Impromptu 5K in Illinois

We were in Illinois last weekend for my cousin's wedding.  We were a bit worried about the weather because it was an outdoor wedding....in October...in Illinois.
As it turned out, the weather was perfect, and the wedding was absolutely beautiful.  It was on  a farm in the middle of nowhere, next to a small pond.  There was a large outdoor tent with chandeliers, bonfires, and dancing well into the night.

The Saturday morning the day of the wedding, we didn't have anything going on, so like any good runner I jumped on Active.com to see if there were any racing events we could partake in.  As it turned out, there was a 5K less than 5 minutes from our hotel.   Even though my foot isn't really ready to run much yet, I decided it would be a fun morning to get the whole family out there for a small 5K race.  Besides, it was for a good cause.

So that was the plan anyway.   The website said "registration at 8am, start time at 9am."   Perfect.   We arrived about 8:10 to the church where it was supposed to start, and the parking lot was empty.   "We must be early," I thought.   So, we ran down to a store to pick up a couple of things and came back around 8:40am.  Still no one there.   Instead of waiting until 9am, I decided that they must have cancelled the race and not updated the website.   But it was such a beautiful day that I still wanted to get the family out for some exercise.

So we searched and found some great walking/riding trails about 10 minutes away.   There were a grouping of about 4 or 5 parks connected with an awesome path, winding through forests, over bridges, with creeks and streams nearby.  It was really a beautiful setting.   We took our time, enjoyed the day, and walked for over an hour.   I'm guessing we went at least a 5K, if not more.  So we got our family exercise in, and it didn't even cost us an entry fee.

Here are a few pics:

Running with my son....

There were sculptures in some of the park...this is a sculpture of two bikes...



My sweetie and son....

The beautiful scenery of our trail...

here is a map of our trail..the green areas are all the parks we went through...



We stopped at a shoe store on the trip...this was an actul HUGE running shoe...

Review:

Coming shortly, I will be reviewing an item from CSN Stores.  If you haven't heard of the collection of CSN stores, they are great.  They have pretty much any type of item you would ever want to purchase, from dining sets to swing sets and everything in between.  Stay tuned.

These Feet Weren't Made for Running, Apparently....

I went to see the doctor last week....again....for my foot.....the other foot...

This time it was not due to my chronic plantar fasciitis, it was due to a bony protrusion on the back of my heel that got stepped on during a volleyball game, and forced me to limp around for several days....

The doctor said the bump is tied to me having achilles tendonitis at some point, and is called haglund's bump, or a "pump bump" because women who wear pump shoes get these bumps on their heels.....they took an xray and it showed calcification on the back of my heel, as well as the under side of my heel (the beginning of a heel spur)....so, he gave me a prescription, told me not to run for 3 weeks and come back for a check up....I actually felt better after a few more days, and have done some light running (shh, don't tell), but it definitely has me thinking that maybe I shouldn't run, if I am going to continue to damage my feet....I am definitely going to have this discussion with the doctor at my next check up....maybe I need to focus more on biking....not sure, just yet....then again, if the bump isn't causing me pain, maybe it will be okay to continue running....anyone have one of these heel bumps?    Here is what the xray looked like

Valley Center 5K Race Report:

1st place in his age group

 Valley Center 5K Run

This weekend is the  Valley Center Fall Festival, and our family always has fun with all the activities.  This year I ran the 5K with my 8 year old.  It was at 7:30am, so it was a bit of a chore getting him up and awake and to the start line on time.     I knew that the race would be small, it usually is, but this year it was especially small because it was held on the same day as the Wichita Race for the Cure, one of the largest and best 5K races in the area.  It usually draws 8 or 9 thousand people.    The race we ran?  Maybe 50.  Tops.   But that was okay, we were just there to have fun and enjoy the day, which we did.

showing our medals

My son ran his first 5K about a month ago and ran it in 33:30.   His time this time?  31:10.   He did awesome.  He got 1st in his age group (I think he was the only one in the 0-10 group),  and I happened to take 2nd in my age group, the first time I've age-group placed.   My son thought it was funny that he got a gold medal and my medal was silver.

We ran together the whole way and had a lot of fun.  I made it a point to thank every volunteer that we encountered.

"I need to put my new heart in."

