Poor Neglected Blog

Other than my wife, I have two dedicated friends who are probably the only people to have noticed the fact that I haven't posted a thing since May. Both of them have reached out to me this month with a gentle reminder that they do in fact care and want to hear from me. One was a college roommate of my wife to which I owe an unplayable debt of gratitude, the other is a cyberfriend that I have known for a couple years through the magic of the Runners World Online discussion Forums. One might think that I they have guilted me into writing this update, and one might not be entirely wrong, but on a bigger scale, there is a reason I haven't written of late.

As we all know, the bulk of my posts are about running. Guess what has been suffering this summer? After my Half in Salt Lake I really stopped running. Not cold turkey, but comparatively so. I think I ran maybe 20 miles a month through the summer, then in August it was maybe 15... Yeah, I "ran" the Peachtree in July, perhaps the first big race that I didn't do a race report for. Maybe I'll go back and do one. But the bigger issue was that even then I didn't feel like much of a runner. I walked for a short portion of that race because I was undertrained for it and got winded up Heartbreak Hill. Other than when I hit the wall in my Marathon, cramping in both legs from the hips down, that is the only race I have ever walked in a race. (Starting line crowd weaving not included) While some would kill for a 52 minute 10k, myself included 3 years ago, I am having a hard time stepping backwards to step forwards.

With September has come new attitude. I have rejoined the Runners World discussion forums, started running 2-3 times a week (for a start), and even signed up for a race or two. I'm running a 5k this weekend, looking at another 5k on October 3rd, there is a trail race in the park I do my daily runs in in early November, all leading up to the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon that I have run the last two years. With that as a goal, I am striking out to get back to where I was a year ago. With determination, a cooperating IT Band, and a little luck, I'll get there.

There, ya happy? More to come.

The Half Nelson It Is Then

Sorry. I don’t know why I feel the need to apologize. It is not like I didn’t give it a try. I gave it probably more of a try than I should have considering the injury and pain I have been dealing with. I guess I feel like I am letting some people down (including, and perhaps primarily, myself) and any time I think I may be disappointing someone, I feel the need to say sorry. The mind was willing but the body was not…

If you didn’t guess from that first paragraph or from the blog title, (either you haven’t been following my blog or you are really slow today) I’ve failed in my plan to prepare for and run the Salt Lake City Marathon on April 18th. During Saturday’s scheduled 14 mile run from my PLAN, I had to cut it short due to severe knee pain around mile 6. I slowed to an 11:30 pace and "crawled" home completing only 10 miles. Although some would be happy with that pace, and I would have loved to have run that pace at the end of last year’s marathon, the pain would have slowed me even further had I pushed out to 14 (let alone 26.2) miles.

So, as I stated in my last post, if I couldn’t follow that plan there really is no way I could properly prepare for a full marathon in just over a month from now. And considering the shape my knees are in, it would probably do more harm than good anyway.

So what does this mean? Today I officially signed up for the Half Marathon. I still won’t be gunning for my 1:40:18 PR at that distance but I am cautiously optimistic (not that my optimism has helped me of late…) that my knees will hold together for at least a 2 hour goal. I am still VERY EXCITED to visit my family and run in this event.

I also finally scheduled my visit to the Physical Therapist. After my doctor visit (and the drugs they gave me) the pain really went away. That, combined with a hectic work schedule, kept me from going to the PT that the doctor had referred me to. Well, this last Saturday was the last straw. My knees are recovering much more quickly following my runs now but I want to learn what I need to do to stop the in-run pain.

One last affirmation… Salt Lake City has not defeated me, my knees did. In the words of MacArthur "I shall return!" or Mr Schwarzenegger if you prefer "I’ll be back!" I hereby promise to run the full marathon in Salt Lake City someday.

Into the Home Stretch

Well, here I am only 5 days out. Am I ready? I can definitively say, I DON'T KNOW. Being my first Marathon, I can only plead Ignorance. "Ready" can be defined in many ways I guess. In some ways I can proclaim that yes, I am ready, but in others, I just can't make a call. Thankfully, the only aspect that I can at this time define as "NOT READY" would be that I have not yet packed for the trip. Everything else is in some stage of completion.

This last weekend my fundraising efforts on behalf of the Diabetes Action Team surpassed the $1000 goal I had set for myself. I even have a few more people who have pledged but not yet donated. They will be appreciated but are no longer critical to meeting my goal. I send a big thank you out to all who donated to this cause as I know that required various levels of sacrifice. Special Thanks go to my two sisters who, along with my Parents, made some of my largest donations. I am truly humbled by all.

Mentally, I think I am ready, but that is subject to how I feel those last few miles... Of course it would help if my wife would stop sending me emails about how I have been doing it wrong all this time or reading articles that I might DIE on Saturday. I am excited about this challenge and I am already playing out in my head how I think it will progress and how I will respond to various challenges that may arise.

Physically, I am not perfect, but I am confident. My 15 day moving average weight puts me at 185.3 lbs. A weight that I haven't seen since my High School PROM! And I have seen several daily weigh-ins in the 183-184 range, which would give me a BMI of 24.9. Officially changing my category from "overweight" to "normal". A far cry from the "obese" 37.5 BMI I used to sport. I have not had a significant injury during my training and indeed my muscles and joints feel great. I am just getting over a cold that moved into my chest a week ago but I think I am all but over the worst of it. I could always be stronger or have better conditioning, but I am confident in the training I have put in.

The weather, I can't control. The forecast varies depending on which website you trust but all hint to a storm front coming in on Friday taking away the near ideal conditions we will have all week long. Instead of the upper 40's to low 50's morning temps we will enjoy each morning until Friday, the front will lower the Saturday temperatures into the low 40's or upper 30's. Brrrrr, but better than the 32 degrees that one forecast had it last week...

My mileage, although not awe inspiring, has been sufficient to meet most beginner marathon training plans. During my Marathon I will surpass 1000 miles for 2008 and 1200 miles since September 2007. I have run four runs of 18 miles and three runs of 20 miles. I have run no fewer than 15 miles a week since March and at least 30 miles a week since July.

In the pursuit of this endeavour, I truly believe I have redrawn my stars. I am healthier than I have been my entire adult life. I finally feel like I am setting an example of health for my children. Having been overweight for so much of my life it is almost difficult to not view the world from this perspective, but it is a different world. Although the changes have exhibited themselves most noticeably through my weight and health, I have also seen positive change in confidence, determination, perspective, optimism, and, perhaps not fairly, how others view me.

