Tough Mudder Challenge!!!!

It has been awhile since I posted, due to work picking up or I'm just getting lazy with writing, LOL.

Back on July 23rd, me, Eazy and Powder completed the Tough Mudder Challenge!!!! (Can't you hear the crowd cheering?!.......cricket. . .  .) Wow! I must say that it was exactly what I thought it was. Fricken extreme and intense, but super FUN!!! There were so much people and the crowd was phenomenal. I ran the event in my spandex black Spider Man costume with Batman undies, it was pretty pimp.

Tough Mudder was held at Devils Head resort, which is a hilly ski resort about 30 minutes away from Wisconsin Dells. We started the run down a very steep ski hill, then run right back up. It was funny because Powder cramped up and it was only the beginning too, haha. We completed the run in over 4 hours, but could've completed it in a shorter time, but we walked a lot of it because as a team, we waited for Powder.

Overall, it was a great experience and knowing you completed it, I am a Tough Mudder!!!

2011 Bellin Run

Completed the Bellin Run last Saturday, June 11th. As usual, it was a great run and great environment! 18,701 registered runners showed up and that is a great amount of runners.

The night before I couldn't sleep, due to people texting me while I was trying to sleep and it was getting annoying. I woke up at 5:00AM, before sunrise, ate breakfast, took a nice hot shower and stretched. At the last minute my brother Jimmy texted me to pick up my nephew Ken, because he also registered and wanted to run. So I decided to run with Ken and run at his pace. I didn't really care about my time, as long as Ken completed it and had a good time.

The run started out great and I didn't feel no knee pain...yet. Ken did great and almost ran 4 miles non stop! But we had to take a bathroom brake and Ken's feet was hurting. It was funny how he thought it was only 2 miles and kept asking if we were finished yet. He was tired but kept trucking along and much props to him on his first Bellin run. He said it was the most difficult thing he's ever done and he doesn't want to do it again. LOL.

We both finished in 1:12:44 with a 11:43 mile pace. Not bad for a 10 year old!

2011 Cellcom Marathon completed

My time - http://results.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com/index.php?year=2011&disp=finalsplits&bib=1313

Completed the Cellcom Marathon!!! I was so happy and stoked to complete it, except the only downfall is, I honestly feel I didn't do as great as I should have. I completed it in 05:56:48 with a pace of 13:31, ughhhh.....I know I should be proud of myself and I really am, but deep down inside, I don't feel satisfied with my time and I dont feel it's good enough. Maybe I'm just being hard on myself because I expected more....hmmmm

The run was great though. I woke up at 4:45am, sat in the tub with warm/hot water to loosen up my muscles, ate breakfast and stretched. The weather was really windy and chilly and it sure wasn't the best weather condition to run in, but oh well. I felt amped and really good during the first half of the run, but once I hit mile 15-16, my right knee and both my thighs started giving out. I couldn't understand why, because on all my long distance practice runs, I felt great. The pain was intense and felt like a throbbing stabbing pain, so I had to walk a lot of the second half and I was so disappointed. At around miles 20-24, the thought of giving up crossed my mind a couple of times because the leg pain kept getting worse and stretching and walking weren't helping either. I did my best to mentally block out the pain and kept pushing through. Also remembering and telling myself why I'm running the full marathon in the first place helped as well. It was also quite amazing watching the bigger, heavier runners pass me up, LOL. They're fricken machines!

Right when I got to the De Pere bridge, this very nice old lady named Gail was chatting with me. She was from Miami, FL and was running for a little girl that was diagnose with cancer. I thought that was very nice and sweet of her to fly all the way to Green Bay, with the terrible weather and run for a great cause. I love meeting people like her that are making a cause and difference to someones life. It makes Life so much more worth it when there's a reason behind it all. There was one thing Gail told me that I'll remember and she said "Don't compare yourself to the runner in front of you, but compare yourself to the person sitting on the couch."...haha, I thought that was very interesting.

So, they say mile 20 is called "The Wall"...hahaha, I could honestly see why. Most of the runners around me were either in as much pain as I was or were gassing, but they all kept trucking! I wasn't fatigued at all, neither was I gassed. Just my legs were jello and throbbing in pain.

