Boo . . . 'bama

Wow. Could this week get any more bizarre? Lay-offs continue at work. Today our fearless leader and many of his counterparts have been forced into retirement. We're leaderless . . . unless you consider NYC TW a leader . . .

So, as a Southern institution crumbles all around me I'm having to find new ways to cope. I can't run. I can't bike. And if you think running is monotonous, you should try swimming for more than an hour. Down and back, down and back, down and back, etc.

Instead of working out some physical aggression, I turned on my creative hat and came up with this: (Halloween is tomorrow!)



Which I thought may look prettier like this:



So I got messy:



Pulled out my professional carving tools:



Worked for hours and finally sat back to admire this:



Subtle. Random perhaps. But why not? I plan on "redistributing" some wealth tomorrow night in the form of Snickers and malt balls. Share the love--Obama style:



Scary--not at all to me--but apparently it's topping some people's lists this year. I prefer the words hope, inspiration, and inclusive to scary. Boo!

Have a safe & fun Halloween.

Life is Good...There's Magic in Misery

Last month I commented on being inspired after reading the autobiography of Dean Karnazes, who commonly runs distances that most would think impossible. There's a quote in the book that I missed when I read it, but was later brought to my attention from a friend also reading the book.

"There's Magic in Misery"

At first glance this quote looks odd and doesn't make much sense. Upon further examination I have found it to be very true when running and a tool for managing my everyday life.

Katie and I truly enjoy running. We wouldn't do it so much if we didn't. As we plod along, most miles are fun and carefree. However, there are times when our journey becomes a struggle. Times when we've been running so long that our minds our drained. Times when our muscles ache. Times when our energy reserves are completely depleted. And as we've discovered recently, times when our bones are broken. Oftentimes when these obstacles present themselves, the journey to the finish line or the warm car is still many miles away.

In the moment these times are nothing but pain and misery. In the past they are the times we look upon with our fondest memories of perseverance and accomplishment. For we do not grow as people during the carefree miles, we grow during the miserable ones.

Katie has received some odd comments this week for dragging a broken foot through the last 10 miles of the Chicago Marathon. She has been accused of being excessive, unwise, and unbalanced. I can see how dropping out of the race seems like the more rational choice to some.

We have fond memories of the race. Its an achievement Katie will reflect on with a humble sense of pride for the rest of her life. Its true that if she had stopped running before the finish line a lot of misery and a broken foot could have possibly been prevented. But without the misery there would not be the magic of accomplishing a goal that once seemed impossible. That magic will remain long after the foot has healed.

There aren't any words that describe why we run better than Dean's.

"There's Magic in Misery"

JG

Response to Mr. Life is Good

Here's your list. I'll tell you what I manage to be thankful for today.

Sometimes thinking in terms of what you ARE thankful for is the best thing.

1. I don't know how, but I survived a 20% reduction in our staff size today (this is about the 4th big cut in 3 years). Every person who lost a job today is incredibly talented and I'm not sure yet how we're going to be able to produce the quality product we have without each of them.
2. My foot doesn't really hurt very much. I'll be back to pounding the pavement in no time. And seriously enjoying and appreciating every minute of it.
3. Our pups really do rock. And if we have to have our heat cut off they'll provide a good deal of warmth.
4. Stouffer's Casseroles and Campbell's Soups are actually pretty dang good. As is a $7-a-bottle-with-a-screw-cap kind of wine.
5. A rat didn't die in your car.
6. If it was hot outside this boot would be sweaty and nasty. Instead it's almost slightly comforting and cozy. Toasty as opposed to itchy and sweaty is a serious plus.
7. The Office comes on tonight. Woot!
8. Now that our standards for Auburn are so low, we can get excited about the small things--ya know, a first down every now and then.
9. We're in town this weekend with no races or places we have to go. I don't even have any school work right now. Let's soak it up. I think it may be the only one like it until mid-December.
10. You can still make me laugh. Which I admit must be hard to do on days like this.
11. I take solace in the fact that most people out there are having similar experiences. We really are in this together--on a very large scale.
12. We don't have a hole in our yard full of raw sewage anymore! Glad they got that fixed before trick-or-treaters invade our neighborhood in a few weeks--could have been treacherous.
13. The JCC has aqua-joggers. YES!!
14. Wickles make my heart sing. Any foodie who has not tried them, must.

And finally . . .

15. Touchdown Auburn. We may only get ten of them this season. Enjoy it :)

There you have it. Give thanks!

Gratefully yours,

Kate

Life is Good....?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Struggling to find positives today. Help me out with some comments.

