken from us in 2010. I know I have mentioned him before but it was this that pushed me to run like a kid this year.

     I started training while still in the stan. Waking up two hours before everyone else sometimes in order to get a quality run in. I had various partners while over there each was also training for something. They either had a Physical Fittness test upcoming or they were trying to redifne themselves. I made it back to the states and continued to train getting used to the humidity of Kentucky again while running. We then traveled to the town of Millington, TN to run my first race stateside of the year in June the Navy Ten Nautical Miler. It was a brutal run in 105 degree heat. I slugged through it beating the heat as best as possible. My best training partner, my wife also made it through the heat for the 11.6 mile course.

     From there we ran a few 5Ks and 10Ks as we went through the summer. We also helped in putting on the 5th Annual Haley's Team Twilight 5K in Anniston, Al. The Anniston Runners Club (http://www.annistonrunners.com/) came out in full force to help make it a success and I thank them for it.

     We ran in the run for the fallen and the week of the eagle 10K on Fort Campbell. We started to train on the weekends with the Clarksville Running Club (www.clarksvillerunningclub.com) . A great group of runners who encompass all levels of runners. My better half finished her second half marathon at the Go commando race in October while I used that day to run the 5K as my last tune up before tackling my first Full Marathon in St Louis Oct 23rd. It was amazing to finish the 26.2 mile course and see my girls at the finish line waiting for me.

    Then it was on to Savannah for the Rock and Roll Half-Marathon where we ran the Half together and with our long time friends and family. Another great event which we had a blast with our friends and family and of course my Team Marathon teammates.    We took a couple weeks off before our Turkey day run and then a week later we were running our Jingle bell Jog. This race was in downtown Clarksville and we ran with about 280 of our closest friends.

    The race was well organized and from what I could see all the runners had a good time. We thought the hills would be a challenge to us but the proved not to be that bad. In the end Gwen had broken through to the podium with her first palcing in Age group. Great work!!! With just a week until the Santa Hustle we are pumped for it and for our tapering through the end of the year. I am sure the huslte will be challenging up in the mountains but we will push through it as always. Well it is on to the next...

What do you have planned to end your year out??

Sneakers, Turkey and Football

2011-11-26T16:14:00.000-06:00

Every year we all plan on being with family and friends through the holiday season. In the military you are happy just to be home during the season. As Thanksgiving approached this year knowing we were going to be at home it was time to reflect on that which we are thankful for. I personally am thankful for my family and my fellow Soldiers. I am most thankful for those who gave it all like SSG Jonathon L Martin and SGT Michael Beckerman.

This year being home I had to spin the race calendar to decide which Turkey trot to run in. One caught my eye. The name was different than the usual ones so I said this is what we will be doing. This run was not for awards and the only fee was to bring non perishables and pass the turkey. This one was purely for charity and was put on by the Clarksville Running Club. All the food donated would go to MANA. Of course for every runner that passed the Turkey $1 was donated to MANA as well.

The Pass the Turkey Family 5K for charity started with 190 runners watching the Turkey get a 2 Minute head start. Now we only had to pass a lady wearing a cumbersome costume and oh yeah she is pregnant. This made everyone try harder so as not to get beat by her and to get more money for MANA. We cruised through the course not trying to PR just having fun and passing the turkey. All 190 runners miraculously passed the turkey and had a great time doing it. This was a great event put on cant wait till the pub run on Sunday.

Once the run is over you know it is still Turkey day so we get home clean up and cook us some turkey with all the fixings. This would be our first Thanksgiving in our own home and also would be historically our smallest audience. W usually have 15 to 20 guests at our house for dinner and football. This year, we only had three. In years past we played football outside the house drank beer and had fun until late until the night. This year was like an old Tyson fight, dinner check then they were gone.

With dinner done it was time to watch football. Root for the packers just because you want to see them try to go undefeated. Root for whoever is playing the cowboys just because they are the cowboys and then flip a coin in the brother game at night. This is traditionally a good day, even though the cowboys won.

