Brother BaddRunners

A New Cross-Country Team??

2011-04-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

As fate would have it, or my life and decisions that I make with the help of others, some local runners from ODU and myself are working on creating a club cross-country team. This is still very early in the process, but we have some people quite excited about the prospects of getting this thing under way.

The goal is to hit "the ground running" by the Fall with a group of folks who have semi-trained and are quasi-ready for jumping into a few meets at some regional cross-country meets. Hopefully along the way some friends will be made, some students will have fun running together, and who knows maybe someone will learn to enjoy running even more than they do already.

So here come the meetings, phone calls, and other fun going aspects of making this thing happen.

Skiing: Running: Etc

2011-03-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hope Presbyterian Church does a great trip every year - an annual ski trip to Monarch, CO. The past four years I went on this trip as full-time staff, a position I worked to after a few summers of volunteer help and then internships after that. So it was a little strange this year going as work crew again, but it was fun getting to be around the kids and getting to ski in CO again.

The real reason I am writing this post is because last year on this trip I was afforded with an amazing opportunity. We had two ski trips in a row and I was given the chance to stay behind in CO while the busses carted students back to Memphis so that fresh ones could replace them. A few months out I knew that this was going to be happening so I started looking at different things that Sarah and I could do during that time. One of my thoughts was running, naturally, so I started looking for the shortest race/run I could find anywhere during that weekend.

Of course the shortest run I could find was a half-marathon that started in a little town called Salida, CO. It is also to be expected, which I did not know at the time though I did have suspicions, that the run went directly six miles up at a constant climb. But it was on an abandoned railroad track that went along a gulch through the mountains of Colorado, and that was pretty fricking cool. So after running six (barely plus) miles, having to slow down and stop, throwing up twice, getting passed a number of times by the same people after I started back up and passed them, and feeling overall a little out of my element in the thinning altitude air, I finally reached the turn around point. That was a great feeling!

Another six plus miles down the "hill," as I like to call it, and then there was this last little, tiny really, obstacle that I had not completely forgotten about during my trek and that was a real daisy. As it turns out I had to stop one more time and throw up one last time before flowing down the backside of that baby to the finish line. In the end I recommend that run to anyone - it's called the Run Through Time and it's worth checking out if you're ever in the area around that same time! (Last years race results - only two females beat me - not bad!)

And for now let's look at runs like this and hope that as we engage in seemingly crazy ideas that land us on runs we have no business being on, let's enjoy the ride and have fun getting our butts kicked by the experience... cause that's what it's all about anyway. When I was younger it was easy to get wrapped up in the competition and mark everything as excellent or terrible based off of the results, but even then the experience, the run, was what it was all about!

So... enjoy!

Beardless Running

2011-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Well I finally found a run or two that I like in the Norfolk area. I've been missing some of the good Memphis and Birmingham runs pretty badly. A few good routes along the rivers, some along the bay, and some pretty neighborhoods.... I guess when you're looking for your old runs it takes some time to learn to like the new ones. Anyway, this is a good thing I hope. Makes me wonder about other things in my life like that - maybe holding on to the things I have loved so much in the past keep me from enjoying the new spectacles right before my eyes. I don't know, just a thought that occurred to me as I thought about my running here.

Brett

Beard Running

2011-01-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

Back in Va and running.... nice and chilly this morning, but my greatest ally is my facial hair, aka, the Beard. In this particular photo of the Beard I am showing off the fact that the Bears are also in the playoffs! www.chicagobears.com

This post, however, is not about the Bears, as nice as that is even though we could have a nice long conversation about how that will end. No, this post is about how perfect the Beard is for the cool morning runs. I'm not sure that it would be as easy to brave the easterly breeze coming off the ocean if not for a nice huge manly mane of excellence protecting my face as some sort of ski mask.

In spite of how much I do like having the Beard I am already looking forward to the next step... the Mustache! A few years ago Bryan and I grew mustaches to run the Boston and I can safely say that when I shave my beard this time my mustache will be something even greater than before!

Is it strange that my facial hair is such a big part of my running? I'm not sure that I could rock the stache if I was not actively running - I would feel as a traitor who is still pretending to work for the other side. Hmmm, maybe that guy was right and there is something wrong with me... or maybe runners without facial hair are like little babies. Who knows?

Holiday Runs

2010-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

In the next few days Brett and I (Bryan) will be united once again in Memphis for the Holidays. My hope is that we'll find enough time between all the family events to get some good runs knocked out. I'm sure he's been slacking off on his pace and distance so it will be a good chance for me to stick it to him!!!

I love running during the holidays. The streets and trails are always a little more bare. It is also nice to burn off some of the extra holiday calories. So this holiday season, re-unite with some old training buddies and log some miles.

Merry Chirstmas!

Down Into the Crevasse

2010-12-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

The last few months I have been in sort of a running slump. I don't know what exactly caused this slump, but there has definitely been a lack of interest there. It could be because my main running partner, best man and big brother abandoned me in Memphis? Just kidding...no but seriously. Whatever the reason I've found it hard to climb out of this hole.

Finally I began to enjoy running again after I stopped trying so hard. I took a few weeks off to reboot and then started back slow. I also made it a priority to run by myself more. I think I had just gotten spoiled from always having someone to train with or enjoyed the camaraderie of my training partners so much, that I fell out of love with the actual running. Slowly I've begun to fall for it again. I had to go back to the basics...down into the crevasse. (There was an episode of 30 Rock where Alec Baldwin tells a story of falling into a crevasse in a mountain and the only way he could escape was by going deeper into the crevasse.)

So that's what I did. Sunk deeper and went back to square one: Love. You gotta have the love to do what we do. -The End-

Bryan

Remember who you are...

2010-12-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

My Christmas present this year from the wife was dinner and tickets to the musical Lion King. It's been a long time since I had seen the Disney movie but the lines and songs (those that were not changed) were all coming back to my mind. But I always forget about the one scene in the Lion King that gets me - no tears are involved but it's pretty close.

There's the scene where Rafiki (sp?) leads Simba out into the wilderness with the promise that he will show him his father. When he tells him to look deep into the water Simba's reflection turns into the face of his father. Then he hears his father's voice say, "You have forgotten me." When Simba protests that he has not, Mufasa answers back, "You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me."

This scene always gets me for two reasons. Number one, it makes me think of the commitments I have made through my Christian faith and how I see God as my father. So in turn it makes me think of the times I have failed to be who I am born to be, or have been less than that... and when that happens I have "forgotten the face of my father" (line borrowed from The Dark Tower series by Stephen King). But it also then of course makes me think of my biological father and my hopes that I have remembered his face in my life.

When I started having trouble in college with my running, pretty much right off the bat with a major injury, one of my biggest struggles was feeling like I was somehow letting down my father. And as my college career closed I had not completed any of my primary goals in relationship to running. It was actually my younger brother Bryan who helped to give me perspective on my college running and thanks to him I was able to realize that during this time, at least in that way, I had not forgotten the face of my father.

Thanks Bryan, and like Simba maybe we should stop to check and make sure we remember who we really are, and who we are not!

The Post Turkey Run

2010-11-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

With all the turkey and food that we all eat with the Thanksgiving holiday, it seems that the post meal run is even more essential than ever! This morning offered a victory to the post turkey runs and with an hour of running I felt pretty good about it. I was in a foreign town, had to deal with county dogs that felt it necessary to let me know that they did not know me, a light rain, and damn near perfect weather! It was beautiful out there and it was the sort of run that makes you wonder how you ever miss a run - I mean ever! So thank goodness for the dark meet on the bird, thank goodness for the mashed tators, thank goodness for the super tasty desserts, and thank goodness for the run that we are driven to do no matter what because the fear of what the wonderful food might do to us if we do not do it! Thank goodness for the long slow run that probably doesn't even come close to burning the calories you ate, but makes you feel like you came close even though you were no wear near it. :-)

The Today Show and Running

2010-11-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

The early morning run with the guys in Memphis, at least for a short time while Sarah was working early, found me at my brother's house afterwards for coffee, a shower, and the Today Show. So now with the morning BCM run Matt, Meredith, Al, and Natalie are back in front of me! Yay!

Today this story was on - click here - and it's about the new TSA searches and "patdowns" that they are doing before you can get on a plane. Apparently people are upset and feel... "dirty" afterwards. Well, I had a brief experience with this myself on my last trip back to Memphis - wasn't as complete as some of the things I've seen on TV this morning, but it was more invasive than normal. All I could think was, "man, and I didn't even have to buy this guy a coffee first."

As I sit here after my run and see our nation getting ready to travel like crazy for Turkey Day, I cannot help but find this all a little silly. I mean, do you really think the guy in line really wants to feel you up? Well, we are runners so maybe when they see us coming they do get excited! But seriously, those folks are just doing their job as delegated to them by their superiors and believe me, if we could fly safely without being "felt up" I'm quite sure we would! I'm quite sure if they could just wave and say "get on the plane" with no x-rays and no touching that they would do it!

So calm down America... and if you have too much of a problem with a free "touching" then drive instead of flying!

It's Working... sort of... but it's still working....

2010-11-17T06:04:00.001-08:00

So the idea has been to create a group run to make sure that I run! I know, lame to say the least, but for some reason I have not been able to rouse myself early in the morning to go run by myself. But when the run is at your place you have to go just in case some random person shows up - and suddenly I'm able to get up! Ha - I tricked myself into pulling myself out of the bed. The picture to the right is a seven week marker for my Beard challenge and as you can see I'm mimicking Old Dominion University's mascot. Today this picture is a celebration of my inner running child! Yay!

The Beard - Does it Change the Running?

2010-11-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who don't know, I'm currently locked in a fearsome beard growing competition with the Methodist guy who has a building right next door to my Baptist building. We are growing them in a charity based challenge and whoever raises the least amount of money will have some grievous change to their beard that has been grown (we are doing this till April 1!).

In seminary it was brought to my attention that having a beard seems to change my personality. Hmmm, I thought what you are thinking right now probably - "that's a bunch of poppycock if I've ever heard it." But every now and again I would hear someone say something that was outlandish. People would laugh and look at me with that look of, "Gosh man, I can't believe you said that." Pretty soon I realized that the beard had the power to say things through me in spite of my knowledge. It was as though I could hear the words but had not the control to form them.... and then I realized that one of the people laughing was actually my beard as well!

So it's been some time and with that time I have learned somewhat to control the Beard's personality, but now we are talking about giving the Beard some real power - length beyond anything I've done before! And I'm asking now if it will change my running at all? I've run with a beard through the summer and not noticed much. The only time I've ever noticed is when I shave my beard in the winter - a cold freezing face is what you get. My hope is that the growing beard will inspire the running through supernatural goading - one more voice in the ring to spur me onward. We will see - either way I'll look more funny running down the road with a giant beard.

Brett

The New Idea

2010-11-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

So as described in previous blogs I have had some trouble finding the rhythm I need to establish my running here in Norfolk. I have had some success and some failure but my desire to go by the local running store in order to find my new running buddies gives me great displeasure for some reason (it is wrong to not just go but I cannot make myself - not yet).

And so it is that my mind has found a way to combine my job, somewhat, with my need for more active and habitual running. I will begin a group fun from my campus ministry building that will eventually meet every single morning at 7 am. This will start off for the students and will eventually incorporate anyone who desires to join from within the community. Our building will get more exposure, students will see us and be aware of our presence, the community will see that we care about them, but most importantly I will be running more! Beeeeyaaaahhhhh!