Just before the race started, my son found a silver heart pendant on the street and stuck it in his pocket.  About 2.25 miles into the race, he says "I think I need to put my new heart in,"  and he gestured by putting the pendant heart into his chest, to give him more energy.   About a half mile later, getting winded, he said "man, that heart didn't last very long."   I told him maybe he should bring a few of those hearts next time.



my son with his "new heart"

After the 5K, we stuck around and did the kids fun run with my wife and other son.  I think the distance was like 3/4 of a mile, but I was amazed that my 8 year old still had gas left, he ran pretty fast the whole way.  My other son and my wife did a great job too.   Afterwards we stuck around for the parade, and are looking forward to riding rides and the fishing derby as part of Fall Festival as well.

my awesome family

 

Biking Advice?

Before I ask for biking advice, I have to tell you about the hail storm.    I started to go for a run this week after work, and I didn't get more than 1/2 mile from the house when I heard thunder, it started to drizzle, and tornado sirens started going off.  So, I cut the run short and headed home.  Living in Kansas, you kind of get used to tornado sirens, so I wasn't really worried, but I figured I didn't want to get stuck miles from home if it got really bad.

Little did I know that this was a pretty vicious storm.  Not only were there tornadoes, there was hail.   Big hail.  Seriously BIG hail.  Some of the pics I saw were hail 5 or 6 inches wide.  There was a hailstone that set a record apparently, as well, like 7 inches big.

 Since I live on the north end of town, we didn't get any hail (that I know of), but down south, they got pummeled.  Check out these pics:

not sure what the deal is with the donut hail

my boss had a huge hail stone go through the windshield of his car

Shifting Gears

So, here is the advice I need, for anyone the bikes out there.  I went for a 15 mile bike ride this morning, and I found my gear shifting to be kind of clunky, like I don't know what I'm doing (which I don't).  So, I wanted to search out some advice.

I just started biking a couple months ago, and really like it, but I'm kind of confused about what gear to ride in, when to shift gears, what gears to use when going uphill/downhill, or against the wind, etc.   For example, should I leave my front gear on the big sprocket or small sprocket most of the time?   I'm kind of just making it up as I go.   

Also, what is a good speed/pace to shoot for on a road bike?   I have been wearing my Garmin during my rides lately and my pace ranges from 12 to 22 miles per hour, depending on wind and hills.  It seems like 15 mph would be about average.  Is that good, bad, or just average?  I have an older road bike that is kind of heavy, so that pace seems about right.   I appreciate any advice you can offer.

------

I'm off to my son's soccer game, and then watch a little K-State football.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Happy Runner Giveaway here!

Pep talk from a 4 Year old

I need to go rent "Miracle"........and I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sick of tired too...

Tri Runner Giveaway here!

Racing with Babes Giveaway here!

Run Faster Mommy Giveaway here!

Nathan Training Kit Giveaway here!

CSN Giveawy Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the CSN Giveaway contest. Random.org picked the winner, and the winner is......

Lisa at Chasin Bunnies!

Congrats! I will be passing your email on to CSN to get you your prize.

Thanks.

15 Miles and My First Wipeout

I flipped a coin this morning to see if I would go for a run or a bike ride, and bike ride won. It was a beautiful day, perfect for biking, and I went 15.5 miles. The strange thing is that I am more tired after running 3 miles than biking 15. Really weird. I almost went for a run after the bike ride, but decided against it. I had a really good ride. Except for two things.

First, my bike light fell off and I realized the clip broke, so I'll need to get a new one. Not a big deal.

Second, I had my first wipe-out on my bike. I was riding through a campground of a local BBQ towards the end of my ride, checking to see if my friend was participating in the BBQ cook-off this year, and I totally wiped out. I forgot I was riding on a sand/dirt path and took a turn too sharp, and down I went. Of course I immediately looked around to see if anybody saw me fall. (I don't think they did.) I hit my head, but didn't get hurt, but I did get a nice raspberry on my leg.

Painted!

Labor Day weekend was anything but restful. Aside from celebrating birthdays/anniversaries with a nice family lunch, and taking a break to watch the K-State game (Go Cats!), we spent all weekend painting the exterior of our house. We kept the base coat the same, but changed the trim from a pastel blue to a tan and brown. We didn't really take before pictures, but here is an idea of the color we replaced:

And here is an "after" photo:

It was a lot of work, and we were extremely tired at the end of each day. I really wanted to go for a long bike ride or run, but I just didn't have the energy in me.

