Bad Weather

Well folks, we have been getting pounded by bad weather lately. Last night's storms swept across Arkansas and just hammered the entire state. One town was said to be completely wiped out. The storm that hit Wynne had winds up to 80 mph. As I came to work today, I saw many trees down. Fortunately, I did not see any damage to homes. Of course, I didn't go through the entire town. Still have to check out our home as well.

With that being said, runs outside get more and more interesting. Currently getting ready to knock out a run with Kevin B. The temps are at 74 degrees with 80% humidity. And, as I look out my window, the skies are looking threatening again. Well, the weather man did say we are expecting another round of storms tonight. Hoping they are not as bad as last night.

One thing I can say about the wind and humidity, this is definitely getting me ready for the Jonesboro Marathon on May 28. I just need to add some more hills to this training. Fortunately, I have a good buddy, Barrett, who is going to help pace me through the hills once he finishes his portion of the relay. He's the first leg so, he should be rested and waiting by the time I get there. LOL!

Well, time to start getting my mind into this run. Hope everyone stays safe out there. Watch out for the one's behind the wheels of their vehicles. You know they're not watching out for you.

Trying to make a difference

I've always wondered how I could help make a difference. I run so many miles, race in different races, and try to encourage others to join in on this fitness craze. Still, never felt that was enough. When Mom was battling heart disease, I decided to run the Little Rock marathon and chose to raise money for the American Heart Association. I set a goal of $500. Since this was my first attempt at fund raising, I didn't want to set my goal to high as I was afraid it wasn't attainable. Fortunately, I have some awesome family members and friends who donated and pushed me over my goal by $100. Now that rocks!!

Well, thanks to a good friend of mine, Tony Brake, I have found another way to help fight this dreaded disease. I am now signed up to help fight cancer. My Father-in-Law, Raymond Albrecht, passed away in June of 2006 after fighting cancer. He fought the good hard fight. Unfortunately, he lost the battle. Many of my friends have lost loved ones to cancer. Or, they currently have loved ones fighting the good hard fight.

Many of those fighting this fight would much rather be out running, as we do, than having to deal with this. So, for them, let's help find a cure for this and make the world cancer free. Please help me in this fight.

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=442415&supId=316712605&extSiteType=1

5000 Baby

SWEET!!! I have been recording my mileage since January 2007. I ran many miles prior to this but never really tracked it. This gives me a sense of accomplishment to actually see how far I've gone. With today's 6-miler, I am now 3 miles closer to 10,000 miles. My goal is to get there faster than I did getting to 5000. It took me four years and three months to hit the first 5000. That is just under 1250 a year. I'm going to smash that over the next four years. I'm trying to average at least 1500 miles, or more, a year. Ok 10,000, you're mine!! Let's get it on. :)

Words and stuff

This is some crazy weather right now. The wind doesn't seem to stop, and the storms keep coming through. Unfortunately, some of the local folks have had some tragic experiences. The winds picked up a double wide trailer and turned it over, killing the woman inside, and sending her husband to the hospital. Others are dealing with property damage and loss of power. Our Low component, at work, suffered some damage during last night's storm. We have been fortunate to have avoided damage so far.

One nice thing about the solitude of running is it allows you to work of the stress of daily life. In my line of work, you deal with society's undesireables. You see what they have done while in what we call the outside world. When you read some of their history, you wonder how someone could be so cruel. How someone could bring themselves to commit such a crime against their fellow man. And wonder how these criminals could think they have done nothing wrong. Almost 22 years in this business and nothing seems to amaze me anymore. But, like they told us when I first walked through the grill in Lompoc, CA.....you have to leave that stuff at work. Never take your work home to your family. So, how do you take the daily work issues and shut them off before you get home to your family? I'm one of the lucky ones I guess. I have a very supporting wife who allows me to vent to her on a daily basis. She listens to my rants, offers open opinions, or just rubs my head and tells me it will all be ok. I have an awesome wife. :)

Another way I deal with my daily stress and frustrations is to go for a run. I remember one particular run, in Texas, where I just had a really bad day. I just finished an 8-mile run and thought to myself, "Still not over it!", and turned around and ran another 4-miles. Upon finishing that run, I was tired but relaxed. The frustration was gone and I had a smile on my face again.

When I first started getting into running, I had a running partner named Matt. We worked at the prison in El Reno, OK. We would run after work and vent about the days events. By the end of the run, the frustration was gone.

I guess what I'm trying to say is running is a great stress reliever. It also helps when you have a good running partner, or an awesome spouse. I have been fortunate to have all the above. Not to mention, my awesome spouse is also my running partner now. :)

Heating Up

Wow is it ever getting warm and humid. Not to mention there are no signs of the wind letting up anytime soon. It's been at a consistent 16 mph lately. Makes an outdoor run seem so much harder. But, with our upcoming race in Jonesboro, you have to be prepared for this type of weather. The thermometer hit at least 84 today. Humidity was up as well with the incoming storms. Yes, we are under another tornado watch until 2am.

After speaking with Kevin, who was considering making this his first full marathon, he came to the conclusion that he was going to put a relay team together for this race. Which is nice because it will bring more Muckas into the race. This race only has a full, relay and 5K. A lot of our running group are used to running the half. So, the relay allows for more Muckas.

My training for this race is going well so far. My legs are tired but, not tired like they were when going through my multiple race series at the end of last year. I am hitting between 30 and 40 miles a week. And this week I will surpass 5000 miles since Jan 1, 2007. Really excited about that.

Well, happy running everyone. Stay hydrated and injury free. :)

Boston

Just wanted to say congratulations to my Dailymile buddies Peter and Tony for kicking butt in Boston today! Awesome job to both of them. There mere fact they were able to qualify for such a race is a great accomplishment alone. Tony had to do it bald though. He crushed his fund raising goal of $5000 for cancer research. In turn, he had promised to shave his head. Then, to top it off, he had suffered a fractured tibia during his training for Boston and was advised not to run the race at all. Bowever, Tony's committment to his cause pushed him to change his training strategy and still attack this race. Some may think he was crazy for that but, I think that shows his passion and drive. We need more Tony's in the world. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Tony.

Next Rant

If you praise your abilities, and not the color of your skin, for your accomplishments, do the same for your failures.

Just something short and to the point.