Some thoughts on running to get in shape…

I had a buddy call me yesterday asking for some running advice. He’s in relatively good shape. A few years ago, he lost a ton (well, 100lbs anyway) of weight. He was asking how to lose about 20 more, and to get a little more muscle tone. He’s like everyone else I know: he works a full week, and then works a full weeks worth on his hobbies, etc. He’s also a dad. …like everyone, he’s busy.

I’ve been getting this question a lot lately …not sure how I became any sort of an expert… but it is something I have thought about, and looked into a lot!

Anyway, here are some thoughts:

Start small. Think baby steps. If you want to run a marathon someday, try just going around the block first. …then walk. When I first started running, I couldn’t even make a full mile. I ran, stretched my calves, walked, then ran again – and repeat. Remember – You are NOT the athlete that you “used” to be, whenever that was, so just know going into this: it will take longer than you realize – so start small! Whatever you do will take an adjustment period. Give it time before you start cranking up the pressure. FYI – a calorie is a calorie. Your body doesn’t give you extra credit for running vs. walking, or swimming, or riding a bike. Doing anything is better than nothing, so you might as well start small and build; and along the way you will get stronger and find out you are getting in shape even though you are not really going that fast …or far.

Remember that unless your diet changes, your body probably won’t see any change from exercise. …unless you already eat pretty well. This, by far, has been my biggest struggle. I spoke with a friend this weekend that has lost 45lbs in 9 months, after cutting out wheat, eating healthy, and a little exercise! That is the RIGHT way to do it!

Discover, uncover, and revel in the joy of a good workout. I’ve done all kinds of sports. I’ve raced bikes, I’ve played competitive tennis, I’ve done an Ironman …but I still think the most rewarding thing I’ve experienced is the simple joy that comes from a completed workout. For instance, right now I’ve been feeling pretty out of shape. This morning, though, I woke up and went for a run. It was a little chilly, and my knees hurt – but when I finished the run …it was glorious. There are very few things in life that can compete with that “high.” There’s also something spiritual that happens (for me) when I work out. I find myself meditating. I feel closer to God. I feel better about myself, and life, etc.

Buy the right stuff. …and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the most expensive stuff, but remember, you pay for what you get. If you are just trying out a sport, you don’t have to buy top of the line – but you can really do some damage using poor equipment. So… If you want to run, go buy some running shoes. Several stores offer free gait analysis and suggest shoes. Take their advice! I think of it like this… If I spend $100 bucks for shoes, and run in them 500 miles, then it’s money well spent. I overpronate, so I have to buy stability shoes. I didn’t know that intuitively. I also think technical gear makes sense… When my son started running, and I bought him his first pair of running shorts, he was like “wow” those really feel good. (Running shorts are lined, so you don’t wear underwear). Bike shorts make a difference. Cycling gloves matter. …whichever sport you choose, buy some of the right stuff. After my college days, when I tried to get back into cycling, (40lbs overweight) I discovered my shoulder hurt. I went to the doctor and he told me I had some type of arthritis, something or another… I went to a bike shop and bought a new carbon fiber road bike. I decided it was my aluminum bike, not my shoulder that was the problem. I spent $3000 in 2001. My bike’s odometer currently reads around 28,000 miles, and I have no shoulder pain! I say money well spent!

Toys are cool too. I run and bike with an iPod. Music helps the miles go by. I run with a Garmin. …I feel a little naked without it by now. I am addicted to gadgets. You don’t NEED them …but they can be fun.

All that being said, Running is very easy to do, right out your front door. Running is a great choice because its pretty simple. The start up investment is small (shoes) and you don’t have to worry about much. With cycling, you need a bike, and finding routes can be somewhat intimidating. There’s also a ton of gear to put on just to get out the door. Not so with running…

If you can find a partner, do so. Honestly, your decision to get in shape, and run or workout is yours. You have to own it. You have to be willing to go alone, and many of your best workouts will be solitary endeavors. …but if you can find an occasional partner it’s really nice. It’s always easier to get out the door when you are meeting someone else! One of the best things about the Austin area is that there are a ton of “groups.” Find a running group that works with your schedule, and join them occasionally.

Set goals. …and the goal really doesn’t matter. What matters is that there’s a goal. So, sign up for a 5k. Or decide to try to run a mile without stopping. …start small, but set a goal.

