The A-Team

I didn’t exactly write it down on a calendar but I do know it was in the first full week of March. We’ll average the week and call it Wednesday the 7th of March 2012. That makes today 100 full days.

But 100 days from what you ask? Change.

No, not the false load of tripe peddled to us as “change” by the sock puppets we call “leaders” in this country. I mean life-altering, beneficial, true change. And not by coercion or mistake either.

I am now 100% powered by plants.

It’s been a slow transition from the standard American diet coming since around February 2011. At a minimum I call myself a vegetarian on all days, with perhaps 4 days a week vegan or fruitarian. Regardless of what you call it I no longer look to animals for a source of food. And remarkably I have been craving free and without regret (mostly, more on regret later).

I’ll break this post into 3 segments: Cravings & Regret; Ok, but why?; What is a normal day’s menu like?

Cravings & Regret

To quickly put it, any meat/dairy cravings you may imagine are immediately squashed by merely satisfying our body’s innate desire for raw, natural, sweet, high carb items. Succinctly put, eat plenty of raw, fresh fruit throughout the day = no cravings. The human body will more or less use whatever we put in it (whether high or poor in quality) for fuel and energy. Cravings of any sort are merely our body’s built in way of trying to compensate for a deficiency. Since I satiate my carbohydrate/protein/fat needs without animals, no cravings.

The “without regret” part above has to do with making life difficult for Anna and planning meals or grocery shopping. Processed food is very cheap compared to fresh fruits (I mostly don’t eat veggies unless I’m doing a rare salad or stir fry) so I’ve jammed a wrench in the grocery budget and bombs away if the kids ever follow my footsteps! To top it all off this all happened during Anna’s pregnancy and I have to tip my hat to her for being awesome and working magic to embrace my personal decision while she’s pregnant. I will not force this on the rest of the household, though I hope to share information with them to make their own decisions. So I don’t regret the choice, just the timing and expense.

Ok, but why?

I have nothing against steak, hamburgers, or hot dogs. Nor pork chops, chicken, nor bacon or eggs. By complete accident in the beginning, and then by pure nerdy curiosity later, I’ve simply just read too many well cited articles, books, and viewed enough documentaries to ignore the facts and so I made the change.

If you can read books like The China Study, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, and 80/10/10, or watch “Forks Over Knives” with an open-yet-guarded mind as I have I think you’d understand and probably even do the same. For additional information there’s Mad Cow disease, Pink Slime, White Slime, increased allowable limits of somatic cell counts (pus) in dairy product, and the FDA approved irradiation of food as a means of allowing a higher fecal content in USDA inspected beef and other foods. For extra credit, or for those still thinking ol’ Aaron is crazy, I implore anyone to read 9 CFR 319.180, the Code of Federal Regulations section that regulates what is allowed in hotdogs and bologna.

Folks, I wish I were making this stuff up. I have an iron stomach and do not mind being elbow deep in baby poop (I’d prefer not to), yet I find our present food supply chain is unhealthy and utterly disgusting.

Lastly, it isn’t exactly headline news, but it also isn’t a secret than veganism and vegetarianism are sort of known within serious athletes as a means of achieving your body’s full potential. Look no further than your nearest Bible as well! Now, I will not go so far as to say that Jesus or the Bible commands vegetarianism. However, take the story of Daniel and his preparations in the courts of King Nebuchadnezzar:

Daniel 1:11-16

11 So Daniel said to the steward[a] whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

What is a normal day’s menu like?

Ever the contrarian, the way I eat is rather unorthodox for Americans, but it works well for our house, so we roll with it. We’re still trying to figure out how to eat normal meals without just eating boring crap like sides of corn, green beans and mashed potatoes. It would be impossible to thrive on that. As I indicated above, I’m mostly a raw fruit guy now. My menu is mostly non-existent, I just graze or grab and go (yes, raw fruit is God’s original FAST FOOD), so here’s a sample of what I might go through in a typical week recently:

• 1/2 pound or more of whole grain organic pasta (so tasty!)
• 2lbs of long grain brown rice
• 10-20 lbs of bananas (There’s about 4 to a pound, yes I eat more bananas than Curious George)
• 2lbs of Medjool dates (God’s candy!)
• 3lbs of strawberries
• 2 whole pineapples
• 3 oranges
• 2doz half pints of blackberries
• 2 pints of blueberries
• 2lbs of apricots
• 6 Romaine hearts
• 1lb asparagus
• Five peaches
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 whole coconut
• 2 cans of organic, naturally low fat beans, rinsed to remove sodium

Three or four days a week I’ll eat as low fat, raw vegan (limited cooked food and no eggs, milk, cheese, ice cream etc), the balance of days vegetarian with only perhaps one extremely light serving of shredded cheese (on a pizza for instance), or if an egg is cooked into a food item. From my days working in the produce department at Marsh Supermarket in high school, I really love and appreciate the abundance and variety of fruits the Lord our God has given us. I try to live a high performance life, and fruit helps me achieve that. I don’t really track it, but I probably eat 3,000 or more calories each day, and well over 2/3 of that is from raw fruit.

I eat as much raw fruit and other low fat whole foods as I want and not gain even a tenth of a pound (look up “dietary thermogenesis”). Just ask Anna, I’ll carry a tray upstairs in the evening of food that would make a roomful of Weight Watchers folks faint: A heaping bowl of brown rice, an orange, a giant bowl of mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries), maybe an apple, a few bananas, and a glass of water to top it all off. I do this throughout the day too. We live in a society that on average gorges on the wrong types of food, we don’t eat enough overall calories each day to thrive, and we suffer because of it. Not me anymore. The best part about all this is it seems the more daily calories I eat, the better I feel and the more weight I lose. Don’t forget, I’m standing now at over 60 pounds less than 5 years ago, and I intend to never ever go back as long as I my heart beats.

I’m only getting started with this lifestyle change, but I feel just as strong and way more energetic as before. I run 3+ miles a day, sometimes 40+ miles in a week, assist parenting  2 (soon 3!) small children, have a full time job and help out around the house and still have enough energy left to author weird internet posts at 1:30am. Like your doctor I urge everyone, whether you give up animal-based foods or not, to eat more raw fruits, veggies and whole grains. Whatever you’re doing now, triple it and see how much better you feel! Live a high performance life along with me!!

Friday night Abraham made the biggest decision of his life. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior!!!! Yes, I know he is only 3.5 but he really truly gets it. Of course his understanding isn’t like you or me but he does “get” the entire concept that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead and is in Heaven preparing a place for us. He also understands sin. He knows that sin is when our hearts allow us to do something bad (like steal a toy from his brother).

Here is how it all happened. We were reading the Bible like we do every night (it is his special Bible for ages 4-7). We were on the last part of the Bible which explains the Gospel and supports it all with Scripture. At the end of the reading it states that if he is ready to make a decision for Christ, he just needs to tell us. We have read this several times and he has never feigned an interest (not surprising at his age) and we go on and start the Bible over the next night. Friday night was different. He shocked both Aaron and I when he said he was ready to make the decision and wanted to do so! Of course I grill him to make sure he understands the gravity of this statement and he stays the course and wants to accept Jesus! We pray the prayer of salvation together that is in his Bible and he is so excited (not to mention his mom and dad) that he has Jesus living in his heart! He could NOT wait for church this morning because he wanted to tell everyone! Aaron and I continued to grill him about his decision all day Saturday just make sure it wasn’t a fluke thing. He responded positively every time we asked him about it.

It is still a bit surreal for me. I was an adult before I ever even knew about Jesus (of course I knew about baby Jesus but nothing more).

Anyway, so last night was rough. Abel has been fighting something (allergies most likely) and it is keeping him up throughout the night. Plus he hasn’t been eating well so he wakes up around 3 am starving. Needless to say, mommy didn’t get to sleep until nearly 5 am and Daddy had to work late last night and also didn’t get to sleep until nearly 5 am. We were wiped out! The kiddos wake us up around 9 am and I gently let Abraham know we won’t be heading to church since Mommy and Daddy are so tired. He immediately welled up and started crying telling me how he HAD to tell his teachers at church that he accepted Jesus! How could I say no to that? I immediately recanted my statement about not going to church and said I had to HURRY! Momma got a move on and we scurried out the door in just under an hour.