For a "free" sport, it has cost me plenty however. I have burned through $300 worth of shoes in the last year. Add on top of that roughly another $200 in shorts, shirts, socks, Gatorade, Gu, headlamp, and other various equipment. Add to that the several hundred dollars I've spent on race registrations, and you quickly see I have some real money tied up in this little hobby. But beyond the money, the cost of time has been felt by my whole family (not to mention my yard). I have mowed my lawn this summer only when it reached the embarrassing stage and even then my wife hired the neighbor boy to mow it once. My wife has had to work around my runs for countless activities and shopping trips. I want to thank my whole family, particularly my loving wife, for putting up with my training this summer as it hit its peak, dictating which weekend activities would and wouldn't get done.

Barring some unforeseen news, this will probably be my last post until after my run. So I will sign off wishing you all well and asking you to keep me in your prayers.

12 More Days!

The time is rapidly approaching for my Marathon. I am under 2 weeks and I only have one more "long" run before then. Even that run won't be long by most standards as it will only be 10 miles. I am nervous but at the same time, I think I have done all that I can do. It is odd to feel nervous about a competition where my only competition is myself. Yes, there will be other runners but as I will be nowhere near the front, this will be a race against only my expectations. It will be odd to see how I judge myself. Mere completion should be enough for a "victory" but will I allow that emotion if I don't reach my time goal?

We are just outside of the 10 day window that weather.com provides a forecast for. Based on earlier in the week and historical temperatures it should be in the low 40's at the start of the race and into the upper 50's by the end. 60 degrees is ideal but I'll take cooler over warmer EVERY time.

In my last real training run on Saturday I ran 14.1 miles in 1:57:58. That is about 8:22 per mile. If I could run that pace on race day I would far exceed my goal of a 4 hour marathon. Anything faster than 9:05 per mile will get me in under 4 hours. Of my 7 training runs over 18 miles, only one was slower than that pace and that was the first one that I wrote about where it was into the high 80's and I got dehydrated badly. Shouldn't be a problem running in the 40's...

I still haven't reached my fundraising goal of $1000 for Diabetes Action, but there is still time and still some "pledged" donations out there... It will be close. For those of you who "have been meaning to make a donation" now is the time. Follow the link on the right...

My 15 day moving average for my weight puts me at 186.8-187.4 depending on which of the two tools you believe that I use. I most certainly won't make the 183 which would give me a BMI under 25 but 185 is not out of the question... but still unlikely. Either way, I am more than happy with the 13-14 lbs I have lost since last year's half marathon. It is certainly harder to loose weight the closer I get to my ideal weight.

3 Week Countdown

What once felt like forever away is rapidly approaching. No, I am not talking about election day 2008. Although, that is the same week... I am less than 3 weeks away from my marathon on November 8th. I am a little nervous but when I’m nervous I reflect back on where I have been and that generally brings a feeling of empowerment. It is almost surrealistic to see pictures of me now compared to pictures of me in 2001-2003.

The months of preparation now wind down in what runners call the taper. It is a gradual reduction of weekly mileage leading up to the race. My long runs the next two weekends will be 14 and 10 miles respectively which will come as a nice rest. I have six runs in excess of 18 miles under my belt, three of them over 20. I’ve run over 1100 miles in the last 14 months. My 15 day moving weight average is 187.7 which is roughly 87 lbs below my all time high and about the weight I was as I left to South Africa as a 19 year old. At my peak I wore 42" waist pants, now my 32" pants require a belt and I need to move to at least a 31" if not a 30". Just two years ago I completed my first 5k and celebrated the fact that I broke 30 minutes during that run (by 10 seconds), I now complete the distance in 21 minutes. No pun intended, I have come a long way.

Thank you to all those who have supported my running and my fundraising. I am always humbled when I get an email notifying me that a donation has been made in my name. My fundraising is at $615 right now with a handful of others who have "pledged" donations. I am still hopeful to reach my $1000 goal, which is just amazing to me!

The whole experience has also reinforced the notion that anything is possible with enough work and sweat put in. I hope many of you have been inspired to set your own goals and work towards them. If you have, let me know how I can support your effort like you have supported mine. Until then, keep me in your prayers… please. I need them more now than ever.

Suwanee Day and Other Stuff

Oh the fun life training for a marathon! I have wanted to write for over a week now, but this time it is not my fault. I ran a 10k on September 13th and I have been waiting for the official results to be posted to put up a race report. Based on the organization of the race I should have known it would be a long wait. So here I am, 10 days out, still no results, but how can I withhold my writing any further and deny all of you the pleasure of reading about my… sweating?

First, the race. With all of my focus (obsession) with running this summer, some of it finally wore off on my wife. As I wore on about how a good race is "the validation of all your hard work"… blah, blah, blah… I finally talked her into signing up for a race. The perfect opportunity came in a local town’s annual carnival affiliated race, the Suwanee Day 5k & 10k Classic. I call it perfect because it is the first race I have seen where they run the two races an hour apart allowing Jamie to run the 5k and me to run the 10k.

First let me say that I am WAY proud of my wife. I think she obsessed about her training schedule more than I do. Of course she was more obsessed about running etiquette than the actual running I think. You can read about her view of the experience HERE, but my view of the experience was one of awe and pride. I can tell you that she did way better than I would have done decorating a cake or the million other crafty things she does! Although she missed her goal but roughly a minute, a post race drive of her roller coaster coarse made me wonder why they didn’t suggest a Sherpa for the runners. Holy Hills Batman!

It was during her race that I had my first signs of the lack of organization. About 300 yards from the finish line the runners crossed a set of railroad tracks. The leaders had come across but somewhere around 25 minutes, a looooooong train came by holding up every runner that would have finished in the 26 to 30 minute window. In a 5k, that’s probably your largest group. When the train passed, a slug of roughly 50-60 runners all sprinted to the finish making a nightmare at the finish line where they couldn’t hand out slips fast enough and the line backed up to where people were waiting in line to cross the finish line… almost comical. Of course, with the train interruption, its not like they were setting any PR’s anyway! I also noticed that the only thing they had for the runners finishing was a bottle of water, no fruit, no food, no other drinks. All of which is fairly common at most races. Jamie also reported that they only had 1 water stop during the 5k and although I have seen that for some 5k’s, the better-organized ones usually have two.