The plan has been set and a quick start to this plan will be starting on Wed morning. If everything works well I will have reached optimal physical performance level. Oh did I mention that I'm now lifting with my students too - effective today! Let's see what else we can cook up in our efforts to rejuvenate these college kids spiritually and physically!

Unintentionally Badd

2010-10-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

This has been a strange week for my running. On multiple occasions I unintentionally ran either further or harder than I had expected.

On Tuesday I had decided to run before work at the Germantown store. At first everything went according to plan. I ran down Germantown Parkway, into Shelby Farms and completed the Tour D' Wolf trail loop. Upon my return I encountered Eric Butze about to start his run from the Wolf River Trail head close to our store. Of course I agreed to run with him for a while. Six miles later I realized that I had completed my long run for the week. It was about 14 miles total. It was a nice run. The weather was good and Eric has one of those global positioning systems so the pace is always honest.

Thursday I was a little sore from my previous runs this week and wasn't feeling too good. I decided in the morning to take it easy at Breakaway's midtown group run that night. Once again Butze would change my plans. As the time approached for the group to begin, none of the usual horses showed up to pace Eric on his tempo run and was looking quite sullen. In the end I committed to running with Butze again as long as we started off easy. We ended up negative splitting the loop with our first hard mile at 6: 15 and our last around 5:40. All in all a pretty good effort.

I would say that my next run will definitely be easy, but who knows these days. Fit Happens!

Bryan

Running and Rowing

2010-10-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

What a night - who could have expected that we would have so much fun with a run and a row? Sarah has picked up rowing on the rivers around the Norfolkarea and is now officially in a rowing club. She's still learning and tonight was her first time "skulling" in this particular kind of boat by herself. Intense! But "she's a natural" as Debbie, her coach in the "launch" says to me as wedrift down the river so she can coach Sarah and two other new rowers. Pretty awesome.

So Sarah and I had this idea that I would run with her while she biked to go row tonight - we were going to do it a few days ago but the idea fell through. I would get there and read or something, maybe take a few

pics, and she would row, then we'd go home the same way we got there. Well I had no idea I would end up getting the amazing privilege of riding in the "launch" or the

boat that the coach rides in while the rowers do their thing.

So I ran and Sarah biked three point four miles to her rowing spot and then I got to go with them! Sweet. He

e's a pic from inside the boat so you can see how close we were most of the time, although we had to leave and go coach the other rowers too - sad. I got to thinking on the run home how cool it would be if there as some way that a coach could get runners early enough and drive in front of them (maybe with a golf cart of something - someone else driving so they could watch), and they could shout directions the way Coach

Debbie was tonight! Man, that would be something. "Relax! Swing your arms up higher and extend your stride a little bit. Bend your knees more." But instead we are so engrossed by our form when we finally get to a coach who can correct us that it might be damn near impossible to change.

Ok, one more picture, and then a run home!

Old Dominion Run

2010-10-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

As I previously admitted the runs have not been happening as often as I would have liked for the past two weeks, maybe three... This morning I woke up and then went back to sleep knowing that I could easily work a run into my schedule later in the day. Well this time I made true to my own promise and got my run in - thankfully. A nice little 5 mile run through the neighborhoods behind the university - most of which are quite nice. I'm trying something new in my post - the map of my run. Not only will this help to show what I have done, if anyone is that morbidly interested in running that they look at it, but it will help me catalogue my runs so I can go back to ones I like. Or if it's a great one, you can do it if you ever get in that area!

Click on this to see the run! (Oh, and you will notice that this run starts at the Baptist Student Union - which is now called the Baptist Collegiate Ministry - but how cool is it that we are on the map!)

I hope to keep this tool for my runs that I post on here and suggest that Bryan should do it too! If you would like to post your own favorite runs go for it. Especially if you would like to map it out for us so we can all see. I think my next post will include one or two of my favorite Memphis runs!

Memphis Wedding Run

2010-09-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Chad is finally married, and he's so thoughtful that because of his wedding Bryan and I got another run in together. Very nice.

Have not run much in between Chad events hence the lack of blogs about it, but we had a nice little jaunt through the Memphis streets. It was nice to run some familiar streets - the new Norfolk streets seem so foreign when I jump out to hit the pavement. Nice to be back on the Memphis roadways.

Now my biggest enemy is the rain! Norfolk - lots of rain especially these past two days. Man! Today there was even a tornado warning mixed in with the extra water. I will have to find some good solutions for when it's raining so hard... But I have plenty to do so that is nice.

The Bachelor Run

2010-09-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

So as Bryan said, we did go to Birmingham to celebrate our friend, the ole Chad Johnson! As planned we got up to go run for a nice little Saturday morning jaunt, albeit about twenty minutes later than we planned, but that's not bad at all!

So we roused from our slumber, threw on our shoes, and left the hotel into the streets of Birmingham like it was the days of old. We decided to leave our beloved Chad sleeping since we know he has not been running a whole lot lately - I thought we should wake him to make sure but the crew did not feel the same way.

Two of the guys decided that four miles was good enough and peeled off as the other three of us continued on through the long forgotten hills from our Samford days... hills that had not forgotten us! Needless to say the run was fun, enjoyable, difficult, a reminder of earlier times, and a great way to spend time with buddies (McBride and Bryan). As it turns out it is also a good way to make sure that all your muscles and ligaments, such as the hip flexor, get worn down way too early in the run - basically by mile 7 those muscles stopped firing and my quads, etc absorbed the rest.

The end of the run was a little rough but a wonderful addition to our Birmingham adventure with The Chad!

Batchelor Party Runs???

2010-09-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend Brett and I will meet again in The Magic City, Brimingham AL. The purpose of our rendezvous is not running, but to celebrate the enslavement (marriage) of our good friend Chad Johnson. That's right...Batchelor Party!!!

As the best man in the wedding it is my responsibility to plan the festivities for this weekend. I chose that destination because several members of the wedding party ran and attended school at Samford University in Birmingham. The itinerary also includes several morning runs for those that can shrug off any lingering affects of the late nights. So the question is...who can shrug it off?

I used to have no problem hitting the town and then popping out of bed the next morning and hitting the roads. These days though it seems hit and miss. Hopefully having people to run with and our old stomping ground right outside will win the day. We'll have to let you know how it turns out and possibly post some pictures. We probably won't post pictures of any streaking that might occur though. Sorry.

Hookey Run

2010-09-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

So today I played a little hookey from work and went for a run in the late morning. It was fabulous. I was in a terrible mood this morning (ask my wife she'll back me up) and I needed to get out and sweat a little. I had to be at our Wolf River store in Germantown to open up, but then I was not scheduled on the sale floor until 1pm. I figured it wouldn't be good for business if I cussed out a customer or threw shoes at someone so I decided to run over to Shelby Farms. It is about a mile to the park from our store and then I did the entire Tour De Wolf Trail which is about 6 miles. In total about a 8 mile run. It was a little hot, but bearable. Much better than the 110 degree days we have had this summer. I didn't feel like I caused brain damage or anything!!!

It had been a while since I ran the Tour and it was nice to visit an old friend. I didn't feel that great during the run, but I was taking it easy anyway. It really turned my day around. I am much calmer now and hopefully won't have any more tantrums (those that really know me have probably seen one.)

I included this picture from Shelby Farms if you also need a little "serenity now!"

Running and Wine and Polo!

2010-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well like Bryan my running is "ups and downs, strikes and gutters" - but I had one hell of a strike tonight. It's nothing to be excited about when I am in better shape, but I celebrate everything these days when it comes to running.

After taking the weekend off for some wine and polo (I'll explain in a minute) Sarah and I took off tonight for a run (her on the bike). I finally felt pretty decent for the whole run and only my first mile was over 7 minutes (which is strange these days). I went 8.63 at an average of 6.47 (compliments of Garmin-wonderful days of technology) and my one splurge was a 6.21. I tried to ease off a bit after the 6.21 to make sure I would make it back and I guess my body felt 6.40s were easy after that. How crazy! I am quite sure that will feel more tired tomorrow, but today my body gave me a nice little surprise.

The wine and polo - here's the pic I'm going to show you and the rest is on facebook if you want to investigate further. Sarah found a wonderful event that is a wine festival that also has a polo

tournament going on too! So we drove about four hours up the way and tasted some fine Virginia wines and watched polo for the first time! And no I did not go pouncing off into the woods for a wonderful run while I was up yonder. Instead I gave my wife a nice little trip with no running and we had a grand time just pretending to have some sort of sense as to whether or not we liked the wine or not. There was one that Sarah found near the end that tastes exactly like chocolate! And I found one that is a honey mead wine, which the lady said is the oldest alcohol in the world and is the same stuff Beowulf and the guys would have been drinking as they plundered all around. Probably hogwash, but it got me to buy a bottle!

Strikes and Gutters

2010-09-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a strange last few weeks for my running. I've only been able to muster about 4 runs a week. So far it seems that doing that really has improved the quality of the days I do get out there. Or at least I am enjoying the runs more. I'm not keep a real strict eye on the pace, although we had a scorcer last Thursday for our tempo run. So who knows, maybe this run when I feel like it attitude will be better for me in the long run?

And that's all I have to say...about that.

Bryan

Relief

2010-09-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Short run tonight just over 6 miles, but the quicksand has been defeated for now. Sarah took me down to where her rowing training is going on by the river (she's learning to row and then is going to join a rowing club so she can get out on all the water around us - if she likes it I might join her in the future). Breaking the no-run fast is always harder and easier than it should be - today was too close to lunch time. Anyway, a small victory in the challenge against the schedule.

Quicksand of Work

2010-09-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

So the runs have not been as abundant this week with my new job having really started - the college kids finally started classes. Man - I should have run there and then or at that point or this one... but it got away from me and I was exhausted when free. Sarah and I have been watching The Life of Mammals, a documentary that this British dude has done on all mammals - fascinating and we are learning a lot! One of the animals I had never heard of is so cool - the pangolin!

Pangolin - save you the time of having to google them - just click the word!

See what I mean - fascinating. I find myself wishing that my ancestors had been running for thousands of years and that my body had become an efficient machine designed to run the fastest of all other mammals. Unfortunately my species has been trying to ensure that we never have to run for any reasons at all until this very point in time when we have to force ourselves to run for no functionary reason at all! (meaning that if we didn't run our days would be as anyone else's days - we wouldn't be eaten, or beat up, or anything) Sure we'd get fatter and unhealthier... but come on!

The pangolin is an armored beast that his ancestors have worked with much stubbornness to ensure. Is it possible to ensure the same in our young generations?

Blast from the Past

2010-08-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture from college that Alan Parish posted on facebook a while back. It's from a race at Auburn and I'm 99% sure that that's Aaron Bishop next to me there. Samford running - gave me a relationship with Christ, an education, and friends I still have today. Most of my troubles running as an individual are due to the great times I had running with the guys I knew at Samford. Just seems wrong to run by myself - where's Aaron, Alan, Andy, Jeffrey, Dwight, Eric, Micah, Andrew, Chad, Bryan, Mark, Clay, and the myriad of other guys that I ran with on the streets of Birmingham and beyond? Is it too much to ask for them all to move to Norfolk and to run with me here? We can run unattached in college races and have a blast. Together we would run half and full marathons and take the running world by storm... well, the offer is on the table. I guess for starters I just wish I was talking to more of the guys on a regular basis.

"Don't you wish you had that kind of energy?"

2010-08-26T07:58:00.001-07:00

Oh the comments we hear when we run. Runners could probably get together and create a pretty hilarious book with the silly and obnoxious things that people say as we run their sidewalks, streets, and everything in between.

