235 Miles

March 18th.

Day one of Wheezing Gorilla 3.0.

Almost 10 months after I started this attempt at getting in better shape, I can look back and feel pretty good about what I accomplished this year.

I was able to finally run consistently and not quit after it got cold. (or just getting lazy)

I ran my first 5k.

I ran 5.57 miles at one point.

The thing I'm most impressed with is the 235 total miles for 2013.  I know its only an average of 26+ miles per month but its the best I've ever done.

With that being said, now I have to come up with some bigger goals. I didn't end last year or start this year on fire, but that doesn't mean I cant reach them. Who knows, might even throw some weight training in there! (like most dudes, I've got the P90X DVDs)

First run of 2014 was nothing to be impressed with. Unless you're impressed with running in 20 degree weather!

1.27 miles, 13:27.

Later

Did someone say Christmas Break??

11 days...

Not since my Vegas trip have I taken so many days off between runs.  (and consumed this many calories!) 

What has been a week and a half has felt like a month.  Days that held the opportunity to run seemed to turn into time spent holding down a piece of furniture.

I'm not signed up to run a 5K anytime soon (unless I can do that one in the Bahamas) so I'm not necessarily "in training".  But failing to lace up the Brooks for 11 days was disappointing.

But with 3 days to go before the end of the year, I thought I could add to my yearly total.  This year was going to be my best year yet!  (of course the bar was set pretty low)

Thank goodness for my treadmill otherwise tonight's run might have been a bit shorter.

3.08 miles, 34:30.

Later

Challenge!!

If you grew up in the 80's, you most likely were on a first name basis with the Huxtables.  Cliff, Claire, Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy.

They were less dysfunctional than your family, and they ended every episode on a good note, like a good TV family should.  Complete with incredible sweaters, amazing grandparents, and a sassy youngest child, how could you not like the Cosby Show?

There was one episode that I think of whenever I hear the word challenge!

Cosby Show Challenge Episode

In this episode, Cliff takes on a seasoned tap dancer in a "dance off"!  And the only word that the tap dancer, Sandman Simms, says is...CHALLANGE after he finishes his dance moves!  Yes I spelled that wrong, but if you watched the episode, you know I'm right.

If you read my last post, you know I had a little wager with my Aunt Sonya over the Packers v Cowboys game.  Well, the sun shined down on the Packers and their backup QB so I came out on top of that bet.  The bet was that the loser would run 20 miles this week.

I had then, and still have no doubts that my Aunt Sonya would knock that out by the weekend.  

...myself, however, would've probably failed miserably.

Anyway, not to be outdone, I thought I would at least try to keep pace and CHALLANGE myself to see if I could have done the 20 miles myself had I lost.  Get it?  How I CHALLANGED myself there...OK, yeah, so that wasn't that funny, never mind.

In order to do 20 miles in a week, one must do large chunks of it when one has the chance.

Wednesday was the only day this week that there wasn't a game or practice.

First 3 miles was a sub 10 minute pace.

4.99 miles (we'll call it 5), 51:54.  Still not at 20 miles...

Later

Dodged a 20 mile bullet...

Go Pack Go!

Those who know me, know that I am a die hard fan of the Green and Gold!  Since I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, I've followed the Green Bay Packers.  Prior to Favre, in the days of Don "Magic Man" Majkowski, I made my choice in what professional football team I would follow.

I have to admit, my choice of team wasn't because of some connection with the team itself.  It wasn't because it was my dad's team, and it wasn't because it was the local team.  Far from it.

Believe it or not, the team I followed prior to the Pack was the Cowboys.  I was raised on Roger Staubach, Tom Landry, and Tony Dorsett.  My mother's family originated from Texas, and we still have relatives there.  So the Cowboys were the team you were expected to follow.

Well...

I'm not sure what it was.  Maybe it was a bit of rebelliousness, or just the desire to be different.  But I decided that I didn't want to root for the 'Boys anymore.  I knew I wanted to root for an NFC team and I loved the history and tradition that the Packers represented.

Little did I know that the Packers and Cowboys would do battle throughout the 90's and early 2000's.  This made for great smack talk between myself and other family members.  Particularly with my Uncle Ray.

Uncle Ray was like my older brother...scratch that...he was my older brother for a big part of my life.  Being the youngest of my mother's siblings, he is close to my age.  I have to imagine that he was somewhat disappointed in my straying.

...at least we had Buffett.  :)

Well fast forward to today and the Packers vs Cowboys 2013.  This time the smack talk is with my Aunt Sonya (my inspiration).  So I get a text this morning about a little wager on today's game.  The loser has to run a certain distance throughout the week.

I cant say that it was the best thought out wager I've ever had, but I thought Flynn had a good game last week, and there's always the chance that Rodgers is cleared before game time.

Stupid backup quarterbacks...

They suck you in so that you like them and want to root for them, then they show you why they're backups!

So I accepted the bet and we decided that the loser would have to do 20 miles this week.  I was the one who came up with that distance.  My Aunt Sonya has probably done 20 miles more than once.  I however, haven't cleared 15 in a single week!

After the first quarter, I thought that things were still close.  The Pack was behind but still within striking distance.