Thankfully, the 10k course went the other direction and other than one big hill (½ mile) down to start and the same hill up at the end, was almost completely flat. As usual I started out a bit further back than I should have as there are a lot of runners who feel like they have to be at the front despite the fact they know they are not fast enough to be up there. I spent the first ½ mile passing people. With the steep downhill gradient and my push to get past these slower runners that first mile was FAST. As they didn’t have mile markers, I don’t know how fast, but I knew I was going out faster than normal.

When we reached the bottom of the hill I slowed some but still tried to push it. The interesting thing about the course was that it was held on a popular local jogging route on a Saturday morning so there were almost as many non-racers as racers out there. At about the 2 mile mark one of the non-racers pointed at me and said "You’re number 22". It was great feedback that I don’t often get in a race. With that as motivation I pushed to see if I could break into the top 20.

I soon discovered that the 10k only had one water stop as well. That was a first for me and it was really not enough on a warm and very humid morning. The water stop was at the turnaround point (more of a small loop than point), I assume somewhere around the 5k mark. After drinking, I glanced at my watch and it read 23:15. I had caught and passed 2 runners by that point moving me to 20th. Pushing back the other way it was odd to pass runners going in the opposite direction. I have only raced loops or point to point courses in the past so an out and back course was a different sensation.

I could tell I was slowing somewhat but not too much. In my mind I wanted to save something in the tank for that last ½ mile climb at the end. On the back half though a few runners did catch me, 3 or 4. I still felt good about my running though. My PR for the 10k was 48:00 set on Memorial Day. I had about the same 5k split then but then really tailed off to finish at 48:00. Since that race I had run over 400 miles. I had confidence that that training would prevent the much slower 2nd half split.

When I reached the hill at the end I pushed into it with full vigor. I did catch one runner on the climb and I was closing on 2 more when we crested. With that I thought it was just a short sprint to the finish but one of the volunteers yelled out, "not yet, you have one more". I thought he meant one more hill and if we did a lap around the park we would indeed have one more hill so I delayed my sprint as I scanned the horizon for indications of the course. It had been as I thought originally, I kicked anew and was closing fast on the two runners I had almost caught on the hill but ran out of course before I got there. Maybe that volunteer meant one more sprint or one more tenth, who knows, and who knows if I actually could have caught them if I had started my sprint where I intended too. But I later discovered that one of those gentlemen were in my age group, and not catching them would hurt.

In the confusion of the finishing area I accidentally cleared my watch before I saw the time. I had vaguely seen the finish clock at the line in the rapidly approaching 47:30 so that is what I put on my finishing card, a new PR by 30 seconds. I glanced at the other cards in my age group, I was the 5th card in with the 4th card listing a time of 47:27. A volunteer was writing down the top three for each age group and I saw the 47:27 time written in the third place slot. This meant that the top finisher in my age group had finished in the top 3 overall. So instead of giving that person an award for both overall and age group they are removed from the age group pool to determine those finishers. So long story short, I missed the podium and a medal by 3 seconds, one of those runners I didn’t catch… 35-39 M is the most competitive age group out there. To put it in perspective, I would have finished on the podium in every other age group!

Of course the organization woes continued. Not only did they not have food for the 10k runners either, they had run out of water after the 5k and hence had NO WATER for the 10k finishers. They had hastily set up 2 coolers (well away from the finish line) with Powerade but had no volunteers working with the runners so you were on your own to get a cup and fill it. The delay posting the results was just the icing on the cake. I’ll let you know the official results when I get them.

My facebook friends also know I completed a 20 mile run on Saturday. This was my best long run to date by far. It has given me the confidence that I will meet my 4 hr (9:05/mile) goal for the marathon. I ran the 20.06 miles in 2:59:24 which works out to 8:56/mile. I felt great the whole way and after an ice bath, I was good to go about 2 hours later. I will repeat the 20 miles this coming Saturday, hopefully with the same results.

I also have to say how proud I am of Caleb who is now running a bit and will complete a 1 mile fun run on October 4th, the date of my next race. I will run the Stonemill Race for Autism 5k while Jamie and Caleb do the 1 mile fun run a little later. Hopefully that will be a better experience for my wife. Caleb is also running the "Jr Marathon" that is part of my marathon. For that he is required to log 25.2 miles of running before the November 8th race day, then he runs the last mile on race day, while I am doing my marathon, to complete his 26.2. He will get a medal just like the full marathon finishers.

I’m also proud of my twin brother who has been running in the morning for 2 weeks now. Although I am the only person on the planet that he has the desire to be competitive with, I think it is killing him to know I am 20 lbs lighter than him after spending 35 years as "the skinny one" of the two of us. Eventually he will get used to it. He can always fall back on being "the bald one" now. ;o)

End of August Running Update

Despite my last post, the month in general was successful. I ran at least 30 miles in each week of the month. The last week was my highest mileage to date, over 38. I only missed 3 of the 26 "running days" in the month. I started the month stuck in a weight range between 196 and 198 that I have been in since May. I ended the month on a 15 day average of 193.7, progress at last and I have been 192 for several weigh-ins. I had hoped to reach 183 by my marathon, that may be out of reach but under 190 definitely isn't...

I started tracking my running during the last week of August last year. Since then I have logged over 800 miles. Here is my chart as of the end of August this year. Still climbing, but not by much.

Just over two months to go for my Marathon, assuming I don't have many more days like today between now and then. As for the Diabetes Fundraising, I'm at $190 in hard donations with another ~$160 "pledged" based on my mileage run by November. I don't know if I have told you on this blog but my goal is $1000. So donations to date only bring me to 35% of my goal. For those of you who have given, thank you!

FAILURE - It doesn't always go according to plan

Just had to post what a terrible long run I had today. (All those who revel in my failures, read on. All those who think I'm superman, don't be too disappointed.) I haven't had a run that went this bad for almost a year and it was a tough pill to swallow.

I have been building longer each weekend in preparation for my first marathon in November. Today was my first 18 miler. When I did 16 two weeks ago it went GREAT. Today, I think I made some mistakes that cost me.I didn't do my run in the morning yesterday so I had to do it last night. So, I did a 5 mile Tempo run that finished around 9pm last night. I don't think I ever fully rehydrated from that considering my daily weigh in this morning was down quite a bit. Instead of fully hydrating, I just drank my usual pre-long run amount.