Make a plan. If you start working out, you need some kind of schedule. Build in rest, but create some type of schedule, and then try to stick with it. When I was ironman training, I used a marathon training plan I found in a magazine. If you are going to start running, then when? Mornings? At night? Which days? …make a plan.

One last thing… It’s never easy.

Sometimes you think, “I could do that!” …and so you try it – and it hurts!

I remember signing up for my first sprint triathlon. All I had to do was a 5k run …no problem. Then I started training, and I remembered why I never liked to run! It hurt! I had always told myself I couldn’t run. My excuse was chronic shin splints. Over the years, any time I would start running, my shins would hurt so bad I would just give up. …this time though, I ran about a block and stretched my calves. I would literally, run, walk, stretch, over and over. …and the day came when my shins no longer hurt. …and the day came when I could do a mile without stopping. …and the day came when I could do miles, and still talk while jogging merrily along.

It’s never easy though.

I was training with my daughter recently and realized she’s just like me. She does not like pain. She’s a great little athlete, but there’s a wall…and she hasn’t learned how to push past it. The problem is that breaking that threshold, or wall, involves pain.

Good luck with that.

But seriously, have fun out there!

Be safe. …and enjoy your run.

Offseason …and thoughts about life…

Its been a pretty interesting year:

• I accomplished a major goal – Ironman Texas!
• The kids got serious about triathlons – we just got back from U.S. Nationals!!
• I got a new job – working at Spansion!

Its all over though…

I know, I know, the year 2011 isn’t over – but all my year’s goals are done!

Its officially offseason.

So what now?

Well – a little life update: I’m currently very active in looking for a new job. Dana and I have decided its time for me to get back into ministry, so for the last few months, I’ve been applying and interviewing …and looking. I’ve been “close” a couple of times, but as of right now …I’m still looking.

Dana and I are also going through some “interesting” discussions about the house, and life in general. Since leaving ministry and changing jobs a few times, our finances have taken a beating. We’ve really cut back, but our debt has started to climb to a level that neither of us is comfortable with. It looks like over the next few months we’ll go ahead and put the house on the market: 1) Selling the house should allow us to get ourselves out of debt. 2) Selling the house will also better position ourselves to make a move once the new job comes. …but where will you live? Good question!

Needless to say, the stress of finding a new job, housing and finances is no fun!

…but it gives me plenty of motivation to work out, right?!

So back to this offseason stuff.

I have a few issues (imagine that)

• I need to lose/maintain weight. It would be really easy for me to balloon right now! I’ve already gained back all the weight from our recent diet… I’m sitting at 190 again. That’s not “huge” but its about 10 lbs away from where I feel good about myself.
• I work nights with 12 hour shifts. ..that plays a huge (huge) part in my plans. I’ve also been taking all the overtime I can get, so I’ve been working 50-60 hours …again, at night, so I sleep in the day.
• On the positive side of the equation, my family loves to work-out, stay active, and eat right – so they support me with whatever they can, and often they join in on the fun.

So here’s the plan…

1. This offseason I am going to run. I’m hoping to run my gut off! The plan is to run at least 4 times a week for at least 35 minutes at a time. On the weekends, or my days off, I may run longer – but the goal is at least 4 runs a week.
2. I’m starting a food journal. …I hate journaling what I eat – but I really need to chronicle what goes in, how much I consume, and when I consume it.
3. I’m also going to continue using my lunch break at work to do some general fitness stuff – pushups, crunches, weights, etc.

When am I going to ride? When am I going to swim? Will I race any?

…all good questions. I hope to swim some and ride a little, but my belief is that running will keep me in shape enough during the offseason to pick back up the other things as race season approaches next year.

The only racing I’m planning on is to possibly enter a half marathon with my sister – we have no official plans, so who knows if that will actually happen.

So if you see me out there on the road some morning, wave – and try not to swerve into me please

 

I’m not sure I trust ANY of them…

Following in the wake of Tyler Hamilton’s 60 minutes revelations about Lance Armstrong, an even bigger question loomed than “did Lance dope?” Its a question about the sport of cycling in general:

Is there anyone I can actually trust?

Allow me to give you a little back story.

It goes like this.

I have always been a fan of Lance Armstrong, but as much as I like the guy, I never have believed that he was 100% clean. My personal belief was that “back in the day” – pre-cancer – Lance probably used. …I assumed cancer was what changed him and his body, and created the Tour winner. I always figured that’s why he said, “I am the most tested athlete on the planet” instead of “I don’t dope.”

