Confuscius Say

Been a little busy the past few days. A lot going on at work, home, socially etc. So, with that said, I want to first give a big shout out to my friends Rebecca Ellefson and Victoria Ten Broeck, who just completed the Savannah Rock N Roll Half Marathon and Marathon respectively. Way to go, thanks for the inspiration to those of us still trying!

Basically, I'm at a crossroads of confusion right now. This past weekend, I relaxed at my parents house. Early bed times, good nights' rest, good food, nothing crazy. So I came home on Sunday afternoon and took off on a run...which was TERRIBLE. I felt sluggish, tired, and my legs were unresponsive. This completely blew my mind, mainly because just a week earlier I had one of the best runs of the training season, right after a beverage infused weekend in Atlanta complete with 3 am bedtimes, early rises, tons of food, etc. Blows my mind...literally. Guess it's one of those things you can't explain, but I'd rather there be an explanation out there that I just haven't figured out yet. Please, chime in if you have ideas.

So yeah, spent the weekend in Rock Hill with my parents. My dad and I took a concealed weapon permit class on Saturday, passing of course. I look forward to receiving my permit in the next 90 days. Also, I'm starting to change some things around in my diet and my weight loss has resumed. I'm down to 221, putting the weight lost number at 18 through 2 1/2 months. Being in the meat of football season right now, I'm happy with that.

Training continues...4 miles yesterday, most likely a trainer bike session tomorrow evening, and another run on Thursday or Friday. I'm aiming at next Monday for my first 10k run. Hopefully I'll be on fire that day.

Etiquette

Today we're going to talk about good old southern behavior that should be instilled in all of us. Behavior that proves why south of the Mason Dixon line is superior. Behavior that leaves teenage to middle age women wilting. I'm talking about that good ole boy, nice to meet ya, never met a stranger kind of attitude. Unfortunately, that seems to be nonexistent in the running/cycling community.

And I'll give runners a slight break, they don't have as much of an elitist attitude compared to cyclist and even worse, triathletes (Remind me again, why I'm wanting to label myself as one of these?). Why is it so hard to give a head nod, wave a hand, offer a word of encouragement, or if you're feeling generous...shoot me a hand pistol. We're all out there pounding the pavement, struggling, sweating...why would you want to do anything other than pat your fellow athletes on the back? Maybe it's part of how I grew up, in a rural "neighborhood". I use that term loosely, as Laura thinks I grew up in the country because my parents own more than a 1/4 acre. Regardless, we wave. At everyone. Even if I have no idea who you are, or if I ran over your cat last week. We waved. Think about it.

On to training! Today marked another milestone as I passed the 5 mile mark. And truth be told, I could've kept going. But I had already looped around back home and could smell the chicken parm coming from our kitchen. Still not really losing weight, but the runs are getting better by the week. IMPROVEMENT.

And as always, GO TIGERS.

#Training

So I snagged a huge deal on a trainer for my bike today at Academy Sports. I've been interested in one of these for some time now, especially given the weather during the winter. Today was the perfect date to give it a test run, as a front is moving through and the wind is gusting at 35 mph tonight. I wanted no part of that. So I saddled up to break in the trainer for a hard 30 minutes before dinner. It's a different feeling, but I enjoyed it much more than running on a treadmill. Weather has really affected my training in the past as I refuse to run on a treadmill. It's terrible..........so it's nice to have an indoor option for the bike that isn't awful. TV, music, and killing it on the trainer...love it.

That's about it tonight...big shout out to my Dad for his 58th birthday. Still looking 48 though, and killing some miles (on a treadmill oddly enough). Looking  forward to the December Sharp Family Fun Run with him and the rest of the family.

Weather is looking terrible for a run tomorrow with more high winds, but I'll most likely suck it up and get it done. Cheers!

The Deuce is Loose

The boys over at Ironmannaise wrote a piece a few weeks back regarding bowel movements during exercising. A must say, a bold and absolutely spot on article. Personally, this issue can completely derail a good workout without the least bit of warning. Literally, you can take off feeling great and by mile 2, you're tip-toeing in some awkward gait. I typically try to keep myself on a predictable schedule as far as eating, drinking, visiting the john, and when I run. Yet, it seems like the slightest variation can impact your run/ride in a matter of moments. I would be interested in suggestions on ways to avoid the ill tempered bowel movement, but it may be a matter of our body's composition that cannot be shaken.

