Halle-fucking-lujah, kid

Recovery

sunday was one of the best days of my life. i finished the houston marathon in 3 hours, 15 minutes, 19 seconds -- a whole FIVE AND A HALF minutes faster than my previous best.

i'm recovering now, planning to post a full race report on the run factory within the next few days.

here is the song that was stuck in my head for at least 22 of those 26 miles (during the last 4 my brain wasn't working well enough to understand music):

Pardon the interruption

i'm going to do something i haven't done in almost two years: take a few days off from sharing my thoughts.

why?

because i'm super focused right now on running a personal best at the houston marathon this weekend. i'm going to be traveling, the technology loop (as mentioned previous) tends to drag my focus in times like these, and i want to really kick some fucking ass down there.

i'll be back.

while i'm gone, do yourself a favor by going outside and exploring.

HOLLA!!!

In awe of ueli

to say i have a soft spot for ordinary people doing extraordinary things is quite the understatement. so it's no surprise that ueli steck, multi-record-holding speed alpinist, gets me excited about living.

here. see for yourself.

Star wars yoga

for so long, yoga seemed just... so... intangible to me.

but NOW...

now, i get it. totally get it.

Holy shitballz think of the savings, batman!

on december 30, i will have been a non-smoker for TWO YEARS!!!

i remember that when i quit smoking (cold turkey) i thought i was literally going to die -- that there was no way i could make it, that i was setting myself up for failure.

it was like the 10th time of actually trying.

but, unlike all the other futile attempts, psychologically, i was ready. i was tired and embarrassed of who i had become: out of shape, overweight, sloggy, cranky, pissed off at the world, etc.

little did i know that quitting smoking would turn me into a new, improved, super version of my former self. and the extra $250 saved each month is a nice bonus!!!


(image via smbc)

If i'm not alone, then YOU'RE not alone

every once in a while i'll stumble across something on the internet that really catches my fancy.

recently, through a friend of a friend of a friend on facebook, i tripped over this blog post from someone i've never met or heard of before and a couple hours later i felt like i was reading the pages of my very own running doppelganger.

i realized that i'm not alone in my running addiction and that in this bigass world, one can only be as alone as he allows himself to be.

and that's fucking cool, man.

Endorphin ecstasy

i completed my first 50K trail race on saturday. it was fucking badass.

i don't know how else to explain it.

in fact, it's hard for me to describe a 5 hour endorphin trip that includes listlessly romping through the forest on a 55 degree morning with plenty of sun. the whole time i kept saying to myself, "this is the life, this is the life, this is the life"...

and everyone i came upon seemed to agree.

what shocks me is that most people don't enjoy running. i know it's not for everybody, but i do feel like adults could use a little play in their lives. for a good part of the race i was clicking my heels and doing twisted leaps down the rocky trails, the smile on my face stretching from one end to the other.

i can't wait to do more. i even signed up for my next challenge: a 50 miler.

BOOM!

Get ready for the cold by saying "FUCK YOU, COLD"

it's pretty dark when i lace up for my morning runs now. not only that, but that crisp, cool left jab of a chill is in the air too. that can only mean one thing: winter time is a comin'.

here in chicago, we have two seasons: hot as fuck and cold as fuck. our transitional period is usually filled with rain, wind and whatever else people don't like. but there's one thing to remember for those of us who live here: WE FUCKING KNOW IT'S COMING.

now, one can either get pissed off at that, or one can just embrace it and get off on being tough in the face of whatever mother nature throws at us. it took me about 4 years of moping and complaining and using the harsh winters as an excuse for being miserable before i realized that I AM THE MASTER OF ME.

all it takes is the right attitude, and we humans can pretty much psyche ourselves through anything. and that's exactly what i do.

i spit in the face of chicago's worst weather. FUCK YOU, COLD. FUCK YOU, RAIN. FUCK YOU, 40 MPH WIND.

you can't get to me, 'cuz i won't fucking let you.

