#3 Best for Week...

Good morning!  Hope that your Sunday is going well.  I ran an easy 6 mile run this morning to finish up my week at 50.2 miles total for the week.  I can really feel my legs getting stronger.  My goal was to run 200 miles in June and I'm over half way there.  Should be able to reach that goal.

Dad with his three kids

Today is Father's Day and I thought a lot about that on my run today.  To best tell you about my Dad, I'll have to share a story.  Last week I played in a tennis tournament in honor of my friend Luke.  At the start of the match I looked over and sitting in the stands next to Sarah was my Dad.  I was surprised because I knew his office was open on Saturday and he needed to be there.  Yet, there he was sitting on the bleachers watching his 34 year-old son hack away at a tennis ball.  As I thought about that while I was running this morning, it just got me thinking about my Dad.  You see, as a kid growing up my Dad was always in the stands (with my Mom) cheering me on--and for my sister and brother in their sports as well.  When I played baseball he was there.  When I played basketball he was there.  Heck, a few times when I ran the Owensboro 10 Mile Road Race he got on his bike and rode along and cheered for me.  My Dad has always been and continues to be interested in our lives and that is absolutely amazing!  I'm a very lucky guy!

Here are my three best for this week:

1. Father's Day!  Of course, it's great to think about my Dad and about Sarah's Dad.  Both of us are fortunate to have wonderful fathers.
2. Summer Staff:  I tell you what.  We have a ton of projects at work right now--some expected and others a surprise.  We are short-staffed right now.  But...the folks who are remaining and that have stepped up are amazing.  I don't want to single any one individual out on my blog, but I'll talk about what I'm seeing.  We have a grad who graduated and has a job already and could go half-speed, but he instead took on the Upward Bound assignment and is working for HRL as well and is busting his tail.  We have the grad who is coming back for a second year and he just steps up whenever asked without any sort of drama and he's leading our summer resident experience efforts.  We've got the undergrad team that is hole punching documents to remove sensitive information.  We've got the undergraduate team that cleans rooms.  We've got the undergraduate team that answers phones in the Contracts Office and the undergrad team that helps move furniture or work on random Josh projects.  We've got the Corner undergraduate manager who just keeps the place running.  And...of course, we have Kat--who does whatever it takes.  When I think about all of these folks stepping up it makes me smile! 
3. Finally, The Myles First Birthday Photo Montage!  Myles's first birthday is one week from today!  I cannot believe he'll be a year old!  I've been working on a photo show to music and I'm pumped about it.  I cannot wait to release it next week.  This little guy has brought so much joy to our lives and I love him very, very much.

Have a wonderful day.  To you father's out there:  Happy Fathers Day!  To everyone else...happy running to you...

Three Best for Last Week...

Good evening.  Hope you are doing well.  It's been a few days since I last posted a blog.  I was out of town last weekend and did not have time to post.  Today, I ran 10.3 miles and continued my streak of running 10 miles to start my Monday (six weeks in a row).  Here are my three best for last week:

1. Playing in Goodfellows Club Luke Woodward Classic:  This is a tennis tournament that is in honor of one of my good friends from high school.  There were a bunch of us who played this past weekend in the tournament and it was a hoot.  We had a great time and had fun playing tennis and then hanging out.  For those who knew Luke, he was a tremendous person and friend.  This tournament was fantastic.  Mind you, I've not played tennis since 1994 and I was awful.  As someone put it, "I saw this really athletic guy out there and thought it was a shame he could not play a lick of tennis."  Ha Ha. 
2. Visiting Owensboro and seeing friends and family.  Sarah, Myles, and I visited Owensboro for the Tennis Tournament and it was nice to see some family that I've not seen a few months.  I had a great time.
3. The Bachelorette being on.  JUST KIDDING.  Seriously, Running 50.3 miles last week.  For the first time in about three  years I ran 50 miles in a week.  It felt good and my legs are really starting to benefit from the increased mileage volume.  I'm trying to run 200 miles in June.  So far, off to a great start.

