T.G.I.Finished

Well I guess it is true that you can't go back home....

I missed out on my after work nap so I could travel to run with a running store group that I hadn't run with in years. I recall huge crowds of runners of varied paces taking off from the store engulfing the residential streets.

I was looking forward to maybe seeing some old faces and maybe even some new ones.

Well, that didn't happen! The crowd was barely twenty people and the organization was lacking in terms of when we started. Several of the runners didn't even know what the course was, so they were just following other runners and hoping they didn't get lost!

It's funny how much of the route I remembered from the past and certain points brought back times of running with different individuals.

I've gone through quite a few training partners over the years, what about you?

I took those F#%king blister starting Mizunos back and replaced them with my comfortable reliable Brooks, so I'm back on the right side of the fence once again.....

I have friends doing the Chicago 1/2 and the Burning River 100 Miler. Good luck to all.......

Goodbye July, it was hot and sweaty but we had a good time.

3 Thang Thursday

1) Why do parents of the kids practicing football need to stand in lane #1 of the track when they see a group of runners trying to use said track? One guy even commented that the runners could go around him???? WTF!

2) Is it just me or when running through a sub-division, why do the only two cars on the road always converge on each other when they get to me running???

3) I have been slacking in my training effort and distance. So I'm giving myself a kick in the arse. I'm going to try and get with the Thursday group run I used to run with years ago at Hanson's running store. These people were animals and I hoping some of that will rub off on me.

Wednesday's Why???????

This is a pretty simple question today. Why, do you do it?

I work in the IT industry but I'm not what I would consider a geek. My answer to any computer problem is, 'turn it off and turn it back on'.

But most of the guys I work with are the types that go home and reconfigure their hard-drive or switch out the Motherboard in the PC that they built from scratch!!!!

So I'm always questioning why they do what they do, but so many times I forget that they're probably wondering why I go out and run intervals on the track in 80º evenings or wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to get in a long run on the weekends.

Are you running from Father Time???

Do you want to be able to eat that Twinkie??

Are you looking a the 2012 Summer Olympics????

Why??????

Blisters????????????????

WTF???? Those f%#king Mizunos didn't even make it 4 miles before I had to walk to save my feet!

Four miles................ and I'm feeling the pain in both feet where the shoe is rubbing against socks and skin...

I was tempted to walk barefoot in the middle of the road.

I can't think of the last time that I encountered a blister on my foot.

On a better note, I was able to volunteer for a race and was captain of a water station. That's right promoted to captain because of my vast knowledge of running and racing.

In actuality, I was the only adult. The of volunteers were from a high school football team and had never manned a water station before.

These kids stood in the rain and handed out water without a peep.

I on the other hand kept yelling for the runners to run faster so I could get out of the rain. Needless to say none of them adhered to my plea.

We also attended the Tiger's game on Sunday and cheered them to a victory.

Jumping to the Other Side

This should probably be announced on ESPN but I'm going to let you guys know first.

After several years running in Brooks Adrenalin, I'm jumping ship and going to run in Mizuno Wave Inspire....

This isn't about money or any other sponsorship perks but just time to make a change.

My agent came to me with the idea the last time shoes were purchased and I didn't feel the timing was right, but now I do.

I spent a lot of agonizing days and nights coming to this conclusion.

I wanted to do what was best for me and my family and I think I've made the right choice.

Unlike LeBron, I will not be taking any questions regarding my decision.

Thank You..................

I Survived......................barely

Eight guys running approximately 270 miles across the state of Michigan, for no apparent reason.

• Lots of running and drinking of BEvErages
• Sleep deprivation
• Consuming tons of junk foods
• Trails that consisted of sand, rocks and tree roots

Wasn't that a partay!

Here I am making sure no on takes my BEvERage, notice the knee brace? Well that knee was shot on Day one. I took a shit load of Ibuprofen for the weekend.

Did I mention that we camped out too????????

It was definitely time for a red cup also...

My team finished in 36th place out of 44 teams. We had a lot of fun and I saw a few friends that I haven't seen in quite a while.

The race finish on the beach of Lake Michigan...

I forgot to mention that we traveled through a lot of wooded areas and one of our vehicles had a run in with a deer......

Fortunately the car was drivable but the damage was done......... and no we didn't get to keep the deer.

Scheduled MIA...

I won't have access to the web while I run across the great state of Mee-chigan doing the Great Lakes Relay.

I hope to have tons of stories and photos.

Remember, it's not how fast you run but how good you look doing it......