I finished!

I was right it was COLD!!! I ran with the outfit had had planned on wearing plus a knitted green and white hat with a Michigan State "S" on it that my lovely grandmother made for me while I was in college roughly 20 years ago. I planned on tossing it aside (sorry Grandma) when I warmed up after a few miles, I finished the race in that hat and even used it as a bag to tote post race edible goodies they give you after the finish line.

I was true to my word and finished even though it would have been very easy to walk off the course at mile 18 when every thing was going wrong: I had just let the 3:10 pace group go and was moving to a slower pace much earlier than expected if I wanted Boston then within a minute incredible pain hit my thighs. It felt as though I hadn't trained at all, I expected my legs to hurt but nothing like this and I still had 8.2 miles to go! I am still trying to figure out what happened and why it was so sudden. I am pretty sure I tried to go too fast and when I bonked the cold weather then played a major factor in accelerating the pain and tightness in my legs. Even though I was holding a great pace early I never got into a real comfort zone.

To make matters worse I missed my cheering section completely and they missed me. They were took photos of 2 of the 3 3:10 pacers and I was right with the third. They were at mile 14, if we had seen each other they could have gone 2 block over and saw me again around mile 16 where they were absolutely no fans (the only stretch of the course without fans). I could have used the encouragement the would have given me at mile 16.

In the end I did what I set out to do - Finish! And I have a big honkin' medal to prove it.

It's gonna be cold!

I have been watching the weather closely and the temperature will take a hard downward tonight, and it isn't exactly balmy now! I just went outside, it is 45 and windy but tonight it may dip down into the 20's. Yesterday they said low of 29 today I saw 31 predicted. Racetime is set for 7:30 so it will likely still be below freezing. It will be cold no doubt but I am more concerned with the wind. If there is little or no wind the temperature won't be an issue. I am just glad the rain has stopped and there is none in the forecast. Cold is one thing but cold, windy, and rainy makes for a miserable day.

I am glad I went for a short little jog this morning to remind myself what it is like running in this type of weather. It has been a long time since we've had this I forgot what it was like to run in it - it's great! For the runners anyway, for the volunteers and spectators not as much. With the cold weather I should have a great chance at qualifying for Boston.

The mass choas that is final preparation for a marathon

Well, I leave tomorrow morning for Chicago. I haven't run all week, I don't think it is the best idea for marathon prep but life got in the way and my thinking was the rest will do more good than any slow jogging now. My body is tired and really needs the rest, I had better get some good sleep the next 2 nights because I can never sleep the night before a marathon.

Also on the not a good idea list is wearing shoes for the first time in a marathon. Well, not exactly the first time but they haven't been out for a run yet. I meant to last weekend but it was wet and didn't want to get them dirty then I planned on running a few nights this week but that didn't pan out. I did wear them around the house and around work for several hours at a time to try to stretch them out a little. I have never had foot or shoe problems before so let's hope that continues. I will bring 2 other pair just in case.

shoes - check
socks - check
shorts - check
underwear - check
shirt - check
warm sweatpants and sweatshirt for start and gloves - check, check and check.
band aids- check
Vaseline - check
stamina for 26.2 miles - we'll find out!

Quote of the day: "What are you legs? Steel springs. What are they going to do? Hurl me dow the track. How fast can you run? Fast as a leopard. How fast are you going to run? fast as a leopard. Now let's see you do it!" - Gallipoli

Look out for Papa Smurf!

This is my get-up for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Look for blue on October 11th!

I called this my "blue man" outfit and while I was still contemplating wearing it for the race I wore it to one long run. I expected to hear all sorts of blue man group jokes and the first one to see me says, "Hey, papa smurf." I hadn't even thought of that, 20 years ago, probably; but this came well, out of the blue. I about fell over laughing.

I should have shaved but oh well, I probably won't before the race either so at least you know what to look for. The lighting caught the reflective strips causing me to "Shine." Sorry for the stupid grin on the bottom one, I thought it had already taken the picture.

Had a great time watching the mighty Spartans from Michigan State defeat the former evil empire, now the evil fallen empire; Michigan State 26 Michigan 20. But is always nice to keep your in-state rival in their place.

Besides that it was a pretty crappy weekend, most of the week actually. It was rainy and 50's all week here. Three or four times I walked the dogs in the rain, never fun when you have 3 of them. Drying them off afterward is the worst part, 12 paws to clean and 3 underbellies to get; and if it is raining hard, their backs. Today we had a recovery day. Robyn still had a fever at noon and the kids were just getting over something and I didn't feel well all last week. So none of us left the house, besides me to walk the dogs.

Since this is race week and I won't be blogging to much longer I just want to say I am honored to be asked to do this and humbled by all the support; from those suffering with dystonia, have a loved one suffering, and especially those simply supporting our efforts who could easily turn their back on us but choose not to. I have talked a lot about qualifying for Boston and that is my goal. If I run a perfect race and the conditions are right it may happen but I want you to know I will finish this race for you no matter what happens. I will not let you down, I will finish this race if I have to crawl the entire way and it takes me 24 hours.

Quote of the day: When the world says, "Give up,"Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."~Author Unknown

Am I ready?

That is the question the next 10 days. I am trying to eat right, get enough rest, and drink lots of water, that's all I can do now. There is no training I can do now to get me ready, only finish the training program I am on and pray for the best.

I ran a terrible long run Sunday and was OK Tuesday for the tempo run, but ran an easy five last night and did the last mile I ran faster than I have in months. I was blowing by walkers, bikers and even a few cars, OK that may be slightly exaggerated. That was the speed I wanted to see in the 5K on Saturday!

I was immediately reminded of something I read somewhere, "Don't have your best runs be your training runs around your neighborhood." I probably shouldn't have gone ahead and done the sprint at the end but it was the first time I had wanted to in a long time. For nothing else that is one positive I can take from it. Running has become more laborious than fun the last month or so and I needed to get that fun back.

Quote of the day: "People rarely unless they have fun at what they are doing." - Dale Carnegie

My wife and I in a race together

Robyn and I in post race bliss
The entire family

You can't quite make out the card but it says in honor of Val Elliott (Robyn's mother), Anne Geenen (my aunt), and Lindy Verbeek (member of our church)

It was an overcast day with rain the night before and just felt like an all day rain was coming, luckily it held off and the 6300 participants were able to run or walk without umbrellas. This was not the usual race full of hardcore runners. I was in the timed 5K and my wife was in the 5K walk.

