Marathon: My personal journey: beast mode

How you see yourself matters the most!

How you see yourself matters the most! It directs your thoughts and actions. The other day, someone asked me if I was a runner.

I hesitated before answering. I said yes, I am a runner. I caught myself in the "not so confident moment". I have run and finished three full marathons, completed numerous races and have run for the past nine years. Why did I hesitate? I quickly reflected on the fact that so many people have said "you can't be a runner, runners are skinny" or "you are too big to be a runner".

Guess what? What they say doesn't matter. What I see, feel and say matters the most. I will never hesitate on the question ever again!

I have a small challenge for you. Take a picture of yourself with a big smile. Look at it, post it on your favorite social media piece with a tag that says something positive like "I am happy" or "thanks for being my friend" or "I love you". Whether people like it on the platform doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that you smiled big for the camera and posted something positive for the world to see. By the way, the camera loves you!

Saturday, July 19, 2014

beast mode marine corps marathon Training

99 Days until it's on!

James Connely at 12:41 PM No comments:

Week 2 of marathon training is in the books! It is 99 days until the Marine Corps Marathon and I am so excited. Tomorrow, I will type my full week #2 recap with special insights. This week sure was interesting. Double digit countdown for awhile!!!!

Monday, June 16, 2014

beast mode boom peanut butter PR smile

PR Scandal???

James Connely at 7:34 PM No comments:

This weekend, I ran the Grandview Gallop in Dubuque, IA. For a race of this distance, I am proud to report a PR! At the beginning of the race, I thought about my legs being tired...and quickly wiped that thought away- FAST!

I ran well and was able to record a PR- WOO HOO! Afterwards, I received a ton of questions from reporters. Here is a brief transcript:

Reporter: How did you feel throughout the race?
Jim: At the start, I didn't feel like my legs were at their best. Physically, my legs felt sluggish. However, mentally I felt solid.
Reporter: With your legs feeling sluggish, how did you manage to earn a PR?
Jim: I was able to blast through in BEAST MODE and had a great first mile. From there it was managing to the distance.
Reporter: Some of your fellow runners are circulating a scandal that you had an extra foot in the race. Is this true?
Jim: Just smiles.
Reporter: No seriously, did you have an extra foot in this race?
Jim: BOOM SHAKKA LAKKA.
Reporter: What does that mean?
Jim: No further questions:)

I really love the fact that my son is always with me. I thought about my Dad during the run too. I miss him. During the run, I would say a quick prayer of thanks for my family. My wife Teri is so supportive of my running, and I so appreciate that! I wore a Calico Bean Market shirt during the race and people would say they LOVE the peanut butter!

As for the extra foot in the race, here is proof.

The results (I was soooo close to breaking the 10 minute mile:)):

and last but not least....taking it to the shack! Thanks Mia Burbach for taking the photo and for volunteering!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

beast mode black black bear boom charity miles morning run nike plus phone possum shalane flanagan song woo hoo

Did I take BEAST MODE too far on National Running Day?

James Connely at 1:45 PM 3 comments:

So today I got an early start and was all smiles out the door, as it is national running day! I had a five mile run ahead....I was running in FULL BEAST MODE, listening to some good tunes and my trusty Nike plus app.

On top of it, I used the Charity Miles app to generate some funding and goodwill for autism today. It makes me feel good to share the gift of running and giving back to charities. Last night, my wife and I were talking about recent reports of a black bear sighted in our county and last year we had a mountain lion too. This always puts a little "extra" edge on an early morning run.

It's all good for me though, as it's national running day, I am having a great workout....and I can't stop smiling since being mentioned by Shalane Flanagan (+ShalaneFlanagan). As a double bonus, through the Nike Plus Shalane told me I was close to my goal and you know that made me run even faster- WOO HOO!

I get to a point where I want to switch songs for better speed and confidence. My go to song is "Black" by Sevendust (https://www.facebook.com/sevendustofficial). This song straight up rocks and is just the prescription for me to really zoom. I am looking down at my phone, and this is a familiar spot for me on my route.

While there is a brief moment of silence, BOOM! I am greeted by a possum that ran out of this grassy area! Talk about BEAST MODE!!! This scared the ever living daylights out of me. My phone dropped, headphones flew out, my heart was racing out of my chest and I was a mess. Seriously, I thought I was going to lose bodily function at this point. I had this startled look.

Honestly, I don't know what would have been worse, a black bear, a mountain lion or the fierce possum. This isn't the possum, but it looks pretty close. Even the possum was getting into the national running day- who knew? This little guy was super fast!

As my run finished, I was greeted one last time by Shalane (+ShalaneFlanagan) on the Nike Plus app. She told me that I have a three day streak, keep it up and BOOM! The BOOM part is probably my #1 used phrase (I say BOOM SHAKKA LAKKA), so you know I loved that!

In any event, happy national running day. When running in full BEAST MODE, be careful. Even the wild beasts can get in the mix. Don't fret...they just like getting in the action too. I hope your running adventures keep you smiling!
:)

Cori from Olive to Run has a cool "linkup" for bloggers on this awesome day. Check out the site:
http://olivetorun.com/

Image Source:

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_bear.htm

http://www.dailytech.com/Typing+Secret+Word+Will+Kill+Almost+Any+App+in+Apples+OS+X+Mountain+Lion/article29819.htm

http://kevinrunningfree.blogspot.com/2010/06/run-possum-run.html

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

beast mode fine Lita Ford morning run nike plus shalane flanagan souvenir

Hanging with Shalane Flanagan & Lita Ford got me in trouble!

James Connely at 10:59 AM 1 comment:

While on my morning run, I was having a blast. I thought it would be great to mix up some speed work. I am zooming along, listening to Lita Ford (+Lita Ford) sing "Playin with Fire". I love Lita's voice and as a younger person, I had a HUGE crush on her too:) I think of Lita and miss this sign....

Then Shalane Flanagan (+Shalane Flanagan) tells me (on the Nike + app) that I am close to my goal, so I really start kicking the speed work into HIGH gear or BEAST MODE! Oops...I miss this sign.

Uh-OH! It looks like my BEAST MODE switch being stuck in the "ON" mode coupled with Lita, Shalane caused me to get a ticket for speeding! @#$%! $375 fine. It applies to cars, bicycling and YES running. I did not know this until today. I am bummed about my fine, but I have this cool picture as a souvenir. I looked online and found my photo. #bustedinbeastmode

Saturday, May 31, 2014

back flip beast mode issues jump smile whoa

Back Flip in BEAST MODE!

James Connely at 7:19 PM No comments:

Today, I took my son to the pool and we had a blast! I asked him what trick he would like for me to jump off the diving board- he said "BACK FLIP".

Last year, I was doing them pretty regularly. I am happy to report that I was able to do a ton of them off the board without any issues! You should hear the little ones say "WHOA!".

It brings a smile to my face every time. This video is from the last day at the pool in 2013. I hope it brings a smile to your face!

Back Flip in BEAST MODE!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

beast mode crazy smile

BEAST MODE!

James Connely at 7:15 PM No comments:

One of my recent favorite phrases is "BEAST MODE". I have a tendency to get stuck on something for awhile and I know that annoys people sometimes. However, try this out. Tell someone they are operating in BEAST MODE for their work, fitness, races or workouts.

When I do this, the person on the other end either smiles or laughs. They immediately get a pick up. One of my good friends says "BEAST MODE is always stuck in ON mode". I can only smile like crazy because it is true.