Your History...

Have you ever thought of your history? From the time you were born, until right now, you have created history. More specifically, you have "built" history. Your experiences up until now have built a foundation to your life. You have been shaped, molded, and formed into the person you are due to your history. You have been "established."

I say that because I've been thinking a lot about that lately. Each of us have made decisions throughout our lives to bring us to this point. And, going forward, we will continue to make decisions that will build our histories.

Are you the same person you were 5 years ago? 10 years ago? Each day, our "decisions," build our foundations that will bring about new experiences that eventually, one day, we'll look back and see as our histories.

In regards to myself, I know that I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago. But you know what? I'm fine with that. I want to experience life. I want to continually reach towards the unknown... to live "life" to the fullest. To not only set goals, but to "achieve" those goals and press on to even greater ones.

So when people ask me, "Why in the world are you running? Why are you training for a marathon?" Well, I want to add to my history. I want to accomplish this very difficult goal and look back upon it and say, "Hey! I did it! I ran a marathon and I loved it!"

Sure, I gripe about it. The training is hard. The time management is extremely difficult. The effects to the body, be it plenty of soreness, is just a part of it. But hey, that's "life," right? If achieving a goal wasn't tough, then what would be the point?

I encourage you. I encourage you to build upon your history. Add to your foundation... or build another story. Try difficult goals. Experience things that you would never shoot for. I truly believe this: That when you go the extra mile, you'll receive 10 times more than you ever dreamed... and then some!

My 50th Post!!!

What better way to celebrate my 50th post than to show a map of what 17 miles looks like to those that live in New Mexico (Rob and Gaurav). While they may think Arlington is very close to downtown Dallas, I thought I'd show a distance that might speak to them. (You can click the above picture to make it larger)

You see, this morning, Becky and I set out and ran 17 miles around White Rock Lake. My gosh! Anyway, let's say you lived in the cesspool of the Metroplex (Arlington). If you started running at Ballpark Way and I-30 and headed East into downtown Dallas, you'd make it to the Plaza of the Americas in 3 hours and 23 minutes. Whoooo Weeee that's a lot of running (and pounding on the pavement)!

The run started off great. The temperature was probably the coolest we've experienced in weeks. Last week was great because we had a cool breeze and clouds. However, it was still humid. This week we had a temperature of 74 and the humidity was 58%. If you're reading this from somewhere other than Texas (especially Dallas), that's a FANTASTIC running condition for the summer!

Anyway, as you can see in my previous post, I was nervous. However, I felt strong. We had a good pace. When we made the spillway at 6 miles, I wasn't soaked! For those that don't know, I don't have an iPod anymore... both have been drowned in sweat. Nice, eh? So, they're dead. I was seriously thinking of buying one (my third) with a protective case over the weekend... oh well.

So Becky and I run and talk a ton. I mean, you've got over 3 hours of running... you gotta talk! We talk about Chicago, food, trips, work, family, what we'll do when we get home from this running hell... you know, just a bunch of chit chat! Ha!

Well, Becky is pretty dang competitive. Today she was only supposed to run 12. But around 7 she said she was feeling it and was going to shoot for 17 with me, too. That was great because of the no iPod situation. That would be a lot of running with silence.... (besides the squish squish squish of my wet clothes/shoes).

Anyway, the run was great. I felt fantastic afterwards and even told Becky, "I know this sounds strange but I think I could keep going after 17." Normally I'm about to pass out from shear exhaustion/pain. But today I felt great. I think that's due to the midweek runs I had last week... from Sunday to Saturday I ran 33 miles.

The only problem we ran into: Stopping. After all of that running, the body is pretty fluid. It's been working like a machine. However, like any machine, if you stop it and let it cool down, it sometimes has a hard time getting re-started. So our "cooldown" comes when we finish the run and grab some drinks and sit on this porch at The Big Thicket. We sit for 10 minutes or so. Well, when it's time to leave and stand up, it is one of the most painful experiences. However, it's so funny (because we look like freakin' Tin Men) that we're laughing at each other and the grimaces on our faces.

