Birthday

My birthday is coming up. I am trying to figure out the best way to celebrate it. I would love to go for a run with my wife, however she is not a runner and also, needs to stay here with the kids while I go out.

I most likely will try to head out for a 5-7 mile run. I would like to go in the morning to get it over with and then have the rest of the day to enjoy my family.  I also want to spend the day with kids. Go to the park, ride bikes, eat ice cream. 

How do you like to spend your birthday?

Winds of War

I was out on my run tonight wondering what the next few days will look like. It seems the US is close to sending missiles to Syria.  Will Syria and any of their "friends" decide to send rockets/missiles over here in Israel.  No one knows. Will any of my upcoming runs be interupted by the red alert siren of an incoming attack?

Where would I go?  When I am out, I scope out places, I could lay down waiting for the attack to be over. While, I think most of the attacks would be closer to Tel Aviv, living near Jerusalem, we did have a few alerts last November.

Even my IPOD seemed to have picked up on what I was thinking. First song after choosing shuffle, was Its the end of the world as we no it then it was followed by The danger zone.
 

2 Days in a Row

Today and yesterday were the first two days in a row that I did not run since the end of May.  Yesterday, I got home from work a little bit later and had a lot to do around the house. It was nice getting everything done. 

Today, I skipped my run to allow my wife to have a nice evening in the city.  She has been home with the kids the whole summer and earned a nice night. I was planning on going running, but made a last minute decision to skip it, so she can go out.

She always gives me time to get out there and encourages me on the nights when I do not feel like it. It was nice that she got to have a relaxing evening.  Remember, running is part of your life, not your life.

Not Happy With Nike Plus

I have started to use the Nike Plus with my IPOD, the past few runs. I am not happy with it. It is very inconsistent. It almost seems it is closer to a pedometer than to a GPS watch.  I have ran the same route twice. First time, it was 3.94 miles. Second time was 5.98! 

I was hoping to use this new tool to measure new routes that I want to try.  Does anyone use Nike Plus and enjoy it?

700 Miles!!!

I broke 700 miles for the year last week.  In 2012, I reached this milestone on October 12.  This is close to two months sooner.  For the same time period, I have also ran 163 days to reach this number verses in 2012, I completed in 181 days 19 days more.  

So far for the year, I am averaging 4.3 miles per run compared to 3.9 miles last year.  I am well on my way to reach my year goals of 1000 miles over 250 days.

31 Days

After a record setting month in July, I have been taking it a little easier this month.  I may still break 100 miles this month, but definably 80 and close to 90 miles.  I should be able to get in 22 or 23 days ran this month.  September is looking as a similar month, with so many holidays occurring.

I am setting my sights on October. I am hoping to try and get out there and run at least 3 miles on each day within the month.  I am going to try to push it and average 5 miles per run for a monthly total of 155 miles.

I figure with the cooler weather, no holidays, kids are back in school, and the clocks have not changed yet, its my best chance to accomplish this.

Pay Attention to Your Surroundings

I saw on the news about a guy who was out running with headphones along some railroad tracks and was hit by an Amtrak train going 110mph and he survived. Talk about lucky. Let this be a reminder to everyone who runs with headphones on to not have it so loud, you cannot hear a train horn. 

Always be aware of your surroundings. I truly recommend to keep the music for the treadmill.  However, when I do use headphones when I am out, I keep the volume low enough that I can hear cars approach, other people and dogs.

Not As Daunting

The thought of running 10 or miles used to very daunting. I used to think, I would never be able to cover that distance. I would run 7 miles and every once in a while stretch it to 8 or 9.  The fact that I have now covered 10 and 11 miles makes running these distances a real possibility. I even think I am capable of 12, 13 or even 14 miles.

Just today, I was thinking of going out for a long run.  The weather has gotten cooler. I thought about 10 or 11 miles.  The only thing stopping me is do I want to be out for an hour and half or 2 hours.  I wound up running for 5 miles. It was not as cool as I thought and I wanted to get home.

