Memorial Day

How do you view Memorial Day? Do you think of this day as another day off of work? Is this just another day to you? Being a veteran myself, I see a lot of people thanking veterans on this day. I truly appreciate your thanks, even though I feel like I didn't do anything other than serve my country. We celebrate Veterans Day for that. No, this day is for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

During my five years in the Air Force, I lost two very close friends. During Desert Shield/Storm, my friend, Dom Ghiloni was exposed to radioactive material. This was said to have caused a tumor in his brain, to which ended his life prematurely. I first met Dom while we were stationed in Balikesir, Turkey. I had just returned from Germany, after having knee surgery. Dom came to me and asked if I was the one from Ohio. Of course, I was. Columbus, Ohio is my hometown. Dom was from Newark, Ohio, and a huge Buckeye fan. Needless to say, we became instant best friends. We traveled around Turkey together, watched the Reds sweep the As in the 1990 World Series, watched Buckeye football games, all in the early A. M. hours due to the time difference. We were inseparable. Then came the time for me to transfer back to the States. Dom went on to Italy after that. I lost contact with him but, later made contact with his family in 1998. The voice on the other end of the phone said Dom had passed away. I was floored. I cried for a while. I lost one of my best friends ever.

In 1991, I was stationed at Hill AFB in Utah. I was a member of the Peacekeeper Challenge team. This is a team of Security Police who compete against other bases in firearms, fitness and combat readiness. Brett Kinton was one of my teammates. He was also a great friend. We worked many posts together. At the young age of 18, he was pretty mature. Not to mention a hell of a pistol shooter. We competed at Edwards AFB in California that year. We represented well. Brett had told me how he lost both his parents earlier in his life. His family had been through a lot already. I remember coming back to the base and talking to the officer at the Southwest Gate. She asked me if I had heard about Brett. Then she said I needed to get to the dorm because he had passed away. When I arrived at our dorm, I saw an ambulance and several of our patrol cars there. Brett was found, by his roommate, dead in his bed. He had passed away in his sleep.

My Father-in-Law was a retired Security Policeman as well. He served in Viet Nam and received the Bronze Star for saving lives during an attack on his base. I always looked up to him and, it wasn't until his passing that I learned about his heroism. Great man. I miss him very much.

All of these Airmen were dedicated to their country. They served proudly. To me, this is what Memorial Day is about.

Tupelo Marathon

After just finishing the hardest marathon I have ever run, I am already planning out my training schedule for my next marathon. With that being said, I am now 14 weeks out from the Tupelo Marathon in Tupelo, Mississippi. We have several of the Muckas Running Club who are planning on running either the full or the 14.2 miler. Looking forward to this race as it will give me my 9th marathon, and my 5th state.

This race has a 5am start time, which is great becuase this race is scheduled for September 4th. WE're down South and it is hot around these parts. The 5am start helps beat some of the heat, not to mention we have time to go back to the hotel and rest a bit before having to check out. Usually we are scrambling to beat the check out time so we aren't charged an extra day. Crazy stuff. You'd think the hotels would work with the runners as it brings business to their area. Oh well, that's how they make their money. :)

Hoping my ankle will not be an issue soon. After twisting it in the Jonesboro race, it is still sore and a little swollen. No matter, we will push on and complete another race. Not going to let this hold me back. :) Well, happy running everyone and stay safe.

Jonesboro Marathon

What can I say.....This course owned me. Very tough course. So many hills, I had to check the elevation chart to make sure there were some flat spots in the course. And even with that, I'm calling BS on the flat spots. :) Met up with several Muckas at the start line. I was running the full. Kevin, Holly, Brandon and Jody were running the Co-ed relay as Team Mucka. Barrett was running with another team, who initially signed up for the all male division. They had an injured runner and swapped him out for a female runner. And she was fast!!! Barrett's team took first place in the Co-ed division, followed by Team Mucka, who were only a minute or two behind them. Not bad having Muckas on the top two teams. :) And we had Sherry and Mark running the 5K. Sherry took 3rd overall female, and Mark took 5th overall male. Two more Muckas representing.