Well that is it our day of Sneakers, Turkey and Football ended. What do you do for Thanksgiving?

Now from heat to cold and dark

2011-11-18T19:44:00.000-06:00

     As daylight savings time is upon us here in the USA, the best run times are now blanketed with darkness. To add to the dark we now add the other runner favorite to cold. Although it is not completely here yet the mornings are cold enough to almost stop you at the door. This is where discipline takes over. Much like running in the heat, you must have a well thought out plan before running in the cold.

     It starts as usual with proper fueling and hydration. Many people fall into a trap during cold months and drink way less water and walk around nearly dehydrated without thinking they are close. This is due to us believing we do not need it as much when it is cold.

     The body needs water to survive, you need to keep hydrated all the time not just when you are hot. You also need to keep eating right even when you tend to indulge more. The fall and winter are the pitfall seasons for many athletes. Many cruise into the holiday season and wind up gaining weight and losing the gains made the rest of the year. Again discipline must take the front line. Believe me we all love the cookies and pies that are everywhere during this time. We just need to take it in moderation and know when to stop. My advice is to enjoy the time but keep your training in mind while still having fun.

    Secondly each of us is made differently and feel the cold in different levels. What may be cold to one person is not to another. You need to know yourself and dress accordingly. Sometimes it does not matter if you look cool or cute when you go out to get your run in. You need to be comfortable and keep yourself warm and thus healthy so you make it to the spring season of races.

    These are just little tidbits of making it through this time of year. What do you do to make it through?

Savannah: Rocking in the South

2011-11-08T16:55:00.000-06:00

The drive was about 9 hours with four of us in the car. We dropped our four legged friends off at their hotel for the weekend and took off down the highway. The first four hours of the drive were in the rain in TN and north west Georgia. This Half-Marathon would be different. I was running with my wife Gwen and we had my Brother Tom, and our friends Nat and Jason running the race with us as well. As we got closer to Savannah the excitement started to rise a bit. I had not been to the city in over a year, and the last time was very busy with moving back to the states after a couple years abroad. We got in unpacked the car and ordered a pizza for dinner. We sat and talked about life, politics and of course football. Then it was planning time for the next day at the Expo.

We had to make logistical moves with two sets of people linking up at the event. After some debate were on our way to the Expo.

As we walk up to the outside we see the dodge test drive for charity. Although this means we will be waiting for a while it turns out perfect as the wait gives our friends who we had not seen in over 13 years a chance to get there. Then it was time to enter the oasis of the Expo. We got our numbers and our swag bags and of course played around inside while meeting new runners and checking out up coming races.

I made two stops by the Team Marathon booth. Both times I got to meet my team mates. On the first trip I met Jill who was about to do her first full on Saturday. We talked for a while about everything from fueling to upcoming races. On my second trip I met Gigi, we talked about what distances we were doing and took a couple photos. Then it was off to the house for dinner and relaxing for the early morning. Since transportation was going to be tricky with all the road closures we decided to leave at 530 am. Wow it was a cold morning. Lexie had the job of having our clothes and recovery drinks at the finish line so she could get some more sleep.

Then it was go time. 730AM the first runners in Coral 1 took off and about every minute and a half after that the next ones went. By 800AM we were off and heading down Bay St. The crowds were pretty deep as we took off and all the way to the overpass by the bridge. The Rock and Roll series ensures you have a good time while running as there were bands at every mile or so. This is very motivating and helps to keep you moving along.

At about mile 7 I ran into another of my teammates and running friend Tia Pettygrue. She was the Pace team leader for the 2:30 group and was leading her group along. She still had the time to take a photo of me while running, thanks Tia.

The crowds continued to be amazing right up until the finish. Cheerleaders from the local High Schools and bands were there to get us to the final turn. Once we were there we knew we had Gwen at her PR and we just rolled in at 2:12:50. This was almost three minutes off of Gwen's last race. Great work.