My next mistake was that due to the fact that I have been getting my wife to run lately, I let her go first this morning while I watched the little ones so I didn't even get out until 9:15 and in Georgia this morning it was already 75 on its way to 85 by the time I finished. I've done heat, never that much heat.

By mile 10 I knew it wasn't a "great" run, but I was still feeling okay. By mile 13 it all went to you know where in a hand-basket. My pace dropped off by over 2 min/mile and I even walked a few .5 mile increments. I started mild cramps with 4 miles to go. With 1.5 to go, the gig was up, I walked the rest of the way in. With 100 yds to go both legs locked up in 100% cramps from toes to groin. I had to stand with my house in sight for almost 5 minutes before I could even walk the rest of the way.

I spent the next 3 hours in an ice bath, getting an icy-hot rubdown from my wife, eating bananas, and screaming in pain as my calves cramped periodically. It was the first time since I made my mind up to do this in March that I found myself considering that I may not be able to do it... I will repeat the 18 miles next Saturday, fixing the mistakes I made this week, I'm sure it will go better.

Thank you to those who have donated to my fundraising efforts. Your sacrifice is the fuel that keeps me going after a run like this, even more so than after good runs.

100 Days to Chickamauga

I just did the math and discovered that today marks exactly 100 days until my Marathon. That made me ponder the state of my preparation. Where am I meeting my goals and where am I still lacking? Besides running a marathon, many of you may not know what my goals in relation to it are. For the sake of accountability, I will share my Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) with you. (Yes, I am a geek engineer, with a MBA to make matters worse...)

1. Miles per Week: 35 – Many of the books I have read on the subject have indicated that this is the minimal level of training required to run a "successful" marathon. To date my highest mileage week has been 34.5 miles. As my long runs get longer I should reach this goal. I may have to start adding a second run a couple days a week or come to grips with the concept of rising EVEN EARLIER to get more than 3.5-5 miles in each morning. Especially after school starts and I will be pinched for time in the morning.
   
2. Weight: 183 – This was established as my goal long ago based on the significance of that being the weight at which my body mass index (BMI) would fall below 25. I would then no longer be classified as overweight, which is where I am now with a BMI just over 26, or obese, which is where I started with a BMI over 37. My 15-day moving average weight is currently 196.0. After my half marathon last fall I weighed 199 but then "took a break" over the holidays and drifted back up into the 202-203 range. Putting in the miles I am, this one is harder than it sounds as the hard training makes me HUNGRY, but I am still hopeful as that really only works out to 1 lb per week going forward. Problem is, I have been in the 196-198 window for about 3 months now…
   
3. Run Sub-4 hour Marathon – This one is a little hard to measure without running the full distance. If you do the math, 4 hours to run 26.2 miles works out to just over 9 minutes and 9 second per mile. I ran my half marathon at 9:05 pace to come in under 2 hours but somehow I know I couldn’t have kept that pace for the next 13.1 miles… back then. Since then, my 10k times have improved from 53 minutes to 48 minutes. Plug a 48 minute 10k into various prediction calculators that account for slowing over the course of the longer distance and they predict I should run somewhere in the 3hr45min range for a Marathon. The other observation I made looking at my running data since March though, is that my average pace is SLOWING each month. Starting in March my average pace per mile has gone 8:43, 8:45, 8:45, 8:52, and 8:53. Although this was a bit of a surprise to me at first, there are some explanations. Since March my monthly mileage has tripled from 42 to 132 increasing the wear and tear on this poor body. Since March the morning temperatures have doubled from a refreshing and dry 35 to a hot and steamy 70+ (some scientists say to expect add 30 seconds for each 5 degrees over 60). Lastly, since March more of my miles are now coming from my Saturday long runs which are generally run at a slower pace ~9:00/mile. I’m not in panic mode on this one yet.
   
4. Run 6 days a week – This one is based on knowing that the key to my success is consistency. I always take a rest day on Sunday for the Sabbath of course but it also works well that my long runs are on Saturday. I’m not saying I won’t backslide, but this, with the loving support of my wife, is the metric I’m doing best with for now. In the month of July I only missed 3 days (not counting the 4 Sundays of course). One was the day we went to Six Flags and I would contend I walked a good 20 miles that day. The next was the Monday following my week of vacation where getting myself out of bed at 5 am… just didn’t happen. The last was pure and simple laziness last Thursday. There have been a few evening runs to make up for missed morning runs but for the most part, it is now part of my morning routine. Over the month of July I averaged 5.5 miles for each day I ran or 4.9 miles per available running day.
   
5. Raise $1000 for Diabetes Research/Treatment – This is one that is a bit out of my control. As you all know I chose to join a fundraising group, the Diabetes Action Team, as part of my marathon training. After an initial flurry of donations, I haven’t seen anything for a while. To date I have raised $170 through the good graces of some of my friends and family. I hope I have been true to my word to not harp on you and drown you with emails and solicitations but if you haven’t donated yet, please consider donating as you read this. I am truly humbled each time I get one of those "A donation has been made in your name" emails and it always drives me to rise each morning. Some of my best runs have been the day after a donation as they push me to be my best. So I ask you again, to share in my joy and help me reach my goal. If I can run 500 miles year to date with probably another 400 or so over the next 100 days, is a donation to a worthy cause too much to ask? Either way, I love you all and hopefully, if nothing else, I have your thoughts and prayers.

Roswell 500

GENTLEMEN, START....YOUR....ENGINES!!!

OK, so they aren't quite ready to introduce that as the next event on the NASCAR series but I thought I would drop a quick note celebrating that with my run this morning I eclipsed the 500 mile threshold for 2008. By the end of the week I will pass 700 miles since I started tracking last August. I don't think I will reach the 1000 mile mark for 2008, but I may get close... I think it will all depend on how much I slack off after my marathon in November. If history is followed from last fall, I have no shot of reaching 1000 (see chart below), but perhaps if I sign up for a spring marathon I will be motivated to push through the cold months as well. We will see. Got to get the first marathon under my belt first...

Increased Expectations?