Abraham was so happy to tell just about everyone that he accepted Jesus (the door greeter at church, welcome center folks, people in the hallway, his teachers and his friends). He also had 2 very proud parents who shared the news with some of his other teachers who have been instrumental in his development. We also had the privilege of telling our pastors. Abraham was “interviewed” by Pastor Bryan and I was very proud of his answers!  He was able to communicate his decision and his understanding of his decision to our pastor. It was awesome! We get to look forward to putting a rose in a vase in front of the WHOLE church very soon!

I am so thankful for a  loving, merciful God that has allowed my son to learn from his mommy and daddy that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that even though I fall short daily of living as Jesus wants me to, He still worked in the hearts of our family to bring Abraham into the family of God. Now I have the new challenge of helping Abraham grow in his relationship with Jesus. I will have to do some research, lots of praying for guidance and hopefully find some good books to help direct him on his path!

Super Duper proud Daddy, Hammy and Mommy

We took this picture right after we prayed the prayer with Abraham for his salvation. We wanted to record the moment. It is so precious that God gave us this sweet life to bring to Him. My one main goal as a mother (who loves Jesus) has been to see my children come to know Jesus as their Savior (one down, two to go!). Words truly can’t capture the feelings I have about this. It is truly amazing!

It can strike anyone, anywhere. Please, please, please pray for my family (mom and brother).

My mom and brother have maintained a close relationship with my mom’s ex-husband, Roger. He has been a big part of their lives since 1996.

Tuesday afternoon changed my brother’s, my mom’s and Roger’s lifes forever. Roger had been unreachable by phone since Saturday afternoon. By Tuesday, my brother went to his house to check on him. My brother found Roger lying on the floor. He promptly called 911 and got him help. Roger was still alive but barely. He was mostly unresponsive, extremely cold (even though he was in a warm house), extremely dehydrated, his liver has shut down, his kidneys have shut down, and the man is now on a ventilator because he cannot breathe on his own. He is clinging to life via machines. We believe he had been on the floor for close to 3 days. A scan of his brain has revealed tumors that we believe may be the cause of all this but the rest of his body is completely clear of any sign of tumor. He hadn’t shown any symptoms other than a recent cold that wouldn’t go away. Seriously, this blind-sided EVERYONE. This man is only 54 years old.

Short of the finger of God touching this man and healing his body, the prognosis is not good. I also know that his wishes would be to not stay on life support. He would rather die. I would ask only for prayers for comfort for everyone dealing with this sudden loss and for my guilt. Yes, guilt. Turns out the only picture the man had in his wallet was of me and Aaron at our wedding. I have not maintained a relationship with this man for reasons I will not go into but it was in the best interest of my family. With that said, I feel terribly guilty that I didn’t work harder at making sure he accepted Christ as his Savior. I am not sure of his salvation and that is scary. I never realized just how much my Hope in Christ frees me and it frees me of fear because I know my friends and family will someday join me in Heaven! I don’t think I have encountered a potential non-believer’s death (since becoming a believer). It is really hitting me hard especially since I could have done something about it. I pray that God gives ALL people one final chance at Judgement to proclaim Jesus as their Savior…hopefully Roger will make the choice for eternal life with Jesus! I ask for you to petition God on his behalf.

Thank you all for listening and for your prayers. They will not go unheard!

I would like to provide an update/review of a few things I’ve learned this year and a list of 2012 running goals. I give praise and glory to Christ that I exceeded all of my 2011 goals. For me I was grasping beyond capabilities when I initially set them 12 months ago. Setting easy goals just to say I achieved them is not my style. Below I will cover: things I have learned this year running, weight management and nutrition, and new goals for 2012.

Injury prevention, Correct Form

1. 180 to 190 strides per minute is almost magic. It relieves stress from the joints and lets the natural elasticity of your tendons and muscles carry you forward faster than if you struggle along at a more natural average stride count of 160 to 170. It therefore helps reduce injuries and soreness.

2. Land on the forefoot/midfoot and land with the foot directly under the knee, not reaching out front with the foot. This foot reaching is what will cause a heel strike and the subsequent shin splints and eventual chondromalacia.

3. A good forward lean at the ankle with a straight body posture will let gravity create forward momentum and require less effort to move forward.

More info on this see Good Form Running or The POSE Method.