I finished in 19:20 and my wife finished her walk in less than 35 minutes. Funny thing, when I checked my time on the posted sheet it listed me as 2nd for my age group but later when I went to get my medal they had me listed as #1. Not sure if it was a mistake or #1 got disqualified for something. Anyway I got a first place medal for my efforts, it didn't have a finishing place on it and I think second place was the same medal with a red ribbon instead of blue.

Robyn is napping now. She was feeling sore, her neck and shoulder hurt quite a bit. She is resting up for our date tonight. We are quite excited about it since it happens about once every other year. Although this is the second time this year, it's getting easier as the kids get older.

I have to mow the lawn and I should run 10 miles but that will have to wait until tomorrow due to time constraints, can't b late for my hot date tonight!

Quote of the day: You are not you circumstances. You are your possibilities." Oprah Winfrey

My theory on stretching

You will probably never talk to another runner who will openly say this but I hate stretching! And not jut doing it, I hate the entire idea of it. There are more stretching injuries than running, or insert your sport here, injuries. If you are going to exercise do it and don't spend 15 minutes stretching.

Science has proven very inclusive evidence on stretching but most summarize the same way - "it is a good idea but we can't show any evidence of any benefit from stretching." I will agree if done properly it isn't harmful just a waste of time.

You know what the best form of stretching is - exercise. Have you ever seen a 6 year old with a pulled hamstring? Kids run around all day and countless times a day go from standing still to a dead sprint. If your average adult over 40 did that they would likely pull a muscle but the kids do it everyday so there muscles are used to it.

My suggestion for your average inactive adult who wants to get active would be to start slowly an expect the muscles to be sore when you are done. It is these type of people who injure themselves stretching, they needlessly stretch the muscle far more than it will be stretched in whatever activity they will be doing and POP!

My training is going the same, 2 good runs followed by a very poor long run. I ran a solid 13 miles Tuesday and then did 10 more on a hilly course south of Zeeland. Especially the Thursday run felt great, but then again Saturday morning I tried to run 20, I was winded but not too bad after 15 but it was hotter than I expected and I should have drank more water and eaten more. I badly wanted to prove to myself that I could push through the pain and finish the 20 miles but I physically couldn't do it and ended up actually vomiting profusely after about 17 and a half. That is called hitting the wall. My stomach started to hurt a mile earlier but I thought it would go away sooner or later and sure enough after I puked it did! I recovered quite nicely actually, 2 hours later I felt fine, all things considered.

Quote of the Day: "My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition." Indira Gandhi

1 step forward, 2 steps back

If you asked me on Friday if I thought I would finish in under 3:15 I would have confidently answered, "No question about it!" Ask me again today and I will say, " I will be lucky to finish."

2 great speed work sessions followed by a miserable long run and another struggle on a tempo run. I am not surprised I didn't have a great long run. I realized going in that I was less than 36 hours removed from a gruelling track workout and wasn't alarmed when I felt sluggish to start our 22 miler Saturday. I eventually found my grove but something still seemed wrong when I felt tired before the halfway point. I struggled on just doing what I do best, surviving but definitely not thriving. And then after the last water jug I did the unthinkable - I had to stop to walk during a training run! This has happened before a few times, but never this far into my training.

I had time to think about what went wrong now that my group had long since passed me by and what I came up with was my poor diet the previous week coupled with my lack of rest so soon after such hard workouts. This just reinforces my belief that I need to eat properly and gets as much rest as I can (at least for a month before the race, for both!)

Robyn is in a lot of pain and after discussing it we came to the conclusion that we are both going to need a lot better communication and patience if we are going to get through this. I was often oblivious to the obvious and then often times would or put off things if I did see (such as I still haven't got around to sealing the crack in the cement in the back of our garage that I noticed last summer) and Robyn has realized that she needs to start voicing things that give her pain instead of fighting through everything full steam ahead. I have seen a lot of great runners but I have never met anyone as much endurance, pain threshold, and sheer strength as her. She has the ability to take more pain with a smile on her face than anyone I have ever met.

Quote of the day: "Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain." - William Faulkner (must be related to my wife)

Robyn's injury

My wife had it confirmed that she does indeed have a fractured collarbone from the muscle pulling in opposite directions on it. There is really nothing they can do for her that she hasn't been doing already, try to to the spasms as much as possible. This is when it gets tough, what she should do is take a week off to spend in a hospital bed to recoup but when she has the kids, work, the kids school and dance, and I have work and running training on top of the usual house and yard work for both of us it doesn't leave much time for dystonia. I feel so helpless as a caregiver. The main thing she can't do is lift anything remotely close to heavy so I am taking the laundry upstairs (and even washed and folded it this weekend).

Oh I did have something funny happen to me Saturday afternoon. I was getting Amber's bike out so we could have all the kids (3, since a friend from school spent the night and was still around) and dogs playing in the church parking lot next door when a door-to-door salesman came and asked me if my parents were home. I gave him a puzzled look and just said no. I am 38 years old! I have no idea what he was thinking? Then that would have made my 4-year old daughter my sister! I have always been told I look very young but this was ridiculous. But it gets even more humiliating, he came back and asked they were home yet! I almost said, "Yes, mom it is for you and let my wife get it," but we had sharp knives close by! I think he realized he made a mistake when he came back but was too embarrassed to correct himself.

Running training was a "down" weekend - 16 miles and flat yesterday and 4 more today. I needed the rest my legs were still hurting when I ran my 9 on Thursday, they didn't hurt yesterday but did feel sluggish. Then today I was doing 4 easy so I took 2 of the dogs. 2 Miles in Clancy was scared to step on some plastic on the sidewalk and awkwardly jumped in front of me. I toppled over him luckily only suffering a skinned knee, elbow, and shoulder. It was a little ironic that it was Clancy because JoJo is going nuts over the squirrels and kept pulling every 2 blocks it seemed to go after them. I should be at full strength by Tuesday's 5K time trial.

Quote of the day: "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I like." - Winston Churchill

"They're not applauding you"

I am listening to a very interesting book now, "90 minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. He was in a horrific car accident and and his story is relevant to mine in quite a few ways such as he didn't ask or sign up for this it was thrust up him. Piper went on front of his church and received a huge ovation for which he was quite embarrassed during the ovation he heard a little voice say, "They're not applauding you" and that relaxed him and he said only 4 words, "you prayed, I'm here."

Like almost everybody with dystonia, I feel very uncomfortable in the spotlight. I never quite no what to say when people say the I inspire them. I get that quite a bit and never fully understand it. I try to be kind and gracious, I usually say a simple "Thank you" but to me that sounds odd or not quite right. Maybe that's why the line "They're not applauding you" struck such a chord. When people say I inspire them, it is more what that person is seeing than anything that I am doing intentionally.