I noticed something today. Where I used to celebrate and crow about every milestone reached with my running, I noticed I haven’t done it as much lately. Examples for this include: I posted when I crossed the 100 mile mark on my log but I haven’t really celebrated the century marks the 5 times since then (ok, looking back I marked the 200 miles this year point). I posted about my first 80 mile month and my first 100 mile month, but when I repeated the 100 mile month in June, I didn’t rush here to write about it. I have almost 100 miles on my "new" shoes (below) I got over a month ago but I didn’t write about them at the time like I did the first time I spent $100 bucks for a pair of shoes… (FYI, I just moved from the Saucony Omni 6 to the Omni 7 which is this year’s version – I like the 6’s more). So, the question is, how fast does something move from monumental to mundane? If I didn’t run 100 miles in a month I would feel like I am letting myself down but I now EXPECT to reach that threshold each month. Reality is that to prevent injury when running as many miles as I am I have to replace shoes after around 500 miles on them so big whoop if I got a new pair. I was excited somewhat, but why should you be excited? Of course, that question could be applied to the entire blog concept I guess.

Perhaps I am jaded by the lack of comments and say, "Wow, I didn’t get a single comment on my 100 miles post, why should I point out 200, 300, etc…." Maybe celebrations are not meant to be linear and I will be as excited about crossing the 1000 mile mark as I was about 100. Logarithmic Joy? It used to be that some of my runs were so exciting to me that I transformed them into fictional stories to glorify them further, where now, other than races, the only way I write about the events of individual runs is when something other than running occurs. So there may be a combination of dynamics here as to why I write about something one time but not another but the question is, does it even matter? I think you would be even MORE bored to read that this morning I ran 3.7 miles in the dark and saw 1 deer, 5 frogs, and countless dried worms on the sidewalk.

Maybe the constant droning about running gets stale. Maybe that is why my wife had to throw in a picture of an 18 year old (at the time and time since) backside. Running posts can only convey so much enthusiasm and dynamics. Of course, my life is not exciting enough as it is to support a blog. Other topics from the last few months I could write about? Movie reviews: Indiana Jones, C+ - IMHO, too much unrealistic reliance on CGI, Kung Fu Panda, B - I saw with a screaming 3yr old but a bit predictable, WALL-e B+ - funny and original but a bit too heavy on the anti-corporate/lazy human propaganda. Swimming Pool Maintenance: balancing pool chemistry is harder than you would think, no wonder pool boys would rather be doing something else… I’ll try to put up video of Caleb and me on a roller coaster when I get a chance, but other than that, I got nuthin…

Of course, I’m still doing better than my parents and 7 siblings combined who either don’t or RARELY blog and hardly ever comment!

P.S. - Many Many Thanks to my sister Coleen and her Husband and my High School Friends Ryan and Deanna who are my most recent donors toward my marathon fundraising efforts. I am truly humbled by every contribution! I am 17% to my goal with 4 months to go… I also only recently found out about another person in my life now taking Type II Diabetes medication but I will leave it to HER to tell others as she sees fit as she has decided not to broadcast it but yet not keep it a secret either.

Peachtree Road Race - Report

I know you all are on pins and needles awaiting the report for my 4th of July race, right? Okay, so most of you probably didn’t even know I was running a race on Independence Day. Now that I live so close to Atlanta and running has become a larger part of my life, I think it would be a bit of a crime to not run the annual PEACHTREE ROAD RACE. This race is the largest 10k race in the world with 55,000 allowed slots that sell out in 2-3 days. (The Bolder Boulder is fast approaching with just over 54,000 runners this year but they don’t cap their runners and even allow same day registrations. Bib numbers are bought and sold on places like Craig’s List and the race T-shirt is a status symbol in this town.

Some of this may be old news to you but the story really starts at the registration process. The Atlanta Journal Constitution prints the entry forms in a Mid-March Sunday Newspaper which you have to buy and then mail in the form and a check (if you want a seeded time group you also send in a copy of an official race result). The story starts when I forgot to get that Sunday paper and didn’t realize my oversight until I was at work the next day, which also happened to be my birthday. I hastily called my wife and had her track down a form, print out my race results, and mail off my entry form. On her way home from the mailbox, she turned left out of the shopping center and clipped a glass truck, totaling our mini-van. So you can say that my Peachtree entry cost me several thousand dollars!

A few weeks later I noticed my check had cleared giving me the heads up that I was accepted into the race. In late June I got my race packet in the mail with my race bib and timing chip. I was placed in group 1B as I expected. The field is so large that they try to seed the runners as best they can. First are the elite runners and invitees, they are followed buy the "sub-seeded" group who have times faster than 42 minutes, group 1A runners have official times between 42 and 50 minutes, and group 1B have official times between 50 and 55 minutes. Although I logged a 48 minute 10k on Memorial Day that was after my registration went in in March with my previous PR of 51 minutes and change. So next year, should I run it, I will be eligible to move up to group 1A. For runners slower than 55 minutes or with no official time you are assigned groups 2-9 and for those in the back the race is long over before they take their first step.

That is the groundwork, here is race day. I awoke at 5 am and showered. I immediately noticed that the 30-40% humidity we had enjoyed all week had been replaced by 85% humidity that morning. I dressed and kissed my wife goodbye and headed downstairs. I really wasn’t in the mood to make anything so I grabbed two pop-tarts and a Diet Mt. Dew. Not exactly the breakfast of champions but I have run further on less and pop-tarts have never bitten me before. I drove to the train depot to take MARTA to the race rather than deal with traffic in and around 55,000 runners.

I arrived at the start area about an hour before the race started. This was according to plan so I could use the facilities prior to running. The portables had a 30-minute wait but it was well worth it. I watched the wheelchair runners start while I waited in line. The line was twice as long when I finished as it was when I started so I don’t know what those runners ended up doing… From there I made my way to my coral. Each group is herded into fenced areas that you can only enter with an appropriate bib. Once in I moved as far forward as I could without feeling rude for cutting in front of other people. This does not mean others wouldn’t do it however. MANY people pushed and shoved as the start approached to get that extra 5 feet closer to the Kenyans… I understand competitiveness but if it is that important to you, get there earlier!

After the race started it took me a good minute and a half of shuffling before I finally crossed the start line and started my watch. The only thing I remember about the first mile was just the sheer throng of runners. Winding past slower ones, giving way to faster ones, and more than anything, enjoying the spectacle. This was the first race that I have run that I would also call an "event". There was more to it than just a bunch of runners trying to brake their personal records. That hit home when we passed the priest throwing "Holy Water" on all of the runners!

At the end of the first mile I noted my first mile was 8:41. Far slower than I had hoped but also a lot better than it could have been considering the throng of people I was engulfed in. It is hard to say that the crowd thinned out as that is relative to other races I’ve run, but at least I could make my way around slower runners by this point. My second mile time of 7:44 was not blistering but fast enough to keep my sub 50 minute goal alive after the slow start.