Weight Management and Nutrition

1. I have lost 25+ pounds since January 1, 2011. I’ve lost a total of 60 pounds (probably more if I had owned a scale during a the heaviest part of my life) since I started taking fitness more serious in 2007. I reckon to achieve a body fat level that I would be entirely pleased with in the long term I have about 10 pounds to go. The general rule for excess weight and running is 1 pound = 2sec/mi so if I want to qualify for Boston Marathon those ~10 pounds of fat have got to go. I can gain some practical muscle weight but anything too bulky is still excess weight to carry.

2. My weight successes I attribute to a renewed discipline in what I allow into my body, and changing what I allow my eyes/mouth/hands to define as “food” and “nutrition”. Things that I have increased several-fold in my diet are fruits, vegetables, and whole/raw, unrefined carbohydrates in general (organic when possible), and white/green tea. Things I have reduced substantially that I consumed quite a bit of previously are nuts, refined carbohydrates, far too much snacking, animal protein, oils/dressings. Things I have cut out almost entirely: Dairy, beer/wine/alcohol. Notable benefits are that I now go days on end without needing allergy meds that I previously took multiple doses of each and every day and still felt terrible. I am rarely sick. Unless I overdo it, I recover from workouts very rapidly. I need less sleep and have increased energy levels. And best of all, it didn’t require starvation. In fact, with fruits and veggies, I can eat until I am stuffed (satiation) and be nothing but happy about it.  See books The 80 10 10 Diet or The China Study for more info on whole food nutrition, improving quality of life, and prevention/reversal of diseases through food.

3. Supplements: For the most part, don’t need them. This is a huge reversal for me. A good multi vitamin, perhaps a quality Omega-3 supplement, and that’s all. Eat as many raw, whole fruits and vegetables as I desire and get all of the micronutrients in the correct chemical formulas the natural way that God designed. It isn’t easy, nor have I mastered it yet, but it is more fun than swallowing pills.

Running Goals 2012

To sum it up, ultra-runner Ed Roshitsh recently said it quite well:

“Setting a big goal and failing is better than sitting on your ass watching the world go by.  I highly recommend to everyone to set a huge goal and work towards it.  Even if you fail – You learn.  You get better.“

1. 10K (6.21mi) of 44:59 or better. (7m 14s pace).
2. Half marathon of 1h 40m or less (7m 38s pace).
3. Average 21mi weekly, or put another way average 3mi x 366 days = 1,098mi total for leap year. 2011 goal was 14mi weekly, and ended up at 18.9mi weekly. 2012 will be my first year of 1,000mi+
4. 3h 25m or less in a marathon (7m 49s pace)

Perhaps it is somewhat foolish since the FAA may end up sending me to OKC this year, but I’ve already registered/paid for the following races:

• 5K on 2/11
• 10K on 3/3
• 15K on 4/7
• Mini Marathon half mara on 5/5

I stopped registering when reality sank in about the FAA. If they don’t send me, I’m probably going to do the Geist Half mara on 5/19, and I’m still on the fence about which marathon to do in the fall. I may start toward my long term goal of completing all 5 of the World Majors and do the Chicago Marathon in October. There’s a 50K race in North IN in December I’ve had my eye on, though I may hold off entering into the crazy world of ultra-marathoning until I complete the 5 majors.

So, if you’ve read this far thanks. I hope you have something crazy planned for yourself next year. If not, definitely reconsider reaching beyond what you think your limits are. You might surprise yourself.

We made it to the doctor yesterday with much thanks to my mother-in-law who watched the boys all by herself for a few hours! Thanks!!!

Baby A#3 first ultrasound

The appointment went well. It is so crazy to see a picture of this new little life growing inside. It makes it very concrete. The baby is growing well and even measuring ahead of dates already! The heart beat was 143 bpm and sounded super strong. I think about how much has already taken place in the development of this baby and we are only at 7 weeks! Some women don’t even know they are pregnant yet at this stage and maybe haven’t been as careful as to what they have put in their bodies (caffeine, medication, etc…).

