Good morning! Myles is resting in his rightful place, my lap, as I type a short blog this morning. First, I have to say Happy Birthday to my Mom! She turns 29 today. Ever heard of Benjamin Button? My Mom is the real life female version. She just keeps getting younger. It's amazing. Really it is.
Today is the last day of August and typically on the last day of the month I rest--especially if I've already hit my monthly mileage goal. This months goal was 200 miles and I ran 238.3, which is great considering that August is so busy for me with Res Life training and opening. Anyway, I fully intended to run this morning and even laid my stuff out for the morning. On my way to bed, though, I made a pit stop (use your imagination) and happened to pick up an article I had been reading in Running Times about Ian Sharman, a successful ultramarathon runner. I only looked at one page but in 20 point font in bold I read a quote: "I've learned that all the other stuff you do is wasted if you don't allow the body time to recover properly..." Wow! It was like a sign from the Running Gods. I've been running a lot lately and have run 677.3 miles since June 1 after running 585 miles in the first five months of the year. Almost 100 more miles in the last three months than in the first five months of the year. I've also run 48 double digit mile runs (over 10 miles) since June 1. I noticed that I've been a bit more sore than usual over the past few days. So...when I read that quote, I was like okay I'm going to take off a day. Whew.
I constantly battle with running just the right amount. Specifically, I need to run the miles and workouts to hit my goal pace for the Monumental Marathon on 11/5, but at the same time I don't want to over train and injure myself. It's SUCH a fine line and I really rely on my instincts to tell me when to take a break. However, sometimes there are signs that just pop out in front of you in the most random places (For example, in the bathroom before bed). Anyway, I'm a big believer in signs and things happening to give you direction--sometimes they are just subtle or in unexpected places.
I hope that you have a wonderful day. Keep your eyes open for signs and happy running to you...
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A Year with Myles...
Good Morning! Hope that you are well. This morning I ran 15.25 miles and it was a beautiful morning for it. I woke up early, took Myles out to potty, stretched, and then just went for it. This week I ran 59.85 miles and have now run over 1240 miles for the year. Just running along...
One year ago today, August 28, 2010, my life changed in a way that I could not possibly imagine at the time. Sarah and I were getting ready to cook some dinner and I had fired up the grill. I had started on a beer and was checking the players I picked up in the fantasy football league draft that I play with some of my friends. Sarah looked at me and said, "Josh, what do you think about this one?" I walked over to her computer, took one look at the picture, and said, "let's go." Very quickly, Sarah and I packed a quick sandwich and some chips, I grabbed some water while putting the beer in the fridge, and we drove to the north side of Indianapolis. When we entered the place where he was I was so nervous. Very quickly, we saw him, picked him up, and as Sarah held the little one in her arms I knew he was going to be our little puppy. I kid you not--one and a half hours after seeing Myles online, we were sitting at our place in downtown Indy with an eight week old puppy. We were happy, nervous, scared of screwing it up, but mostly just happy. It took a couple days for us to name him, but finally we settled on Myles after considering names like Indy, Desmond, and Charlie. Myles just stuck and it's a perfect name for our perfect boy.
The last year has been wonderful and the impact Myles has had on my life has been immeasurable. I know that I carry on and on about him on this blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter (he has his own account: @MylesTweetz), and I would imagine it's difficult to understand if you don't know Myles and you don't know me. But...if you know me well and you've met Myles, then you know first-hand what an impact he's had on me. I thought about composing three lessons he's taught me and writing about each one. However, I think the impact Myles has had can be summed up in one simple story. Everyday when I come home from work, Myles greets me with unbridled enthusiasm, untempered excitement, and pure love. When Sarah comes home, he greets her with the excitement and energy that would make you think he'd not seen her in a thousand years. Quite simply, Myles is love and he treats Sarah and I like we all would like to be treated. That, in itself, has helped me take things less seriously, come home from work earlier to care for him, and he's helped me improve my level of patience (OH, the joys of Potty Training and Doggie School!). I feel so very responsible for Myles and having him and knowing how much he depends on Sarah and I to come through for him has really helped me achieve some balance, both at work and with my mental mindset. It's tough to be too awfully upset about anything when Myles runs to you, rubs his head and nose against your arms, and just rolls at your feet all because you came home to see him. You see, Myles understands what many of us don't: everyone wants to be treated like they are someones "most important" person and it's great to be able to make someone feel that way. Myles makes me feel that way every single day and that's an absolute gift.