So I Finally Found the Wall

I don't think I've ever really hit the infamous runner's wall that I always imagined would be some ethereal mental form of this:



Ya know, those runners that look like this:



Nope. No wall like that for me. I've gone slow enough for that to never happen to me. But I've managed to find a wall anyway. It just looks like this:



Yep. That foot pain I've been mentioning periodically--which I dismissed because, well, I honestly thought pain would just be a given. That was a stress fracture in my 5th metatarsal (i.e. the end of the pinky toe). It was also a severe case of peroneal tendonitis (all in my left foot). And a severe case of plantar fasciitis (but that's just my right foot).

This sheds new light on the time when I told J. at mile 18 of the marathon that I felt like I just didn't have any "feet" left to run on. The doc thinks I've had the stress fracture for a good while now. He seemed to be impressed by my pain threshold. I guess in a way it's nice to know that eventually it may not be as painful as it has been.

So. What now? Plan B.

No activity WHATsoEVER (doc's orders) for at least 6 weeks, possibly 8--of which my time must be spent in this ugly, constrictive "boot." No running with my sister for her first 1/2 marathon--only non-weight bearing cheering. No running the Memphis Marathon in 8 weeks. I've not counted Mercedes out completely, but after 6 weeks of immobility the marathon will be 10 weeks away.

Sigh. . . Enough crying, though. A pity party can only last so long.

Just don't tell my doctor I plan on hitting the pool first thing tomorrow :). And I'll be on that bike as soon as I possibly can.

Downside . . . I've lost the one activity that truly helps me keep my sanity. Upside . . . I get to wear tennis shoes to work and with the amount of swimming I'm going to do over the next 6 weeks I may even be able to give Michael Phelps a run for his money!

Life is Good . . . I agree

I do miss the "Life is Good" posts. I hope J. will be back soon with some of his optimistic musings. In the mean time we will all have to be optimistic on our own. Here are some random positives for the day (as I watch the 10 pm Bham news--seriously depressing!):

1. Change is around the corner. Get out there and vote--and be thankful you can. Less than 100 years ago I would not have had that right!
2. I really believe this change will be for the better.
3. We've come a long way in just 200 years--heck 50 for that matter-- (random, class-induced observation), thank God. As misguided as we seem sometimes, let's pause to admire the progress of humanity in general.
4. Dogs are great foot-warmers and soul lifters (or cats if you prefer). If you don't have one, I have two you can borrow--free of charge. Shout out to Aunt S.'s cute new addition to the fam (Nellie).
5. My air conditioner AND my heater are OFF! Who needs Alabama Power OR Alagasco . . . for now anyway.
6. Our leaves haven't reached peak yet--must be sad to already be socked in for winter (i.e. North Dakota).
7. We're blessed to have such great family and friends in town. If all goes Depression-style we can form a commune. And I know we'd make it through.
8. Chips and salsa are still complimentary at Los Arcos (click here for more courtesy K.) .
9. I can play telephone tag with my sister all week long and laugh about it with her when we finally get in touch over the weekend (can't wait until you're in town, M.!).
10. The Cubs (and the Auburn Tigers) always have next year . . .

So, yes. Life is definitely good. We just have to stop and remind ourselves every now and then. Happy almost-wednesday everyone.

Kate

Life Goes On. What Next?

So the event I trained for the past year (10 months to be exact) is over. This morning J. and I went to an RPM class (think spinning, but cooler)--my first attempt at exercise since Chicago, definitely not J.'s. He ran 20 yesterday. At 8:35 per mile pace. I know. Crazy, right? He can really kick some asphalt when he's not trying to hone in on a fellow runner with a camera.

So what has this week been like? A deep sense of satisfaction accompanied by a lot of this:



And this:



Which goes best with this:



Which is best followed by this:



Yes, savoring the week afterward as a week of ultimate indulgences was worth the 10 months of semi self-deprivation and training devotion. I've enjoyed every minute of it, but the sluggishness is starting to set in.

What's on the horizon? Huntsville 1/2 marathon (2 weeks--w/ M.!). Memphis 1/2 marathon (7 weeks--J. to do the full). Beyond that I don't have another major commitment until the Mercedes Marathon in February.

So on to the next big event. Training starts again tomorrow and I'm ready to dive in with renewed vigor. Maybe I'll even work on getting "sort of" fast. Maybe I'll take long, long bike rides (do need to get back on the bike since I'm signed up for a half-Ironman next Fall). Maybe I'll spend some more time in the pool. Maybe I'll make Rocky Road ice cream a staple in my next training plan . . . mmmmmm!

Recovery . . .

I'm not going to move very much today. And I'm going to enjoy it :).

