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I did do the second day of the push up challenge. The muscle on each side really felt the burn. Today it was sets of 9,8,6,5 and a max of 11.

I'm still doing atkins. Yesterday we dropped my son of at his work - Someburros and stayed to eat dinner. They give you free chips and salsa. I passed on them and got the taco salad. No, I even passed on the fried tortilla bowl. Then, I took Tyler over to the DMV for some parallel parking practice. After wards, he wanted to stop at Dairy Queen. He got a small shake and we took Amy a Peanut Buster Parfait. I passed. Today we went to the movies and saw "Journey to the Center of the Earth", and I didn't eat any popcorn. Tomorrow morning I'll weigh in.

2nd race of the year

Not since I ran the PF Chang's Marathon, have I run in a race. Tonight I went over to the 2nd annual Beat The Heat Knight 5k. It was put on by the Higley Knights Cross Country team.

It's been stormy all week in Arizona and tonight was no exception. Last nite I was getting ready to play softball when we heard a loud thunder crack and the ump immediately said 'go home'. Tonight the lightening was off in the distance. But, as the gun sounded 5 minutes early the rain came down. It wasn't too hard and made for a nice way to cool down. We did a lap on the track in front of dozens of fans in the bleachers, then headed out into the dark and down an abandoned roadway. They did set up spot lights along the road. The asphalt was removed, so it was really running on dirt. The spot lights would shine in our eyes and blind us. We couldn't see the elite runners on their return leg. Luckily the could see us.

I knew my time wouldn't be very impressive, I just wanted to run in a race and this was a small one close to home. For most of the race I was keeping up with 4 of the girl Xcountry runners. They had a better kick at the end and left me in the dust on the track.

You can click on the map above to see where we ran. When I was about 1/2 mile from the stadium, the lights went out. I told a volunteer that I was slow, but at least they could have left the lights on. I got a chuckle. We ended up running on the track in the dark.

Only got a luke warm bottle of water at the finish, but we did get a cool t-shirt for our efforts. It was an unusual race, because I think the average age was around 16-20. I doubt 38 minutes will get me a medal, eventhough I bet there are only 4-6 runners in my age category. I'll let you know.

Hundred Pushup Challenge

Last night I started the program. I was supposed to do sets of 7,7,5,4 and then do as many as I could. I finished with 12 pushups at the end, all while watching a tape of the Dbacks/Dodgers game. Go Dbacks!

From 10 to 100 in Six Weeks?

I'm accepting another challenge. Last night when I ran I notice that my shoulders were tired. More so, than my legs. I thought I needed to get some upper body work and get stronger. Than today, the good lord sent me a comment from Reid. On Reid's blog Lifestrides, I saw a link to One Hundred Pushups.

I'm in. All in. Today I did my initial test. 10 pushups. Good form. But, as I type I can still feel it in my arms.

I'll keep you updated with my progress. I'm hoping it will help with my hitting a softball too.

Air Force 5k

I can't wait for the Air Force 5k on September 20th. I have to drive down to Tucson for the race, but click on the photo to see the course. It's in the Pima Air Museum and among the planes. I get a tee, breakfast and I get to visit the museum. This is too cool.

Last night I ran to the lake and back. 3.6 miles. Another storm was coming in, so I got lots of cool breeze. It was a cool 91 degrees. It was another Nike HumanRace training nite and a couple of ladies passed me. As they passed, they said to me, "you're almost there". Thinking I was doing the training run too. I told them I wasn't one of them, I was just beginning my run.

On the diet front I am holding steady the past few days. I gained one pound - who can gain on atkins? I can. But, I've been faithful and should see some pounds dropping.

Holding steady at 228.

It's Thursday morning and I weighed in at 225.5. Not sure why I can go 3-4 days and not lose anything and then drop 2.5 pounds overnight? I think my scale has a mind of it's own. That means I gone from 235 to 225.5, almost 10 pounds, in 13 days. GO ATKINS!

Reid over at Lifestrides is doing a virtual mile. I plan on running in it and I hope all of you do as well. He's got a pretty cool running history too, so you might want to read some of his older posts.

Chandler Get's Fit

Our mayor wants us all to get fit. Mayor Boyd Dunn has set up a Wellness Challenge for residents of Chandler in September followed by a fun day and 5k or 10k race on October 18th. You know I like challenges, so I'm in. I made copies of the registration for my wife and kids. Hopefully, they'll want to participate too. If you're going to be in Chandler, AZ on that day you might want to join in the fun too.

