Charity Running Update

I am glad I have stepped up to try a marathon for charity. I think the good folks at PAWS do amazing things and am proud to have tried to help. My ambition may have been a bit high shooting for the New York City Marathon and it's lofty fundraising goal. I am happily running the Denver Rock 'n' Roll on their behalf. I called today and surrendered my reserved slot for NYC. It's a bittersweet concession, but my hope is that someone on the wait list can it. I am continuing to fundraise the best I can.

If you can help: Troy's Running For PAWS!

Turn Signals

I have some pet peeves just like everyone. They aggravate me a little as they make me nuts with very little provocation. It "damages my calm" as was succinctly put in Serenity once. The one that's been coming up a lot lately has been people that don't use turn signals. As a routine city bike rider, it bugs me on a safety level, but I don't trust any cars so it's generally just annoying. When I am driving and a car makes a turn with no signal, it just pisses me off. Tiff summed it up great once when she said, "it's not for you." It's also lazy, a trait I abhor. The effort involved in signaling is ridiculously low and yet people frequently skip that small courtesy. In fact the lack of courtesy is probably another reason it irks me. I am not sure what it is about driving, but it seems to bring out the least hospitable in people. To yield and let someone in or not tailgate a driver not going as fast as they are allowed seem unusual. The matter of time saved in zipping along is negligible. Being an asshole lasts longer. I especially don't understand when people plaster their views and favorite places/teams all over their vehicle and then drive like a jerk. Poor representation.

Yet I digress. Turn signals. Just flipping' use them. It's not for you.

Fun

I am pretty damn happy I found someone I get to have fun with! That is pretty friggin' important!

Rain on a Sunday Morning

It was one of those rare grey days in Denver this morning. There was a slight drizzle coming down and the air was cool with little breeze. In short, it was a perfect day for a run. I just got back from my 14mi. long run and unlike yesterday, I feel fantastic and energized. Those that know me know I love stormiest days. How I have come to call a state with 300 days of sunshine home is still a bemusing mystery to me. None the less, when these rare gloomy days do come by, it picks me up. It was easier to run 14mi. today than my 4mi. yesterday.

Regardless, I am glad to know these little nuances about myself. Just as my resolution for 2013 focuses on the Good, it pays to know a little about what drives you. For me, getting out on a grey Sunday morning and running through some of Denver's beautiful, historic neighborhoods feels as uplifting as a revival to some. Now at home, enjoying an amazing mocha from Pablo's and listening to my eclectic music library on shuffle (Bad Religion just transitioned to Etta James if that tells you how varied it is), I am happy. These are my Good influences.

For a guy that just about lost it all when I was younger, I am humbly grateful to experience all of this today. 

Hot and Stuck

It's a lovely Saturday afternoon and I can not seem to get anything going. I am not good in heat. It's not terribly hot out there today but my mind is moving slowly and all I want to do is sit in air conditioning (we do not have on right now) and watch DVD's. It's tough as I know there are things I want to get done and to do, but my mind is plotting through mud to put two ideas together. I'm not sure how to fight it. I know I hear often in the winter people lament this feeling. Maybe its just my day to lay low till sun down. I don't rest easily, but that might be just the ticket.

Tutu Run?

So I posted this on Facebook, but I am offering it up here on Stupie as well. I am very close to hitting the $500 mark on my Team PAWS fund raising goal. If I can hit that by Sunday, I will run my next Saturday training run in a tutu. As an additional bonus, I will let the person that makes the donation that  breaks the $500 mark decide where in Denver I will do this frilly 4mi!

Challenge accepted?

Go to my page here!

Cleaning the Bike

I ride my bike a lot now that work is so close and everything I need to get to is within a mile or so. Yesterday while tooling about I noticed some new squeaks. Later that day, that exhaustion that keeps you n the couch even when you have no interest in whats on tv had a hold of me. After losing the battle to get going for quite a while, I finally dug out my bike kit and started cleaning it a little. I don't know if I got the squeak, but it felt good to do something. I admire the folks that want to know how something works and find out how to solve the problems that come up. While I am a novice as to the workings of my bike, I am proud that I know enough to put in some maintenance on it. Sometimes effort alone is enough to feel a little more accomplished.

Take that couch!

Simple Joy

Automatic

I am rapidly getting accustomed to my early morning runs before work. Today my lovely wife joined me. It was fantastic to have the company but it added an awareness I generally don't have when out there by myself. It's funny the tasks and little things that when you are used to doing them alone, they can become somewhat automatic. The oddness comes when you have that moment when you are suddenly aware you hadn't thought about it in a while. Makes me wonder how many routines I have throughout the day where my mind is happily working away at something else.

