Happy Halloween!

Anyone who knows me probably knows I can be eccentric, and I have an eye for decorating, fashion, and organization. Those things bring me a lot of satisfaction in everyday life.  I am the type of person who embraces creativity, even if it is a bit over the top at times. :)



 

I follow my curiosity and inspirations to do just about anything that excites me.  Once I find inspiration, I systematically plan and see it through. I enjoy the excitement of the planning, and working towards the big payoff.  I don't limit my pursuits. Once the effect wears off, I move on with the memories and fun. Some call that being random, some call it being a Rockstar.  I haven't found a lot of things that have excited me this year. However, Halloween, for some reason was one of those things that really sparked my interest.

 

I like to impress people and make them feel good. Creativity is one of my strongest character traits and I show it in a variety of ways, an example would be decorating my house inside and out for pretty much every major holiday.  I like to create a stir and I like people to have an experience of exploration and excitement when they come over. I try and do that with my house décor and holiday decorations. 

 

I get this from my dad. When he was a young man he took great care of his house, car, and career.  I melt inside when my neighbors come over to compliment me on my house, yard, and decorations. I enjoy those compliments because it reminds me of my dad, and make me feel good because it reflect positively on me. I not so secretly enjoy being the young punk who has his "stuff" together. 

 

Long story short here: This year I found my adventures in other places, Halloween was one of those places, and I would like to share my adventure with those of you who could not see it first hand.  If you are wondering, I did not post any pictures of the outside decorations because I feel that putting pictures of your house up on a public forum is never a good idea. Sad, but true.  

 

*Okay, maybe just one. Enter if you dare.

 

*My inspiration sparked after my 2013 skeleton face.

 

*The entire costume took about 3 hours.  Bone-exposed wounds complete with infected skin flaps. A lot of people felt the desire to finger my wounds at the party. Especially the blood-gushing one on the side of my torso. Sick.  lol

*Boiling skin on my face and a gaping neck wound. I look smug in this picture :)

  

*My dance moves were a key costume component at the wild and roaring Halloween bash downtown. 

*Dining table. I made the Jason Mask myself.  

 

*Panorama

 

*Kitchen chalkboard

 

 

 

*Living room

*Entry way

*Basement

 

*More basement

 

*We obviously had a great time, despite our faces. Thanks to Ayla for sharing in the adventure!

 

 

Now it's time to kickoff prime holiday decorating season!

Spokane Half Marathon

 

This half marathon was the most enjoyable half marathon I've ever run.  It turned out incredibly well in all respects of the entire weekend. The weather was fantastic! Evan placed in the top 5, Ayla ran her first half marathon, we had a few friends over after the race, and we capped the whole fun-filled weekend with a big plate of food at Frank's Diner.

 

*Frank's Diner

 

The manager and most of the servers are good friends to us as a result of Evan and I going to Frank's after every half marathon and swim meet. They always give us hugs, special treatment, and ask about our adventures. We always leave with a smile and a few pounds heavier. 

 

 

Evan ran way up at the front near the lead the whole race. I ran 1:35 which was a breeze. I ran 1:34 last year which means I am getting close to where I was last year.  The entire race was so fun. The half marathon (and half ironman) really is the "perfect distance" and I encourage all runners to run at least one half marathon. 

 

I started with Ayla, got her confidence up before breaking off.  I ran steady most of the race, consistently moving up through the field of nearly 700 runners. The half marathon is a race in two equal parts, the first 10 miles and the last 5K. The miles were effortless and near the end of the race there were about a half dozen spots that I wanted to snatch up.

 

In the last 100 meters I had the best sprint finish I have ever had. I ran about 5 steps behind the guy making sure not to look directly at him. I passed on the left with 75 meters to the finish. He countered and re-passed me.  At 50 meters I was a step behind as we both ratcheted up to full power.

 

We flew down the corridor, my legs reaching their full acceleration and setting into top speed.  Trying to move my legs faster than they could felt like hitting the governor in a car. My speed would cut slightly and I would reaccelerate bumping against the max leg turnover.  I had to find the sweet spot.  With 30 meters left I found it, both running at full speed and flying towards the finish I found myself inching ever so slightly up even with him.

 

If you have ever run a sprint such as the 100 or 200 meters you have felt what "tying up" is. Your arms and shoulders get tight and your legs don't come up as high or turn over as quickly.  It happens all the time to sprinters and it often determines who wins by the narrowest of margins.  To keep from tying up I smile. It's a trick I learned a long time ago.  So there I was flying down the finish with a big grin on my face, legs and arms whipping, and my heels not even touching the ground. 

 

At 15 meters to go it turned into a full smile because I inched ahead, and with my opponent's effort to inch back up to pass me he tied up tighter and tighter.  I eased ahead and finished a step ahead almost running over a few volunteers at the finish line barreling through at 15-20 mph (rough estimate). It was quite possibly the most fun I have had athletically all summer. We both shared a good laugh and hand-shake after the race.

