Looking Good Running

The ankle feels a little bit better today, so I don't think this injury is going to last very long. Thank goodness, goddess, whatever! In fact, by the end of the day I was walking normally. Well, normally for me. On a side note, people who have distinctive walks, do you think they practice that? I've always kind of wondered. It reminds me of a Richard Pryor joke. He said that he couldn't fight so he developed a cool run. The joke goes something like this: " Oh, there's Richard running away from that guy who wants to give him a beating...but he looks cool".

Running fast can come in handy like that. I remember, my sophomore year in high school, my friend Danny told one of the biggest kids in our school (as a practical joke) that I was flirting with his girl friend. So, this huge kid finds me, and then begins to tell me that he's going to kick my ass all over the place. In my mind I'm thinking: "Can I take him in a fight? Probably not. But, can he catch me if I run? Definitely not!" Pride aside, I saved myself from some pain that day!!

There are cool runners. Very fast cool runners, in fact. Usain Bolt, can't be any cooler, could he, Fellow mountain racer Jim Johnson, I think, has a cool run. So does Tim Van Orden. Me, I don't know. I don't think I have any videos of me, running. Which is probably a good thing.

Anyway, if I can get a run in after this weekend, I'll be a very happy boy!

Well, I tried to run yesterday, and hurt my achilles even more. This really sucks because on top of not running for myself, I can't run with the dogs either. I had to tell my clients (dogs) human companions that I have to take a week off from running. At least I'm hopeful that it will only be a week, but realistically it could be more.

I saw on facebook that Siobhan Archey and Berkshires Nautilus has started a running group, of sorts. I'm not sure what it will look like, but I really like the idea. If we can promote running from a strong running community, it will help motivate people to get moving. Hopefully, I can contribute something to this cause.

So, here's a beautiful picture from our beautiful Berkshires. I'm going to be praying that I can get back on those trails again real soon.

Rough start

Well, I'm certainly off to a rough start. My right Achilles tendon has been bothering me a bit, and now it feels like it was set on fire, after yesterdays snowshoe run. And, I jinxed myself badly yesterday, as well. Ginger asked me whether I have ever had hamstring problems from running, and I said, "Never!" Now, what do you think hurts right now?

As Ray from Car Talk would say, "Boy oh boy"!

Well, I'm taking today off because I have two runs tomorrow. I've got a run with Boise dog, and then a run with Magic and Arrow (their owner must be a fantasy novel fan) right afterward.

Had four bananas, an apple, a green smoothie, three slices of raw pizza, an orange, and a coconut Lara bar, so far today.

Yeah, so a two hour run tomorrow with fast dogs. Maybe, because of the rain, the trails will be cleared of snow. Which is not necessarily a good thing, because when I take a spill while running two dogs quickly; it's nice to land on the soft snow.

Thanks to Marie-Lies for that pizza crust recipe, again! Yum!

Goal Setting

All right, here we go. I'm going to set down some goals here that will apply for the rest of the year; nothing out of range, just goals I can achieve if everything lines up correctly. But, of course, you know as well as I do, that nothing lines up "correctly" in this world. So, I'll be excited to see what transpires out of these goals, but I'll be open minded and open hearted enough to know that they will not come about the way I have planned.

1) 99% raw vegan, and get down to 145 pounds, by the summer. No promises about coffee.

2) Plant a garden. (Have never done it, believe it or not.)

3) Blog everyday to stay accountable.

4) Qualify for the Boston Marathon.

5) Run under 17 minutes for a 5K.

6) No wine or beer. Going to be drinking a lot of herbal tea, and green smoothies!!

7) Do push ups every day. (That would be a first).

8) Do the little things to make Berkshires Dog Runner a success.

9) Live life as an activist.

10) Live in the moment filled with gratitude.

As, Jean-Luc Picard said, "Make it so". Hahaha! :)

Scary & Exciting

Well, this past month has been both exciting and scary. Scary because I haven't had a job since October 9th, and I am rapidly running out of money. I have applied for unemployment, but they are in such a back log that it might take a month and a half to receive any money. I have never been without a job as an adult, but I find being in this position a blessing because I now have the opportunity to try something I would never have tried if I had a job. And, that is to start my own business. That is the exciting part.
I have launched Berkshires Dog Runner! It is a dog running service, much like dog walking, only faster.
Nothing would make me happier than to make a living, running. And, maybe if I can get in really great shape over the winter, I can supplement my income by winning a lot of races in the spring!
My diet has been about 50% raw these days. Not anywhere near where I would like it to be. But, stress, as you all know, will make you consider unhealthier options just so you can feel better in the moment.
I think my next race will have to be the Adams, Turkey Trot coming up in a couple of weeks. I ran it last year, and came in third. So, we'll see how I do this year. I know I'm faster than last year, but I'm also about ten pounds overweight.
Anyway, I'll compete as best I can.

When I was planning to move to New York City, I was thinking about my blog name. It couldn't be Berkshires Raw anymore, right? I thought of other names I could change it to, but I didn't like any of them. Until I thought of, "My Hearts in The Berkshires- Raw" I liked that, but then it suggested that my heart would not be in the same place as the rest of my body. Not good! That's never good no matter what you're doing: where you live, work, relationships etc. And, when I got to NYC, would I be able to be "there", and not pine -no pun intended- for the hills and trails I love to run in?

I know happiness does not come from anything outside ourselves, but since I don't claim to be a Buddha, I can realistically assume that my surroundings could effect my happiness.

Anyway, that's a lot of blah blah blah, just to say I'm happy to still be here in the Berkshires.



So, what's the next thing? I believe it's going to be the snow shoe series. I'm really looking forward to it.

My friend, Chrissie, and I ran 8x 200m yesterday. I had some of my best times, and I felt quick.
Here are the times:
1) 32
2) 34
3) 33
4) 33
5) 33
6) 35
7) 33
8) 34

"every little things, gonna be all right"

I hardly know where to begin. My life in the past two months has been a roller coaster ride: from separation, to moving plans to another state, to new job, to girlfriend, to no job, to no girlfriend, to not moving, to not having a place to live at the end of the month. And, I'm trying to navigate all of this with a positive attitude, a smile on my face, and faith that the universe has a plan for me that is greater than the one I was trying to manifest; because that plan has completely crashed to the ground. Which brings me to my favorite phrase: God laughs at our plans.
OK, because this is mostly a running and raw foods blog I'll swiftly move to those topics. The good news is my running is getting better and better! DON'T ASK ME HOW!! Before my meltdown, and after the mountain series, I was putting in a lot of good training for the Rochester Marathon. I was running about 70 to 80 miles a week. The training was intense, and I was getting very good results. In fact, I ran a 8 mile mountain race up MT Greylock, and beat Tim VanOrden by thirty seconds or so. (Sorry to mention that, Tim) http://www.runwmac.com/results/greylock-road2009.html
I thought I could run the marathon in about 2hr 45min. But,in the last two months because of everything I was trying to navigate, plus stress etc., my training has been spotty at best. But, I have run two 5k races in the past three weeks and Pr's both times. In fact, in this past Sunday's race, I ran the first mile at 5:07. That's a PR for a mile by about 12 seconds!?!
And it gets weirder as I have gained some weight, my diet hasn't been all that great, and I have never slept less. This is the new training method I should submit to a running magazine: BLOW YOUR LIFE TO HELL AND GET FASTER IN TWO MONTHS!!.
Oh, and here is the better news: I won money for both of those races! Actual money, not a mug, not a little trophy, but real money. Life is good, right?
Anyway, thanks for hanging in there while I have been distracted, and thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers you have sent my way.
"Don't Worry, Be Happy"