I was an even bigger fan of Tyler Hamilton. Seriously, I would have bet everything that the big bad world of cycling was out to get the guy. Boy, was I wrong. (I still can’t help but love the guy though…)

I also was a huge fan of Floyd Landis. Who couldn’t love that Amish freakazoid, right?! …that is until you claim his innocence, over and over again, LOUDLY. But guess what – yeah, he finally came clean about being dirty. …and did it looking like a total idiot.

So seriously. Who can you trust?

Are we really going to believe its just sour grapes? Book sales? Jealousy? …really?

Or are we going to just realize, and come to grip with the fact, that THE WHOLE FREAKIN’ SPORT is dirty.

…with maybe the exception of Vaughters and Garmin?? (uughhh)

See my problem? I can’t even trust the one team that says they are managing  their team and riders in such a way as to go above and beyond everyone’s bar of what “clean” racing should look like.

…here’s what I think.

I think we should just stick an astericks by every tour and every riders name for the last 20 years:

*this guy probably doped just like every one else in his generation.

And for the record – HOW is it that Contador is allowed to race right now!! He’s about to win the Giro!! He’s as guilty as Floyd and Tyler for sure!!

Come on… Tainted beef?? seriously??

Now THAT’S fast!

Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervelo) won his sixth stars-and-stripes jersey at the USA Cycling Pro Time Trial Championships on Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina.

The California resident blazed through the three-lap, 33.3kms parcours in a time of 40:23, topping silver medalist Tom Zirbel (Jamis-Sutter Home) by 31 seconds while bronze medalist Matthew Busche (RadioShack) finished 59 seconds off the pace.

“It boils down to giving it everything I have,” Zabriskie said. “I love this event and wearing the stars-and-stripes, I take a lot of pride in it. I enjoy wearing the jersey and it gets better and better. It’s not easy coming here with the pressure of winning it quite a few times.

“It was a nice course and I liked it,” Zabriskie said. “The last time I did it, in 2009, I felt pretty good. Today, I just wanted to destroy myself. I knew Tom’s time and that I would have to fight to beat that. I was fighting for the last 500 metres and I gave it full gas. Tom rode a good time today.”

You can read the full cyclingnews article here

…it figures he’s so fast since he’s riding Jon Woodfords bike

Ironman Texas, Race Report

So… Where to begin? I guess at the beginning…

11 months ago I made the rash, late night, friend aided (blame it on peer pressure) decision to sign up for Ironman Texas. It was to be the first such event in Texas, and I had friends doing it too – so why not! …even though I had never tackled any triathlon longer than an Olympic distance …and even though I’d always said I would “NEVER” do an Ironman. (I mean, who would be that insane, right?) – but lo and behold I paid the money and got in!

I was a roofer then… and living most of the time in OKC – so began my excuses for training – but I did try…

Fast forward to the start of this year and I changed jobs. Now I work all night half the week and I’m supposed to sleep during the day. The one benefit is that I have a couple extra days off during the week, but when I told my new co-workers I was going to attempt to train while working they all said I was nuts.

It actually went pretty well at first, but as my mileage needs increased it started to get a little crazy. For instance, if I needed a swim (of at least an hour) and a run of two hours, and needed to eat, then that left me maybe 5 hours of sleep. By the end, I was also fighting an injury to my upper back that had me at a chiropractor twice a week – which took even more time away…

Let me give one more shout out to my doc (and friend) John Tuggle! He did IM Texas as well and finished, beating his goal!! It was his second Ironman and he’s a stud. I wouldn’t have been able to race most likely had it not been for him… Thanks Tuggle!!

In the end, my training was “what it was.” I was resigned to the fact that I had trained as best I could: Less than ideal, and about two months behind schedule – but I did my best and was as ready as I could be given what I had to work with …next time though, I will start training harder a lot sooner!!

Let’s talk facebook for a second… I’m a big FB guy, and despite what some people think – I didn’t post my training for ego

I made a decision to start using a training app to track my training on FB. I used a training journal early on, but it was much easier to just keep it all on FB by the end. I really never expected anyone to pay any attention to that… I underestimated how much FB could involve my friends and family in training – and ultimately in my race. The encouragement and accountability from facebook was very valuable! Priceless in fact… I am still blown away by all the support!

