What have I committed to?

"I immediately regret this decision"

- Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), "Anchorman"



Weight: Don't know, don't care... not important right now



I have just signed up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World at the end of February. Yes, the PRINCESS Half Marathon...



Why would I do this? It's a female oriented race. Sure, they 'allow' men to sign up and run, but truthfully, I think they 'tolerate' it for 'legal reasons' so they don't get 'sued'. They try and dissuade men - offering female sized and cut shirts, and putting men in later starting corrals regardless of running ability - but last year about 500 men still ran (out of nearly 12,000 runners). In fact, a 'man' won the race... not just by time, but was the first to cross the finish line!



Yes, I put 'man' in quotes. C'mon dude! Why would you do that? What's your next accomplishment, winning field day at your kid's school?!? You're not a man, you're a douche.



Look, I don't have any desire to 'beat a bunch of women', or even to be one of a few sausages at the tuna convention. But I only get to Disney about once every 15-20 years, and truthfully, our Disney vacation was planned well before the race date was known. It is just serendipitous that the race falls on the morning of our last day at Disney.



And I don't have a lot of rules in life, but I think "Do not pass up an opportunity to run through the Magic Kingdom" is kind of a no-brainer.



Here's the problem. How in the world do I do this without becoming a douche myself? I mean, I'm not fast enough to win, place, or show... but how do I do this without turning myself into an unwelcome guest crashing the party?

I don't know anyone else doing this race... especially not a female I could run with, and claim I'm there for 'support', or even blame the woman for making me do it (much like when my wife drags me to baby/wedding showers... especially during football season). I really don't have a clear cut excuse... just the truth, which is just long and uninteresting enough that no one would listen or believe it.

So now I'm kind of stuck. I have to do it, because the registration is non-refundable (and it wasn't cheap, and I don't waste money). And I thus far have come up with 3 feasible options:

Run for Charity: The Race helps raise funds for Lymphoma Society... and I could turn it into my own little fundraiser. Except, I really hate fundraising, and hate hitting up friends for money. I did consider wearing a Team in Training outfit (thus, I would LOOK like I was running as a fundraiser, and outwardly be excusable), but I think this might be morally corrupt.

Turn "gay for a day": and really 'queen it up'. Be overly effeminate and act as though my lifelong dream is to be a princess. Wear a tiara and tutu and fairy wings and maybe some glitter. I could call everyone 'girlfriend' and girlishly scream at all the Disney characters I see. This, would honestly be fun, and funny... but ultimately, I'd have to explain to my family, and I'm not sure they'd understand.

Dress up: And go the costume route. More than likely, this would demolish any chances of a competitive time (competitive to my own abilities). The problem here is that costumes cost money (and I'm cheap), and while there are many great Disney costumes, the only thing that would truly 'play' is a Prince Charming costume.

Unless someone comes up with a better idea...

Warrior Sized Entry/Race Report

"Well, I guess you had to be there
Yeah, you really had to be there
Some things you just can't explain
It's just not the same
I guess you had to be there"
- Lorrie Morgan, "I Guess You Had To Be There"

Weight: 160

I've been debating for the last few days precisely how to blog about this race. But right there is where the trouble starts. Calling the Warrior Dash a race isn't accurate... it's an 'event' (and it's borderline a 'festival'). To sum up the whole experience would take miles of typing, and still not come close to conveying what it's really like. To truly enjoy it, to truly be in my shoes and understand... you'd have had to be there.

Plus, I wanted to make sure to include some pictures.

In short - Warrior Dash was more fun than a whore on dollar night.

That said, not all Warrior Dash courses are the same, and a HUGE part of my experience had to do with the great people who traveled and competed with me. The majority of my post-race soreness is in my abs, and I'm pretty sure it's from laughing so much, so hard, all day long. The day ultimately was filled with tons of inside jokes, male bonding, and general hilarity.

So... I'm just going to get right to the race! (But understand, it was only 1/12th of my time AT the Warrior Dash)

(pre-race... also the last known picture of the day without mud in someone's ears or nostrils)

With 500 or so people lined up in the corral, we nervously twitched and pretended to stretch as they counted down for the start of the 1:30 wave (waves went off every half hour). There was no real way to loosen up for what we were about to do... from the small part of the course we could see from the bottom of the mountain, we knew this would be something totally new to us.

Side note: As a former Coloradan, I use the term 'mountain' loosely. It was being held at "Windham Mountain" ski resort... so for New York standards, the word fits. In Colorado, it might be a foothill.

At "GO!", flames shoot into the air from the scaffolding holding up the start banner. Think "Kane from WWE" style. And the corral starts to jog forward. No one really took off running, there was no point... immediately from the start, you were going the direction of 'up'. 'Running' up a ski trail, even a green trail, is not easy.

The total climb is estimated to be 800 vertical feet, and approximately the first 1.25 miles of the course. That averages out to about a 12-13% grade. BUT, that's just the average... there are times I know it was closer to 20%. Out of the 6,062 people who competed, I am estimating MAYBE a dozen or two actually did NOT walk at some point up this incline.

Me, I technically jogged to the first obstacle - 'Knee High Hell' (running through tires football player style). I say 'technically jogged' because I was technically not walking... it was just as slow as a walk. It was maybe a quarter mile to the obstacle, and the tires were a welcome break.

But my legs were too tired and throbbing, so I didn't really high step through them. I did more of a 'jog on top of the tires' technique, and oddly, it worked fine. This would turn out to be a recurring theme - the obstacles being the easiest part of the race, and the place where I was passing people. For this race, the obstacles were not the problem... they weren't really the solution either, but whatever.

After the tires? More uphill of course! And another quarter mile of climbing later, it flattened out for the next obstacle - 'Warrior Wall'. (a series of 3 walls, maybe 4 feet high to get over). Again, I made quick work of these obstacles. Most people were using a 'hands on top, hoop feet up to the side' technique. Good... but not fast enough for me! I basically threw my chest on the top of the wall sideways, and threw my legs over, trying not to hurt my jewels. (I even heard a couple people say 'ouch' while watching me, so it must've looked dangerous or something)

As I cleared the last wall, a couple guys near me were talking. One had a watch on. He said "7:30" was our time so far. I was trying to picture the map of the race course in my head... and the walls were about halfway up the hill, a little more than a half mile from the start. Can not explain how hard the uphill was.

And after the walls, it got a little steeper. I really wanted to 'jog' the whole way up. I wanted to have that accomplishment. And I might've been able to... technically. But it was such a slow jog that I was doing, that people were catching and passing me while walking. Once I justified that walking was potentially a faster route, I started to walk... although it was more of a hike or climb.

The incline started to settle down and get more realistic, so i knew we were close to the top, or highest point of the race course. That's where we hit the next obstacle - 'Tunnels of Terror'. Big drain tubes to crawl through. There were 5 or 6 tubes all next to each other, and I shot for the one that seemed like it had not been entered the most recently (did that sentence just make sense?). I was maybe 4 feet behind another guy... and someone got in the tube 4 feet behind me.

This tube was not 'hard' - it was basically crawling. But it was a little freaky. The tubes were much longer than I expected, maybe 30 feet long. And once you had someone ahead and behind you, it was dark. It was big enough to crawl comfortably, but small enough that you would not be able to turn around.Thankfully, the guy in front of me moved quickly, and didn't hold me up at all. I blew through it.

Side note: Another recurring theme, that on some of the obstacles, you had to wait. Safety only allows so many people in so much space and on so many obstacles. if you do an event like this, you have to know that it's a possibility. Thankfully, my 'race' did not include much waiting.

After the tubes, we went slightly uphill, and crested it. SO nice to start a little downhill! We were mostly running across the side of the mountain, but with a little downhill. Now if you've ever seen a ski resort, or even just a resort map, you can envision how this went - run across a ski trail, then run through the trees that divide the trails. This happened multiple times. (and technically is another obstacle - 'Black Forest')

About the 2nd or 3rd time we entered the trees, we see another "Obstacle Ahead" sign. In the middle of the trees is a... swamp? pond? Wet Dirt Hole? They call is "Slithering Swamp". I quickly noticed that even though the 'swamp' was 10-12 feet wide, people were going through it single file along the right hand side. Not wanting to slow down, I jumped in on the left hand side.

First, I made an error here by not diving in, and jumping in with my feet. The water was at least 4 and a half feet deep on the left side, and it would have made it much easier to swim through the obstacle. Second, the water was maybe 50 degrees, which about knocked the wind out of me by jumping in (instead of just following the single file line - the water was much shallower on their side).

I tried to swim across the obstacle, and got 3-4 strokes in before abandoning that strategy. The coldness, and dirtiness of the water got to my head, plus, swimming in shoes... not fun. I 'jogged' as fast as I could to to the other side, climbed up the ramp out of the water, threw up the devil horns for the camera guy, and was happy to get into the warm sun again.

(That's right, I rock)

At this point, the remainder of the race seemed to be on hyperspeed. Mostly because of the downhill runs. The downhills were even steeper than the uphill (mostly running down blue ski runs). Going fast wasn't the problem, staying in control and not falling was the issue.

And every 100-200 meters, you would take HARD turns (greater than 90 degrees), slightly uphill through the trees separating the ski runs. At minimum, we were 'off road running' over rocks, between trees, not really on much of a trail. But it was in these sections they would also throw in additional obstacles.

