Wear A Hat In The Winter

Good morning! This morning I ran a nice and easy five miler. It was cold and windy out and I was thankful for my IU Sock Cap. When I first began running in 1994 my High School Coach, Coach Rowe, always told us to wear a cap to keep the head warm. 17 years later, I'm still wearing a cap in the winter (and gloves too). I have heard a lot of running advice over the years, but wearing something on your head in the winter or when it's cold is some of the best advice I've ever received when it comes to running.

In other news...we begin our Undergraduate Student Staff Training today. I'm looking forward to that as we've put a great plan together and we kick of with the 80s Themed Celebration Event tonight. We just finished up what I thought was two good days of Supervisor Training. We really worked hard at reconnecting and improving our team communication.

Finally, my boy Myles is sleeping through the night. From 8/28 until December 30 I was up every single night in the middle of the night except for one night. Now...Mr. Myles is sleeping through the night and I'm resting better and thus will be able to run more. Right now, the little guy is curled up next to my feet looking all cute. For those who don't know, Myles is our puppy who we think of as a son. Happy running to you...

When you cannot sleep...Run!

Well...it's rare that I don't just hit the pillow and pass out until the alarm goes off or Myles wakes me up. Last night, though, was very different. I knew I was in trouble when I woke up at Midnight and was restless. It was a night in which I just could not sleep. Finally, at 5a I snuck out of the bed as to not wake Sarah or Myles, threw on my new Mizuno Wave Rider running shoes, and just went for a nice six mile run in the dark. It was a great run, I listened to my iPod through my iPhone, and just enjoyed the sounds from Coldplay, Eminem, Taylor Swift, and Jay Z.

Today begins the first day of work for the Spring Semester. I'm pumped. This weekend I worked hard to put together training plans for our Res Life Supervisory Team and for our Undergraduate Student Staff. I feel energized and ready to go. This morning I could not help but note the difference between January of 2009 and January of 2011. In January of 2009 I was in a job that was a bad fit for me and I recall the first day of work back from break and just dreading it. I felt like I had NOTHING to look forward to and I was so down. I remember running and vowing that I would somehow get back to doing what it was I was meant to do: Work with Students and Staff in Residence Life and Housing. Today...it's 2011 and I just could not wait to get out of bed and go to work. I'm blessed and very fortunate and I must always keep that in the forefront of my mind. To do what one loves to do daily should never be taken for granted.

Happy Running to You!

New Year, New Goals

2010 is in the books folks. From my perspective it was an outstanding year on all fronts: Sarah, Work, and Running. Sarah is doing very well in her third year of medical school and I continue to be very proud of her. Sarah provides the balance for me and keeps me grounded. She loves me dearly and I love that she is always honest with me when I'm off course. We added our little man, Myles, to the equation and he has been a great addition to our family. I've always wanted a dog and to have one has just met every single expectation I ever had. I love him. I talk often about loving my work in Housing and Residence Life at IUPUI. I absolutely love what I am tasked with doing on a daily basis. At it's core, I have an opportunity each day to be a "plus one" or a "day maker" for another person. In addition, I am able to work with a lot of "plus one" type co-workers and that's a real blessing. Finally, running was great this year. I achieved the first two goals on my running list for 2010: Stay Healthy and Enjoying Running. I finished the year with 1863.5 miles run for the year. Not too bad. I also competed in my first triathlon, won a 5K race, and ran a very nice four miler in late August.

Since my comeback to running on 1/1/2006 I have had the opportunity to run 8238.2 miles, have run a 2:48 marathon and a 4:55 mile, run on the Empire Runners Cross Country Team, and ran in over 40 races. However, what I've most enjoyed was starting and coaching the Walk Jog Run Club at Sonoma State, coaching the Analy High School Cross Country Team, Working at The Running Company (now BlueMile), and providing coaching advice for my friends. Truly, part of being a runner is sharing with others how to run. Pre-2006 running was all about Josh trying to run fast. Post-2006 running has been about sharing it with others and realizing that I'm lucky to be able to get out there and run. Not everyone can do it and it can be taken in a second. So...here are my preliminary goals for 2011:

1. Stay Healthy
2. Enjoy Running
3. Run 1500+ Miles
4. Share Running w/ Others
5. Run well in Races (not decided which one's yet)

Over the next few days I have to really decide what type of racing I want to do this year. Last year I had success with running shorter races (Half-Marathons and below). I've run four marathons and I've been injured after each one with the type of injury being more severe and taking more time to heal. Yet, I feel that itch again. This time, I'm considering running a 50K (31 mile race) called Dances with Dirt in Gnaw Bone, Indiana in May. It's a 31 mile trail race through the woods. My wife says, "hell no," and I understand why. After my last marathon I was a pill in the six months it took to recover and actually be able to train again. So...I have to consider the following question: Am I willing to risk possibly being injured to run this 50K? That's the question I have to consider over the next few days.

Thanks to those who read my blog. My goal is to write a couple times a week. If you would like some free running advice, feel free to hit me up. Happy running to you.

Uncharted waters...

Hello World! Had a nice four mile run this morning after a light dusting of snow last night. It's so pretty, the snow, in the morning before the sun comes up. It almost makes the cold not so bad.