Making the Right Decision

Today I made some good decisions in the food department. I finished almost all of my food halfway through my day which led me to being hungrier than I usually am.  I went into the kitchen to the vending machine looking for cereal.  They didn’t have any which was a good thing.

I glanced at the rest of the food in there and then remembered how sick I feel whenever I eat that junk. My body just can’t take it anymore.   Instead I went back to my desk and then asked a friend if they wanted to go get some fresh air and go for a walk.  He said sure. 

We went out for about 30 minutes and drank my entire bottle of water and felt refreshed. We got back and I was not hungry anymore. I ate my red pepper sticks about an hour before I left for the day.  Then I made it to home and ate a snack.

I never made it out for a run. I took my son up to the mall for a show. I held him on my shoulders the entire time we were there and the entire time we walked home.

It's That Simple

To lose weight, its very simple. Eat less, move more.  For some reason people are always looking for the easy way to accomplish this. I have read two disturbing articles recently dealing with people and what they will do to lose weight. 

The first one involved some kind of treatment placed on your tongue which makes it painful to swallow. They women they interviewed were trying to lose weight over the next few weeks to look good in a bathing suit on a trip. What kind of doctor would even perform this type of treatment?

The other one involves a person who swallowed a tapeworm that she bought of the internet.  Why?  She wanted a quick way to lose weight.  Again, to lose weights, eat less and move more. Its that simple.  

People struggle because they do not want to put the work into it. I am the first to say, this has happened to me. There are so many times, I eat more than I should or have foods that I should not. I know what I am doing and it just seems easier at the time.

Success!!!

The past two days I was met with two challenges regarding food and I can proudly say, they were both a success. Today was more difficult. It was pizza day. I love pizza.  They ordered about 5 pies too many, so there was a lot of leftovers. Today, I could have eaten at least 4 if not 6 slices. I am glad I did not.

In the past, when I have overate pizza, I felt bloated, sick, and hot. My runs that night were terrible and I did not feel good about myself. Today, instead of eating pizza, I took my apple and left the office for about 10 minutes for a quick walk.

It worked!. When I returned, I went back to my desk and the party was about over.

Success!!!

First Run With Nike Plus

I was very excited to get out tonight with my new ipod and nike plus built in.  I wanted to measure my running paths and see how they compare to google maps.  I ran into a probably, almost as soon as I started. The protective case I bought causes an issue with the earphones to stay connected. Right at the beginning of my run, they came out and the IPOD stopped. 

I started over and was about 2 miles in when it happened again. I fooled with the plug and then it happened one more time. I said forget it. I have run this long without music and nike plus that I didn’t really need it today. I may have to look into getting an armband.

Tough Choices Ahead

In the coming days, I have some tough choices ahead of me.  My number one weakness is free food at work. In the next few days we are having a birthday celebration and a pizza lunch. I always wind up overeating. I don't know if its because its free or if its because I do not usually eat this food and I can't stop.

At one point along my journey, I was able to control myself and not eat this stuff.  I am at a different point now.  We will see how things go this week.

How do you handle this kind of challenge?

Nike Plus

My IPOD broker on me, so I went out and purchased an IPOD NANO. I did not realize that the Nano has Nike Plus on it. I am excited to use this when I run. I am not looking to see how fast I am going or what pace I am currently running.

I really want to use this to measure certain routes in the city that cannot be found on google maps. We have some security roads and trails that are off the beaten path, that i have been meaning to run on. Also, it has a feature to put on your goto song when you really need it at the push of a button.

Who here uses nike plus? What do you like and dislike about it?

Tired Run

Friday, I was out late with my volunteer job and didn’t get home until about 2:30am Saturday. Lucky for me, my wife was very accommodating and she got up with the kids which allowed me to sleep in until about 7:00am. 

When I first woke up, I thought about going for a run. I was feeling fine and knew later I would crash hard.  I decided not to even that question, as my wife has already been with the kids by this point for about 2 hours and I was thinking she could use some help.