There was "Walk the Plank", where suddenly there was a 10 foot wide ditch with 4-5 boards across. The boards were 2x8's... not terribly difficult to keep your foot on, and the ditch was not horribly deep, so it wasn't scary. It was just a very quick change of pace and concentration. Again, thankfully, there was an open plank without anyone on it, and I was able to run across quickly without slowing up.

There was "Rip Van Winkle Way" - basically a wood bridge that was challenging for 2 reasons - first, it began with a steep incline (and at this point, every incline was brutal and frustrating and lead to many four letter words being said). Second, it wasn't very wide, so it made passing difficult. It was long, but really didn't go over anything other than the ground. It was basically like they paved the trail with wood for a section.

There was the 'Cargo Climb' - a large cargo net apparatus. Yes, it took a little coordination, but was not difficult. You had to climb a cargo net 10-12 feet up to the top. The top had a small platform about 3 feet long, then you climbed down the 10-12 feet of cargo net on the other side.

For me, this was another obstacle to pass people. I was fortunate there was not so many people on the net to slow me up, but also, at the top, I didn't stand up like the majority of people. Once I had my torso to the top, I rolled over to the other side (precious seconds) Flopped my legs over the far edge, and pretty much jumped (instead of climbing down like a ladder).

The final quarter mile of the race was possibly the most fun of all. Still blazing downhill, you come to the "Catskill Skid". Basically, a large downhill slip 'n' slide. Here, I had to stop and wait for people in front or me... maybe about 20 seconds. The slide was 20-25 yards long, and ended in a 'pool'. There were volunteers controlling 'traffic', but you still had to count on the guy in front of you getting out of the way in time, and hope whoever was behind you gave you enough time to get out.

Not a problem for me. But the there was someone a couple waves behind me who was pulled off this obstacle on a backboard... rumored to have a broken back. I have no clue what exactly happened, but they did have to shut the obstacle down for a little while. Honestly, it was the easiest obstacle on the course... but maybe the lesson is, there is a chance of injury at all times, and don't let your guard down, not even on the easy obstacles.

A hundred yards later was the "Warrior Roast", two rows of fire to leap over. Yes... fire. It was not outrageously high or difficult, although, the steepness of the terrain still kept it interesting. The fires were constantly kept going with Duraflame logs, and I can not for the life of me figure out why they are not an official sponsor of the race.

(I'm not blurry, I'm just moving that darn fast)

Another hundred yards and we're at the bottom of the hill, finish line in sight, with only "Muddy Mayhem" standing in the way. A long mud pit, maybe 18-24 inches deep, with barbed wire strewn across (so you have to crawl through it). The trick was to SLIDE into it... not DIVE (as one of my friends did. Gave himself a nice mild concussion, which meant no post-race beer drinking). I didn't have much of a strategy here other than "crawl fast". About 20 yards after exiting the pit, you were at the finish line.

(two 'devil horns with tongue out' pics in one race report... officially making it uncool)

Whew! It might have been more exhausting writing that than actually doing it. And like I said, that was only 1/12th of my time at the event. I could write for days about the people, costumes, planning and travel, and the many, many inside jokes to come out of the day.

(picture representing people, costumes, AND an inside joke)

So if you have an opportunity to Warrior Dash, I suggest you do it. It's one of those things that you truly have to see and be part of to really 'get it' - like a tropical sunset, the first ski run in fresh powder, or touching your first boob... words, pictures, or movies just can't capture the moment like being there.

If you made it this far, I HIGHLY recommend checking out THIS blog, of someone I don't even know, who was at the event the same day as me, simply because they have AWESOME pictures. And check out THIS video from the course (taken on day 2) for some good visual of the obstacles, and THIS video is really good (to see the obstacles). He sped up the 'boring' parts (like walking uphill) and it's still 20 minutes long!

Long time, no blog

"This information cannot leave this room. Ok? It would devastate my reputation as a dude."
- The Geek (Anthony Michael Hall), Sixteen Candles

Weight: I don't even want to look (but I'll guess 160-163)

You know you haven't blogged for a while when you have to actually read your own blog to remember.

I have no excuse, nothing that would truly justify it. I've been busier than a whore on dollar night, I've been lazy, and I've had other things that were higher priorities. There have been 2 uneventful triathlons, successfull in that I didn't get hurt, but otherwise, kid of depressing. I did manage a 20:20 5K race, which given the horrible year of training (due to my ongoing, lingering, pestulent Achilles issues) I'm pretty happpy with.

I've spent a lot of time with family, immediate and extended. There were parties for birthdays and anniversaries, concerts, And mostly, I've spent a lot... LOT of time reading. I don't think there is much on TV during the summer, so I've managed to knock out something like a dozen books since my last blog post (that said, I'm always up for book recommendations)

And it's still not going to settle down anytime soon. I'm going to try another 5K this weekend even though I have run exactly My parents are coming for a visit this coming week - their visit will encapsulate the Buffalo Wing Festival, wiring our new garage for electricity, and the first day of school. Then I have to throw together something for my wife's birthday, then on Spet 18th, I'll be heading to Warrior Dash (which I really hope inspires a blogging re-birth as well)

And then...? I don't know. Mostly I want to heal. Maybe I'll devote an entire blog post to my Achilles injuries/issues someday, but the short version is, it's kind of making me depressed. It's been a much larger setback than I ever thought it would be. Not only to the whole running/health/athleticism thing... but mentally and emotionally. I'm not 'depressed', I'm just bummed.

That said, I'm sure I'll still sign up for another 4-8 5K races between now and Christmas. Even if I can't run regularly, I still have a sense of loyalty to some of our local races and charities.

Quakerman Triathlon Race Report

6/27/2010
600m swim, 22 mile bike, 4 mile run

I have to start with the night before the race, because, well, that might be the beginning of the end. It's at least the beginning... because I say so (and I don't have a good witty way of beginning this)

Inthe 24 hours leading up to a race, I like to 'lock down' the few things I have control over. Eat right, stay hydrated, get some sleep. It's a pretty simple 3 point plan that has never failed me... when I stick to the plan.

But the night before the race was a fireworks show (for 'Kenmore Days', our little town event), so instead of getting sleep, I was up too late with my wife and kid. But as always, best fireworks of the year. I think it was worth it, and missing an hour of sleep wouldn't be my downfall.

Of course, to get a good seat for fireworks, you have to set up the lawnchairs early... and it's awfully boring to just sit there for 90 minutes waiting for dark. So we got ice cream. Probably not the ideal pre-race dinner. but my cookies and cream shake was delicious, and that alone would not be my downfall.

And since I was going to be out watching fireworks in an area without clean restrooms, I kind of ditched the hydration plan, because I didn't want to subject myself to a porta-potty. Once again, this alone would not be my downfall.

But all together... that is a whole lot of stupid.

Woke up a little before 6 am and got dressed. I had all my clothes laid out, and packed my bag of stuff the night before. Threw the bike on the car and was out the door by 6:15. Quick stop at the gas station to fill my tires (on the bike), and grabbed a coffee and a bagel for the half hour drive to the event.

I can't tell you the last time I ate a bagel... which is why eating one before the first tri of the season, the second tri of my life, made zero sense. Really, I was not using a single brain cell in my approach to the race day.

No problems getting marked and set up in transition... pretty uneventful. Until they announced 15 minutes to start, and I realized I hadn't eaten some energy gel yet. So of course, I take a big slug of Hammer gel right then... giving it zero time to settle or digest or do anything productive.

I squeezed into my wetsuit - it was my first time swimming in it. I knew it was snug, as I had tried it on before, but it was REALLY snug after being on for 5 minutes. The neck felt too tight, the torso was tight and I didn't feel like I could take a deep breath... and I wasn't even in the water yet!!!

With all this mess going on pre-race... I swear, I did not panic. I still felt confident that it would all be OK. I was wrong.

The swim was in Green Lake, so named because it has all the clarity of split pea soup. (I assume that is houw it got it's name) While I never felt 'panic' in the water, it only took about 50 meters before I was out of breath. Not hyperventalating, but like I had a burp stuck in my guts. I couldn't take a big breath in. The combination of poor nutrition choices, and the tightness of the wetsuit throwing me off, I just couldn't breathe! But it wasn't freaking me out, it just meant I would be breaststroking the entire rest of the swim. VERY slow. Chiptimed at 16:14...


Once I got out of the water, I started taking off the wetsuit, getting the top half off immediately. But I still couldn't breathe. I could barely jog, and I wondered if this is what asthmatics feel like. Other than moving slow TO transition, I had no issues IN transition. Removing the wetsuit was easily half my T1 time, but I was out of the on the bike in 1:24. Flying mount on the bike... because I'm cool

Still... could not breathe. I tried pushing through. I tried to burp, I tried to throw up, I even tried to fart... but I just couldn't get rid of the pressure in my guts. The bike was... interesting. It was hilly enough that I couldn't really get settled into the aerobars, and spent most of the time on the hoods. Biking in a race is SO much more fun and intersting than training rides. I love having people to pass, and I even love when people pass me! I laugh when I get passed by a $5,000 bike that took 10 miles to catch up to me. Good for them! I think given my equipment and lack of training, I do pretty well on the bike.