Last night as I'm running (Sarah had joined me on the bike = happiness!) I decided to take a loop around Old Dominion's campus. I had not been feeling so great but something about the combination of the distance into the run combined with the feel of being around a college made me feel a little better. So my run turned into a slow tempo and my pace dropped from my 'just running to run' pace to 'maybe I'll go a little faster' pace. Felt good - challenging and yet easy, a good pace. But as I ran past a group of college folks getting done with some sort of late day orientation I hear one of them say to her friend, "Don't you wish you had that kind of energy."

Of course the good natured part of me that wanted to stop and educate the sort of energy I was expending does not come easily (but is free if you're willing to work up to it), but the runner in me was on a good pace, so I kept going (and the normal person inside of me knows that socially such a conversation probably wouldn't go well). But what a statement. I found myself thinking the same thing - "I wish I had the kind of energy she thinks I have!" Ha, what a misconception the world has been living in all this time.

I've heard comments like these since I started running. People who watch the running or even other runners will come up and say things like, "You make it look easy," or, "Man, if only I could run like that," or any other slew of comments that insinuate one common theme: They think it's easy for me to run. I was always thankful that my competition could not read minds because if they could they would have most assuredly have beaten me almost every race! Through all of the pain that running has brought me through races, the overwhelmingly most positive thought I can remember whilst actually in the midst of racing hard is, "Well, you're over halfway through the race now. Quitting would be a shame." That's it! That's the best my mind could come up with the spur me on to the finish line.

And maybe most of the time it was enough... I'm sure there were other times when someone passing me or a comment from a coach or father would motivate me... but from within that's pretty much the best I had in me to offer myself in the face of pain. In short, I thought it a comical comment! And my answer is "yes!" I do wish I had that kind of energy!

I think this is what people see when they see me running... not sure why?

Anyone have any of their favorite comments from runs past?

The Seasons They Are a Changing

2010-08-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Recently I feel like the seasons are changing. Not the weather, but my seasons of running and of life.

Ever since I've been an adult (whatever that means) I have always been described by my friends and family as stoic. Now while some people might take offense to a label like that, I found comfort. Nothing ever really seemed to discourage me or make me feel stressed. I could handle a healthy college course load while competing for a division one running program. It was never easy, but I just did what I had to do. That applied most of all to my training. Weather, mood, sleep, nutrition or schedule never prevented me from running. Now all of a sudden any excuse is a good one.

I always tell customers in the store that the main thing I love about running is that it serves whatever purpose you want it to in your life. Some run to lose weight, others train to deal with stress and many view it as a sport and compete against themselves or the clock. I also often admit to customers that when I first started running I didn't like it. I liked being good at it, but not really the act. Then in college I really fell in love with running. After graduation I continued the runner's lifestyle and never had a problem sustaining it until recently. Certain days I'll still pop out of bed and lace up the shoes without any reservations. Mornings like today however it seems impossible for me to even imagine getting out of bed. What is this sudden disinterest with running? I think the reality is that the role of running in our lives is constantly morphing into something new and different.

Now as I can feel my season of running changing the question is what will take it's place. Will I become a weekend warrior and give up the hopes of clocking a good time? Perhaps I will benefit from the train less, run faster philosophy? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I'll find out soon enough I suppose.

--Bryan

A Running Partner that Works?

2010-08-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, by myself again tonight. It's a funny run when you have to convince yourself to get out the door, "eh, just go for a nice three mile run" and then it turns into a wonderful 50 minute long run. Sweet.

Tonights thoughts wandered into the realm of racial reconciliation for some reason. Maybe it's because as I ran, mostly naked of course, through a few areas where my black brothers and sisters gave me some strange glances. One little kid said in a some what unconfident and muffled voice (so I'm pretty sure he said) "ya white skittle" was all I could really make out. I'm sure there was more I missed but that's not really the point, nor is my confusion on what his comment might have meant if I did hear it. What I had was a thought that took me back to Memphis and my wholehearted desire to see that town living and (in the very least) worshiping God together in spite of race.

So suddenly I began to wonder about the make up of Norfolk, VA. What are the racial relations like around this part of Virginia? I was back to Memphis and wondering how humanity has bought into hook line and sinker the idea that the color of our skin should act as some sort of separation to who we are as a person. Surely this thought process was also sparked by a book I just read: Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter! A strange and interesting way to learn about one of the most important historical figures of our nation's history. But for me it worked.

And as the author takes you through the factual history of Lincoln's life, of course mixing in some wonderful tales, you have Abe walking through his life from childhood all the way to the theater where Booth ends his life. I'm not sure if this is historical but the story has Abe choosing to spend some of his time while he's young sitting by the side of the road to watch travelers as they go on their way. On once such occasion he sees some slaves being taken by and is unable to look the little girl in the back in the eyes due to his own shame at the situation. Throughout his life this moment came back to him in dreams - more nightmares - and in these dreams she would lock eyes with him.

The book and the run in combination has brought to the surface the evidence of our current lives once again. Abe and many others have spent and given their lives to the cause of a world where it's possible for racial reconciliation, but we seem to remain paralyzed by the detrimental and terrible events of humanity's history. So many lives have been harmed and destroyed that now as brothers and sisters we stand like lovers who have been hurt or betrayed with our hands out hoping that our counterpart will trust us. But how is such a trust possible?

Ok, my runs are getting complicated and mostly they are only bringing up questions, not too many answers yet. I suppose that for tonights thoughts the best answer I can offer is much the same as how to become a better runner. The more I run or spend time trying to become a better runner through sleep, diet, and smart training the better I get (barring some injury). So maybe with uniting our brothers and sisters together no matter what color they happen to be born the same sort of pursuits must be taken - maybe even my diet will have to change!

Cogans After the Run

2010-08-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting with my buddy and his brother after the run last night, eating some pasta and enjoying the very extensive selection of brew that this pizza place boasts. And you know, if you open your eyes, a lot of stuff happens at a place like that just in the brief time that you're there. What a strange world we live in isn't it?

First off, the joy of sharing my meal with other human beings was good. Sarah's been working a lot and a good portion of my meals and time has been spent alone. As I learned from one of my professors along the way, fellowship over a meal is well spent. But the rest of the evening was spent doing the whole people watching thing.

It's hard not to wonder about the stories around you - about the guy that is so excited about getting to the bar that he's got a brown bag with him on the way in... and then has to go hide it somewhere cause he's not allowed to keep it inside - about the super fit 35-40 year old looking woman who comes in and sits down at the bar and then puts up with being semi harassed for her time there next to a... well, I couldn't really decide how to classify this clown - and then you had the waitresses... I am just one of those folks that likes to think the story behind these particular folk is interesting so I sort of make things up. And of course some of them like the job, some of them hate it, but they all put up with the flirting, the over-the-line comments that make them wish they could file suit, the long table that doesn't tip at all, and I'm sure a lot in between and some far out of bounds I've not even thought of at all.

I like to think that they've got some guy out there that's going to love them to death mostly - of course that's not a necessary thing for their life to be complete but it's a hard item to drop. Maybe they're saving their money to travel to Europe or something like that... The point though is that it also makes me think about the Church a lot. You see the Church is one of those things that has become so misunderstood that most folks just write it off completely - and with good reason. Humans have done almost everything in their selfish endeavors to ensure that the rest of humanity wants nothing to do with the Church at all. But the problem is that God is real and organized religion hold necessary pieces to the puzzle of finding a life that holds discipline, fellowship, worship, community, shared struggles, prayer, and more.

So most of my solo runs for now end up along these lines and these thoughts... and I'm focused on trying to find ways to connect the dots - the dots between college students and God - the dots between real honest hurting people and the God they need so much - the dots of the resurrection and humanity in a way that we won't turn around and trash it all over everyone's lives.

People always ask me why I run. "What, are you running away from something," people will ask with a laugh pretending in their minds that some crazed man is after me with a pistola or something. I guess I'm running towards something and always have been. For now I can feel that part of my journey as a runner will take me into the depths and bowls of the human psyche in the hopes that there I will hear God's voice speaking back to me.... mostly because I'm too damn stubborn to depend on God in my normal life. But when I'm running... when I'm hurting and breathing in the humid air... when I'm wondering why I went so far away from home... it's easy to seek God's face.

So pray for me. Pray for the runs to get longer and harder and farther and more desperate....

Long run, not so long, but long...

2010-08-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

So today I ran for almost nine miles but my biker buddy was already at work due to sleeping in through the morning time. But tonights run was amazing. I had the sun setting, the water all around.... it was awesome.

Running by myself isn't so bad. It's just getting out the door. But it was great tonight. I pictured myself as I often been driving down the road stuck in my car and seeing a runner pass me by thinking, "I wish I was that runner instead of myself..." well, today I was that runner.

Anyway, I got my almost nine mile run in and just had fun with it. And I did have fun. Thanks, run.

Brett and Bryan

Don't Take Your Water For Granted!!!

2010-08-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

"Moisture is the essence of wetness...wetness is the essence of beauty." -- Derek Zoolander as Merman.

Obviously as runners hydration is more important to us than the average joe. Those of us that live in Memphis often take for granted the quality of the water we guzzle each day. I know that normally people get used the taste of the water where they live, but we really do have it good here.

In college I remember I hated traveling to different cities for meets and drinking their water because, to quote another runner "you never know what you're going to get." I would always have to buy gallons of bottled water and lug it around. In some cases I felt that strange water was the cause of undesirable bowel movements at undesirable times. There we go with pooh stories again. Anyway, recently I was on vacation at Amelia Island, Florida and it was much of the same. I got home and immediately went to the tap and filled up a huge glass of Memphis H2O and sucked it down. Then another. Then I took a refreshing shower in the stuff. It felt like the first real shower I had taken in a week. Brett took a trip to Pakistan many years back and told me about the extremely poor quality of water there and how most of the people live with bad indigestion their entire lives on top of other diseases they might acquire.

These are all pretty obvious observations I'm making, but I guess my point is be grateful for the lovely water we have in Shelby county. Drink as much as you want, especially in the current heat, and just be glad you didn't recently move to Norfolk, VA where the water tastes like sulfur and is known to poison new residents that haven't built up resistance to the Old Dominion's diseases. I have nothing to back that up...just trying to make Brett a little home sick.

My Biking/Running Partner

2010-08-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

My thoughts go back to a tough looking man with a stop watch standing on the inside of the track. We were doing a workout but he was there to coach his son, and he was not happy. As a habit he and his son would talk about the killer workouts he was going to do each day and get pumped up about them. Well this particular day this very good runner, one of the best I've run with, was having a good deal of trouble hitting the splits (he was also attempting to do by himself). So his dad shouted the most true (while also the most degrading) comment I may have heard when it comes to running (and especially running hard).

"It's easy in the van. Ohhhhh, it's easy," he shouts because his son is on the other side of the track. "You're just gonna give up! Ohhhh, it's easy in the van! It's easy in the van!"

Running is always easier when we talk about it - always! There may have been one or two times in my life where some sort of runners' high made it easier than talking about it, but the other 6,000 runs or so that I've done did not go that way. That doesn't mean that some of them were not enjoyable, but a lot of them have had what I like to refer to as "van days."

While I'm getting back into the habit of running it's easy for me to get on here and say, "I'm running everyday now - no excuses." But then I get home for work and even though there are many parts of me that are yearning to run, there is one subtle (sometimes loud) voice that decides maybe there are other things that need to be done. Sarah, my wife, has started getting involved though and it has helped enormously.

