My Famous Brother...

For those that have heard the "bragging" I've done about my brother Trenton, I thought I'd share an article that was written about him. He has a great little company out in San Diego and was featured in and "Entrepreneur Focus" article.

My Big Fat "Do Over"

Ever start the week off with a set of goals, only to have them dashed away by "life?" Well, that was what happened to me last week. At least in terms of running.

Last Sunday I had completed my first 8 mile run. It was extremely painful, and the effects lingered for a few days. However, I never found the time to run the rest of the week. Each night I had plans with friends, family, or coworkers. I think by Thursday I had decided, "Ok chump... cash it in and start over."

So this week is my "do over." I started this Sunday off with another 8-miler. I even ran back on the same trail as the previous week. The only difference: I didn't tell anyone I was doing it. I figured running by myself was better if I didn't make the goal instead of disappointing someone else.

Imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the park and saw Chandra's SUV! I guess she had the same plans/goals that I did. About a mile and a half into my run, she came running towards me from the opposite direction. She was finishing up her 7 mile run. She looked great - much better than the previous week. She owed it all to having a "full" inhaler.

Here is what the run looks like - 4 out, 4 back:



So I completed my 8, and have already run 4. I'm in the middle of a 10-mile day. I ran 4 this morning and plan to run 6 tonight. Of course, on the treadmill. Ha!

But I guess one thing I have learned is this: While they say there are no "do overs" in life, I think that in a lot of cases WE need to make our own "do overs." Take charge of what you can control, and go out and make it happen! "Just Do It" and quit whining about it!

8 Miles...

Imagine this: It's a bright, sunny, Sunday afternoon. The birds are singing, the flowers are starting to bloom, and spring is in the air. Why not strap on your running shoes and head out for a nice leisurely jog? How about making that an 8-mile run across the heart of Dallas? Well, that was my Sunday.

Yesterday I met up with Chandra and Becky at Hillcrest & LBJ. For those of you who live in the Metromess, you know where that is. Our goal was to run along the White Rock Creek Trail down to White Rock Lake. Yes, all the way down to Northwest Highway. Great Googly Moogly!

So off we went. Chandra's goal was to run 7, mine was to run 8, and Becky was just along for the ride... and what a ride it was! After almost getting hit by a car as we crossed under LBJ ("HEY! I'M WALKIN' HERE!!!"), we meandered our way along the creek. It was nice - lots of people out enjoying the day. Unfortunately for us, it was breezy and someone had turned up the "hell setting" with the heat.

And so we ran... and ran and ran and ran! Chandra had some difficulties with her asthma, so Becky and I continued on without her so she could go at her own pace. Becky and I passed the time talking about a variety of subjects. However, it was still a beating! Around the 5.5 mile mark, Becky told me to go on without her so she could catch her breath.

Now is where one REALLY decides "am I a runner or a quitter." I was hot, I was sore, and I had 2.5 miles to go without the benefit of a partner or my iPod. Becky said she wished she had a camera because I looked "awesome" running down the trail without a soul in sight. If she had only seen my face...

So I kept going. About a mile and a half remaining, I realized that I was almost to Northwest Highway and I needed to run longer. Uuugh! By the time I reached it, I still had a mile left. I decided to turn back around and go back up the trail for half a mile instead of venturing across the busy street. Doing so I passed both Becky and Chandra, but again I was running by myself.

I kept thinking, "Ok... this is your trial. You can do it!" But I gotta say, it was miserable. I made my way past the DART track and up the creek until I finally reached .5, then turned back. I made it back to them in the parking lot and was SO excited to stop. Kevin arrived shortly after and had the bottles of water we had stored with him.

Driving back to our cars at LBJ/Hillcrest, I kept saying, "Holy Crap we just ran from LBJ to Northwest Highway!" That little achievement necessitated a stop at Sonic for a Route 44 Cherry Limeade. Man, BEST I've ever had!

The rest of the day was spent limping and hurting. That's my reward. Ok, finishing my first 8-mile run since 1999 was a reward in itself. And Chandra did achieve her goal for 7, and Becky got in 6.5. Now I just have to run 4, 6, 4, and 4 the rest of the week. Whoo Hoo!

"Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying..."

That's one of my favorite movie quotes, and it's from the movie "Shawshank Redemption." Last night while running, that quote hit me. Guess a lot of things "hit you" when you're running 5 miles. I thought about why I'm doing this and how I got to this point. I guess my friend Jason was my inspiration back in December.

Like I said in my first post, I had received some interesting health news last summer. I realized that even though my mind felt young (crazy as that sounds), my body wasn't in the shape it needed to be. So I started becoming serious about my health. Last year I started taking daily medications for high blood pressure (it was 170/110 instead of 120/80), Triglycerides (743... should be less than 150), and cholesterol (382... should be around 175).

Realizing that medication wasn't the only thing I needed, I started making healthier choices with my meals. Fish and vegetables became more appealing, I started portioning the sizes better, and I reduced the amount of "bad stuff" in my diet. That helped a lot, but it still wasn't enough. I was missing the third component: Exercise. Uugh!!!

Enter Jason. As everyone knows, as you're heading to the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, you start to evaluate where you are and where you want to go. Jason started talking up a fitness program for himself, as well as setting a goal to run a marathon. He even suggested a half marathon, and encouraged me to sign up for the Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon. So on December 31, that's what I did.

Last night as I was running, I thought about where I've been in all of these miles. And it hit me: "Get busy living!" I guess I haven't been doing that in the past several years. Now I'm invigorated with new goals for the year, and I can see myself achieving them!

