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fitness, Habits, health, Inspiration, life, running, success -

A few years ago I had a turning point in my life. Several men from my church had decided to go on a hiking trip in the Ouachita Mountains in Western Arkansas. Excited about the opportunity to spend a couple days outdoors with a great group of guys, I readily agreed to go. Growing up, I was an active youth. I was heavily involved in sports, playing varsity baseball and basketball in high school, and while I wasn't heading to play college or professional ball, I was still fairly athletic and in shape. Also, I did a fair amount of...

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fitness, half marathon, health, running -

Well, week 8 has come and gone and with it a share of ups and downs.  I ran four times through the week, but all of my training days were off and I missed my long run day. I'll get into that in a minute. Each of my runs were adequate. I pushed myself moderately well, and I can still feel improvement in my form and physical condition. I have noticed my knees are a bit sore now, so I need to keep an eye on that. I missed my long run this week due to some stomach issues I...

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fitness, half marathon, health, running -

Week 7 is over and done with and I think I've hit the point of my training where all the "easy" runs are over. Easy as in the 20-30 minute training times are no longer there. Now it's a minimum of 40 minutes and my long runs look to be 6+ miles every week from here until April. Time commitment now. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the time commitment is what kills me. I don't mind the running or the distance. I just wish I could run 7 miles in twenty minutes and get it over with. With...

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fitness, half marathon, health, running -

Week 6. Let's see. What can I say about it? It was good. I noticed my breathing is increasingly getting better and fatigue in my legs is lessening on long runs. One of the great things about Week 6 is that it ended the month of October, and for the first time in three years of training that marked a fully month of training without skipping a single day. Pretty proud of that accomplishment. The neatest thing I witnessed this week is perhaps a fairly rare sight. The night was overcast with thick clouds, as it had been the previous...

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fitness, half marathon, health, running -

Well, Week 5 of my half marathon training is in the books and I'm feeling stronger and faster each week. I really believe that come April, I'll be ready for the Disney Half Marathon - the Dark Side. This week I did have something... odd... happen to me. So, most runners I encounter are pretty gross while running, myself included. You have to be. There's no time to stop and blow your nose or take care of some other bodily functions. You just take care of it where you are. Which is exactly what I did one evening this past...

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