The other day we went for a run. She rode the bike while I ran. As the distance and speed increases I am sure this will be more beneficial for her physically, but for now it's not too bad for either of us. And what a difference it makes for me. We can talk! I can share the run! And today she got me out the door! Nothing impressive but here's the run I almost missed according to my other friend, Garmin:

6.5 miles @ 7:11 pace (1-8.06, 2-7.17, 3-7.03, 4-7.02, 5-6.31, 6-7.04 and then the change)

So for now my wife is temporarily replacing my lil' brother, but this might be a permanent thing! It's fun, except for when she tries to kill herself. Grrrr.

Brett and Bryan

Todays Run

2010-08-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Went for a run today. I actually ran to the local running store today to try and join a group run. As it turns out todays run was a little more introductory, so I continued on my way by myself. I may choose to run by myself for a short while longer - man, the heat just took it out of me. Judging by the way I felt I can only assume that the other local runners can do without me a few more runs.

This weekend Sarah and I traveled to Smithfield to see some historical sites - pretty cool. The city was one of the fist settlements of the "New World." We learned a lot of interesting things about the area, about VA, and about Norfolk even (it's only about 40 minutes away).

Anyway, the reason I bring it up is due to the fact that while we were there I just kept thinking about how it's a living and breathing part of history - just like we will be one day. What will we be remembered for? Most likely nothing. So what will the folks who know us now say about us?

I came home with a renewed sense of urgency in my life. Still working on what that means but one thing it means for sure is that while I can I'm going to kick start the running and be more serious about it - at least as often as it happens. Gonna be an everyday no matter what guy. It's not hard to get a run in - just run. If it's 10pm and the run isn't in yet - go run. That's my plan for now. I'm only one day in, so we will see how it goes!

Brett and Bryan

"Norfolk and Running"

2010-08-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I pulled myself out into the afternoon sun and went for a run. The goal was to make it over to Old Dominion University, where I'm working now, and then back to the apartment. Not too far but my first run in Norfolk a day before had ended really badly with a full on body revolt (you do not want to know!).

It was a good run and I got to thinking a lot about why I run and why it's such a big part of my life. I mean of course you have the physical reasons for health and how you look, but there's just something about running that happens on long runs that doesn't happen anywhere else. Something, almost like you start to become aware that you're looking for something and you're suddenly closer to it then you have been in a long time. But of course that sudden awareness can quickly become replaced with blinding pain, sweat in the eyes, bathroom breaks, and more.

My new goal though is to learn to love running entirely on my own. There are groups here that I can run with and new folks with which I can become running buddies for sure... but I need to learn to love the solitude discipline of running all on my own. I've never liked it and have suffered greatly for it in my post-collegiate running. Not only do I find it harder to motivate myself to get out the door, but I truly find it near impossible to make myself race. My heart finds little point in defeating other weekend warriors when there is no team that is depending on me. It was hard in school too when the team was wanting and left little reason for pushing past one's own mental barriers.

So for now I'm running alone. For now I'm seeing if I cannot learn to love the quietness that comes from running solo and with no safety nets. There are many shortcomings from running alone - more dangerous, less motivation, no help if you need it, no conversation, no one to push you... let's see what the positive attributes might be. I have some guesses but I'm going to wait and find out.

Brett and Bryan

A New Direction For This Blog

2010-08-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Recently my wife Sarah started a residency program after graduating from medical school - but this program is in Norfolk, VA. So I left my job, my buddies, my family, and more. This blog is dedicated tracking and ensuring that the friendship with my brother Bryan (my running partner) will remain intact, if not grow stronger.

Bryan and I are only separated by two and one-half years, but if we translate that into school years (me being super young for my grade) it turns into a three year gap. When I was a senior in high school he was a freshman. Not only did Bryan and I grow apart as we got older due to this close proximity in age, but we were never particularly close in the first place. There was always just too much tension - too many beatings - too many backstabbing moments of a hall hockey stick to the back of the head - just too much for us to really connect as friends.

So when Bryan chose to follow me to Samford University on a running scholarship, it was no secret that he was doing so for one solid reason. He wanted to surpass everything I had done and eradicate any records I had, etc. Basically Bryan wanted to be a better runner than me and the only way he knew he could do it for sure was to come run with me. That's good stuff.

Well, thanks to my IT band surgery from my freshman year I was granted a medical redshirt season and we were both given one more year to run together - so two instead of only one! During this time something amazing happened! Actually a few amazing things happened but the one I am so impressed with is that we grew beyond the brother bond into true friends. Bryan still viciously destroyed any personal records or accolades I was able to accrue while at Samford, but he also left as they guy that would be the best man in my wedding too.

Now for the first time in a long time we are separated by a significant distance. It's too far to run (at least if you're not crazy) and it's even too far to drive on any sort of normal basis. So we are creating this blog for a few reasons. 1. To help ourselves remain close friends. 2. As an accountability to our running. Since we cannot actually meet each other at six in the morning any more, this site will be our way to vent our frustrations on one another. 3. It's a way to catalogue our journey together and to include you! We hope that in some strange way this will be something that others will want to participate in - through your encouraging comments, thoughts, prayers.

So here we go! It's a different kind of run this time, but what the hell do we run so much for if we cannot take some lessons from it and apply it to our lives? (oh and you'll have to keep on guessing for who's writing which post, which I'm guessing will be the person who signs their name first if they sign at all)

Brett and Bryan

Running Etiquette

2010-03-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

I found this list of helpful group etiquette techniques while looking for some local runs in a community where I'm about to go for two weeks. Helpful, fun, and definitely made by runners! Check them out. What do you think? Should we modify, change, add...? What are some that you wish were on the list that you wish some runner had known before? I wish that some of them here were known by some guys I have run with before!

Group Run Etiquette

Running is normally an individual solitary activity. There are times, however, when running with others is possible and fun. For those not used to group running, here are some tips.

If you are fast, plan to run slower, and if you are slow, plan to run faster. You can run on your own at your own pace anytime but the idea is to sacrifice something to run with the group. Plan on trying to make sure everyone is running with someone else.
The greater good of the group should take precedence over your own individual selfish desires.
Know the plan before the group starts: how long, how far, where. If you cut things short and/or leave early, let others know so they do not stress out wondering where you are.
Bring a watch and know how to read it. Especially if the group drives to a site and decides that the cars drive back at a certain time, make sure you are there at that time.
If you bring a dog, plan on driving your dog to and from the run, or make arrangements with others. Ask first to see if dogs are acceptable. Not everyone wants to sit with a smelly dog in a car.
Keep your dogs under control at all times. It is upsetting to others to constantly have to dodge and trip over loose dogs, and to watch loose dogs chase wildlife. Bring a leash and know how to use it. Not everyone wants to go home smelling like a dog.
If you already smell like a dog yourself, consider finding your own ride to and from the run and running behind others.
Please apply the same rules for friends as used for dogs. Make sure they can come, make sure they are under control, and if they smell like a dog run in the back with them.
If you are passing, do so when there is space and give others a wide berth. Please do the same if you are passing gas also.
Don't be loud and obnoxious on a group run.
Don't wear loud and obnoxious clothing to a group run.
Remember that what is said on a group run, stays on that run. Oxygen debt and/or abundance makes the brain work in strange ways.
Running with a group is a privilege, not a right.
There is always someone faster or slower than you, but they may not have showed up on that day.

The Wake Up Text

2010-02-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Why is waking up so difficult? The number one fight I face with my running is the one I face on a daily basis with conversations I have with my pillow.

Let me say this: I know that it is stupid to try and decide if it's a good day to run while lying in bed. I know that I will feel better physically, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually if I go for a run. I know that my future races and runs will be immensely better if I pull myself out of bed. Every time I run the decision to do so has to be made the night before. I know all of this and more, yet when the time comes to get up the same battle ensues.

This morning I woke up and hit snooze. Snuggle the wife, snooze a little, nothing wrong with that... but then a major stroke against my chances of running came in the form of a call. One of my two running partners, who will remain nameless for now, called and said he would not be showing up for the run in exchange for more sleep. Now I was in trouble big time. After thinking it over for a moment or two I texted the other runner in our three person group - it read: "Bryan called and is sleeping in like a weakling. But that sounds good to me too. Sorry mate. I'll not miss tomorrow no matter anything." It was early so excuse the grammar.

I roused myself and went to alleviate the stress on my bladder, during which time my friend Bryce texted me back, "Leaving me to run by myself..." So now the guilt of abandoning my fellow man was hanging over me, and yet I still laid back down in bed with every intention of sleeping more. I figured I owed him some inspiration that might still get him out there alone so I texted, "Test of character."

Maybe this is a good time to explain that Bryce is a lawyer, so he knows how to work my heartstrings with his well placed words. I heard the text come back and I knew I should ignore it. But I turned on my elbow and read these words, "Still time to fix yours." Transfixed I stared at my phone for about two minutes or more maybe, taking internal inventory of my reasons for staying or going. The trick had been done and my mind was now awake enough that it was able to think clearly as opposed to the muddy thoughts one has when the alarm first goes off. The lies of a sore body, extra sleep, bad weather, and any other excuses my weak flesh could come up with were no longer a match for an alert and ready mind. So I texted back that I was coming and went for my run.

Now sitting here after a morning that started right in spite of the near "sleep in," it feels great to know that the system worked. The buddy system that is! One buddy fell off the pain train and the "weight was almost more than I could bear," but the other buddy persistently refused to allow for such tomfoolery. The personal decision is there but the safety net of the buddy caught me again - thanks to all my buddies!

Sleep Deprivation

2010-02-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

So maybe the key to the whole things is lack of sleep.

The KEY - we are all looking for the secret to our running successfully, the key to it all. Is it diet, sleep, training, shoes, gear, weather, certain courses, morning vs. night, lucky socks, a beard 0r mustache, not showering or showering the morning of a race, watching the right pump up movie the night before, not getting pumped up at all, music, no music, the right music - the list goes on and on and on. If you're a runner you know what I'm talking about.

And then sometimes to our ultimate surprise when all factors are against us we turn out some time or performance that should not have been - we feel better than expected and just run well. No way around it. Sometimes everything is done perfectly and we run as anything but perfect. So what is the key?

This weekend I ran a race after 2 hours of sleep, if you can call it that. My job lends itself to being crazy with high school kids every now and again, and though I tend to try to stay away from all-nighters for my own health and for the health of my marriage, you just "have to" as they say every so often.

But the 10k, which I am not in shape to run based on training or mindset, went surprisingly well. It was no PR and certainly nothing crazy, but my body should not be running 5:45 pace for 6 miles right now and be feeling easy - especially after 2 hours of sleep... or should it? Because it did!

I think those great runners out there are laughing at me. Maybe they have realized, and I've heard a lot of stories about Pre and others that would back this up, that when it comes to race time you just run. You leave the rest behind and all that matters is pushing yourself with everything you've got for the allotted distance. You run.

Maybe there is no secret. Even the secret of training hard to race hard betrays me and some other folks I have known. Maybe the elusive unicorn in the depths of the forest wants to be found and we just have to run to find it, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in or around. I am not sure but in spite of bad diet, the worst diet, the night before and no sleep here I have a good run... Thoughts?

The Home Field Advantage

2010-01-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

As a freshman in high school I started running cross-country. For the first time I was introduced to the many varying courses that wind through parks, parking lots, golf courses, soccer fields, and wherever else high school coaches could convince people to allow them to run races.

