Workout 9/28

Taper, taper, taper...what a relief not to feel like I have to push myself. Oh, but tapering is so boring. I tried to do a slower run this morning, and it was as if my legs didn't know what to do. Forcing your legs to go a minute or two slower than what they're used to is hard. But with less than 9 days to go until the marathon, I shan't put too much stress on them (yes, I know I said shan't). So, I disassociated majorly this morning a.k.a. listened to rockin' music. A buddy of mine, David, gave me a bunch of hip-hop and rap that has kept my ears busy. Please check out the link below to hear one of the most inspiring songs as I try to find "purpose in every step" I take. This song is my marathon song; I plan to have it in my head when I need to disassociate over the long haul of the Chicago Marathon. Check it out, even if you don't want to watch the video, listen to the words of the song.

Lacrae--Run

Run: 4 Miles (38.28, 9.37/mile pace)

Workout 9/26

I have been reading a book lately titled "Can Man Live Without God?" It's a discussion about the differences between theists and anti-theists, or people who believe in God and those who don't. It's a fascinating read, and one thing stood out to me in the last few chapters. When I look at how I am made and the capabilities I have physically and mentally, how the sun rises in the mornings and sets in the evenings, how my wife was able to give birth and that amazing spectacle, I cannot fathom the thought of all of this happening by chance. I know there is a creator to all of this, and if one doubts that, I just say "Open your eyes and look around." Marathon training and CrossFitting makes me aware of just how awesome the body's design is, and I am truly impressed by how The Creator has put it together. And to think that this shell is an imperfect reflection of God...wow!

Run: 4 miles (31.58, 7.59/mile pace)
CrossFit: 3 Rounds of...
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Workout 9/24

Workout: Run 4 Miles (33:50, 8:28/mile pace)

Spirit of the Marathon

For any of you running the Chicago Marathon or thinking of running a marathon in the future, check out the trailer for this movie. Having less than two weeks until the marathon, I found this trailer to be extremely motivational...and that's just the trailer. Our Team M3 students are going to attend the advanced screening of this film, and I know it will pump them up to run with the field. http://www.marathonmovie.com/home.html

Perfect Fall Bike Ride!

The family went for a bike ride Sunday afternoon, and it was so peaceful. The smells reflected the beginning of fall, the sun reflected magnificently on the lake, and our children peacefully enjoyed the ride (our son giggled some and our daughter feel asleep since she didn't take her normal Sunday nap). We were a little sad that we didn't get out on the bikes as much this summer as we had in the past, but the times that we did proved to be very nice. We are just hoping that next weekend the weather is just as nice to continue enjoying the oncoming autumn. Yes, it does mean winter is just around the corner, but we have at least one more month before snow normally decides to rear its face. Thank goodness we didn't have this problem to deal with today...

Workout 9/22

A perfect day to run! I got out early on my bike to go to Team M3 training, and people were already out for their training runs at 5:30 AM! Now that's dedication. If I were training on my own, I would be out about then too. But that would be out of necessity to get home and help my wife with the kiddies. I must day, sleeping in on the weekends has become a very foreign concept. Welcome to parenthood!

Well, I got out on my bike today since I knew I wouldn't be able to run the whole 11 miles with the students since I has a workshop to go to. It was a great workshop, by the way, on engaging in conversations about faith and Christianity with people of other faiths. As I have been learning with most things I am involved in, RELATIONSHIP matters. I am blown away when I recognize just how important relationship is in mentoring, teaching, sharing, training, etc. So I've made it an important focus to begin building true relationship with people that moves far beyond how weekends were, how the Chicago Bears are doing, and what the weather is like. Keep me accountable, please!

Workout:
12.5 Mile Bike Ride
5 Mile Run
12.5 Mile Bike Ride (broken up)

Workout 9/21

I disassociated a lot today while listening to music on my run, so I did not ponder too many things. Unfortunately, that means I don't have a whole lot of wisdom to espouse today. There are only 16 days left until the Chicago Marathon, and tapering is my new favorite friend. Mileage hasn't dropped off too much this week, but next week signifies noticeable fewer miles on the schedule, and I am looking forward to that. Other than that news, there's not much else to say. Although my wife will laugh when I say this, but I was able to do some weighted pull-ups yesterday. They were my first attempts at weighted pull-ups, and I was only able to do one at a time. What was the weight you ask? My son (about 18 pounds)! He was strapped to my chest in the Baby Bjorn! That was fun...for me at least.

Run: 4 miles (33.00, 8.15/mile pace)

Workout 9/19

A post-run sunrise is inspiring! Today's sunrise was other-worldly in a way. A HUGE red ball of light creeped over the horizon this morning greeting me with a reminder of why it's totally worth it to run in the mornings as opposed to any other time of the day. Yeah, sunsets are okay, but none of them can compare to the beautiful sun this morning.