The race was amazing. Chicago is beautiful. But it was HOT (early morning forecasts predicted 81--they were a little off)! Some estimates were as high as 88 degrees at noon (we crossed the finish line around 1:20 pm). Last year they canceled the race due to the 85 degree heat. Nobody died this year, though, and the aid stations didn't run out of water.

So, our time was a little off what I wanted it to be (5h10min) due to a bathroom stop, a bum heel, and some intense heat. But we survived and had a fairly good time in the process :). Thanks J. for sacrificing a PR to run with me. It was for the most part a great time!

So here are the video clips of the race . . . courtesy official race documenter, J.









And photos . . . click below:

Chicago Marathon

Downside . . . gonna be hard to sight-see on foot. Upside . . . the medal is pretty dang cool!

Life is Good...Quit Moving Kate

Congrats Katie for now being an official marathoner. I new you could do it and am very proud.

Take some well deserved time off and temporarily quit moving Kate.

JG

Countdown . . . Ready to Go!

We made it! Wow, it's beautiful here. The air is crisp and the sun is warm. It's WALL-TO-WALL runners around here. I've never been in one place with so many people of shared interests.

The trees have started to change here . . .



We went to the Expo and got our T-shirts, our race numbers . . .



We've gotten the bus/subway system figured out. Sort of . . .




And now we're resting up. After spaghetti dinner tonight it's off to bed and then game time!

Thank you to all of you who have suffered through boring discussions about running, acted interested in the blog :), and offered E-mails, calls, and notes of support and well wishes! We're very fortunate to have you in our lives. If we're not completely wiped out tomorrow afternoon, we'll post w/ news from the race.

K.--the CD is AWWWWWESOME :)!

Life is Good...Countdown 2 Days

This video speaks for itself. Rocky is the ultimate underdog and should inspire us all.

JG

The Details . . . for J.'s Mom :)

Race Confirmation:

Here are our numbers! J. is # 5772 and I am # 16640.

So. If you don't have anything better to do, here's what you can do on Sunday morning. Track us while we run around like crazy with 45,000 other crazies around Chicago on Sunday.

The race has this new thing where you sign up for E-mail updates or texts that let you know when we've crossed various points in the race. I think you get alerts at 10K (6.1 miles), halfway (13.1) . . . one other and then the finish line. And it's FREE (standard text messaging rates apply . . . )

Here's the link:

Spectators can electronically track multiple runners along the race course by receiving real-time updates via e-mail or text message throughout the race. Updates will be received as runners cross the 10K, halfway (13.1 miles) and 30K checkpoints, as well as the finish line. To sign up for Online Runner Tracking, visit chicagomarathon.com

Annnnnnnd . . . if you're super bored, you can check out a live broadcast (Watch the Bank of America Chicago Marathon live Webcast from 7 to 11 a.m.)of the race at:


2008 Broadcast Information
Whether you are in Chicago or across the world, you can catch live action of the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on TV, radio and/or the Web. Check out exclusive coverage from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon’s broadcast partners.

Don't expect to see us on it, but I think Beijing Olympic marathon gold medalist Constantina Tomescu-Dita from Romania (yes, this is the insane woman who took a 3-mile victory lap after winning the marathon!) will make a great showing (she'll probably finish 3 hours before we do).

Only catch . . . got to sign up before 6 p.m. on Saturday night.

Inspiration to follow. Have to find some first :).

KG

Life is Good...Lucky Man

It was another tough one today on the work force. My car is in the shop, so my dad, who is also my boss man, gave me a ride into the rock.

After a long day I though I was out of the woods when suddenly a co-worker took it upon herself to inform me of my ignorance for being an Obama supporter. She was so angry you would have thought I had done something down right immoral. She made me aware that my man Barack is inexperienced, dishonest, and a terrorist. Who woulda thunk it? Its amazing that people that still stand behind G Dub can call anyone a terrorist. I decided to mention that Kennedy was young and inexperienced, which led her to also make me aware that he was a poor president and a philanderer. Who woulda thunk it? Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy? Go to the Moon Kennedy? Ask not what your country can do for you Kennedy? Sounds like a half way decent president to me.

Moving on. Since I had no car I decided to leave my clothes, wallet, and cell phone at the office and run home from work. Heading off on a ridiculously hilly, 10 mile circuitous route, I traveled passed many placed that brought back memories from times past. My first elementary school, the church of my childhood, the house where Katie's Grandmother lived, and of course, the track where I ran my first mile. A funny memory made me smile. I remembered my mom helping me train there after school in first grade for the Presidential Physical Fitness test in P.E. I passed the test. Thanks Mom.

So now the day is almost done. I got in a great run which makes any day a good day. More importantly I have a great wife, great friends, a great family, and three half decent dogs.