On the training front: had 2 great workouts this week. On Tuesday we did a 5K time trial, this is a little odd but I didn't know what I could run a 5K in. I have done only 4 5K's in my life:2 were unofficial time with only a clock at the finish and I have long forgot those times, 1 was 15 minutes after I finished a 10K where I was focused on my 10K time, and the last was this past spring I ran the Irish Jig in East Grand Rapids where I got stuck near the back of the pack. So I had no idea what I could if given a fair shake. Well , it turns out I did a very respectable (at least in my mind) 19:36. I was the first to finish which meant I for the last mile I kept looking and wondering if I was going the right direction and where is the finish line, so that may have added a few seconds. With my sense of direction I could never win any race, if I wasn't following people I would surely get lost. I could see me losing the Boston Marathon because I took a wrong turn!

And then to finish up some of us ran back the way we came instead of going the mile or so to complete the lake loop. I got into a nice rhythm and was feeling good, my return time couldn't have been far off my 5K time except we had to go another quarter mile past where we started. I know I ran hard beauce not only was I a little sick to my stomach, my butt even hurt! After a hard run I get "runner's tummy," where I don't feel like eating anything. The harder and longer the run the longer the feeling lasts, up to 5 or 6 hours. Which is why the food after a marathon is such a joke. The one thing I did find very hellpful after a race is ice cream. They had an ice cream tent set up at the Bayshore Marathon this spring and I had 3 bowls.

Thursdays workouts were 8 - 800's (half mile). After nailing these I am much more confident I can finish the marathon in under 3:15. My goal at the start was 3:00 to 3:05, but I wanted to keep them steady and not have 1 or 2 at 3:12. I ran the first one in 2:56 and the next in 2:53. he second was way too fast for me but 2:56 was reasonable but the question was could I keep it up? 4 more and I was still hitting 2:56 but now I was pretty much running alone. I was running with 4 guys at the start but 1 fell off after 2 sets and another stopped after 6 and the other ran the 800 in college, he was only a few seconds faster but took off like a jack-rabbit. The last 2 were tough but was amazed to see the time when Icompleted each was 2:56. I had to keep sayig to myself long, smooth strides. When you get tired stride length is the first thing to go then your form soon follows, so the last 2 I found myself saying it more and more.

Quote of the day: "They may forget what you said, but they will never gorget the way you make them feel." - Carl Buechner

2 tempo runs?

I get my DBS turned back down to where it was before my last appt. now the day after my marathon, since I will be in town I might as well. I should have left well enough alone instead of try for better results with my voice. History has taught me that was about as good as it was going to get. When they voltage gets to high I am constantly on edge causing me to be irritable, and my voice actually gets worse. If the voltage is turned up way too high my entire body want to curl up in a ball and I absolutely cannot speak. I am guessing it is what being hit with a police taser feels like. This will also give me an excuse to stay in Chicago for another day.

In training yesterday we did 2 4 mile tempo runs. If you know what a tempo run is you know how insane this is! This was one I am REALLY glad I did with a group. The first lap of the lake (4.25 miles around) I was going along, no one else near me from .5 mile to 2.5 miles then I see Mike, who will finish the Chicago marathon in about 2 hours and 50 minutes, flying up behind me and I try to keep him in my sights. I actually gained a little ground on him before we hit a hill and I fell behind but was proudly staying about the same distance back until a half mile to go or less and he put it into another gear that I just don't have. I very happily finished in under 27 minutes.

After a little rest and water we went and did the same course in reverse. Again we started with a group of about 5-6 runners and I started pulling away after half a mile then I saw Christian up ahead and set him as my goal. Chris is also quite a bit faster than me but he has been fighting injuries. I did manage to catch him at 2 miles but that only woke him up from his cruise control. He slowly pulled away from me but I could still see him so that gave me something to shoot for. I was absolutely stunned to see that I had run within 2 seconds of my first time (one was 26:46 and one was 26:48 but I forgot which lap was faster). I definitely have Chris to thank for that second run and Mike for coming along at just the right time in the first run.

Quote of the day: “Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” - Mark
Twain.

Wrecked

I am completely wrecked after the 22 mile run Saturday on the rolling hills of Ada, MI. Every muscle in my legs where in absolute agony, from about mile 15 til now. At one point I said, "Why are we doing this? We're running the Chicago Marathon."(a notoriously flat course whose largest hill is about 20 feet). It got so absurd that we got to the top of one hill and me and 3 people I was with all audibly moaned because another sharp downhill lie ahead. Once your legs are this sore running down a steep hill hurts worse than running up one.

I ran 5 today and I think that helped speed the recovery some. I was more sore after this 22 than the last but I feel much better 36 later than I did last time so that is encouraging. Oh, and another positive thing was that my despite my legs being extreme sore they never cramped up during my run, the calves are what especially worry me. I think the calve sleeves are working! I did cramp up once after the run when I tried to sit down in the parking lot afterwards, one calf cramped up and one muscle in my thigh of the opposite leg. I was unsure about them when I bought them but I will definitely be wearing them come October 11.

After running a hilly 22 I went home and had to mow the lawn and get ready for the extended family. I will show you photos later but we had 14 of us in all. My aunt brought her grandson from New Jersey, might be East, East Pennsylvania she just moved so I am not quite sure, very close to the border anyway, just north of Philadelphia. We also had my other aunt and uncle from Chicagoland, whom were gracious enough to invite our family in for the marathon. Actually they are so nice and we have stayed there so often we pretty much invited ourselves and I just notified them! Also in attendance Saturday were my parents and my cousin and her husband.

Quote of the day: "If the leader pushes, I will go with him, even if I die by the roadside." Rodgers Rop, on winning the NYC marathon

Life with dystonia is never easy or boring

My wife and I are both having Dystonia issues, I mean more than normal! Robyn much worse than me, she had Botox last but her back is constantly sore and she is in serious pain all the time. She is contemplating trying the drug Neurontin for some more relief. Her head, which she can normally hold still with some effort, has become too much and started to turn and go back. So much so that she even broke down and wore her soft collar neck brace at work yesterday. She NEVER wears this in public.

It is ironic because I desperately want off Neurontin as well as Klonopin. I normally take 1 pill of each with or just after breakfast, yesterday I tried no pills and I didn't really notice any difference until the evening when we went out. Then it was more difficult to speak and I was jittery but there was something else, I don't know how to describe it, like there were voices in my head or more static really. When I would talk with someone it was like the voice was saying, "don't make of fool of yourself, get out of this conversation before you look like an fool." Instead of being even remotely focused on the other person it was all about me, trying to appear as normal as possible. I couldn't relax and have an enjoyable talk with someone I didn't know. Luckily my family was there and I could focus on them. This solved 2 problems, I was able to focus on them and take care of what they wanted while also keeping me occupied so I wouldn't have to have adult conversation. I am also up too high with the voltage on my DBS, I need to see my dr. and get back to where I was before the last adjustment.