Run: 5 miles (41.00, 8.12/mile pace)

Workout 9/17

I disassociated this morning. Sounds fun, doesn't it? I was reading the most recent issue of Runner's World, and there is an article in there about how runners "associate" and "disassociate" with their running in order to cope with the stresses and performance of the task. Basically, associating is the task of focusing on one's body and the environment in order to increase or decrease effort in order to meet a goal and/or maintain healthy functioning. Disassociating is the act of taking one's mind off the task of running in order to enjoy the moment and not focus on the stresses the body is creating while running. So this morning I through on my headphones in order to disassociate with the task of running on the treadmill. Yes, it is still marathon training season, but I jumped on a treadmill this morning in order to make running possible in my tight schedule. Better to treadmill run than not run at all. Good thing I had tunes in my ears or else I would not have completed the 5 miles out of sheer boredom. If running is becoming boring for you, take some time to disassociate!

Run: 5 miles (42.30, 8.30/mile pace)

Workout 9/15

20 MILES! We have finally reached our peak for marathon training. Team M3 rocked the Lakefront Path this morning even though a chill nipped at us and made us want to pull the covers over our heads before we even stepped out of the house this morning. But once we got moving, our bodies warmed up. I am wishing for a day just like that on October 7th. Chilly, light breezes, and beautiful sunshine. I ran with Roberto for the first half of this long run...Roberto is a STUD! Ask many 16-year-old sophomores if they want to get up early on a Saturday morning and run for 20 miles, and I'm sure the answer will include some explicatives in the negative. But Roberto attacked the path with a positive spirit. When he wanted to stop, he kept his eye out for the next mile marker and drove toward it. Ah, this experience is GREAT!

Since duty called at home (or should I say "doo-doo" since Evie is still potty training), I decided to truck the last half of the run on my own while Roberto hung back with another group of runners. It was great to just let loose and run. It was great to be reminded of how fresh you can finish your run if you don't push your pace too fast too early. I must remember this lesson on marathon morning and remind my student of it because race jitters will be running high. Now begins the mild taper. Three weeks to go, and the fun begins!

Run: 20 miles (Time: ???, Pace: ???)

Workout 9/14

Okay, Dean Karnazes is a stud! I was listening to some interview with him, and I'm blown away by the things that he does and his attitude toward it all. In fact, it's a bit humbling. In particular, I was listening to his take on nutrition, and it mirrors many of the things found in the ZONE diet (also encouraged by CrossFit). He was explaining how he tries his best to go all-organic and cut out high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils from his diet. So with that information I went home after work to a lovely wife and children who had prepared a dinner. I was curious about what was in everything, so I took a quick look-see. Of course nearly everything we ate had something unnatural and unhealthy in it. Not to mention that I craved ice cream after all was said and done with dinner.

Susanne and I were craving ice cream so badly that we were inserting comments about ice cream into President Bush's address to the nation last night. For instance, "Whatever political party you belong to, whatever your position on Iraq, we should be able to agree that America has a vital interest in..." ice cream! Or, "Americans want our country to be safe and our troops to begin coming home from Iraq..." for homemade ice cream! So, of course, I made my way to the freezer for more ice cream. Well, I hope I worked some of it off this morning with my workout.

CrossFit: Sorta-Heavy Fran
15-12-9 Rep Sets of:
45# Thrusters
Pull-ups (real, unassisted, studly ones)

Run: 1 Mile Treadmill Run (7.0 mph)

Workout 9/12

I finally made it back to the gym this morning, and it was a very satifying experience. I haven't had the chance to have many quality workouts over the past few weeks due to busy schedules, achy muscles, crampy legs, and tiredness. So I have been taking it a bit easier because I don't want to burn myself out or hurt myself. Even though the Chicago Marathon is less than 4 weeks away, I know that if I hurt myself, I will not be at the starting line. Some running wisdom I heard lately says, "Better to toe the line undertrained than overtrained." So I have been applying that wisdom while I let my muscles rest a bit. But I have been itching to get to the 20-miler this weekend. In preparation for that long, long, long run, I figured I ought to work out while I had the chance.

Since Evie is potty-training today, I was able to have the car and save on my commute time. Twenty-five minutes to commute is so much better than an hour. I am so excited too for Evie. I am just sitting here awaiting the phone call to congratulate her on making her first duty in the toilet. That may sound weird to non-parents, but it is a HUGE accomplishment that I can't wait to praise Evie for. Well, here's what circumstances allowed me to do this morning.