And that's just after 17.... wonder how painful it'll be after 26.2 miles on October 7???

I'm a Bit Nervous...

Tomorrow is Sunday... in my world, it's "Game Day." Tomorrow I have to run 17 miles. Actually, it's not "tomorrow" but "TOMORROW MORNING." Yep... another early morning run for Becky and myself.

Friday night I ran 5 miles on the treadmill. Then I grabbed some chinese food, and headed home. Today I haven't left the house. I've spent most of the day hydrating, stretching, and relaxing. It's been nice... but it still hasn't eased the nerves.

I know what it feels like to run 9 miles. That's one lap around the lake. The sad thing is when I reach my truck tomorrow, I'll still have 8 more miles to go. I know I have about 3 hours and 20 minutes of running ahead of me. Geez...

It's a goal. I truly want to reach this tomorrow... and I believe I will. It's just that it really causes a lot of stress in my life the day before. Anyway... wanted to write down my thoughts the night before...

What Does 16 Miles Look Like???

PRAISE THE LORD!!! I gotta start out like that because this morning I was VERY grumpy. It was dark-thirty and I knew the temperature was 79 degrees with 79% humidity. I actually said, "Lord... why can't we get a break for once? This weather is killing us!" Little did I know that we'd be running the entire 16 miles under a strong/cool breeze and cloudy skies. My gosh it was an amazing blessing! And it helped out in ways you have no idea...

A lot of people ask me each week, "So... how far did you run?" When you spout out numbers like 10, 11, 12, etc... sometimes people just go, "Oh my gosh! That sounds terrible!"

Well, I've inserted a picture on the left to give you an idea of what it looks like to run what Becky and I did this morning. Yep, we ran 16 miles.

If you started running from the Plaza of the Americas in downtown Dallas, then headed up the Dallas North Tollway, you'd reach the George Bush Turnpike (190).

And, to make matters sound even more painful, it would take you over 3 hours of running. And you'd be kinda tired... (I say that right now as I'm watching Forrest Gump.... "I'm pretty tired... think I'll go home now.")

So we met at 5:30 AM at the Big Thicket. I was really nervous. Not many people know this, but I have a lot of problems in the early mornings before long runs. Specifically, I gag a lot... and when there's a lot of gagging, there's a lot of "stuff" that eventually comes up. I'm used to it, and it usually happens at my house. Unfortunately this morning, that didn't happen. It decided to wait until I was in the parking lot with Chandra and Becky. Uuugh....

Anyhoo, after that, I was fine. We took off running and chatted for a bit... and made it to 3 miles. Got a drink, and took off again. Chandra was suffering from a headache that had been going on since Thursday, and her new shoes weren't feeling the greatest. At 6 she told us to run without her.

I went through a variety of difficulties through this run. Of course, the first 3 miles my calves are always tight. Then from 6 to 9 I have soreness in my thighs. We made it to the truck at 9, and I did a few things: Took goo, drank gatorade, and put on a dry headband and wristband. Then, off we went.

Around 11 we had a strange sighting - Rob on a bike! Rob is my boss and friend, and he's preparing for a long bike ride in September. He came up behind us and chatted while we were running. He even saw how drenched I was: "Your feet are squishing!!!" After we stopped off at a water fountain, we took off again and Rob went the other direction. That was a refreshing moment - it just broke up the whole monotony of the run.

At 12.5 we were at another water fountain near the dam, and we ran into Jay - a coworker of ours. He was out running early as well, and it was another great little diversion. We took off from there and kept our spirits up until the next water fountain. Oh, we ran into Rob again. He was shooting to finish 50 miles on the bike.

Around 14 my left knee reared up. It had finally joined my right knee, which had been hurting for a few miles. It's hard to explain the pain, but I kept thinking I had 2 nails on each side of my knees. Uugh...