Over all we had a great weekend. I met a lot of team mates and have some good memories of it all.

Me and Team mate Devie

The after race concert was Carolina Liar and the Train Wrecks both were very entertaining and we had a blast.

Well it is on to the Next now for rest and train up for the Santa Hustle in the Smokies See ya there

A few days till Savannah

2011-10-31T21:43:00.001-05:00

     A year ago I was dodging the ban in stan. Now I am trained enough to run a marathon one week and run a half two weeks later. Is that an expression of being a warrior? Probably not just an attitude of if i want it , I can do it. How many of you have ever just signed up for a race before you trained for it?

     I know I am not alone in this. I have put my training and endurance to the limits this past three weeks. Once this weekend is up I have to find another challenge for the following months. I feel as long as I am challenging myself I will be in a good training mode. It most likely will not matter since I will train anyway, but it is always good to add to my my plate.

     This weekend I will run with my best friend , my wife Gwen, My brother and mentor Tom and some good friends in Savannah. We will run through this historic city for 13.1 miles. It will be great to finally make the run with the two of them. I was supposed to run Disney with them in January but war got in the way so this is our make up.

     This race is also significant since my team mates form Team Marathon will be there and my running friends from around the world will both be well represented. I think Savannah will be rocking this weekend which is not much change to normal there. This time however there will be 30,000 runners plus friends and cheer squads out there making it pretty extreme, like the orange crush parties of old or the St Patrick's day parties of every year.

The excitement is maxing out , I hope everyone is ready and the Southern Party port is ready for another great time. Good luck to all my fellow runners and Friends see you at the finish.

Rock and Roll St Louis

2011-10-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

Finally after training for what seemed like forever and lasting through the heat wave of 2010 my first full Marathon weekend was upon me. We put the dogs in the kennel and packed the car for the 4 hour trip to St Louis. As we drive I have many thoughts in my head. Did the epic heat destroy my training? Would I even make it 26.2? Should I have ever signed up for this?

I have some butterflies as we get our room and head to the Expo. Once I hit the sign in desk and get my number they all go away and I go into game mode. I pick up my swag bag, which for the price you would expect a lot more. We then go throughout the expo. I visit my sponsor Team Marathon as the family shops the expo.

We then find some compression socks and good deals on Mizunos to replace the ones I will wear during the race. We take advantage of the expo pricing for the upcoming Country Music 1/2 and sign up for it. At least there is always good news in life. We then meet one of the contestants from the Biggest Loser and she was awesome she has run in a ton of 1/2 marathons over the last couple years and is inspirational.

I then go back to the Drury Inn to relax as the girls check out St Louis.

As they are out I prepare my clothes for the AM and continue to hydrate and carb load.

It is off to sleep as the last hour before the race count down. I get up and go through my usual pre race ritual. I shave, shower and get my drinks ready before we head down to the starting area. It is about a mile to the start line from the Hotel. Of course it is still dark and a little chilly so the crowds are moving a bit faster than normal. As we get close to the staging area the mood is electric and I am getting excited. I use my other ritual the porta potty and head towards the corral. I am in number 9 since I did not know what kind of time to predict having never run 26.2 miles before. I put down 4:20 as a guess. I had dreams of a low 3 -3:45. Having spoken to more experienced marathoners they kept saying to remain consistent and beware for pitfalls. Like the mile 18, or 22 wall. I took all this free education in and went about my training program. Honestly I missed a lot of long runs due to work comittments or the intense Heat, but still felt I could do this thing.

I mean c'mon if I do not have a positive attitude quiting becomes the best option. That was not going to happen. I head toward my actual corral and say my last see ya laters to my girls.

Of course now thoughts are racing through my head again. Of course I can hear everyone else voicing those same thoughts all around me so I start to feel much better. At about 0730 the first gun goes off and the lead corrals are sent a racing.