Makes you wonder while doing something other than wondering.

The Body

Mondays are my yoga days. They are the days in my marathon training I designate to rest. For me that rest entails an easy 1 mile run at dawn and a tough yoga class after work. I still find it surprising how tough yoga is. It's a hell of a workout. While I miss having a gym to hit, this satisfies those yearning s to push the body. I have this belief that my body is a gift and I get to use it for just so long. I truly want to get everything I can from it. Besides the power of belief, it's the next most powerful way to enjoy a richer life. At least to me. 

Clutter Removed

We spent some time at my folks place this weekend. Like so many parents, they have been housing several stray boxes from previous moves. I am grateful they have permitted my using some of their basement for so long, but it has bugged me to have that stuff there. I just dislike clutter and while it was not clutter in front of me, it is my clutter. A few of these boxes landed there when Tiff and I moved back to Chicago from LA in 2007. That stuff only made 1000 miles of the distance and have remained only modestly touched since then. Anything of use in them has been replaced and several items of sentiment, no longer have much sway.

I jumped into the pile this morning with the aim of finding some books. While I never found the books, I eliminated a lot of unnecessary clutter. Some of the boxes were even high school era. I had a penchant for collections when I was younger which led to some ridiculous boxes of crap. After filling 2 of my parent's trash cans and setting aside 3 boxes to come to our home, I feel it was a good chunk of stuff handled.

Perhaps next round will eliminate it, but today I feel better.

Breathless

Friday musings

I am glad to have a productive week under the belt! Our foster dog went to his forever home this week, fund raising is humming along, running my miles before work, and doing a lot on my new job. It feels good to be tired like this. I still don't know if I will be able to raise enough before I have to make a choice on my races. I will do my best and feel good at that. Hopefully I can do a lot to help them.

Lilo

Troy's running for PAWS

Simple Run Down

I started running to keep my mind occupied. It worked. Then I started to like it. All of a sudden I said I would do an 8K for a friend's team at PAWS Run For Their Lives in Chicago. A little later, while waiting to cheer a friend in the Chicago Marathon, I hatched this idea I'd like to try that.

It has been 4years and 6 marathons later. According to my sports watch, I have now run 4,284 miles since October 2009. Each time I show up to run a race, I see the folks that are raising money for charity and think I should have tried.

This year, I am attempting to run 2 marathons this fall to benefit PAWS Chicago. They do great work everyday and I am trying to help them for the next 3 months.  If you can spare a moment to donate, wonderful! If you can ask a couple people you know to donate, unbelievable! No matter what, I will be giving them something to continue their good work.

I hope you can help me! I have not asked before and it is uncomfortable to do so now, but I am trying.

What do you want to do?

Here's the link…

Spread the efforts by liking my humble Facebook page too.

All Star Nostalgia

I went over to my folks place tonight to watch the All Star game with my dad. It was good, simple fun. My dad took me to the game when I was a kid. It was the '86 game in Houston and I still don't know how my dad scored the tickets, but I do remember grabbing the tickets from a mailbox on our way to the game. It was the first time I had ever seen the Astrodome full or any player from the American League. As a kid growing up loving baseball, seeing the best players in the game was a mind blowing.

Sitting with my dad and watching the game tonight felt really good.

Not Just Me

It's no secret that I like to run. It's an easy sport and one that you need rely upon only yourself. That's part of what I like about it. I am the only one I need to rally to go for a 4mi run in the pouring rain or an 18mi run in a blizzard. My crazy is the only one I need.

That philosophy has taken a detour now that I am running a marathon for charity. I need to ask for help. Worse yet, I need to ask for money. I am not crazy about either but do really want to do some good with my crazy affinity. It's getting easier after a few days and I do have a little extra modivation to run and stay healthy. Even though its just me out there mile after mile, I feel I have actually joined a team.

To donate click here!

When It Began

Denver Coffee Crawl in Bikes

I'm in the middle of a coffee crawl on bikes. This is a unique experience and a ton of fun thus far. We have visited three shops and are currently at Black Bkack on38th and Meade. There are about fifty riders and we seem to overwhelm the modest barista crew at each of our stops. As a liver of coffee, it has been wonderful to see some shops in neighborhoods I don't usually travel to. Everyone on the crawl seems to equally love bikes and coffee. It feels good to have stumbled upon this niche event. Time to see what Black Black is brewing. 

Friday

They say when Friday rolls around, if you are tired you've done a good week of work. I'm exhausted. Work has been busy. I signed up for a way ambitious fund raising goal to run the New York City marathon. We got a foster dog. Training is picking up. I'm tired. It's been a good week. 