Nothing too exciting on the bike, other than that we had 4 sets of railroad tracks to cross (or 2 sets to cross two times each). A guy in front of me lost a water bottle when he hit the tracks, and I executed a nifty little bunny hop right over his bottle. He told me I was awesome... finished the bike in just under 1:12, or averaging 18.4 mph.


But still, just in PAIN in my guts. No matter how much I tried to relax, or slow down my pace, I was till more out of breath than a whore on dollar night.

T2 went very smooth, and the only reason I wasn't 'super fast' is they were screaming loudly to 'WALK IN THE TRANSITION AREA!!!' Still, threw up a 0:37 T2 time... in the top 10 overall

Not that it matters, because all I did on the run was get passed. I admittingly was taking it easy to not injure my Achilles more, but the gut pains were slowing me down even more than I wanted. Within 100 yards of the run, I was FINALLY releaving some of the pressure by 'vurping' up something... tasted mostly like coffee... very bitter coffee. This continued for 3 miles. I was tired, and pretty mentally defeated (and quite dehydrated from all the 'vurping'). When I was done launching bitter coffee-like bile, I STILL couldn't breath. Horrible, pitiful run. 37:33 for 4 miles (9:24 per mile).



Final time: 2:07:27 Acceptable, but easily should've been under 2 hours. I really need to stick to the nutrition plan pre-race, and I still need to work on my swimming (and get some wetsuit practice in). The biking is coming around, and the run will be fine once I heal up a little more. It was a fun race, and I can see being at least 10 minutes faster next year!

Tri again...

" I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get *that* day over, and over, and over... "
- Phil (Bill Murray) "Groundhog Day"

Weight: 157 (Yay! Hit a goal!)

Hitting a weight goal as un-agressive as I set for this weekend isn't really a huge accomplishment... except I did it simply with diet. Eat less, eat better, drink water, blah blah blah. But I'm going to celebrate a little, because it might be the ony 'victory' of the weekend.

Because my Achilles... well... it's like being in the movie "Groundhog Day". Every Day I wake up, I get out of bed, and my ankles will barely move. My Achilles scream in pain at me. They are stiff, they are weak. If I walk around for a while, they loosen up, but they remain weak. And if I try to do anything 'harder' than a walk (run, jog, take two steps at once, etc) it is very painful. And if I sti still or lie down for more than 30 minutes straight, everything tightens up again.

The next morning... it starts all over again.

This is a new thing for me. I've had many injuries in my life, everything from cuts and bruises to strains and sprains, to minor dislocations and knee cartiledge damage. (Knock on wood, I've never broken a bone). but all those things, even the ones that took a long time to heal, at least showed some progress as time went on. These Achilles don't seem to make any change.

With other injuries, taking a week or two off might not make it 'all better', but I could at least say "it's not as bad as it was". I think my Achilles are just as bad as they were 2 months ago... zero improvement.

So that is going to make tomorrow's triathlon a bit tough. It's a 600m swim (will be both my longest swim and my first in a wetsuit, breaking the rule of 'don't try anything new on race day'), followed by a 22 mile bike (longer than I've ever biked before), and a 4 mile run which is sure to be extremely painful. finishing in 2 hours would be joyous. 2:15 will be acceptable. Anything slower will be a disappointment.

The thing with 'knowing it's going to hurt'... back in the day, this was not a big deal. I didn't care if I was laid up for a few days at home after a race, or if I was sore and walking funny at school or work. But now, with a family, and lots of summertime plans, I have to remain 'functional'. A good time at a race isn't worth it if I can't play with my daughter for a week afterward. It's all more of the constant dilemma.

Being a Dad...

No quote today... no weight either.

I had 2-3 ideas of what I was going to write... and I'm scrapping them. I've been wished a Happy Father's Day enough times that you know what? I'm just going to enjoy it.

Becuase you know what? No matter how fast I get, no matter what I place in any race... it's not worth it if I lose my #1 seeding as a husband, or my championship belt as a Dad. I suppose when i talk of 'Balance", what I'm really talking about is "being the best I can at one thing, without jeopardizing the things that REALLY matter."

And you know... there are people out there, men and women, who lose sight of what is truly important. I've read stories about guys who dreampt of being Ironmen, only to find their marriage fall apart in the process. I just can't imagine it's worth it. In fact, I would like to think that my training, or racing, or 'chasing of dreams' doesn't ever hurt anybody. If it does... I think I'm doing it wrong.

Generally, when I brag, it's good natured over-the-top sillyness. But I am a really good Dad. Maybe not the best, but in the upper percentile. And I'm a pretty good husband too. And most of all, I am very lucky, to have a wife and daughter who are pretty amazing people.

Anyway, so I'm throwing a lot out the window right now. I am getting ready to eat steak for the second time today. There will be at least two desserts. there is already 2-3 drinks consumed. It's a good day... but not really nutritionally in line with the 'athleticness desired'.

Now, My first triathlon of the season... second of my lifetime, is in one week. it will be my longest swim ever (and my first time in a wetsuit ever), my longest bike ride ever, and my first run in over a month. In short... this could be ugly. the distances are listed at 600m swim, 22 mile bike, 4 mile run. If I can manage 2 hours, I'd be amazed. 2:10... still OK. 2:15 is my prediction. Slower than that... well... I'll be unhappy, but will use it to grow.

Happy Father's Days to the other Dad's out there. hope you remember what it means to be a Dad.

Say what?

"Blinded by the light,
wrapped up like a douche
I run her over in the night"
misheard lyrics from Manfred Mann's Earth Band's "Blinded By The Light"

Weight: still 159 :P

I have heard this song countless times, and I've googled the actual lyrics multiple times. But whenever it comes on the radio, I still hear it this way.

And I think there's a lesson there. My wife and I recently had an arguement, and like a lot of couples, when the other person isn't seeing it our way, we repeat ourselves, often louder, as if the extra volume will somehow make it clearer.

This, never works. Not on spouses, not on kids, not on co-workers.

But even if you have the talent and creativity to explain yourself in multiple ways, maybe a puppet show or interpretive dance, sometimes it STILL just doesn't make sense to the other person.

That's when it hit me! Sometimes, people will just never hear it the way you're saying it! I mean, really, isn't that why the rule of thumb is to not discuss religion or politics? People already have their beliefs, they already have their vision... and unless what you're saying fits into their vision, then what you are saying is simply gibberish.

Granted, this is also how great ideas and discoveries are made. There was a time where thinking the world was round was 'madness'.

It's something I need to work on... or at least want to work on. To be open to what someone else is saying. Not to 'look at it from their side', but to disregard everything I know as truth and 'believe' in what the other person is saying... just to try it on and see if it fits (then go back to what I'm used to, because that's my comfort zone). But for a moment... to just believe.

This is not a religious commentary... it's just about stretching thought beyond what you know, can see, and can prove. To take the same rigid, blind belief that my daughter loves me, and apply it to a counterpoint of view, just for a moment, just to understand how anyone could possibly think I'm wrong :)

Since that's something I'm giving myself to work on, and since I don't have a specific race that all my training is working towards currently (rather a conglomeration of races), it's time to set some concrete goals. I think I work better this way, with something concrete to strive for, and if you please, deadlines.

I'm currently at 159. I'm actually down from 165 a couple weeks ago (I've been eating crap, and training very little). First and foremost, I want to be 157 for Quakerman (June 27th) and 154 for Summer Sizzler (August 7th). Less than a pound a week.

I want to beat last year's Summer Sizzler time - overall, and be faster in each of the 3 disciplines (and hopefully transition as well). Honestly, the swim and bike should be no problem to improve... the run will be tough becuase of the Achilles.

School ends late here, on June 22nd (two weeks). From then until Summer Sizzler is 6 weeks. I have two other triathlons (Quakerman and Wet n Wild) before then. In those 6 weeks, I want to have a workout at least 5 days a week. One day will be a brick of some sort, and no discipline will be ignored for 3 consecutive workouts.

And i want to keep blogging...

Obviously...

"Look, boss, I only got one rule. And that's never bet money that you don't have on a dog race with an ex-girlfriend who happens to be a stripper."
- Romeo Posar (Cheech Marin), "Tin Cup"

Weight: 159

It's been a while, I know. But in the constant struggle to find balance in life with family, work, and being athletic... well, the blog is not high on the priority list. In fact, it's easily the first thing to get dropped when things get busy.

But rather than get real long winded about all that has happened, let's just pick up like there's been no delay... and I'll explain why I am leading off with the above quote: Because some things are just obvious.

For example, if my Achilles tendons (both of them) are in excruciating pain every morning, and for most of the day, every day... well, I should probably take it easy, do a little rehab, and drop some races, right? "Obviously!" you say? I know, I say that too...

But I'm also a little bit stubborn. I can't stand the thought of not competing once the entry fee has been spent. Even if the entry was not that expensive, I can't stand the idea of totally wasting money. So even though I OBVIOUSLY should have been taking it easy, I have not really been doing that.

Granted, I've toned down the training runs a LOT. But I still went out and ran a 5K (with a sub-20 finish), and I still did a duathlon (which really, really hurt), and I still walked a half marathon with my wife (the day after the duathlon). I still have a triathlon in 3 weeks too. I can barely walk sometimes, let alone run... but I'm still going to give it my best.