I left for Houston on Thursday to pick up my race packet and tour the expo and IM village. It was a pretty amazing experience. Athletes everywhere! The buzz was definitely in the air. I also got to see Tuggle, and Jon Woodford, and Andrew Gale, and Chuck Cash – all guys I had trained with… Some of us had dinner that night, which was perfect, as I was alone in town. We all went to the HUGE race meeting together to – and it finally sunk in – I am racing an Ironman.

All Ironmen!!

Friday was bike and bags drop off day – all of which were pretty seamless… Then I just chilled and tried to rest until my family got there that evening. By the time they arrived it was time for bed. I slept maybe an hour and a half. …I was already pretty rested, and my nerves were in full attack mode.

RACE DAY!!!

Saturday morning, I had scheduled a wake up call for 4am. I didn’t need it, because I was up at 3:30am! I figured I might as well quit trying to sleep, so I put the ice and water in my bottles, got dressed, ate a small breakfast and headed to the course. …I wanted to be early anyway – and I was! I got to wait in line for transition to open

I actually didn’t have much to do when I arrived. I loaded the bottles in their place, then I hiked myself and my wetsuit to the swim start.

It was pretty darn cool waiting around at the swim start. The atmosphere was electric! Everyone was checking each other out, praying, and starting to sweat …we were about to get racing!

We started heading into the water right after the pros – btw – I walked right by Mirinda Carfrae!! She wasn’t racing, and if I had anything to get an autograph with/on I would have!

I had decided to race with a wetsuit even though the water temperature made it “not legal.” I wasn’t competeing for any age group awards or a Kona spot, so for me the decision was about time. I knew I would swim faster with my wetsuit, so I did. I’m guessing probably a third of the field did the same.

I had a great swim! 1:20 is 5 minutes faster than I predicted for a fast swim time! I was only 5 minutes behind Woodford!! …that’s just insane. That being said, that swim was easily the most violent thing I’ve ever done. Maybe I should try running with the Bulls next year? It was nuts… People trying to swim over me, through me, on top of me… I got kicked in the face once, elbowed numerous times, actually pulled backwards once – it was just plain crazy. I decided pretty early on to swim a tad aggressively and to look for open water! …and for about half the race I think I found it. The other half was just nuts. When we entered the channel it wasn’t as crowded as I thought it might be, which was good, but I still had people all over me. It was really nice to hear the cheers from the crowd along the channel! …but at some point along there, I went to do a breast stroke kick and felt both hamstrings start to cramp. I’m glad it was about over, and I just focused on swimming to the end free-style and trying not to cramp.

I felt pretty good coming out of the water, and I went to the change tent happy with my swim. I was determined to take my time in the transitions – and I succeeded! Lol I also changed clothes every time in transition.

I found my bike really easy, and loved getting to see my family! The kids had signs, and I even stopped to pose with them for a picture – then it was off to do 112 miles…

The ride was actually very scenic. The roads were pretty nice. I think there was only one section of chip and seal, which was awesome. I went out faster than I intended – but it was hard because I really felt good. At the halfway point I was averaging 17mph, but by the end, after the hills took hold, my overall average was down to 16mph. I was still pretty pleased with that, although I think I stopped too many times. I made a last minute decision to take one less bottle, and so because of that I think I stopped probably twice more than I needed to. My nutrition plan also failed miserably. The sport (jelly) beans that I planned to use became super sticky in the humidity. The powerbar bite size ball things were also really hard for me to digest… All that said though, I enjoyed the ride. My time even with stops was reasonable, and I had fun talking to people and riding hard for 112 miles.

Getting into T2 felt like a relief. My feet were killing me, so again, I took my time If they gave an award for the longest transitions, I might have won that one! I finally pulled it all together though, hit the restroom once more, and headed out.

Boy, was I in for a shock! When I tried to run – and I did seriously try – the sides of my ribs on both sides cramped. It actually took my breath away. I was only going to run for 3 minutes, but I probably only lasted 20 seconds – not good! I made the decision to just walk for a while. Then a tried to run a few times with no luck, so I made a hard call to walk and recover – for a full hour.

