My polar bear club

People all around the world have their crazy club traditions and customs that they go through. Like, for example, the polar bear club. This club goes out every year in the middle of winter, strips down to their skivvies and jumps into ice water. By comparison what I will do with our running club in two weeks makes them look completely sane... Its time to run 264 again. 

THIS will be less painful then the marathon. However, it provides the same amount of shrinkage.

   Its been almost a year since I've run the 26.4 and written about running, and my experiences. So, if your still reading, (or if you're paralyzed beyond reason and someone decided to punish you by opening this blog up and putting it in front of you) allow me to fill you in on a newbie's year of running.

He just hit the wall

   I ran the shamrock marathon in Va. beach and discovered that when runners say they've hit "the wall," what it really means is that it feels like someone beat you to death with a baseball bat, while your emotional state is similar to that of an orphan who was just told that they will never be adopted while being forced to watch someone kick a puppy. But hey, I guess saying " I hit the wall" is a much faster to get the point across. This was exactly what happened to me at the mile 21 marker. I was cruising along feeling great and set to actually make a sub 4 hour marathon! (not impressive by most standards, but a goal I still aspire to acheive.) Alas the karmic gods decided that air guitaring and hopping on one foot while passing the 4 hour pace setter would not go unpunished and I was forced to just about walk the last 5 miles.  I came in just over four and half hours and havent attempted the distance since. Afterwards I learned that almost everyone (see: except for the kenyans) hits the wall at some point, so until I reach my sub four goal I'm going to be marathoning it up.

    In the meantime I have done as many 5k races as I can and a few ten milers.I've raced  in a dress to raise money for charity (calm down fellas), gotten a running tattoo on my calf, (its what happens when runners get too drunk) run the warrior dash, and gotten a pair of custom Nike running shoes. I've even taken first in my age group a couple of times and I don't feel the least bit guilty about paying off the competition not to show up that day.

At least its not a tramp stamp...?

But back to the point. In two weeks we will again be running the 264 race with a few new faces and a very special dedication to last years barefoot incident. Included in our fresh faces will be a teammate sponsored by Gatorade (again, hurry Nike, your window to give me sponsorship may just be closing sometime in the next decade or so...) a guy who refused to run in Beijing olympics to make a political stament, and a division 1 colleigate runner. Annnnnd me, the guy who accepted the Krispy Kreme challenge to run 2.5 miles chop down 12 doughnuts, then run 2.5 back to the finish line...I think I stand a chance!!

Kenyan children are taught from an early age that "the wall" is a product of your 1st world imagination.

   This year a few of us are having a special ceremony at the13.1 mile mark where I lost my shoes last year. We will be burning some of our old decripit shoes in a sacrifice to the running gods to make sure the 2nd half goes well. (And some of us just because we like to see things on fire.) If I don't end up in jail, I'll post up about it.

   Done a lot of runs lately to prepare, but I havent seemed to have the same luck in running distances that I did last year. My longest run so far was17 this past weekend, and by mile 14 I was crying very manly tears. So I have two more weeks to prepare and get as much work done as I can as before I head out to attempt, once again, to conquer the marathon.

   As always, any advice for this newbie runner is always appreciated. Like the bit I got recently...apparently its better to hydrate with water rather than beer! Who knew?? I leave you with a image that will, in all likelihood, haunt your nightmares.

I'm bringing sexy back.