I've finally gotten back in the pool a couple times this past week. I'm not back at square one, but I'm a few squares away from where I was last. If things go well though, I should have a couple open water swims before the triathlon, in my new wetsuit... so I have that to look forward to.

I'm still a work in progress on the bike. Look, the bike portion is only going to go so well - the bike is too big for me, too old to be competitive, and I don't have near enough hours in the saddle. But, it is getting better... slowly... and it doesn't pain my Achilles like the running, so I have that going for me.

And since it's been so long since I posted... I'm going to give y'all something better than a whore on dollar night - 2 posts in a single day!

Country Music Half Marathon (Race Report)

I made it up to Music Row
Lordy don't the wheels turn slow
- "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow", Alan Jackson

A couple quick notes before the report:
Half Marathon PR: 1:50:52
Goal for this race: 1:45:00
If everything goes perfect: 1:40:00

With my Achilles hurting, training pretty much went out the window the 2 weeks before the race, with a total of 3 runs in that time, none very long, and not very fast. Additionally, the week leading up to the race was 'vacation' and visiting family, so the diet went out the window too (you'll note I am not listing my weight. I am honestly afraid to right now). if you want to hit your goals, you have to stay the course... I did not.

It was evident the day before the race that weather could be a HUGE factor. There were two large storm fronts moving in, and by noon, it was going to be ugly. As in "take shelter! It's a tornado!" ugly. They announced that marathoners who were not on pace for a 4:30 finish would be diverted to the Half Marathon.

Woke up at 4:00 am (not a misprint) on race morning... along with my wife and dad who were walking the Half Marathon (the first Half for both of them!). For this race, it's a good idea to get up early, and get to LP field (football stadium the Titans play in, and finish line for the race). If you wait too long, you end up stuck in traffic. You end up stuck in traffic, you don't get to a bus until late. The bus takes you to the start line... and I've heard horror stories about people running TO the start line, no time for porta potties or anything. That is not stress I like to add to my race... I'll wake up early and be tired.

Out of the house by 4:20, at the stadium by 5, off the bus at the start line by 5:30. It was a little drizzly and we did not have trash bags (oversight), but it wasn't so bad. We found a picnic table under a tree to sit and relax at.

I headed to a porta potty for my daily meditation, and while in line, I hear an announcement that the race will be starting 15 minutes early (to try and help beat the weather). I did my business, went back to my wife and dad, said good luck and good bye, and headed to the start line.

I quickly found my college roommate in corral 3. We discussed once again our planned pace times (7:15 pace for the first 10k... hold on from there). We listened to a former Biggest Loser contestant butcher the National Anthem, and it seemed like no time until we were off as well.

For the first 3 miles, I felt good. Wasn't paying attention to my roommate, as we had discussed that we would run our own races and not worry about the other guy. My 5K split was 21:34, just a shade faster than our planned pace. But I was already having negative thoughts... Nashville is hillier than I remember.

Just after the 5K mark, you turn and run down Music Row - basically a nice street with all the record company's offices. As soon as I made that turn, I knew I was in trouble.

I don't know how many races I've run in my life. I wouldn't be surprised if I've run fifty 5K races, a dozen 10K's, 3 Half Marathons, 4 Marathons, one triathlon, and maybe ten races of 'other' distances... plus more training runs and practices than I could ever imagine. You know how many times I have had to stop and pee? ONCE! Only ONCE have I ever had to interrupt my running to go pee. Guess where... just after mile 3 on this same course last year (when I ran the full marathon).

The good news is, I knew exactly where the porta-potties would be, and there was no line. But man, I REALLY had to go. i didn't think to try and 'time' myself to figure out how much time I had lost, but it was a good one. Like 'first pee when drinking large quantities of beer' good.

I get back on the course, feeling better in the bladder, but at mile 5, the rolling hills were starting to get to me. Both of my Achilles were screaming at me. Still, my 10K split was 46:24, about 90 seconds off the 'goal/planned pace'. Considering there was a pit stop, I was feeling good about it. My Achilles however, were not agreeing with that good feeling.

Then next 3.8 miles (from the 10K to the 10 mile mark) my pace had slowed to 8:30... over a minute slower per mile than I had been going. Many negative thoughts, and it was all i could do to keep my feet going. I wanted to walk, but didn't want to give in to that... this is the kind of thoughts people have at mile 22, not mile 10!!!

I prodded along. At the 10 mile mark, I knew I had to run the last 5K in about 26 minutes to hit my goal of 1:45. I also knew that meant I would need to pick it up a little and run about 8:20 miles (you know you've run too much when you can calculate this stuff on the fly). I tried to speed up my cadence, but my Achilles wouldn't let me. nor would they let me take bigger steps. It was brutal... and I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't do it. I wasn't mentally tough enough, and my legs not fit enough to do it.

I finished with a 1:47:01. A PR by over 3 minutes (good), but 2 minutes slow of my goal (bad). The weather never was a factor for my race (although it was a bit humid). My wife and dad had to walk their last hour in cold, wind-driven rain with occasional thunder and lightning.

In the aftermath, my Achilles are still sore, and I also may have bruised my right foot. The bottom of it feels like it got pounded like a whore on dollar night. I'm icing a lot, and trying to rest... but there isn't too long to rest because a.) I can actually feel myself getting fatter and b.) I've got a 5K next week, a Duathlon in 4 weeks, and possibly another Half Marathon the day after the Duathon (my wife 'caught the bug' and really wants to do another)

Run for Haiti 5K

"Cause I am barely breathing,
and I can't find the air"
- "Barely Breathing", Duncan Sheik

Weight: 157

This morning I ran a little 5K race. Honestly... I'm not sure why. I mean, America has pretty much already forgotten about Haiti and the earthquake, as there has been something like 4-5 other earthquakes since then (none as devestating, but some closer to home). But I think it was the cause that got me to sign up.

It's not a real smart thing to do right before a Half Marathon. Pushing yourself hard for 3 miles is a good way to pull a muscle or hurt yourself when you haven't been preparing to run that fast or with that intensity. But I've never been able to 'just take it easy', especially when the field is so small and I might be able to claim an age group award.

(Me winning age group awards is not about me and my talent or skill... it's about all the real runners who didn't come out and run that race)

In addition to this being a bad idea normally, I hadn't run all week. My foot was really hurting, so I did nothing but ice it this week. Plus, being the first week off Lent, I made up for lost time with drinks on multiple nights, and extreme consumption of candy. Wednesday night the scale was reading 161... the heaviest I've seen in a while.

But at 7:30 I was slurping down some raspberry energy gel, and at 8 I was out the door. It was colder than I'd hoped, hovering around 40. I don't know how many runners there were, but I'd be surprised if they got to 75 people total.

The gun went off and so did I... man, I was feeling REALLY good... for about a half mile. I knew I had gone out too fast, my lungs were already burning, my legs were beginning to feel fatigued already, and the course was about to go uphill. The person calling splits at the first mile said "5:50"! I knew that was too fast for me... too fast for the first race in a long time, too fast for a 'tune up' race before a Half marathon, and too fast for me to be able to maintain (for now anyway). but at this point, only one person was ahead of me (and he was a good 30 seconds ahead of me).

Maybe 100 steps later, two people passed me. A male and a female. Sure, it's sexist to say how much I hate being 'chicked', but there was a time when that never happened. I long for those days again.

At about the 2 mile mark (split 12:50??? Is it possible I slowed THAT much?) another female passed me. I tried to hang with her... and I'm sure we helped each other a bit. But ultimately I could not keep pace with her.

I did have a little extra for a finishing kick, but just a little. My breathing was horrible the entire time, and even now (5 hours later) I've still got the dry coughs. Finishing time was about 20:23 - not horrible, not great. I'm not unhappy with that time, but not happy with it either.

I think I could have done better... but, pre-race, I had to carry my daughter on my shoulders for about a mile and a half, and this effected my back more than I'd like to admit (she weighs 50 pounds... not the best 'warm up'). Had I paced myself better, I think sub-20 was in my reach.

And in the aftermath, my right foot is in some pain. I've iced it, but it still hurts. I will probably have to take it easy between now and the Half. My left Achilles is slightly aggrevated too. Not hurting, but I'm definiely aware of it.

We leave for Nashville next week... for 9 days. Might be a break in blog posts... but hopefully I cna come back with a story about a PR for 13.1 miles

Up in the Air

"The slower we move, the faster we die.
Make no mistake, moving is living."
-Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), "Up In The Air"


Weight: 156

The above quote (and movie title) really have absolutely nothing to do with running... not if kept in context. But they sure seem appropriate for where I'm at right now.

I haven't even seen the whole movie. The way movies work in my family/life, is the only movies we seem to see in the theater are kids movies... something we can do as a family. So when it comes to seeing non-kids movies, we wait to see it on DVD.

And when it comes to watching DVDs that my kid will either not be interested in, or I don't want her to see, it means I watch what I can while people are asleep or away. I got halfway through the movie this morning before my daughter woke up. This line caught my attention.

Because in a way, it DOES apply to running (or excercise, or health). The couch potatoes typically are the health risks, and the health nuts typically are not. The runners are in a little better shape than the walkers, and the elite athletes are in remarkable shape. Move... move faster... live longer.