Switchin' it up and slowin' down

i run a lot. it's my thang. that is no secret.

but when i run i'm usually in my head. yes, the surrounding environment is there, but my mind isn't focused on it.

the other day i decided to rest my legs and do something different: i went on a walk.

i walked up and down the streets in my neighborhood -- a chi town neighborhood i've lived in for nearly 5 years now -- and for the first time, i SAW my neighborhood.

that may sound weird, but i encourage you to try it. slow down. look at everything. pay attention to the little things. ask questions. be curious.

when i got home -- TWO HOURS LATER!!! -- i was giddy from all of the cool shit i learned lurked just beyond my door.

Jesus and health care

but... wait... if jeebus is actually the son of god, and god created everything, couldn't god also stop the money-hungry suited thieves from raping me every month for so called "health care"? 'cuz when i do get sick or need work done, i still have to take out a fucking loan just to pay my end. why? because of the money-hungry suited thieves above the money-hungry suited thieves, etc.

why doesn't god/jeebus/holy ghost do somethin' about these injustices?

wait, nevermind. logic just reared its reasonable head.

Victory, sweet victory

my top 4% finish at the chicago marathon sunday was as exhilarating as it was mind-blowing. running at the front of a pack of 45,000 people was something i had never done before and being treated to the neverending cheers from 1.7 million spectators gave me the energy to fly without much perceived effort... until about the 23 mile mark, where i conveniently asked myself: "whose legs are these?!?!"

nevertheless, i kept pushing. hard. then harder. then HARDER. until i crossed the line with a dizzy disposition.

it was a little too warm for my liking, so my time wasn't as good as i thought my legs were capable, but finishing at 3 hours 20 minutes and 49 seconds was good enough for a top 4% finish and a to-date personal best time at the distance.

next up: two 50K trail races (one in texas and one in indiana in november and december respectively), then on to houston in january for another sub 3:15 marathon attempt.

as one of my best buddies would say: HOT MUTHAFUCKIN DOG!!!

Thinking in the nearer future

a recent goal of mine has been to cash in on my innate need for sleep. for the last year or so, i've actually been thinking about sleep, not just doing it when i have to, but really, seriously thinking about it. and, reasonably speaking, i try to get as much of it as possible.

i know that it is my body's primary response to the vigorous training i've been putting it through (the running, the boxing), but a fine byproduct of always being well rested is a sort of calm about the future that i've never really had before. i feel less stressed out. i feel more grounded in reality.

this is not to say i don't have the usual anxieties anymore (i do) but it is to say that with the extra rest comes what seems like an extra dose of chill-out-edness.

and that's fucking cool, man.

(image via skull swap)

the body and adaptation of the mind in the absence of sex

the human body is a remarkable thing.

we have become the alpha species on earth because of our extreme adaptability. starting as a single celled organism 2.1 trillion years ago, which eventually became what we understand to be bipedal apes 3 million years ago, it only took 2 and half million years before the first homo erectus started gettin' jiggy.

and you know what else?

it took my body four days to even realize i hadn't masturbated... in four days!

the mind distracted itself while my body went into shock.

i think.

Box a motherfucker

in looking for a more enjoyable cross training activity to supplement my running than swimming and biking i stumbled upon a groupon for a 2 month membership to a boxing club in my neighborhood.

i have always been curious about boxing, wondering if i could handle something that rigorous, if i could keep up.

well, shit, i can run marathons now so i'm sure i'm fit enough to try.

so i did.

and let me tell ya... it fucking rocks.

i think it's better conditioning than running actually. it builds more endurance, more antidotes for pain. it's more miserable, it smells bloody awful and there's a motherfucker yelling in your face a lot. but at the end of the workout, you wanna hug your trainer for making you feel so bad. it's really quite unexplainable.

and just like with runners, i feel like the boxing community is a more amicable lot than most other clicks. everyone is so nice and so caring and so interested in one another's lives. it makes sense cuz you're doing things that are so awful that you reach out to your peers for support.

the other night before class, i went and watched my trainer spar with a guy who whooped his fucking ass. i mean, my trainer had a cut eye AND a cut lip, blood dripping down his face and he just kept going. never lost his poise. and this was practice. then, after he was done, he taught class for an hour like nothing was wrong.

it hurts so good.

i recommend it for ANYONE. fit or not. if you are fit you ain't seen nothin' yet til you try this and if you aren't fit, you stick with some boxing classes and your ass will get fit quick.

or die.

haha. just kidding you won't die.

probably.

