Life is Good....Football

Thank you Jesus!!!!!!! College football season is here. The only downside; College Football=Mucho Cervezas = Painful Training.

My first half Ironman triathlon is only four weeks away. I met my normal Saturday group yesterday for a 26 mile bike ride. Colin was a no show since his wife Wendy is set to have their second child (a boy) at any moment. I left the group at mile 26 to ride 25 alone, for a total of 51. The half Ironman bike portion is 56 miles.

Woke up early this morning and ran 14 miles with Katie. This was the first time we've run together in a while, and I had quite a good time.

Received a report from Katie's sister Meg today about her training for her first half marathon later this year in Huntsville, which the three of us plan to run together. She is in school about 100 miles away a Auburn University. She ran 8 miles by herself today. Much better than I ever did in college. We are very proud of her.

Going to Katie's Mom's boyfriend's lakehouse tomorrow to practice swimming in my new wetsuit. This will be my first time to meet him, but I hear that he's nice. Hoping to knock out 1.2 miles in the water.

JG

Just Me and Fay

18 this morning--not 21. Rolling over at 4:15 this morning to the sound of rain slamming against the window wasn't the best start. Waiting an hour didn't help. So I went for it anyway. I actually debated just wearing a swimsuit (with shorts of course). A tri-suit may actually have been a great idea--but one has to be careful of chafing at 21 miles (may have turned out OK at just 18).

I put my iPod in a plastic baggie, grabbed a hat to keep the pelting rain out of my eyes, watched the weather radar and the big green mass that was still Tropical Storm Fay, and took off.

Rain has been a constant through this training--guess that's just part of the summer. But this was unprecedented--nice and cool--but a bit like running in a shower. Fay was definitely present. Sort of like this . . .



(minus the palm trees)

Mountain Brook and Lakeshore parkways--the best (i.e. flat) place for long runs--were covered with water--impassable in many spots. So I got brave and took off on a new route. BIG mistake. Hill after hill after hill after hill I wiped water out of my eyes (a hat, once saturated, doesn't do very much) and concentrated on not slipping on the downhills. The hills eased up but I found myself in an area with boarded up windows and a few stray dogs--enough to make me feel pretty uncomfortable. So I turned around early--and didn't end up making up the difference.

It was awfully lonely out there this morning, but Liv and J. met me at 18 to ride alongside me for the last 3. I opted for the car instead--but they're the best for coming out :). I'll get another shot at 22 in a few weeks.

Hope you all had fun and restful weekends! (And thanks for all the playlist suggestions sent via E-mail and comment--they got me through 18!)

Downside . . . wet shoes, wet hat, and 3 short. Upside . . . 18 is plenty of mileage to warrant a very large delicious, indulgent dinner!

Life is Good....Early 23

The alarm sounded at 4:30 this morning. I tried to get ready quietly to keep from waking up Katie and Olivia. By 5:30 I was running in the dark over the 280 bridge that connects Homewood to Mountain Brook my first of what I hoped would be 23 miles. The strategy today abandoned Powerade, instead opting for energy gels every 45 minutes with water. (Powerade + Energy gels = GI issues). It drizzled throughout the entire run, which was a good thing.

I made it through the first 7.5 miles without incident, and was glad to meet Colin at the Brownell building around 6:40 for the middle 8 miles of the run. I talked his ear off and probably drove him crazy, but the time passed by quickly. About an hour and 10 minutes later I was alone with my thoughts and iPod again with 7.5 miles to go. I didn't really get tired until mile 22, and was able to run through my weakening legs. I finished 3 hours and 24 minutes after I started, having averaged 8 minutes and 52 minutes per mile. This was a great run that gave me confidence of being on track to accomplish my goal of running Chicago in under 4 hours.

Going to spend the rest of the day at Uncles Ron's (who is actually a biological uncle to no one) tent at Stokin the Fire at Sloss Furnace. I plan to sit in a chair, eat ribs, and drink beer until dark. Don't worry Mom, Fitzmo is driving.

Katie is in school today. Olivia and I plan to keep her company during her 21 mile run tomorrow morning, although we may do it from bikes instead of on our feet.

JG

Prepping for 21

This weekend is pretty much it. It's as long as I'll run (I'll do it one more time) until Chicago--which is now only 8 weeks away! That's a looong time out there on the road, so I'm working up a play list. There are only so many things you can ponder for that long, and eventually even the sound of your feet can become monotonous and annoying. So, here are some of the artists I have so far:

1. Michael Jackson, The Way You Make Me Feel
2. Leona Lewis, Bleeding Love
3. Natasha Bedingfield, Pocketful of Sunshine
4. Metro Station, Shake It
5. Chris Brown, Forever
6. Kate Nash, Foundations
7. Sarah Bareilles, One Sweet Love
8. Jesse McCartney, Leavin'
9. Michael Jackson, Black or White
10. Fine Young Cannibals, She Drives Me Crazy
11. Coldplay, Viva la Vida
12. Duffy, Mercy
13. Akon, Don't Matter
14. Akon, I Wanna Love You (not the explicit version)
15. Sarah McLachlan, Answer
16. Sarah McLachlan, Song for a Winter's Night

That's all I've got for now. Some upbeat, some relaxing--if you've got any suggestions drop me an E-mail or leave a comment. I've got to fill up more than 4 hours of air time. Hope you're having a great week!

Yes. Anniversary it is.

(September 2001)

Five years. Or seven--depending on how you look at it. We've been together for seven years, married for five. Those two prior count for something . . .