I finally made it to Lambeau Field and I could see and feel the finish line. Running the tunnel and into Lambeau field was really cool and Lambeau field looks so much bigger when you're down on the field. After passing around the whole field, I sprinted as fast as I could to the finish line and all I felt was relief and accomplishment. After that, I was looking for the beer tent, so I could slam a beer. I don't drink beer at all, but I sure as hell deserved one, except I couldn't find the tent. But I did find the massage tent and got me a massage. That felt so good and if I had money on me, I would've tipped her. LOL

My sister Jamie, Ann, Ken and Makayla were at the finish line to pick me up. Thank god for them because my legs were shot.

This was the most intense pain I put my body (mainly legs) through and it was way well worth it! I had a blast running it and I can't wait to do it again for The Cellcom 2012! Except next time, I'm killing my 2011 time!

99 MILES!!!!!

HOLY SKITTY!!! This article is soooo fricken crazy, or should I say this guy, Sam Robson, is crazy. Dude completed a full marathon, then ran an extra 99 miles back home. Wow! Talk about determination.



LOL...he shit himself!

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Man-runs-99-miles-home-after-completing-London-M?urn=oly-wp125

Article:

Sam Robson did what most people do after completing a marathon: He went home and fell asleep. Except rather than drive to his house, 99 miles away from the finish line of the London Marathon, Robson ran back. All the way.
The 28-year-old from Central England finished Sunday's official race in 3 hours and 45 minutes before starting on the 99-mile second leg. He arrived to his home in St. Ives Cambs about 25 hours later, greeted by a cheering crowd. In total, he ran 125 miles in 29 hours, a pace of around 13 minutes per mile.
That number sounds insane, but it's even more mind-boggling if you really think about it. Think back to what you were doing five hours ago yesterday. Now imagine you've been running since then. I don't know if most people could stay awake that long, let alone do anything remotely physical.
Robson, a medical researcher, completed the super-marathon to raise money for the UK Epilepsy Society. In all, he raised a little more than $5,000 for the charity. Robson has suffered from the condition since he was a teenager.
He told reporters that the running itself was easy, but staying up, keeping hydrated and ingesting calories (to make up for the 15,000 he burned) was the hard part.

"I had to have regular breaks to refill my water and whenever I stopped my legs seized up so I couldn't rest for long. In terms of tiredness, my legs felt pretty good and the worst bit was I had to keep eating to replace all the calories I was burning.

One day after his mega-run, Robson said he was doing fine except for some soreness. That's to be expected. It wasn't just his first 99-mile run, it was his first marathon tooSam Robson did what most people do after completing a marathon: He went home and fell asleep. Except rather than drive to his house, 99 miles away from the finish line of the London Marathon, Robson ran back. All the way.
The 28-year-old from Central England finished Sunday's official race in 3 hours and 45 minutes before starting on the 99-mile second leg. He arrived to his home in St. Ives Cambs about 25 hours later, greeted by a cheering crowd. In total, he ran 125 miles in 29 hours, a pace of around 13 minutes per mile.
That number sounds insane, but it's even more mind-boggling if you really think about it. Think back to what you were doing five hours ago yesterday. Now imagine you've been running since then. I don't know if most people could stay awake that long, let alone do anything remotely physical.
Robson, a medical researcher, completed the super-marathon to raise money for the UK Epilepsy Society. In all, he raised a little more than $5,000 for the charity. Robson has suffered from the condition since he was a teenager.
He told reporters that the running itself was easy, but staying up, keeping hydrated and ingesting calories (to make up for the 15,000 he burned) was the hard part.

"I had to have regular breaks to refill my water and whenever I stopped my legs seized up so I couldn't rest for long. In terms of tiredness, my legs felt pretty good and the worst bit was I had to keep eating to replace all the calories I was burning.

One day after his mega-run, Robson said he was doing fine except for some soreness. That's to be expected. It wasn't just his first 99-mile run, it was his first marathon too

Injury...MCL sprain?

Holy f*ck!!!! My right knees been hurting for 2 days now. This is the worst pain I've felt in my knees and my right knee is my good knee too. It started flaring up after a weekend jog on the Fox River trails, WTH?!

