Basics

My shins kill. My motivation sucks. Marathon is on Sunday. I'm stoked.

5K

5K was today... I ONLY SPEAK IN GOLD SON@

Track Star

Today's run was nice; it may have been one of the most beneficial outings I've had so far minus Freeman Lake. Hot as heck, blacktop all the way, and barely any clouds in the sky. I'm very happy with the training results today being that it's the last day I can push myself before the race Saturday because I'm tapering off my workouts. Tomorrow will be a nice, easy day with some simple jogging and walking.

Then Saturday it's on!

Tree Roots

Two days, two trips around Freeman Lake. Today was a little special though. For whatever reason, Freeman Lake has always been a mental challenge for me to finish. It's not that long of a run, but because it's off-trail it is a bit more of an obstacle to conquer. I've never actually finished the entire route without stopping before, even be it for a minute or so... until today! I was pretty stoked with myself, finished the entire thing without stopping my feet once which says a lot because I normally psyche myself out halfway through even though my body feels fine. A mental victory for sure, props to me.

Yesterday sucked though. I was running Freeman and went into a jogging coma, just completely spaced out for whatever reason and didn't pay attention to the path in front of me. There's tree roots sticking out of the ground everywhere and I got to know one particular one very well. I kicked the root head on, launched into the air, did a sumo belly flop, arms flailing in the wind, and completely ate dirt. An epic moment for sure. And now I got cuts all over to sport for a while.

This Saturday, it's going down! 5K here I come, that medal is good as mine!

Moonlight

Had a nice night run tonight. My motivation to keep going this time? I wandered into the ghetto. No stopping from this man.

Josie

My friend's consistency has pressured me into updating. And boredom in no particular order. Alas, there is nothing new to report. My right foot is nice and sore, blistered, but now blood free! I decided to take a rest day seeing as how my left calf is tight 24/7 and my right foot a battlefield. The rest will do me good, mentally as well as I'm pretty stoked about getting out in the morning and running Freeman with a FRESH pair of shoes.

Uhm, other than that, Josie and the Pussycats was on TV today. The hotness Rachel Leigh Cook radiates in that movie in unparalleled. Perfection! Also the Letters to Cleo singer covers all the songs in that movie, so that was cool, forgot about her.

Whatever, time to hit the sack, wake up early, put some new tunes on the old, trusty iPod and head out for a nice day of running.

Thoughts of Ducks

I decided to head out to Freeman Lake today and do the five mile run. I made it about four miles in before I had to stop, the old pair of running shoes I was wearing gave out on me. There's multiple holes in them now, and the side of my right shoe is caving in if you will. I went ahead and finished the last mile running like an idiot trying not to rub the skin off my right foot.

End result when I finished and took off my right shoe? Blood.

Stale

More miles, more aches. The grind continues.

Chocolate

Training is as training does.

Under the Eye of the Sun

I took quite the beating today... After training for a month in temperatures around the 60's, I headed out into the cloudless sky to do my usual training. The temperature was 90+ degrees, the sun as bright as ever, and my path covered in black top. To summarize today's training session perfectly: I nearly threw up halfway through. Ugh. But I soldiered on and now feel pretty good even though my body is screaming in pain at the moment. Ah well, I'm happy with the results.

I've also decided to sign up for the Fast 5K on October 6th. That should be a nice little change up from my usual routine. I doubt I will place in the top three and receive a plaque, but I will still get a medallion for my efforts and a rad t-shirt :).

Power to the people!

Oh yes, and the new Motion City Soundtrack album dropped today. Do yourself a favor and make your life a little happier by purchasing this CD.

Move

Training is still going great! Tonight after my run, I genuinely felt for the first time that I'm making progress and will be able to complete this marathon at a decent time. The cardiovascular portion of my running is excellent, but my body is still catching up. My legs are fairly shot, not used to the long periods of abuse they are enduring. I'm taking plenty of supplements, and I'm going to insert more frequent rest periods in my training to let my body heal.

To mix things up, I've also been playing a lot of football. It's a great way to keep running fresh, I don't want it to become so overly dull by the time the race comes around I will not be as motivated as I like. A friend and I have made up a few fun drills/games that really push you, so I'm loving it.

Move!

I Can't Hear You Beal!

My body was beginning to wear down from the non-stop training, so the past two days I've substituted the usual long runs for some more spontaneous athletic activities. A friend and I purchased a football and became sports stars overnight. They've been good workouts, my body feels rested, and I'm ready to head back out tonight and pick up where I left off. I've worked on my technique a bit after doing some studying on the subject of marathon running, and it's really paying off. Feet lower to the ground, interval pacing, etc etc blah blah jargon jargon. The journey continues!

Under Starry Skies

Another late night run thanks to my insomnia and borked sleeping schedule. Nothing special to write about, I was feeling pretty good and could have kept going at a steady pace for a bit longer but all the late night couples having sex in their cars all around me was really distracting and annoying. So I decided to call it an early night. I've been looking up some marathon training regimes and tips, these people are crazy! But I respect the stuff they do, lots of sacrifice. I've got some meal plans... uhm, planned, so that should help me out a bit.

Yeah, lotsa mumbo jumbo in this blog. But like my training, I want to keep this blog consistent.

Rise Against!

What were you doing at three in the morning? Me? I was back out running, helping a friend get motivated into getting back into shape. And my body is revolting because of this inspirational act. My joints are on fire, stiff, and aching. And I love it.

Accomplishment

In recent light of tready passing away, I jumped in my car and drove down to Freeman Lake, 4.9 miles of up and down terrain, rocks, mud, pavement, and forest. It's the greatest feeling in the world, kicking your own butt to the point of exhaustion. That last stretch of trail, finish in sight, body completely on fire, clothes drenched in sweat, and your lungs about to explode; no greater feeling than overcoming those obstacles.

I love Freeman Lake, but I'm so used to the smooth ride of a treadmill that it kicked my butt. Running on natural terrain is so much harder than indoor distance running. But I'm very satisfied with my first outing, almost completely finishing the lake without stopping or feeling like it was undoable. It's nice to see others out there so early in the morning, killing themselves too, and having a common understanding why your out there as well looking like someone just stabbed you in your chest.

When I finished my run, I took a small walking lap back towards the benches that overlook the lake and chilled out for a while, taking in my epiphanies as they happened. I had so much to write about, plenty of pondering going on in those short moments. But the words would only feel forced now, so I'll just summarize as of right now, I want to go somewhere where I don't feel like I always have to be somewhere, I want to live next to that lighthouse in the Magestic; I want to call it my home, and share that peaceful experience with someone.

Pushing the Breaking Point

My first official day of training started off with a blast; maybe more of a crunch actually. Two miles into my jog on the treadmill, my foot went crashing through the base of the machine. Needless to say, my session was over at two miles. I'm rather sad to see the treadmill go out like that, I've had that thing forever. It's helped me lose over a hundred pounds and keep it off since Sophomore year of high school. Many of nights have been spent just running away from my thoughts, helping me to cope with issues in life. I love you treadmill!

R.I.P. Tready
(????-2007)

Start the Machine

This is my blog, a recording of the final days of my life before I commit my body, soul, and sanity to a 26 mile excursion. It's for personal reflection, motivation, and public humiliation. One month of training unofficially down, little over one month of official training ahead of me. It should be fun... or quite tragic. It's time to see if my life is leading towards a comedy or tragedy.