Sponsors Welcome!

Hello everyone!  In case you haven't heard, I'm organizing a 5K race on April 16th at 9:00 AM. At the bottom of this post is the description I lifted right out of the Facebook event I created for it.

Along with a growing list of volunteers, the race currently has two sponsors.  Melodie from Angel Wings Photography will be doing the race photography, and all the graphic design work is being done by Stephanie Bradac of Mostaza Seed.

As you can see from the event description below, there's no official registration fee.  Instead, all money donated will go to the American Cancer Society. We are making and selling t-shirts, on which we will make our only (tiny) profit. We're running a tight ship, and have a very small budget, but there will be some expenses.

So...I was hoping there might be a business (or individual) out there that might want to help sponsor the race. This sponsorship would help defray the general expenses of the event. We'd even put your business name and/or logo on the t-shirt!

Email me if you are interested!

Thanks!

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From the Facebook event:

Those that know me know that I have been on a journey these past several months to get into shape. Many, many people have encouraged me along the way, and lots of those encouragers like to run. So, I had a crazy idea to get some of those people together and run my normal 5K route.

One crazy idea led to another, and I decided to host a full-blown race. My original thought was to just do it for fun, no fees, no time, etc. But then I started thinking...why not give people a chance to donate some money as a registration fee, and then give all the money to the American Cancer Society? For me personally, I would be donating in memory of my sister Teresa, who lost her battle with lung cancer in December of 2009.

There's NO REGISTRATION FEE, but all donations (suggested $25) will be given to the American Cancer Society.

We are planning on making t-shirts available for an additional charge. We've got a great deal on them! T-shirts are only going to be...wait for it...$10!!!

We are currently exploring ways for you to pay with a debit card...but cash and check are already accepted!! You can make checks out to the American Cancer Society.

Also - if you don't want to run, or even walk, you can still help! We need some volunteers to "work the race". Any help would be greatly appreciated!

It's All Mental...or At Least Mostly

Endurance.

Persistence.

In my journey to health, for each thing that I learn about fitness, I learn two things about myself.  Recently I learned just how much running is mental.  I know, for all you runners out there, you've known this for years, but for me it was something of a revelation.

I was running the other night and I started feeling a little tired.  I really wanted to stop, but I thought to myself, "I can run down to that corner," so I did.  Then I thought, "I can make it to the end of this street."  Guess what?  I made it there, too.

The funny thing was, I really wasn't any more exhausted at the at the end of the street than when I had that first inclination to stop.  It was entirely "in my head".  I wasn't actually close to any kind of physical failure at all, it was purely mental.

When you're exercising by yourself, and there's no one there to pace yourself against or to cheer you on, the only one that chooses when to stop, is you.  Or in this case, me.

What I learned that night about myself was that while I had been fairly disciplined with my exercise routine, I hadn't really been pushing myself.  Normally when I get tired, I stop.  I wonder how many times in my life I've done that?  Just stopping because I wasn't mentally tough enough to push just a little bit more?

"So, Aaron, what's the point?"

Mostly I'm writing this to just help me digest my own thoughts.  But, if this helps someone that reads this get past a little mental "tiredness", too?   Bonus.

Post Gobble Jog Update

Well, my friends...Thanksgiving has come and gone, and with it, the Gobble Jog.  My first 5k was a blast and I really enjoyed.  What a great group of supportive people I have around me.  There were lots of my friends waiting to cheer me on at the end.

One friend really went the extra mile.  About 200 yards from the end, Becky was standing on the side cheering me on, but it didn't stop there.  As I passed her, she jumped back in the race with me and encouraged me all the way to the finish.  It was awesome.  Thanks to her, I made my goal time of < 40 minutes.

Tonight, as a reminder to myself, I framed my number, d-chip, and a picture of me and Cheryl just before the race.

My 42nd birthday is February 10th (please, no gifts).  As a present to myself, I am signing up for the Marietta 5k Mardi Gras Run, benefiting the Junior League, on February 12th.  I've changed my countdown clock from the Gobble Jog to this race, and today it is sitting at 78 days and counting!

Thanks to everyone that has encouraged me, exercised with me, and listened to me babble on about getting in shape and the Gobble Jog.   One race down, a lifetime to go!