Before I started watching this movie this morning, I went out for my 'long run' (yes, i was up early today). I'm tweaking the training plan a little, and had 11 miles on my schedule for the day...

That didn't happen. And I'm feeling like my upcoming Half, and my perfomance in that race, is a bit 'up in the air'.

I only got 6 miles of a run in. Remarkably slow. Nothing felt right. It wasn't even close to right. It's easily the worst run I've had in a while. My entire lower body felt fatigued and my lower legs were in pain. It only took about a half mile and I knew it was going to be a bad run.

My left Achilles is getting the first hints of a twinge again. That alone makes me want to 'pull back' a little, but my right foot has been bothering me and keeps feeling worse. It's been a nagging pain on the top of my foot, that is somehow connected to my big toe... and today, the pain was more than I wanted to push through just for a training run.

So, I'm 3 weeks from the Half marathon. Next week I've signed up for a 5K, which I would like to run with an honest effort, but do not want to hurt myself. There isn't really much of a taper before a Half Marathon... but I'm thinking I might need to 'shut it down' between now and then. Nothing (other than the 5K) at more than easy effort, and nothing more than about 5 miles. No more than 3 runs a week.

This is NOT how I want to be going into the race. I really want to PR, and I really want to have a good race. I want to feel good and healthy and happy while running... not endure 2 hours of pure misery.

Speaking of pure misery - root canal scheduled for Monday. At least, I hope it's a root canal scheduled. I know, that doesn't make sense. It's like hoping your girlfriend works as a whore on dollar night. But I know there's a problem with a tooth, and I just want it fixed. I don't want Monday to be an 'initial consultation to schedule a root canal down the road'. I don't have that kind of time.

It's feeling like the wheels are falling off. Or better to say the engine light just went on. I'm hoping that being lighter on the gas and a car wash will either fix the problem, or at least get me to the next paycheck when I can afford to really look into it and fix the problem. Sometimes, that engine light goes on when the gascap isn't screwed in right. Cross your finger for me.

Pain is temporary... but it sucks

"You're a runner
But you're chasing yourself
Feel the hot breath on your shoulder
You're emotion
Running cold running warm
The young just getting older"
- "Hungry for Heaven' by Dio

Weight: 152*

Throwing up the asterisk on the weight this week... I got on the scale after a 10 mile run, before eating anything for the day. Even though it was between 20-25 degrees outside, I was layered enough to get a real good sweat going. I'm guessing 156 is a more accurate weight.

Friday is my 'normal' day to blog... but I had a busy Friday and didn't get to it. It was a teacher inservice day, so my wife had to work, but my daughter didn't have school. Additionally, I had a dentist appointment and we had to go grocery shopping.

Had I blogged on Thursday, it would have been an overwhelmingly positive "wow! Things are going really well" type blog. My morning runs were going well, everything was just seeming to 'click'.

Instead, I went to the dentist to have two fillings repaired (I tend to crack them by grinding my teeth in my sleep), and during the process, it was determined that I need a root canal. So instead of a routine fixing of a filling, I have a temporary filling until I can see a root canal specialist (10 days from now), and dull pain causing an unstoppable headache. My jaw feels like a whore on dollar night.

It's not enough to 'derail' my training... but it's enough to make me a bit grumpy. I still got my 'long run' of 10 miles in today, but I wasn't happy about it. I didn't feel like smiling or waving at other runners (even in 20 degree temps, there are plenty of other runners out and about in Buffalo). I honestly don't even feel like blogging right now... I feel like laying on the couch and closing my eyes.

I imagine it's a bit like a migraine. Not as severe, but longer lasting. If we were taking the SAT's, 5K race is to marathon as migraine is to dull toothache headache.

Here's the big picture: My half marathon is in a month... literally in 4 weeks. We leave for Nashville in 3 weeks. I really REALLY want to have this fixed before we leave. If you've ever had a good toothache and been on a plane, you understand. If you haven't, well, tooth pain is greatly increased with pressure changes, and flying is excruciating. While I have an appointment with the root canal guy, it's undetermined if the root canal will be that day, or if that will be a preliminary thing to set up the root canal. Hopefully, this can all get fixed AND I can fully recover (as in no mouth pain) before leaving.

In other news: My summer race schedule is taking shape. Since I have no marathon planned (which means not travel, hotel, entertainment for marathon weekend planned), I am able to sign up for multiple local events... more than usual, and more pricey than usual.

I mean, last year I ran the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC. I stayed with a friend, so I didn't have any hotel expense. But registration was $88 (fairly cheap given the size/prestige of the race), airfare was about $200 (also, fairly cheap), and even though we kept food and entertainment to a minimum for the 3 days I was there, I know I spent at least another $150.

So taking that off the table, there's some extra cash in the cookie jar for "Mark's athletic mid-life crisis". Since I licked the frosting of the multisport cake last year, I decided this year I will eat a whole piece. I have already registered for:
Tiger Duathlon
Quakerman Triathlon
Wet and Wild Triathlon
(if I complete all three of these races, I get a 'bonus' of an Xterra backpack... a $60 value. Basically, it's like getting one race free)

There is at least one more triathlon I will be signing up for, and I'll predict 10-12 5K races before the year is out. PLUS, I'm hoping to do a "swim for charity" with my niece this summer (I will hit you up for donations later on). Not too shabby for a guy who is still no where near the shape he used to be in (but I suppose I am in the best shape of my adult life right now)

Hard to really think about all that when I can't chew on the left side of my mouth though.

And lastly: with a last name like "Fryer", there has always been an abundance of 'chicken stuff' in my life. Decorations for the house, clothing, placemats, towels, etc. It's something most of my family members embrace, because you'll be consistantly annoyed if you do not. So I have a couple different baseball caps with roosters on them. One, in particular, is a 'trucker style' hat (the kind with the plastic mesh) that I have had for at least 3-4 years. And this week, on TV, Dennis Rodman was wearing the exact same hat on "Sober House". I am not exactly sure how I feel about this... but I do know I will not return the favor and start wearing douchey Affliction and Ed Hardy T-Shirts.

Pounding Away

"Sun come up, sun go down
Hear the feet see the sweat on the ground
Watch your step, keep your cool
Though you can't see what's in front of you"
- "The Runner", Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Weight: 156

Sometimes I have to decide what to blog about. I have multiple ideas running through my head and I have to filter what is 'blog-worthy' and what isn't. I know... this might be a shock to read, considering how I can ramble on about nothing. But really, those are the highly edited and shrunken versions of what I was thinking of typing.

This... is not one of those weeks. Not much happened, things are pretty status quo. I wasn't really 'inspired' this week, at least not by anything that stuck.

But I did have my physical last week - if you are reading this thinking about running or getting in shape or whatever, please, see your doctor first. Not only do you want to make sure you are physically 'ready' and 'capable' to tackle whatever challenges you have before you, but it's also a REALLY good way to see the positive effects of all your work later on.

That said, my last physical was over 2 years ago. It was one of the little factors that got me off my butt, off the couch, and on my feet. My cholesterol was right at the cusp of 'high'. It wasn't really 'bad', because my good cholestorol numbers were good... but still, I was in my early to mid 30's, and not ready to hear that anything was at the cusp.

So since my last physical, I have run 4 marathons. I have dipped my toe in the kiddie pool of triathons. I have become more careful about my diet and keep my binge eating to occasional nights instead of frequent weeks. I have lost over 15 pounds. It would be only natural to see my 'new numbers'... right?

Except I totally forgot to ask! I think i got caught up in other things... and it just slipped my mind.

For one, as previously written, I was curious about this whole Vitamin D deficiency thing. It kind of consumed me. I wanted to find out about that from the doctor, and everything else was secondary. Unfortunately, that was anti-climatic as the doctor basically said "it's winter in Buffalo... this is what happens". I've got 9 more weeks of Vitamin D 'overload', followed by daily supplements, and we'll look at it again next year.

I will say my runs for the last couple weeks have been better than average, or at least better than recent history. Maybe not faster than usual (I generally don't pay attention to time/pace when just training), but I've just felt better. Is the Vitamin D part of the reason? I really don't know. A lot has changed all at once. I'm getting a lot more sleep with my new work schedule. I'm running earlier in the day. The weather is getting nicer. My feet/legs are still acclimating to the Newton Running Shoes (for distancecs over 6 miles). I'll knock on wood... things are going good.

But I digress - another distraction at my physical was that I had to take my 5 year old daughter with me. This made the whole experience interesting and fun... for the staff at the doctor's office too I'm guessing.

To tell the whole story and all the little jokes and funny things that happened would make my fingers more sore than a whore on dollar night. So I am just going to bullet point it:

- while being weighed, my daughter announced "Wow Dad! You weigh a lot!" I replied "Not really, my shirt weighs 12 pounds". Not sure which of us the nurse laughed louder at.
- My daughter could play with a Sphygmomonemeter (Blood pressure cuff) for hours. And my blood pressure is officially not in the 300 range.
- 5 year old girls will ALWAYS have to go to the bathroom when they are in a new building, it's unavoidable.
- My doctor asked my daughter how old she was, and she sullenly replied "I'm still only 5... but (perking up) when I'm six I get to go to Disneyworld!" This made the doctor, the nurse, and two med students all laugh out loud
- I taught the nurse how to cure hiccups... suck it nursing school! (plug your ears and take 5 gulps of water. It works, I swear)

5 weeks until the Half Marathon. I haven't been swimming or biking much, but will step up those workouts right after.