Training: I ran 5 miles hard Monday night, felt great finished in a very respectable time for me, 34 minutes. Since I was going to miss the group workout I tried taking the kids to a local school that has a play area right next to the track. I planned on doing 6 1000's, 2 and a half laps each. I skipped the two mile warmup opting for 2 laps instead. Was shooting for under 4 minutes for each 1000. I did the first one in 3:43, I was stunned, but also a little concerned because I had 5 left and knew I couldn't repeat that 6 times. I fell back on #2 to 3:48, probably where I should have been at for #1. It was hot and humid and I had to stop at 5 with no 2 mile cooldown. I will have to make that up Thursday. I shouldn't have run so hard the night before.

I love my wife! Despite all her pain and head movements she is repainting our bedroom ceiling. After I ran yesterday I scraped some more of the old popcorn ceiling off and there was just a little bit left that I couldn't remove. She pushes it hard all the time and wants everything to be perfect by Saturday. We are hosting a family function with relatives from Chicago and New Jersey along with my parents and grandparents. Bless her heart!

Quote of the Day: "Love is everything it's cracked up to be. . . It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. " - Erica Jong

We went to downtown Zeeland Saturday for Dog-o-rama! It was a good time and the girls loved being out. Can you tell? Robyn had to leave before I got back from my run so she only took JoJo, the German Shepherd, along with the 2 girls, anymore would have been too much to control. Besides, we weren't sure the other 2 dogs aren't quite ready for a public gathering like that yet but we all went to the dog park today and I do think the other 2 would have been just fine. JoJo was looking rather somber there but she doesn't like cameras so that may have been a big part of it.

When I got back from my run I showered and rode my bike down there. I found the kids in the bakery with "Old Grampa" (their nickname for my grandfather). Zeeland Bakery has the best Chocolate Fried Cinnamon Rolls in the world (Maybe I can get a few free for the shameless plug!) so I had one, I showed great restraint in not getting 2 or 3. But the star of the day was JoJo and her award winning tail! She won second prize in the longest tail competition, see the top picture to fully appreciate the punishment it puts on our vacuum cleaner.

The training run was at Fallasburg Park. If you scroll back a ways you will find pictures of that hilly terrain there. Even though it was our down weekend (14 in between two 22 mile runs) it was a fairly tough workout. No river plunge this time for me, had to get home for Dog-o-rama.

I am still a little worried about my calf muscles holding up for 26.2 miles. I can't think of any more I can do. The calve sleeves seem to be working. The reason I am still worried is that last time I didn't have any problem during any of the training runs either. I guess the only thing I can do now is to continue training properly and pray for good legs during the race.

Quote of the day: "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." - Voltaire

Must remember this during weeks like this.

After doing 22 Saturday, the fatigue from the run and the lack of sleep are really kicking my butt this week. I just don't feel like training. So I am taking it slow and easy, nothing too fast or strenuous. Hopefully I can work my way back to normal by Saturday.

I took wife to get Botox shots Tuesday, she travels the 3+ hours to the same place I get my DBS tuned. She has a lot of pain her dystonia and by the time she needs the Botox she is in serious pain all day! So I wanted to be the good husband and take her since she sometimes has a rough time with all the shots. She slept for awhile on the way, so that was good.I think that was the end of the happy times that day.

While I was there I wanted to see if could get turned down one notch on one side, back to where I was 2 months ago. My last adjustment was up one notch and my voice seemed to get worse and my swallowing also. My doctor was doing surgery in Evanston so I inquired about Robyn's doctor doing it since I knew exactly what I wanted done but my doctor didn't want anyone else doing my adjustments, nevermind I had only seen this doctor once for one slight adjustment.

I am not sure why since I wasn't expecting to get an adjustment but that threw my entire day off. After that I got grumpy and was headed to IKEA, I would rather eat glass than be in IKEA. Robyn had probmised the kids a trip there before she knew I was coming along and the kids love the play area. We eat lunch and then went to the play area but it was full - I felt like Chevy Chase in National Lampoons Vacation after he found out Wally World was closed for repairs! On the way home I was completely disoriented and tired and missed 2 exits I had to stop for gas at the IN/MI border and had to ask Robyn if she felt well enough to drive. She did otherwise I would have needed a VERY large Mountain Dew to keep me awake.

We were lucky to get home with the marriage still intact. After apologies were said by both of us and a good nights sleep we were fine but I still feel like a horses behind for completely blowing the nice gesture of driving her by acting the way I did. I should have listened to my quote

Quote of the Day: "Let thine words be few" Ecclesiastes 5:2

Well, I made it 22 miles yesterday. I did struggle somewhat the last 2-3 miles as I was by myself at this point. I bypassed all our usual drink spots. We have jugs of water and gatorade set every 3 or 4 miles and for good reason but all too often they are like the watercooler at the office, instead of stopping for 10 seconds we normally stop for several minutes. I habit I have to break for my marathon training, I can only speak for myself but it seems completely different when w are racing and drinking on the run vs. run 4 miles stop, drink, catch your breathe for 3 minutes and repeat as necessary until you hit the desired mileage. So I skipped the aid stations on the back 11.

It became apparent that I am not quite where I need to be yet the last few miles but was somewhat encuoraging seeing as the race is still 2 months away. We are on a tough training schedule that has us doing three 22 mile runs and two 20 milers. Now doing 22 just seems like a regular Saturday long run, a bit tougher but not too daunting.

I need the group support and just the expectation of me being there helps a great deal too. Our training group is probably 100 strong so you get 60-80 people most weeks and they are all speed ranges so you soon separate on a run like this. I was with about 8 people that dwindle to 3 by the halfway point as people speed up or slow down. The legs got very heavy the last 2 miles and I looked for the parking lot around every corner as the last 2 miles as it was a new course for me.

Dog update: Having 3 dogs is as bad as it sounds! Roo, the new dog is having sleeping issues causing Robyn and me to lose a lot of sleep as well. Walking them can be a challenge, when they are going nice you could put a board across their backs, they are all that close in height!

Quote of the Day: "Let us run with patience that race that is set before us." - Saint Paul

The new dog and a personal best 2 mile run!