Speaking of bike rides, I got chased by a Rottweiler on my bike about a week ago. He came out of nowhere and starting barking and chasing me, for about 100 yards. I thought he was going to catch me for a minute. I had to turn and speed up to get rid of him. Now I can say that I've been chased by dogs while running AND biking. Why can't people keep their dogs (especially vicious ones) controlled or chained up??

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway , you have until Sept 12th.

Also, Busy Mama Running is having a Giveaway

And so is Shut Up and Run

A Giveaway -- $45 Gift Certificate to CSN

In honor of Labor Day, my birthday, my brother's birthday (we're twins), and my parent's anniversary (all happening in the next few days), here is another great giveaway from CSN.

I'm keeping in simple. Someone will win $45 in merchandise at CSN Stores. There is a ton of great stuff at that site -- you could get a textured foam roller, a LED headlight for those night runs, a massage stick , some ankle weights, or any number of hundreds of items. It is up to you how to spend the money, you could even get something non-running related.

To win, here is how to enter:

1. For one entry, leave a comment and say hello...yes, it's that easy
2. Be a follower and let me know it for a 2nd entry

3. For an extra entry, leave a separate comment about what you might spend the $45 on at CSN

4. For another entry, link back to this post on your blog

Contest runs until the end of Sept 12th, and then I'll pick a winner.

Happy blogging and good luck!

Do The Unthinkable...

Scott Rigsby turned his life around from over a decade of countless doctor visits and hospitals, 26 surgeries, amputations, depression, fear, and uncertainty. He has reached unprecedented heights as a world-class athlete.He completed 13 triathlons and 5 road races on his way to setting world records for a double below-the-knee amputee in the Full Marathon, Half Ironman, and International Distance Triathlon, earning him a spot on the 2006 USA Triathlon Team. On October 13, 2007, Scott Rigsby became the first double amputee in the world to have completed the grueling Hawaiian Ironman triathlon using prosthetics at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Do The Hustle: My Son's First 5K

Me and Bryden with our medals

My son's school (Valley Center) put on a 5K/2 mile/1 mile run today-The Hornet Hustle. I probably should have signed my 8 year old up for the 1 or 2 mile runs, but I decided to stretch him and do the 5K with him. I told him that we needed to pace ourselves, that 3 miles is a long way, and that we could just take it easy and enjoy the day running together. It turned out to be a blast, and he did awesome.

The weather was absolutely perfect for a run. I saw the Running Lawyer, and tons of people I know. We ran on grass the whole way through a park, and it kind of felt like my old high school cross country races. There were about 350 runners between the three events, and maybe 150-ish in the 5K. I am pretty sure that my son was the youngest person running the 5K. He ran really strong, and I'm proud of him. We ran together , talked throughout, and even held hands at various point of the race. It was a really special run. As for time, we hit the 2 mile mark at 20 minutes, but struggled a bit the last mile to finish in 33:30. Not bad for a kid that just turned 8 in June.

Running strong.

This race was put on by his school (Valley Center Hornets) in an effort to not have to do any fundraisers this year (you know, selling popcorn or candles or gift wrap, etc). If they raised enough money through this run, we wouldn't be asked to do any fundraisers. I am hopeful that this run will do the trick.

My son with the webkinz that came in his race packet.

The title of this race reminded me of the old disco song "The Hustle." How can you not love that song? My parents were big into disco dancing back in the day, and they actually won the first disco dance contest in Wichita. (Happy Birthday dad!) Check out this video to learn to "do the hustle."

Giveawy Coming!!

Yes, it's round 2 for a CSN Giveaway! In case you haven't heard of them, they have a gazillion products from everything from a Coffee Maker , to luggage, to exercise equipment (tons of yoga and strength training items), to bird cages. You name it, they probably have it. Check it out - CSN. I'll try to post this little giveaway in the next week. Stay tuned.

Running and Riding

My wife and I celebrate 14 years of marriage this week. To celebrate we had a great date night Friday night. We used a gift certificate that I won in a golf tournament to stay downtown and went to dinner and then to Mosely Street Melodrama, right across the street from our hotel. This is one of our favorite places, they have really funny shows. We had a great time.