That hour felt like such a defeat! Looking at my watches, I could also tell that if I couldn’t run, I was doomed to not finishing. For a while there it was pretty bleak. To make things even worse, Dana was in the wrong spot on the run, so she missed me coming out of transition, and I wouldn’t see them until mile 9! I felt alone and in trouble. But I kept on going…

Its funny how things get stuck in your head. On that first lap, people would yell, “Way to go Charles” and I would be amazed – then I’d remember that my name was right above my number and they were just reading it …they didn’t actually know me. On the second lap, I started hating those encouragers. They were telling everyone, “You’re almost finished, keep going” and I would think, not me. I suck. I still have another lap.

I mentioned watches – as in plural – because I wore two. One watch I wore the whole race. I started its stopwatch function at the gun, so it had the running tally of how many hours. It also had the actual, physical time. That watch allowed me to see either how close I was to 17 hrs or how close I was getting until midnight. The other watch was my Garmin. I put it on just for the run and it calculated my speed and distance, as well as how log it took me to do each lap. I spent most of the race looking at those two watches.

After the first lap, I finally got to see Dana and the kids. They were so happy and relieved to see me! My loop took longer than I expected, and they were pretty worried about me. Caleb kept running alongside me asking if I was okay. Aaron was taking pictures, and Ashley was just bouncing with energy. I told Dana what was up and that I thought I had it all worked out. By that point I could run for a minute and walk a minute. That didn’t last long, but it gave me the will-power to get through that second lap.

As I started the third loop, I had to pass by the finishing gate again one last time. I got so emotional, realizing that instead of finishing, I had to do another loop. I threw down my water cup, and I started crying! Just around the corner though was my family!! They were so happy to see me and Dana couldn’t wait to tell me that if I kept up that same pace I was sure to finish. My brother-in-law Tim had been calling her from Lubbock with updates from the website that showed my time splits.

On that second lap, two things happened: I only walked two 15 minute stretches (instead of a full hour) and I realized that if I tried to run longer than 45 seconds, all the muscles in my legs would seize and cramp. The new plan was to run 45 seconds and walk 1:15. I kept that pace up for almost the whole third lap.

After being so emotional, and then seeing my family one last time, with a new plan in place, the third lap seemed to fly by! I also had something new to enjoy – the Woodlands in darkness! There were some pretty cool sections through the forested park area, and to light the way, the race committee placed glow sticks along the path. It was actually pretty cool to look at!

By that point in the race, the field had thinned so much that there were very few of us still out there. With each athlete there seemed to be a bond of friendship and suffering.

I particularly enjoyed talking to an older Athlete from Mexico. As we parted I called out, “Viva la Mexico” and he raised his arms.

As I got closer to the end, and my legs finally had about all they could take, I started to notice that I wasn’t the only one stumbling and bumbling my way to the finish line. There were athletes all bandadged up, all bent over in various zombie leans, everyone trying just to keep moving forward. It was pretty amazing.

Then I was three miles out; two miles out, and finally,  a mile out.

I was toast, but I knew I would finish!

Volunteers started to suggest we athletes hurry. …as if we didn’t have an exact plan of attack in place! …and as if we could push any harder!

Out of nowhere, as I entered the final stretch, Caleb appeared. He wanted me running with him, and kept telling me to hurry! I told him I can run a little, but that I wasn’t worried. I had plenty of time!

As it turned out, the internet didn’t update my last couple of splits, so everyone was very worried I had collapsed or something.

Caleb loved running alongside me, ever mindful to stay off the course, but close enough to be encouraging. He gave me a final wave and sprinted off to tell everyone else I was coming around the corner.

When I turned the second to last corner, they had taken away the sign for 2nd and 3rd laps – praise God – one more turn and the finish line was ahead.

I turned that corner running. I no longer felt tired. The crowd was screaming…

I hit the finishing mats and Mike Reily (the voice of Ironman) stopped me. He spoke into the mic – “Charles, are you ready for this?” With his arm around me, he pointed into the crowd as together they yelled in unison, “Charles Whitmire, you are an IRONMAN!!” …and I raised my arms to the crowd, which Mike seemed to love, then I headed under the finishing gate.

I saw my buddy James Thomas one more time, an he snapped a pic as they put the medal around my neck and gave me my finishers shirt and cap.

The kids and Dana came up and found me. They were elated, and exhausted. They had my bike and gear, so we could head to the car …one little pit stop to dry heave a while – but nothing came up

• To all of you who prayed… Thanks! I felt God’s presence all day.
• To all my facebook encouragers and well-wishers… Thanks! You rock!
• To my family… Thanks for supporting me, thanks for giving me time to train, thanks for your sacrifices and your love – you truly made all the difference!
• To Ironman… I’ll see you again in a couple years!