 

*This pretty much describes Saturday, lol.

It was a super fun weekend and I would encourage everyone to try a half marathon, it really is the perfect distance. Round it out with a few friends and some comfort food and you have a pretty memorable weekend.

Black Diamond Half Ironman

Nine years ago I did my first half Ironman. My mom and sister went to that race and we had a blast.  It was nice to have my mom go with me again for this race. We had a great time together, I've always been a momma's boy, and that probably won't ever change. If you have a problem with that, then too bad, 'dis baby boy be 'da prince of this family. lol  

 

 

This race report took forever to write. That is rather fitting with how this season has went.  After the bodybuilding show I never felt any urgency or stress. I say (only somewhat) in jest that I don't have a competitive bone in my body right now to race people. 

 

The pleasure I derived from this season was mostly had during longer workouts where I could just do my thing. Workouts that were simply me vs. my limits.  During the summer I found myself wondering what my big thing for the late summer would be, the choice was easy. I have wanted to do a half Ironman in the late summer for a long time.  The problem being I always raced so much during the summer that I didn't have the time or energy to devote to long course racing.  My last half ironman was six years ago. Halfs are special events, they have a unique spirit about the race, and I was quite pleased with the opportunity I had made out of this season. There is something special about September half Ironmans. Equally as satisfying was the transition from the spring to fall activities. 

 

The summer was great, I wasn't doing the normal things I had done in the past, but I found great pleasure and fun in long bike rides, long runs, and consistent day-in training without a lot of racing.  I made a few bike modifications to rejuvenate my spirit and over the last part of the summer put in a handful of 100-mile bike rides.  The last time I rode 100 miles was 2008, and it was misery. I've had that apprehension of how long that is since that day.  Now, after riding it so many times this summer, I am not scared at all. I used my opportunities this summer to challenge that fear. I no longer feel so scared of 100-mile rides (which are ridiculous in distance when you think about it). I own them.

 

Pushing my limits and distances on the run and bike this summer was the most satisfying part of the season. When it came time to "race" everything really took care of itself in a stable fashion because I had done over-distance training in all events.  The race was fun, but it wasn't epic, world changing, or all that provoking emotionally. It, at times, was a cruise, and at other times, like late in the run, was simply a grind.  It was kind of fun.   

 

 

The swim was easy, I swam comfortable with minimal effort, utilized the draft nearly the whole swim, and came out in the top ten.  My friend, Trev Daakan, came out just ahead of Josh Adams and I as we made our way to T1. 

 

 

The mistakes I have made in past half Ironmans are attributed to riding too hard on the bike, and starting the first few miles of the run too hard.  I was bent on not repeating those. I focused on hydrating, fueling, and keeping my power in check.  I bounced back a few spots on the bike as Josh, Stuart, and Trev all distanced themselves from me.  Everything went to plan on the bike, I felt like I rode conservatively enough so that I would be ready to do well during the half marathon portion of the race.    

 

Starting the run my friends Josh, Trev, and Stuart were all out of reach and running faster than I was, they all did such a good job, but I wasn't out of the race by anymeans.  The first half of the run I felt pretty good, I was running low 7-minutes per mile and was catching people who were struggling with the heat.

Like it always does, at mile 8 and 9 the run hits like a hammer.  I started to cramp in my quads, which never happens, and the run became a major grind.  13.1 miles after swimming 1.2 miles, and biking 56 is hard any way you slice it.  I like the halfs because the run gets soooo hard.  I like having to work through that struggle, that is why halfs are special.

*I turn my hat backwards at the halfway point because that's when it's time to go to work.

 

I lost some time during the last handful of miles, it got tough, but it was tough for everyone out there.  A satisfying part of the race was simply sticking in there when you want to stop, that is one of the best challenges.  I finished up the run with a sprint finish against two people, one of which was in my age division.  The guy had passed me about an hour ago and stretched out a huge lead. I was able to draw him back in over the last part of the run and pass him in the last stretch, much like the guy did to me at Ellensburg. That was pretty fun.  

 

*Good job to Stuart and Josh

 

I finished 10th overall, which is my best half Ironman finish, and I have nothing to complain about.  It was a hard day, but I enjoyed it.  As much as I enjoyed it, there is also a feeling of having sooo much work to do to get back to top performance, and so much work to improve my long course racing.  It is clear that I have a big challenge ahead of me because I finished about 20 minutes off the podium.  I have my baseline and challenge now.  

 

Overall, it was a fun day, it was nice to see my friends and have my mom travel with me. I enjoyed the longer race and the September half Iron atmosphere a lot. Thanks to Renee for the pictures, and thanks to my extended family for the big party after the race.

 

I am a man of versatility this year.  I hope to have proven that the sky is the limit.

Now, I gotta' find some more adventures...