A Walk With Mr. Myles...

Hello!  Today was a day off of running for me and I rarely blog when I do not run.  However, today I feel inspired to write so here goes.

Myles and I had gotten into the habit of walking nearly everyday after work last fall.  Since it's gotten really cold and snowy, we have not been walking.  We (Sarah & I) were worried about him being cold.  We even bought him a cute coat, but he's never been a fan of it.  Both Sarah and I believe that walks are good for him.  He's been a bit testy lately so he and I went for a walk today--and tried the coat--again!

I figured that in order to convince Myles that his coat was a good option I'd first need him to walk without the coat.  We walked a bit into the wind and blowing snow and he was a champ.  He did his business--if you know what I mean (wink, wink)--and then we really got going.  After about a half mile I decided to slip his coat on him.  At first, he resisted and ran into the snowbank directly next to the sidewalk.  I pulled him out and then slipped on his red coat--which matches mine (OMG).  To my UTTER AMAZEMENT he just started trotting like the coat was not even on him.  He looked warmer, I felt better, and we walked the rest of the way home.  I'm very proud of my little man.

I think there are times when people are obsessed with their dogs and they sound ridiculous and they don't know it.  Look...I know that I'm not just ridiculous, but REDONCULOUS about my Myles.  I get it.  I talk about Myles to anyone who will listen.  I post videos and pictures on Facebook.  For goodness sake, I just wrote a blog about him.  I just love him.  He needs us (Sarah & I), he loves us, and he's just so happy to see us when we come home from work.  It does not matter if I'm happy, mad, sad, or glad--the boy is just ecstatic we are home.  His unconditional love is the kind of love you just wish you could infect the world with.  I'm sure that most people who love their dogs feel the way I do or maybe I'm just, well...REDONCULOUS--which is a made up word to emphasize my over the top emotions about Myles.  Ok.  Enough of that.

Enjoy the Myles coat picture.  Back to running tomorrow.  Happy running to you...

A 91 email day...

Wow. Today was the first day back for students and work was a hopping. Between 8:30a and 5:30p today I received 91 emails. I'm sure there are people who receive 91 emails an hour, but in my world 91 emails in one day is a lot. All in all, though, it was a great first day back with our residents on campus and attending their first day of spring semester classes.

I did not run this morning as Sarah and I drove to work together at 7a. Sometimes we travel separately to work, but her current rotation at Riley Hospital is right next door to Ball Hall (where my office is located). So...we got to head to work together and I today I ran after work. I found it difficult to get the motivation to run. On the way home I mentally convinced myself to run just a couple miles and then I'd see how it went. We got home and Myles just did not want me to go. He chased me out the door twice. Finally, Sarah helped me corral Myles so I could quickly exit for my run.

My run was pretty good today. I felt fast and felt like I moved pretty quickly despite the wind and cold temps. Even though I initially was feeling a bit lethargic and unmotivated, I ended up enjoying a nice, brisk five miler. Tomorrow it is supposed to snow 3-7 inches. The great thing about Indianapolis is that they clear the roads pretty quickly and the path outside our place on the canal is cleared first. I love running on the canal when it snows because the snow gets packed down and it provides some cushioning the concrete generally fails to provide.

Hope you enjoy the new look to the blog. I changed it up so it looked a bit cleaner and more attractive. Please feel free to leave comments or ask questions. I always love seeing comments pop up. Happy running to you...

Josh's Weekly Running Ramblings

Hello. This week I thought I'd try a speedy weekly rambling blog post. If this format works, then I'm going to continue it. It's basically my honest thoughts about running, sports, and events.

Running went well this week. I ran 27 miles this week and now stand at 40 for the year. It was a cold week (today was 15 degrees) so I'm trying to only run for about 45 minutes. I had runs of 6,6,5,4, & 6 this week. Not too bad. I'm still working on my goals for the year.

COLTS...Ah heartbreak. They lost in the playoffs to the JETS by one point. Heartbreak city for me as I love the Colts. Here's a picture of me after the game:

I love my Colts and they just blew the kick coverage at the end of the game. JETS won fair and square. Good luck to them. Now...I root for the Falcons as my mother and father in law live in Atlanta and are big fans. So...Go Falcons!

On a serious note I just cannot believe what happened in Arizona yesterday with the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords, a federal judge, and many innocent people. I know that it's early and we do not know much about the shooter and his motives. However, one cannot help but be concerned that more incidents like this one could occur as politicians continue to use inflamatory rhetoric against their competition during election periods. We do know that the shooter had prior contact with Giffords in 2007 and was fixiated on issues with the government. Tactics, such as the map with targets of elected officials that should be defeated in November 2010, that were used by Sarah Palin provides a textbook example of dangerous tactics meant to inflame emotions. I'm not suggesting that Palin had anything to do with this, but creating a map and putting targets (Giffords was listed as a target) on it and listing names by the targets is certainly inappropriate. Palin is not the only person who engages in such nonesense and Democrats have engaged in such behavior as well. Bottom line: our elected officials need to practice civility when debating and refrain from rhetoric that is merely intended to provoke strong, negative emotions.

That is all for now. My Hoosiers desperately need a win today. Go IU and happy running to you...

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.