Riding the Lightning

Just got home after meeting some friends for coffee. It is pouring in one of our unusual summer thunderstorms here. I rode to meet them and got to ride back in a shower with a radical lighting show. It was wonderful! I needed a serious bowl when I got home but it was a joy!

George

We are sitting in the parking lot of one if those big box shopping centers. This is the location the foster animal transport meets with the foster families. Tiff and I are awaiting George. He is a beagle-terrier mix. Beyond that, not much is known about he and his sister Wheezy. George will be our first beagle to foster. As much as I dread the disruption to a routine I am growing quite fond of, it feels really good to do something to help. 

Running for PAWS Chicago

I took the plunge and signed up to run for a charity this fall. I chose PAWS Chicago as they are a fantastic organization and they hosted the first race I ever tried, The Run For Their Lives 8K (Go Team Coco!). I have undertaken a challenging fundraising goal and could truly use any help available. I will be running on their behalf in this fall's New York City Marathon!

Here is a link to my fund raising page and like I said, any help would be deeply appreciated!

Troy's PAWS Chicago Donations Page

Yoga + Heat = Stupid

It was way hot today. I was excited to hit yoga after work, but knew it was going to be tough today. For some reason I have yet to understand, yoga seems to relish the heat and sweat. They say it helps cleanse you and get you deeper into the poses. I sweat when the temperature gets a little over 65 degrees though. A studio with no ventilation and 30 people working out is as good as a sauna for me. Tonight's workout was tough but I am no sure if it was the poses or the fact that I was so damn warm buckets were coming off me. Either way, I am glad I manned up and went. It's better to have a hard workout under the belt than the "wonder if I should have" going through my brain.

Runnin' for Good

I am on the verge of signing up to run a marathon for charity. It's exciting and a bit scary all in one. As a guy that by nature does not like to ask for help, running has been a great outlet of a sport. You lace up and take off. No team, no field, hardly any equipment to speak of. Just go. This prospect would give me a chance to do something I love and do some good with it. The side that makes me nervous is the fundraising. That will require asking people for help. With a good cause at my back, I feel a little better about it.

Plus, it would be hella fun to get another marathon in this fall!

Hike

We joined one of our friends for a hike outside of Golden today. It was great to get up in to the hills and just breathe in the fresh air. The summer flowers and great views were fantastic. As a guy that generally runs through his scenery, I was truly savoring the gentle pace while still giving my calves and quads something to do. A wonderful, fast moving thunderstorm rolled in on our decent. The air smelled of rain and I could not have been happier. Makes me wonder why "take a hike" is often used in a negative way?

Staycation

We had volley about some ideas of a get away this weekend, Tiff and I. It seemed like a prime opportunity to just hit the road. We had even hinted at wanting to go as far as the west coast for a few days. While these plans sounded great, now that the time is upon us, we are finding a very different inclination. We are quite content enjoying our home and taking it easy a few days. While this is not nearly as exciting, it feels good to just listen to those impulses.

Half on the Fourth

My first half marathon this morning went well. I placed 44th overall with a time of 1:47:57. I went into it with no expectations and tried to remind myself to just have fun, I did not need to run fast. None the less, I am starting to find when I pin a number on that is a losing battle. Unfamiliar with this distance as a race, I tried to remain conservative till the turn around. On the second half, I found myself getting faster and more competitive than usual. I wasn't a jerk out there at all, no interest in that. What I was interested in was pursuing runners in front of me and passing them strongly. I had the legs and the air and no love for the rising heat. Thusly, I poured it on some and by mile 10, I was kinda alone out there. I finished strong and had a great time. My dad and I went back just before the finish and cheered for the runners still crossing the line. It was a great experience!

Road Trip With Pop

I'm down in Colorado Springs with my dad tonight. Through an unexpected turn, I am running my first half marathon tomorrow down here. It's the innagural Half on the Fourth race. My pop wanted to come down to see the race and rather than leave Denver at 4:30am, we are spending a rare night on the road together. With the unusual exception of my brothers wedding, I have not been out of town with my dad in my entire adult life. While I yammered on for a while at the onset, I was glad to shut up finally and take in some great stories, some of which I had not heard. Those are the gems! Hearing him say he went to Vail it's first year open and was outraged by the high lift ticket price of $7.50 was a treat!

Great Ted Talk

A Little Further

I didn't sleep too well yesterday and have a busy day at work. It was a tough to pull it together for a post work workout. None the less, I grabbed my mat and hit a yoga class. It was hard without a lot of energy, but it felt good to get good to get it in. Sometimes pushing just a little further is the payoff, even if you fall down a lot.