Our hotel room overlooked an open square that is home to a Farm and Art market each Saturday, so when I woke up early I strolled through it on the way to my run.

I was able to run about 4 miles all around downtown, which is a place I don't get to run very often. I ran by the new Arena, by the River, and all throughout downtown. My path would have looked pretty crazy, like a wild Etch-a-Sketch. I ran down one way streets and alleyways and through parking lots and around buildings. I was exploring as much as I was running. I did also happen to find quite a few can tabs , and I realized later why there were so many empty beer cans littered everywhere--Rush was in concert the night before.

It was a fun run, and a great little anniversary getaway into the heart of the city.

Today I got up and went for a bike ride. I just went about 7 miles because I didn't have much time, but it was a good ride. I did notice that on a bike you stay cooler because of the breeze created by riding faster. Since I don't run that fast, this heat has been brutal to deal with. I had a buddy contact me that did a duathlon over the weekend, and he wanted to see if I am interested in doing one with him, so I am looking into that. I think it sounds fun. I've got a 5K with my 8 year old this coming weekend--the Hornet Hustle--and I am really looking forward to doing that with my son.

Girls Will Be Boys and Boys Will Be Girls

Harvard Sailing Team does some funny stuff....with football season upon us, I thought these were pretty good....Enjoy

The Visor King

Here are four new visors I got from Headsweats . They have really good running hats and visors. Since I love bargains, I got these in the Outlet Store, and it was a "Grab Bag" of visors. I didn't know what they would look like, but I like them all. There is a Joint Juice visor, a Clif Shots visor, a Phoenix Triathlon visor, and I'm not sure what the fourth one is, the white and blue stripe one with a red/yellow "C." If anyone knows what that logo is, feel free to fill me in.

Anyway, I love visors, and have quite the collection now:

My wife says I have too many, but I say you can never have too many good visors. ( ;

My New "Old" Bike

Fuji S12-S LTD

I have been wanting to get a bike for awhile now to be able to do some cross training (something I did none of my first year of running, which I believe led to injuries). I checked out some bike stores, looked around online, did some research, talked to some friends, etc, etc.

I pretty much knew what I wanted--a 5 to 10 yr old road bike for under $400. And I didn't want a cheap bike either. I didn't need to get top of the line, but I wanted to get bike that I would want to ride. Bike shops were selling bikes of this variety starting at $800. Bikesdirect.com had some nice bikes (albeit no-name brands) for about $500. Still above my price range. So, I resorted to Craigslist, and after looking for a couple months, I found one. Even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted, it was still a very nice bike.

I got an early 1980's Fuji S12 S LTD. Back when it was made, it was about second from the top of the Fuji line for road bikes. In researching it I found that some people have ridden this bike across the country multiple times, and that it is a very dependable bike.

The people I got it from bought it new in 1985 and have kept it in mint condition. It seriously looked brand new. They kept it inside their house, and the man said he hasn't ridden it in about 3 years. It rides really nice, and is pretty light, maybe a pound or two heavier than a new road bike, which isn't bad considering its age. Looking at this bike, it is hard to tell that it is 25 years old. The components are really good on it too.

The bike looked like it just rolled off the factory floor.

Here are some specs:

Model S12 S-LTD, Black in color, Chrome-Molly Double Budded Frame, 12 Speeds, Type 331 tubing construction. ( has to do with the grade and thickness ), Bar Con Shifters (these are a little odd, the shifters are at the end of the handle bars-see pic below), new handle grips, Avocet Seat (the only thing not original), Extras added by the seller --- Mile counter on the front wheel, Seat bag, Light on front

Barcon bar-end shifters. Apparently they are more reliable than standard shifters.

The best part of this deal was the price -- $150. I'm a bargain shopper, so I love getting good deals, and I think this was a great deal. It is a nice bike that I will enjoy riding, and it is a good starter bike for me. If I get more serious about biking and want to take it to the next level, I can always spend more money for a nicer bike. Until then, I'm very happy with my find. It's older than I planned but it doesn't feel like an old bike, if that makes sense.