Well, we did it... 3 hours 13 minutes. As we were finishing up 16, Rob came back and saw us to the end. He came to the parking lot and witnessed me peeling off the soaked shirt and socks... followed shortly by the "wringing out" of the soaked shirt. He even took a gander at the feet and looked on wincingly... ha!

Anyway, it was over. I got home and showered, ate, and napped. And I've been hobbling around... I can't wait until all of this is over! Believe YOU me!!!!

Time to get my drink on...

Friday night after work, a group of us went to the Libertine Bar for some beers and food. We had gone there a few weeks earlier, and had had a great time. The prices were good, the beer selection was decent, and the food was really fantastic. So why not go back?

Well, after a while I was ready to tab out. Becky and Kevin felt the same. As most normal people know, when you go out and it's time to pay, you typically write down on the receipt your name and what to charge your card. Let me emphasize.... NORMAL!

After the check went around the table, the waitress picked it up and off she went. She charged the cards (mine and Kevin's), and returned back. Want to know what she did? She took out Kevin & Becky's orders, but ran everyone else's on mine. My bill was $99.99. I couldn't believe it! After tracking the waitress down, she told me she couldn't back it out and that was that. Basically, she was being a snippy jerkass. Whatever buzz I had quickly vanished.

I let her have it. I told her that I don't understand how she could have chosen to do it that way when everyone else was staying, and I wrote specifically what to charge my card. She said she was told to do that by Becky, but that was a lie. She said stuff to me... and I said stuff to her. In the end, I told her to get me the entire bill because I was going to have to calculate what everyone now owed me. Talk about frustrating!

To make up for it (especially since I hadn't given her a tip yet), she brought me another beer. Gee... that just makes up for all of it! NOT! I wasn't very happy, and I'm not sure if I'll go back there again. So that extended my time there since I had to work through the numbers. The 3 of us left, and they drove me to the train station... only to watch as my train left! I would have to wait almost 30 minutes for the next one. Instead, we went to Sonic to get a drink.

I then was driven to the LBJ/Skillman station. Have you ever been to that one after 10 PM on a Friday night? Let's just say it's a little rough to say the least. The train came, and I took it back to Garland.

When I got home after 11 PM, I had to have another beer just to calm down. I then was looking forward to a full night's sleep. Unfortunately, that was interupted at 3:55 AM - smoke detector. The battery was going out, and so it went off for about 10 seconds. Took me about 10 minutes just to get the battery out after several unsuccessful attempts.

Saturday I felt kinda "off." Not enough sleep I guess. I met Chandra at Run On and we bought new running shoes to take advantage of the Tax Free weekend. I bought the same ones as before, but they're newer: Link to shoes

Other than that, came home and relaxed. I watched the Cowboys, enjoyed some of my kegerator beer (Rahr Blonde), and was in bed by 9:30. Ironically, I slept GREAT!

"Heeeeeeell Yeah - 15 miles, Baby!!!"

I still can't believe it... we ran 15 miles today!

This weekend I had been nervous to run 15. Last week's 14 was extremely difficult. While I pretty much did the same running during the week, the main difference this time is that I had been preparing for over 24 hours. You see, yesterday I spent every hour drinking something - water, propel, gatorade, iced tea, etc. I wanted to get my fluids up big time! I ate a lot of carbs, and went to bed right around 9:30.

Well, I was a bit nervous for the 15. I woke up at 2:30 and stared at the clock until 3. I think I "dozed" until my alarm went off at 4. Because of the major loss of electrolites I was expecting, I ate a breakfast bar on the drive to the lake. I also drank a bottle of Propel water, and sucked down a strawberry/banana packet of goo. Same song... met Chandra/Becky at White Rock at 5:30 AM. Becky said she, too, had woken up at 2:30 feeling nervous... and Chandra said she hadn't slept well.

We started off... remember, that early it's pitch black. We ran up until the first water fountain (3 miles) and grabbed a drink. Around 5.2, we were at the spillway and were at our next water fountain. I was drenched... I just can't stand this humidity. This morning it was 74% with a temp of about 81. The spillway water fountain was so freakin' hot, it was like drinking a cup of hot tea.

