Hitting the pavement....almost.

Well, it's been a little cold lately. And I've had a little cold. Feeling quite a bit better today, and it also warmed up today. Maybe it was warm enough to go out, maybe it wasn't. But I made good use to the fitness center at work. 4.9 miles on the treadmill. I will admit, I did stop once and slow to a quick walk at about 3.75 miles. But, then again, I really haven't gone beyond 3.5 on purpose more than a couple of times, and I haven't really had any good runs in since December.

Things felt good. About 44 minutes. That really gave me some hope for Crazyleggs and for Boulder. My time around the 3.1 mile mark was on par with what I had been running. I was able to maintain an 8 minute mile for quite a while, I wish I had paid more attention to how long that was. But, for being on a treadmill, and after work (a day that started with me up at 3:45 and at my desk at 6), it was quite relaxing. Came home and did some P90X StretchX after. That was just money.

So, I guess that's it for now. February 15 on the capitol square in Madison is the next race. Hoping for some warmer weather. I can handle 20s. Really looking forward to what this year has in store. A little nervous with two very large races coming up, but, it's going to be good.

Don't forget, between now and the BolderBoulder race on May 26, I've teamed up with Stand Up 2 Cancer to raise $1000 for caner research. If you're ready to stand up, be sure to visit the What Is Team Munky page for more info and to keep an eye out for other charitable organizations I will be running for this year..

Good run today!

Yesterday brought some snow. But today brought some sun and near 30 degrees. Went for a run at the UW Arboretum. Road was a little snow covered, but at least it wasn't ice. 3.73 miles in 32:44 with a 8:46 average. Not too bad for running on packed snow. Couldn't get all my traction, but I just had to work that much more, especially on the hills. Lots of people out enjoying the "warm" weather before it turns cold again this week.

So it looks like my plans to run in the Shamrock Shuffle in Madison have been thwarted. $40 for the 5k run! Really?? And they're going to charge the same for the 10k. Sorry, don't think so. But, I think there is a race in February that I'm going to enter in, that should be fun.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

Plane tickets bought for Colorado. Great deal on them. And I'm sure, just like every time I buy tickets, they'll have a sale in a week or two. But, I still think I got a great deal, didn't have to pay extra to upgrade to more leg room this time! Now just waiting to see what kind of deals I can get on hotel rooms.

After some thinking, I wrote the BolderBoulder people to see if I could change part of my registration. One of the options, and I don't know what I didn't pick it to begin with, was to have a black bib in honor of someone who is serving or has served in the military. I'm hoping that they'll make the change for me. I don't know why I didn't pick it to begin with, it was a free option. I think I was just so excited to register that it was one of those things that didn't matter at the time.

I can't believe a dream that I had last spring is finally becoming a reality!

Return to Colorado

Well, I'll be making a second trip to Colorado! Last night I registered for BolderBoulder. Pretty excited. Just have to get plane tickets, rental car and hotel rooms. For sure spending the night before and day of in a hotel in Boulder. It's gonna be CRAZY!!! So, Memorial Day weekend, that's where I'll be. What a way to spend a few days before my birthday. I want it to come so fast, even though the time will be too short.

Inspiration

I've gotten lots of complements from people that I've been an inspiration to them with all that I've accomplished with my running and my weight loss over the last 15 months or so. I love those complements, and they really mean a lot. But I really don't think I'm the inspiration here. Everyone who's provided those words, hugs at the finish, and the encouragement to keep going forward, those are the people that are the inspiration. I'm just a guy who set out with the original intent to lose some weight, and then though the inspiration of someone else, started running. One thing lead to another, and here I am.

There are days, a lot lately, that I wish I could do this full time for my job. I guess I've gotten very passionate about it lately. Never thought I would. This was just going to start out as a maybe one time thing, but it's become so much more than that. Each run I learn something new. I prove to myself that I can do this. I've run in 5 races this past year in just the last few months of the year, with the last one taking me out of state to the altitude in Denver. If you would have told me a year ago that I would have been running like this, I probably would have laughed at you. I've never run before. I still don't know what I'm doing other than one foot in front of the other and having a great time doing it. I look forward to the next race. And right now, my body is hating not being able to run because of the cold and ice.

If I've been an inspiration to you, you're welcome. There's probably something you've done that's inspired me, and it's just my gift back to you. There's nothing better than being able to give back, and getting praise for your accomplishments, no matter how small you think they are, is one of the best things in life. Thank you.

And for those of you who don't know where I've been on this crazy journey: