Dear Mother Nature, Why so Cold?

Wow.  I ran outside today and it's 12 degrees but feels like 3 degrees with the windchill.  It's not exactly a day where you want to go outside and run.  I have mentioned on a couple of occasions that I run outside in nearly all conditions.  I think what's important, though, is to follow up on that with how I do it reasonably.  For instance, today I decided only to run for about 4 miles or roughly 30 minutes.  It's so cold that after about a half hour my face is going to really start to suffer from the extreme temps.  In the summer I implement a similar strategy when it's above 90.  Sometimes, just running a little in extreme temps is just as good as running your normal distance in more regular temperatures.  So...what is a "normal" temperature anyway.  Here's a guide.

Below 0:  Personally, that's a day off for me.  In Minnesota, it's probably considered Spring.
0-15 degrees:  That's cold and you should run in moderation with outstanding winter gear
15-29 degrees:  Still cold, but you can probably be fine at 30 minutes to 60 minutes with the right gear
30-50 degrees:  Great for running.
50-70 degrees:  Ideal for running.  Shorts and a shirt (long below 60, short above 60)
70-80 degrees:  Still great for running.  Focus on hydration.  Wear shorts and short sleeve shirt or tank top.
80-90 degrees:  Danger zone if you don't stay hydrated.  Still can run normal in low to mid 80s.
90+ degrees:  Take it easy, keep hydrated, wear very little (but be legal)

Some folks love the treadmill and if you are a treadmill person (and there is nothing wrong with that), then this blog is sort of irrelevant.  For me, in the past three years I've run on a treadmill one time.  So...I'm not on one very much at all.

I do not have a lot more to write about today.  It was an outstanding work week.  Myles and I are having a great day while Sarah is at work at Riley.  I'm about to head out to the French Walmart (Target) to get our weekly supplies.  Have a great Saturday and Happy Running to you...

First in the Snow!

Good morning!  Every so often when I wake up to run early (530a or so) in the winter I find a fresh snow that has just fallen from the sky.  On a day like today when I ran early enough and the snow was fresh, I was the first to run on my path and it's kind of cool to leave the first shoe print.  For me, leaving the first shoe print in the new fallen snow is emblematic of me in general.  I'm someone who likes a challenge, who likes to develop new ways to do things, and who in general is just not slowed down by much on most days.  I talk about perseverance in life and how running helps with perseverance a lot in this blog.  I am asked a few times a year about running outside in the various weather conditions (cold, snow, sleet, rain, heat, etc.).  My reply is always the same, "i run from 0-100 degrees in rain, snow, sleet, etc."  As long as I'm not going to endanger my health, I'm going to run.  I think that running when it's no fun outside teaches a larger and significantly important lesson, which is that you can still accomplish what you want to accomplish no matter what the conditions because you still control yourself and your actions.  It would have been easy this morning to say, "it's snowing and 20 degrees and I'll go back to bed."  But...I knew that I had the right equipment to run in the snow and I knew that the only thing that would stop me was well...me.  Running teaches you to persevere through a variety of conditions, physical feelings of exhaustion at times, and mental fatigue.  I think with every mile I run, I just continue to build my personal ability to get through tough times that are not related to running.  I live a very fortunate life and I don't have a ton of personal drama (knock on wood), but when I do encounter tough times I know that being a runner helps me deal and push through.

I'm off to work.  Enjoy my new Myles video strait from MylesTV.  Happy running to you!

An Unexpected Honor...

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the United States and millions of people pay tribute to the man who was largely responsible for ending racial inequality in America.  Growing up as a kid and studying history in school I was always enamored with Martin Luther King Jr. and absolutely in awe of the fortitude it must have taken to lead the way.  He was met with hateful words, water shot at him through hoses, arrests for "civil disobedience," and ultimately he was killed standing up for what was right.  Perhaps, no one in American history serves as an example of what the concept of "America" is supposed to be than Martin Luther King Jr. 

Last night I had the good fortune to attend IUPUI's Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner, which was planned and hosted by the IUPUI Black Student Union.  This event has been an IUPUI tradition for over 40 years and the students really do a great job with the dinner for nearly 500 people.  The food was fantastic, the speakers were inspiring, and the entire event was simply first class all the way. 