It is then every 90 secinds or so before the rest of us are let go onto the streets of a very enthusiastic city. They are happy the Cards are in the series and had won on Saturday night. Finally it was time to get this thing going. We were ushered up close to the start line to await our time to get this thing started.

     We were off and into the streets. The first 5K flew by. With people still pretty deep cheering us on through this distance it was pretty impressive. The next 10K I tried to get into my groove settling in between 8:40 and 9:10 per mile. I took my first drink stop at mile 10, I think I waited too long to hit a drink stop. I also ate some chomps at this time. It seemed as though I was doing great until I ate some energy chomps. Really weird. Then it was into a hilly section of the course which took us through mile 17 and through a real nice park. the crowds in this section were awesome as we were digging deeper to stay on course. I start talking to more and more runners in this section, I met a fellow Soldier and a man who has run a ton of Marathons. Yes the marathoner led to more advice and lessons. He told me the last 6 miles I will be very fragile. That did not help me much , now I had 1 more thing to think about, great. I then hit the infamous mile 18 where I believe I was told it was a wall. That is where my wall began to build, I can feel my legs start to twitch with each step.

    This took me back to my 22 mile training run where as I ran further I felt like my left leg would get weaker and try to give out on me.

     I decided as usual I would power through this wall and get to the most famous wall of them all mile 22. This of course was at a hill and my legs were starting to do things I have never felt before. Good lord will I make it. Again I had to strategize in order to ensure success.

How do we measure success though? Is it in meeting a self imposed goal or in finishing what we start?

     I started to feel like I could not move my legs by mile 24 where I met a 2nd time marathoner from Missouri. We talked each other through about a half mile to the next water stop. I then met a guy who was running with his older brother but he was cramping worse than me. We spoke as we barely jogged until the last water stop at about 25.2. I got going and made it up to exactly mile 26 where my cramps went from my toes up through my chest . I hunched over and tried to massage it out. I lost 10 minutes right here. The best part was I was less than 1000 meters from the finish. I ran for a bit walked for a bit and then pushed to the final curve. I could see the finish and the crowds yelling and screaming. I knew I did not make my goal time, but I made it. I looked to my right and saw my girls. I ran over and kissed each of them then ran through the finish having accomplished one of the top things on my list.

I grabbed a water and tried to walk but the cramps just got worse. It was hard to walk, I went over to my daughter and she gave me a pickle in a bag. I drank the juice and instantly the cramps went away. It was amazing.

I did it. even though I did not make my goal I did it in 4:30:09 not bad for my first time .

On to Savannah now for a family Half-Marathon

Go Commando

2011-10-21T14:27:00.000-05:00

As the cold front swung in (finally) we were hitting the last week of preparations for the Go Commando race day in Clarksville, Tn. With my first full marathon a week away, I signed up for the 5K with the plan of running the last 5-6 miles of the half-marathon with my wife.

The weather finally caught up to October as temps dropped to the high 40s and low 50s. This makes for almost perfect running weather. We have been training for this since my return from Afghanistan in April. Now was her show time. Of course she had the pre-race jitters but these are normal for everyone. as the runners lined up the Marine Corps honor guard presented our Nation's colors and a local singer belted out the National Anthem. The Gun went off and all nervousness went out the window as they ran off onto the course.

I am certain many of you have read this line on a race description "fast flat course". Well as usual that is not the case. On this day miles 3-6 were rolling and steep climbs. I will give it to the planner the final 6 and a half miles were flat. About 30 minutes after the start of the half we were lined up and ready to run. I stayed near the back since I was really just here for a training run.

The gun went off for our start and as usual I could not lay back. I started running through the almost 250 runners that lined up in front of me. I started passing and gaining my stride. We were on a kind of weird switch back style course. We funneled into the first one for mile one on a sidewalk size path with runners heading in both directions. It was very tight quarters for running so speed had to be mixed with careful running. We then ventured accross the main road onto the second mile switchback. this time the crowd was not bad on the way up. On the way back we were passing all the runners again. We then had to make another turn through runners back onto the main road. Now we could stretch our legs out and turn it on. I pushed harder now and finished in 22:40, 17th place male 25th overall and 3rd in Age group. Not a bad 5K.