I felt strong through the first 10-miles. I started off with Barrett but knew I couldn't keep a sub 8 minute pace for too long. I told him he needed to quit letting me hold him back and that was all he needed to hear because he was gone. I hit the huge hill around the 9.5 mile mark and charged through it as best I could. Hit the water station (I asked for beer but they said no) at mile 10. About 100 yards past the water stop, I had a close encounter with an oncoming car. He wouldn't get over and forced me to the edge of the road. There was no shoulder either. I caught the edge and twisted my ankle. Now, like I said, I just passed the 10-mile mark. I had another 16-miles to go, and many more hills. This was not good. I had to utilize the run/walk method. I was still going at a decent pace. Then I started feeling a popping at the back of my ankle. Things slowed down rather quickly.

Going through Craighead Forrest was nice due to all the shade I had from the trees. Tough hills in there as well. Continued with the run/walk method while the temps continued to heat up. The humidity was zapping me pretty good. After coming out of the park, the shade disappeared. Pushed on through. At mile 20, I had some help waiting for me. Barrett was waiting there for me. He had already finished his leg of the relay and came to help push me through the last of the race. Not far past that, I had more help waiting for me. Holly and Kevin were there, ready to run along side of me. I had three Muckas coming to my aide. Now that's teamwork. :)

At this point, my ankle was killing me. I did more walking than running through the last 6-miles. As we were coming back into downtown Jonesboro, I could tell something wasn't right. I looked down at my hands and they were extremely swollen. Dehydration was taking over, and I was out of salt tabs. Kevin ran ahead and found some salt and brought it back to me. That really helped out. Once we got back to the ASU campus, the rest of the Muckas were waiting at the top of the last hill (Not at the bottom mind you! LOL!) and ran with me to the finish line. If it weren't for my fellow Muckas, this may have turned out a lot worse. Then, as I came into the finish line area, I saw my AWESOME PIT CREW, Deb and Amy. Talk about coming in to a beautiful sight. :)


Like I said, this was not my best showing. In fact, this was my worst marathon time, 4:32:39. It is also a completed marathon and goes in the books as that. I have now completed eight marathons, en route to my goal of completing 50. Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me. You all are great.

Lae Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics

This was a great run for a great cause. We had Federal, State, County and City police working together to complete this run. We all set out from the State Trooper station in Forrest City, and headed towards Wynne. We were concerned about the potential for rain today, as the storm fron that hit Oklahoma was making its way towards us. We had just over 20 runners, three squad cars, one 15-passenger van and two pickup trucks to help carry out this mission. Everyone hung tough for the first couple miles. Some hung on longer than we all thought they would. Not sure if it was pride, stubborness, or just plain determination that got them through it but, these guys really pushed their limits today. There were many familiar faces running with us again this year. There were also some new faces out there. This is awesome. These guys are really grasping the wholel idea of fitness and its benefits in our line of work. Not to mention they were there to help the cause.

Normally my running partner for this event is Barrett Burns. However, Barrett was in training today and could not attend. He did come wish us well before we left the institution. Last year, three of us ran the entire way from Forrest City to Wynne. Barrett, Holly Cook and myself. I wasn't planning on running the entire way since I have the Jonesboro Marathon in three days. But, I was convinced to go ahead and do it. We were running a very easy pace. Three of us made it the whole way again. This time, it was Holly, myself and Kevin Baxter. Kevin has come so far in the last year. This guy has shed over 50 pounds and is running half marathons like they are nothing now. Overall, we had many of our runners in double digit mileage for the day. A lot of pride and accomplishment was felt today.