I decided to fire up the iPod... it lasted for about 2 minutes and then it died. I couldn't believe it. So now I knew it was me against the elements and no music... Come on ladies, let's get to gabbin! Ha!

So for a while I'd run with Chandra and talk with her, then run with Becky and we'd chat it up. At 7.5 we were at another (much colder!) water fountain. I took another goo and off we went. Made it to the truck at 9, and I changed wrist bands and headband. Dropped off the dead iPod, drank some gatorade, and off we went.

Now it's getting hot. Becky said she's gonna have to dig deep... I agreed. However, I was feeling 10 times better than I was at this point the previous week. Again, I think it was due to my preparedness and goo!

Well, we had 6 more miles to go. Do you realize how tough that is? You're leaving the parking lot where you know you have your car and plenty of cold water and you're heading out across the lake again where it's a blazing furnace!

It was brutal, but we pressed on! By now the lake is very busy, and there is a race going on. Becky and I talked it up as best we could... but we had so much going against us. The sun was really hot, the humidity was still there, we were sore, and we were running on the worst part of the lake (the pavement is broken).

Chandra's goal for the day was 13.1 miles... however, she pushed it to 14! That was awesome. I don't know how she did it, but I know I couldn't have jumped from 12 to 14 a few weeks ago! When Becky and I were heading back, we saw her driving out. We were pumped she exceeded her goal!

Anyway, we did it. We ran and ran... and ran some more! Just past the parking lot we hit 15. We both high-fived each other and now it was "Water Time!" After cooling down and putting some dry clothes on, I headed home. My routine is to immediately shower, eat breakfast, and then head to bed. I've done that the past several weeks, and it rocks! I slept for about 2 hours.

I'm stinkin' tired, but so satisfied... 15... 15... 15!!!

Wednesday, Bloody Wednesday...

Each Wednesday I've been meeting Becky at White Rock Lake at 5:30 AM... we run 9 miles. As usual, the humidity was incredibly high (76%). However, I came prepared!

A few weeks ago I decided to buy new "dry fit" running gear. I bought an Asics shirt and a pair of shorts, as well as a new sweat band (ULTRA absorbent)! These items arrived the day before the run.

Well, off we went. It was a brutal run. By mile 3 I was dripping pretty good and by mile 6 I was drenched. So much for the new dry fit clothes. We had some motivation issues, and our legs were still pretty sore from Sunday's run.

We pressed on... and finished our 9 back at the parking lot. Just as I was opening up my truck, Becky says, "Oh Regan..." I first think someone is standing behind me. Then I realize she's looking directly at my shirt. She then goes, "Is that blood?"

Well, for those that aren't runners, there is a problem that happens called "The bloody nipple!" Yep, my new shirt just kept moving up and down... basically "sandblasting" my nipple to a bloody stump. She asked if I felt it while running, but I hadn't. I was feeling it now!!! The old shirt doesn't move... so I just wasn't prepared.

Anyway, lesson learned. While us dudes don't have sports bras (bros), I should have remembered to put a bandaid over the nippular areas. Needless to say, I wear them now with that shirt!

The Hardest & Sweatiest 14 Miles of My Life!!!

I'm sitting here trying to come up with the words to describe how "out of it" I am right now. I thought I'd better get myself up to actually attempt to use my brain today (other than staring blankly at the tv). I'm THAT tired... dazed and confused might be a better description.

Today I ran 14 miles. It was the longest run I've done since 1999. It was long. It was hard. It was incredibly strenuous and difficult. But, it's over. Thank the LORD it's over!

The morning started early... 4:00 AM. I awoke in mid-dream thinking (as I do everytime I have to get up that early), "Why am I doing this?" Oh yeah... I'm doing this because I set a goal back on New Year's Eve to run in TWO marathons this year.... and I'm doing this at 4:00 AM because it's so freakin' hot/humid in Dallas that it's the only time to run!