Our home course was everything that a cross-country runner could hope for in a race - no pavement, all winding trails outside of one or two open fields for start and finish, hardly any repetition, and small cuts as the trail winded along a river for a short while to make a more straight run... that is, if you knew them. One of my teammates had led me to believe that these little cuts were entirely fine to take, in fact, they were the home course advantage. Everyone's got them and we know and use ours. I should have known better.

It was not until our first real race with some guys where I realized that cross-country/running is not the kind of sport where people do that kind of thing - and if they do that sort of thing, that I do not want to be a part of it.

While running along the course I began taking these short little cuts, probably saving only a matter of seconds, but the guy running with me was getting annoyed. He finally said, "Hey do you mind not taking those little cuts? I don't know them." Wow!? In that one moment I realized what really mattered in running. It's not about finishing first or beating some other guy to the finish line. It's all about lining up and running the SAME course faster than the next guy. This realization helped me to see that taking short cuts, no matter how short or how long, were not for me.

I've never taken a cut in a race since then, even in moments of great temptation, because that's not who I want to be. Take it for what it is but I suppose winning a race never meant anything unless I knew I beat the guy legit on the whole course, nothing but the course, so help me God.

My Aim....is to Have No Aim!

2010-01-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been feeling like I serve my running as opposed to the other way around. I've just been a little burned out on constantly having a big goal and imposing deadlines on myself. I promised myself that when I got out of college I would stop doing that to myself. Back then I was so sick of always having a conference meet to peak for and a clock ticking on my training. I've let myself fall back into that mentality and for me it is time to stop.

The few years after college I found a nice rhythm where I was still serious about my running, but there was no pressure involved. I would run an average of 10 miles a day and still have some good intensity, but I would just race whenever I felt like I was in adequate shape. I'm trying to get myself back to that state of mind. I think I'm doing better. I've even allowed myself to miss a few days without getting depressed about it.

I know I sound soft, but I've always loved running because like life, you go through different phases and your priorities shift. I'm simply at a time in my life where I don't always want my running to dictate my bed time or schedule. I mean if I'm out on the town and feel candy in my heels, I'm going dancing all night long.

I'm still having fun with my running and I think I'm getting in pretty good shape. So I guess whenever I decide to toe the line we'll see if my laid back theory hurts the times or if relaxing a little bit will be better for the results.

10 Miles of Fun

2009-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

10 mile run, 10 miles of fun. The ten mile run that moves it's way through Shelby Forrest is challenging and if you find that to be fun, then you will enjoy the MRTC road race series 10 mile run. It is definitely a fun, hard, up and down, mentally difficult, and beautiful (sight seeing, if you happen to notice as you run through) run.

I (Brett) pause to write this post because this particular run was a personal step in the right direction for me due to the mental realm into which it forced me. My brother was nice enough to help pace me and try and keep us right around 6 minute pace, but the hills had another idea for what my pace should be. As I crested these hills I found myself a number of times heaving for more air and struggling to refocus myself on the pace set out before me. I would say that there were probably seven moments in the race when I had to force myself to battle my own mind.

My high school running mentor who really started it all for me - literally, he even pursued me in middle school and somehow convinced me to run cross-country over soccer, a sport I absolutely loved playing - Sam Bell had a way of describing the type of run that this past 10 miler was for me. "Running just out of comfort zone," is what he used to say. He would use that phrase to talk about workouts usually, but that phrase really captures what this 10 mile run was for me.

Why is it so difficult for us to take ourselves out of the comfort zone... to push just beyond the threshold and embrace some pain? The great runners are those who live way beyond this threshold, or perhaps they have created entirely new thresholds altogether. And you know what I remembered during/just after this past 10 mile run? Running just past the pain threshold and embracing that pace hurts a little more, but it feels so good - it's fun. It sounds crazy but it's true. Convincing your mind to believe that and step on through is difficult, but you will find that it's entirely true. Maybe I won't make it back through for a while, but for now I'm so excited and revived to remember what it feels like to peep my head back through a little bit to beyond the threshold of pain to see the joy of what running really can be.

Will you come through with me to the other side to see the truth? Will you punch through and embrace just a little bit of pain to realize that some inner part of you will smile as it happens? Let's join our metaphorical running hands together and embrace the "just outside of the comfort zone" area and lets learn to live there baby!

When is Running Racing?

2009-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

One long lasting conversation any good distance runner has centers around the point of the ultimate distance to race. In high school most runners agree that the 800 meter race is pretty much it due to the need for intense speed mixed with duration. In college it seemed most opted for the 3000 meter steeple chase due to it's mixture of speed, distance, and now jumps too. Personally I always thought it was funny that men went from the 5k to the 8k/10k in the college jump - when asking why, the best response I could get was, "The 5k is just a sprint now." What a mind altering comment!

So now that we are in the real world of running where all runners congregate, Olympians and first time runners alike, what constitutes as the ultimate race? Is there a distance that better tests a humans abilities than another? Is there a distance where running ceases to be running and becomes fast hiking? Is there a certain amount of energy/effort that must be exerted for a run to become a race? If we take the later approach I often wonder if I've raced since college...

Let's pause first on this - transitioning from a run to a race. A good example is your average runner out there running. Do they understand what it means to push their body and race? Do I? Do you? Most of us do not. Look to http://www.waddle-on.com/ for a great website that understands this principle to the "t" and goes the opposite direction. Why run hard and push yourself and rob yourself of the joy from experiencing the run? Take your time and enjoy yourself. It is true that after some runs my body seems to be telling me I'm insane for pushing myself past a certain limit. Might I have enjoyed the run better if I had simply slowed down...

And then there is the distance question. Just because I line up with other guys next to me and agree to compete over a certain distance, does it count as a race (in the running sense)? Or after a certain point does it become something else - an intense adventure run or perseverance of the mind race rather than a running race? Frank Shorter has said about the marathon (paraphrase) that it is the ultimate distance to perceive a humans ability to push himself/herself - it's the limit to which someone can push themselves to race over a given distance. Of course this does not mean that a further distance is not more difficult than the marathon, or even maybe more prestigious and amazing, but rather is simply seeking to make a distinguishable difference between racing and running hard for a long distance. This website looked like it had some good stuff on ultra running: http://www.ultrarunning.com/

It may seem like splitting hairs to ask such questions but this is what runners do when they have nothing else to do. It's sort of like asking the question if there is a difference between a person that finishes any marathon and a person who finishes the Boston marathon. Both have done a great thing that should be respected and congratulations are in order. Saying nothing less about the first person, is there something more that can be said for the second? In the same way, I can marvel at the guy that runs all the way across the nation and holds the record for doing so, but perhaps in my mind he still has not achieved the sort of status that Ryan Hall or Frank Shorter or Alberto Salazar or Bill Rodgers have in their marathons.

In short, I'd like to end this post with one statement: After running a few marathons I understand Frank Shorter to have said - anything shorter than the marathon leaves the body untested to it's ability - anything farther than the marathon, though challenging for certain, fails to hold up the standard of pushing one's own body at a race pace.

Who knows, maybe comparing first time runners to the Olympian is just too difficult - maybe comparing an ultra runner to a guy racing a marathon might be too much like comparing a triathlete to a runner - they're just different animals altogether. Who knows - just throwing questions out there.

Hockey Players Who Run

2009-10-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Some people don't know this about Bryan and me, but we are really hockey players who run from time to time. Of course we do not play nearly as much hockey as we used to and in all fairness have probably run now almost as much as we have played hockey... almost.

Looking back on my running I always find it humorous to note that while I received no major injuries from hockey, I have gained or earned a number from running that not only have waylaid my athletic endeavors but actually on the wrong days threaten normal life. I find it to be funny because my cross-country and track coach in high school used to hate that I played hockey in between the two. She'd say, "You're going to get to hurt playing hockey," and then would add all sorts of other comments to further her case. To this day, and even though tomorrow may prove otherwise, hockey has yet to deal me more than a light contusion at worst. Running on the other hand....

My first major injury from running came while running a regional cross country race. While taking a quick right hand turn down a short steep hill my legs slipped quickly out from under me. To avoid falling I reached out to a nearby tree and corrected my course back up and onto my legs where I preferred to be. Two days later I could barely run without my back hurting - bad. A few pills later I was running in the state meet pain free. Over the next few years my lower back would randomly shoot sudden and painful pains (sometimes most inconveniently in races when I'm looking for excuses to stop), but worst of all would throb almost every night when I went to sleep. Years later I found out that I have a stress fracture in my lower back that can only be healed through surgery, maybe.

Then I found out what an IT band is... and for those of you who know, I'm sorry. It started as a slow ache and turned into something that would tighten my left knee into intense pain after 15 minutes of running. Nothing I could do would help - stretching, massage, chiropractic, ice, compression, swimming, biking, and worst of all... total rest. After nine months of searching through these fruitless endeavors for an answer to my running pain I was finally introduced to an IT band specialist. After he almost vomited at the extreme waste of time my other doctors had prescribed to me, he drew a surgery on a dry erase board for me. And so at just under a full year off during my freshman year of college, I began running again in June - 8 short minutes, winded and unable to believe I'd ever run more than a mile or so again.

Then came the wonderful side effects of surgery and the side effects not knowing about proper footwear and diagnosis - injury after injury strewn throughout attempts to get my collegiate career to a near respectable level. Hip flexors, achilles tendons, fatty pads swollen from scar tissue of a scope, the other IT band, more scar tissue, foot pain, more of that lower back stuff, and other things I'm sure I've tried to block out. I spent almost as much time in our cold whirl pool as I did studying for most of my classes, or with ice wrapped around various parts of my body as I hobbled to the cafeteria - "is it halloween?" I'm sure it looked like it.

Ya looking back hockey doesn't seem to have been the dangerous sport for me. I'm sure someone else's story may be different, but at this point I think that there is one conclusion any of us runners have come to at some point: while running can bring great or periodical joys and it is of immense personal benefit to our health, it also brings with it pain that compares to little else in life I've done.

I'm sure that plenty of football players are limping around with injuries that have become lifelong who would argue that their sport too offers such a note, and I'm sure they have a lot to say on the matter. All I know is this - running, the supposed safe sport, has helped me to experience and endure more pain than any other athletic activity I have pursued (baseball, diving, swimming, hockey, soccer). Perhaps the manner in which running has been pursued can be seen as why she has been such a terrible lover, at least at times. But in the same breathe, let me add that when I come to call on my other lover (besides my wife) the less I give of myself the more it hurts every time. If I had enough energy and barring injury, every run would be quick paced because it is there where the most joy is to be had. Slowing too much, even a little bit, and suddenly my whole run turns into a morbidly painful shadow of what it would have been.

Bryan talks about running to keep the demons away... I think for now I'm going to talk about it as "keeping her happy." When she's not happy she seems only content to cause me immense pain (again, running, and not my wife). Look to new posts on - Running, My Lover

A Running Tradition

2009-09-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

BaddRunners: Bryan (#387, youngest son), Mel (#1, Father), Brett (#389, middle son.)
Growing up our parents were extremely supportive of any sports that my brothers and I wanted to pursue. They drove us all over the country for travel soccer games, ice hockey tournaments, baseball games, wrestling meets, cross country races and track meets. There was never any game too far or practice too early for them to drive us. During all of these athletic events, however, their fitness deteriorated.

