Choosing the Wrench

The past few weeks I have spent some time developing my 2016 race schedule.  Every year my schedule tends to be a fluid thing – always changing to accommodate my personal schedule and current fitness level.  I have already deferred one race this year, the Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon, because I didn’t  think I was properly prepared to run a marathon and hadn’t yet made travel plans.  There are other races are on my calendar – some written in pen and some in pencil.  Only time will tell which ones I run and which ones I take a pass on.

One race I am intent on running this year is in Lake Placid, NY.  My good friend Dave runs a hockey store up there (Hockey Depot - the only place for hockey gear in the Northeast U.S.) and has two daughters around Samantha’s age.  Last year I brought Sam up with me.  The girls ran the kids race and then got to cheer for their fathers as Dave and I ran the Half Marathon.

I say we “ran” the half marathon, but maybe what I should really say is that we “finished” the half marathon.  At some point, the hilly terrain forced both of us to walk.  Despite being a little over six weeks from PR’ing the Cheshire Half Marathon, the Lake Placid Half completely kicked my ass, and I finished with my worst time  ever in that distance.

The Joy of Putting on Socks

Ever since I joined the Marriott’s gym in my building, I have been going there religiously at lunch and pushing out 4+ miles.  It has pretty much become the bedrock of my training regimen, as it is the only time I can be sure (barring a busy workday) that I can consistently make it to the gym.  It has developed into a nice routine and in a weird way I think having the time away from the desk has made me more productive at work, too.  The routine has also got me to take notice of a few of the unsung benefits of weight loss that I might not have noticed otherwise.

After arriving at the gym, invariably there is a moment where I have to change my socks.  It's just necessary - I’d look silly running in my black work socks, don’t you think?  In the past, putting on socks for me had been somewhat of an ordeal.  At 280 pounds, it was necessary for me to sit down on the bed and make a concerted effort to bend over and put each sock over my foot.  Sometimes I would literally get winded.  Of course, nobody was really there to see it – my ex-wife maybe, but I tried not to make a big deal about it.  There are sometimes embarrassing moments when it comes to being big, and not being able to comfortably put on my socks was one for me.  The thought sometimes struck me, “I wonder if I gain much more weight, if I’ll be able to put them on at all.”  Thankfully, I never quite got that far to find out.

The Eds

I have two running friends named Ed.  I have no idea if they would want to see their full names on this blog, so I’m going to just name them Ed 1 and Ed 2.  The Eds have been sources of information and inspiration for me over time, so I thought I’d take the time to acknowledge their contributions to my running career.

Ed 1 is my marathon training coach.  I probably should say “was” my marathon training coach, but he can’t seem to escape me.  Ed 1 was assigned to me by the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation team and he helped me complete my first marathon in NYC back in November, 2014.  Somewhere around mile 21 or so, I ran into Ed 1 on the course and he somehow got me to believe that I still had the strength to continue running through the finish.  Afterwards, he stopped being a volunteer coach and went and got married (I really hope you took my advice on that pre-nup, Ed 1).  Even though he quit coaching, and even left the country at one point, I still track him down for his running Edvice (I came up with that one.)

I didn’t hold back with Ed 1 – I asked him every question imaginable as I got deeper and deeper into training.  Nipple bleeding, undercarriage chaffing, bowel movements… no topic was off-limits.  Ed 1 earned his money… although he was just a volunteer, so he didn’t actually earn any money.  But someone had to keep him honest, and I decided that someone was going to be me.  And even though he quit the job, he still can’t get rid of me until he changes his email address and gets a new phone number.  Maybe some plastic surgery.  You ever see the movie “What About Bob?”  Yeah, that’s me with Ed 1.  I’m about to crash his vacation on Lake Winnipesaukee and he doesn’t know it yet.

A Marathoner's Take on the New Star Wars

WARNING: SPOILERS – Please only read if you have already seen the new Star Wars or if you’re not planning on seeing it at all.

I want to start off by saying that I’ve only seen the new Star Wars movie once and that I am actually dying to see it again.  From a sheer entertainment point of view, it was incredible.  It seemed an impossible task to weave a new story with the proper amount of nostalgia, but somehow they did it.

The Challenge of Being a Marathon-Running Single Parent

I told myself I’d try to write a little each day – whether that be on the blog or part of my book-writing resolution.  Things were going pretty well – my daughter was in Disney with her uncle for a week and I was able to get some things in order and make plans based on what I thought I’d be able to accomplish over the next year.

Then she came home.

Samantha is such a wonderful 6-year old.  She is smart, social, well-behaved and really doesn’t ask for much – just a little of daddy’s attention from time to time.  I'm really lucky on that front.

Let The Resolutions Begin

Last week I began testing out my training options for 2016.  I tried everything - I woke up early, I ran at lunch, I ran after work.  I tried out some meal preparation plans - healthy options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I went to Costco and loaded up on the things I thought I would need for the coming weeks.  I tend to eat healthier when I make my own meals - it's just finding the time to make them that is sometimes tough.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, tuna made with a mustard/agave mix instead of mayo, red onion and my secret ingredient: sunflower seeeds.