I hope that you have a great evening and start to your week.  I promise to blog a bit more this week.  Enjoy this picture of Mr. Myles and his new haircut!

His Haircut Costs More Than Mine:  REDONCULOUS!

Smurf Shoes...

Good morning!  Hope that you are doing well and enjoying the first Sunday morning in June.  I had a 4.5 mile recovery run this morning and ended a great week of training:  48.5 miles run this week.  This is the third time in four weeks I've run 40 miles or more.  So...here goes.  My race update!

Smurf Shoes, Glove Socks!

First and foremost:  Smurf Shoes.  Last week I went to Bluemile in Broadripple and tried on the new Nike Pegasus running shoes.  They felt great, were light, and well cushioned.  They were also Smurf Blue.  I love them.  I know, can you imagine me wearing blue shoes?  I bet they would sell out of these in Lexington or any town sans Louisville in the great state of Kentucky.  Regardless, I love my smurf shoes.  The race yesterday went pretty well.  First off, it was hot--88 degree and humid hot.  I knew at the start line that I'd have to pace myself well.  In my head the real trade off I was making was try and average around 6 minutes a mile and break 30 minutes or start a bit slower and see what happens.  Gun went off and we started the race.  I felt really good the first mile and hit a 6:09 for the first mile and was in 7th place.  Then....I got carried away.  I picked up my pace and ran a 5:39 second mile and was in a very solid 5th place.  The third mile was run in 6:09 and that was 17:58 for three miles.  Not too bad.   However, my breathing was labored, my legs felt like jelly, and the fourth mile was rough.  I ran a 6:47 4th mile and could feel my 5th place standing in real jeopardy.  The heat kicked my tail on the 5th mile and I was just done.  I struggled to run a 6:59 last mile for a 31:45 time and a 7th place finish.  I did not finish the way I had hoped and probably would have finished 5th had I not pushed the second mile.  Running is funny.  After 100s of races and 23,000 miles of running I can still make a very simple mistake.  The lure of feeling good early in a race sometimes makes you forget that you'll pay if you don't pace right.  Being off on my pacing is typically how my first race of the season goes.  If I waited until I was in perfect shape to race, then I'd never race.  Getting out there and getting after it is much more important than running the perfect race.  To put it in perspective, typically in a five mile race I would run each mile within 10 seconds of each other.  Yesterday, there was a 1:20 difference between my fastest and slowest mile--yes, I have some work to do.  Overall, though, I am proud to have finished 7th out of 295 people.  I ran three miles at my goal marathon pace and I have five months to get ready.  This is a great starting point. 

Before diving in to my #3 best for the week I wanted to write a couple comments about Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel who resigned this week in the face of a NCAA Investigation.  For me, Jim Tressel resigning was inevitable.  Honestly, it's not because his players traded OSU memorabilia and bowl game rings for tattoos and cash.  It's not because the OSU players were driving cars from a local car dealership without paying.  For me, it's that when Jim Tressel was presented with the information last fall he did not do the right thing.  Coach Tressel could have notified his compliance office and the NCAA.  If he had done that, then the players would have been suspended.  But...Jim Tressel would still have a job, would be seen as extraordinarily ethical, and the good name of Ohio State would not have a huge blemish.  Instead, he covered it up and lied about it. Jim Tressel is an influential coach and was charged with the responsibility of coaching and developing young men.  Part of that development has to be development of character.  By not stepping up and telling the truth, Jim Tressel did everyone of those young men a disservice.  Coach Tressel let winning become more important than doing the right thing.   In my line of work--working with college students--I am always talking about doing the right thing even if it's the hard thing to do.  As a society, we don't teach this concept enough.  One of the most influential individuals in my life was my high school cross country coach (as referenced above).  While I will not go into specifics on this blog, I know for a fact that when presented with ethical challenges Coach Rowe always went the hard way and erred on the side of accountability.  I also know that he probably could have had a couple more state titles if he ignored character type issues.  However, for him teaching young men about character was more important than simply winning.  For me, that lesson is one I remember and is far more significant than winning a cross country meet or state title.  Being able to win in running comes and goes.  Having character and always doing what's right stays with you forever.  And that...folks...is why I'm so adamant that Jim Tressel needed to be gone--it's not what the players did but rather that he lied.  Lying is unacceptable and winning can never become more important than character.