This five-year anniversary brought about a lot of changes for 2008. We decided we would do the Chicago Marathon in honor of it. John hooked back up with buddy Colin for Mercedes Marathon training, and he introduced us into this fun world of triathlon--a series of events that has really enriched our lives and especially our marriage.

Every anniversary we've looked back and expressed how incredible the passing year has been. So far each year has been better--for many varying reasons. However I don't think we ever would have said that we expected the next year to be filled with any more blessings or fun memories than the last. We've always been thankful for another year and been content with things as they were. Maybe that's key.

Regardless, 2008 has been exceptionally fulfilling so far. We continue to grow together as well as individually. J. loves piano--watch out Billy Joel. I love my English courses. We both love to do active things solo, together, and with great friends and family. J., I'm so proud of you and love you for helping me believe in myself.

The sermon at our wedding grows closer to my heart with each passing year. Denson instructed those of you in attendance that you too were taking a vow--a vow to uphold and support the vow John and I were making. Those of you in attendance, and those we've met and befriended since then, have done that. We consider ourselves very blessed and are grateful to all of you who make up our support network.

The most common advice I received before we got married was, "Marriage is a marathon, not a sprint." I've thought about this piece of advice on numerous training runs and long races. For today and the next, this is the race of our life. What an opportunity to play, train, and compete for the race of our lives with all of you. Many thanks!

(And yes, waking up at 3 am to spectate at the Mountain Lakes Triathlon in Guntersville was an unforgettable way to spend our anniversary :). Good food and fun planned for later tonight. After a nap . . . )

Backdate. Buster Britton.

And now that I've figured out how this album link-thing works. Here are the Buster Britton pics . . . late I know.

Buster Britton

Mountain Lakes Triathlon Photos

Here's a teaser:

If you want to see more good looking triathletes, click below. Blog to follow later.

Mountain Lakes Triathlon

Life is Good...Mountain Lakes Triathlon

We awoke at 3 A.M this morning to head to Guntersville for the Mountain Lakes triathlon, and departed from Brad's house around 4:15, arriving at 6:15 for the 7:30 race. Several of our friends from the JCC also competed.

It was a great race. As a kid I spent a lot of time fishing the lake with my granddad. I was surprised at mile 14 of the bike course when we rode past the pier where we always put the boat in. It brought back a lot of memories and I teared up a bit, which is not very conducive to racing. Al then passed me for about the 4th time and my mind was quickly back on the race.

This race did not gel well with Katie's Chicago Marathon training schedule, so she did not compete. She took some great pictures though, which I hope she'll post.

JG

Life is Good....Anniversary

5 years ago today Katie and I got married. What a great decision we made. I hope the next 5 are as good as the first.

I'm know how fortunate I am to have such a cool wife!

JG

On the heels of 18 . . .

Now that J. is posting semi-embarassing pics of me I may have to revoke his blog-authoring privledges.

Sorry this is a little late as some of you have made me aware. It's been a busy week--so busy that I can't believe it's over. TGIF to those of you working (and non-working) folk out there! Back to the 18 . . .

Pre-game meal at Smith Lake with gourmet pasta a la Mom, M., and K was just the right combination for an enjoyable run on Sunday morning. We kicked it off at 5:50 am. This time I brought along my iPod, water bottle, and 2 GU's (those slimy things I detailed earlier). Running turns into a great arm workout when you have all these items to tote for 18 miles.

First 12 miles were awesome. Low humidity, lots of fellow runners around, and no rain! Best of all, M. met me at mile 12 and helped me bring it on in. J. is not as satisfied with his camera phone as he used to be (blurry pics below--M. is in the first, the last one is the short walk we did after 18):



M. was fresh and flying this morning. I trailed her trying to match her footsteps as the mileage creeped higher and higher.



Following an enormous post-run meal at Jim 'N Nick's (M. and I both went for the loaded baked potato, J. for the fried catfish) and a long afternoon nap, J. and I decided we felt better at 18 than we did at 16 (miles that is). This weekend it'll be 14, 7 the next, then 21--and that's as high as it gets until Chicago. We're starting to feel ready! And the best part of it is that we both feel like the race may even be enjoyable. 26.2 here we come!

Life is Good...Body Pump

Check out Katie throwing around some weight at Body Pump class last weekend.

Life is Good....Magic 19

Katie and I awoke this morning at 4:30, which at this point seems pretty routine. I had a 19 mile run on my schedule and Katie was aiming for 18.

I was a little concerned about how my body would hold up. I did a moderate bike ride and run with Colin and Brad yesterday, and my nutrition later and the day was pretty poor (Mexican food and beer with Mom at lunch followed by a long visit to Lowe's and then moor beer at Colin and Wendy's house).

We took off from Homewood park at daybreak around 5:50. The first six mile were pretty normal at about an 8:45 pace. Brad (pictured in the Chattanooga triathlon picks) met me at mile six to help me pace miles 7-12

Around mile 10 I ate an energy gel for the first time after being convinced by Katie that they really help.

Brad dropped off at mile 12. At this point I usually start to become mentally and physically weaker and my pace slows. For some reason today the opposite happened and I pushed to a strong finish. 19 miles in 2:45:50, about an 8:40 per mile pace.

As runners we suffer through so much training in search of the "flow". Occasionally this phenomenon appears, time stands still and and we feel invincible and focused, like we could run forever.

We try to replicate this feeling every time we run, usually falling short. However, when the "flow" re-appears it makes all of the usual suffering wothwile.

Katie also ran very well today with help from Meg, but I'm sure she'll post her thoughts later today.

JG