Roo, our new dog, is an Australian Kelpie just like Robyn's dog when she came to the States, which is why we had to have him. We heard he was drugged, given uppers to perform as some show dog and then downers so he could sleep and travel. He certainly doesn't look like a show dog now but I am sure he will perk up. His ears are pointed and supposed to be up like a Shepherd but they are mostly down yet like he is scared or at least unsure of his surrounding yet.

Robyn has taken him swimming in a local pond and creek. I have taken the 3 of them for a few walks at night and now Robyn is walking them in the morning as well. Roo could stand to lose a few pounds, Clancy as well.

On the running front my heel has healed up nicely and I did 16 very early Saturday morning before we went to get Roo, just before the skies opened and it downpoured. I talked to runners from the group and they said it rained for almost their entire run and as they were running one stretch on a bike path they said it was 3 inches deep, nothing like running in an ankle deep stream! One person said his shoes were still damp on Monday.

We ran a timed 2 mile run last night as part of our training, an event I ran in middle school. I finished in 12 minutes and 9 seconds! I was so proud of myself. I tried it a few years ago and I couldn't beat my middle school time of 13:01. Yesterday I was aiming for 90 second laps, I did pretty well but lap 3 was inexplicably 96 seconds while every other was 90 or 91. I was at 6:09 after 1 mile so that means I did the second mile in 6 flat. That is pretty much my top speed, I have to rely on endurance!

I have 25K figured out, I just need to learn to hold that for 11 more miles. I have only walked once in 5 local 25K races but was forced to walk in all 5 of my marathons. I have 2 goals for this race - finish under 3:15 and finish without needing to walk.

Slight injury

After racing last Saturday evening I had planned on doing a mild 10 mile run Sunday. It wasn't too long (comparatively) so I didn't take it too seriously - old shoes, old socks. Well, no matter how far you're going bad shoes AND bad socks are a VERY bad combination. The result was that I got about 3 or 4 mles and I finally checked my sore heel. Sure enough - it was rubbed raw and bleeding. Bad news, but even worse was that I was still a mile and a half from home so I jogged back sowly. This lasted a mile then I had to remove my shoes and run in socks. In case you are wondering why I ran - because it hurt to run or walk so why not run?

As a runner you have to know the differences between pains and what injuries you can run with and which you should rest. This one I could stick a band aid over and gut out the pain. I did the hard workouts but skipped the easy runs this week. It is nearly healed, another band aid treatment for a 16 miler tomorrow and with Sunday off should be fine for next week.

But the big news is tomorrow after the run we are going to get our new dog! I will likely nap in the car and let Robyn drive there and I will drive home. We will have 3 dogs all roughly the same age. They could even be exactly the same age since we don't know exactly when any were born. I am still trying to figure out how or if I can walk 3 dogs at once. It depends on how well-behaved the new one is since I have trouble walking these 2 wild beasts at once. They always want to be 2 feet in front of the end of the leash, if I drop the leash they will wait for me to pick it up. I often think the leash is only so they know where I am!

Another race I didn't win

I had an 8K race last night and didn't win again (someday I will win one of these obscure races!). The race was Streetz of Fire in Grand Rapids but it was from from the 90 and humid you would expect for a race on August 1st and starting at 6:30 PM. It was very humid and had a few rain drops before the race and I heard reports that it was pouring rain well after the race as we were safe in the Polish Hall where it was held.
The post race was pizza and beer. For me it was lots of pizza, I think I had 8 pieces but it may have been 10. I don't drink alcohol because of the drugs I am on, they don't mix well. I think it is the Klonopin. 1-2 beers and I fall right to sleep.

I did manage to get a medal for finishing 3rd in my age group. It was demeaned a bit since a guy I would have liked to beaten passed me on the 4th mile and finished 15 seconds in front of me, he did not receive a medal and he is 2 years older than me.

I think we are getting another dog, a 4 year old Kelpie. I am hoping he will teach the other 2 some better manners. Kelpie's are great dogs but 3 dogs will be interesting! We are planning on picking him up next week Saturday.

Quote of the day: "Every luxury must be paid for, and everything is a luxury, starting with being in the world" - Cesare Pavese

2 Reminders

I used to love to take my shirt off, in the summer playing baseball or basketball in the yard with friends I was always the first one to remove my shirt. Even in college when far more vanity was involved, I was eager to be on the skins team despite my lack of muscle tone or chest hair. Not quite sure why but I never have liked having a wet shirt. But nowadays I always have to think twice about taking my shirt off, even last week on the tube I had thought that maybe I had better keep my shirt on before finally deciding too remove it. Today I still have the flat stomach I did in college and sadly no muscle tone and only a few scattered hairs on my chest but I am ever conscious of the 2 impulse generators in my chest that are plainly visible. So visible in fact that one looks as if a good vacum might suck it right out of my chest!

I am also fearful of losing my hair since my ugly mop is covering 2 bumps on the top front of my head. 2 more reminders that I am not normal. 2 more reminders of what separates me from 99.9% of the world. 2 more reminders that I am lucky to be alive and living life like I am. Sometimes I think if I had this 30 years before I would be locked away in a home hidden from society. If I had this 3000 years ago would have been pronounced as "possessed by demons" and killed or far worse.

No matter how many reminders I get each day about what I have or what I am I can always walk into my girls' bedroom and get 2 reminders of what beautiful things we all can create.

Quote of the Day: "It is a happy talent to know how to play." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I bought a new car today!

Got a 2009 Chevy Cobalt. It is our first car that begins with a "2." I kind of jumped a bit going from a 1999 Subaru and a 1992 Lexus into the '09 Cobalt. I pick it up on Monday after they put cruise control on it, I drive 30 miles to work each day, all highway, I need cruise! I will post a picture of it when I get it home.

We did a 4 mile tempo run again tonight. In case you don't know what that means basically it is the speed you can run for 2 more miles for, in the case 6 miles. So theoretically you shouldn't be dead tired from tempo runs but close. What inevitably happens, especially when running in groups, is that people end up going all out. That defeats the purpose of the run. The purpose is to for you to learn to run comfortably faster. Tempo runs help you on longer distances so when you are out there doing a marathon you have some idea of what a good pace is for you, and how long you can reasonably hold that pace for. A 4 mile tempo run should be 10-30 seconds per mile faster than a marathon pace.

Quote of the day: "Character consists of what you do on the third or fourth tries." - James Michener

My iPod music

With this very mild weather we are having here in Michigan I ran at noon yesterday and only needed 2 water stops and still finished feeling great! I had thoughts of adding a 3 mile loop for 23 or even doing it twice for the magical 26 but thought better of it. I ran 20 miles with hills on the last 4 miles, finished going down a big hill, that always feels better. Best 20 mile run ever!