Balance...

"Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand? "
- Miyagi (Pat Morita), "The Karate Kid"

Weight :157

I've never snowboarded. I have skiied... used to be pretty good in fact. But moving to places with warm weather and/or a severe lack of hills, combined with numberous better things to spend my time and money on... and I'm sure I'd be more than just a little rusty.

But in order to successfully ski or snowboard, you have to marry two simple components. One of them is inevitable and unavoidable... gravity. No matter what you do, you can not escape it, can not change it. The other component is the one that takes work, practice, committment to perfect... balance. The gravity is constant. Never changing. The balance is constantly changing with turns, terrain, and terror.

Thus is life. Thus is my life and what I am trying to do. One thing is constant: Time. I can't stop it. I can't speed it up or slow it down. And I'm trying to find the balance of family, work, health, and athleticism (and probably some other stuff)... and that is constantly changing.

This week I started a new shift at work. Instead of working from 4 in the afternoon until 12:30 in the morning, I am now working a much more 'normal' shift of 9:30 am to 6 pm. This has flipped things like a whore on dollar night.

In terms of family - I get a lot more family time, and I love it! We're eating family dinners together, and are slowly making it 'ritual' to bowl a couple of games on the Wii together (my 5 year old daughter has gotten very good, and regularly beats my wife and me). The only down side is that I had forgotten what a good cook my wife is, and while she has been making healthy dinners, I have been eating 2-3 servings. This is a little counterproductive on the 'weight maintenance' goal.

In terms of health - I am getting at least 2 more hours of sleep a night, if not 3. I feel SO much more alert, especially in the morning. This has got to be better for me, right?

In terms of athleticism - with my old schedule, it was easy to work out. While the wife and kid were at school, I could work out at me leisure. Whatever time I want was good, and I could be out for 30 minutes or 3 hours. Didn't matter.

Now? I've been running early in the morning while my wife gets ready for work (before my daughter wakes up). This is good, but limited to about a 3-4 mile run unless I want to set another alarm to wake up before anyone else. Evening workouts are non-existant so far, because that is time I could be spending with my family... it adds a bit of guilt to the mix.

Granted, for now, it's not a big issue. I am not training for something so huge that I need long workouts in the middle of the week. But if I choose to do a marathon again... there will be sacrifices.

I mean, there's ALWAYS sacrifices. But sometimes it's the people you love who have to sacrifice too. I know of people who never find this balance between their wants and desires and their family's willingness to sacrifice. This can be horrible for family life, and even break it apart. It something that should be considered, and discussed, before taking on new bold challenges.

However, if your wants/desires/and goals are reasonable... and you discuss it openly and passionately... your family will support you. You just have to prepare for the change in balance. If you're careening down a snow-covered hill, you see what's ahead of you. You prepare for turns, dips, and bumps, and even keep aware of something changing at the very last second. You look ahead to the upcoming changes in balance. And with enough preperation and anticipation, you do not fall.

Milk - it does a body good

"And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know"
- Al Green (and countless others) "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone"

Weight: 154

Weight is a little low today/this week, because I stepped on the scale after running, and before eating today. but still, not too shabby. Maintaining it this early is a good sign for later.

Ain't no sunshine... in Buffalo for most of the winter. But I think compared to most, I do pretty good about getting outdoors and getting a little fresh air and sunlight. My runs are when the sun it at it's peak (more or less), and it takes quite a lot before I wear more than shorts on my legs.

So I was thrown for a loop last Saturday when i got a letter from my doctor's office. I had some blood drawn for an upcoming physical, and the results were sketchy enough they couldn't wait until I go to the office... they wanted me to get a prescription... NOW. For vitamin D

Yes, even though I am outside more than anyone else I know, and even though I drink a glass of milk (at least one) after every workout, and even though I am a cereal eater... I am vitamin D deficient. I have spent a lot of time searching the internet for information, and truthfully, I'm a bit fascinated by this... and by these numbers:

The 'normal' range for vitamin D in your blood is 40-70 ng/ml. 30 ng/ml would be considered 'minimal'... my number is 17.

Depending on the source or study, it is recommended that an individual consumes 400-1000 IU (international units) of vitamin D a day. An 8 ounce glass of milk has 125 IU of vitamin D.

The older you are, the more you need. Additionally, the less sunlight you get the more you need (sunlight helps with the whole vitamin D process). But even then, 2000 IU would be the high end of required intake and/or supplimentation. In fact, I was talking to a co-worker in his 60's. He takes 1500 IU a day.

My levels are so low, that with the letter the doctor sent, was a prescription for vitamin D... for 50,000 IU a week! that's more than a whore on dollar night! I am to take 50,000 units a week for 12 weeks, at which time I will drop to 1000 units a day (over the counter supplement) until my next blood test. This just seem like an insane amout of... well... anything to take. But there you have it. My levels are so low the doctor wants me to take over 7 times the 'regular' amount for 3 months.

What is TRULY insane, is that my prescription is for 1 pill a week. 50,000 units, one pill. So I go and pick up my prescription... and it contains 4 pills. What?!?!?!? I have to pay for this 3 seperate times? They won't give me all 12 week's worth now? It's not a barbituate, or opiate, or pain killer, or something with street value, or even anything I could OD on! but this is just the insurance companies screwing us. They want their extra $14 (the cost of 2 extra prescriptions).

*sigh* So it will be interesting to see how this translates into my running and working out. It will be interesting to see if maybe this is what made last year, overall, a bit of a disappointment performance-wise. I mean, major symptoms are bone pain, muscle weakness, and fatigue. That's pretty much how I've felt for a year now. And pretty much why most of my races last year went worse than planned, and my training went all haywire.

The important thing is to get it fixed. While vitamin D deficiency doesn't seem to CAUSE serious health risks, it is ASSOCIATED with a lot of bad stuff. Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Cognitive Impairment.

And I'm a bit curious as to what may have caused it. Is it just a weird 'blip in the Matrix' from when I was violently ill? Could one week of horrible health knock it down that low? Do I have kidney issues? After last year's Country Music Marathon that would not suprise me. I think I got dehydrated to the point they started failing... maybe I did some damage. Who knows?

It will be an interesting physical next week. But I am getting all my runs in. They aren't all as long or fast as they should be, but hey, I have a vitamin deficiency, give me a break.

Olympic Inspiration

"And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA."
- Lee Greenwood, "God Bless the U.S.A."


Weight: 158

It's been another rough week of training... with most of my runs/workouts being skipped. Sure, especially after my last blog post, I'm simply letting the excuses get in the way. But finding the right balance, that is always key.

The problem this week was 'life', mostly in the form of dentist appointments. My daughter ended up having 2, and I had one myself. Throw in a day where I STILL didn't feel good (still stomach cramping... but it's getting better now that I've put a couple more pounds back on), and it was a pretty bad week, athletically speaking.

This morning was my dentist appointment, and I had originally planned on doing my run afterward. But we got hit with a bit of snow last night. Not a ton, maybe 4 inches accumulation, but it's enough where there isn't any safe open surfaces to take a jog on. I went for a swim instead. Have really been slacking in the pool... as in not going... for a while, but I did manage 600m without much issue other than boredom. So that is good.

But most of my excitement lately has been for the Olympics! I love me some Olympics! I love how suddenly America cares about curling and short track skating and skiing. Even figure skating has little to no life with general America outside of the Olympics.

I am not so much into the hockey. Like basketball in the Summer games, it's just not the same with the pros involved.

But most of all, I love the conversations and debates that stem from the Olympics - the "I could be an Olympian is I just lived in another country" conversation. The "Olympics are better than pro sports, because you aren't rooting for laundry, you're rooting for your country!" debate. The "those female skiers have some thick legs, and I'm simultaneously turned on and repulsed" conundrum. But there is no question, the conversations I love the best regard the National Anthem, and the definition of 'sport'

Look, I love America, and consider myself patriotic. But seriously, the Star-Spangled Banner sucks! And with the Games being in Canada, you get to hear their AWESOME anthem more than usual. Seriously, if there anything better than a stadium/arena full of people bursting out in patriotic song? Please, listen to THIS, and tell me you don't get chills, even though it's another country.

We could never pull that off in America. Our anthem just isn't that good. It's an old marching song, with notes that maybe 50 people in any given arena can actually hit (and half of them consider themselves 'singers' so they would take 'artistic liberties' with the tune and screw it up). That is why I propose we change our anthem to the chorus of "God Bless the USA" shown above.

C'mon! You KNOW that would be awesome! You don't have to hit any difficult notes. Even if you have no voice at all, if you sing loud with thousands of people, it still sounds great. It's the kind of 'anthem' that drunk guys will gladly throw their arms around the guy next to him, even if he's a stranger, and belt out the tune, swaying side to side with the tempo. Give me one GOOD reason why this would not make a better national anthem?