We are very excited for this new little person to continue to grow strong and healthy. Please pray that this would be the case. We have been surrounded by more families than I care to list that have suffered losses of their babies in recent times. It is very painful for me to see their loss and then I start to worry about my babies. Please pray for peace for me and also those families affected by the loss of their children. I know God is sovereign and will not let His people suffer beyond what He can offer comfort. Just pray that these families will also lean on God to get them through.

Anyway, I have been asked by several of you “how are you doing?” with pregnancy #3. This one has been a bit tougher. I had cluster headaches for the first 3 weeks that I could do NOTHING for. Not fun. But thankfully with 1 caffeinated beverage a day, that has gone away! Nausea has been a biggy this time around. I believe most of it stems from my calorie restriction that I have been rather used to but this baby wants none of. If I eat small, frequent meals (totally not me) I feel much better. So I am having to get into the habit of eating snacks (healthy ones) and dinner (ugh). I despise dinner. I never want to eat at night. I used to have a yogurt and maybe some fruit or a veggie. Never anything much. Well not anymore. This baby says “if You don’t eat, I will make you sick!” So I now eat a dinner much to my chagrin. Oh well. It keeps things interesting, right? I am also exhausted. Duh, right? I am very tired and it shows come 2 pm. I usually CRASH and crash hard. So we have family nap time around 2 pm and we nap for about an hour to 2 hours. It is glorious! I am still tired but not super sleepy and am recharged enough to handle the rest of the afternoon/evening.

The boys have been fabulous with this new pregnancy. We had to stop going to BSF because it was just tearing us apart – Abel wouldn’t get his morning nap and fall asleep on the way home which meant mommy didn’t get her afternoon nap, food was rushed, and even Abraham would get super grumpy by the afternoon because of our early day. It just wasn’t worth it. Maybe next year? Anyway, the boys took it well (ham was a bit disappointed but he enjoys his school time with mommy). We don’t go hardly anywhere any more. I love to just stay home and keep up on things. Sometimes we get restless and run out to the library or something or while it was still warm we hit the park or just ran around outside for 10 minutes or so. It is actually quite nice hanging out at home most of the time!

That about sums up this pregnancy so far! Love to you all and can’t wait to see everyone during the upcoming Holidays!

Well, the big day is almost here; my first full length 26.2mi marathon! This Saturday, 5-NOV, is the 4th running of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. Packet pickup and the convention are on Friday (I am bib #983) and the race starts promptly at 8am Saturday at Missouri St & Washington St downtown.

Not that I really think anyone cares that much, but if you want to track my race results in real time you can signup here to receive emails or text messages. Messages will come in as I cross the halfway point (13.1mi), 30k, and finish. Anna and the boys will be crewing for me, the plan is to meet me where the race course passes the Christian Theological Seminary (~18mi mark, near the aid station at the NW corner of Haughey & 42nd St) to have spare socks, jacket, hat, food, and drink should I be needing anything. Hopefully I’ll just stop for a quick  photo op and a tasty recovery drink and keep on trucking. I’m right at my intended race weight (not my ultimate goal weight, but it adds up as every extra pound = 2 seconds/mile) and I feel better than ever. This will be my first of many marathons, coming soon will be a post announcing my long term fitness/health plans, and it has potential to involve the entire A-Team 🙂

Prayers for the safety of all 7,000 or so runners and walkers + all of the volunteers this Saturday are much appreciated. The weather forecast looks almost perfect; a tad cool to start off with at 36F , but a nice high of 61F. Regardless of how I do this weekend, I give God all the glory in getting me to this point!

So this past Friday morning I was supposed to run 20mi, but I just could not get out of bed and was in a bad mood. I overslept a few hours and still couldn’t get going (thank God for second shift work hours!). I know, boo-freaking-hoo. This literally never happens, oh well. So when I finally did get moving I got on my running gear and just tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other and make my way to the kitchen and making preps to get out the door.

I’ve not posted about it, but for the last 3 weeks I’ve been fighting some deep, sharp muscle pain in my right Vastus Medialis (quadriceps muscle just above and inner side of the knee). I even had to cut my 20mi in half 2 weeks ago because at mile 11 the quad muscle told me if I even thought about going another step it was going to make me do a face plant. I had to do the limp of agony/shame 3/4mi home, defeated. This is possibly the subconscious mental block I had on Friday that was preventing me from getting going this morning. Last week I had my first “easy” week since May (a paltry 12mi total). It did the trick as this week my quad was back on track.