Horrible, terrible, awful things...

this is something i've been thinking about a lot lately. is LOVE worth it?

logically speaking, my experience over the last 32 years tells me no. no, it's not worth it. the pain and suffering will always come eventually... i've never not had that happen. every great relationship i've had (i can count on one hand, maybe only need 2, 3 fingers?) ended. and it didn't take long, relatively speaking.

and, of course, each time i was extremely hurt.

that hurt... that pain... it's something one never truly gets over. yes, the level of pain will get diluted over time, but it will still always be there, no matter how hard one tries to hide it.

and i really don't believe marriage is necessary... nor can i honestly say that monogamy is a reality i can live in. i mean, i don't know... i just don't know.

i'm not trying to be some sad, wallowing sap whining about not being in love. no. fuck that. i'm just thinking that "love"... that "need" to be with another person, i'm thinking that it might not be as universal as one would think.

maybe some of us are better off alone.

i said maybe, dammit.

This is what i'm doing right now

from 7 a.m., til i cross that line shortly after 10 a.m. (i hope)

more to come...

Going all in

this weekend is gonna be pretty special for me. not only am i takin' a few days off from the daily grind, but i'm also gonna head down to st. louis, spend some quality time with family and then top it all off by running the st. louis marathon on sunday the 10th.

i've spent the last 18 weeks training diligently, through snow, sleet, ice, hail, bitter cold and fatigue. i've endured shin splints, piriformis syndrome and a wickedly unforgiving thunderstorm boasting 35 mph winds during a 20 mile training run that was intent on making me an i-give-up-pussy.

i NEVER gave up. i ALWAYS gave my best. and in doing so, i've gotten exponentially faster. i'm as fit as i've ever been in my entire life and by golly, from all that core work i actually have a six pack now! (just icing on the cake)

but on sunday morning at 7 a.m., all of that preparation will be behind me. it will be stored... locked and loaded, held deep within me, to propel me forward at 7 minutes a mile for 26.2 miles.

i hope.

and even if i don't reach that lofty time goal (st. louis is quite a hilly course), i will still have plenty to be happy about. i mean, my pops will be there and i'll be traipsing through one of my favorite cities on earth.

but there's no negativity in my game right now.

i'm gonna run the shit outta that race.

What the fuck, fellow humans?

ripped from the clearly dope site, i saw this and again, seriously had to question the sanity of my fellow man.

don't get me wrong, i'm a pizza-lovin' dude. in fact, though i maintain an extremely healthy diet, i do allow myself to pig out on pizza every now and then. like benji franklin said, "everything is good in moderation". right?

well, i'm sorry, but pizza and cookies... in the SAME FUCKING FROZEN BOX!?!?!?

nuh uh. that shit don't count. just 'cuz you can think it doesn't make it okay.

otherwise id' be doin' my darndest to get a three way with sarah palin and elizabeth hasselbeck.

Melatonin side effects

for the last month, i've been tryin' to cut back on my old sleeping aids (steve green, wine, benadryl) in favor of something more healthy; so, naturally, melatonin answered the bell again.

after some extended, exclusive use of melatonin, i am experiencing the following side effects:

1. an extended tolerance for religious delusionoids

(i recently spent an entire weekend surrounded by them and didn't open my mouth in defiance ONCE. i was being a polite guest, of course, but still)

2. an enlightened, invigorated spark first thing in the morning

(sleeping so well for so long has taken my morning-person persona and kicked it up a notch. this is a good thing)

3. an abundance of vivid, detailed, EXTREMELY realistic dreams revolving around my ex-girlfriend

(the other day i woke up in the middle of the night clutching a pillow i believed to be her; when i realized it wasn't her i picked up my phone and almost called her to ask "where are you?"... i can't believe how real it was. so, so real)

4. an increase in mid-day erections

(this speaks for itself i believe)

5. an overall increase in perceived health

so, yeah, if i were a doctor i'd recommend it to all my patients. though, a good mix of steve green every once in a while wouldn't hurt either.

;-)