Well, once again I have gone on and on about my Myles. And...yes, I'm well aware that to the outsider and perhaps to the insider I seem completely ridiculous. But...there are a few of you who know Myles and you probably feel exactly the same way I do. And that provides me with some hope that my grip on my sanity is quite tight. Have a great week and happy running to you...
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| August 28, 2010 |
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| August 27, 2011 |
The last year has been wonderful and the impact Myles has had on my life has been immeasurable. I know that I carry on and on about him on this blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter (he has his own account: @MylesTweetz), and I would imagine it's difficult to understand if you don't know Myles and you don't know me. But...if you know me well and you've met Myles, then you know first-hand what an impact he's had on me. I thought about composing three lessons he's taught me and writing about each one. However, I think the impact Myles has had can be summed up in one simple story. Everyday when I come home from work, Myles greets me with unbridled enthusiasm, untempered excitement, and pure love. When Sarah comes home, he greets her with the excitement and energy that would make you think he'd not seen her in a thousand years. Quite simply, Myles is love and he treats Sarah and I like we all would like to be treated. That, in itself, has helped me take things less seriously, come home from work earlier to care for him, and he's helped me improve my level of patience (OH, the joys of Potty Training and Doggie School!). I feel so very responsible for Myles and having him and knowing how much he depends on Sarah and I to come through for him has really helped me achieve some balance, both at work and with my mental mindset. It's tough to be too awfully upset about anything when Myles runs to you, rubs his head and nose against your arms, and just rolls at your feet all because you came home to see him. You see, Myles understands what many of us don't: everyone wants to be treated like they are someones "most important" person and it's great to be able to make someone feel that way. Myles makes me feel that way every single day and that's an absolute gift.
Well, once again I have gone on and on about my Myles. And...yes, I'm well aware that to the outsider and perhaps to the insider I seem completely ridiculous. But...there are a few of you who know Myles and you probably feel exactly the same way I do. And that provides me with some hope that my grip on my sanity is quite tight. Have a great week and happy running to you...
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Red Mile...
Good morning! Hope you are well. Now that move-in is over and training for our staff is over I hope to be able to blog. August has been great and I'm very proud of our staff. Running has been going well too. I've been able to put in the miles and I'm now just 11 weeks from the Monumental Marathon.
This week I started what I call marathon specific training: training many miles at the pace I hope to run. The two major sessions I'll do in addition to my normal runs are tempo runs (running continually at race pace for a few miles) and mile repeats (running at marathon pace for X number of miles with little rest in between). My goal race pace is about 6 minutes a mile--which is brisk. On Monday I ran a 4 mile tempo run and averaged 5:55/mile for 23:40 for 4 miles. Today I ran what I'm calling the Red Mile Workout! It's running a mile at race pace with a one minute rest in between each mile. Today I ran 10 of them. I was not sure how it would go, but here is how I fared:
5:55, 5:39, 5:55, 5:47, 6:00, 5:48, 6:00, 5:50, 5:56, 5:52
I was very happy to hit every single one at 6 minutes or better. I do need to work on getting the miles a bit closer. But...the odd miles were uphill and the even miles were downhill so that accounts for much of the variance. All in all, this was a very successful workout.
I have to be honest. This goal of trying to run a 2:39 or better marathon time scares me. It really does. I've run a 2:48 and that was great, but it was well within my capability. This 2:39 would be such an accomplishment, it would push my limits, and it requires such tough effort. Basically, I'm spending 6 months training just for one race. As I've thought about this goal I have thought about readjusting it. But...I know deep down I can do it if I push myself, if I sacrifice, if I'm mentally tough. And...shouldn't a goal that is worth something to you scare you a bit? If it does not scare you just a bit, then maybe the goal is not enough? In my life, I've not regretted much. The only thing I ever regretted was being too scared to walk on the IU Cross Country Team. I was invited, but I was afraid of failing and chose not to do it. That has truly been my only running regret. And now...as I have set this ambitious goal I'm once again feeling that way...just a bit scared. This time, though, I plan to fight for it, to sweat for it, to gut it out, and to mentally commit to the goal. At the end of the day, I'd rather go 100% after something rather than to go 90% and reach it easily. The Red Mile will help me get there!