So on Friday I got a way late start, which is fine as I avoided the rain. About 2mi into the run I thought, “hey why not add another 6.2mi on and make it a full marathon length run?” I really like to go into a race knowing that I’ve already completed that distance before in training, it just makes it not such a big deal. 11/5 is my marathon and I’ll be beginning my taper here soon so I figured it was do 26.2mi now or not until race day. I at least told myself I’ll take it easy and see how it goes. I certainly do not want to hurt myself this close to a race and would fall back to the original 20mi if needed.

Fast forward to the 6 mile mark, it occurred to me that:

• You may recall that I have 5 running goals this year, one of them being to run 50K all at once.
• Saturday 9/24 was my original planned date for a 50K run (31mi, 362 feet) that was cancelled since I have been getting my workout plan from my coach (hired a coach for a season as a birthday present) instead of using my plan.
• If I wanted to do a 50K before the weather turned mega nasty I should consider doing it today otherwise it will likely be nearly Thanksgiving before I get the chance to do the 50K.

So I went about it in the same manner as at mile 2 when I considered to do 26.2mi. I would take it one mile at a time and see how it goes, if all went well I was going for 50K! (Legal notice, DO NOT TRY ADDING UNPLANNED MILEAGE MIDSTREAM TO ANY WORKOUT WITHOUT PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE OR RISK SERIOUS INJURY)

I am happy to report that I did the full 50K, with a little extra for good measure. End results were 31.25mi/50.3K, and even 2 days later no injuries, not even a blister, hot spot, chafing, sore muscles or even sore feet! I must also say that I had to lean heavily on the Lord for strength to complete; for the amazing weather; and the wisdom to be honest with myself throughout and make determinations on whether I should call it or keep going.

I had some very serious foot cramps hit me at mile 30 that I was afraid if they didn’t go away I was done. I walked it off for a minute or so and was able to get on with it. The beautiful part was how great I felt at the end. And I also have bragging rights to my entry into running Ultramarathon distances. Booya!

So in summary a quick update for my 2011 run goals:

In 2011 here are a few things I will accomplish, God willing:

1. Complete my 5th half marathon, the Mini, in 2hrs or less. Preferably <1h 48m but this year I’ll take <2hr. Did it in 1h47m 😀
   
2. More than double 2010′s mileage goal and step it up to 730mi. Though I only run a max of 3 days each week, that is 2mi x 365 days.
3. The route may be too dangerous, but if I can do it safely, run from my house to my friend Zach’s house. It will be around 18-20 miles.
4. Run 50km (31.06mi). All at once.
5. Run my first full marathon. The Indianapolis Monumental is what I’ve chosen on 11/5.

This morning after my morning 5 mile run, to capitalize on this beautiful June weather I decided that today was going to be Abraham’s first experience at shooting a real firearm! I walked upstairs with Abraham, showed him that we always lock all firearms in the safe, selected a little bolt action Romanian Trainer .22 Long Rifle that I picked up over 10 years ago in the case that I ever decided to have children, and then I showed Abraham how to check if the chamber was clear of ammunition (it was unloaded).

I did go over basic safety with him, but at his age I do not expect him to understand the full gravity of firearms usage. My goal here is familiarization with the routine of shooting, the fact that a gun is dangerous and loud, and that a firearm slings bullets into whatever you point it at. Oh, and that it is fun when done right! After this brief introduction, we locked the safe up, and then headed to the basement to grab a box of ammunition, shooting mat and the range bag. He was so excited and very obedient! Without being too precocious he wanted to help out and carry things and almost acted like he’d done this before. I was very proud of him.

Abraham for quite a long time knows never to touch a gun unless we say he can, can identify bullets if left laying around, and has helped me clean firearms and install parts on them from time to time. We have removed the mystery of firearms in order to prevent his curiosity when we’re not around. We still keep them locked up, except for concealed carry purposes, but if he asks to see a gun we will always make time to show him one and let him handle it as long as it is convenient.