Moving on...Sammy Watkins, The Deuce, once again reminded the country why he's the best freshman in the country. This weekend, he stole the #1 spot for all purpose yards in a game in Clemson history with 345 against Maryland. Thankfully I was at a wedding reception and unable to watch the game, otherwise I probably would be doing drywall work this week to repair my walls. This season has been unreal, and I obviously hope the success continues. Obviously, the D must play better down the stretch as we are the team "everyone guns for." On a sad note, I honestly wish the best to South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore in his recovery. He is a stand up kid and a hell of an athlete who deserves success in the future. There's no room for rivalry hate in a matter like this.

Tonight's run was awesome! 4.5 miles in under 40 minutes is a good night for me. I was a little sore during the run but seemed to have much more energy than I normally do. I'm not really dropping much weight right now, but the progress in the run is encouraging. We have some seriously awesome weather coming up this week, so I'm looking forward to more training. Hope everyone is keeping it real.

Tidbits

Wow, busy past few days. I haven't had a lot of time to put much effort into anything other than working and entertaining. So tonight's entry is just about updating what's going on, from every aspect of life...

• For weeks I anxiously awaited the arrival of my Springfield XD9. Yet, two weeks into ownership I've yet to shoot it. So many demands on life, so little time for play. I'm sure you realize that's partly tongue-in-cheek. I play a lot. I'm hoping to get to the range some time next week.

• My new job is going great. Finally done with training and now being baptized by fire. I'm currently  covering for my partner who is on vacation, all while still trying to learn what the heck is going on. It's been interesting for sure. 

• A good friend of mine from Atlanta is moving to Greenville to manage to a big construction project downtown. Laura and I are pumped about that, as I haven't had a really good guy friend here in town since Daniel moved down to the beach. Lots of guns, golf, and beer to follow I'm sure. 

• Our lab is in heat. We were told she was spayed when we got her, so we're a little confused at this point. As soon as the bleeding is over (should be soon), we'll be taking her to the vet to remedy this problem. 

• Football season is shaping up to be pretty amazing. I love being in Clemson for those home games, and look forward to many more memories this year with our football season group. I probably just jinxed us. 

So there's a snapshot at the past week. I ran tonight for the first time this week...our weather has been terrible the past couple days. Everything felt great, ran about 4.5 miles at 42:00. That's my longest run thus far in this process, so I'm encouraged...very encouraged. Sooo, this weekend is another wedding (during football season, seriously this makes two) so I'll be in Rock Hill catching up with old friends. Expect me to be near a TV at 7:00 pm though. 

New Diet

Started a new diet this evening. Consists of consuming straight protein in the form of bugs.

Had a great right tonight, and for the first time, I rode with another person. Thus, lots of talking...which results in the ingestion of winged insects. Not exactly appetizing. But by far the best part of the ride was partnering up with Will McCameron over at New World Frontiersman. Will is the type of guy that can pick up a conversation from 2 years ago and make it seem like you've been hanging out daily. Hoping to make this ride a weekly thing from here on out. Of course, riding in the evening only gives you so much time, but it was a needed 15 mile social session where I got to catch up with an old friend. Hard to complain about that.

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks/month. The weather here in South Carolina is phenomenal right now, making for some really enjoyable runs/rides. Laura and I are looking at some races that happen before the Cold Winter's Day Run aka Sharp Family Fun Run in December. Need some type of intermediate goal to keep everyone focused. Or just me. Not sure what Laura needs to focus on other than her 5 year olds.

 

Quick Update

Not much to say at the end of this weekend. Might not be running for a few days, as I suffered a horseshoe to a sandaled foot this weekend while tailgating. It didn't hurt too bad last night, but that might've had something to do with the bourbon. Today the top of my foot is on fire, so I'll probably take a couple days off.

In other news, Congrats Clemson! What the hell is a Hokie anyway?