It wasn't until about a year and half ago that my mom and dad made a conscious effort to get healthy. Since that time my parents have opened up their own workout business, eaten better and lost a lot of weight (over 70lbs in my fater's case.) They have also gotten into running. My father has been running pretty consistently for about a year and has been improving 15 seconds or so every race. His 5k personal best is about 22:15 or so. Not too shaby for someone in his late 50s that hadn't run since he was in the service in 1974!

In the case of our family the "running tradition" has gone in reverse, starting with the youngsters and spreading to the parents. We are extremely proud of the way our parents have revolutionized their lives. They have shown me that you can always challenge yourself in new ways. It is never too late to change your life for the better.

Running, Not Running, Running

2009-08-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

The summer is always difficult for me (Brett) to get in plenty of running because my job randomly takes me out of town with anywhere from 12-109 of my closest high school friends. Being a student minister has a lot of advantages and I enjoy the mess out of it, but trying to run when you are responsible for other people's children can be difficult to say the least (you cannot really just leave them by themselves and hope for the best - it's pretty much the opposite). So the only real option lies when they are still lying in bed asleep and of course on trips like these wake up time is usually pretty early - so it's rise before everyone else and get a run in or catch up on sleep so you can still drive the van without getting anyone killed.

It's a sticky situation and I usually compromise with one or two early morning runs. The funny part is that I usually notice two things when I manage to get one of these rare runs into the schedule: 1. Running is one of the best ways to see new places. 2. Running is one of the best ways to see new places.

Though these reasons seem the same, they are actually different. The first simply means what it says in that there is no better way to become acquainted with a new town then in going out for a run through it. Sometimes you get lost but you most definitely see a different version of it then when you drive through - I promise, it will change your life and your trip if you run through new places on vacation (you never know what experience you will have). The second reason is like the first but it means this - if I do not get a run in (especially over a few days) the way in which I see the new locale is going to vary much differently than if I get in some running. A light early morning run actually helps my mind and body to be much more focused throughout the day and I enjoy myself so much more than when I opt for another 30 minutes of sleep. Bryan calls this phenomenon his running demons, but for me it's just simple biology - my body feels sluggish if I miss my run, while on the contrary my body can last longer and feels ready to do more. (the above picture is from our New Orleans Katrina clean up trip this summer)

I know these things to be true and yet I still choose to sleep in on these trips under some false pretense that I will have more energy if I sleep. I fall victim to long bus rides or excuses that seem noble (like protecting children), but in all honesty I will most likely do better as a person (and therefore protect kids better) if I get an early morning run in before the day starts. Strange but true. How much of our life is this way? How often do we allow ourselves to be convinced, for whatever reason, to give up what our lives could be for something less? When will we wake up and start getting our runs in so we can really get our lives in? Anybody?

Maybe I just need a better alarm clock!

Back On The Horse

2009-07-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last November was probably the last time that I competed in a 5K. It's funny how it seems so foreign to me now. How quickly the body and mind forget. Anyway tomorrow I will finally toe the line again at the Hope 5k, a race here in Memphis that my mom puts on. The strange thing is that I really have no idea what kind of shape I am in for that distance. That is just one of the things that I love about running though. You never really know what to expect until you race a few times. That's just another reason why I don't like to race too often....it can be depressing to know you are out of shape even if it is true.

Meow I don't think that I am in bad shape, it's just that I don't think I'm in top shape. Sometimes I surprise myself though with these debut races. In fact in college one my nicknames was the Debut Kidd. Besides what are races really? They are supposed to be evaluations to see where you are and what you need to work on. That is why it is kind of important to decide which races you are trying to focus on. This race tomorrow is not one that I am really trying to kill so I have low expectations for myself. Strangely enough, sometimes those are the moments when people run their best.

Racing is always good for one's training though because it keeps you accountable. It can encourage you or humble you. It can sometimes be the kick in the pants you need to up your game. If you never race, there is really never a pressing need to get fitter. So get back on the horse like I am and see what your made of. Even though the truth can be ugly, at least you'll know where you are and where you need to go.

Start of the Hope 5k last year.

Stories from Past Runs: Falls

2009-06-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I've known some runners who fall more than others, some who fall quite often, and others who seem to never fall at all. I "fall" into the category of runners who fall about once a year. The particularly funny part about this is that I seem to have an internal gauge that starts alerting me around the eight month mark. A blinking red light will begin to flash in my mind that allows me the grace of knowing that a fall will be visiting me soon, or at least in the next few months.

The last fall I can remember was during the winter. Running in my fancy CWX tights (extra stability - you actually have to sit down to put them on b/c they are so tight) I went out for a nice eight miler with my brother Bryan. While pivoting to run around a corner my foot hit slippery mud and went flying out from underneath me. Wham - knee to pavement hard and then a roll.

While training for college I used to really enjoy running the Wolf River trail from Germantown Road to the bridge at Walnut Grove Road and back. I was doing almost all of my running on my own at the time and used to really move on that trail (the trail was always much nicer then which I attribute to my daily use). Great trail to get you totally in shade for eight miles, and it's nice because you have to pay attention to the roots, small jumps, quick turns, and logs! One wonderful run on that trail I was blazing along (it seemed fast to me but who knows) and had just reached a small portion of the run I always thought of as "safe." As I started speeding up on this nicely flat and smooth portion of the trail when I caught what had to have been the only small root on the trail for at least 100 meters. Usually I can roll pretty well and hop back up... I went flying straight out on my belley and slid for about six feet or so. All by myself I got up and looked around, brushed myself off, looked for blood, checked for injuries, and ran off in my embarrased stride.

The best I can remember: A leisurely stroll with my brother, a friend, and my wife on a bike (fiancee at the time). While moving up the sidewalk in Germantown Sarah was attempting to ride next to me so that we could talk. This proved to be a bad idea. It would have worked fine if not for the telephone poles that some jerk decided to place in the middle of the sidewalk. No I didn't hit a pole, but while looking over my shoulder to talk to Sarah while she held back to go around the pole is when I found some bricks. Have you ever seen those brick walls they have built all over Germantown neighborhoods that for some reason start off gradually at a foot high and work up to eight feet high? Well my foot somehow caught on this foot high wall and sent me flying into a tumultous tumble. Suddenly I was sitting down facing the road quite confused. I still have a scar on my back from where I skipped off the bricks.

Falls - only one thing happens every time - I have to get back up! Keep getting up folks.

Comment and tell me about your falls too! And look forward for more stories of more falls!

Up, Up and Away....

2009-06-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

So I have done a better job of getting my training sessions in...that is good news. Now it is time to decide when to get technical with my workouts. Since Boston I have really only done LSD (not the drug, the long slow distance.) There have been a few random tempos but nothing planned and no intervals. Every week I have been trying to slowly increase the amount of time that our runs last. That seems easier to me starting back than shooting for mileage. Meow we are up to running at least 50 minutes almost every session. So now the question is where do we go from here?

Today I ran with two other fellas...you know who you are...and we tossed in 4 x 200 meters after out run. I was just hoping to hit about 35 seconds for the distance. It always seems harder than you remember it when you start adding speed to your regiment. I thought I could cruise a 35 for a 200 no problem? But I'm sure everyone feels that way. So from here I'll most likely start making Tuesdays my track days and slowly start dialing up the intensity. If I can average an hour run a day, track workout on Tuesday, Tempo on Thursdays and a long run on Saturdays for a few weeks, then maybe I'll get in respectable 5k shape? I guess we'll see.

Sweat Out The Weakness...

2009-06-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

I've run for huge high school teams, small college squads and no team but my own. I've trained with my rivals, best friends and family. I always laughed at people who would miss a training day for no real reason at all. And yet suddenly I have become that guy who only runs when conditions are right. I'm not even talking about just the weather. I have to feel like running and have a group to meet up with. Several times recently I've found myself without a running buddy on a morning run and actually stayed in bed instead of hit the roads. What has happened to me? Did I get spoiled having a consistent group to train with during our recent marathon training? Has the 26.2 simply zapped my desire to get out there? Whatever the reason....or do we call them excuses....I've found myself in state of weakness.

The good news in all of this is that I've identified my weakness much as an alcoholic admits to his addiction. Apparently I'm addicted to comfort and idleness. Well I've decided to change. No longer will the weather influence my distance. I'll charge out in the rain and be washed clean of my laziness. I will sweat the weakness from my pours in the 100 degree heat. I call running the pain train for a reason. It's time to hop aboard and let out some steam. And I'm not referring to racing yet....you can't race mean until you train mean. Pain has to be practiced.

So all aboard....choo choo...

The Longest Run

2009-05-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

So when I literally ran into my first major injury of my running career I had to deal with a serious question: "What if I don't ever run again?" This question was difficult, unexpected, ill-timed, and above all one that I had no answer for in any way, shape, or form....

In 1999 as I entered my freshman year of college as a D-1 runner for the first time in my life, I started experiencing excruciating pain in my knee after 8-10 minutes of running. I successfully finished the first 5 mile run with the team and the next day hobbled in with an injury that would persist for the next 9 months, only to be relieved with surgery. Water running, stationary biking, massage therapy, stretching, chiropractics, total rest, rolling pins, tears, more water running, more massage, more stretching, more of anything you can think... were all of my attempts to solve the problem. Nothing. Surgery awaited me in the Spring.

A major part of this story is my becoming a Christian in December that same year. I say this because I do not think that personally I would have found an acceptable answer to my question had it not been for some major changes in my perspectives on things. After a life changing commitment to Christ my perspective on running began to shift. What had once been the center - the everything, was now just a gift that had been given to me to use. What if it never came back?

I remember vividly sitting with a Christian teammate and telling her that I was "Ok" with the fact that running might not be a part of my life anymore. After she yelled at me for a few minutes I explained to her that running had been too much in my life. It doesn't take a life altering spiritual event for most of us to realize that running, or some other hobby, has taken more of a prominent role in our lives than is appropriate. It might take that much to make you let go of it, but not for the understanding.

Running is great - I love to run. There are few things I love but the things I love I really really love. I'm grateful that I am able to once again run somewhat pain free, but I know that every day brings me closer to my last run. Will it mean the end of me? No - just a transition into a new me - and who knows, I might enjoy it more. For me the longest and most memorable run was the time I spent in between runs from August to June so long ago. When I finished that run I was never to be the same, in some ways that are still not clear. My running, when it came back, was forever changed, as I too will never be the same. When your last run comes, will it mean the end of you, or just the end of your running?

A Thousand Bostonians

2009-05-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Brett posting today:

It's interesting that the Boston marathon, and other races like it, set apart a certain group of runners from the rest. You have to qualify by time to run the race and therefore feel a special status has been granted based on your merit. In qualifying you have joined a special club of runners that not everyone can join. Not that you are an elitist or exclusive by nature, but maybe it feels good to know that you have accomplished something you can be proud of that not everyone and their brother can do.

The amazing part to me that I realized as I prepared, ran, and then discussed the Boston afterward is that the size of the special group you have joined is enormous! Not only that, there are many folks who have run the Boston marathon numerous times (6-9 times seems to be what I've heard from a few guys)! Man, talk about putting things into perspective. Don't get me wrong - I feel special, I really do. However, it is sobering as a runner to realize just how many talented runners there are out there running mile after mile. I was amazed most by the high number of Memphis runners who ran Boston just this year. I can think of around twenty people right now that ran, and some of those folks I just heard about the last few days so I am sure I'm missing a few.