I know, it will never happen, because the same freedom mentioned in the lyrics give idiots the freedom to overreact and get unnecessarily offended at anything with the word "God" in it. Also, English teachers would take issue with 'ain't" being included. Still... next time you are in a group of people of 4 or larger, especially if drinks are involved, and there is an event between a USA person/team and another country... start singing. They WILL join in, you WILL feel patriotic, and you would never get that response from random Star Spangled Bannering.

That is nothing compared to the 'what is a sport' debate. And the Olympics are filled with things that in my opinion, are NOT sports. Don't get me wrong, they are very athletic, take a lot of skill and grace and talent... but they are not sports. Anything that involves 'judges' is instantly not a sport. It's a pageant. Half pipe snowboarding, figure skating, gymnastics, whores on dollar night, etc. Not sports.

I can't do any of those things, they are difficult and take years of practice and commitment. But I don't believe there can be 100% impartial judging (figure skating has proved it time and time again). When there's judging, there is controversy. Some American guy won a gold in figure skating, and within 10 seconds, there was talk that he didn't really win, didn't deserve to win.

Refs, umpires, and officials can drastically change the outcomes of competitions too... but it's not the same. You still have to put points on the board, of keep your opponent from scoring, or be faster to the finish line. There is objective evidence of who wins.

That said - the debate always leads to something idiotic like "So then is chess a sport?" Of course not! A sport has to have at least a little bit of athleticism or physicality. Golf is ridiculously low impact, but highly technical, and a sport. Horseshoes is a sport. Sitting in a chair playing chess... no.

Bowling - that's a sport. Maybe not the way most of us play, where it's something to do between sips of beer. But for actual bowlers... definitely. It may have all the technicality of golf... if not more. Essentially, you have to do the same thing perfect, every time. Golfers do not strive for perfection. They do not shoot for the hole on every stroke. They have greater room for error.

Bowling tournaments require multiple games with good scores, eliminating the competition. It's not only the perfection of repetition, but becomes a bit of an endurance thing. All the more reason it is interesting a bigger deal has not been made of Kelly Kulick.

Who? Kelly Kulick. Only a woman who beat an otherwise male field of 62 bowlers in one of the biggest national tournaments of the year! She beat the number 1 player in the final by 70 pins! 90 games in 6 days averaging 226. A woman, on an equal, level playing field, has just beat the men... and barely a whisper from the media. It's sad really.

Some people will use this to immediately discount bowling as a sport - basically saying that if a woman can beat a man, than it must not really be a sport. It's sad that her accomplishment would turn into a negative. And with Danica Patrick in NASCAR now, it will give people reason to discount that too once she wins (and she will... but you will definitely hear about THAT when it happens)

I wonder if this is part of the whole obesity problem in America? I regularly get 'chicked' while running (and with triathlons I get chicked before I even get out of the water, and that with having a 2 minute head start). Sure, it can be humbling. I wonder if that is why some people don't even try? Because they can't deal with the thought of being beat by certain other people.

Lenten Specials!

"That’s what religion is... just a bunch of made-up rules to manipulate people! Why don’t Catholics eat meat on Fridays? I’ll tell you why. Because the pope owns Long John Silver’s!"
-Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), "30 Rock"

Weight: 156

I am technically over my sickness from last blog. I say 'technically', because I'm still not feeling 100%. I still have a bit of a stomach ache, and have not been able to figure out how to get rid of it - eat more, eat less, eat differently? Who knows? But it's not so bad, and I've gotten back on track with my training... sort of.

I did have to skip one day's worth of workouts this week (a 4 mile run plus a swim workout). It wasn't because of my stomach, it was just another case of 'life' getting in the way. I had to have some blood drawn for an upcoming physical, so I had to fast in the morning. By the time I was back from the blood draw, my daughter had a friend over for a play date. By the time the play date was over, well, I just didn't feel like it. I hadn't been eating and drinking like I was getting ready for an evening workout.

Look, I'll be the first to say that I 'wimped out' and made excuses. I'm sure I could've found 90 minutes to get a really good workout in. I didn't. I don't think it makes me a bad person, and I don't think doing it once or twice a month will kill all my goals (be they weight maintenance, or athletic performance).

That said, it's the people who make too many excuses, too often, who end up beached whale couch potatoes unable to run even short distances (like across the room to the phone). If there is someone you look up to, someone you envy, or are jealous of, or you idolize... even if they are someone you don't really 'know', just someone you see on TV. Doesn't matter if it's about body image or performance, or about career, love, or anything else. The difference between who you are, and who you want to be, is that the latter stopped making excuses.

You get rid of the excuses, and you can do it... whatever it is you want to do. Stop making excuses about time, or your 'bad knees', or money. The excuses are self-imposed obstacles.

That said, be realistic too. If your goal is to run a marathon... you can do it! If your goal is to set a world record in the marathon, uh, well, I'm not saying it can't be done, but you'd better understand the years it would take to get to that level (for most of us). Not just years, but years working harder than a whore on dollar night, every day.

Anyway, I'm back on track with training, regardless of if my stomach is 100% on board with the idea. The training for a half marathon (well, any race distance really) is what you make it, and for me, it's not so bad. I'm at the end of week 3 (out of 12 weeks) and my long run thus far has been 6 miles. As usual, I don't focus a whole lot on time, pace, etc. For me, that is more work and stress than I want, and it sucks some of the enjoyment out of it.

That said, I'm really hoping for a PR this race. I've only run the Half marathon distance 3 times - the first one was a training run for my first marathon. I went out too fast, was spent by mile 10, and walked a ton. My second one was my first attempt at pacing myself for the distance (but again, I was in the middle of marathon training). I paced well, but it wasn't a 'fast' race by any means. My third Half, I was ready to put up a good time (by my standards), and 5 minutes before the start, I was puking my guts out in a porta-john (just a bad reaction to the smell). Totally dehydrated and puking up during the race, I still managed a 1:50:52 which is my current PR. If I don't beat that by 5 minutes or more, I will have failed.

So... Lent. I'm not overly religious, and not going to get into the religious significance or goofiness of Lent. But I do like to test myself a little during Lent - give up something(s) to hopefully better and benefit myself, and maybe those around me.

It's really not any different mindset than dieting or training or quitting smoking or even rehab (I assume). It's making a decision, a commitment, to do something for a specific period of time. If you train for a race, you do the same thing, you commit to doing your workouts without fail. If you diet, you commit to eating in accordance with a program. you get the idea.

So this year for Lent, I'm giving up alcohol, red meat, and sweets/snacks/desserts. These are fairly typical things for me to give up. Having less of those things is good for you, and I don't indulge in them much anyway, so it's not much of a sacrifice.

But I spoke to my wife, and convinced her to give up processed sugar (which she puts in her morning coffee EVERY DAY), bread (including pizza crust), sweets/snacks/desserts, and red meat. The red meat and snacks are no big deal, especially since I'm giving them up too. But bread and sugar? HUGE sacrifices for her... I am proud of her for making that commitment.

And as a good husband, to sacrifice to the same extent, I also gave up Facebook. Sure, you can think this is stupid, because it's no big deal missing your Farm or Mafia or whatever. But I use facebook more than Email. I use facebook the way most people use their cell phones. When you can say you're done with your cell phone and Email, then you can tell me I'm stupid.

I officially put my blog 'out there' to friends and such because of the 'no facebook during Lent' thing. While giving it up is my sacrifice, I understand there is a certain weirdness that I am making them give up 'cold turkey' during Lent, against their will. I am excited I now have 'Followers'. Feel free to tell your friends - the more the merrier. And of course, feel free to comment and/or ask questions... because sooner or later, I will run out of things to say :P

Derailed!

"Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train"
- Ozzy Osbourne, "Crazy Train"


Weight: 153

It didn't take long for my Half Marathon training to totally fall apart. Today would be wrapping up week 2, and i ran a total of 4 miles. Caught a NASTY stomach virus that lead to 12 straight hours of puking and pooping, followed by another 36 hours of "only puking or pooping if I eat or drink". Basically, for 2 days, I was spewing fluids like a whore on dollar night.

I'm tired. I'm sore in weird places (my neck being the worst). I have no energy.

But I'm pretty sure my abs have made an appearance. That would be the only upside.

I'll try to pick up like nothing happened on Monday...

Snooze Button...

"It's taken me a lot of years, but I've come around to this: If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. And if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you." - Isaac Jaffee (Robert Guillaume), "Sports Night"


Weight: 160

Woke up this morning just dragging. Didn't even want to pour my coffee right away, just wanted to rest for a few more minutes before it was time to wake up my daughter for school. When it was time to wake my daughter, it seemed she was feeling sleepy and groggy too. We go downstairs and my wife (who is getting ready to leave for work) says "What are you doing? She doesn't have school today."

It's a bit bittersweet. Great, we can just go back to sleep for a while, but it's just not the same quality of sleep. Plus, I suddenly realize that my day will not go as planned. I was planning on getting in a run and a swim this morning, but it will have to wait until the evening if it happens at all today.

I really dislike working out in the evening. It just doesn't agree with me. I don't ever get the eating right, I end up with heartburn or vomiting in the middle of my run. I end up with cramps or burping while swimming. It's a skill I don't have, this working out later in the day.

