Running Pictures

My friend Jeremiah Barber is an incredible photographer. I'm impressed with his photo taking skills, nunchuck skills, and bow staff skills. He took some running pictures tonight for a side project. Check out his Flickr site as well as a few of the pictures he snapped:

3 Days To Marathon

Rest.

I've had a single sheet of paper hanging prominently on our kitchen cupboard for almost a year now. I think this piece of paper will soon find it's way to a scrapbook.

Almost a year ago I made a calendar to plan my training for the marathon. The plan came from a mix of lots of books and programs I had read about on the internet. I wanted to tailor something that would fit my schedule and hopefully prepare me.

Hanging on the cupboard has been a daily reminder of where I was going and how far I have come. It seems crazy that these hours of running and hundreds of miles were all to prepare for a single event which will only last around 4 hours (hopefully).

Click on the image for a larger view of my worn piece of paper.

"Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up." ~ Amby Burfoot

Marathon Movie

My goal of running a marathon has been 4 years in the making. Three years ago my (former) knee doctor told me there was no way I could do it. I'm excited that I'm only three days away from proving him wrong.

One of the turning points happened a year ago when I saw the movie The Spirit Of The Marathon. I knew I had to find a way to make it happen. I get choked up everytime I watch it. I'm pretty sure that if you rent the movie, the same thing will happen to you.

If you use Netflix, click HERE for the link. In the mean time, here is the movie trailer to get you started.

4 Days To Marathon

3 miles in 27 minutes.

There aren't too many things I miss from the 1980's. I don’t miss New Kids On The Block, Pee-Wee, or Vanilla Ice (although I do miss Alf).

But there is one fashion trend from the 1980's that I'm trying to bring back......the fanny pack! I remember owning a fluorescent, bright green fanny pack as a youngster. It served a dual purpose: hold my belongings, AND make sure I never got lost in the dark.

These days, my fanny pack serves a more important role....carry my belongings while running. Generally, my pack includes my camera, some GU packets, my mp3 player, and occasionally my cell phone if I believe there is a reasonable chance I may be abducted by UFOs.

I like to think of the fanny pack as my "man purse". Unsurprisingly, man purses are hard to come by. No matter how bad you want one, you aren't going to find one of these bad boys at Walmart. I've seen fancy running belts with pockets but they are too small and expensive.

The only place I've been able to track down a fanny pack is the local second-hand store, the DI. And until recently, the only one I was able to find displayed the logo for the Eureka Casino, and wreaked of cigarette smoke. This was marketing genius. I'd bet there were countless people who went right from the slot machine to the running track.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." ~ Muhammad Ali

Running Essentials

There are a few items that have become necessary in my marathon training:

Garmin 305 Watch
My left arm has become significantly stronger than my right, thanks to my running watch. Wearing the watch resembles having a grandfather clock strapped to your wrist.

Honestly though, this little gem has been one of the biggest helps in my marathon training. It’s a GPS watch that shows the amount of time I’ve been running, the distance I’ve run, and my average pace. It also tells my astrology, and that I love candle-lit dinners and long walks on the beach.

Massager
My muscle soreness is very unpredictable. One day it’s my calves. Next day it’s my hamstrings. Next day it’s my spleen. This $19.99 Walmart special seems to help rub the ache out of weary muscles.

GU
This little packet contains some of the most putrid science-experiment-gone-wrong material ever invented. GU (appropriately pronounced Gooo) is the kind of stuff that should be used in interrogation techniques for terrorists.

The purpose of GU is to give your body a little refill of carbs and sugar while running. Understandably, after a few hours of running, the body starts to run out of gas a little.

I only consume these little packets of slime on longer runs. Experts advise taking one every 45 minutes. They also advise that you not start using GU the day of the marathon. The first few times, your stomach feels like you swallowed an angry wolverine. Fortunately my body has moved past the Wolverine stage.

Try this one next time you need to discipline the kids: Instead of threatening that they are going to get a spanking, threaten that they will have to taste some GU.