Thanks to those of you who read my blog. Set a goal today that scares you just a bit and happy running to you...
This week I started what I call marathon specific training: training many miles at the pace I hope to run. The two major sessions I'll do in addition to my normal runs are tempo runs (running continually at race pace for a few miles) and mile repeats (running at marathon pace for X number of miles with little rest in between). My goal race pace is about 6 minutes a mile--which is brisk. On Monday I ran a 4 mile tempo run and averaged 5:55/mile for 23:40 for 4 miles. Today I ran what I'm calling the Red Mile Workout! It's running a mile at race pace with a one minute rest in between each mile. Today I ran 10 of them. I was not sure how it would go, but here is how I fared:
5:55, 5:39, 5:55, 5:47, 6:00, 5:48, 6:00, 5:50, 5:56, 5:52
I was very happy to hit every single one at 6 minutes or better. I do need to work on getting the miles a bit closer. But...the odd miles were uphill and the even miles were downhill so that accounts for much of the variance. All in all, this was a very successful workout.
I have to be honest. This goal of trying to run a 2:39 or better marathon time scares me. It really does. I've run a 2:48 and that was great, but it was well within my capability. This 2:39 would be such an accomplishment, it would push my limits, and it requires such tough effort. Basically, I'm spending 6 months training just for one race. As I've thought about this goal I have thought about readjusting it. But...I know deep down I can do it if I push myself, if I sacrifice, if I'm mentally tough. And...shouldn't a goal that is worth something to you scare you a bit? If it does not scare you just a bit, then maybe the goal is not enough? In my life, I've not regretted much. The only thing I ever regretted was being too scared to walk on the IU Cross Country Team. I was invited, but I was afraid of failing and chose not to do it. That has truly been my only running regret. And now...as I have set this ambitious goal I'm once again feeling that way...just a bit scared. This time, though, I plan to fight for it, to sweat for it, to gut it out, and to mentally commit to the goal. At the end of the day, I'd rather go 100% after something rather than to go 90% and reach it easily. The Red Mile will help me get there!
Thanks to those of you who read my blog. Set a goal today that scares you just a bit and happy running to you...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
HRL: The Wall...
Happy Sunday evening to you. I apologize to those who like reading my blog for the lack of posting. This time of year is my busiest and it's tough to write. I did have a great week of running. I ran 60.2 miles and have run 115 miles over the past two weeks. Lots of running early in the morning at 5a before the sun rises.
We are a little over half way in our Student Staff Training and we just returned from camp today. We take our staff to Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, In. It's a terrific place and our host, Neal Morehead, is absolutely terrific. We take our staff to camp so that we can continue our development as a team. If you follow this blog, then you know I think of our HRL Program as special and I saw so much of that this weekend. Neal challenged our 48 person group to tackle an activity for our final activity of our ropes course segment called "The Wall." In running, "The Wall" is often referred to as that point in the marathon that you just don't think you can get over. At camp, "The Wall" was a 12 foot wall that had to be scaled without any assistance other than people and it was tough. In fact, there were a good number of people who were hesitant to try. In my mind, I worried that if we tried this and it did not go well then what would that do to our team. Wow...what happened during the activity was amazing. The group came together and quickly decided that rather than have a goal of everyone having to scale the wall--an all or nothing goal--that the goal should be for us to get those over the wall who wanted to go and for everyone to find a way to assist in that goal. Everyone contributed by either lifting, spotting, pulling, cheering, supporting or climbing. And...everyone felt encouraged and valuable, and everyone helped us succeed. There was a point in which one of the staff members took a risk and climbed the wall despite being very nervous. This picture defines what that moment was like when she did it--a moment of celebration for something she wasn't quite sure if she could do.