It was only about 70 degrees yesterday with low humidity. For mid July you can't ask for any better running weather than that.

Okay, now the embarrassing part - what is on my iPod. I have albums by Beth Orton, Def Leppard, Dido, K's Choice, Little River Band, Neil Young, and Stevie Nicks; and the soundtrack to City of Angels as well as about 20 Christian songs from various artists that my wife bought and I liked so kept on there. All I need are my Eminem, Ozzy Osbourne, and Van Morrison CD's for a complete mix of rock music (starting in 1970).

Quote of the day: "As a nation we are dedicated to keeping fit and parking as close to the stadium as possible." -Joe Moore

Tubing at Cottage

The was part of our family outing to a friend's cottage on Lost Lake halfway between Ludington and the middle of nowhere. The weather could have been better but at least the rain held off and we all had a good time. The temp. was around 60 with the water temp. around 75, so it felt good in the water but when you got out it was frigid, or worse yet, when you got back on the tube and felt the cold air at 30 MPH!

The video is me getting tossed from the tube. I could have stayed on but the crowd wanted to see a spectacular fall!

We won't show this video to the doctors who installed my DBS, they may frown upon such behavior.

I missed my 20 mile group run so I will attempt to make it up today. 20 miles on my own, oh boy! After running the long runs with a group or even a partner running them solo they can seem so much longer. Hopefully my iPod will help some. I hate using them but for solo runs of more than 10 miles the can offer a nice diversion.

Quote of the day: "God will not look you for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars." -Elbert Hubbard.

After this week this photo makes want to cringe. On Tuesday I ran a 2-mile warm then a 4-mile tempo run followed by a 2-mile cooldown. On Thursday we did 800's - 8 of them with a 400 in between and, of course, 2-mile warmup and cool downs.

I am aiming to qualify for the Boston Marathon, in order to do so I need a time of 3:15 or better. Most of my speedwork has been geared towards a 3:01 marathon to give me plenty of room for error, and maybe even a calf cramp. I ran the tempo run in 26:46. I was supposed to run the 800's in 3 minutes each, well I got 4 of them in 3:00 or 2:59 but 2 more at 3:04 and the last 2 in a dreadful 3:06 and 3:09.

This Saturday will be one of the coldest July days ever and weare running the lakeshore with a planned dip in Lake Michigan following the run, great timing, eh?

Quote of the Day: "Hockey is a sport for white men. Basektball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps." Tiger Woods

Photos from Saturday July 10 Hills Hills and More Hills

The were numerous daunting hills and some very scenics views as well, and some old covered bridges.

After these mamoth hill we get to the top only to find it goes higher yet.

This is some of us took a little post race dip or squat. It was a shallow fast moving, and COLD, river.

This is a different set of hills than the previous shot, and most unfortunately they all came after the halfway point.

I was not hit with a $5 fine even though I broke the speed limit - hopefully.

Quote of the day: " Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty." - John Ruskin

Be your own doctor

I didn't exactly ask my doctor if it was a good idea, or even if it was okay, to run a marathon. I brought a running book I was reading at the time (I have learned to always bring a book to the doctor and to the DMV!), he noticed it and commented on it and looked a little perplexed and a littled worried. I simply said, "It's like me running after my little kids, only I keep going, and going, and going." I also commented about how I had asked if I could physical activity before I had it implanted and the only thing I was to avoid were hard blows to the head (When would this ever be a good thing I thought but did keep my mouth shut). It was obvious he had never even given an ounce of thought to some one running a marathon with a DBS. He considered it and said something about the constant jarring with each step. My reply was, "it is the same as walking, only faster." Well, not really but he saw my point, if it was not going to withstand this then what would be the limitations, no jumping?

Ironically, one of my impulse generators (battery pack) did break later that year but 3 weeks after I had completed the marathon! Maybe it couldn't stand the inactivity?

We are just getting into the meat of our training, an 18-mile long run this week and the first 20-miler next week. And the midweek workouts are getting tougher too, yesterday was 8 400 meter runs at a 1:22 pace. This is the first speed workout where I did more repeats over my time than under, and it was still brutal.

Quote of the day: "The unfortunate thing about this world is that food habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones." William Somerset Maugham

Core workouts

It is great running weather here in MI this week, very cool with only scattered sprinkles of rain. I am loving it but not our workouts. On Tuesday we did more of the same hill, but 12 times this week, and today we did 30 minutes of core workout + 12 200's.

The core workout is interesting, I had never done these extensively, and especially as part of a marathon training. I think they are helping a lot but what I really need is calf workouts. That is were I am feeling the pain after 20+ miles and only a few to go, wishing I had never taken up running. I did buy some funny compression socks that I will finally get to try this weekend, as we are running 16 miles Saturday.

Started reading Always Looking Up by Micheal J.Fox, looking forward to it since I loved his first one, Lucky Man. I will let you know how it is, that is if I finish it before the marathon! I am more of a book on CD type of person so I am not sure how I will do with an actual book.

Quote of the day: "Life is short... running makes it seem longer."-Baron Hansen

A Love Story

To continue the story where I left off due to flood damage. I believe I left when I met Robyn online. So here I was finallycomfortable in my own skin willing to live a simple life alone with my dog. I had a great extended family who loved me. My parents lived a mile away and my grandparents about 3 miles and I often took vacations to see my aunts and uncles, one in the Chicago area, another in NJ, and the other in OH. I took my dog Bo to the park and he would pull me on roller blades to my parents and I would pull him back home. Life was fine.

It was lonely but I felt that was what dystonia had sentenced me to. I had more than most people with dystonia. To pass time at home I was online a lot, a dystonia bulletin board was one of my regular stops. Robyn made a post from Australia saying she recently got dystonia and had a dog. I don't remember now what the post said (to much Klonopin over the years!) but I couldn't get it out of my head and I kept coming back to it. So finally after about my 12th viewing of the post I wrote a reply, the fourth or fifth reply to the orginal post. A few days later I received an email from her; this was not uncommon, being a dystonia BB many of us put our emails on there and chatted via email regularly. But this was different, it started off the same; what do you do for treatment, how does your family react to it, etc. but rapidly personal questions were thrown in. And what kept it going was how quickly the responses came, both of us replied immediately and pretty soon it was hundreds of emails and me staying up way past midnight. Somewhere in this process I found she was my age, and single! She mailed me some photos of herself. All this time I was going blind little did I know she had a spy working for her; she was also emailing a woman in New Jersey whom I had met at a dystonia symposium. She had given her all the dirt on me.

