You used to be Mel Clark?

Day 27: INcomplete

Morning session: N/A
Evening session: 6.29 miles
Total distance: 6.29 miles

No morning run yet again. Trying not to be too hard on myself, since I've already reached the 300 mark, but...this was the third morning in 4 days that I didn't run. Need to get after it tomorrow. We'll see if that pans out.

Managed to dig up a few more sports flicks around the house, and I'll check the town library to see if they have any others that I haven't watched yet this month...

Now: Rookie of the Year. It features the Cubs; what's not to like?

Speaking of which--the boys in blue are tied 1-1 heading to the 13th inning. Here we go again. They need the win to hold onto 1st place. C'mon, fellas!

But there's only a few minutes left in the movie, so next we'll have: Angels in the Outfield. Funny flick with some baseball, some silliness, and a few nice, sentimental moments, too.


**Cubs win, Cubs win! Grand slam, Alfonso Soriano! 5-1, Cubs in 13 innings. Huge, huge win!!**

Tonight's Top 10 list:

Top 10 Favorite teachers (excluding my mom) I've ever had (and what classes I had with them):

10. Chuck Killingsworth, Pittsburg State University: Fresman Experience
9. Allan Van Asselt, McPherson College: Chemistry
8. Cheryl Matthews, Pretty Prairie Middle School: 7th/8th grade English
7. Jon Johnson, Pretty Prairie High School: American History, American Government
6. C.T. Young, Pretty Prairie High School: Physical Science, Biology
5. Patti French, Pretty Prairie Middle School: 5th grade
4. B.J. Stegall, Pretty Prairie High School: Algebra II, Geometry
3. Lindsey Harvell, Wichita State University: Public Speaking
2. Chuck Ray, Pretty Prairie High School: English, Creative Writing
1. W. Stephen Hathaway, Wichita State University: American Literature, Modern American Writers, Nature of Fiction

Not sure what spurned this, but felt like it was a good use of some thought.

Side note; #3: Lindsey Harvell (aka, Linds) taught my Public Speaking class my first semester at WSU. I was a Junior, had just transferred in, and she was just starting her teaching career.
- She is now a professor at the University of Oklahoma *puke*. We became friends after that semester. Weird stuff. Cool chica, though.

Hathaway and Ray have both been very influential in my, uh, weirdness.

D, out.

Who Do You Play For?

Day 25: Complete

Morning session: 9.17 miles
Evening session: 6.12 miles
Total distance: 15.29 miles

(THE) Milestone reached: 300-mile mark

Yo, Adrian! I did it! :)

Not gonna lie, I'm proud of myself. I had a few people--including a good friend who's a collegiate trackster and cross country runner--tell me I wouldn't do it. That I couldn't do it. But I did. And with 6 days to spare. I know with all the hard work I've put myself through the past 25 days, I probably shouldn't say this, but...400 miles in a month is attainable. Probably not this month, with the couple runs I've taken off lately, but I'm just saying.

Moral of the story?
Don't ever freaking underestimate me.

Now, despite my achievement, I don't plan to "coast," per se, but I should probably hit the 350 mark, or so.

Had a handful of friends lobbying for me to get back on Facebook today, since I accomplished my goal 6 days early. But I did pledge to stay away from it (and various other things) for the entire month. Not to mention that I haven't reached my weight loss goal just yet--which could actually prove to be even tougher than the 300 miles.

As of this evening, I've lost 17 lbs in 25 days. I need to lose 5.5 more lbs in 6 days to reach my goal. Time to buckle down even harder than before.

Hockey movie now: Miracle.

There might not be a more inspiring sports story in American history. On that 1980 night in Lake Placid, NY, magic happened. The impossible happened. I get goosebumps just talking about the event with sports buddies of mine. Great film, and a great piece of history, to say the least.

But it's almost over (i.e. the best part coming up right now), so I'll start the next movie soon: Kingpin.

Freaking hysterical bowling flick. Laughs out the wazoo, I promise you.

Tonight's top 10 list:

Top 10 things I would endorse (if I were a celebrity, and approached to do so):

10. Spalding - basketballs
9. American Eagle - primarily for flip flops
8. New Era - baseball caps
7. Fruit Loops w/ marshmallows
6. Subway
5. Orbit gum (good gum, and their ads are funny)
4. Reese's Pieces
3. Dr. Pepper
2. G2 Gatorade - grape
1. Adidas - basketball shoes, and other apparel


And now, since I just finished watching Miracle, I have goosebumps all over my body, and a bit of a watery eye--cheesy, I know--I'll leave you with that.

Today...was a good day, my friends.

My advice to you?
Live your dreams. Fulfill your goals. Then keep going. Do everything you can. Then do more.

D, out.

The eve of achievement.

Day 24: INcomplete

Morning session: N/A
Evening session: 7.61
Total distance: 7.61 miles

Golfed with Justin this morning--well, tried--so no running. Was very impressed with my pace during the evening run, and am now just 7.22 miles short of the 300 mark. Tomorrow's the big day.