Something else this bike had that I hadn't seen before was a sticker-protector for the tire/tube. See the little mechanism to the right of the fork in the picture below? That is there to catch any stickers that you ride over and scrape them off before you roll over them again. Pretty ingenious, I thought.

The sticker protector (or whatever it's called)

I've been in Arkansas, so thus far I've only ridden it twice, but it rides really great. Looking forward to putting many more miles on this baby!

Plug for Prairie Fire

This past Sunday I was able to attend the Wichita Open, a Nationwide golf tournament. I had an absolute blast and saw some great golf, despite the 100 degree temperatures.

While there, I was sitting next to a man wearing a "Prairie Fire Marathon" shirt, and struck up a conversation with him. He said he was the owner of the marathon, which is having it's innagural race on 10/10/10. It was interesting hearing from him all the work that goes into planning an event like this. Truly a remarkable feat that takes tons of coordination and lots of volunteers.

Here are a few details: This race will replace the former Wichita Marathon, and will feature a full, half, 5K, and fun run. It will start at the Hyatt downtown area and wind through the city, through the College Hill and Eastborough neighborhoods, and feature 13 live bands playing on the course. There will also be a pasta dinner the night before. Much of this information is on their website if you are interested. He said they have to coordinate blocking off like 247 intersections. Wow.

As he was talking, I was getting excited, thinking, "hey I could do the half, this sounds like a fun race," only to learn later when I got home that I have my cousin's wedding that conflicts that weekend. Anyway, I hope this race is a success in it's first year and if you're looking for a midwest marathon in October, take a look at this one. He said he was hoping for 500 racers in the marathon and 1000 for the half. Interestingly, as we were talking, he was getting online entries popping up on his blackberry. "Just got another entry, a man from Arizona doing the half," he'd say as he showed me his phone. Gotta love technology.

In other news, I got a bike over the weekend. More to come on that later.

Winding Down Summer

I can't believe my boys start school next Friday, less than a week away. Where has the summer gone?? It has been a pretty fun (and hot) summer, with a lot of fun family time together, but I think the boys are ready to get back to being with their friends all day again.

I was thinking back on this summer on some of the things we've done:

Silver Dollar City, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Rock River Rapids water park (twice), 4th of July parade and city party, Drive in Movie theater (twice), swimming at the local pool (too many times to count), Pinks all Out, Arkansas trip, VBS, Wingnuts baseball game, Naturals baseball game (minor league), coaching my youngest son's baseball team, an art class for my oldest, and on and on and on.

One of my favorite things we've started doing is taking evening walks together, about 3 times a week. We have a 2.5 mile loop that we go on that has a park along the way where my kids like to play. We have been trying to encourage healthy eating and exercise for all of us, and that is a part of the routine.

I ran 5 miles this morning, another can tab run , so it was nice and easy pace. I also found a roll of duct tape, that I added to my workshop. woo-hoo. You never know what you'll find by the side of the road.

Keep running long!

Jamba Juice Cheeseburger Chill Smoothie

I love Jamba Juice's response to burger places getting into the smoothie business. Great video, very well produced and believable. They look as gross as they sound, but heck, I'd try one.

The new Evil Kenevil...

About a mile from our house is a Harley Davidson dealership, and this past weekend they had their 5th anniversary party, featuring a motorcycle daredevil named Bubba Blackwell.

Little did I know that Bubba Blackwell has set two world records with jumps over vehicles. He broke Evil Kevevil's records for jumps over cars and buses (20 cars/15 buses). The first time it was 18 and the next time it was 20. Then in 2001 he tried to break his own record with 22 cars and came up short. He had a bad crash, broke many bones, and many thought he would never jump again. But, he is back, and still jumping. We saw him jump over 11 trucks, not a record, but it was still a fun time.

my son in front of the motorcycle he wants...

Bubba after his successful jump...

getting ready to jump...

doing some wheelies for the crowd...

Running Update

It has been way too hot to run lately. Yesterday was 109 (a record high) and it was the 5th straight day of temps in the triple digits. I am planning on doing the Hornet Hustle 5K at the end of the month though, so I need to get out soon for some conditioning runs. This race is put on by my son's school and they are doing this to try to raise money so that the kids don't have to do fundraisers during the school year. I am all for that.

