Marathon: My personal journey

What a KILLER race! Thank you to all of the many volunteers, Monica and her staff at the Run CRANDIC, the law enforcement and fans. You all made this experience so amazing!

During this race, I experienced some up and down moments. I could tell you all about it, but why not do it through video?

10 miles in, was feeling great "let's keep it rolling"
Halfway through and was feeling GREAT! 
Then I saw the Kirkwood CC, an island oasis covered with HILLS- more HILLS! 
Then Angie-Maske-Berka came to the rescue with pickle juice, to help my cramping legs. 4 miles left! 
Thank you to Teri Connely, Nile and all my friends for supporting this amazing journey. I was getting teary eyed here, VERY emotional. CRANDIC! 
And then I had to go Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior on the CRANDIC race, summons the lightning bolts and JIM-A-Maniacs. HEE HEE 
Feeling great with .2 miles left. #7 in the books, felt great to finish. My foot hurt like crazy, but I was numb to the many pains. The finish depended on my getting it together! 


Thank you all for the support. 

R.I.P my right pinky toe. You bore the brunt of this race, I owe you one- get better soon!

The past couple of days, I went running with my favorite partner ever! We ran a 5K today and yesterday. He taught me how to have fun while running. He roller bladed while I ran. So much fun!

I should be headed into some training runs in December!

Hello everyone!
I have been searching for answers about the tragedy of Mollie Tibbetts. I feel terrible beyond words, everything about it. I didn't know Mollie, but her friends talk about her love of running, she was a great sister, student and daughter. The world has a huge void without her in it.

I have watched the world around me struggle with this. People are sad, mad, frustrated, furious, etc. I wish that we didn't have such evil in the world. Personally, I have been searching for some answers.

On a podcast, I was asked what I would do if I ran the world. My answer:

I would ask every single person to hug 10 people a day. 

I hypothesize that if everyone did this, we wouldn't have much hate, negativity or loneliness. We might smile more often. OK, maybe 10 is a bit aggressive, but some number around 5 might work. They just have to be different people. Spread it around. Should we try this? Maybe I will do it this week- so heads up. I will report back my results.

One other thing that has helped me is my friends, family, running and my son. We have trained for some races recently AND my wife sponsored the Peosta Glow Run. We used the hash tag #milesformollie. I know it isn't much, but it helped me feel like I was doing something good.

The last and most amazing thing to help:
Fists of fire! This is a yoga phrase and check this picture of my son out. He used it before his favorite race this morning. He reminded me that you have to enjoy life and have fun. Somehow, I believe that Mollie would enjoy the perspective.

And oh yes, I hugged my son extra hard after his race. :)

I ran this distance last week and loved it. Today rocked me big time. I made it through. My pace was off. I cramped up later. I had enough water. A difficult experience for sure. 

Good news, it happens. 

I will work forward. A chariot depends on me. 

I will be there.

I will finish.

Always do. Thankfully :)

My wife and I have a good friend, Jeff Lenhart. He inspires me to be better. I love the fact that he is an advocate for the homeless. He is an amazing person and the world is a better place because of him:) I love his new ride, kindness 2!

For a long time, I have run for charity. It makes me feel good, while investing in my own health. During training, I always use the charity miles app. For June and July, I am dedicating my running time to Back on My Feet. They help the homeless be empowered to get back on their feet. I first learned of this great organization through Runner's World. 

So far my miles have paid Back on My Feet $30 for June (120 miles). All I have to do is run, the sponsors pay the charities. I will post a thank you next week to them. 

For now, thanks Jeff! You rock!

On this day, let's remember our freedom and the many who sacrificed the most for us. Also, to remember our "why". 

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/harrystrum131618.html

Oh yeah.

It's hard to believe, but it's race week for team HGH. I am excited to run with this team of great people. This week, I will focus on the following:

Hydrating (loading up on extra water)
Stretching (the miles are adding up)
A yoga session or two, it helps with strength, stretching and the mind
Planning for race day (more on this later)
SLEEP!
Fueling will be critical this week.
Running some miles this week*

*this week is not like most weeks for me, I will still be loading up some miles and will likely take Friday off or take a light run.