Last night I got in a 2 miler around my neighborhood. My garmin was out of gas, but I wasn't. It was overcast and cooler, so it was a nice Arizona nite for a run.

A Pleasant 85

We had a big storm today, monsoon. It started with a dust storm. I was driving in it. Then the rain. It reminded me of those insurance commercials. I saw fallen trees, flooded streets, multiple police cars with lights at intersections, one severe accident and all sorts of debris hitting my car.

The beauty of the monsoon is that the temps fall drastically. It was dark and 85 when I started runnng. I was concerned with being gassed, so I kept the run to a one mile loop in my neighborhood. It was a nice memory, because it was a route I used to run in my first year. I got three laps in for 3 miles and I didn't feel the dizziness that I felt on Friday night. I ate a bit more carbs today, so that may be it. I'm sure the temps played a part too.

This is something most guys wouldn't confess. Do you know the movie "Music and Lyrics"? I think that's the name with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore? Anyway, my daughter used my Itunes account to download the album. It found it's way onto my Ipod, so every couple runs I get to hear "Way Back Into Love" or "Pop! Goes My Heart". I like it because it reminds me of my daughter. It's a funny move too.

No honestly, my daughter bought it. Emily, if you read this post, please confirm that you bought the album.

Low Battery Warning!

My running routine is to lightly stretch my legs using the left front tire of my SUV. While I do that I turn on my Ipod and garmin gps.

I should have taken the sign. My garmin said, "Low Battery Warning". I ran anyway. My garmin lasted about 1/4 mile before it shut down. I lasted about a mile. Then I was gassed. Tired. Dizzy. No desire to run. I walked and walked and walked. I thought about calling Amy. When I first started running 26 months ago, I promised I would call if I ever couldn't finish my run. I haven't yet and tonight wasn't going to be the first.

I kept walking away from home on my scheduled course. Around the lake. Past the football field. Thru the parking lot and back towards home. Every park bench I passed I thought about sitting.

This night reminded me of my first attempt at a 20 miler. Around mile 15 I was gassed and 5 miles from home. I took a shortcut and walked the last two miles. I felt the same way that day, as I did tonight.

The good news I made it home. I'm resting. Garmin is charging. I'll live to run another day.

So, is it from a lack of Carbs? Is the Atkin's Diet going to leave me with no energy to get my runs in? Wednesday was my best run in a while. Today was my worst. Time will tell.

All I know is losing 30 or more pounds will help my running in the long run (pun intended).

Atkin's Stats: 6 Days - 6 pounds

The Human Race 10k

My wife comes home and tells me there all kinds of people running in our neighborhood. I push out my chest and proudly say it's about time the neighbors take my lead and start running too. No, she says. There's signs saying, "The Human Race".

So, I get in my SUV and go find the runners. Turns out, the Finish Line in the mall is sponsoring training runs in my neighborhood. They start at the mall and run around our house. So, come Saturday morning I will be up at the mall around 8 am to run with these fine people.

You've probably seen the ads for The Human Race 10k in Runner's World. Nike wants everyone around the world to run a 10k on 8/31/2008. Check it out at nikeplus.com



I ran tonight. I ran over to The Finish Line in the mall to get info on the training runs. Then I ran around the mall. It actually was a good place to run. Not a lot of traffic and there's a sidewalk around most of the building. I even got to run down along the dancing water fountain. 3.53 miles later I was back at home to watch The Usain Lighting Bolt run the 200 meters. He's fast.

Michelangelo is Returning to Italy!

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy. . .

You can click on the photo for a larger view, however, I don't know why you'd want to do that.

On the Atkin's front, I've run twice since I've started and I'm down 4.5 pounds. Not bad for 4 days.

Sale at REI

25% off all Gu Gels and Drinks. If you like Gu products, head on over to REI from August 22nd until September 1.

Take Two.

Blogger didn't save my first draft. I ran to the lake and back again tonight. 8:30 pm. It was still 95, but the sun was down. 3.93 miles and 1479 miles since I started.

Usery Mountain Park

I got to run in Usery Mountain Regional Park again. It's one of our county parks that are vacant this time of year. 100 degree temperatures and not even the gate is attended. There was a self pay box, which I place my $6 in and then I headed toward Merkle Trail. Merkle is the short interprative trail in the middle of the park. It's about 1 mile long and it goes around a small butte. The picture shows Usery Mtn. There's the Wind Cave trail that goes up to the strip of colored rock at the top, but today wasn't the day to tackle that trail. Merkle is relatively flat and close to my SUV and water. No one else was on the trail.

