Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

For those of you not familiar with Texan, that's woohooo in Texan. Why? Because today was my last major run before the 10k next Saturday. Today's run just happened to be a 10k - 6.2 miles. But is was more than just testing the body, the knees, the lungs, and the mind. It was the time I ran it in - 54:33:16. That translates into a 9:05:52 mile! Way better than I expected. Now that's worth getting excited about - at least it is for me. You see, my goal next week is under 1 hour. This proved I could do it without really pushing it. And I didn't really push it today. I just wanted to see what I could do and if it was really possible for me run a 10k under 1 hour without sprinting and blowing my lungs out - and I can. Here's the break down in case your interested - sorry, what was I thinking, of course you are! Mile 1 - 9:14:57 - warm up, didn't want to push it too hard, just get warmed up Mile 2 - 9:28:52 - middle was up and over an overpass - over I-65

I'm back. All in all it was a good run. 5 miles - whew!! Today's training run included fartleks - sprints mixed with slower pace runs - on miles 2 & 4 with miles 1, 3, & 5 as warm up, easy pace, and warm down miles. Finished the entire 5 miles 47:28. I am very pleased with the time. Saturday's run will be an "easy" - whatever easy is for me - 6 miles. Then next week is about easy runs, hydrating, and getting ready for the big run. Don't forget - if you would like to help me raise money for Home of Grace let me know. Run On, Mike

Today it's 58 stinkin degrees. But if that's not bad enough, it's raining today - drizzly, really. I like cold and I don't mind rain, but I don't like them together, especially since the day of the big run is just a week away. So. . .I had some breakfast, some coffee, and a great time with God. Now it's not raining, though it's still cold. So, I'm off to get in some miles. Today - 5 miler. Will mix in some fartleks to get the legs and lungs pumping. The rest of the run will be easy - not easy as in no problem, but easy as in pace. Gotta go before it begins to rain again. Later 'Gator, Mike

Holy Stinkin Cow! I hadn't realized it had been so long since I posted something in the ol' blog. Sorry guys - and gals. A lot's been going on - I'll get to that later. Right now I need your help. On Saturday, November 4, I'm running in the 19th Annual Food WOrld Senior Bowl Charity Run . To be more specific I'm running the 10k. That's 6.2 miles in 'Merican distances. I've been training and getting back into running shape. The old knees are holding up well. I've been more than pleased. Last Saturday was my first 4-miler in a very, very long time. Last night I ran what I think is one of my best 3-mile training runs in. . .well let's just say I can't remember. So the training is going well. That's not where I need your help. As much as I enjoy running it's not why I'm running the 10K. Nope! I'm running to raise money for a ministry our church supports and partners with called Home of Grace . Home of Grace i

You gotta love it. Arkansas just went to Auburn and beat them in their own backyard! Arkansas 27 - Auburn 10 Hey Auburn, can you say. . . Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie! Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie! Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie! Razorbacks!! Can you say upset? I can. I love it. Doesn't make Texas' loss to Ohio State seem so bad, does it? Maybe Texas ought to be higher than a #7 ranking. So where do the polls go from here? Any predictions?

Today was the big test - my first 3-miler in over 2 1/2 years. I had several questions running through the back of my mind (no pun intended). Could I go the entire 3 miles? How would my knee hold up? If it did hold up, how would it feel? How would I feel? It was about 67-degrees this morning when I took off. I was shooting for anything around a 10-minute mile ~ 30 minutes for the entire 3 miles. So how did I do? TIME 1st mile - 8:33 2nd mile - 9:07 3rd mile - 8:50 Total - 26:31 Average - 8:50/mile I was very surpised at my first mile time. I was like, "Holy Cow!" The second mile I could tell I was a little off. Then the third mile really surprised me. Overall, my time was way better than I had anticipated. KNEE Was feeling great until about 1.5 mark, then I began to feel a little twinge & stiffness By the 2-mile mark, not prob After run - no worries BODY Felt great Was able to pick up the pace the last half mile Afterward I felt good - did some stretching, then gra

OK - I got come flack from a friend of mine about New Dog's new name, True Dog. After thinking it over it is kind of lame. Sooooo. . .this morning I was thinking about it and watching him as I handed out the morning's treats. He just always seems so happy. Like he's WANTING to spend time you. My other dogs do too, but they're old and love to come and sit with me when I'm on the swing. New Dog is jumping around, chasing you, chasing the ball, he's playing - even if it's by himself. He just seems so happy. That's when it hit me. When I was in college I used to work for a grain and feed company. There was a dog food you could by - it had to be kept refrigerated - called Happy Jack . Eureka!! That's it - that's the new name, Happy Jack. It's just Jack, but the Happy part really describes this dog. He loves attention. He loves playing. He loves pleasing people - except for the jumping up on you part. He loves life. Wish more people

This morning was run day. So after some coffee, a yogurt, and time with God, I laced up the New Balances and hit the road. What I didn't realize when I started was the workout I would endure. Started off easy enough - just like most of my other workouts, a good pace to get warmed up. Then the thought hit me - let's push it. Why does this thought always seem to come out of nowhere? I don't have a clue. So I hit a fartlek. NO! It's not what you think so stop grinning or laughing or whatever you're doing. I came across this workout running with my friend Stacey. Stacey ran fartleks in high-school when he ran the mile and 2-mile for Alvord . Went to state in each. He then ran cross-country for what is now Texas A&M -Kingsville, Texas . If you don't know anything about Kingsville, Texas it's freakin' hot there. Anyone who runs in that heat can run anywhere. So what's a fartlek? According to Wikepedia Fartlek , which means ‘speed play’

Well. . .I haven't found a home for new dog yet. I was listening to Toby Mac's Welcome to Diversity today. One of the songs is called Truedog, The Return . The name's just stuck all day. Then while I was working in the backyard with all the dogs the name just kept coming up. Sooo. . .New Dog is now True Dog. Don't like it - adopt him and name him yourself. :) Just so you'll know who I'm talking about here's a couple of pictures of him. True Dog in the backyard True Dog Resting - finally Enjoy!!

My friend, Grant and his family, just moved from Little Rock, AR to Parker, CO to serve a church there. I read this article this morning and couldn't believe he would leave all this behind for the mountains of Colorado. C'mon Grant. What were you thinking?