So I've been reading about knee injuries and symptoms, it seems to match more of a MCL sprain, which is the inner part of the knee. It hurts when I'm walking, bending it and twisting it. I'm walking like a gimp with my right foot straight. This f*cking sucks and my run is coming up in a couple of weeks too. Please, please, please heal by then!!!

Inspirational Record!!!

Kudos and my hats off to Kelly Gneiting! This article is truly inspirational and amazing! It defines the guts and glory, determination, drive, unwillingness to give up, and heart.

Oh...Epic!!!

Article:

The heaviest person to ever complete a marathon weighed 275 pounds. Add that weight plus the total weight of a great long-distance runner (about 120 pounds) and you'll get Kelly Gneiting.
Gneiting, a three-time U.S. sumo champion, tipped the scales at 400 pounds when he began this weekend's Los Angeles Marathon. Nine hours, 48 minutes, 52 seconds later he crossed the finish line and set the Guinness World Record for being the heaviest person to ever complete the 26.2-mile race.

The 400-pound American jogged the first eight miles of the race and walked the last 18, often stopping at intersections and stoplights because he was well behind the 13-minute-per-mile pace set by race organizers. He says he became delirious after mile 10 and only realized he hit the 15-mile mark when a friend gave him a clean pair of socks.

"I was really struggling in the last five miles," he said to the Los Angeles Times, "but I said to myself, 'If I have to crawl, I will.'"

When he finally finished, he had set the weight world record and a personal best by over two hours. "I'd like to see the Kenyan improve his marathon time by two hours," he joked.

Gneiting weighed 200 pounds in college but says he packed on the weight after getting married. He became a sumo wrestler 11 years ago and won his first national title four years later. Despite his weight, Gneiting says he's still fit and wants to prove it by competing in other competitions. Next up? Swimming the English Channel.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Sumo-wrestler-becomes-heaviest-man-to-ever-finis?urn=oly-wp14

Tech 4 O Accelerator Running watch

I recently purchased a Tech 4 O Accelerator Carbon watch a couple of weeks ago and I'm still toying with it, trying to figure it out and get used to it. The watch is really nice for what it's made for and I got a really good deal on it off of ebay, paid $45 and this watch usually sells for $75...Not too shabby eh!

I like the features on it and find it to come handy, which include:

                        - Functions without a belt clip or footpod

- Easy to use menu with up and down scrolling indicators

- Exceptionally reliable readings in every situation, regardless of conditions

- Includes: Speed, distance calories, actual exercise time, 

- Time/Date/Day, Black light display and pedometer with 7 day/10 week memory

- Includes daily step counter schedule, Dual time zone, Daily alarm, Stopwatch and countdown timer   

The features I find most intriguing is it can calculate your average speed (MPH), distance, caloric expenditure, total exercise time and the stop watch/countdown timer.

Decision Made!

So I made up my mind and kept the Asics Gel Kayano 16's and returned the Sauconys. I ran for 40 minutes with my Asics and they feel great. All I have to do now is break them in some more.

A+ for Gel Kayano 16



Chuck Norris Approved!



Running Shoes

I've been doing research and reading a lot about good, quality running shoes. I do it for my own knowledge and my own advantage, because I wouldn't want to run with cheap, low quality shoes, now would I? Of course not!...And you'd be surprise just how much the shoes make a huge difference. There's multiple ways to understand what type of shoes you need, based on how your feet roll of the foot from heel to toe through the foot strike, etc... Underpronation VS Overpronation. Then there's your foot type; Normal arch (Neutral Pronation), Low arch (flat feet/Overpronation), High arch (Underpronations)...and so on! I had to read a lot to understand all this and figure out what shoe type I'll need.

One strategy I used, is wet/damp your feet and step on cardboard. It shapes the bottom of your foot, so you can see which arch you have....OR....You can simply just go to a running store and speak to the store rep., hence, most if not all should know what they're talking about because they do work at a running store.

I found my feet to be an average/neutral arch. So stability type shoes are made towards my feet type.