As I moved into the third mile the coarse took a slight downhill trend and the spacing became even more generous. I decided that if I had any chance at 50 minutes, I had to make my move now, before the uphill portions closer to the end of the course. As I noted my third mile time of 7:15 I began to believe my goal was reachable, especially considering the running space I was now enjoying. Somewhere during my 4th mile I was given a Waffle House headband which I strapped on. I had skipped the first few water stations due to runner congestion and the sweat was really starting to pour down off of me. The headband helped, as did my first water station. My fourth mile time of 7:45 was a bit slower than I had hoped after the third mile but still acceptable.

Then I hit Cardiac Hill! In the fifth mile you run up a hill that has been lovingly named "Cardiac Hill" due to its proximity to a downtown hospital and due to the many heart attacks that a hill this large this far into the race causes. I was passing quite a few people up the hill and felt strong. I think this is due to the many hills in and around my neighborhood that I run on a daily basis. You can imagine my disappointment when at the end of the mile I noted an 8:46 split. How is it that I ran even slower than with that mass of people at the start line? With 1.2 miles to go I had just under 10 minutes to do it. I gave myself 2 minutes for the last .2 miles and knew I had to run sub 8 for the 6th mile if sub 50 was going to materialize.

That final mile is a series of ups and downs and I tried my best to push into each one. The heat and humidity were definitely taking their toll on me but my breathing was not overly labored. It quickly became so as I kept telling myself that if you are still breathing well, your not running hard enough! I passed the 6-mile mark with a 7:42 mile and 2:06 for the final .2 miles to make my goal. I knew I had it then and sprinted as hard as I could to the finish line. With a 1:52 for that last stretch I crossed the finish line in 49:46 for my official "Chip Time". Now the clock read 51:17, but that was my "Gun Time". The chip time represents the amount of time it takes to go from start to finish, netting out the wait I had as those ahead of me started the race.

From there we were funneled through the chip return lines, and then the T-shirt collection lines, and then the try my new sports drink lines, then I finally followed the signs back to MARTA for the train ride back to my car. I will not even begin to describe how gross a commuter train packed with a couple thousand sweaty runners is. I’ll just say I was glad to get back to my car…

Final results, I came in 2218th out of 55,000 registered entrants. That is based on the "gun time" as they follow the rule of "first to cross the finish line". If you look at the results you will see several people ahead of me that have slower chip times but had the good fortune of starting earlier than me. I guess that is the value of moving up to 1A next year and then rudely elbowing my way to where I can grab an Ethiopian… As for my age and sex rank, they only do male/female and over/under 40. So, for the under 40 males, I came in 991st! Been there, got the T-shirt, unless something changes, I most likely will be doing it again next year.

Race Report - Celebrate America 2008 version

I wanted to put up some pictures and a race report from my Memorial Day race. Monday morning I ran the Celebrate America 10k in Alpharetta, GA. I had been holding off putting up a report until the official results were posted but I have decided to just update the post when they are. This race represented a great measuring stick for me for many reasons. This is the first time I have run the same race for a second year – although last year I ran the 5k version. This is also the exact same course that I ran my 10k on in early March, right before I really ramped up my training efforts.

This was my first race since I started my fundraising efforts so here I am posing in my yellow Diabetes Action Team race shirt. This picture is actually in my back yard after my long run on Saturday. Knowing I had a race on Monday I forced myself to take my 9 mile run very slowly and my 1hr20min time for that run felt like a crawl – good thing since that is the exact pace I want to run my marathon at…


The other really neat thing about this race is that it is the first time I have successfully guilted, I mean, talked my wife into attending a race and she dragged the kids along to boot. That was great! The race was scheduled to start at 7:30am so we got there about 6:45. I went and signed in, got my number, 232, and my T-shirt, then went back to the van where everyone was waiting. We then got out and took the picture below of me with my personal cheering crew. When we finished it was about 7:05. Jamie went back to the van while I went for a warm-up run. I jogged just over a mile at something like 12 minute pace that felt like not much more than a shuffle but it got the blood flowing. At 7:20 I returned to the van and dragged everyone to the starting line.


Here is the field lined up to start. Can you pick me out? Remember, I’m in yellow, I’m looking generally in the direction of the camera, and your best clue is that I’m the good-looking one. I would guess there was 400-500 runners there but this was a mixture of 5k and 10k runners. The course is a 5k loop that you run twice for the longer distance. I lined up a bit further back than I should have, like I always tend to do, but it is kind of nice to spend the first mile passing dozens of people even if it does slow you down.


So for a general description of the course you should know that the first mile is slightly uphill but at a low gradient the whole way. As you start mile two you immediately drop down a good hill for a quarter mile and then run close to level the rest of that mile. The third mile in the loop starts with about .4 mile hill that is the largest on the course and then drops back to close to the same elevation by the end of the mile – net a wash but with a big hump in the middle. For the final .1 miles you climb up a little hill into the parking lot and like I said, for the 10k, you repeat the loop.

Mile 1 – The start was delayed slightly as the run organizers realized that a policeman’s motorcycle was blocking some runners and we had to wait for him to move it. As I crossed the starting line I tried to look to the curb and find my wife and kids for a final wave but I never did see them through the crowd. Apparently they saw me though because Mischa let out a "Go Daddy" that I heard clear as day. What a lift it gave me! My pace was a bit faster than I had planned especially considering the crowds I had to weave through but I didn’t feel like I was pushing it and I wasn’t winded. It was my first clue that my race was going to go well. – 7:21

Mile 2 – I cruised down the hill with long strides. The crowds were thinner now and most of the passing was done as people set into their groups. Not wanting to burn out I tried to pull back on the reigns a bit. I felt I was in a comfortable zone and I was feeling good. I passed the first water station as it was clogged with a large group of people who obviously went out much faster than they should have and were now standing at the water table instead of running past. For some odd reason the volunteers weren’t handing out cups either, letting the runners grab their own off the table. – 7:22

Mile 3 – Holy Cow, was my watch reading right? How is it that I pulled back but ran almost the same pace? As I pondered race strategy for a couple hundred yards I failed to focus on the big hill I was hitting. I finally came back to awareness I pushed into the hill knowing I could coast down the far side to regain my breath on the long downhill. Still feeling strong through this mile I remembered the struggles I had at this point last year. If you remember the famed pinched butt post and my need for a port-a-pottie, you know what I’m talking about. – 7:42