Hood To Coast Movie

Have you all heard about the Hood to Coast documentary movie that should be coming out this fall? It looks pretty good....check out the trailer:

Hood To Coast Trailer from HoodToCoastMovie on Vimeo.

You can also go to the website and put a request in to have it come to a theater near you.

$50 CSN Winner!

Using Random Number Generator, the lucky number was #50, which means that new follower Karen has won the $50 to CSN Stores. Karen, send me your email address and I'll pass it on to CSN to get you the prize.

Congrats!

Stupid Gazelle

Yeah, sometimes I feel like that gazelle too......I did have a pretty good 3 mile run this evening, even though the heat just about killed me...bad side cramps too, which I haven't had in a long time....

Still a couple days to enter my giveaway to win $50 in products from CSN. Check it out here.

Can Tab Run

So the other day I had to take my car into the shop for some repairs. I took it to a place in another town, about 4 miles away from my house.


I decided to take it in, and run back home, instead of waking the family up to follow me and then bring me back. It was a nice day outside and I was due for a run.


After dropping the car off, I started running back home, on mostly a one lane road in the country between the two towns. But as I was running I started noticing all the litter on the side of the road. Man, we have some litterbugs here. It was kind of sad.


And then I started noticing all the aluminum cans that people had thrown out their windows which had ended up on the side of the road in the weeds. The biggest litterbugs seem to be Bud Light drinkers, although Pepsi wasn't far behind. Really, I think I saw just about every beverage represented in the can litter.


And then I had an idea.


For the past year or two, we've been collecting can pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. If you don't know about the Ronald McDonald house, they do great work by allowing families to stay in their homes at a very cheap rate (like $15) while a loved one is in the hospital for an extended period of time. This past week, my wife took our boys down to deliver the tabs, and they also picked up a new little house to collect the tabs in:

So my run then became a can tab collection run. I think I collected about 50 tabs, and I didn't even get them all. Some cans were too far into the weeds, or too badly mangled, or I just didn't feel like stopping for some. My pocket was weighted pretty good with the tabs. I kind of felt bad about leaving the rest of the can there and just taking the tab, like I was littering all over again. But there was no way I could carry all those cans, and I justified it by the fact that it was someone else's litter.


It made for a lot of stopping to pull tabs during the run, but it was worth it, and I had fun.

Giveaway reminder --it's not too late to enter my giveaway here! Good luck!

A Giveaway -- Win $50 in Merchandise!

Okay, I am going to keep this simple. One of you is going to win $50 in merchandise at CSN Stores. There is a ton of great stuff at that site -- you could get a foam roller, a LED headlight for those night runs, a massage stick , or any number of hundreds of items. It is up to you how to spend the money, you could even get something non-running related.

To win, here is how to enter:

1. For one entry, leave a comment and say hello...yes, it's that easy
2. Be a follower and let me know it for a 2nd entry

3. For an extra entry, leave a separate comment about what you might spend the $50 on at http://www.csnstores.com/

4. For another entry, link back to this post on your blog

Contest runs until the end of July, and then I'll pick a winner.

Happy blogging and good luck!

A Junk Man, and a Giveaway Teaser

Junk Man
Above is a picture from the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in Branson. In the lobby they have these statues made out of junk parts (toys, cars, lighters, buttons, etc) fastened to a frame.

My kids thought it was the coolest thing, and so when we got home they wanted to try to make one. Here is our attempt...

Giveaway Teaser

The people at CSN Stores have contacted me to do a giveaway. Have you heard of them? They have a gazillion products from everything from a Dutch oven , to luggage, to exercise equipment (tons of yoga and strength training items), to bird cages. You name it, they probably have it. Check it out - CSN. I'll try to post this little giveaway this weekend. Stay tuned.

Soccer Running

Last night I went for a run with my son. He was on his scooter and I kicked a mini soccer ball the entire way, about 2 1/2 miles. It was actually pretty fun.

Tech shirt Giveaway here

Lazy, Crazy Summer

This past month has been crazy busy to work, with a trip to Arkansas, a vacation to Branson, and a quick getaway to Topeka/Lawrence thrown in. Suffice it to say, I haven't been blogging in a while, and I've only run about once a week for the last couple of weeks. Just don't have the time or energy, especially with this mid-to-upper 90's heat we have going on lately. Seriously, all I want to do is jump in a swimming pool most days.