After just 2 weeks of late nights of emailing I had wanted to propose to her, I am not even sure if I had actually spoken to her yet! We did speak on the phone several times but email was far cheaper and easier. I managed to hold off another week until I actually asked her to marry me, she quickly called me and said "yes!" One problem eyt - I lived in Michigan and she lived in Kanahooka, New South Wales, Australia. We decided I would come and vist for a week and we could change our minds if we wanted. I needed to get a passport and I remember my parents were in Florida so I went to their house to find my birth certificate, no luck. I would have to call my parents and explain why I needed it. It was lucky she was in Florida and just on their way out to supper when I called because it gave themm time to absorb the shock, and me an escape!

So June 2, 2001 I boarded a plane to meet my wife for the first time! I remember being oddly calm about the whole thing, like I was supposed to be doing this. I landed and it was June 4 already. She was there waiting for me and she was everything she said she was. She was beautiful, caring , and had a kind heart. I don't remember what we first talked about while waiting for my luggage and on the hour plus ride home (again I blame the Klonopin, lol but I remember feeling excited more than nervous - I knew I had done the right thing.

Yada, yada, yada . . . She is Mrs. Stephenson and we have two wonderful girls. The yadas were a lot of work getting the logistics taken care of but I indeed did the right thing. I love her more today I did in that airport.

Quote of the day: "Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear." John Lennon

Flooded

Sorry for the slight delay, I am trying to keep this up twice a week but we got flooded Friday night and had to get everything out of our finished basement. A wicked storm came through and we got 4 inches in 2 hours and something like 7 inches total that night, plus the fact that it rained the night before also didn't help. We had 5 or 6 guys helping at amazing speed cleared out 2 bedrooms and a complete family room and a good deal of our storage area, the Rain came around 8 PM, I finally went to bed at 2 AM.

Up at 6:15 to get in line to rent an industrial sized fan and dehumidifier. I was there at 6:30 and was third in line, the store didn't open until 7:30. Most people were after generators as many areas south of us lost power and weren't due to have it back on until late that evening, so we were fortunate in many respects. We only lost power for a few seconds Friday night. I had to hit the grocery store because we had no food for the kids. I grabbed a few necessities like bread, milk and eggs and saw another dehumidifier on sale so I grabbed the largest one they had. I got home to find the basement floors down to cement already. Robyn and a few guys ripped the carpet and pad out with phenomenal speed and even had taken it out through the windows so it was all sitting under our deck. That was the afternoon job, taking all the carpet and pad to the curb and cleaning and the mud and debris from the area. We even sat down there to relax for a few minutes that evening.

Enough about the flood, the good news was that I got a good report from the doctor Friday, he said it was not infected and that the lead had worked its way closer to the surface and he has seen much worse. He said that a few people have actually had the wire come out in some places and that that was fine of they didn't want more surgery. The could do a plastic surgery and put a flap of skin over it or I imagine they could implant the battery pack and wire in a little deeper since mine is near or below the connection site. If it was above the site they would have to remove the connections to the brain (which could be bad!). So all in all, nothing really to be alarmed about but be careful with hats and other headgear.

While I was there we actually did what we came for! I did get turned up a notch. I have quite a big pulse width now and apparently that means that an increase or decrease in the voltage will have a much greater effect than if I had a lower pulse width. (I bought it, it made sense when he said it). I was at 1.4 and first got turned to 1.6 and felt like I had been hit with a taser gun, so we backed it off to 1.5 volts. Even that took a few minutes to get used to, feels fine now and once I actually got some sleep I will consult my wife to find out how/if my voice has changed any. The funny thing is my voice sounds perfectly normal to me and then I listen to it and it sounds all garbled. Any Speech Therapists out there? Why is this? If you hear it garbled shouldn't it sound garbled to the person speaking???

On a training note - I can proudly say that I still did my fourteen miles this weekend despite all the drama here.

Quote of the day: "Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don't worry...I'm here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you." -Charlie Brown to Snoopy

The early years with dystonia

When I first got diagnosed with dystonia, after all of confusion of "What is going on with my body?" and the realization that this disorder wasn't going to kill me, I got more than a little depressed. I had this strange and wacky ailment but the good news is it won't kill me, or is that the bad news. Luckily it was not long between the gradual onset and the diagnosis. For the early 1990's it was very quick, in fact my dystonia may have still been developing.

I went through the normal thoughts that I was crazy. I remember vividly one car ride where I just said "No, I am insane, there is something physically wrong with me." (which didn't explain why I was talking to myself but anyways . . ) After that I went all out to figure what was wrong, no more guessing if I was nuts.

I will go into my Botox dramas later but by 1994 I became immune to botulinum toxin type A so I escalated another step on the dystonia (Spasmodic Torticollis) treatment chart, which at that time was up to Selective Denervation. I am not sure how often this is done now if at all.

After my first denervation surgery in Montreal I still had some movement and my voice was unchanged but the greatest thing was my pain was somehow eliminated (I don't know how and why and would now recommend DBS over Selective Denervation but that was an option in 1995). Without the constant pain and agony, I could now think clearly for the first time in over 5 years. And as I thought I realized my dystonia wasn't affecting me as much as it was affecting everyone who saw me. So therefore I was affected indirectly, a somewhat of a social outcast. I was a sane person trapped in an insane body. But the view nice! It was truly bizarre seeing how people reacted when meeting me or even seeing me in a store.

After some painful lessons and lonely times I had to accept that I wasn't normal and I would have to change my thinking and behavioral patterns to accomodate. I bought a modest house and got a dog and was all set for a life of bachelorhood. When I finally learned to like myself and be content with that - then she came along.

to be continued. . .

Quote of the day: "The first step to getting the things what you want out of life is this: decide what you want" - Ben Stein

Core workout

In my last entry I said hiccups and teeth chattering were early signs of my dystonia. I had both and they seem like spasms to me but not even the best dystonia doctor in the world would have diagnosed me as having dystonia back then. So even if you get the hiccups once a week or more, like I did, I would hold off on the worry until your head moves so much you're scared to see a barber. Why worry about something that will either happen or it won't but there is nothing you can do to stop it?

We started our core training this week and my tummy still hurts. There were about forty exercises written on a piece of paper and I saw one word I recognized as an exercise - pushups, the rest were in some sort of code or weird name that Coach Woj had made up like Superman, bridge, butt kick (not what you'd think but it did kick my butt!). We did 45 minutes of these and then started our normal workout. I tried to remember a few of the exercises so I could practice some since I was so bad at them. All that seemede to come back to me were the easy ones and the situps and pushups. So I did a couple quick sets of situps.