Nike Zoom Equalon+3

 So, my first running shoe I purchased was a Nike Zoom Equalon+3. I've had these shoes for over 1 year and they are still comfortable and doing just great. At first I did feel discomfort on my ankles and it did feel somewhat hard running on, but you always have to break in the shoes. One thing I found out and this works for me, I'm not saying it'll work for everyone else. But, I don't like the stock insoles that shoes come with, so I always take them out and put in new/upgraded insoles. I feel it adds more cushion and feels better for my feet. So that helped me out a lot and made a big difference, to me at least!


Saucony Progrid Guide 3


Now, every shoe does wear and tear or has a life frame on them. So, now I'm in a dilemma with purchasing new shoes. One pair I purchased was a pair of Saucony Progrid Guide 3. I must say, these shoes feel great and snug really nice on my feet. I took them for a run, and noticed my ankles starting to hurt again, I probably just need to break them in, but I benched these shoes...for now.




Asics GEL-Kayano 16

The next pair of shoes I ordered were, Asics GEL-Kayano 16's. These shoes also feel really good on my feet, plus they have great reviews. I'm debating which pair to keep, or maybe I should just keep both, LOL. But I'm gonna need to make up a decision soon, because I need to put mileage on them and adapt my feet, since the Cellcom Marathon is coming up in 2 months.



I pair my running shoes with one of these and it makes it 2X more comfy! Now, these insoles here are made for high arch type feet, which isn't me but they do feel good, plus I'll be experimenting more with other insoles as well.



RSS Neutral Cushion Plus Insoles



Training

I continued to keep running, but never considered training for 3K, 5K, 10K, marathons, etc...I only ran to get rid of my belly fat, love handles, man junk, etc...Plus, I feel at peace when I go for a run and it's always a great feeling. Then I came to a conclusion that I needed to be more productive with my runs, so I decided to somewhat change my mentality to train for marathon running. It's working out good so far, ahem....except at the same time I want to train for BJJ and tournaments. Which doing both is really kinda difficult on my knees because I'll have knee pains that flair up from time to time. Running takes a lot of stress on my knees and so does BJJ. So it's 50/50. I just have to be smart with my knees and rest/ice it accordingly.

I'm currently training for a full marathon, which is a little over 26 miles. At first, I didn't want to push myself for the full marathon and run the half marathon instead. But I decided to go for the full because I feel it's really a true test to myself and how far can I push my body to it's limits. Just thinking about 26+ miles is really scary and intimidating, but at the same time while I'm training for it, I feel excited to take on the challenge. It's not like I'm racing anyone or there's a winner or loser because everyone's a winner when running marathons. You can run it in 2 hours or 8 hours, who are we to judge? That's the beautiful thing about marathons, that it's a 1 person, just you, just myself goal and our own challenge. Everyone's a winner! As long as I pass that finish line, I know I completed my own challenge/test.

Besides that, you're running for a purpose, for a goal, for a reason, contributing to a cause, such as heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, etc...And I came to my own personal goal, reason, purpose, whichever you want to call it. I want to run for cancer, I want to run for Khomsey Moua, I want to run for kidney diseases, so I'll run for my older brother Dar and my mom, I run because I have to and not because I want to, I want to run to better "me" as an individual or person, to better myself in life. It's the exact same mentality I have when I compete in a BJJ tournament. It's all for a purpose and cause. But when I say, "I want to do this...and I want to do that..etc..." It will soon turn into "I will do this...and I will do that." Once I lace up my shoes and step on that road and the horn sounds, the run begins, then thats when it turns to, "I WILL"....

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."
- Oprah Winfrey

"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
- Emil Zatopek, 1952 Olympic Marathon gold medalist

Running

I really started running back when I was 18 years old living in Syracuse, NY with my older sister. I know! I was a late bloomer, mostly because when I was younger, I didn't go to school, always skipped, was getting high and drinking a lot, just being young and dumb and never considered other productive activities. Thank god I grew up!


So, while I was away from it all, I had lots and lots of time to myself. And working out and running was my way of killing time because I didn't know anybody else and had nowhere to go. So I bought some cheap shoes from Payless and didn't know any better about quality running shoes and the difference it makes...hahahaha...The only place I ran was around the neighborhood and that worked out fine for me.


So, I guess thats when it all started.