Hello friends! Welcome to the new
and improved, albeit slightly older version of the 366 Project! I've gotta
admit, now that I'm officially 40 years old, I'm a little surprised. I just
don't feel my age. Sure, my legs may not have that kick they did ten 10 years
ago, mornings after one too many Sam Adams may be a little rougher than they
once were and don't even think about approaching me on ANY morning on ANY day,
unless, I've had at least one cup of my Starbucks coffee. But, deep down inside
I still feel the same as I did as a younger man. I guess it's all about
perspective. You're only as old as you think you feel. Or so they say! I'd like
to personally thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday. It was incredible
to get that many good vibes from so many different people! All of you really
made my day and eased my transition into middle age! I'm not upset about being
older at all. One new age group closer to qualifying for
Boston!
It had a really good
week of birthday vacation. My plans of relaxing doing nothing quickly
evaporated after the first day. I'm one of those people who doesn't deal with
environmental stress very well. So, instead of lounging around I worked like a
maniac on house projects. It felt great to take care of some things that have
been rolling around in my mind for quite some time. It's a double bladed sword
though. I find comfort when everything's the way that I want it. But, it seems
like every time I start a project, it ends up taking three times as long to
finish than I originally planned. This year I really, really need to focus on
forcing myself to sit the hell down and enjoy life once and a while. I guess
that's why I'm so drawn to long distance running. Without trying very hard, you
can structure your life strictly around your training. I've done that many
times and you'll get good results. But your family and friends will pay a
price. And before you know it, your race will be over and you'll be thinking to
yourself, that was it? Like I said, gotta slow down this year and enjoy this
crazy life of mine.
Walter the Running
Wonder Dog is doing alright. Unfortunately, after a sad series of events the
first week that we had him which involved him becoming extremely aggressive,
we've decided that it's best to find another home for him. All of us are really
upset about it. He's a beautiful dog that will do wonderfully in a home without
any other pets or children. If you're interested, please contact me.
The running is starting
to get more serious. Starting last week the mileage began to ramp up quite
significantly. I had a great time running a lot of mileage over vacation
through some of the most humid weather this summer. I know my speed's not
anywhere near what is was last year. So, I'm trying to focus on those important
long distance runs. I'm getting them done. But, it seems like it's taking me
forever!
The hamstring's relaxed quite a bit over the last two weeks. My
chiropractor scared the crap out of me by telling me that it was much more
serious than I originally thought. He's ordered me to start taking Aleeve,
which I hate to do, but will try for now, use ice and take some days off. It's
a good thing that he can't read my mind. Because I'm sorry doc, but the taking
some days off thing isn't going to happen. It's better like I said. But, it's
still there for now. The mileage is only going to get harder from here on in.
Come on new 40 year old body! Give me a good training cycle and I promise I
will stop this crazy 366 day running streak on New Year's Day! I know some of
you have great hopes that this streak will continue. But, to be honest, I'm
done when it's done. The blog and podcast will definitely continue on in a
different format. But, let's just say that I'd rather run two, or three
marathons a year than do this again. It's been more grueling and more difficult
than I thought it would ever be!
Over vacation I enjoyed
running during the middle of the day instead of my usual late afternoon time.
For some reason, almost every day I had a close call with cars on the road. One
guy even had the nerve to honk at me after almost running me over on a tight
curve. It's a good thing buddy that I wasn't packin because you would've gotten
much more than my finger! That got me thinking about some really good safety
tips we should all practice more when out there. So, here goes the tips:
1. Run against traffic!
It drives me insane when I see runners out there running WITH the flow of
traffic! Cyclists have to move with the flow of traffic, not runners. I've even
screamed at a few to stop and switch sides! What the hell are you doing? You're
just asking to be run over! If you run against traffic flow at least you've got
a fighting chance to dive out of the way if someone comes too close. You can't
avoid what you can't see.
2. Wear appropriate
clothing for the time of day. Look, unless your facebook name is "Ninja Runner"
you've got no business wearing dark clothing on overcast days or nighttime
runs. If you must wear dark clothing, then be smart and wear something
reflective. Several companies now incorporate reflective material into all
sorts of running clothing and even running shoes. Running companies sell
reflective vests and bracelets that can wrap around your ankles too. A useful option
is a headlamp. It'll give you more visibility and improve your visibility as
well. You can find very reasonably priced models all over the place. Another
neat and inexpensive gizmo is a strobe light. I don't care about looking cool.
I'd rather look like a Christmas tree then a fashionably dressed runner laying
in a hospital bed in the local ER. Here's some really good links to some of the
products out there:
3. Lower your music
player so that you can hear environmental sounds around you. I'm just as guilty
as the rest of you when it comes to cranking up the podcasts and music. I'm the
kind of runner who has difficulty running without something piping through my
ears. Occasionally I'll go for runs without my ipod. I'm always amazed at how
much more I hear during those runs. The animals romping through the woods alone
startle the hell out of me when I'm doing one of these "silent" runs.
For women this is extremely important. As a law enforcement professional I'm
here to tell you that there are predators who wait for the right opportunity.
Protect yourself ladies.
4. Bring some form of ID on your runs. I've been a huge proponent of
this for many years. There are many great options out there. I've been wearing
a product called Road ID for many, many years. They've got several different
products to choose from. Including metal necklaces, bracelets, nylon wrist
wraps and shoes tags. All of there products are fully customizable with regards
to the information you want displayed. Each one contains an uniquely numbered
code that first responders can use to access all of your personal medical and
emergency information through a toll free phone number or online website. It's
extremely affordable and in my opinion, quite worth the money and small amount
of time it'll take you to enter all your information. Here's a link to their
website:
Recently this month
I also discovered that they also have a fabulous free iPhone app. This app is
something that I would pay some money for. It allows you to create a lock
screen wallpaper with emergency contact information. It also has a great
feature that will email or text a customized message to family or friends that
let's them know that you've left for a run and are due to return at a specified
time. During your run the app uses GPS to alert those family or friends if you
remain stationary for five minutes. Which is handy if you're knocked
unconscious. The app will also shoot out a text or email when you don't return
within your pre-set time frame. To top all of that, the app also allows for
real time GPS tracking during the run. Like I said, I'd pay for this app.
Here's a link to the app:
5. Never assume that
drivers can see you and are going to give you the right of way. Yes,
pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way. But, few drivers actually follow this
law. As a marathoner, I'm also friends with several tri-athletes and cyclists.
Even though we all have different disciplines, one thing remains constant: the
unwarranted hatred some drivers display when encountering us on the roads. Why?
I always try to make eye contact when crossing in front of cars and typically
cross behind them instead. In today's technological age it's almost a given
that drivers are either on their cell phone, texting, surfing the web or doing
all three while on the road. Like my friend Steve always hints at during his
podcasts, it's better to assume that they're just aiming for you.
Well, I hope that
some of you may be a little more cautious when out there during your runs and
find these tips helpful. Starting tomorrow I'll begin a three week training at
the police academy. I've finally made it into instructor school and will get my
shot at trying out for a physical fitness instructor position. I've never been away from work this long and it's been
more than thirteen years since I've had a M-F schedule with weekends off. I'm
not looking forward to all the sitting, homework, presentations or agility
test. But, if I can survive it all, I'll reach a huge milestone in my career!
Exciting! Hopefully, I can snap some pictures and sneak some video to post
here! It's been a long time since I've had to do a burpee. At least I'm 34
pounds lighter now than 13 years ago! I'll keep everyone posted about my
progress!
Have a great week
everybody! As always, thank you for taking time out of your busy life to read
this blog. 251 days in a row, run for your lives my friends...