Three best for the week:





Spent At End of Race


1. Sarah!  She came to my race last night and brought Myles.  It was not easy because it was hot and humid and there were 100s of people.  Myles is not the easiest to deal with in the heat.  I was very glad to see her at the end of the race and happy she came!
2. Racing!  I enjoyed being able to race.  It was great.  Enough said.
3. HRL Student Staff:  Their work, dedication to attending interviews to help us select RD, and just their commitment to giving their best effort is humbling to me.  Even the undergraduate student staff that have graduated have not checked out.  Their work speaks volumes about their character and it's been needed as I've used some of them more than others.

Have a great week.  Happy running to you.

A Great Week...

  

Sarah & I at Dinner



Happy Indianapolis 500 Sunday to you!  Myles and I are ready to write a blog post for today.  I ran about six miles this morning and could not help but notice all of the vehicles headed to the track.  It's a fantastic experience.  Have fun race fans.  Yesterday, Sarah and I made the trek back to Indy after about 8 days of vacation.  The stats for vacation:  2400 miles, 11 states, 2 books on tape, lots of laughs, lots of fun, great time with our family.  I posted runs this week in North Carolina, Florida, and Indiana.  Here are my three best for the week:

 One, spending time with family.  During the first part of our vacation we headed to North Carolina to spend time with Sarah's Grandmother and Sarah's Dad.  As I stated last week, it was a real blessing to be able to be there.  For the last two-thirds of our vacation we were in Destin, Fl with my Mom, Dad, brother, sister and brother-in-law.  We enjoyed being able to spend time walking on the beach, reading good books, eating nice meals, riding jet skis, and indulging in some adult beverages.  On our last day we were enjoying the final moments on the beach and we had a nice time reflecting and just enjoying the moment.  It was probably the first time in about a decade that we were all able to go on vacation and just spend some time together without being rushed.  All in all, we were very fortunate to have been able to have gone on a nice vacation.  Back to medical school (Year 4) for Sarah and to work for me.



Me, Jennifer, & Jonathan on the last evening



Two, the HRL Team at IUPUI.  One of the major reasons I was able to leave for a week is because I have a great group of leaders.  Before I left I sat down with our Res Life Supervisory Team and went over the list of goals we needed to accomplish to keep things moving while I was gone.  On Monday when checking my email (for a VERY short time), it was clear by the email traffic that they were out there doing their best to move things forward.  It's very nice to know that I don't always have to be there for Res Life related tasks to move forward.  When I was younger in my career I was under the false impression that the show could not go on without me and I thought that was somehow a good thing.  Now, I realize that one's leadership effectiveness can be measured by how the people you lead perform when you are not there.  By all accounts, my team did great work and I'm very proud of them.

Three, the Myles Caretaking Team led by Kat and Hilda.  Many of you asked on Facebook, "what about Myles."  Yes, Sarah and I were a bit sad to leave Myles as we love him very much.  However, we left Myles under the care of two OUTSTANDING individuals.  Kat did a great job of taking care of Myles through the first part of our vacation and Hilda took over for a majority of the week.  They sent videos, pictures, and text updates.  Both Hilda and Kat patiently responded to my texts saying "how's Myles?"  It's tough to care for another person's dog because you just want everything to go well.  It was very clear when we returned yesterday that Myles had been in great care.  I know that for both Sarah and I we were able to enjoy our time away because we knew that Myles was in the best hands possible.  Thanks to both of them!

I hope that you have a fantastic Sunday and Memorial Day weekend.  Happy running to you!

Sarah went to UGA, My Dad and I to IU, My Mom, Sister & Brother to UK.  What a random picture!





#3 Best for Week...