I guess the point of this post is that it's pretty funny when runners try to get all cocky. Some runners have done amazing things but in the end we are all out there running miles. Recently I have found more inspiration in watching the difficult lifestyle changes that newcomers to running are making. The runner who has inspired me most recently is actually my father. With the opening of his new business, 50 and Fit, my father also started a new life not only in the fitness world as an owner, but he joined the running world too. He has not broken any world records, at least of which I'm aware, but he has lost 70 plus pounds and has changed his life style habits completely. Call him up and ask him about it - it's a great story! (I wanted to post some pics of him running - I'll try to find some and get them on here)

We all run, miles are miles - let's enjoy it. We can keep it competitive but fun at the same time. Let's all relax and "pound the pavement" (in the words of Bryan).

Not Running Can Be Your Best Training Tool

2009-05-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

All the time people come into the store and talk about how their running has plateaued and they just feel flat and tired. We talk through their training and I quickly realize that these people have been running for years at a time with no real break from their training. Most coaches and experts would agree that our bodies need rest between training cycles. I'm all for pushing the body's limits and running through pain, but breaks are essential for getting your body fresh so you can rebuild for the next racing season.

I plan about 4 weeks off from running each year whether I need it or not. I take 2 weeks off between training cycles and try to get about 2 cycles in on a calendar year. Then when I do start back I build up gradually, never increasing my intensity and my volume the same week. Sometimes if you take a step back like that you can step up when the time comes. It's just smart training and it keeps you fresh mentally because you're not always pushing for that PR. You have several months of easy running as you're getting back into the cycle. That's where I am right meow....fresh off the break and building up slowly.

Of course every runner is different and there are as many training regiments out there as there are runners....so to each their own...I'm just tellin you what has been working for this BaddRunner.

I had to....

2009-04-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

So we were scouring the internet for any do-gooders that took pictures of the mustache brothers in Boston - we found none... but I did find this, which came up due to Will's awesome mustache from the Boston marathon he ran while filming anchor man. Seriously though this is a pretty interesting blog with some research done on some famous folks and their marathon performances (times and all)!

Click here

The Safe Side of the Explosion.

2009-04-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

As you have already read from Brett's previous post, the marathon is not always your friend. This is probably more true for the Boston Marathon. There are a lot more hoops to jump through at Boston and therefore more variables to try to control. A lot of these were mentioned in Brett's post. Everything from getting in lines to be shuttled to the start, to jockeying for your proper position within your corral. There is a lot going on and everyone there thinks they deserve your spot in line. Not that people weren't nice, they were very supportive, but it is just that everyone at Boston has long since solidified their pre-race routine and tries hard to stick to it.

Under the circumstances I think my brother and got pretty close to doing everything right, especially for our first time at the big dance. Even getting most of it right didn't save Brett from a rough ride. This further proves my theory about the marathon....in the end it comes down to luck. You can do everything right...all the training, nutrition, sleep, etc...and in the end it is still just luck. Your body has to work with you that day. Other factors like weather can also torpedo your whole race.

Lucky for me Monday was a day that my body decided to behave itself, at least for the most part. I never felt as good as what I hoped I would at certain points in the race, but the discomfort was very manageable. My legs just seemed to latch on to 6:05 pace and hold on. In the end my time was not what I know it could be, but it was a very good showing. One advantage to getting stuck in the back of our corral was that I never ran out of people to gobble up. I seriously only recall one or two people that passed me the whole race. That means I gobbled up well over 1,000 people during my 26.2 mile trek.

Of course the fans were great too. They loved my manly mustache. The girls at Wellesley were begging for a kiss from the mustache, but the BaddRunner shot them down. I did them a favor. There is only one girl that can tame the mustache and that is Mrs. BaddRunner. Pretty much the entire race I felt like I was on TV because that kind of race environment you always picture on the big screen.

The last marathon I had done, my quads locked up at mile 20 and I was toast. So with 16 miles to go at Boston, I felt pretty good, but didn't want to get cocky. And of course the infamous heartbreak hill is about mile 20 or so. It wasn't really until mile 23 or so that I knew I was safe and was probably going to finish. It seemed like every time that I thought it was inevitable, something would creep up. I had a brief blurriness in my vision, a slight cramp, something that would remind me that I had to focus all the way through the finish line. Finally I began to recognize buildings in downtown Boston. After that I got a slight boost of adrenaline since I new the pain would soon be over. Plus the crowds grew even thicker and noise of their cheers seemed to propel me. Then suddenly my Boston was over.

I didn't think that I was in that much pain while I was running, even in those last miles, but once I stopped and walked the aches and cramps started coming. The one huge down side to Boston is that after you finish you have to walk a long way through a series of stations. You have to get your chip taken off, get your finishers medal, get your fluids, get your snacks, get your metallic blanky and finally get your bag that you checked at the start line. All of these stations seem like they are a half mile apart (they aren't really but after you complete a marathon everything seems far.) By the time I got to my bag of clothes the 15 mph wind hand blown my metallic blanky away and I was cold and staggering. Even then I still didn't lock up as bad as I had at my last marathon. It was just bearable enough that I was able to walk around until I found my wife, or I guess she found me? Then it wasn't long until Brett came by and we all boarded the train to go back to our hotel (technically a bed and breakfast.)

At first I wasn't overly satisfied with my race but the more I thought about it and the more others congratulated me, I began to be quite content. My goal was to turn in a faster time and higher place, but I guess sometimes you've got to accept the smooth ride and good fortune. So I'll take what Boston gave me this time, but Boston better not be surprised if I take more when, or if, I come calling again.

Wrong Side of the Explosion

2009-04-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

So I went to Boston for the overall experience. I really wanted to see the city, visit the sites, run the marathon, see the spectators... you know, really soak it in and not miss anything. And the city was great, I enjoyed the many different historical sites we were able to visit, I ran the marathon, was cheered on by many spectators... but perhaps I soaked in too much of the marathon itself. This post is an update on the marathon according to Brett (I'm sure Bryan will post his own update as well). The picture to the right is us trying to make it down the subway stairs after the race.

I've never seen so many people all gathered for the same amazing event before going to Boston. The whole process is really something and the people that put it on do a great job. Carting 25,000 runners from one place to the next and keeping them happy on race day is not the job I want, but they do it as well as probably it can be done. Bryan and I made it through the transportation and waiting fine - it was hard getting up at 5 am and waiting for hours outside before the race, but we made it.

We started near the back of our corral which kind of pissed me off a little bit especially considering that we went over when we were supposed to go - apparently others get there early (there's a sidenote for next time). But no big deal, just meant we had to start off a little easier and work our way through the countless jerks that somehow have managed to get themselves where they do not belong. I mean seriously it was ludicrous the number of people we had to run past at our given race pace that we qualified with until I was near people running the same pace. However we managed this part fine and were running just dandy.

And that's when my race explosion happened (explosion)! Around mile 9 I realized I was not going to make it without a bathroom stop, or as Bryan calls them, a bowel movement. Damn! I told Bryan to go on and I stopped. Talk about trying to keep your mind focused when you feel the clock raging in your mind - tick, tick, tick, tick, tick... DAMN! But I get moving again and with every ounce of my energy I try to stay on the same pace and not move too fast - still a long way to go.

But the explosion had happened and I was on the wrong side of it. From that moment on my stomach played games with me. Cramp after cramp came and went slowly building in my side and then fading away. My right arm pit start chaffing even though I had administered ample supply of body glide to all the right areas. My left pinky toe was obviously unhappy and I wondered if it was bleeding. And my neck of all things grew tight and I felt like it was locking up... and yet I was only to mile 14 or so... what the heck. I had done plenty of runs longer than this with no problem yet here I am and everything is falling apart. I thought to myself, "You've got to be joking." No, the joke had barely begun.

At mile 16 I stopped again - bathroom break number two and equally as necessary as the first one. Now it was hard to keep my mind even believing a good time was possible. I saw my mile splits slowing, my body kept inexplicably breaking down around me, and I couldn't even keep my insides still! I just kept telling myself - enjoy it, take it all in, absorb the fans and their calls, see the sights... but the pain was blinding me.... oh, and the cramp had come back but this time when I got to mile 20 it was unbearable. Now the joke was really starting to piss me off, I mean, come on! I had to stop again to walk the cramp off because I literally could not run through it - not unless I was going to count 8 minute pace as running. I walked, downed a cup of gatorade (oh, by the way I had been taking in fluids regulary), stretched my arms to the sky, and then after a minute or so started running again.

Not perfect but better. Just after this at mile 21 I saw Sarah - what a perfectly terrible moment to see her - did she see me walking? But at the same time her voice came to me, something she said before we left, "You are going to get that finisher's medal. I don't care if you have to crawl across the line pulling yourself with your elbows." It sounds harsh but it's actually what a marathoner needs to hear. I kept going even though it was barely a run. I did not even mind the chilly headwind that came at me the whole race, not compared to the pain.

Mile 23 t0 mile 24 - definitely the worst. Now the pain in my forefoot on both feet was getting so bad I was contemplating walking again. But at some point a fellow Memphis runner Scott Newberry came up from behind me. He was hurting pretty bad too and we tried to encourage one another by momentarily telling the other how bad we hurt. He passed me and I lingered behind him a few moments and then slowly realized something that I would not have if he had not got my mind working again. Two miles to go - I can run two miles. I CAN RUN TWO MILES! I started picking the pace back up, mostly because I knew if I ran faster the pain would end sooner.

Two miles never hurt so bad but never felt so great at the same time. Finally I knew I would finish and when I saw the time on the 24 mile mark I realized I could somehow still salvage a sub 3 hour performance. The math was not working too well but I new if I ran two 7 minute miles I would be just under 3 hours. I pressed on hard - well, as hard as I could. I'm sure it looked funny.

People yelled, "Go mustache," or "Hey, it's Pre" or "That's what I'm talking about - ya Mustache," and it all helped. But never have I done something, that I can remember, that was so much harder than it was supposed to be. The marathon reared it's ugly head at me and decided that on that day I was going to have to give more than usual just to finish. It was agony, it was terrible, it was surreal, it was unfair, it was challenging - I guess it was just a marathon.

But I got my finisher's medal, my wife shared my joy, I stumbled with my brother back to the hotel, and I had run the Boston Marathon. 2:53.33 - Boston took it to me... who knows if I will have enough courage to ever try and take it to Boston, but we will see.

Follow The BaddRunners During Boston!

2009-04-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Boston Marathon is scheduled to start at 10 am/ 9am central time. On race day you can go to the event's website and search the last name "Baddorf" and you can track our progress throughout the marathon. There will be four checkpoints, every 10k.

The website is www.bostonmarathon.org. They claim that if will be very self-explanatory on race day how to search for a participant. So check us out on the web and see if The Baddrunners are worth their name.

Bryan's bib number is 1521 and Brett's is 1460 just in case you need those for any reason. They cap the race at 25,000 runners and we are in the first wave of runners that starts at 10 (Boston time), while the next wave starts at 10:30.

Tick, Tick, Tick.......Boom!

2009-04-13T08:43:00.001-07:00

Down time before a big race is enough to drive you mad. I find it strange that running is a great stress reliever for me and because of the taper for Boston I am doing less of it, but stressing more because of the upcoming event! It just doesn't seem fair. I always joke with Brett saying that "ten miles a day keeps the demons away!" Meaning my demons of course. I'm not really that screwed up, but you know what I mean.

So now it's a waiting game. I just keep sitting around wondering if my various little pains are getting better? Hoping that I'm not coming down with something. Watching weather updates in Boston. I like a quote from The Untouchables when Sean Connery says "Don't wait for it to happen...don't even want it to happen. Just see and react to what does happen." I also like the Fog of War idea where no matter how good your plans are, they're going to go to hell once the battle starts. Eventually you've got to put things in God's hands and just do what you do.

