Marine Marathon

For the four of you that read my blog, you may remember that I was training for a marathon...


Welllllll... that didn't work out so hot.  Training was going okay, but then after back to back weekends involving 14 and 16 mile runs, my back and legs screamed for mercy.  I would get shooting pains down the back of my back, ass, and legs, and they weren't going away.  So I did what champions do when they are beaten:  I gave up.


But one man who did NOT give up was my roommate from college:  KARL.  Karl ran the Marine Marathon like a hummingbird on cocaine.  His time was a speedy 3:09.  For those of you that don't speak "runner," that is a SMOKING time.  Let's analyze Karl's greased-lightining successful 26.2 mile scamper, shall we?

Here comes Karl at Mile 10.  He is hauling ass.  Look at the smile on his face!

 Here comes Karl at Mile 26.  Look at my excellent photography.  Look how the subject is centered, and also looking at the camera.  If you would like me to photograph special moments in your life, please contact me.  I will do Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, graduations, baptisms, etc.  

Immediately after the race, the marathoners looked like zombies.  They were all wobbly and definitely all looked like death.  How fitting that this race was on Halloween.

Now we get to the good stuff!  15 minutes after the race ended, Karl began puking rivers of Red Powerade.  It was SO COOL.  It was really funny when he puked, and then had to scream "Noooo watch out I just puked there!" as a 2 year old almost merrily wobbled into his pile of vomit.  

After the Powerade came out, it was naptime for Karl.  Poor kid deserved rest.

Later that day, I myself took a well-earned nap.  Walking all over a marathon course to watch the runners is tough work, and certainly not for the faint of heart.  

Marathon Training Post #1

This is my third blog post of the night. This is SO me. In college (STOP READING PARENTS), I typically didn't do anything for a semester, and then crammed all my studying into the week before finals. That would help to explain my poor grades throughout most of my scholastic career. Anyway, I'm hoping to make up for my pitiful blogosphere presence over the past few months by making tonight memorable.

So, without further delay, I will describe my run tonight (because I know you care)...

Tonight was an important run for many reasons:

1) I feel fat / disgusting / out of shape right now, and tonight marks the start of my return to the world of fitness. Up to October of 2009, I was logging a lot of mileage every week in preparation for the Baltimore Half-Marathon. And, once I crushed the Half-Marathon, like any champion, I promptly quit running.

Sidenote: Great champions like Michael Jordan also once quit the sports that they would eventually return to, and DOMINATE...

Sidenote Concession: Michael Jordan is the only athlete who I can think of that has successfully done this... But hell, it's an example I can follow!

Anyway, fast forward to now. In the past few months... okay... six months... I haven't really done much physical activity other than my kung-fu. That said, I'm putting FITNESS FIRST for the next several months and I'm going to regain my six pack (of cut abs... although beer is sounding good right now).

2) It was one of the rare times where I've run while really under the weather. I currently have the cold from hell.

3) It was the first time I've ever run while doped up on Sudafed.

4) While not only does it mark the first run in my return to fitn

ess, it also marks the first run in my Marine Corps Marathon training regimen!

So how did this important run go? Terribly! I didn't stop or anything, but I felt like I was going to throw up all over Friendship Heights (my neighborhood). AND, the Sudafed made my head feel like a balloon that was just tugging my body in all kinds of funny directions.

Sidenote: Did you ever notice how all cold medicines make the claim that they will NOT give you "Medicinehead?" They're all full of shit.

In spite of all the obstacles the cold and the Sudafed posed, I did in fact finish my 6.0 mile run. Did I feel like I could run another 20.2 at the end? NO FUCKING WAY. But is it October 31st yet? NO! I'm going to be soooooooo ready for this thing... Just wait...

I'm even looking at costumes... and I think we have a winner!

DC Marine Corps Marathon

I recently signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon!

Here's what I would LIKE to say about this:

"I, Steve, thrive off of setting tough, yet attainable goals. I enjoy the dedication and work that is required in working towards reaching these goals. I feel an enormous satisfaction once I complete something that I know most people cannot."

While the above is true, it is misleading, because none of the above is why I actually signed up for the marathon. The reason I signed up is because I cave in easily to peer pressure. All it took was an email from my college roommate (Karl) and a former DC roommate (Adam) saying "Hey, run 26.2 miles with us! It will be fun!" , and I signed up for it. I didn't really think of what I was signing up for, I just kindof did it... In retrospect, I acted like a lemming.

BUT, I was a lemming with REASON! The last time Karl suggested a crazy idea, the proposition went something like this:

VIA TELEPHONE:

KARL- "Dude, when you come up to New York in a few weeks, do you want to go skydiving?!"

ME- "Dude, I'm drunk right now! I'll do anything!

As it turned out, Karl DID sign me up for skydiving, and it turned out to be AWESOME! Therefore, any idea he suggests will be awesome... Right? RIGHT?! I sure hope so!