Marathon Update...

So, just a quick update on the marathon front... if you look a couple of posts down, I plan on four big races for my big 4-0 year.

Just two weeks til the Illinois Marathon -- I feel ready for it... but we have the Uber-fun Brew-to-Brew (http://www.brewtobrew.com/) next weekend. Of course, that is more drinking than runnin', but LOTS of fun. As of now, the weather is supposed to be pretty good too.

But for the summer -- I had only been looking to the great, white north for a cool summertime run -- welp, I didn't think of looking to Mark Twain's summer hang out. The San Francisco Marathon (http://www.runsfm.com/) is July 26th. Plus with Jane, Judy, and Bill there -- I can have some quality family time to boot!

Chicago has been taken off the books for October -- which was one day after my 40th birthday -- welp, apparently my beloved has some form of plans in the works, which may result in me being impared on that day (?!?!). So I will do the local KC Marathon (http://www.waddellandreedkcmarathon.org/)the following weekend.

Everthing is still on for Orlando in January (I've already paid for that one).

On On...

D.

Do you ever wonder "What if..."

"I, Daron Pratt, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

It was 20 years ago TODAY (St. Paddy's Day 1989) that I recited those words (for the first time)... kind of made me wonder "What if..." Several people have questioned my decision to separate from the military at the half-way point, and not stick it out to retire at 20. The decision, at the time, was based on two things:

1. I was doing desert duty pretty regularly, and the kids were small -- three months was FOREVER when you have two kids under three years old.
2. The economy (then, not now)... the dot.com bubble was still expanding, and jobs were high-paying and prevelant.

It just made sense. I have always said, the best decision I ever made was joing the Air Force -- the second, was probably getting out when I did (of course, marrying Tracy was probably up there in the top two or three, somewhere).

Regardless -- and in the vein of "It's A Wonderful Life", "Mr. Destiny", and couple of Simpsons episodes, I still wonder.

Adding to this, I recently got a note from a good friend, who was a fellow Airman with me back at Ramstein AB, Germany -- he has just been selected for Major. WOW -- it still blows my mind!!!! When I got out, I had just gotten my Associates from the Community College of the Air Force (woo hoo?!?!)... but have since finished both my Bachelors and a Masters degree. Would I have done this had I stayed in? Would I have remained enlisted, or gone for a commission? How many tours would I have done to the desert? Where would we have gone post Langley?

Now, looking back at the (almost) 10 years since I separated, at the life I have, the experiences I have had, what I have learned, where I have been -- and most certainly, the friends I have... I'm sure I'll always wonder "what if" -- I'll NEVER regret "What is."

It's all mental (no Chris... not you)

I am not a running coach, I don't pretend to be a running coach (I don't even play one 0n TV) -- I'll leave the coaching to Rusty... but, on occasion, those who know I run, have solicited advice on various aspects of running, apparel, training et al... And while I am always willing to opine about whatever the subject, the general piece of advice I always provide this this:

"Running is 30 percent respiratory health, 20 percent physical health, and 50 percent mental health."  

What I mean by that is simple -- once you have mentally decided you are going to run five, ten... or 26.2 miles, you will do so (assuming you have marginally trained).

That brings us to today -- I had planned (that is, mentally prepared) to run 15 miles.  Because, as some of you know, I am running the Illinois Marathon next month.  However, about an hour before I went to run -- my virtual training buddy (and Illinois Marathon partner) Aimme (who just also happens to be my sister in-law) posted to her Facebook page that she is running 18 this weekend.  

So off I went on my run -- a marked, set of trails by Longview Lake... still planning on 15 -- but when I got to around seven miles, I decided I'd turn around at eight, making the run 16 miles.  Good, my mind was OK with that, so that's what I did... and I began plodding back the 8 miles.  Because I had predetermined I was running 16 miles, I began to feel the normal, phantom pains around mile 14 (cuz with two left, that is where my mind decided I should start to hurt.... whatver!!!) 

But then something funny happend... I began to think about Aimee, and how resilient she is, how strong she is.  I talk a tough game... but sometimes, it's just that; talk (how many marathons have I registered for in the last couple of years; only to have something come up -- to where I haven't completed a single one in over ten years!).  But back in mid-January Aimee said she was going to run Illinois (and the ridiculously-egotistical side of me always promised her I would run one with her, whenever she decided to do so).  For those of you non-marathoners -- ANY marathon training plan is 16 weeks long (you do the math).

So back to that funny-thing, I knew if I was in Iowa running with Aimee -- there was no way she would stop two miles before me... so the next thing I know, the pain goes away (was it really ever there), and I just blazed right past my car -- another mile out, another back.

So there you have it... 16 for me -- two you for you, Aimee -- you are truly inspirational.

The gauntlet has been cast to all comers...

Check it out:
--
Your registration is complete!
You will receive an email in the next few minutes confirming your registration.
Purchased at: February 17, 2009 05:45 PMEvent Confirmation #: 27283392-021709175146

Event Name: 2010 Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge
Date & Time: January 09, 2010 05:50 AM
--


What IS the "Goofy's Race and Half Challege", you ask?

Well... in January, Walt Disney World, in Florida, has the "Marathon Weekend", where on Saturday they have a half-marathon (13.1 miles, for you non-runners), and a full (26.2 mile) marathon on Sunday. For those crazy enuf... the "Goofy Challenge" is to do both...

Here is this year's flier: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/disney/wdwmarathon09/index.php (go to page 17)

So getting back to my "Year of the Big Miles" -- this will be the culmination!!!

Anyone wanna join me?

D.