I've had a difficult time with running motivation of late. It's really the first time in five years that I've struggled with the self-discipline to run. I passed a kidney stone in early November and missed 10 days. I've really had a hard time coming back from it. Mainly, it's not physical--I've run over 1800 miles this year and am in good condition---it's mental. I'd just rather rest. Maybe it makes sense. The body and mind tend to tell you when you need a break. Since August, my work life has been active (as usual) and adding Myles has meant middle of the night potty training every night. So...I'm tired and I pushed it for about three months and then my body gave me a kidney stone and my brain said rest. So...I'm embracing the idea of maybe cutting back to 4-6 miles 4-5 days a week instead of 8-10 miles five days a week. I won't hit 2000 miles for the year and I'm surprisingly okay with that. There was a time when I would have run a crazy amount of miles just to reach the goal, but I'm not controlled by that sort of compulsion anymore. It's a double edged sword, really. The same compulsion that gets me out running, if uncontrolled, can be really bad for me--say, if I just try to overtrain and do not listen to my mind and body. So...it's always a balance between what is reasonable and what is over the top.

Life is great. Sarah and I are having a great fall. We love our little Myles. I'll try to blog a bit more this month.

Dog Training vs. Blogging...

Well...something had to give when Myles came into our lives and unfortunately for now I've been blog negligent. I cannot lie, though. I love our little man. He's such a cutie and I love him. I have always wanted a dog and I knew I would love it, but I had no idea I'd LOVE HIM this much. Sounds kind of crazy, right? To love a dog like this? Oh well...I love the guy. It's 4 am potty breaks and rushing home at lunch to make sure he gets his pee on. But...it's fun and it's cool.

Surprisingly, I've been able to keep my 40 mile week streak in tact. This week I ran 40 miles for the 30th consecutive week. That's crazy. I'm well on track to hit 2000 miles for the year and that may just be my goal for now. I'm able to run, but I'm tired with the early morning wake-ups, a busy job, and now puppy training. Not sure I will be able to set any more personal records this year, but if I continue to build my running mile base then I'll be able to do that soon.

I'll try to keep blogging as much as I can. Myles is asleep right now so I can type. I'll keep running. You keep running. And I'll try to blog as much as I can...

An All Out Effort...

Happy Labor Day! Last night I had the good fortune of running a race in Broadripple...The Ripple Effect 4 Miler. I circled this race on my calendar earlier this year because I love Broadripple (home of The Running Company) and I knew that with Student Staff Training and Opening over I would be able to race. We did end up with little Myles and that's kept us busy, but totally worth it!

Heading into last night's race I really had two goals: run under 23 minutes and give an all out effort. It's been a couple months since I ran a road race and I was looking forward to racing, but at the same time my pacing is usually off a little when I don't race. At the start of the race it was about 80 and sunny--a little warmer than I thought it would be--still not 90 which was good.

The race started and I settled in well after running out a bit too fast. I hit the first mile in 5:28 and was hoping for a 5:35. Still, I did back off around the half mile point or I could've ended up at 5:15. That would have been WAY TOO FAST. After the first mile I was in 6th place and I could see the folks in 3, 4, and 5. I knew I just needed to keep them in my sight and just keep running hard. I hit the second mile in a 11:06 (5:38 second mile) and was feeling good. I was breathing hard and the heat was making it's mark on me, but I still was mentally holding strong. At the 3 mile mark I was still in 6th place and could see the folks in front of me. I went through there in 16:58 (5:52 3rd mile). At this point I knew that I was fading and that I was in danger of not achieving my goal of a sub 23 unless I really got it into gear. I locked in on the 2 guys in front of me and tried to make a run at them. At about 3.5 miles I had closed the gap to about 6 seconds, but then they started to race each other and pulled away. However, I really stayed locked in and finished strong to close out the race in 22:47 (5:48 last mile). Overall, I finished in 6th (out of 518 runners), averaged a 5:41.9 mile, and ran splits of 5:28, 5:38, 5:52, and 5:48.

All in all, I was very pleased with my effort. I got out too fast in 5:28, but I did not let it ruin my race. I was able to pull it together and still finish strong and reach my goal. Earlier in my running career getting out too fast would've meant I'd have bombed. The difference now is just mental toughness and the ability to hang on and deal with the pain. I knew I gave my absolute best effort because at the finish I just fell down and hit the ground. I was wiped out and tired. I LOVE that feelig. The feeling of giving it everything you have. Every ounce of effort you can muster. Running yourself to exhaustion. Call me crazy, or stupid, or whatever. For me, running like that honors the gift I've been given and it once again allows me to practice what I preach: Giving everything I do 100% of my effort. To not give 100% to what you do is dishonorable and really limits what you can achieve as a person. I'll never want to be like that...

Here are a couple cool pictures from the race. Myles and Sarah and then Myles and I after the race. Happy Labor Day and Happy Running to you...

Race Tonight and MYLES!

My MAN MYLES. Sarah and I added a new edition to our family. We're so in love with our little Myles. Last weekend Sarah and I found him online and we just had to go and make him a part of our life. He's a beautiful little fellow and so cute. It's a life changer and I've had to be creative with my running, but it's totally with it.

Tonight I am racing at the Ripple Effect in Broadripple just north of Indianapolis. It's a four mile night race. I'm really hopeful that I can run a very fast four mile time. If I can run in the 22 minute range for four miles then I'd be very pleased with that. The last time I ran a four miler was in 2009 at the Shamrock and I ran a 24:07. The best four miler I've ever run is 21:39 in 1998. With my current fitness level and performance on the track during workouts, I really think I'm capable of running about 5:35 or so a mile, which would equate to a 22:20 or so.

I'll update you on how I fair later this evening or tomorrow. I hope that I can really hit a good time. Happy Running to You...