This Saturday was also the big dance recital for our girls. The oldest did three dances, each with about 5 other girls while the youngest only had 1 routine but was only dancing with 1 other little girl. They were adorable! Our 4-year-old looked absolutely tiny up on that big stage, their was a collective, "aaaw" from the crowd as the curtain rose.

This week Friday is the day I have been waiting for for about six weeks. I go to get my DBS settings checked and more importantly will get to ask about a possible infection. The lead on my left side is either infected or much closer to the surface than I'd prefer. I am skinny but they got the right one in fairly adequately. Behind my ear there is abou an inch where it feels like I am touching a rubber coated wire, it is that close to the surface.

Quote of the day: "Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use." - Wendell Johnson

I have done 5 marathons now and if you have ever done one you know how your body just craves rest afterward. Well, unfortunately I don't get to do that. I just finished the Bayshore marathon in May and now I am staring at another 18 weeks of training. It looks daunting! As daunting as the thought of running 26.2 miles sounds to a non-runner. I mean I just completed this process and now I have to do it all AGAIN!?!

The speed work and the hills are tough but the long runs are mentally tough. So I started out slow and easy Monday morning going 10 at a nice easy pace. Since I got calf cramps in past marathons including Bayshore I want to specifically address that issue so I am wearing some compression socks I got from the hospital after my most recent surgery. I have no idea why I kept them but now I am glad I did. You can buy some calf sleeves they're called but I wanted to do a little test first. So I took off for my first 10 mile run in what felt like pantyhose. I saw a friend of mine 5 miles in and much to my surprise she didn't laugh or even comment on them, not that I would have cared, I had just finished a very hilly stretch and was glad to be going downhill finally. First 10 miler in the books.

I was asked this week if my kids had dystonia. That was an issue for us, especially since my wife also has dystonia. My thoughts on this are: since I have primary dystonia and she has secondary dystonia it would be the same odds as me having kids with any "normal" woman (the quotes purely hypothetical since I know there is such thing as a normal woman! kidding, Robyn, what are you doing with that . . . OUCH!) Where was I, oh yeah, her reply is if they get dystonia who better to know how to help them deal with it than 2 parents with it also. As yuo can tell my wife is way smarter and deeper than me. (or is it I?) To answer the question - no. They are 4 and 6 now and show no signs of any dystonia yet. And believe me I look and I am sure Robyn does as the same. Every once in a while I will watch them closely to see if notice any hint that they might. For instance, when I was 6 I had the hiccups much more than other kids and when I was cold I would shiver to the point my teeth would chatter.

Quote of the day: "Live as if you'll die tomorrow, learn is if you'll live forever." - Gandhi

Gruelling workout

My training group runs meets at 6:30 PM and I got there at 5:30 after moving some cement from my cousins house yesterday so I decided to do a warmup lap around the lake, about 4.32 miles, or so I am told by all the Garmin wearers of my group. This item has becoming more of a runner's accessory than the iPod. A watch that tells you exactly how far you have gone and the time you did it in, some even give you maps that help you find your way home. Very handy, will have to look into getting one.

Then the actually training started, we were to start with a 2-mile jog to the park followed by 4-8 laps up a hill and then the same 2 mile jog back to the meeting place. This 2-mile jog to get there was easy until we hit the last half mile, which was all up hill, a slow incline that just kept going up. We did a few running stretches or exercises really because as you will find out I abhor stretching, more on that later. Now time for the real workout, a decent sized hill not too long but pretty steep, a great sledding hill in the winter. Coach wants us to run for about 50 yards to the hill and be near full speed as we hit the hill and hit the hill with everything we have and then coast along the top and down and start again (I will take my camera next time as I hear we will be doing this one quite often this summer). After 8 of the I was about ready to puke and we sill had to get back, and better yet I had to carry the water jug (those gatorade size jugs football teams throw over a coach's head) home for a comment I made about ice cream during the exercises. At least they emptied it first! I jogged back the 2 miles with that jug over one shoulder and in front of me and over the other shoulder, switching when I got sore. It wasn't that heavy but quite awkward to carry while jogging. They joked that I was the mobile aid station and asked for a drink. I told them they would have to get their drinks at the bar just like everyone else. Many of our crew like to hit a local brewery after the workouts.

I got home and I still had to empty the cement chunks out of my car and walk the dogs. What took me 20 minutes to put into the car, took me twice that to remove from the car. It is for a project for my backyard, we are trying to alleviate some of the dampness way in the back. The dogs were so pent up by now that I gave up after a quarter mile and just let the leashes go and ran along side of them. They know the only purpose of the leash is to keep me with four feet of them. The pull the leash taught and drag me down the usual route unless there is something interesting to smell. Last time I weighed them JoJo, a German Shepherd, was 63 pounds and Clancy, a Kelpie/shepherd mix, was 56 pounds, so 120 pounds of dog that sometimes wants to go 2 directions at once, or worse if JoJo smells a rabbit or squirrel she will go full bore after it and Clancy will freeze in the middle of the sidewalk. I usually end up trip over Clancy and jerking both dogs by the neck back to me, 1 from each direction. It is always important that I watch and see the rabbits and squirrels before JoJo and the small dogs before Clancy (he hates yappers as much as I do!)

Quote of the day: The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. -- Anonymous

Hello

Hi, I am Brian Stephenson and over the next few weeks in months I hope you will follow along as I train for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2009. That seems a long way away now but the summer will fly by and before you know it the race will be right around the corner.

I have a lovely wife, Robyn, and two gorgeous daughters, Ellie and Amber you will hear me speak of often in the coming months. I will insert personal battles we have faced and some we still face everyday thoughout future entries.

Fall marathons are much more fun to train for than spring marathons. Since it takes a good 4-5 months to properly train for a marathon spring marathons have you doing much of your training in the winter, and Michigan winters build hearty marathon runners! It is essential that you find a group to run with or else it is way to easy to skip a 15 mile run when it is 10 degrees outside with a windchill hovering around zero. I have a marathon coming next week in Traverse City that I have been training for since the first of the year through some mighty cold and snowy days, let's hope it all pays off. I plan on taking a month off and start training again for Chicago.

I have some unconventional training methods at times, like running 12 miles in boots this winter, I hope to run barefoot several times (this would be on grass, I said I was unconventenal not insane!). This is one thing dystonia has taught me, be flexible and allow yourself some lattitude. Whether this means taking a little longer to accomplish some tasks or coming up with a completely different way to do a normal activity.

Quote of the day: "This pain is only temporary, quitting stays with you forever." - Lance Armstrong.