Oh, BTW -- getting back to my last post -- I think I found my Summer Marathon. I had been looking north, but apparently I can look West too... San Francisco: http://www.runsfm.com/

D.

So... what's our hero been up to??

Our Hero

When we last saw Daron, he was in full vain (and veiny) mode having gotten a personal trainer (still can speak highly enuf of Efrem!!!) to prep for the first, of many, middle-aged milestone --- his 20th High School Reunion.  Efrem did his job extremely well, and Daron dropped pounds of fat, added pounds of muscle -- but alas, our hero could not maintain that pace, and back-slid into old habits (and bigger pants) through the winter.

So where are we now... He (oh, hell with the third person)... I am pushing through the big, revolving door of life toward another of those mid-life milestones.  Later this year, I hit 40!!!!  

To be precise:

So what do we do to commemorate this milestone event?  Lie?  Cry?  Eat Nachos?  No!!! (well, except for the last -- I really like nachos)  Back when I was just a young pup of 20, I was in really great shape... but at 30, I made a push to be in better shape than I was 10 years prior.  Having run back-to-back annual marathons prior to my 30th birthday, I was in GREAT shape.  

Welp, why jack with a recipe that works... let's do it again...

This is going to be the year of the races... first I am doing the Illinois Marathon in lovely Champaign-Urbana Illinois.  But that's just the start.... (actually, I guess it's not the real first -- again, we are fielding a team for the most fun race of all... the Brew-to-Brew, which is a week before the Illinois Marathon, but it's a relay a FOURTY-THREE mile relay!!!) -- following that, I have decided to do a marathon every couple of months to commemorate this iconic milestone...

After April, I am looking for the summer race -- it'll have to be somewhere waaaaay north to keep it from being too hot --- perhaps Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN, or the Grizzly Marathon in Choteau, MT... well see.

But I am pretty sure the fall race will be the Chicago Marathon... I've had my eye on this race for several years, and it takes place the day after my birthday -- Oct, 11, so this seems like the year.

However... that is not THE race of the year... stay tuned for the goofiest thing you've seen me do yet... and I've done some pretty goofy things!!!!

D.

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!

Leg 1... Overland Park to Colorado Springs (550 miles, 8 hours)

We are off and running (or driving, as the case may be)...

After talking on the phone, eating, and masterbating --- taking a photo of yourself is the most dangerous thing you can do while driving. But hey, at this point I was alone, bored, and there was no one else to take it... so here we go.

And speaking of the road trip; timess the are achangin'... I remember earlier days... AND NOT JUST THOSE WITH MY DAD, WHOSE IDEA OF A "FAMILY VACATION" WAS SEVEN DAYS OF TRYING TO SEE HOW MANY MILES HE COULD PUT ON THE CAR --- WITH NO DISCERNABLE DESTINATION IN MIND... while in the military, I once drove from Carmel, Cali to Orlando ... there was nothing but AM/FM radio and the wind... Today?!?!?! Well, it's no freakin' wonder EVERYONE has A.D.D. --- I have in the car:

-- AM/FM Stereo

-- Six Disc CD Changer

-- Ipod Adapter (w/80GB Ipod)

-- DVD Player

-- XM Stereo (Where I can listen to 20 MLB ball games, news, sports, music, comedy, yadda yadda, yadda)

-- and my Web enabled phone, on which I can send and recieve email...

WOW... how did we ever survive.

Anyhoo... I finally arrived in Colorado... and Chris and I go out for a bit... stopping Sam's, the WORLDS SMALLEST BAR (as attested to by Guiness --- the record place, not the beer)...

I think that may be all for now... look for, from the road, tomorrow... although, I gotta tell ya... I am a little nervous about the size of this trailer...

How to make a Pokemon-Obsessed nine year-old's day...

OK... so I do the laundry here. It's not that I like to... it just that I am rather, um... "particular" about how I like things. So it is just easier for me to do it than to have anyone else do it, and obsess about it not being right (that is my version of right).

Anyway, I have a couple of rules...

• 1. if it comes to me wrong-side-out, it gets washed, dried, folded, and returned that way
• 2. if I find money -- it's mine
• 3. I don't check pockets

Well, Zander has a habit of taking his favorite (best) Poke*Mon cards to school to play with his friends. Unfortuantely, he left several of his highest point cards in his pants pocket one day, and I washed them. Needless to say, they didn't fare very well (better than the two phones I have washed, but that is a note for another day).

Upon me informing him of this, he was crushed --- while he stopped short of crying, he did say something to the effect of "Dad, other than watching TV, my PokeMon cards are the only things I really love to do." Now (notwithstanding the social commentary about TV), that kind of broke my heart. I bought him a couple new packs of cards, but -- like Forrest says, it's like a box of chocolates -- I can't simply replace the lost cards. You buy the pack, and get what you get.

Now... back to the story... Zander and his buddies actually play the Pokemon game (which I like, cuz it is better than some creepy 30-year old dude collecting these cards and living in his mom's basement). Each card has a point value -- the lowest being 10, the highest any of Zander and his friends had ever seen was 180. But there was a rumor of a 200 point card! VERY RARE...

So with a little help from Ebay, I began the task of redemption...

Step 1: Find the card, and order it :

Wait a week... and get it...

Next, run to your local Target to buy a new pack of PokeMon cards, an Xacto-knife, and super glue...

Begin the careful operation of extracting the pack of cards from the exterior blister pack (why the hell are these things packed twice???) -- then opening the pack of cards. Note, these are so tightly packed, I had to remove a card from the pack to replace it with Wailord (the 200 pointer):And finally glue everything back together...

Looks like new again...

And finally give it to him (he eventually figured out the ruse... but it took a bit of time)