So I met Chandra and Becky out at the lake again at 5:30. Same story... same verse: We ran around the lake. Ok, that sounded bitter. I'll say it like this: They ran around the lake, and I sweated profusely!

Do you know how hard it is to run when you're wet? Seriously... think about it. Imagine dressing in your running clothes, jumping into a swimming pool, and getting out to run a long distance! Obviously it doesn't start just like that. But by mile 6, I'm usually soaked head to toe. My socks are wet, and the shoes are drenched. Apparently "dry fit" really doesn't apply to me.

At mile 9, we were back at the cars. I had some Power Aid Gel, drank some water, attempted to towell off, and then put a new sweatband on.... and off we went. Around mile 11 Chandra made a comment, "Oh my gosh, Regan! You're leaving foot prints!" Yes, as disgusting as that sounds, THAT'S how wet I was.

Obviously, sweating that much is not good for the body. I was struggling big-time today. Even though we would stop at every water fountain, I just couldn't get enough to replenish what I was losing. It was also the 8 o'clock hour, and it was getting hot very fast. I told Becky that she needed to go into "coach" mode. And running with her, I felt like we had a rope attached to the 2 of us... and she was dragging me along!

As if my body decided to tell me, something happened. Around 13 it was like I had an electrical shock. My extremities were tingling, my vision got really blurry, and I was having a hard time running straight. I told Becky and we started walking. After walking for a bit, I started up again. We made it through and finished at 14... but I gotta say, I was gassed. I had nothing in the tank. We walked the rest of the way back to the vehicles. I drank a lot of water, put on some dry clothes, and headed home.

I have since eaten twice and taken a 2.5 hour nap. I am moving around this house VERY slowly... not really from pain, but just from pure exhaustion. I don't think I'll have any problems falling asleep tonight.

Achieving goals are very tough... but I just gotta hope that in the end, it'll be worth enduring days like this.

What a FANTASTIC Day!!!

So I took Friday off... what a GREAT decision! It was one of those days that I look back and go, "Wow... awesome day!"

My day started at 3:45 AM. Yep... woke up early because I was meeting Becky at the lake to run 9 miles. I stretched and ate and met her out there at 5:30. The run was REALLY good for me. She was yawning, but woke up around mile 2.5 when she almost got run over by a bicyclist.

Quick story: Ok, so when you run that early it's dark until about 6:15. We were running and talking along West Lawther - we were on the road instead of the trail to avoid the bugs, and have better footing. Normally the bikers come straight towards us because that is their normal route. However, I noticed a light coming behind us when it was about 20 yards away. By the time I told Becky, "Biker behind us," he was probably 10 yards. She, being tired, was thinking it was a car and moved towards me (she was on the right side of the road and I was on the left). Well, he was trying to split us at that moment (without letting us know he was doing that) and she almost got hit. He pressed the brakes hard and cussed and I thought he was going to flip. Anyway, after that, Becky had stopped yawning.

So we continued talking and running. It was still humid, but not as humid as in previous runs. We made it around the lake and back to the cars by 7:15 AM. She left to go get ready for work... I left to get ready for a nap! I stopped off at Sonic and picked up a Route 44 Cherry Limeade and a breakfast burrito. Came home, showered, ate my breakfast, and headed to bed by 9.

An hour and half later, I'm up. I got ready and picked up Joey for lunch. We went to Tokyo One (all-you-can-eat Sushi) in Addison, then caught The Simpsons Movie. If you haven't seen it yet, it's pretty dang funny. I was surprised... and being a fan, I was pleased!

After dropping Joey off, I went home and for some reason had a bunch of calls that day from various friends and family. After returning those, I decided to stay in and end the day by ordering my favorite pizza (Pizza Inn thin crust Italian Sausage/Pepperoni/Jalepenos) and enjoying a few beers. Went to bed around 11...

Seriously, a fantastic day!