The MS Runner

It’s that time of year again.  No, not college football.  It’s “New Years Resolutions” time and I’m re-running a post that I did last New Years (mostly because I’m lazy).

To me, this is the strangest time of the year where most people make resolutions that quite simply, astound me.  Why is it that you have to wait for a particular day to change or do something?  “I resolve to be a better person”, is one of my favorites.  Aren’t you doing that (or trying to do that) every day?  No, I guess most people want to be shit heads until January 1st, and then they will become Mary Poppins.  “I resolve to lose weight”.   Weight Watchers love this time of year when people flock (or is it waddle) to their meetings in January, pay their money, and then are gone before March.  Most of these people are back to eating donuts instead of fruit, or fast food instead of preparing a nice healthy meal.  Then there’s all the people that join the gym.  They tie up all the treadmills for a couple of months, then they’re gone again.  “I resolve to get a new job”.  Yeah, good luck with that one in this economy, and let me tell you, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.  “I resolve to watch less t.v.”  And do what, read?  You probably haven’t read a book in years other than that Readers Digest at the doctors office.  There are a ton of other resolutions that really crack me up, but the point I’m getting at is MOST people won’t change, or simply can’t change.  If you’re a crank ass, you’ll always be a crank ass.  If you’re a fat ass, you’ll always be a fat ass, and so on.  I’m not saying that this is always the case, but it’s a fact in most of them.  People can change, but it’s very hard work and they give up.  The ones that do stick it out, are the lucky ones.  My resolution every year is always the same.  “I resolve never to make any resolutions”.  Every bad habit or every change in my life has occurred when I’m prepared to make that change.  Most people aren’t prepared mentally to make a change on January 1st, and they fold under pressure.  Make a plan and stick to it and don’t commit to the pressure of a drop dead date to do it.  When you’re ready to change, you’ll know it.  Good luck, we’re all counting on you.

I saw this on the website for Complete Running. As a public service, I thought I would share this with you.

Dateline London: “Athletes looking for a performance boost are increasingly turning to a little blue pill more usually taken for its off-the-field benefits: Viagra.

“Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following among athletes.“The World Anti-Doping Agency is currently studying Viagra’s effects in athletes, but hasn’t yet banned it. Experts are divided over whether it actually offers athletes an edge.”

As a public service, CompleteRunning.com provides this series of advertising slogans to help Pfizer market Viagra to athletes:

* Viagra – Because it’s a game of inches.

* Viagra – Great for racing and tapering.

* Viagra – When the competition is stiff, so are you.

* Viagra – Make your long runs longer.

* Viagra - Runner’s high.

* Viagra – The women in your life will run faster, too.

* Viagra – Now when you hit the wall, you’ll knock it down.

* Viagra – Because you can’t teach size.

* Viagra – Play hardball.

* Viagra – Now your only worry will be motion control.

* Viagra – When you need to take it to the next level.

* Viagra – You can’t stop him. You can only hope to contain him.

* Viagra before the race. BodyGlide after.

* Viagra – Not for use during relays.

Well now it’s time to get serious again.  I’m going to be running The Colfax Marathon which is about 16 short weeks away.  Although I have been running every week, I haven’t put in too many quality runs, and my diet and exercise regime has been pretty sad.  So time to eat right, get more exercise, start my running program.

It looks like my hip problems are more about not stretching enough than anything else, so I will concentrate on stretching more and maybe even join a yoga class.

I also need to concentrate on exercising to build strength in my abs and my back.  From all that I’ve read, building that core will help a runner significantly.

My diet is not all that bad, but I guess it could be better.  I tend to eat way too much crap on the weekend, and then try and make up for it during the week.  I think that once football season is over with, I’ll be better.

I went running the other night and the wind was so bad that at one point a gust of wind hit me and almost knocked me over.  And it actually blew out one of the lenses from my brand new glasses!  The wind must have blown it far away, because I could not even find it.  Luckily, the eyeglass place replaced it for free.

I know that I will get in a few races before my marathon.  Here’s a couple that I’m looking at;

Runnin’ of the Green Lucky 7K – March 16 – Downtown

Greenland Trail Run – 25K – April 19 -

I’m getting ready to go to The Irish Snug for the end of the year get together for Runners Edge of The Rockies. My two favorite running groups! One is a serious training program to help you train for any type of run, and the other is an excuse to go running and have a beer or two afterwards. Either way, I look forward to running with each one. I do the Runners Edge runs on Saturdays (and some speed work on Tuesdays) and the Snug run on Thursdays. Tonight should be fun and hopefully I will recruit some Runners Edge runners to join the Snug Runners.