As each person helped our team achieve something that was challenging, I felt our team grow stronger, closer, and ready to do well this year. Driving home I made a comment that we "really have a chance for something special this year." Very quickly I said, "well, we had something very special last year too." Then...the person and I talked about how nice it was to be working in an environment was there was a culture of "building something special" every year.
Camp once again reminded me of how lucky I am to work with the HRL Staff at IUPUI. We truly have a special family and I love the enthusiasm and pride displayed by our staff. This week was so cool because as we trained our new team, I received at least 10 correspondences (some in person) from former staff members who wanted to check-in on training, say hello, and just remain active. I love it and it makes me proud of the people who helped build our team--past and present--and the folks who are working hard each day to help us develop a great place for our residents. Have a wonderful Sunday evening. I probably will not blog again until after opening (8/20). Happy running to you...
We are a little over half way in our Student Staff Training and we just returned from camp today. We take our staff to Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, In. It's a terrific place and our host, Neal Morehead, is absolutely terrific. We take our staff to camp so that we can continue our development as a team. If you follow this blog, then you know I think of our HRL Program as special and I saw so much of that this weekend. Neal challenged our 48 person group to tackle an activity for our final activity of our ropes course segment called "The Wall." In running, "The Wall" is often referred to as that point in the marathon that you just don't think you can get over. At camp, "The Wall" was a 12 foot wall that had to be scaled without any assistance other than people and it was tough. In fact, there were a good number of people who were hesitant to try. In my mind, I worried that if we tried this and it did not go well then what would that do to our team. Wow...what happened during the activity was amazing. The group came together and quickly decided that rather than have a goal of everyone having to scale the wall--an all or nothing goal--that the goal should be for us to get those over the wall who wanted to go and for everyone to find a way to assist in that goal. Everyone contributed by either lifting, spotting, pulling, cheering, supporting or climbing. And...everyone felt encouraged and valuable, and everyone helped us succeed. There was a point in which one of the staff members took a risk and climbed the wall despite being very nervous. This picture defines what that moment was like when she did it--a moment of celebration for something she wasn't quite sure if she could do.
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| Pure Elation! |
Camp once again reminded me of how lucky I am to work with the HRL Staff at IUPUI. We truly have a special family and I love the enthusiasm and pride displayed by our staff. This week was so cool because as we trained our new team, I received at least 10 correspondences (some in person) from former staff members who wanted to check-in on training, say hello, and just remain active. I love it and it makes me proud of the people who helped build our team--past and present--and the folks who are working hard each day to help us develop a great place for our residents. Have a wonderful Sunday evening. I probably will not blog again until after opening (8/20). Happy running to you...
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| Many of the 2011-12 HRL Staff Team |
Sunday, August 7, 2011
In the first week of August...
Good Morning! Hope that you are well. The first week of August is in the books and it's off to a fast paced beginning at work. August is brutal for Housing and Residence Life--especially for our department this year as we sandwiched an office move in the first week of August. Whew. Still, was a great week on the roads. I ran 55 miles this week and have now run 1079.9 miles for the year. I have not done three best in a few weeks so here's my three best:
- Sarah being back from Milwaukee. It's been nice having her back as I missed her while she was gone. We are about to enjoy a little French Toast Breakfast before I head into work for a move-in today.
- New Staff Training: The energy displayed by our student staff keeps me extremely motivated and energized. It's a wonderful group and they did not make too much fun of me for my "eggs in the basket" faux pas.
- Friday Night Lights: If you read this blog then you know that I love the show Friday Night Lights--which ended this year. The show touches a lot of topics including personal decision making. The coach, Coach Taylor, and his wife, Tammy Taylor, are often presented with challenges and opportunities. I will say that this week I called upon a couple of story lines from the show to help me with a decision I needed to make. At the end of the day, I think I made the correct, but difficult, choice. Now...I'm not suggesting that I make tough choices based off of a TV show, but sometimes shows have a way of previewing the way things could work out and Friday Night Lights does that well.
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