I then went and ran to catch up to my wife for the last 5 miles of her run. Her training had kicked in and she was much faster than she thought she would be. So I missed her at the link up point. I then started pushing it to find her. I caught her as she was heading towards mile 10.

She was doing well and I joined her for the rest of the run. She ran hard the rest of the way and is my inspiration. She has been through way more than her share of hard times and always steps up with her passion for things to be great. She finished ten minutes under her PR from her last race and five under her goal for this race. I am very Proud of her.

She crossed the line in 2:14 and change a great effort. We will both run the Savannah 1/2 in a couple weeks but this week she will be my support during my First Full in St Louis. Can not wait to cross the finish line and find her. Nothing is better than running with friends and family and since she has gotten into running I have gotten better, Thanks!!!

See You all after St Louis!!!!!!!!!

The Long Run

2011-10-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

     As October started I was about to go on my longest run to date. In my mind wasn't any negativity but positive thoughts. My Daughter came off the IR yesterday for 27 solid minutes on the pitch. After over a month of being injured she ran a mile in 8:08 in what she said was her slugging it (we all know she is faster) in order to be cleared to play. We are very proud of how she handled the injury and rehab.

     Going into my 20 mile training run I did not think of how hard it might be, but of her powering thorugh over the last month. As I started it was the first cold morning here of the fall. I wore a long sleeve t-shirt , shorts and a fleece cap. After the first 9-10 miles I went back into my neighborhood. It was time to pick up my running partner as she was going to hit a 12 in her training. I was having some stomach problems so I took a quick break to fix that and change my shirt then back on the road. We sped out on her first five. then I can feel my legs starting to fight me back.

     I could hear her asking if I was ok which is usually the other way around. I knew I must be favoring something. So I adjusted my stride and pushed through. We looped the school zone and were back on the mill. This is where I started to feel the pain. My calf started to cramp at her 8.78 mile mark. I had to take a quick walk break and lengthen my stride to stretch it out. at 8.88 we were running again to the home stretch. Back onto Tiny Town and straight west to the estates. As I hit the neighborhood I knew I was over 20 and I could ease up and cool down.

In 22 days I will run my first full marathon and I think I am ready. St Louis watch out here I come...

Over a Month many miles and another friend says goodbye

2011-09-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

     As the weeks wind down towards my first Marathon days are flying by or blending together. As I run down Tiny Town dodging the speeding cars everything is a blur. Turning onto even more risky roads just to get in the longer miles. Am I after the rush of adrenaline as each vehicle comes within feet of me? Or am I just out there enjoying my run?

     I think it is a little bit of both. We all like the adrenaline rush when we are running or competing in any activity. I also just love to get out there and run the further the better. I logged well over 200 miles in the time between my posts along with working an insane amount of hours over that time as well.

     Just as i feel like I do not want to go I find other reasons to get out and go. As I train for my first full my running partner who is my best friend and wife is training for her Half-Marathon circuit. So I run in the morning alone or with the platoon then I come home and she is ready to go so I change shoes and we are out the door. Everyday we all look for new motivators to add to our bag of them or we just reach in and check off one again. I think I have enough in my bag to motivate me for a while. What is in your bag?

As I was about to post a couple weeks ago yet another of my friends was taken from us too soon. Douglas Wade Jones you were a great Husband, Father, Friend and leader. I know we are being watched out for now from above. Thanks for all the guidance you gave me when I really needed it. Rest in Peace brother.

Keeping your self going? What does it take?

2011-08-06T11:24:00.000-05:00

Getting up each and everyday to work out is no easy task. There are days when you do not want to get out of bed, but you know you have to. There are those times when you start running and realize this will not be a good day and you want to stop. There is the time when you are driving to the gym and decide to turn into a lot and just relax instead of working out the core. For years that is exactly what I did.