But I did get some quality workouts in this week. I'm still swimming 3 times a week, and on those days, my running plan calls for 3-4 easy miles those same days. I think I've got those days figured out! The pool is 2 miles from home... run to the pool, do my swim, run home. Sure, I don't know if two 2 mile runs is the same as 'running 4 miles', and sure, it was colder than a whore on dollar night running through the snow-packed sidewalks, but I think it'll work for what I'm trying to do.

In another 2 weeks, my work schedule changes. Currently, most days, it is very easy for me to get in a run, swim, and/or bike. My wife and daughter are both gone during the day, and I don't go to work until after 3 pm. But soon I'll be working in the daytime, so every minute I'll be working out after that, will be a minute I'm not spending with my wife and kid at home. The workouts need to be efficient, quality, workouts. I may even be able to do this 'run, swim, run' workout before anybody wakes up in the morning.

It won't be fun, but the sacrifice and suffering is a little part of what makes it all an accomplishment, no? It's eliminating excuses, which is really all it takes. The more excuses you can eliminate, the further you can go.

In other news - I saw 'Schindler's List' for the first time this week. I know, I know... "You've never seen "Schindler's List?!?!?" Well I hadn't. I have no excuse. But really, doesn't everyone have a movie like that? A movie that EVERYONE has seen... but you? (I also have not seen 'Titanic').

But the 'You've never seen...' thing does have some limitations, right? For example, your age. Seems to me that my parents (in their 60's now) would say "American Graffiti" is one of those movies that everyone has seen, or should. I've seen it, but really, would you EXPECT someone born the same year the movie came out to have seen it?

I run into this with younger people I work with. I still have a hard time grasping that 20-somethings have not seen 'Fast Times', or 'Animal House', or the John Hughes movies. I've even run into golfers who have not seen "Caddyshack" (Blasphemy!!!)

Anyway - 'Schindler's List', it's not like you can really say you 'liked' a movie like that. And I don't know that I would even say it was 'good'. It's a fascinating story and piece of history for sure. But really... did it need to be over 3 hours long? Did we need THAT much of the horror of the camps included? (and really, does ANY movie need to be that long?)

I'm not downplaying the importance or significance of all that happened. But this is a movie, with the main goal of making money. Let's not fool ourselves that this was about educating anybody, or healing, or retribution. it may have done those things, or helped, but that is not the focus of making the movie. In fact, if any of those things were the goal, (SPOILER ALERT, in case someone else has not seen it)then just like Schindler at the end of the movie "they could have done more".

Just as "Passion of the Christ" was accused of being a snuff film for the gratuitous violence, and "Saving Private Ryan" was deemed gratuitously gory... isn't throwing an an extra hour's worth of Jew torture the same thing?

In the end, I'm glad I saw it. I'll never have to see it again.

What's your story?

"Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts." - Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), "Memento"


Weight: 162

Last month I was working my Sunday morning shift. It was slow as usual, and the only other person in the office was a co-worker who came in on his day off to catch up on some of his work. He's a single guy, about my age, maybe a year younger. While we'd worked in the same office for a couple years, we hadn't really worked 'together'. Outside of the occasional sports barb or work related thing, we had not spoken much.

After he got settled in - grabbed his coffee, fired up his computer, went through his Emails - he looks over at me and says "It's going to be a long day Fryer... tell me a story".

That's a slightly daunting task, no? I mean, I was pretty sure we wasn't looking for me to make up some fantasy story about unicorns and rainbows. And even though it was slow at work, there was still work to do and focus on... so if I was going to step up to this task, it had to be something I 'knew'. Something I didn't really have to think about, as much as I just had to recite. Basically, I had to approach this like a whore on dollar night.

Some people would be uncomfortable or offended if they were suddenly asked to 'tell a story'. But really, isn't this a FANTASTIC was to eliminate or avoid a potential 'uncomfortable silence'? If you're out on a date (first or second date), and the conversation isn't going well, or it's too much like an interview with questions and answers, why not just say "So, tell me a story'? What is the worst that could happen? They might say 'you first'... that's it. And you can PICK the story! Instead of asking and answering questions you aren't interested in, you can talk about something you WANT to talk about! Trust me, you are more attractive when you actually care about the words coming out of your mouth.

However, the only way this actually works, is if you LISTEN and are interested and involved in the story. But I digress...

I told my co-worker "OK, let me think of which one to tell you", which sounds like I'm stalling for time, and in a way I was. But really, I have a solid handful of stories that I could have told (which I will blog about someday when I have writer's block). Off the top of my head, there's the infamous 'Bat in the basement story, there's the 'I danced with Madonna' story, there's any number of stories from college... but I went with the "First time I took a girl to a concert" story.

I'm not going to re-tell it here, not now anyway. That's not the point. The point is, I told my story, my co-worker listened. This lead to many exchanged back and forth... about concerts and girlfriends and music. It turned a boring Sunday into something way more enjoyable. We didn't 'compete' and try to 'one up' each other, we just took turns talking and listening.

So... if someone says for you to 'tell a story', do you have one? Do you have a story you can tell regardless of the genders or ages in your 'audience'? When was the last time you told your story? It's good to practice it, to ensure you can tell it without holes or gaps or leaving anything out. Practice keeps the 'facts' straight, and the interpretation clear.

Besides, isn't 'telling a good story' one of those things that everyone should be able to do? Kind of like treading water without panicking or driving a car with manual transmission or telling two good jokes (one clean, one dirty)?

Anyway, not a whole lot else new lately. I've run a little, and the Achilles hurts, but not 'bad'. I think I'll be okay if I don't get too crazy, and just put in the miles I'm supposed to with the restraint over pacing that I'm supposed to have.

I'm slowly getting better at this swimming thing. I'm following a 6 week program, but I'm stretching it out to 10-12 weeks. I'm not in a hurry, no triathlons for another 6 months.

Let the beatings commence!

"Folded in your fleshy purse
I am floating once again
While the muted sounds are pumping rhythm
All the walls close in on me
Pressure's building wave on wave
'til the water breaks - and outside i go, oh"
- Peter Gabriel "Growing Up"


Weight: 161


Still trying to figure out if I'm going to give this blog 'direction' or a 'theme' or anything like that. I'm entirely sure that I would not come up with some original idea that no other blogger has ever thought of, and even MORE sure that I am not going to 'out-write' a professional blogger... so for now, I will continue to ramble.

But I think I did figure out that I need a regular schedule, and for now, I will TRY to make that schedule 'once a week, preferably on Friday'. I think this is good and makes sense for a couple reasons. First, it means I (hopefully) will not burn out right away by over-blogging. I think we've all seen blogs with the best of intentions that come out of the gates firing on all cylinders, but run out of steam and come up lame. (And yes, I did just mix up metaphors for horses, cars, trains, and some other thing... but it works). It will also prevent me rambling on more than I already do.

Additionally, I think it means I'm blogging enough to 'stay current and interesting'. I mean, that's basically 50 blog posts a year (I get a couple weeks off, right?) That's a good number. I know people who've been blogging for 3+ years and they still don't have 50 posts.

One direction I know I do NOT want to take this blog is the "cute things my kid says" direction. I'm assuming someone out there already has a blog covering it, and I'm positive that stories about your kid are NEVER as funny to other people (evne relatives) as they are to you. They can still be funny... just not AS funny. And sooner or later it becomes tedious to the reader. Plus I don't want to wake up Friday morning, realize my kid has been boring lately, and feel the need to pressure her to 'say something funny'. That never works.

However - my 5 year old daughter was watching "The Karate Kid" with me last weekend, and it got to the scene where Daniel (Ralph Macchio) was apologizing to Ali (a delightfully plump but still attractive Elizabeth Shue) at the bottom of the water slide at Golf N Stuff. As they kiss, my daughter says "Is that two girls?" This movie will never be the same for me, as henceforth, Daniel-san is just an ugly tomboy.

As for the commencing beatings... this coming week will be my official return to running after 6 weeks off. I did actually run 2 miles on a treadmill a couple days ago, just to test it out. That went well, but the next day I was more sore than a whore on dollar night. Ideally, I would take more time off and heal and rehab, but I'm a little too pig-headed to do that. I must start running regularly again, and I must start next week.


For my local friends, let me plug Family Care Physical Therapy in Amherst, as they have done a great job in trying to get my Achilles back in running shape. I recommend them to anyone. And if you drop my name, you get your initial consultation free.

I plan on running 5 days a week, starting at 15 miles a week, and working up to 30 miles a week as I traing for the Country Music half Marathon. Additionally, I hope to keep swimming 3 times a week, and bike once or twice a week to keep getting into 'triathlon shape'. AND... still have one day of total rest. Might be a tall order to fill.

I don't know that I'll blog out my actual training - either what I really did, or what I was supposed to do, or am planning to do. Again, I think there are plenty of other blogs out there like that. But if someone wants to know, just ask.

if you're still reading - thank you. And again, I encourage comments and questions. I might run out of things to say one day, and that will help me come up with something. That said, I am NOT blogging about my daughter's first ever play date, the ridiculous fights (2 of them) that my wife and I got into, my opinions on my friends' goofy relationship issues (that they never listen to), how the Haiti earthquake has effected my workplace, and my opinions on the Buffalo Bills recent coach hiring - all things from the last week! So while this is long, it's only about half of what it easily could be... you're welcome.