Anyway, we set up a little paper target with 2″ squares on it at 25 yards and set up the shooting mat and range bag. It was now time to put on our hearing and eye protection. Anna came over to help hold onto Abraham while I demonstrated how to load the rifle. Then I fired one round and Anna observed his reaction to see if this was going to work out or not. He was unfazed and still excited. After all, we were only firing subsonic .22 long rifle rounds which sound quieter than a small firecracker. Abraham proceeded to get down onto the mat next to me and we fired two shots together and that was about all of the attention span that he could muster (and exactly what I had anticipated). It was short lived, but a great time was had and it seemed to really be a good experience for him. It didn’t help that he was dressed up to go swimming and his “swummy pool” was filling around the corner by the garden.

Much later in the afternoon, to round out the full experience, we took the rifle back upstairs together and cleaned it and put it back in the safe.

Little buddy, I am so proud of you and I’ve been looking forward to this day for so long. It was a really cool experience and if nothing else a great way to celebrate Father’s Day early for me. I look forward to a lifetime of shooting together and helping you grow as a Rifleman. A fellow firearms enthusiast I know refers to this Rifleman stage as the Tadpole; I think that is perfect.

The New Rifleman in the Family

Back in January I made a post on a web forum I frequent, the topic was my run plan for 2011. I put it out there because I knew if I did it would help keep me accountable. I’m now making it even more public so now there’s no looking back!

In 2011 here are a few things I will accomplish, God willing:

1. Complete my 5th half marathon, the Mini, in 2hrs or less. Preferably <1h 48m but this year I’ll take <2hr.
2. More than double 2010’s mileage goal and step it up to 730mi. Though I only run a max of 3 days each week, that is 2mi x 365 days.
3. The route may be too dangerous, but if I can do it safely, run from my house to my friend Zach’s house. It will be around 18-20 miles.
4. And here is the kicker, of which I don’t even know why I am posting this or how I will achieve it, but here it goes: Run 50km (31.06mi). All at once.
5. Run my first full marathon. The Indianapolis Monumental is what I’ve chosen on 11/5.

So, goal #1 is knocked off the list. #2 as of today is +20 miles. Without injuries I’ve been battling I’d have well over +150 miles, but I’m happy with +20. Goal #3 is scheduled for the morning of Saturday July 2nd with maybe a cookout or brunch afterward? #4 is on the calendar for September or October… I don’t have my schedule in front of me. As for the marathon, I’ll be signing up soon.

I am depending on you people reading this to hold me accountable to this list unless my legs fall off.

Oh, and without all of the boring details here are my results for the 2011 Mini Marathon that I worked so hard for the last 9 months. Pictures and videos are here: ->LINK<- Long story short, when I began training, I simply wanted to finish under 2 hours. Then with the training series it became evident that a new personal record (PR) was going to be likely (previous PR was 1h 54m). Then with the 10K race in March I met my 2012 goal of L3 seeding. So, my overall goal on race day was to complete the race in 1h 48m or less without injury. I did it in 1h 47m 30s. The photo says 1h 48m 28s but that is because it took me 58 seconds to get from Corral C to the start line at the beginning which is subtracted with the advent of RFID chipped race bibs.

Strong Finish!

Sweet Victory!

I thank my beautiful wife and children for waking up at 5am and sticking it out for the race beginning; waiting until the end and partying in the cold rain afterward. Thanks to my great parents for shouting at me over the din of the crowd at mile 10, that lifted my spirits at a critical point and I was able to ride that boost all the way to the finish line.

I’m already signed up for next years’ 500 Festival Training Series and Mini Marathon (bib #1,372), I encourage anyone capable to do the same whether walking or running it is more fun than you might imagine and a great way to get/stay in shape. I’m gunning for a L2 seeding of sub- 1h 40m (I’ve already secured L3 for 2012). Maybe that is too lofty, but I’d rather aim high and fall short…who knows, I may aim high and strike the bulls eye?

By God’s grace, my two month bout with patellar tendonitis feels about 95% healed. My legs feel so good right now I feel like I could jump to the moon. My knees either have felt weak and tired, or sore and tired. To have them almost back to normal feels great!

The Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon is in three days. This is my fifth Mini, the last time was 1996.

The entire A-Team is gearing up for the race and post race party. We’re going to have a blast, regardless of how the run goes. It’s going to be great! If you care to, you can sign up to receive text message updates as I pass various points in the race.