That was until I started running for my health, my family and most of all my beast friend who was taken from us in Iraq. He was on his third tour in Iraq and never faltered in his dedication to duty. When he got in country for that last tour he ran a Marathon in the heat of day to pass the time before going on his first mission. SSG Jon Martin is why I started taking running seriously.

          Whenever I feel like I do not want to go faster, further or at all I think of his accomplishments and what he would be doing today. That puts me up and over the edge to break through the walls.

     Today I ran a 10K for the Week of The Eagles at Fort Campbell. As I ran through the woods and on the roads of the Fort I could envision him running in front with his young recon soldiers pushing them to their physical limits. That is what still motivates me today.

     As if having Jon to be my guiding light for his physical prowess and unmatched leadership abilities was not enough. On 31 December 2010 at 1130 Am local time Afghanistan, I lost one of my young Sergeants. He was a leader who cared for his young Soldiers and Sappers. He always had a way to lighten any moment even if he was the one who made it intense to begin with. His loss left a void in our Platoon, but as he did in life , he was able to lighten the moment and he motivated the section from the other side. He was the guiding force for us to make it the last 4 plus months and get home. SGT Michael Beckerman is my second light that pushes me over the edge.

As I rest here writing, I am looking forward to honoring them both tomorrow as I run for both of them as well as all the Eagles we have lost here at Fort Campbell in the last 10 years. We will run in the 4th annual run for the fallen on Sunday night with these Heroes looking over us all. They are my motivation

What gets you going?

The Heat!!

2011-07-31T21:19:00.000-05:00

     Wow what a couple of weeks we have had here in Tennessee. The heat index has been insane and getting quality runs in has been nearly impossible. I am currently training for my first Marathon which will be in about 83 days in St Louis. I hear people say that the full is the hardest thing to train for and accomplish. I always thought it would be a challenge, but adding in this heat has made it almost instant extreme sports.

     With the heat coupled with work, I have started a totally different approach to training. I start at 0430 for about an hour of running. I then change into my PT uniform and go to my 0600 meeting. At 0630 it is time to get some more miles in along with cross training ( push-ups, sit-ups, rope climbs etc.) This is four days of the work week. Thursday is the fun day where I run for 30 minutes then put my rucksack on and walk 6-8 miles with 45 lbs added to my back. Is this a good program to train to run 26.2? I do not know yet but in 83 days it will all come to fruition.

     If there is anyone who has a plan that can fit into this schedule please post it here or send me a message to let me know. I also have a 1/2 two weeks after this first full which I am running with my family and friends.

     What has been your biggest challenge?

The Zone

2011-07-15T16:35:00.000-05:00

     Have you every gone for a run with a distinct mileage goal in mind, and realize when you finish you have gone further than you planned? I know this happens to more than me. I was running the other day with a goal of three miles before PT (physical training) then three miles with cross training during PT. This was an easily obtained goal in my eyes. This week the temps have been horrible for running any time of day never mind the beautiful humidity of the western KY/TN border land. So I started my first part at around 0445 and 4 1/2 miles later I was finished with part one. I did not realize I had run that far or the pace I was going. I kind of went into the zone and just pushed forward with it.

     I went and got my PT uniform out and ran to my office to change before our morning meeting and the start of the day. I drank down some refreshing HEED took some notes reset my watch and was ready to take my platoon on our Cross training day. Right face, double time march!! We were off just jogging at first then for the next 1.5 miles I had a guest want to speak to me so we went out at at 6:30 pace it was awesome talking and running then realizing the Platoon was way back so we had to double back and scoop them up. I did not care it felt great to run that free and talk at the same time again. We then started doing push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, crunches, sit-ups and some squat thrusts for about twenty minutes. The energy was awesome everyone was pushing each other to go harder and do more.