10 Days to the Gobble Jog!

Wow!  Hard to believe A) how long it's been since I blogged, and B) how quick the Gobble Jog is approaching!    We just got back from a 9 day vacation (with a little work in the middle), and we had a fantastic time.  We stopped at 3 different state parks (two in Georgia, one in Florida), got to see some great friends, family, and went to the Magic Kingdom.  If you want to see pictures, you can go here:

Our pictures from the trip.

I did 3 miles tonight, but BOY, am I slow.  I can't run all 3 miles yet, and my walking speed is slow.  Of course, I didn't really expect to be able to run it by the Gobble Jog.  I've still got a lot of weight to lose.

That being said, I told my wife that when I broke the 75 lbs mark, I was going to shave my head!  Sorry, Mom!  (Mom prefers my hair.)

I hope to run my next 5k on or around my birthday (February 10th, if you were wondering).  By then, my goal is to run the entire thing.

Switching Things Up a Bit

Those of you that have been keeping up with my journey know that I have my "own personal walking track" next to my house.  It's kind of a modified figure eight, with a 110+ yard straight-away in the middle.  We've been running the straight-away both directions, which constitutes about 1/3 of a lap.

Tonight, we took it up a notch!  We're now doing what I call "running 6ths."  I've mentally divided our track into 6 (fairly) even pieces and we're alternating running and walking each segment.  Simply put, we're now running 1/2 of each lap!

From 1/3 to 1/2 doesn't seem like much of a difference, but it sure felt like a big difference!

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Have you been exercising regularly but doing the same old thing?  Tony Horton (from P90X) is always talking about muscle confusion.  I think that applies not only to your muscles, but to your mind.  Switch something up.  Make a little change.  Take a different route on your run.  Maybe go for a bike ride instead of the treadmill.  Keep it fresh however you can!

On My Desktop

My laptop has Windows 7.  One of the cool things that Windows 7 can do, and it can do a lot, is gadgets on the desktop.  These are tiny little applications that can add the weather, a clock, RSS feeds, all kinds of things right on the desktop.


Today I added a countdown clock.  Right now it reads 121 days.  Can you guess what is in 121 days?  No peaking at a calendar!!  Did you guess Thanksgiving?


Wrong!!  Okay...you're actually right, it is Thanksgiving.  But that's not all.  It's also the Gobble Jog!  Wahoo!!


The Gobble Jog is a Tot Trot/1k/5k/10k fundraiser for MUST Ministries.  Must Ministries is a :faith-based organization that, for 38 years, has been dedicated to providing services to feed, clothe, and assist people living in poverty. MUST offers a range of services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, meals, groceries, clothing, job readiness and placement, financial assistance, children's programs, community support groups and access to free healthcare."


I'm doing the 5k.  I'm laying the gauntlet down.  I don't care if I have to crawl the last 100 yards, I will do this race!  Of course, I am hoping to actually run the entire 5 kilometers.  That's 3.1 miles give or take.


Who wants to join me?  If we get 10 or more as a team we get $2 off of registration.  We don't even have to do the same race!


(And my new shoes were great today!  Terran and I ran more than we ever have.  We're getting there!)

It's Not At All Like Riding a Bicycle

Today I got some new running shoes. Actually, they're the first running shoes I've ever owned.  They seem comfortable.  Hopefully they will help me with my gait.

"What's wrong with your gate?" you ask.

"No, not my gate, my GAIT.  G-A-I-T, as in the way I run," I reply.

"Oh!" you exclaim.  "How could I have been so silly.  Of course that's what you meant.  So, what's wrong with your gait?"

Glad you asked.

The problem is that the last time I really ran the year ended with '00'.  It's been over ten years.  My body, in a lot of ways, has forgotten how to run.  During a 100 yard run, I''ll go from tight shoulder to loose shoulders, running on my toes to running on my heels, swinging my arms wildly (okay, not that wildly) to holding my arms close to my sides, clenched fist to a relaxed hand...and every combination of these.

I'm really have to re-learn how to run.  It is definitely NOT like riding a bicycle.  When I started running, I could feel muscles I hadn't used in years working, stretching, doing what they are designed to do.  Which is why I think I know how to solve this problem, though...

Keep doing it until I get it right!

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To all you runners out there:  any tips?