CrossFit: "Modified Barbara"
5 Round for Time or:
10 Assisted Pull-ups (very light assistance, I am improving)
15 Push-ups
20 Sit-ups
25 Squats
(Time: 28.15)IT'S POTTY TIME!!! GO EVIE!!! (literally)

Workout 9/8

It is great to be out in nature this weekend. I have left the BIG CITY for greener pastures...or at least more wooded pastures. I came out to St. Charles for training with a group called GRIP. It was an awesome experience to inform me and prepare me to teach the kids that sit in front of me daily as I teach them (or they teach me sometimes). We received a lot of information about culture and boldness, so I needed some time to rake through it all in my head and create practical understanding from the info. What better way to do that than to go for a run? There is none! My buddy Dan and I decided to catch the Fox River Trail in downtown St. Charles. We ran, talked, mentally wrestled, and drank some water for approximately 12 miles from St. Charles to Batavia and back. It was a great time, and I was deeply refreshed by it. I encourage all of you who are stressed out or dealing with big issues to take a step outside today. Go for a run! And if you don't run, at least let your feet take you some place to clear your head or make sense of an issue or two. It won't solve everything, but it will help a little.

Run: ~12 miles (1:53.29)

BTW: If you are ever in Batavia, stop by the new cafe in Downtown on the corner of River Street and Wilson Street. We stopped in there before we turned around, and they gladly offered us bottles of water even though they weren't officially in business yet. Thanks!

Cymbeline

We went on a date last night to see Cymbeline at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. It was great! The stage was colorful, the actors wonderful, and the comedy was especially hilarious. Of course I recommend it to anyone and everyone...even if you think you don't like or understand Shakespeare. Cloten = most ridiculous person on the face of the earth. Iachimo = creepiest man alive. Jupiter = well, you'll have to see to have an opinion about him. Go See It!

Workout 9/5

The human body is amazing! Today I ran with Dan, and he shared with me a story about his dad. More about that in one second. Just the simple fact that we were running made me focus on the awesome-ness of the ability to run. Everything works the way it is supposed to! The fact that my mind can carry me to the next street corner amazes me sometimes, especially when my legs don't want to do that. I bring that up because I felt that way many times today when Dan pushed the pace. Thanks for nearly killing me Dan!

Back to his dad who had quadruple bypass heart surgery on Tuesday this week. Just 24-hours later he was up walking around. AMAZING! Now that is some mental toughness. I have had minor surgery before, and walking around was the least of my desires 24-hours afterwards. In fact, the doctors told him he would be able to participate in a baseball training camp coming up in three months. Now I don't know about you, but I think that is a wild witness to the amazing design and tenacity of the human body. Stories like this abound, and they motivate me beyond what I feel my body can handle sometimes.

Run: No specific distance, we just ran until the "dinner bell rang."

Workout Labor Day

Labor Day-the sign that summer is over and things return back to semi-normalness for those of us who are students and teachers. I forgot what it was like to lay in bed and think about what the "first day of school" would be like. Last night was the first night I experienced that feeling in the last few months. I can't say I miss that feeling, but such is the life of a teacher. For all those students reading this, yes, teachers do get the jitters too. But it was nice to have one more morning to wake up and take a relaxing run without the pressure to get home, shower up, and run off to school. I have made up my mind that I have to wake up early if I want to remain consistent with my marathon training. That means mornings are going to get early very soon and bed times are going to get early too. Ah, the sacrifices one has to make to stay in shape for a 26.2 mile run.

Run: 5 miles (41.54; 8.22/mile pace)

HALF MARATHON PIX

Alright, if you really need explanations, here they are:

Edson showing you he's alright!

The Team

Awesome Teamwork to cross the finish line!

Our favorite motto: "Run Like You Stole Something!"

The Dudes...My Running Buddies (Jerry, Edson, Jason, Me, Jose)

18 Miler!

Back to posting workouts and training. Again, I apologize for the lack of posts for any of you looking for how training is going, marathon training + CrossFit. Today's planned run was a whopping 18 miles, and we crushed it. But in saying that, I am definitely feeling every sore piece of my body right now. I have also just recovered from a slamming headache too. I think I have learned a very big and important lesson about pre- and post-run hydration. It is vital to the run and recovery. I have 5 weeks to perfect the art of hydration. As I have mentioned in the last post or two, I have been lacking discipline in my runner's diet over the past three weeks or so, and I am feeling it. Hydration is a key part of that diet, and neglecting it through caffenated soda (pop, soda pop, coke) and coffee drinking have really taken its toll. But now that all of the big projects are done, I think its prime time to change that habit. Here's today's stats:

Run: 18 miles (2:54.16; 9.40 pace)

*That pace is not quite what I want it to be, but I think four weeks remaining of diligent training will pay off.