Friday's weekly update: 82.41 miles (11.77 miles/day)
*This is just in the last 7 days (not accumulative), since last Friday's update. Pace slowed a bit the last few days. But the big picture is what's important at this point in the journey.*

Accumulative total: 292.78 miles (12.19 miles/day)

This overall average puts me on pace for approximately 377 miles. Doubt I'll get that high, since I'm gonna start focusing on the midsection after I hit 300, to hopefully get the weight down faster.

Weigh-in: 191.5 lbs

At this rate, I'm still on pace to lose approximately 20 lbs (20.67 lbs, to be exact), which would still fall short of my goal of 22.5 lbs. Again, if I could lose 20 in a month (4 more to go), I'd probably take it. But I know I can lose more. And more importantly, I want to lose more.

Movie later: Eddie. Goofy movie with Whoopi Goldberg, who I otherwise can't stand. But it's a pretty solid flick, with some hoops, and worth a few laughs.

And as promised, to make up for not having a list last night, here's a bonus tonight...

Tonight's top 15 list:

Top 15 favorite TV shows (during my lifetime):

15. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
14. Castle
13. Alf
12. Friends
11. Two and a Half Men
10. Walker, Texas Ranger
9. Saved by the Bell
8. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
7. 30 Rock
6. Scrubs
5. Family Guy
4. That 70's Show
3. Boston Legal
2. K-Ville
1. Seinfeld



And that, ladies and gents, is that. Time to recoup for tomorrow's milestone. Be excited. Ready, go! ;)

D, out.

Day 23: INcomplete

Morning session: 10.75 miles
Evening session: N/A
Total distance: 10.75 miles

Played ball this evening, and with Justin in town, that meant no running. Luckily, I got in an acceptable run this morning. No running in the morning, either. Gonna try to hit the links for some golf. Key word: try.

Making matters worse, I'm all but certain I broke my finger for the 9th time. Hurts worse than it ever has before--sucks! And yes, you read that right. Same finger, nine times. Ugh.

Halfway through first VHS sports movie: Above the Rim.
Classic basketball flick. Real solid acting, by Tupac Shakur, among others.

It motivates me to do two things: play ball, and listen to Pac.

I'll have an evening run tomorrow, and am tentatively scheduled to hit to 300 mark on Saturday morning. A day or two later than I could have done. But given that I've actually gotten to do something like--say, interact with actual people--the past few days, the small "break" has been welcomed.

No top 10 list tonight. Short of ideas, and it hurts to type.

Apologies to anyone who may care for the weak blog. I'll make it up tomorrow.

D, out.

I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it. - Mitch Hedberg

Day 22: INcomplete

Morning session: 2.00 miles
Evening session: 2.00 miles
Total distance: 4.00 miles

As much of a "day off" as I'll take. Same as July 10, I went to WSU to play ball with my Wichita buddies. Ran a little on the track before and after.

Movie now: Blades of Glory.

I know, I know, right? Ha!

Movie sometime tomorrow, and the final sports movie of my DVD collection (still a few more on the VHS side): Wimbledon.

Very solid flick. Good acting, and kind of a cute story. Plus, tennis is fun, so you know.

Got a buddy supposed to be comin' down tomorrow for some evening hoops, and Friday morning golf. Translation: I need a very productive morning run tomorrow, and evening run Friday. Was hoping to hit 300 by Friday, but now it's looking like Saturday will be the big day.

--Another e-mail from my best friend in the wide world today, Amanda Lee Walker. We don't get to talk much; she's on the other side of the galaxy (well, Connecticut), and I sure do miss her a whole bunch. She's been so supportive through my grueling month. She rocks! Raccoon.

Tonight's top 10 list:

Top 10 comedians of all-time:

10. D.L. Hughley
9. Chelsea Handler
8. Rich Vos
7. Sarah Silverman
6. Ralphie May
5. George Carlin
4. Dave Chappelle
3. Demitri Martin
2. Richard Pryor
1. Mitch Hedberg

Rest in Peace, Mitch. Funny, funny dude.


A roughly compiled list. Everytime I thought to list someone, I thought of 3 or 4 others just as funny. But this list works for me. :)

D, out.

What did YOU do this week?

Day 21: Complete
Week 3: Complete

Morning session: 11.73 miles
Evening session: 5.78 miles
Total distance: 17.51 miles

Milestone reached: 100 miles in 1 week (106.73)

I am very pleased with this milestone. I wasn't sure 100 miles in one week was attainable. But after 19+ and 14+ on the first 2 days of the week, I knew I had a shot.

Ran yet another career high in today's morning session. The day's total was my 2nd best day, next to that 19.09 on the 15th. The "evening" session came around 4:30 again today, with the Cubs on TV for another 6:00 game.

Week 3 stats:

106.73 miles--15.25 miles/day
4.0 lbs lost

July stats, up-to-date:

270.36 miles--12.87 miles/day
13.5 lbs lost

Comparison:

Week 1: 90.43 miles
Week 2: 73.20 miles
Week 3: 106.73 miles

I am actually on pace to reach 399.1 miles at my current average. But that will decrease quite a bit the next few days. Gonna play ball with my Wichita State friends tomorrow, which means a little less running, then I may have a friend coming to visit Thursday/Friday. If so, we plan to play some ball Thursday evening, and a little golf Friday morning. If that goes as planned, that means not much running these next 3 days.