But, I've gotten to do some pretty cool things this past month. Here is a list:

1. I got to ride in my town's July 4th parade with my son's baseball team. This was followed by all kinds of activities in the park where I even entered a horseshoe tournament (?) and won two matches..

Go Red Sox!

2. Took the family on a work trip to NW Arkansas, where we went to a minor league baseball game with some friends and my wife and I were put on the jumbo tron and had to kiss...

At the ball game....we were on the jumbo tron in the background...

3. Got to go swimming with my boys multiple times, and launch my youngest into the water...

Prepare to launch....5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

4. Had an awesome Branson vacation, where we went to Silver Dollar City and Ripley's Believe it or Not....

With the tallest man in the world at Ripleys...

5. Went to a Wichita Wingnuts game with some friends, sat in the skybox, and one of our friends caught a foul ball (okay, she didn't actually catch it but it came right to her and landed at her feet where she picked it up.)

(no picture, forgot to take the camera...but we really did catch a foul ball)

6. Went to the REO Speedwagon/Pat Benetar concert, sat in the 7th row middle and got back stage passes...(my brother in law knows the bass player from REO very well, got us the hook up)....awesome show, and my ears are still ringing....

With Bruce Hall, bass player for REO

7. Took a trip to Topeka to see a taping of the show Pinks All Out .. We got to see a lot of fast cars and had box suite tickets to this as well with free food/drinks...it was nice having air conditioning on such a hot day....

Two rocket cars...man, they were loud... The host of Pinks, All Out, starting a race...

8. Bought a Life is Good "Gotta Run" TShirt on clearance for $7...

9. Got some New Balance shoes to wear test, and I won some Reebok shoes that I am waiting to receive (woo-hoo)

10. Overall, despite the crazy busyness at work, I've had a fun time just hanging out with the family and enjoying the summer...can't believe school starts in less than a month!

PS...Coming soon.....a great Giveaway for you all!

It's Just Like a Mini-Mall

In case you haven't seen this one yet. There are lots of variations out there now, this is the original. If you're ever in Montgomery, Alabama, put this on your list of places to visit.

Hammer It 5K Race Report

Let me first say that if a race runs right by your house, and your a runner, I think you're pretty much obligated to run that race. The start and finish line are less than a 1/2 mile from my house, so I was also able to walk to and from it.

This was the first race I've run since this exact same race over a year ago. Since then, I've been battling foot injuries and have had 9 months or so of not running, which means I lost much of my conditioning. I was pretty much starting over as a runner, and I started running steady again about 2 months ago. In the last two months, I've run this course 6 times during my normal weekly runs. The course was still marked out with spray paint from last year. Here are my training run times:

5/14 -- 31:45

5/21--31:13

5/26--31:37

6/8--30:49

6/15--30:45

6/17--29:58

So in about a month I took almost 2 minutes off that 5K time during practice runs. I was optimistic that I could break 30 minutes, even though there was no way I'd hit a PR (26:40 in this race last year).

The 2nd annual Hammer It 5K was much drier than last year. It was a very nice dry sunny day, which meant it was also hot. Good thing the race started at 7am, before the heat really kicked in. There were about 100 runners. I prepared mentally for the three H's--Heat, Hills, and Humidity. (yes, there are hills in Kansas) I felt pretty good and had a nice run, and finished in.....29:08! I was glad to break 30 (hey I never claimed to be fast), and nearly break 29:00. Splits were 8:58, 9:46, and 9:28. Goal completed. Now on to the next race.

I also talked to Lacy's dad, who placed in his age group. He is fast, just like her. He's a nice guy who has been running a long time. I didn't see Fair Weather Runner, though, who was supposed to show up and defend her age group title from last year.

Here are a few pics from the race:

My son holding the cool flourescent yellow race shirt!

Running past my house. My wife and kids cheered me on.I got to run with John, who I coach baseball with. He beat me by about 30 seconds or so. His 7 year old son also road his bike with him the whole way.
The line at the porta potty before the race. Lucky me, I could have just run home to use the bathroom.

Even our mayor showed up to help with the race. That's him talking on the phone in the blue shirt. Gotta love small town races.