Good morning. I'm typing from my iPhone so this will be a short post. Just finished a nice 5 mile run in Greenville, NC through the East Carolina University campus. Is so pretty. We are visiting Sarah's Grandmother who lives in Greenville. Sarah's Grandfather used to be the Dean of the School of Medicine at ECU. So cool. I love running through college campuses--especially when they have meaning. Another Sarah/Josh fun fact: we both had Grandfathers who were Deans on college campuses.

3 Best for the week:

One: Running went very well as I ran 40.25 miles and had three days running 10 miles. Overall, I've now run over 530 miles for 2011.

Two: Seeing Sarah's Grandmother. Heck, she's like my Grandmother too. We love her very much and it's been a nice visit. Her humor, wit, intellect, and genuine kindness are unmatched. It's been fun seeing where she lives for the first time. Sarah's Dad gave us quite a nice tour.

Three: Another driving adventure with Sarah. We've driven coast to coast and we are on another summer trip. We've seen some cool places along the way. This week we will have seen Ohio, West Va, Va, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, TN, & KY. Looking forward to a few days with my family this week.

Happy running to you...

#3 Best for Week...

Hello and good morning.  Just ran a very nice and easy six miles this morning.  I finished the week with 40 miles run.  Over the past six weeks I've run at least 30 miles per week and have run just over 200 miles for that stretch.  I'm feeling good about the progress and I can feel my legs getting stronger.  I've been thinking a lot about the Monumental Marathon.  I'm 25 weeks away from that race.  My plan is to spend the next 13 weeks doing two things:  (1) Building up my base mileage and (2) working on building the number of miles I can run in a row at a 6 minute per mile clip.  Twelve weeks out from the marathon will start my marathon specific training, which will see me run long runs of up to 24 miles.  It's going to be a very active 25 weeks. 

I've been reading the book "Run" by Dean Karnazes--as I've mentioned previously.  In the book he talks about the idea that most people have no idea of what their limits are because they do not test them enough.  I've decided for this marathon on November 5 that I am going to push myself to try and run 2:39:59 or better.  In order to do that, I've got to condition my body to the point where it can run 6 minutes per mile for 26 miles.  That would put me at about a 2:37:30 pace.  The best marathon I've ever run is 2:48 (6:26/mile average), so that means I have some work to do.  I have to be honest and say that it's a scary goal because it's a risk and probably a physical stretch for me.  It's going to take a lot of work to be able to run that kind of time.  But...a goal probably is not worth going after if it does not scare you just a little bit.  And...it's not that I'm scared of failing because I have failed before. It's more that the goal is really aggressive and it's a major challenge--one that I embrace!

Here are the three best things from last week:

One, the IUPUI Housing and Residence Life Student Leader Banquet on Tuesday evening.  We have such an outstanding staff (as I mentioned in a previous post titled "Blessed.").  The job that I have is wonderful and I'm lucky to be headed to work each day.  "It's a great day to be in Res Life..."

Two, I hit 40 miles for this week and that's the first time I've hit 40 miles in a week since my Kidney Stone episode last November.  It feels good to be out there running with meaning again.  Training for a marathon is a major life commitment and it requires focus each day.  I'm very excited about my progress thus far.

Three, Myles recovering nicely from being sick.  As the folks who read this blog consistently know, I love my dog.  I really hated seeing him suffer last week and it's hard because he is unable to talk (although I did nearly convince a guy yesterday that Myles spoke fluent Spanish).  It was hard to watch him hurt.  He's all better now and is as feisty as ever.  Hooray for Myles.

Have a great week.  Thanks to all of you who have been reading this blog and happy running to you...

Hello May...

Good morning to you.  Hard to believe it's the first of May.  It's about time as the winter was harsh, cold, and dreary.  I'm hoping that May will be bright, sunny, and warm.  I ran 6.25 miles this morning and finished the week at 35.25 miles.  I've now had weeks of 31, 32, 33, and 35.25 consecutively.  This is the best four week stretch I've had since last November.  Slowly, the base is being built to make a great run at a Marathon PR.  For the year, I've run 426.25 miles.