All things considered, I'm a lucky man.

JG

Countdown . . . 3 days to go (Almost again)

I found a good one. And I couldn't wait until tomorrow morning to post it. (And I've procrastinated another paper--8 pages due tomorrow--so why not procrastinate a wee bit more.)

I'd like to dedicate this one to M. She's got 10 on her schedule this weekend for the first time. Way to go M.!! Remember, while you're running we'll be running :). And if you can do 5 then you can do it twice. If you can do 8 then you can do just 2 more. Take as long as you need--just don't give up.

Without more delay, here's Rudy (I relate especially to the bit about "5-feet-nothing without a speck of athletic ability"):



And because the song still gets me fired up. Here's the result of not quitting:

Countdown . . . 4 days to go

Almost . . . tomorrow morning's post, done tonight. Why? Because I anticipate tomorrow will be a bit of a break-neck kind of day.

So here's a light-hearted reminder of something we should all tell ourselves more often:



We can do it!

Countdown . . . 5 days to go (Encore)

Some of you wanted more info about the story of the father and the son. I found this video . . .

I'll try to find something a little more light-hearted for countdown #4:

Countdown . . . 5 days

The song is a bit cheesy--OK, really, really cheesy . . . but heck, isn't that what we're going for this week?

(Background on clip: Disabled son asks his father to do a marathon--that goes well, so they go on to enter the Hawaii Ironman--which is what the clip is about. The Ironman is the ultimate endurance event solo, but this Dad pushes and pulls his son through the entire thing. It took them more than 15 hours to complete the event (2.1 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Adds new meaning to the phrase, "Go, Dad, Go!")



The blog will return to reality post-Chicago. Until then we can't afford to be in a totally realistic frame of mind . . . let's revel in the fortitude of the human spirit until then.

Keep moving (or during a week like this--Keep trudging!)

Kate

Countdown . . . 6 days

Because things in all other facets of life are slightly depressing right now, why not focus on the cheesy and inspirational tidbits you can find? This is what started all of this mess:



Happy Monday!

Kate

Life is Good...Terrible 10

Katie and I ran 10 miles together this morning. We did not start until 9:30, which is very late for us. Katie had a headache and her heal hurts. I think her body is broken down from all the miles she has run during the Chicago Marathon training. I felt the same way training for my first marathon.

We spent the first five miles complaining back and forth at each other. The last five we got along quite well.

Overall, the run was not much fun. We will have many runs in the future that are not enjoyable as well. But, most importantly, we share this experience together. I am so proud of Katie for all the miles she's logged getting ready for Chicago.

Its going to be blast! Once we finish we'll realize that shitty runs like we had today are part of the process and make the finish line that much more rewarding.

JG

Good Morning Sweet Saturday . . . Inspiration

Lana sums it up best:

Click above for motivation to get out and enjoy this weekend!

TGIF . . . . Last Weekend before Chicago!

It's another Friday morning--thank goodness! I'll steer clear of political or stock-market-related statements--enough of that everywhere else, no?

With no long run looming this weekend (and no races)--just a quick 10 and that's it!--J. and I are scheming about all the things we may like to do. Sleep in until 7 am . . . have coffee on the back patio . . . take the pups on a long leisurely walk . . . indulge in some really good greasy food . . . indulge in a little adult beverage . . . not turn on the news once. It's interesting how much our training schedule has impacted our weekend (and weeknight too, I guess) plans--not that we were much of the "go-out-type" before.

We're savoring every moment of the prospect that we could do any of the above if we wanted to--and maybe that's what it's all about.

It's been a year or more of an adjusted lifestyle for sure--I don't call it a sacrifice because it's something we choose to do--and most days we enjoy doing it (the training that is). It's been cheap therapy, good times with friends, beautiful mornings or evenings outside, and eye-opening. If I can do this (jury is still out on that statement--check back after October 12 to see if I really can ;) anybody truly can!

And I recommend it without reservation. Start off slow; enjoy the small things for what they are, and before you know it you'll feel more capable than ever before. Life's too short not to run (even if your run pace is more of a shuffle).

So congrats to all of us on making it through a chaotic week. TGIF! Savor your weekend whatever your plans may be and let's be thankful we can all keep moving (in one form or another :).

Life is Good...Thursday Night Entertainment

The economy continues to struggle, which makes work challenging for Katie and me. We ran 5 together after work for stress relief, ate dinner, and are eagerly awaiting tonight's entertainment, the vice presidential debate.

Tonight, and tonight only, we get to witness the dumbest, most ill prepared human being I have ever seen in government, Sarah Palin, continue to make a total ass out of herself.

Go Sarah!