Real Men Show Leg

At 2pm on a Sunday I’m finally out the door and on the road. I’m going long again. For the past several weeks that’s meant 20+ miles. My heart isn’t in it any more. I’ve told myself that it’s burnout, but I’m starting to suspect there’s more to it than that.

I’ve gotten brazen. Lazy even. I roll out on to the roads when I feel like it. I put in the time, eat, a meal and take a nap. I shrug off my wife’s praise of the effort I put in. It doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything special. Maybe it doesn’t feel that way because I haven’t given the long run its due respect.

Are you in the last weeks of marathon or half marathon training and approaching burnout? Read this post to learn where the REAL importance of a weekly long run lies, it may be just what you need to recharge late in the game. click to continue

She’s gone! The night tremors have ceased. My left hand has stopped twitching violently at random. I don’t even wet the bed any more. Oh wait, I haven’t wet the bed since I was 20. Bed-wetting aside, my trainer is gone!

Gone, but not forgotten. If you missed the series that leads up to this post, follow these links: Session 1, Session 3, Session 4. You’ll have a much better understanding of the relief I feel that there won’t be a Session 5 with that trainer. This post is still worth a read. No, I didn’t puke, pass-out, cry, get called names, punch anybody in the face, BUT I learned a lot and I want to pass that on to you. click to continue

I was a reverse psychology major in college. Which means, I think that I know how to give people issues. Either that or the piece of paper I earned in under a month online may not be 100% legitimate. Either way I’m going to try out what I’ve learned in this week’s post and tell you why you shouldn’t read this blog. click to read more

Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, USA. Deep dairyland. With its lush, rolling hills through field and forest, it is a running paradise. It is also the home[stead] of my wife’s family. Along my route this weekend I passed Thoma Rd (dad-in-law) and Franson Rd (mom-in-law). By the way my wife points at parcels of land that her family farmed, you’d be hard pressed to find soil that they haven’t tilled.

We visited last weekend to wrap up our week of camping. We stayed at “Grandma Green’s” (her real name of Irene mispronounced somewhere along the line by a grandchild) in Whitehall, a town of 1,500 people. The Kwik Trip cafe is the life of downtown. The food is good. The people are friendly. It’s storybook heartland, USA.

Of course I had to run it. Then I had to write it. Then you had to read it. You won’t want to miss the survival tips I’ve assembled near the end of the post. The life you save may just be your own… click to save your life

Have you reached a point of despair with diet and exercise? Do you do well for a period of a week or two and then falter and throw in the towel? Repeat this cycle long enough and it’s easy to lose hope. If this is you I have some good news (for a change) and no, I’m not trying to sell you anything. click to read more

At one o’clock in the morning last night I was still screeching out the high notes of Katy Perry’s “Firework” when we pulled in the driveway. I must once again apologize to my wife for that. At least we didn’t go in the ditch. My wife might have been close to jumping for it though by the end of the 1.5 hour drive back from the wedding we photographed. In the conversation that preceded karaoke magic one realization stood out: “I have to run today.”

By “today” I meant 6am. 5 hours away. click to read more

I wasted my entire morning today. I’m not one to blame others for my shortcomings, but this time it was totally not my fault. There was a free contest. There was a “prize” at stake. I spent my morning trying to win said contest and this unknown prize. Apparently to get me motivated you throw out the proverbial carrot and replace it with a question marked box. ???? Click the Mystery Link to Read More ????

I just found my favorite part of blogging. It has nothing to do with Bjorn Borg’s butt. Well, I guess it kinda does, but Bjorn’s butt is just the beginning. click to learn my new guilty pleasure

I’m a paradox. I know it. I hide it. I hate it. I know the truth and don’t follow it. When you commit yourself to making good choices toward a healthy lifestyle, it goes way beyond running. It may be farther than I’m willing to go. Time will tell. I’ve just found my new battleground.

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I think in my last post I talked about talking to myself, singing, and dancing on my runs and how I think that’s a good thing. Well, as of last Saturday a line has been crossed. I don’t feel okay about the information you’re about to read… click to read more