There is a part of the evening where the Black Student Union gives out some special recognition to people who have been considered to be "Advocates of the Dream."  One of the students who serves as a Resident Assistant in our department, Ose Agho, started reading about how the award goes to someone who tries to promote diversity, social justice, and human awareness on campus and tries to really help all students--someone who not just says it but lives it.  Then...she said something that nearly made me pass out.  She said, "and our Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life..."  At that point, I'm thinking wow that's me, and before I could process it she named me as one of the winners of The Advocate of the Dream" award.  She called me up to the stage and several of the students in our program were standing up and cheering.  It was surreal as I just could not believe that they selected me.  It was one of those moments that was so personally humbling and amazing.

Since my days in Bloomington back in the late 90s I have really worked hard to be an advocate for students who are underrepresented on campus, and I have continued to try and do that in my career at UGA, Sonoma State, and now at IUPUI.  While I do my best to reach out and let students know that I am a "safe" person to rely on, it really takes the students taking a leap of faith to trust me--a white guy with a southern accent from Kentucky.  I think that's why this award means so very much to me--because it comes from students.  In my work it's all about the students and all about helping them reach their dreams and to do well in college.  In 2001 I graduated from the IU HESA Program.  At that time I was writing cover letters to apply for jobs and I recall writing the statement, "every day I get up out of bed feeling so fortunate to be able to make a positive impact on students."  Ten years later, I still feel the same way...each day I have an opportunity to make someones day--to be a "plus one."  Any accomplishment that I may receive is really a shared accomplishment between the students I have led and myself.  It is just as much about them buying into to me and what I stand for as it is about what I do on a day to day basis.  When I try to connect to all students regardless of what they look like, who they love, how much money they have, where the come from, etc., it really takes the students being open to someone who may be "different" from them in order for it to work.  Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a world where people worked together, trusted each other, and helped each other succeed regardless of skin color or difference.  For me, to win an award that is named after Martin Luther King Jr. and given by students is something I'll forever cherish, never forget, and work hard every day to live up to what being an "Advocate of the Dream" means.  It's an unexpected honor and it's one that I will forever deeply appreciate.

The Boy is All Right...

Happy Saturday Morning to You!  I just finished up a nice 7.2 mile run in downtown Indianapolis.  It's my longest run this year and probably a couple months for what it's worth.  My legs felt fresh and quick.   With each stride it was like my legs were saying, "thank you, thank you, thank you..."  Every run does not go that way, but today it did and I enjoyed the run immensely.  I still have not set any racing goals for the year.  I'm not sure when I'll do that.  Perhaps, I'll really focus on the summer and fall season.  I guess it will come to me when it comes to me.

Yesterday Myles visited the vet to be fixed.  Mind you, I know that this is a very common event for pets.  I realize that everyone that I know who has a dog or cat has had them spayed or neutered.  However, I was just so nervous about it.  I took Myles to the vet at 7a and he just did not want to go in.  Usually he cannot wait to go into a new place.  Yesterday, though, he tried to sprint back to the car.  He peed on the scale and he whined.  When I handed him off, he looked back at me and just gave me the saddest, "please don't leave me Dad" look.  Damn.  Broke my heart.  I smiled at him and said in a cheerful voice, "I'll see you later Myles-ie."  Then...I went back to the car and drove to work.  Oddly, though, I found myself tearing up a bit.  I looked in the rear view mirror and said, "come on Josh, get it together, you're being ridiculous."  But...I just felt bad about leaving him.  I know.  I know. I know.  He had no clue, he won't remember, it's good for him, dogs cannot understand, yada, yada, yada.  For me, I just felt bad.  I'm a blue on the True Colors Personality Inventory, I'm a Feeler on the Myers-Briggs, and I'm People Centered in my work.  I say that because no matter what logical thing another person says or even I say to myself, I just was going to be upset about it.  Strange as it is, it's just me.  Anyway, as Sarah predicted (and everyone else I spoke with as well), I picked Myles up after work and he was just fine.  A little groggy, but just fine and dandy.  This morning he's back to his old self...running around and just being all puppyish.  I've included a picture of him riding home from the vet with his blue donut cone thing (to stop him from licking his wound) and he new reindeer stuffed toy (normally $18.99 but on sale for $3.96--who could pass up that deal?).

This morning I woke up and had Sarah snuggled up to me on one side and Myles snuggled up next to me on the other.  I smiled, thought about how lucky I am, and went back to sleep.  It's the free things in life that are the best, and waking up on a cold Saturday morning with Sarah and Myles snuggled up next to me is one of the best things in the whole world.  Heck...you know it's true because instead of getting up to run early, I stayed in bed and decided to run after breakfast.  There are some things in life worth enjoying the heck out of when they occur because in the day to day hustle and bustle of my work I don't always get to enjoy a morning of snuggling with my Sarah and my Myles.  Have an outstanding Saturday and happy running to you...

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...