Next is my tattoo – pics coming soon 

Random stuff I’m diggin’ lately

Athlete’s Honey Milk – we were introduced to this recovery drink at the Zilker Tree 5k, and wow – recovery has never tasted so good! It’s also been on sale at HEB this month so our fridge is packed with the stuff!

Mumford and Sons – I guess I bought their album, Sigh No More, after the Emmy’s. They have surprisingly religious overtones all throughout their lyrics. …sort of Irish folk meets country/rock. Very addictive!

Michael Connelly – I started reading The Lincoln Lawyer – which was really good. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but Dana and I have plans to go soon. I’m now reading The Fifth Witness and its great too.

5 Hour energy GRAPE – I know I posted about this stuff before, but I actually can tolerate the grape flavor. I have always loved grape for some reason. …who else remembers GrapeApe?

Wellness abd Better Health Chiropractic – John Tuggle aka TheTriDoc is a good friend, and when I  injured my back recently, I turned to him to keep me training for the IronMan. Great, godly Doctor. If you need a good chiropractor, go see him!

A sensitive subject.

If you blush easily, and you are not an athlete – you might seriously want to consider not reading any further …you’ve been warned.

I’m new to running.

I’ve been a cyclist for a long time. Before that I played tennis (like 5 hours a day tennis). I also play an occasional mean game of golf, and I’m pretty handy on the racquetball court.

I say all that to say, I’m not new to sports or injuries or “playing through pain.”

Like I mentioned though – I am now a “runner” and I am training for an Ironman – and I have these insanely long friday runs. …tomorrow I want to do 14-15 miles.

Here’s my issue.

Twice now (on both my long runs) my nipples chafe to the point of bleeding.

I don’t know if I am just super sensitive, or if I am somehow running wrong – but it freakin’ hurts! Last week, I took off my shirt for a while – but that’s not really something anyone wants to see. I finally resorted to running holding my shirt out so my nipples wouldn’t touch. Yeah, I am pretty sure if anyone saw me they thought I was trying to find out what a cross-dressing runner might experience.

But it freakin’ hurts! …the first time, I wore a white shirt – that I actually bled through!!

But this is too sensitive a subject to bring up to my running friends – most of which are females by the way. Or at least, I am finding it difficult to bring up in polite conversation – “hey you run right? So do your nipples ever hurt so bad they bleed?”

So, what’s a boy to do?

Tomorrow I am wearing my tri top. Its pretty tight, so I am hoping it will resist chaffing. I’ll look goofier than usual, but hey – I gotta try something!

My extremely helpful wife has suggested I try a sports bra. Thanks honey.

So…

Any suggestions?

Bandaids would sweat off, right? Duck Tape?

Clint Dempsey is The Man!

 

 

 

In the midst of all the hype surrounding March Madness – Clint Dempsey shows us that there are more important things to really care about!

This weekend he became the first American to score 10 goals during a Premier League season!

Here’s ESPN’s Bio page for Dempsey

The Specialized McLaren Venge

I’ve never been much of a fan of Specialized bikes, but wow – that is one heck of a sexy bike! It’s gonna be fun to see Cavendish cross the line on that thing… The car ain’t bad either

Runs are getting longer…

Part of my IronMan training that I never really thought much about involves the “training for a marathon” part…

Its no great secret that I’ve never been a “runner.” In fact, I still find it a bit odd that I actually (sort of) enjoy running now. I have to admit that there is definitely a runners high. …even when you go as slow as I do!

One of the new challenges I face, however, is finding new places to run.

Last week I had an 8 mile run scheduled on my plan and I thought I’d chosen an 8 mile loop, when in reality I’d only chosen a 5 mile loop! I had to “discover” an additional 3 miles …which was a bit of a stretch when 5 miles had me close to my couch. My Garmin makes those adjustments pretty easy, but still adding a 5k to the end of what I thought was the end was a little rough.

Tonight I found a website I think I’m going to like though! It’s called run.com and it lists rides and distances by location. Here’s a screenshot…

That’s my run tomorrow by the way…

Wish me luck.

That’s what Ashley did tonight too. I told everyone that I was running 9 miles, and sitting right next to me on the couch, she looked over and said, “Good luck with that.”