I'm probably making me sound like more of a head case than I really am. I've always thought that I'm not really that talented of a runner, but I've performed better than others because I'm more stable mentally and don't get rattled in races too easily. In college our team would work with a sports psychologist and he would always talk about finding your optimal arousal level. Which basically refers to your level of mental and physical excitement before or during a race. I've always been good at controlling my emotions. Sometimes I'll make myself nervous if I feel like I don't care about a race, or I'll have to cool myself off if I'm thinking too much about an event. Be sure to use that term in conversation this week. Tell someone you're trying to find your "Optimal arousal level." You might get slapped depending on who you're talking to.

The ticks are running out meow and it's time to see if the explosion goes in my favor or no. I've had this theory that in the end marathons come down to luck. Sometimes you do everything right and still turn in a sub par performance and other races you are barely in shape and just rock out. I know that my brother and I are as prepared as we can be considering some minor injuries and what not. Now we're just waiting for the Boom!

(Picture above is from the 2007 Memphis Marathon where the explosion went against me.)
Bryan Baddorf

Tapering - convincing the body of the truth...

2009-04-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Taper....

So we ran 11 miles, or just under, today for our long run of the week - a good 7 miles less than our average long run for the past three months - a good 12 miles less than our two longest runs of the training year.

It's always funny to me when I taper. It's as though I expect for everything in my body to say, "Yes! I feel amazing - how can running get any better." And although that is of course how I'm going to feel in a week and a few days as I run the Boston marathon, today I feel as I usually do when I intentionally taper... kind of crappy.

I've come to the conclusion that one of the worst things that has ever happened to me in running is when my mind tries to anticipate how I'm going to feel in races - especially when I think I should feel good. Sometimes when I feel terrible I go out and run the race of my life. Just when my body says, "Don't even run today you fool, it's not worth it," is when everything falls into place. Sometimes I feel terrible and run like it.

In short, the lesson I'm trying to teach myself is that no matter how I feel or think I feel, the race itself is the only true indicator of my ability on that day. Positive self-talk seems to be the key to my problem. Positive self-talk - not tell myself I'm the king of the world and I'm always feel good bull crap you might be thinking of right now. No, positive self-talk simply acknowledges that negative self-talk is going on and addresses it in a positive manner. For instance, "Oh crap, it's raining and I always run bad in the rain." Instead of replying something foolish like, "Sweet rain," you can say something intelligent like "maybe I've run bad in the rain previously but today is a new story" (or a variation of that).

More posts are necessary on this topic but for now all I wish to say is this - while listening to your body can be bad (referencing Bryan's earlier post - click here), listening in to the self-talk going on inside your mind is always a good idea because you HAVE to respond to it. I'll end this post with an example from the run this morning.

"This 11 mile run should feel much easier... are you sure you are ready for Boston," is what my mind said. Instead of ignoring this thought I said verbally out loud to the group, "well my bodies at it again thinking that just because I'm tapering everything's going to feel awesome." And then to myself in my mind I added, "My body is just storing up energy for the long Boston race ahead," or in the words of my friend Butze, watch out Boston because "I'm going long, hard, and I'm hear to get the friction on!"

Boston Just Around the Mile

2009-04-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

I hope that miles are packed full of vitamin B and all of the other nutrients that one needs to live. As my training for the Boston marathon unfolds, I guess I could say that I’ve eaten more miles for breakfast these past few months than I have in a long time.

Today is April 6, 2009 and all I can think about right now is the Boston marathon. What a joy it is to step into such an historical tradition that this particular marathon offers. Finishing a marathon in general corrals a person into a special group of harriers that is esteemed and respected. After all the distance itself killed its first ever participant. I wonder how that conversation came up when folks decided to start the marathon distance again. “Sounds like fun. Sure it will be hard but in the end you will have accomplished something.” What would Pheidippides’ tell us on the matter? But there seems to be something even more special about the Boston marathon.

My mind remembers a comical yet dramatic running movie I watched called “Saint Ralph” that every runner should see (if you are not a runner you will miss some of the laughs). The movie follows a fourteen year olds attempt to train for and win the Boston marathon, who thinks that by winning will perform a miracle which in turn will heal his mother’s terminal illness. Ralph’s blind and seemingly misplaced faith that his performance will heal his mother gives him a single-minded focus on running the Boston marathon to win it. You will have to see the movie to find out what happens!

As I finish my own Boston training, I bring up this movie because of one simple fact. For this single race I have decided to train through and run through more pain that I ever have in my life. The pain I have felt in different places, and the amount of time that pain has lingered throughout my training, would have stopped me dead at earlier points in my career for fear of permanent injury. So what is it about Boston that holds my running entranced?

What is it about Boston that has even caused me to change my shoes from stability to neutral (which is big deal for me and makes me feel like I’m going crazy)? What is it about Boston that causes my running partner to train through what sounds like a stress fracture? What is it about Boston that compelled me to tell my wife months ago, “This is just something that I have to do darling,” when she reminded me that we could not really afford

the trip? And what is it about Boston that enabled her, through her disbelief at my stupidity, to finally say, “Ok. I’m going too.”

The more I prepare for this race the more mythical it feels. It is just another race after all, but somehow as it approaches it feels like I am embarking on a pilgrimage for authentic runner-hood that can only be found in a handful of places around the world. I suppose you could say that as a runner I feel like I’m getting ready to go home. Oh ya, and to follow up with Bryan's tradition, I hope I can control my bowel movements to a zero during the actual 26.2 miles at Boston!

And Ryan Hall is going to be there! Along with Kara Goucher and hopefully Bill Rodgers!

By Brett Baddorf

Over The Hump or Over The Hill....

2009-04-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears that our marathon training has finally turned the corner....the finish line is in sight. We've completed our final long run...or at least or last 20 plus mile run. With 20 days to go until Boston, now we are just concerned with maintaining fitness and getting fresh. If you ask me it's about time as well.

Our training has been good on paper, but it's been hard on the body. I'm only 26 but I can feel my body's regenerative capabilities slipping fast. I used to could do a hard effort and turn around the next morning and bust out a nice long run. Now I feel like I need 24 hours of recovery before I can do a run of any quality. So I am hoping that with the gradual taper that we've got coming up I'll begin to feel a bit refreshed. Overall I'm excited about the shape we're in but it seems like my body has gone in waves between nagging pains and smooth miles. I'm hoping that it's smooth miles from here on out.

Tapering has always been a sticky issue to me. In college I always felt like we tapered too much and my legs just felt confused and lazy. I think it is definitely different for each runner. One of my favorite coaches used to leave our workout schedules blank for the 24 hours preceding a race effort. When asked why he replied that we have to know our own bodies and learn what is the best way to get them primed for the big event. I like that approach. Some runners don't run the day before a race and some do. I like to do at least an easy 5 mile run to loosen the legs. You have to always put yourself in position to succeed in a race. That is the best strategy even after the race has started. Just keep yourself within range of success and sometimes you surprise yourself and pop a good one.

Since Saturday's 22 mile run I've been going through the check list trying to pick out which clothes I'm going to run in, how many energy gels, how much fluids, how many bowel movements I need to get out before I toe the line, etc. You've got to think of as many scenarios that might come up as possible. Nothing makes me more angry when I see a veteran runner make a stupid mistake that could have been avoided. It seems like every post I manage to work in my bowel movements. I apologize.

You get the idea....the finish line's in site and it's time to get everything in order. I always laugh inside when someone asks me if "I'm ready for the race." I try to answer honestly which is "not yet." Of course they act shocked and inquire why not. I explain that there is still a lot to do before race day. I have to hydrate, carb load, lube up, pack my bags, get my legs fresh, etc. I know I seem neurotic, but it's just the preparation mentality that I always go through before a big race. You can't skip ahead in the process....just gotta go through the check list.

I guess I'll see how the taper treats me and hope that I've drilled 6 minute miles into my legs enough for the long haul.

Listening To Your Body Is a Waste of Time...

2009-03-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

People are always saying "listen to your body"....I'm just wondering when my body is going to listen to me. It seems unreasonable for me to always listen to its demands and for it to never fall in line with my wishes. For instance I would like to have just one week that I can run and not feel some kind of nagging pain or injury. That wish has gone unfulfilled since I began running thirteen years ago.

One quote that I always think about when my body starts complaining to me goes something like this: "Listen to my body! If I listened to my body I would be on the couch eating bon bons." How true. In fact most of the population listens to their bodies a little too well I think. Besides I think fighting against my body's wishes is the single thing that I love most about running. It separates the quick from the ordinary. Even when you are feeling healthy your body tries to get you to ease up during a tough effort. The mind control that it takes to push your body beyond that comfort zone is what turns an okay time into a new personal best.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in the end....your body is not your friend. In fact it might be the biggest enemy of your running. Therefore you must treat it as such. You have to mislead it the best you can by giving it what it needs to operate but then trick it into giving you back much more. It won't give you control easily....you'll have to work at it. Another favorite quote of mine that I heard at my store's running camp a few years ago says, "pain has to be practised." That is probably the best training advice that I've ever heard.

Forgive my sinister view of a runner's body, but I haven't been getting along with mine this training season. I've had two pretty bad foot pains that have come, gone, come and kind of gone. It's hard to hit 20 mile plus runs when you can barely walk. I tend to run through more injuries than your average person and usually it turns out okay. I have never had any stress fractures that I know of and no major surgeries.

Obviously I am exagerating a little to get my point across. I still miss the occasional training session. I still stretch, ice and get massages and what not. So you still need to "listen to your body" I guess. I just think most runners are tuned in too much to the whims of the flesh. We should consider our bodies' opinions, but in the end make the choice for ourselves. We also always need to keep in mind....our body can be our worst enemy.

Runs on the Runs!!!

2009-03-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

The past four months or so I have been training exclusively for the Boston Marathon with this group pictured above. Not all of them are running the Boston, some will be doing the Nashville Marathon that takes place the following week. We're all in pretty solid shape and should see a bunch of us go at least 2 hours and 50 minutes or so. My bother and I have high hopes of a low, possibly even sub 2:30. Only time will tell.

We've already knocked out some solid long runs ranging from 17-23 miles with some tempo pace worked in there. This morning, however was a different story. We did a 18 miler and felt like crap....literally. I think I stopped at least 4 times to relieve myself during the run. Of course all serious runners have encountered this problem, but it still doesn't mean it's enjoyable. I don't so much mind doing my business in public, but it really throws your pace off when you have to squat in the bushes. I guess it's better now than at Boston.

Sorry for the crude topic of this post, but hey....that's the reality of the runs!

The Starting Gun!

2009-03-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Every runner knows the gut-wrenching feeling you get right before the gun goes off during a race. I sort of feel that right now as I launch my first blog post. Several people I know have encouraged me to "toe the line" in the blog world....so here we go.

Hopefully this blog will be a brutally honest look at the life of a serious, lifestyle runner. I'll do my best to mention everything that I encounter throughout my miles....embarrassing or not. It is also my hope that people will enjoy my posts and maybe even take some inspiration from them.

I guess today's helpful tip for you "fair weather" runners is get goin'. With the weather improving there are no excuses....or at least less excuses. Even my wife, that has a strict no-sweat policy went out for a fitness walk last night. So get out there and get some mileage in...1 mile, 2 miles, 10 miles...doesn't really matter, just get started.

See you out on the roads...

Baddrunner