I wound up drinking some coffee, but I still crashed later in the day. I had to go lay down for about an hour to recover. After that, I felt like a new person. I decided, I felt up for going for a run. I went out and ran 3 miles which was much needed.  I thought about going a little longer, but I didn’t want to push it.

Out of Wack

My Schedule recently has been out of wack. The kids are off of school and camp until the end of the month. We have family visiting that we have been trying to coordinate with. This has meant some later nights.  After running 121 miles last month, I am ok with having an easy month.

I have been trying to run every other day just to get a run in. I have not had a long run yet this month.  Mainly just 4 mile runs.   Soon enough, September will be here and the temperatures will start to fall.  I will be able to get out faster and farther.

Running to Relax

Sometimes, my runs relax me and calm my nerves down. Today I took off of work to take the kids to the beach. Driving over an hour with 3 little ones and then being in the sea with them can be a little nerve racking.

We wanted to be on the road by 9:30 at the latest. After getting everything packed up and ready to go, I went out for a quick 4 mile run at 7:45. It was just what I needed. Not too long, where I was tired all day. I was energetic all day. I was relaxed and calm.

We had a lot of fun at the beach and the sea. When we hit traffic returning home, I was calm as well. Sometimes, a run is all you need to help you get through your day.

Be Careful

I saw in my hometown paper that a female runner was attacked while they were out for a run. The assailant grabbed her and pulled her into the woods and tried to strangle her. Luckily, she fought him off and escaped.

Be Careful out there.  I would recommend, to not run in secluded areas alone. Do not listen to music if you do.  Take your cell phone with you.  Have an ID on you.  Tell someone your route and when to expect you. Also, let them know when to call you in case you decide extend your run.

How do you stay safe when you run?

Empty House

I got home from work today in the middle of the afternoon. My wife was at the pool with the kids, so I had the place to myself.  I was deciding on going for a run or getting everything done around the house that needed to be done.  

The other day I went out for a run in the middle of the afternoon and it was hot. About the low to mid 90’s with no clouds.  It was not a fun run. I had to stop and pick up some ice cold water.  Today I decided, to stay at home and get everything done that I needed. I made granola, my lunch for tomorrow, laundry and dinner.  

IT was great, once my wife and I got the kids showered and ready for bed, I went out for a nice 4 mile run.  While it was still hot out, the sun was not as strong and it felt great.

Interesting Quote

I am in the midst of reading some back issues of Runner’s World.  They interviewed Mike Huckabee who at the time was governor of Arkansas. He was overweight and out of shape.  He then worked very hard to lose over 60 pounds by eating right and exercising.

One thing that he stated that helps to motivate him when he is in a situation where there may be food that he is tempted to eat that he knows he should not. He says, “No food tastes as good as it feels to be thin.”  This is something I keep in the back of my head when faced with difficult choices.

Which phrase helps to motivate you?

So Close

July is almost over. Only 2 more days left. So far I have achieved a personal best in miles per month, days ran in a month, longest run and I tied my personal best for days ran and am very close to breaking my average miles per run record.

With 2 days left, I only need to get in 1 5 mile run to break the last two records. However, I am tempted to go more.  If I go 15 miles over the last 2 days, I will have an average of 5.0 miles per run. This is a longtime goal of mine 

The other part of me is saying to stay smart. Go out for 1 run of 5 miles and achieve the records. Then take the last day of the month off and start August off fresh.  This was what I wound up doing. I ran 6 miles on July 30^th and then took a rest day July 31^st.

July Stats

What a month!  I broke all of my personal records. I ran 121 miles over 25 days.   This turned out to be an average of 4.84 miles a run. I also had a run of 11 miles during the month.  I felt great at the end of the month. I completed all of this in 30 days. I decided to take the last day of the month off to have a rest day to be ready to start the new month.  

I am going to shoot big. My goals for August are 110 miles over 22 days. This would be an average of 5.0 miles per run which is another goal of mine. I am also hoping to finally complete a run of 13.1 miles.  

How was your July and what do you have planned for August?