By halftime I was looking for my shoes and trying to figure out just how many miles I would have to do tonight in order to make it to 20 by weeks end!  Wow, talk about an anemic offense.  Flynn and company couldn't score, and Romo and the 'Boys couldn't be stopped.  By the third quarter, Aunt Sonya was telling me to get the shoes warmed up!

Sometimes when your team is losing, stepping away and not watching actually helps.  Somehow there is magic in the not watching that makes the momentum change.  Since we were out of eggs and cold cuts for the kids' lunches, I figured it was a perfect time to head to the store.  Just like the Bud Light commercial says, it only weird if it doesn't work.  The moment I got to the grocery store parking lot, the momentum had shifted!  By the time I finished going through my list, the Pack had intercepted Romo and were on the march!  As I rolled into the driveway, walked into the house, and sat down on the couch, the Green and Gold was knocking on the end zone door.  Seconds later Lacy flies into the end zone to give Green Bay the lead!!

With about a minute and a half left, the Cowboys were going to get the ball back, and just like a good TV production team would do, they put a graphic that showed the 21 4th quarter comebacks that Romo has lead in his career.  Knowing that the defense has had its struggles, and Dallas' kicker has a big foot, I was a little worried about the 1 point lead.

Well leave it to good 'ole Romo.  I knew I could count on him!  He threw a game ending interception to give Green Bay the victory!  (Of course it took the replay booth to get it right because the horrible officiating couldn't.  Seriously!  Zebra was looking right at the Green Bay defensive back and still got the call wrong!)

So I dodged the 20 mile bullet!  Sorry Aunt Sonya.

Although I will try to keep pace this week.  Are there 10 days in a week yet??

2 miles, 21:49.

Later

Brrrrr

Lack of material.  Ran in the garage on the treadmill because of the Eskimos building igloos outside.

37:04, 3:33

Later

Cant hear the wheezing...

...over the sound of my chattering teeth!

Holy crap it was cold tonight!

I know I've hit the point in my addiction that I cant quit so I have to keep running even in ridiculous temps!  Luckily I have a treadmill in the garage so I don't have to put up with the cold every night.

However, since I do have an enabler, she makes it so I dont have to dress like an Eskimo to run.  Her most recent purchase was something called a balaclava, a.k.a. a ski mask.  So now I have enough thin layered gear to keep me completely covered except my eyes.

Really all it does is make me look like a fat wheezing burgler.

I'll leave that as your mental pic for the night.

3.01 miles, 30.43.

Later

Kin-Tan-Tee

"In Nepal the villagers call me 'Kin-tan-tee', which means 'man who is loved by many animals...who love him a lot, too.."

Oh the infamous Pat Healy.  The one time P.I. turned stalker.

From one of my favorite movies comes my blog about tonight's run.

If you have seen There's Something About Mary then you know what I'm talking about when I talk about Pat Healy.  

There's a scene in which Pat and another stalker Tucker are trying to "medicate" his date's older roommate's dog.  This dog did nothing but growl the last time Pat was around so he wants the dog to like him.  He figures if the dog likes him, so will the roommate, so will his date!  Logical thinking wouldn't you say?

Yeah, don't ask for an explanation if you haven't seen it.  Just follow along.

So Tucker and Healy start tossing speed filled dog treats in the upstairs window where his date, Mary, and her roommate, Magda, live.  Of course the dog finds them and starts eating them.  However, one happens to find its way into the Magda's drink as she isn't looking.

Well Pat shows up for the date with Mary and lo and behold, the dog had overdosed and is now in some sort of shock, which makes it extremely easy for Healy to "get along" with the pooch.  This is, of course, where the the line "Kin-Tan-Tee" is used because Healy is trying to impress Mary and Magda by showing them his "way with the animals".

There is another hilarious scene which follows where the dog finally stops breathing and Healy performs CPR and uses a lamp cord for a defibrillator and brings the dog back to life!  

So after the date, which is also a great scene, ("you have to look at it in it's totalitarian...ism"), Mary goes back home and finds Magda cleaning the house...hopped up on speed!  She's a small woman to begin with, but Mary finds her lifting the edge of the couch with one hand and vacuuming under it with the other!  

So this brings me to tonight's run...

No I didnt score some smack...but I did purchase my first 5 Hour Energy Drink!  I always see the commercials, but never really thought about using any.  Then I had a talk with my Bro-In-Law, who swears by them.  So today after lunch I was in between clients and was feeling a bit drowsy.  It was about 2pm and lunch was beckoning me to find a little park, recline the seat back, and siesta!  However, the very large client (and most likely my boss) would frown on missing this meeting.

Work always gets in the way doesnt it?

Well I stopped a a convenience store on the way and bought one of the little brightly colored bottles.  My BIL warned me of their "unique" flavor.

...um...yeah.  I dont truly know what butt tastes like, but I'm going to imagine the people at 5 Hour Energy have perfected it.  Complete with hints of berry, grape, and pomegranate.

So an hour or so after I choked it down I truly started to lose that nappy feeling.

I dont know if it helped or hurt my run tonight.  But I did keep a really good pace.

(Probably helps that I was on the treadmill and not outside tonight too.)

4.0 miles, 40:35

Later