Mile 4 – As I rounded the corner into the parking lot I noted the clock for the runners finishing their 5k. Had I been in that group I would have crossed in the range of 23:10 even without a kick. That was 41 seconds faster than my 5k personal record (PR)! Was I going to die on this second lap? Just before the finish line for the 5k the 10k runners turned back out of the parking lot to start the second lap. There waiting on the corner was Jamie and the kids. They screamed and cheered and I blew them a kiss (right before the picture below was snapped) grabbed a cup of water from a volunteer and then headed back up that long slow climb again. – 8:09


Mile 5 – Crud, I just ran a mile split over 8 minutes. My goal for this race was to run sub-50 minutes and I knew that to pull that off I needed to run 8:02 per mile or better and although I had built up a bit of a buffer in those first 3 miles I could easily burn through it if I died off. Knowing I had that hill in mile 6 to climb I pushed into this downhill/flat mile. My breathing quickened a stride here but still not overly labored. I did hit the water station this time but this time there was no other runners there as I went by. I was feeling strong but would I have enough for that last hill? – 7:52

Mile 6 – With that number my confidence began to build. I knew that no matter what this hill threw at me there was no-way I was going to run a 9:20 mile and blow it. I pushed hard into the hill. A high school kid had stopped and was walking up the hill. I yelled out to him as I approached and told him to push it and I would pull him up the hill. As I went by I heard him start to run and I heard him on my hip all the way to the top. Amazingly it felt like he was pushing me, not as I had promised him… He fell back as I strided out when we crested and started our decent. I didn’t see him at the finish but he couldn’t have been too far back. – 8:15

Last .2 Miles – Crud, I thought my kick down that hill would get me sub 8 for sure but I guess that hill took more out of me than I thought. I really pushed into it with everything I had. I rounded the corner into the parking lot and my first glimpse of the clock said 47 something. Are you kidding me? I had done the math but it didn’t sink in until I saw it on the official clock. There was Jamie and the kids cheering me again. I think Caleb looked up from his DS to acknowledge me but I know the other kids were waving. I hit my watch as I crossed under the clock, 48:12 unofficial time – 1:29 for that last .2 miles. That is an average pace of roughly 7:47 per mile.

Did I expect to go sub 50, yes, did I think I would be this far under 50, no way! With that I qualify for group 1A at Peachtree next year where this year I’m in 1B. If you understood that sentence you are a runner, if not, don’t worry about it… I broke my 10k PR by 3 minutes and 31 seconds! What a great feeling! Vindication for all of my miles the last few months, not to mention the last few years! I eventually made my way back to Jamie. She will tell you that after I run, for some unknown reason, I talk like a 13 year old girl! You can’t shut me up. The harder or faster or longer I run, the more I talk! Maybe that is why I blog so much about running and they are always my longer posts… who knows?

I will put up my official results including place, field size, and all that jazz once the race organizers put it up. Until then, all I know is that I think I was 98th overall for the 10k based on the number on the finish line card I had to complete and I’m guessing I was 5th or 6th for my age/sex based on the number of cards in the box already when I turned mine in. Lets see how close my estimates are…

Un-Official Personal Record

Just a quick entry here, I just wanted to write about my run last weekend. It was an 8 mile run, but more significantly I ran a 10k (6.2 miles) as fast as I could and then coasted the last 1.8 miles. My splits for the 10k were as follows:

Mile 1 - 7:57
Mile 2 - 7:55
Mile 3 - 8:00
Mile 4 - 7:59
Mile 5 - 8:21
Mile 6 - 8:30
Last .2 miles - 1:42
Total 10k time 50:24

If you look to the right you will see that my official PR (personal record - clocked in a race on an official course) for the 10k is 51:43. That was set just in March. A whole 1:19 slower than my run last weekend. By besting this in a training run where I wasn't even motivated by all the things a "race" involves has me VERY excited that breaking the 50 minute barrier in my Memorial Day race is a real possibility. Although I hit a bit of a wall at the 4 mile mark I didn't die off completely and I definitely didn't sprint or try to "finish strong" on my run which could have cut quite a bit else off. Also, after considering this during my run last night I realized that probably 80% of my runs are less than 4 miles. My body was hitting a wall because I don't train the longer distances as much.

In looking at my training log I am definitely seeing that I am ahead of where I was last fall. In the fall (Aug-Nov) 19 of my 37 training runs (51%) were slower than 9 min/mile pace where this spring (Mar-May) only 9 of my 33 training runs (27%) have been slower than that pace. If you wonder why that is such a magical number for me... My half-marathon was run at 9:05 pace to get me in just under 2 hours. My goal is a sub-4 hour marathon this fall so I don't want to train much slower than that on my short runs and no more than 20-30 seconds per mile slower on my long weekend runs. (You think this engineer gets caught up in the numbers sometimes?)

As for the poll, this is the last day so if you miss it, don't blame me. I will declare a winner tomorrow! I'm worried because for right now it is a tie and then I am back in the same boat. So, if you haven't voted, please do so. If you feel the need to change your vote, feel free to do so. But it all ends tomorrow morning... And don't worry, my wife had a good idea that whatever I don't do this time I could do for my second marathon... , and third, fourth, etc.

And BTW, for my weight, I've broken my plateau and I'm down in the 196 range again and seem to be dropping fast. Hopefully I can ride it all the way down to my goal without another plateau...

80 Mile Month

Wow, what a rewarding month. For the first time ever I logged 80 miles in a single month. My previous high for mileage was 63 in the months leading up to my Half-Marathon. Below is my graph of running since I started keeping a log in late August.




Some interesting things you can see in the graph is that my long runs (I define a long run as anything over a 10k or 6.2 miles) have become less of a component of my monthly mileage and my daily runs a larger part. In graph form my falling off the apple cart after my Half-Marathon is quite obvious as well. The slightly lower mileage in November is because I didn’t run the rest of the month following the Nov 22 Race. I then roughly double my mileage each month January through April (10, 22, 42, and 80). Don’t expect the same doubling for May. My goal, which by stating publicly I am giving myself accountability, is 100 miles for May.

In April I ran on 19 of the 30 days during the month. If you discount the 4 Sundays, I missed 7 actual running days and never more that 2 days in a given week. In hindsight I should have missed a few more days (only took 1 day off for a back pain I fought for a week and I ran a 5 miler the same day I donated blood – NOT RECOMMENDED) but at the same time I felt good about pushing through some things I would have used as excuses in the past.

