My Heroes

My 20 year old nephew Esteban and I had a great time volunteering at today's San Antonio Roadrunners' Fiesta Mission 10K run. Esteban was a little disappointed that we were assigned to the food table. He said he wanted to be where the action is. As it turned out, the food table WAS where the action is! We set up the goodies for the runners post race treats. Bananas, cookies, tacos and soda pop. Oh, there was beer too. It was fun meeting the folks in charge of our food station. They were all older, some would say elderly, ex-runners. Since this was the first time we'd met them they told of their previous running accomplishments. 31 Marathons, 22 and 11 Marathons. When I asked one of the ladies which was her most memorable marathon she said, "San Diego! I made it only to mile 22 and I couldn't continue. It was SO HOT!" Nice.
I saw and visited with an old friend too! I hadn't seen Roy Bogar in quite some time. Roy is the Asics rep for this area of south Texas and had set up shop displaying Asics'  latest shoes.. You know you have a good friend when just a handshake won't do. A hug was in order. Roy told the story to those around us of when I showed up to a 205 mile relay race and forgot my shoes! Luckily Roy and I were ALMOST the same size. He loaned me a pair of shoes to run the race. Thank God he brought an extra pair! We were too far from home for I to go back.
There was a shortage of volunteers, so Esteban and I were relocated to the finish line area where we were given the duty of handing out water to the finishers. Now we were where the action really is. Watching the runners come in was exciting. We got to see the emotions written on peoples faces as they neared the finish and crossed the finish line. Some with smiles, others with grimaces or grunts.  I was able to see and congratulate friends as they finished. The images that will stay with me longer, and what impressed me the most, were the looks of determination on the people who approached and crossed the finish line over an hour and a half after the front runners came in. Many of these runners were still pushing, working hard to finish strong. These are my heroes.
Esteban and I went back to our food table duty after all the runners came in.
We had a great start to our day.

Joe was in town!

Yesterdays group run at Ike (Eisenhower Park) was special. Joe Prusaitus drove down from Austin to join us. Joe is the director of Tejas Trails and President of the Texas Hill Country Trailrunners club based in Austin,TX. Tejas Trails puts on trail runs year 'round all over South Central Texas. Joe's a great guy. A veteran of numerous Marathons and Ultra Marathons run all over the country, Joe understands the minds of runners whether they are fast, slow, or in between. And to be a successful race director you have to be understanding (and very patient). Joe is and has been a successful race director for many years. We are very fortunate to have him here. We had a larger group than normal for this week's Thursday night run. I was there early and ran 2 miles before the group started together. Liza had her trainees run their scheduled workout as the rest of us did our thing. After the run we all headed to Freeetail brewery for some food and brew. I've only met some of Liza's new group members a couple of times but I'm now getting to know them better. I'm enjoying it. Meeting new like minded friends and running with a group really helps in training. I was asked questions and some shared their thoughts and future goals in regards to running ultras. The basic advice I give is, You don't want to make it too much work. Sure, you want to work hard towards your goal. But if you're having a tough time of it, don't be too hard on yourself. If you're feeling great in training,or in a race, go with it! Ride the wave. If you're not feeling good and you're suffering, keep going. These are the experiences you can draw from when you're having a difficult time in a race because there will be times in an ultra when you'll have some lows. This is when you just hang on. It gets better. Hanging out with everyone and watching the group as they shared thoughts, training, stories, and goals, made me think, "I've got to pick a race to run in the near future!" With no run scheduled, my training has been inconsistent. Oh well, in the meantime, I'm volunteering at a 10K tomorrow morning and at Joe's Pandoras box of Rox races in two weeks. That's fun and rewarding too.

All is well in the well!

My endoscopic examination went well! It was over before I knew what happened. The DOC said I was good to go!
I had put it off for three years. My family and friends kept reminding me that I should have scheduled one at age 50. I didn't think it was necessary. I eat well and exercise! But as my friend John said, "at least you'll know everything is OK." And it is. Truth be told, I WAS worried.
The staff at the facility was surprised to see my pulse at 38. I was asked if I exercise. "Yeah, quite a bit, sometimes." The nice young nurse apologized for having to try three times at three different locations on my right arm to insert the IV needle. I assured her she's not the first one to have trouble sticking me. "but you have good veins!" she said.
I came home and prepared a lunch (my first solid food in 36 hrs)of broiled Prime Top Sirloin and steamed Broccoli, Carrots, red onions and garlic (yum!) before going to visit Hank at the Bicycle shop.
"hey Hank! How's it going?"
"Great" he said. "I had a colonoscopy yesterday and everything's good!"
"No way! I had one today!"
Needless to say, we exchanged funny stories about our "procedures." Hank is a very funny guy. Our conversation wound up with stories about our memories of vintage Schwinn Stingray bicycles like this
Funny how old guys conversations can go from colonoscopies to vintage bicycles.