Here are my three best for the week:

One, planting flowers and landscaping!  Last year we moved to a place that has a nice patio that just begs for outdoor decor.  I've had a good time trying my hand at planting flowers and making things look nice outside.  Myles was a very good helper (LOL) and he was very interested in everything I was doing.  See below for the pictures.

Two, Harry Potter.  Sarah and I are quite big fans of the Harry Potter movies.  We bought part one of the Deathly Hallows and watched it last night.  It's just so easy to get lost in the world of those movies and for over a decade the books and movies have captivated many people on this planet.  We enjoyed watching it again.  I'm excited for the release of the final installment.  Don't tell me what happens, because I've not read the book. I'd like to be surprised.

Three, signing up for the Monumental Marathon.  No going back now.  I'm signed up.  More than that, I'm mentally committed and focused.  With every run for the next six months I'll be working so that I'll be ready for November 5.  188 days from today I'll be running it.  Here's the link just in case you get a hankering to run it as well:  http://monumentalmarathon.com/

Happy running to you.  Enjoy my pictures:

Dripping w/ Sweat!

Write this down!  April 10 was the first time after running that I was completely drenched in sweat in 2011.  Yeah, gross, I know.  But...the sweat means that the warmer temps are nearly here to stay and that Spring will be in full effect soon.  I ran about 1p this afternoon and it was a little over 80.  It was hot, my body temp rose quickly, and I did not feel very good on the six mile run--I will say, though, that it's pretty normal to feel bad on you first few runs as temperatures increase.  Your body has to get used to the heat.  So...if it's pretty outside and you are looking forward to running but you get out there and feel like junk...don't worry.  It's normal for the first few runs when the temps increase.  Just drink lots of Gatorade and Water.



Myles & The Foam Roller



I thought I may take a minute to give folks a tip about something I use after every run, a Foam Roller.  What I learned the last time I was injured (2008 with IT Band Syndrome) is that your muscle tissue (especially in your outside quad areas) can get banded up and actually provide less flexibility for your IT band.  This can cause pain in your knee (inside or outside), in your hip area, and even into your back.  When I worked at the Running Company (now Bluemile) the good folks of St. Vincent Sports performance talked to us about the Foam Roller.  The Foam roller is a little cylinder that you roll on (outside of your legs) an

d it helps smooth out the tissue and keep it from banding up.  Sometimes, it causes light bruising, but using it daily has keep me running injury free for about two  years now (knock on wood).  I've included a picture of it next to Myles--he thinks of it as his friend too.  Email me or comment in the blog if you have questions on how to best use it.

Now...for my three best for the week.  I've enjoyed doing this the past two weeks so it's back for a third week.

#1:  Going on a date with Sarah last Thursday to eat at Napolese in Broadripple and then see to Matt & Kim for Rock for Riley at the Vogue.  She convinced me to go and I had no idea who Matt & Kim were, but dang was it fun and dang were they good.  I'm telling you right now to go to iTunes, search for Matt & Kim, and listen to their music.  It's good stuff in my opinion.  Sarah and I don't get to go out much with our schedules so it was great to be out with her before her crazy surgery rotation this next month.

#2:  Sitting outside reading on the porch with Myles while having an adult beverage.  It was a great way to spend the early evening last night.  I cannot believe he just sat in the chair next to me.  He loves people watching and I love him.

#3:  Brunch with Sarah at 3 Sisters in Broadripple.  Once again, Sarah does not disappoint with her dining selections.  I enjoyed a healthy dose of French Toast and it was outstanding.  Great time spent with Sarah just enjoying the moment.

All in all, this week was pretty good.  I ran five days this week and hit over 30 miles for the week.  Slowly, I'm getting back to where I know I can be in terms of running and it's nice.  Happy running to you...

Sunday Best for April 3...