Here's a google map of the trail. The road is well defined, but if you look inside that loop you'll see the Merkle trail. It's smoothed with pea gravel to make it accessible to wheel chairs, strollers and anyone that needs a flat walking surface. It's great to run on.

Here's a good view of the trail. Lots of Saugaro's, Ocotillo's, barrel cactus and other desert plants. I did see an Antelope squirrel and lots of lizzards on the trail. Not enought time and too much heat. I ran/walked for about two miles.

Losing Weight?

A few years before I started running I did the Atkin's Diet. I lost a bunch of weight the quit. And gained it all back. No diet and no exercise at that time and I got up to around 260 pounds.

I started running a little over 2 years ago and lost 30 pounds in the first 4-5 months. Then I plateaued and didn't lose any weight for the longest time. This summer I ran less because of my knee, then the heat, then all sorts of things took priority over running and I gained a bit. Now weighing 235 on Saturday I decided I was going to run and do Atkin's at the same time.

Two days of Atkin's and one run later I am down to 232.

Welcome to the desert, Adam Dunn

My favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds traded one of my favorite players to my second favorite team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reds are out of it, so maybe this will help the Dbacks make it to the World Series.



Here's hoping for a Dbacks vs. White Sox World Series.

SomeBurros

And on the same day, my oldest got his first job. He's either the CEO or in charge of clearing tables at an awesome mexican eatry.

Speaking of awesome eatries. We now have a bit of Wisconsin down here in the sunshine. Culver's has great butter burgers and custard too. I'm going to have to limit how many times I go here.

Running? I did get some time on the exercise bike while I watched the USA 4x100 freestyle men's swimmers win gold. I did an hour and 14 miles.

My Running Schedule

Here's my schedule for the fall running season up to the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon in January.

9/20/2008 - Air Force Anniversary 5k at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.

10/25/2008 - YMCA Half Marathon in Phoenix.

11/9/2008 - Phoenix 10K & 5K in downtown Phoenix.

11/27/2008 - Mesa Turkey Trot

12/14/2008 - Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon.

1/18/2009 - PF Chang's Half Marathon

A Run to the Lake and back

I did a 4 miler today to the lake and back. When I say I ran to the lake you should think of the picture below.

But it's actually more like this.

I'm just slightly exaggerating. But, when it's 100 degrees the smells coming off a city park lake are the greatest. I do enjoy running past the youth football teams practicing and all their dads watching. I think it's a rule that you have to be over weight to have a son on the football team. I guess my kid could play, I qualify.

I've run 3 of the first four days of August. It's nice to get back in the groove.

Baseball and Running

Tonight was a downtown Mesa run. I dropped my kids off at a church dance and got my run in. I decided I would run up to Fitch Park, the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. There I got to watch the Cubs / Giants game for three innings. No, not the real Cubs / Giants, but the rookie league teams. A bunch of 8-21 year old kids wanting to make it to the majors some day. 2.45 miles before the game and 1.3 after. The games are free and are there's usually less than a dozen fans. You sit with the extra players when you watch the game.

I ran past the Mesa Arts Center, which has really cool fountians and landscaping. Here's one of the water features.

August 2008 is going to be a great month!

April thru July have not been big number months for me running wise. I'd like to give you a good excuse, but I'll jus say that running wasn't my top priority. In August it's going to be my top priority. See the graph below, it's not a pretty picture.

click on photo to enlarge

Tonight I got in a good 1 hour workout. Some running, some walking, all moving. I decided to do 1 hour runs and see how far I can get. The last two runs were just over 4 miles. It was around 7:30 when I started running. Light, but the sun was setting. Check out the temperature. A beautiful 101 degrees in the desert.

Here's another vacation shot. Beautiful Durham Bulls Stadium. On the last day of our vacation, It took in a Durham v. Louisville Bats baseball game. The stadium is fabulous. The left field fence is called the "Blue Monster" and I think it's the same height as Boston's fence. Sorry about the reflection of the glass. Can you guess what floor I'm on, when I took the picture?

Last, but not least. Good luck to Ken Griffey, jr. One of my favorites. Ken and I grew up in Cincinnati when we were kids. No, we didn't know each other, but we did live about 3 miles apart. Jr is now a member of the Chicago White Sox. Let's hope "The Kid" helps his new team win their second world series this decade.