Just another OM

She flashes her big pretty smile every time. The young lady with the pretty round face, Medium light skin, and smooth shoulder length crimson hair at the grocery store always seems to make me smile as She greets me. I feel special. In my mind I think, maybe she sees me as a George Clooney type. Or an Andy Garcia. Maybe I remind her of a nice handsome Uncle. My ego flares up, every time.
On this occasion I go to the pharmacy and there she is. The pretty young red headed lady that always greets me flashing her perfect ivory white shining teeth in that big beautiful smile :-))
"Hi, how are you?"
"Fine" I say. "How are you?"
My ego is inflated. I feel special thinking she smiles bigger just for me.
She finds my prescription, pulls it and notices the price is steep so she checks to see if my insurance has been applied.
She opens the package and "Bowel Prep kit" is prominently displayed!
OH GREAT! Now she knows what's in store for me!
After she adjusted the price (by only $5!), she hands me the package and says "bye"
Somehow her farewell smile didn't seem the same as when she greeted me.
The more I thought about it after I left the more my Ego deflated like a leaking tire.
Now I'm just another "Old Man", preparing for his colonoscopy.

New Toy

I received my new Garmin 110 in the mail yesterday. It's a small wrist watch sized tool that only gauges Miles,Pace and heart-rate. Oh, and it displays the time too. I still have my Garmin 301 and it still works. By todays standards, the 301 is BIG and old school (manufactured in 2005!) it's really BIG compared to the latest GPS wrist gadgets. About two years ago I told myself I wouldn't worry about distance or pace anymore. I'll just run according by time on my feet. But I found myself asking others I run with, "How far did we run?" And at the 5K last week, which was supposed to be 3 laps of 1.1 miles, I ran the first lap in 6:40! "NO WAY!" I don't run that fast! I found out each lap was just under 1 mile. I wondered what my pace really was.
I grew up with a Dad who was a statistician. Everything was put into a mathematical formula. I can still hear my Dad say "Get me a pencil!" (back before the calculator).
Our vacations were broken down into itineraries we were supposed to follow to the tee.
Bathroom break on a road trip? "Wait till we need to gas up!" Or we'd pull over by the side of the road and find a tree! Really! But only once that I can remember. My Dad would have been great at saving time running through aid stations in a trail race.
I wore my 110 this morning running the neighborhood. I ran all the streets in my small subdivision and it recorded 2.5 miles. FOR 10 YEARS I THOUGHT IT WAS 1.8!
HOW MANY TIMES DID I LOSE .7 miles?

Slimkicker

I've often written about healthy eating on this blog. And I often speak about it to anyone who'll listen. I try to control that though. Some folks don't like to hear it. But sometimes people ask me about it seeking advice. I have no formal education on nutrition but I read more about nutrition than I do about the IT industry I'm in (Actually more than any other subject). And my iPod is updated weekly with my favorite nutrition podcasts. At work some roll their eyes and wonder out loud "what the H$ll are you eating?" Sometimes I do fall off the wagon but get right back on it as soon as possible.
Reasons I eat well and write/speak about it are, it makes me feel better and I try to set an example for those around me. Many people who are overweight and/or unhealthy want to change but find it difficult. All the while suffering through illnesses. Many think they can't do without their cookies,cake, french fries, etc. I don't find those "foods" appealing at all anymore. Stay away from them and you no longer crave them.
According to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention, One third of americans are obese. And that is an underestimate according to The Path foundation, a non profit research group.
About a year ago I was contacted by a reader of my blog and asked for ideas on an app and website she was developing that would help people eat right, exercise, and lose weight. I was flattered and gave my two cents worth.
She's done! Here is her website! http://www.slimkicker.com/
Check it out and pass it on.