Myles Meets a Bulldog



Good morning to you.  Hope that you are having a splendid Sunday thus far.  Mine has been good.  Woke up early and took Myles out, ate some breakfast and enjoyed some coffee, and just finished up a 6.25 mile run.  Last Sunday I introduced the concept of my three best for the week and it seemed to work well and served as a nice reflective end to my week.  So...I'm going to try it again.

#1:  Spending time with Sarah and Myles yesterday afternoon.  The three of us headed up to the Butler campus and walked around.  There was a street fair and lots of Butler fans.  We had a great time walking Myles around and just spending some time together.  While I did not attend Butler, I have been rooting for them in the NCAA Tourney.  I love what they stand for and really enjoy watching them play.  Sarah and I had a great time with the patrons and staff at Mesh last night watching the game.  It's amazing how this city has adopted Butler and been really supportive.   I hope that the beat UCONN on Monday. 


#2:  IUPUI graduate staff.  I'm very proud of our three graduate students (Danielle, Drew, & Brian) who are out there interviewing for full time positions currently.  All three had on-campus interviews at prospective schools this week and they are doing a great job representing themselves and IUPUI HRL.  In my work, helping to develop leaders is what it's all about and like I've said a few times I have really enjoyed working with these three.  They are talented and hard-working, but most importantly coachable.  You can have all the talent in the world, but if you cannot be coached then your potential is limited.

#3:  Running refocus.  The more I have thought about it, the more I think running a fall marathon makes sense.  Like I said yesterday, I love tough challenges that take a lot of work and where the outcome will come down to the wire.  Big risk, big reward.  The marathon is such a beast and such a difficult challenge, and it's giving me chills just writing about it.  It's been since 2008 at Eugene since I've run a marathon, but I think I'm ready to tackle marathon number 5.  I know I said never again, but how many time did Brett Favre come back?  I'm excited about this and really think I'll commit. to the Indianapolis Marathon.  Why Indianapolis Marathon?  Well, that's where it all started in the fall of 1999.  I signed up for the Indianapolis Marathon, trained for it, ran in it, but was sent the wrong direction by a volunteer during the race and never completed it.  So...I should have five marathons, but only have finished four.  I was so devastated on that October day in 1999, so maybe it's time to write a new chapter for myself in that race.  I'll let you all know what I decide very soon.  For now, I'm approaching each run like I'm building for the marathon.

All in all it's been a great week.  My job continues to be very busy and unpredictable on some days, but I really enjoy it.  I could never just stay in a job where the same thing happened daily.  I'm blessed to work in Housing & Residence Life and I work with some of the best students around.  Have a great day.  Happy running to you...

Sunday best...

Chilling w/ Myles

Good morning!  Ran a very scenic 7 mile run in downtown Indianapolis this morning.  Believe it or not I ran 7 miles without ever crossing a road and I ran on concrete, asphalt, gravel, dirt, and grass.  It's true.  I ran this route along the downtown canal, to the white river path, and then to the Monon access point off of 10th street.  Pretty cool run.  Had a nice week of running.

There is this concept of the three best that folks are doing on Twitter right now.  Basically, it's your three best parts of your day.  I have not participated, but I like the concept.  So...I'm going to have my own three best right here on this blog for the week.  Here goes:

One, the New Staff Welcome yesterday was fantastic.  It's great to pull the new group together and just really appreciate the talent that was in the room.  They are truly an "uncommonly" talented group and I'm looking forward to this year with them.

Two, sleeping in on weekend mornings with Sarah & Myles.  I love how the three of us get to just snuggle and lay in bed in the mornings and relax.  Most mornings are a sprint to get ready for work.  I loved the low key mornings over the past couple of days.  Much needed.

Three, a conversation I had with a student on Friday afternoon.  Her story is amazing, her talent is  immense, and her drive to succeed is remarkable.  So many students take their college experience for granted, and this particular student is fighting tooth and nail to be successful.  She is the definition of what going to college is all about and I was honored that she shared her story with me.

Have a great day.  I'm off to lunch with Sarah and then heading to the Cesar Chavez Dinner tonight!  Yeah!   Happy running to you.