     Once the muscle break was over the run started again for about 3/4 of a mile then we hit the ropes. You know you have always had the urge to climb ropes when you were running we just happened to find some to climb on our route.  The four ropes hung about 4o feet into the air off of a beam it was beautiful. All of the platoon members ponied up and climbed them. It is a thrill to be up that high hanging on just by what you can (hands and legs). Then it was a short jaunt to a crazy looking area with lines painted in it, most people call these parking lots, we use them as the urban gymnasium. Sprints were in order so after 8 x 100 and 4 x 200 we were ready to pack it in and head back the last 3/4 of a mile to cooling down and awaiting the rest of our day.

     We all had been to the pinnacle of the zone which for us is "war". We all now just found ourselves in a physical war of one upsmanship which created an awesome "zone" to train in. By the end of the 12 who started 4 had left everything on the field and the other 8 were not far behind them. It was a great training day which I eclipsed my goal of 6 total miles to hit almost 9.

     Some times the zone is not peer to peer competition but it is an inner competitor that pushes us all forward.

     What puts you in the ZONE?

Oh yeah all of the HEED was gone by the end of it all.

The Fifth Annual Haley's Team Twilight 5K and Haley's Kids 1K

2011-07-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

     The team works for almost the entire year getting ready for the next year's event. You write e-mails to countless corporations asking for support, make sure you have insurance and a safe course for the runners to run on. Everyone on the team works with out worrying about themselves to ensure we put on a tremendous event to raise money to help research to find a cure to Cystic Fibrosis.
     By race day you have already stuffed all the pre-registered runners bags with shirts, energy gel , biofreeze and pamphlets. This year we were very fortunate to have the McClellan Park Medical Mall as the race start and finish with use of the building. We also had a local band providing music throughout the race. ( it was their first ever gig)

     The race set up goes pretty smooth except for losing a box on the road to the race. It was a pretty important one since it had all of our cups for the drink stations. This was yet a small hiccup during this years event and we were able to power through it.

     Volunteers are amazing and helped us to man water stations, ensure dark areas of the course had light and the race was timed correctly and we greatly appreciate all of them.

     By 730 PM the registrations were at 251. This is a great number. We start the Haley's Kids race and the youngsters took off quick. The young winner finished in just over 4 minutes then went on to run the 5K less then 30 minutes later. He also placed in his age group there. by 8 PM all the runners who would take to the streets of historic McClellan were lined up. Randy gave the pre-race instructions then counted them down to start.

     Although it was after 8 at night and the temp had lowered a bit, the humidity was the key factor to the race this year. The winner crossed the finish line in just over 17 minutes with the runner up right on his heals. It was a great race with the runners led and followed by the Anniston Police Department. A huge thanks to the APD.

     When it was all over we had over 210 finishers and had raised over 11,000 to go to research.

Huge thanks go out to all of our Sponsors especially : Taylor Construction, RoadID, GU and Biofreeze.

Oh yeah planning has already begun for next year and we are less than 51 weeks away from executing the 6th annual race. Hope to see ya'll there!!! Go to www.haleysteam.com for updates throughout the year.

T- 1 day till the Event

2011-06-24T06:46:00.000-05:00

     Another year of preparations has been completed. We have upgraded to course (due to construction) and have gone to a new shirt design. The shirt is designed by our race namesake Haley so it is cool. The amount of runners is always a crap shoot but we are hoping for a good turnout. in the four previous years participation has grown steadily. This year should not be any different.

     All of the work that goes into an event is for a great cause, to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. For most of us a deep breath is an easy feat, for some it is like you are constricted. Our goal is to help the research teams in their pursuit of a cure for this disease.

    The race will start at 8 PM from the McClellan Medical Park in Anniston , Alabama. The course takes you through scenic areas of the former Fort McClellan and also attempts to keep you cool by running at night during these hot days.

     We hope to see every one come out with their blinkies on and shoes tied up to run our Fifth annual race.