Well, we dodged the storms for the most part. However, the little dustin gof rain we did get, only increased the already high humidity out there. Luckily, the high winds that were pounding us, were doing so at our backs. That was a great feeling. Once we hit Wynne, all runners were in formation, singing cadences, and taking in all the cheers and honking horns as we came into town. Then we turned the corner and the Special Olympians were cheering and clapping for us as we came in. Always a great feeling. WE posed for a few pictures with them and had to load up and meet the runners coming in from Marion, AR. Drove out to Earle, AR and joined them. From that point we still had roughly 20-miles to cover to finish the run. WE decided to break it down in to 1-mile increments for each runner. This worked well except for when it came my turn to get my mile in. Just happened to fall on the largest hill of the run. Powered through it, jumped in the back of the truck, went another mile and then joined everyone in the file run into Mazzios for our lunch. 16.02 miles overall. Even with that, I wasn't the most mileage this year. Usually Barrett and I share that. Holly took the crown this year. 18.5 miles. Great job to everyone. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Sunday Run

This was supposed to be my last long run before the race on Saturday. Only calling for an 8-mile run. However, storms have rolled into the Mid South again. Thus, preventing me from running outside at the moment. I know, a little rain never hurt anyone but, when there is lightning involved, I draw the line.

The extended forecast is calling for a high of 79 on race day. Lows being in the low 60s. Hoping it stays true to that, maybe even drop several more degrees during the race. Everyone's biggest concern is the heat and humidity that come along with living here in Arkansas. So, going to spend most of the week ensuring I'm well hydrated. :)

Got our group run in at Village Creek State Park on Saturday. We had 7 runners show up. Again, storms had rolled through the night before so, I think that scared a few of them off. Well, we fought long and hard with the bull gnats out there. They were ridiculous. Like Jody had said, we were lucky we weren't carried away by them. Still, got in a great 4-miler with Deb. She ran a sub 9-minute pace for the 4-miles. Her first at sub 9. She's getting faster and faster.

Well, have a great week everyone. We have the Law Enforcement Torch Run this Weds. I don't think I'm going to run the whole thing this time. Especially with it only being 3-days out from the race. Should have a good showing from SORT and DCT though. Always a good time.

More Weather

Wow! We go from heat to storms to cold again. But, if this cooler weather hangs around until the 28th, I will be very happy. I love running in the cooler weather. Maybe not so much the below freezing weather, as I really haven't figured out how to dress appropriately for it. The cooler weather is so much easier to run in. Maybe I'll convince Deb to let us move up North when we get closer to retirement so we don't have to deal with the heat of the South. :)

I just ran my last big long run yesterday. I ran 20-miles and now have entered the much coveted taper zone. I love this portion of my training because it means I am really close to completing my goal of completing another marathon. It wasnt that long ago that running 1 - 2 miles was not a thought to me. Completing these runs without walking seemed so far away. Now, after one ultra marathon, 6 marathons, and several halves, 10k's and 5k's, I love being able to run the distances I do. Being looked at as a mentor in this area, and helping raise money to find cures for cancer and heart disease.

I'm not the fastest guy out there but, give me a challenge and we'll give you a run for your money. See, you thought this was just about the weather. :) Happy running everyone. Stay safe.

Today's Run

My goal for today was to run 7-10 miles. Knowing I have a 20-Miley scheduled for Sunday, I had even contimplated not running at all today. However, this being the three month anniversary of my Mom passing away, I needed to do something. I know, some folks say, "Let it go." Unfortunately, I can't let it go. I've dealt with a lot of tough situations in my life but, I'm having a hard time letting her go.

My Mom passed away at 12:05 am on Feb 13th. I was driving back to my Sister-in-Law's house when I got the call. We knew Mom didn't have long as she was in a hospice during that time. Still, you're never prepared for that call. I got off my butt and went for a 12.05 mile run, in memory of my Mom. During this run, I thought of different things with my Mom. I remembered the good times and some bad. Mom has always been there for me. She always did what she thought was best, and whatever she could do.

Mom, we love and miss you greatly.