If you do the math you will see that I averaged just over 4 miles per day that I ran. So, I can make the additional 20 miles of my goal in 1 of three ways. 1) If I miss 5 less days during the month that will give me the extra 20, 2) Since there are 5 Saturdays in May, hopefully I will get more long runs in, 3) I can drop some of the shorter 3 and 3.2 mile neighborhood loops from my morning rotation and only do the 3.4 mile and up loops, my average morning run lengths will increase. My guess is that to reach the 100 mile mark it will have to be a combination of all three of these. Wish me luck.

As for my weight loss, because I know you all are just SO interested, I think I am finally starting to break my plateau. For my run last November I got as low as 198. When I stopped running I actually drifted a little lower down to about 196.5 as I think I lost some muscle mass. By the end of January I was back over 200, by February 202. In March I started running again with some regularity and what happened – up to 204 by my birthday (I did visit and "enjoy" France during that time). For the bulk of April I held almost a constant 202-201 and was getting quite frustrated that I was putting in 20 mile weeks and not seeing any results. You can only tell yourself that muscle weighs more than fat so much! In the last week I have finally seen the scale dip under 200 and this morning’s 198.4 was the best I’ve seen since January. Maybe the fat to muscle conversion is done now and I can resume my march to 183… Once again, wish me luck. Just struck me, can you call an 80-100 mile month "luck"? Maybe I should switch to something like wish me strength/success/perseverance… or is that what "luck" connotes?

Staying on Top

Okay, this post is as much about getting something new out there as it is about anything informational, but hey, its something. Part of me is resistant to putting a new post up until I have at least one comment on the previous one but I guess you all have no opinion whatsoever about Mitt Romney digging up a stump so I guess I have to move on... My lovely wife can attest to my Primary Fever as I have been far more political this round than in election cycles past.

What I wanted to quickly write about is just how hard it is to sustain maximum effort. You would think that a distance runner would understand and master this concept better than most but alas, even I fall short... Since my run on Thanksgiving Day, I have run a grand total of ONE time for 3.1 miles. Now I could point out that I was "taking a break" after my race, or that I gave blood the following week since I had missed my routine donation a month earlier because I "was in training", or that I have been playing hard full court basketball one night a week since then so that should count some, or that it has been too cold to run outside since that time, or that I am catching up on some undone "Honeydoos" that Jamie let me pass on in the name of getting another run in leading up to the race... You get the picture I'm sure. Ultimately, these are what they sound like, excuses. Could I have maintained my 15-20 miles/week pre-race pace, probably not, could I have run twice a week, most definitely. This is why we admire winning streaks, and enduring champions, because for all the effort it takes to get to the top, it takes a champion to stay on top. I'm not there yet. And don't even get me started on how far off the mark I am in other areas of my life...

Back to the plus side - Milestones I have reached recently, I am now weighing in at 198 and for perhaps the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE, my waist is now smaller than my inseam. Yep, I purchased my first 32x34 jeans this week! (I was going to include a picture of the tag but decided that might come off a little to close to BRAGGING which we know I NEVER DO!) Do you realize how hard it is to find that size?!? I will admit that they are "loose" jeans, which I need to accommodate my MONSTER calves and thighs. Okay, enough with the chest thumping, but you understand I had to build myself back up after admitting my fallacies in the paragraph above...

I hope you are all striving toward whatever you have defined as your "TOP". Have any of you started to formulate goals for the new year? I think mine will be a full Marathon and 183lbs (the weight at which my BMI is no longer "overweight"). I'm sure there will be others, maybe addressing the "other areas" but those aren't as easy for me to set or reach... but I'll get there.

Register His Hands as a Lethal Weapon!

Here is Caleb's First Karate Tournament. No sparring just yet, just "forms".

And for this 18 seconds of work, what does he get?

1ST PLACE! WAY TO GO BUDDY!

Not to minimize this at all but the tournament has an approach to ensure every kid gets a trophy. They break the kids into small enough groups so they can have A LOT of 1st place finishers. That being said, both his performance and his teachers rate him better than almost all others.

Starts with a "1"

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words so I need not say more. Now lets see if I can make it stick!!! 11 days until the run...

See, I told ya so! -10k Photos

Okay, for all of you that doubt whether I am really doing these things - Here is some photographic evidence. Of course they didn't post the actual race results for some reason so you have to trust my earlier posted time but hey, pictures speak louder than words anyway right?

Absolutely no clue who this guy was other than he was the guy standing closest to me when the lady with the camera asked if she could take our picture. Can you tell it was only 40 degrees F at the time?

This is the line for the Porta-potties - key for any racer. There is a reason most birds take a dump before taking flight. The fold your arms thing I am doing here and in the first picture is not a sign of reverence, rather stinking COLD!

If you look closely you can see me between the blue "FINISH" sign and the red pole. Despite the sign, this was also the start. I believe that is what the other side of the sign read. I am starting my stopwatch if you look closely enough.

This is a few seconds later as I officially cross the Starting line. This is a bit redundant to the last photo but you can see my face better if you had any doubts...

This is me roughly 54 minutes later sprinting to the finish line (next one will be under 50...). I'd like to say I had just passed that guy behind me but truth be told, back in the bend he was about to pass me and that kicked my ego into gear for this sprint to the finish. I thought he was a lot closer than he appears in the picture. Luckily the dark color of my shirt hides the amount of sweat I was soaked in.

100 Miles

Wow, I just surprised myself! If you look at the sidebar on my blog you will notice my workout history. This is taken from my Runners World Training Log. I have been recording my distances run since August 25 when I ran a 5k race. With last nights run my odometer rolled over the 100 mile mark! That means that over the last 53 calendar days I have averaged 1.9 miles per day. Now, considering the fact that over half of these miles were on my treadmill that I am CONVINCED is under reporting my distances (26:30 lowest 5k time vs. 23:51 on the road...) and I'm sure that in reality my average is closer (if not over) to 2 miles/day. I think the combination of preparing for the Half-Marathon and the knowledge that I am reporting my miles for all to see have driven me to be more consistent and longer in my runs.

It is a testament however to how the tortoise can win the race. Have you ever looked back and been amazed at how much you have been able to do over a short period of time with only persistence on your side? Pretty life affirming isn't it?