Plus, once I do hit my 300 mark, I am tentatively planning to coast a little bit, and focus on some sit-ups, push-ups, etc., in order to focus more on the midsection, and coming a little closer to my weight loss goal. Whether this means only running once a day for the final week or so, or just a little bit less each time, I haven't decided...

Movie later, after the game: Goal! The Dream Begins. Cheesy, if not lazy title, but actually a very inspiring flick, if you haven't seen it.


Won't start the movie until after the Cubs game, though, of course. They're tied 1-1 right now in the 9th, with the defending champion Phillies. It's been a real nice pitching duel so far. Philly has won 9 straight, and demolished the Cubbies last night, 10-1. Suffice to say the boys in blue could really use a win here.

Phillies closer Brad Lidge just had a line drive go off his foot right to Jimmy Rollins, who turned the double play to end the Cubs half of the 9th. Ridiculously dumb luck for Lidge. Fun-looking play, though, if I'm rooting for the other team.

Tonight's top 10 list:

Top 10 country singers (solo artists only):

10. Gary Allan
9. Chris Cagle
8. Luke Bryan
7. Sara Evans
6. Pat Green
5. Toby Keith
4. Taylor Swift
3. Trace Adkins
2. Jack Ingram
1. James Otto



I thought this would be a lot easier. I had a list of 20+ people originally typed in, and had to trim it to 10. If you listen to country at all, share some thoughts!!

The ones I left off...
George Straight, Jason Michael Carroll, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Clay Walker, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Billy Currington

D, out.

Amen to that...

Day 4: Complete

Morning session: 8.62 miles
Evening session: 5.11 miles
Total distance: 13.73 miles

This will surely be the last day that I increase my distance. This morning's run was pretty invigorating. I started out feeling a bit down after yesterday's mental struggle. Call me crazy, but I felt Jesus spoke to me. He painted a beautiful sun-lit sky, as the sun poked through the clouds after the brief rain subsided. I paused. Admired. Prayed.

Something like this...


Not sure He guided me toward any actual clear-cut resolution, so to speak, but just to let things be, and go about my life.

Amen to that.

I've also decided that one of these days--perhaps when I reach my 300-mile goal, or at least get near it, I'll take either my phone or camera along with me when I run, and snap some pictures of some of the sights I get to see out on these country roads. A couple of them would probably amuse people. :)

Injury report:
Some pain on the bottom of my right foot. But like the ankle stuff, it actually hurts less when I run than when I walk...

My pace is now at a point where I could take a full day off, and still be on track for 300. It only took me 4 days. I figured it'd take close to a couple weeks. But I won't take a day off just yet. I'll stash it away for a rainy day--or in case of injury, or something like that. Or, who knows, maybe I'll find some extra stamina somewhere, and actually muster the strength to run 31 straight days (not likely, though). :)

Tomorrow should be a relatively light day. Figurin' on running 5-6 miles in the morning, 3 on the way to the gym. Maybe a little more in there somewhere, not sure yet. In the meantime...

D, out.

The light at the end of the tunnel--and in the kitchen, please?

Back for another dose. Think I've decided that no matter how many (or how few) followers I have on here, this is probably going to be good for me.

A few thoughts on my upcoming July events, and some other stuff:

Last night--went for glass of milk at 2 AM, reached for a light switch, knocked over a glass bottle. It spooked me, and I stumbled back, slicing the back of my foot/ankle. Nice little gash, decent amount of blood, but no harm done. Just another fun gash to make me look tough-ish.

Haircut in the morning. Think I'll basically just buzz it all, go Army-style for my upcoming country road trekking. Also considering shaving the facial hair, too. And I'm pretty certain I'll shave my legs, at some point before Wednesday, also. Hey, it'll help with resistance, and the heat--leave me alone.

Poll questions: 1. Should I let my hair (and facial hair) then grow out all month?

Might get hot, but could be interesting. Doubt I would, but just a thought. A month wouldn't be too bad on my hair. This pic was awhile back--about 2 months worth of growing--probably the longest it's ever been...I'm about a week shy of this look now. HA!














BREAKING NEWS: While texting with a very cool friend of mine just now (who happens to be a gorgeous model, and probably knows a thing or 2 about fashion), she suggested I try a faux hawk, which I've considered before, anyway, so that's a serious thought now...

The facial hair, though, is a different story. My record is 8 days, and would be much tougher to keep going--especially while running in the eat. Here are 2 separate ones of me on the last day of each of my two 8-day stints...



2. Should I post updates on my weight: every day, once a week, only at the begging/middle/end of the month, or what? I'm thinking of keeping my own records each day, but only posting it once a week (Sundays, for example) as of right now. Just a preemptive thought...

Other running thoughts:
If I reach 300 miles before the final day of July (would be nice), I will keep running. If I miraculously hit 300 on, say, the 26th, I won't just call it quits. 300 is the minimum... "I am Spartaaa..." -- crap, sorry, had a vision there for a second...oops :)

Back again soon. Tell your friends.

D, out.