Life will come at you with a lot of disappointments. Believe me, I know. You can choose to sit and dwell on the ugliness, or you can choose to go out and change your circumstances. To me, the most miserable "life" is one in which you don't see hope... or change. We'll go through many trials, but I truly believe that at the end of a trial we'll emerge stronger and changed for the better!

It's like running. When you go out for a run at a distance that you've never run before, it's a mini-trial. "Can I do this? How am I going to make it? Oh it's going to be painful!" Yet, when I complete a run that I've never completed before, I feel awesome! "Wow, I did it! I made it!" And you know what? I'm stronger for doing it.

Plus, like any trial, God isn't going to put you into something that He doesn't believe you're ready for. And the same goes for running. If I've followed my training schedule, then when it's time to make a difficult run I'll be prepared for it. Physically, I'm all over it! Mentally, that's where the problem is. And I think that's what happens to a lot of us as we go through life.

This Sunday I've got another milestone: 8 miles. Seriously, can you picture yourself doing 8 miles? Well, a few short months ago I couldn't. I guess I wasn't "living." Now, I'm LIVING so much it hurts! Literally! Ha! So that's my encouraging word to everyone today: GET BUSY LIVING!!!

Inspirational Women...

I'm a guy that seems to surround himself with a variety of friends. All of my friends have one thing in common - they support/encourage me as I do them. But one thing that might seem odd to others is that I have a lot of friends who are women. Is that strange?

Last night I was struck by the fact that two of my "women-folk" were sitting with Kevin and myself at the Flying Saucer in Addison. There we were, sharing stories of our weekend, and I was watching both Chandra and Becky talk passionately about their weekend running experiences. As they spoke, it hit me: these women inspire me!

Let's start with Chandra. On Friday night, she joined myself and coworkers at a happy hour that extended a bit past 9 PM. Instead of sleeping in on Saturday before catching her noon plane to Houston, she went out and pounded the pavement for 6 miles. Not only that, but it was 6 miles into the wind - remember how windy it was on Saturday? Just for comparison, I only had to run 3 and I chose to go to the gym and run on a treadmill to avoid the wind! Plus, she is supposed to be off from running today yet she plans to run 3 tonight just to "get it in." Holy cow, that's dedication!

Now Becky... this girl hasn't run since last October when she completed the Chicago Marathon. Yesterday she decided to run with me along her favorite trail, White Rock Creek Trail. She said she'd probably run 2 miles and then head back. However, there she was running right along me for the full 7! Not only that, but her pace was so fast that I could barely keep up at times. That just blows me a way that someone can slap on their running shoes and head out like it's no big deal.

So as we were enjoying beverages at the Saucer and dinner at Nate's, I kept thinking that these are the women I'll be with in Chicago when I make that daunting jaunt for 26.2 miles... Not only that, but these will be the women I'll train with and share stories with throughout the year... and who better to run with than those that inspire you? Bring it!

Here is how Regan has a great day...

Holy Cow I had a great day! Now "a great day" to Regan might be a bit different to others, but man-o-man did I have a fantastic day!

Of course, a great day to me begins the night before. We had a happy hour after work at the Idle Rich Pub. It was a fun time! Chandra, Kevin, and I then went to Ozona's for dinner. We sat out on the patio and I ate some of the best enchiladas I've ever had! Mmm... After that, I took the train home and got in before 10.

Ok, so now back to today. A fantastic Regan day includes sleeping late... so I rolled out of bed around 9 (That's late for me!). After reading the paper (daily ritual... every section), I made my famous "heart-attack" breakfast. I know, I'm not supposed to eat this stuff... but it's SO DANG GOOD! You fry up sausage, chorizo, onions, and scrambled eggs in a cast iron skillet. Then put all of that in a tortilla with cheese and salsa. Good thing I took my meds this morning!

After that, I put on my work clothes and headed out back. Fired up the chainsaw and cut up all of the huge logs I've been needing to cut for firewood. If you ever want a mountain-man workout, that's how you do it. After an hour you are sore all over - legs, arms, back, etc. I didn't split the wood, but I did stack it for next year. It was about 1/2 a cord of wood, which is a lot!

The next item on the agenda was to mow/edge/trim/etc. my yard. I'm doing it a bit earlier this year, but I wanted to get a jump on it. So 2 hours later, I was beat tired but the yard looked fantastic!

I wanted to make my "big sandwich" for lunch (think "Dagwood" - I do this every weekend), but the bread was quite moldy. Mel, you listening? Ha! So I just snacked and watched "The Office" from Thursday night. I mulled it over, but decided I might as well get my 3-mile run in. So I changed clothes and off to the gym I went. Ran 3 miles, walked over 1, and felt great afterwards.

After a shower and a change of clothes, I headed out to do some shopping. It's about 4 at this point, and I had 3 places to go. The first was "S & K Beverage" in Plano. I wanted to get some good beer, and did they provide: Paulaner Salvator, Hofbrau Hefeveiss, Anchor Steam, and (drum roll) Rahr Winter Warmer. If you want to drink an awesome beer, try the Rahr styles. They're based in Fort Worth, and they never disappoint. They also offer free tours on Saturdays with free tastings!

Next went to Academy to finish off a gift certificate - purchased some sunglasses and some cushioned running socks. I wanted to get the socks before my 7-mile run tomorrow. Then left there and went to Tom Thumb to pick up groceries (and sushi). I was shocked to see a rainbow roll - that never happens! So of course I had to buy that!

But the best part was when I was on my way home, I saw the lunar eclipse! I just thought, "Ok... my yard looks great, I got my 3 miles in, I picked up some great beer and sushi, and now I'm seeing this spectacular sight! What a GREAT day!"

Anyway, I thought I'd share my photo of the eclipse... and I hope everyone can have a day like this someday!