Until Next Time Happy Running

Navy Ten Nautical Miler

2011-06-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

The train up was the most I ever have done. I trained for over two months for a 11.5 mile race. I had my points plotted in my head what marks I wanted to hit and where. I knew which water stations I would stop at ( they had them at every Nautical mile).

I decided to do something I also never do before a race and that is to eat pasta. We sat and at the pre-race meal and thought nothing of it. We went back to the Holiday Inn Express and got some sleep for the early start of the race. 0630 will come fast so after watching Percy Jackson lightning thief I fell asleep. Sleep was usual with about two to three hours of good sleep followed by tossing around trying to get the last minutes of sleep for the night.

The morning was my normal procedures, take care of my hygiene to include showering and shaving then eat a Banana and drive to the race site. On arrival the air was thick with humidity. The gun went off and we started running. I was in the lead pack and having a great time up there. Then the pre-race pasta coupled with the 105 heat index hit me and crushed my PR dreams. I had to stop and gather my self for a couple miles then go back at it. The heat was intense but I kept pushing now stopping at every drink stop to get cold water and drinking my HEED which I carried with me throughout the run. As I headed to the finish and the Team Fisher House leaders were cheering me on , I finally felt better and cruised into the finish. My time was disappointing but I can grow from it. I completed the run in 1:48, 152 of 618 runners and 19th in my age group out of 40.

The biggest thrill was running back and pushing my young soldier to keep going and finish, then running the last mile with my best friend, my wife Gwen, she has overcome her dislike of running to power through three 10 plus mile races in the last 6 months. Great work to all.

Next Hurdle is putting together a successful 5th annual Haley's Team Twilight 5k for 25 June.

One Day till my first major event of 2011

2011-06-03T22:02:00.000-05:00

After training since March for this race I think I am ready. I started the training in Afghanistan at 3,000 plus feet above sea level. That along with other conditions were awesome to train under. Now the last few weeks of training have been at home in TN. The runs have been good and I feel great. On Sunday I will represent team Fisher house in the Navy Ten Nautical Miler in Millington, TN with my wife at my side. This will truly be a great day for us.

I hope everyone running this weekend has swift feet and clear paths. Happy Running all!!!

What is your definition of Patriotism

2011-06-03T14:04:00.000-05:00

I am biased in my opinion of this subject. I serve with pride for my country and do it voluntarily. There are many thousands just like me who wake up each day and put their uniform and boots on to perform our duties. Does this make us Patriots? Not this alone, so no.

A Patriot is someone who will stand up for their country no matter what is going on in politics or in the military. On 9-11-01 I was deployed in support of operations in the middle east. I saw first hand the patriotism in Soldiers with me swell beyond belief when they found out our country was kicked in the ass by a coward. We all noticed when we got home how our hometowns had become patriotic with flags everywhere. It was amazing to see that much pride showing. Then about two years later those same patriotic towns did not even have a flag up and if they did they were dirty and shredded. It was a bit embarrassing but it was not unexpected. It does not take a scholar or a nightly news hack to see that our country is based on the flavor of the week and most times that flavor is what ever that nightly news hack is feeding.

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed the gulf states the outpouring of support to the region was great, the outpouring of criticism to a sitting President was horrible. The way people complained was as if they thought he could control the weather and purposely directed the hurricane into New Orleans. This was not the case however the problem sat with the bureaucrats in almost every department in government. The outpouring of support was awesome, it was not patriotic however, it was human nature.

These are just two recent historical issues that showed Americans at their best and worst.

Back to my original question of myself. Does being a Soldier make us Patriots? Definitely not alone. You have to still serve with pride and spread our values around the world. Let people know you are proud to be an American each day you wake up. This is even when you wake up and the weight of the world is on your shoulders. By international means we are still a young country however we have advanced a long way in the short time we have been around. These advances have led to us having people hate us. We do not need to hate ourselves.

So when you travel or you meet travelers here, let them know you are American and you are proud. Cockiness is ok in this instance.

Be patriotic all year not just when it is commercially convenient.