GO team HGH!

75 Miles in the market-to-market!

Image source:
http://waynesbororunning.com/2015/06/race-week-parking/

Oh yeah, this is the time of year that can be difficult. Sub 0 temperatures, snow, ice, fog and other wild things. This year, I had to get creative with running during the travel season. I worked out a little indoors and spent most of my time outdoors. I prefer the outdoors, but it can be difficult to keep it going during bad weather.

Spring will be here. I still haven't signed up for a big race yet, other than the market-to-market relay in May.

This is a picture of my new running shoes. I LOVE them!


Image source:
http://www.asicsamerica.com/Shop/Footwear/Running/Mens/GEL-Kayano-21-Lite-Show/p/0010228582.0491

First, I am sorry that I haven't posted in a little while. I have been asked a few times about my running calendar this year. I have a fun relay this Spring, it's 75 miles with five of my close personal friends. I am excited about that. I will start training on February 15th, at least formally. 

The weather is perfect. Each morning has been around 30 degrees. I ran with the Yak Trax earlier in the week, but shed them on Wednesday. 

I must admit, the last two months of the year traditionally pose a challenge for me. It's darker than usual, cold and the schedule isn't packed with races. To compound the challenge, I just finished marathon season. Your body and mind trick you into this: You have worked hard and it's time to take a break.

This is a challenging period. Historically. Not this year though.

I have taken up one of my favorite sports: hockey. It requires you to be in great shape. Running does this for me. I now find myself running to be better on the ice.

On the running side, six of my awesome friends and I will be running a 75 mile relay in May. This is another great bit of motivation.

My goal is to have at least 100 miles a month for November/December.

Tomorrow, I will be running again. It is the first time since the marathon and I am excited. It will be a smaller run.

I can't wait!

WOO HOO!

I trust in my training plan and I have faith that I will finish on Sunday. Just like this road, I cannot see where it goes after a certain point. I ran across this road ten minutes before. Is it the same? 

Have faith. 

Have faith in something. 

Have faith in yourself.

I have faith and believe. 

I believe in God:) She will get me through.

.

I am grateful for my abilities, time and mind. These awesome flowers were photographed during my runs recently. Enjoy!

I love the sound of "long run in the books, rest day coming". I really enjoyed my long run today. I was worried about it, changed my mindset and zoomed along. It was a difficult run, but I managed physically and mentally.

I am feeling more ready for the Quad City Marathon, as every day goes on. YES!

As I ran today, I kept thinking about Tyler Sash and September 11th. I said a few prayers for the families.

Thank you for reading and supporting me!



Image source:
http://www.911memorial.org/explore-memorial
http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/football/2015/09/10/tyler-sash-death-iowa-hawkeyes-football-helmet/72025844/

This week was a fun and tough week of training. As I sit here writing this, I am fighting off leg cramps. They are the kind that start in your hamstrings and shoot to your calf muscles. YIKES!

This may be a sign that I need some additional hydration:)

I traveled this week and it was a challenging schedule to keep. Earlier in the week, I took this picture. I hope you enjoy it. The morning views are amazing. One of the many benefits of running early in the morning.

Today, I ran the Hooley Hustle 5K in Dubuque. It was a beautiful race and a gorgeous day. Before my 5K, my son ran the half mile race. He rocked the house. I was so proud of him!

During the run, I learned so much about myself and was close to a personal record. Even though I didn't get it, I was extremely proud of my race.

I powered through some rough spots and really ran well. My marathon training really showed today.

Another race and getting better. Love it!

Thanks to @roadid (https://www.facebook.com/RoadID) and @calicobean  (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Calico-Bean-Market) and the other sponsors for being great supporters. Stop down and get some Tailwind at the Calico Bean Market @gotailwind +Tailwind Nutrition .


Image source:
http://www.dubuquejaycees.org/participate/community-projects/hooley-hustle-5k-run-walk/