MONDAY MONDAY...

It is becoming a little bit harder than I thought it would be to run with my current parenting schedule, especially every other weekend when I have them. Both my little ones, Jack(5) and Chloe(4) have had pretty nasty colds this past week. The prospect of taking them out to Stony on Saturday morning at 8am just didn't seem like good parenting to me, but I can't help but feel bad about missing my group training.
That said I am getting the miles in. Today is my long run day, 8 miles. Most of my runs have been smooth and without incident lately. My only concern is the added pounds from a winter of nothingness around my waist and the effect it is having on my joints.

Thanks for checking in, more to come later this week,

RPD.


In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!

2sday.......

A few things are rolling around in the space between my ears today....

First things first, training is going as well as I would have figured, considering I am a big fat guy training for a marathon. I missed my run last Saturday, but got a long run in Sunday. Today's run was OK. The weather here in Michigan was perfect today, mid 50s with a mix of sun and clouds. I tend to get real bummed when my runs don't go very well. Half of my run today was into a 10 to 15 mph wind, boy did that suck!! None-the-less I did run, I got the miles in and I feel better for it.
Back to the rolling...two sayings popped into my head today... 1. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger and 2. God doesn't give you anything you can't handle.

I WANT PROOF.... Is there someone who can show me a study?

I have been dealing with a lot lately and I don't feel stronger, mentally or physically. Actually, more times than not I feel like turning turtle and crawling into my shell to hide. Running is by far the best stress reliever I have found, but sometimes it just isn't enough. Life keeps piling on!!! My divorce, friend of the court, rent, unemployment, trying to give the kids some sense of normalcy, the bills...yada yada yada!!!!!
On to number 2.... as down and out as I feel. As miserable, self loathing, fill in the blank here I feel. I cannot imagine being in the situation of millions of people out there with blood cancers. As most everyone who happens across this blog knows I raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This time around my "honored hero" is Eunice. She is an incredible person, with more zest for life and energy than I could ever hope to have. How can I complain about my day today?? The few times I have met her she is always upbeat and grateful. Grateful?? I am speechless... the bills, the misfortunes in my life pale to what she is going through. And she thanks me for what I am doing.. God doesn't give you anything you can't handle....

AMEN...and thank you Eunice!!!

R.P.D.

one of my favorites and one I have posted b4...

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

HE'S BACK.......again...

The old saying, "If I had a nickel for every time I heard that..." come to mind. I decided to wait a few weeks to make sure I was really going to start training again before I posted. That and the fact that I told my teammates about my blog!
Yup, I signed up for number 3. 26.2 miles of memories, blisters, and fun. Well maybe not the blisters!! On June 20th I will be running in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, Anchorage Alaska and I can't wait. After a long winter of nothing but laziness it feel great to be on the road again. Well, with this weather more like on the tread mill again, but the sentiment is the same.
Please stop by my fundraising web page
http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/anchor09/rdelisle

More to come... I PROMISE THIS TIME!!!!!

R.P.D.

You can't plow a cotton field with an elephant in North Carolina. just in case you were thinking about it!!!!

FEELS SO GOOD TO FEEL SO BAD...

After trying to figure a way out of it, which I seem to do way too often of late, I decided a run was in order. So I called my daughter to see if she wanted to ride along with me for 3 miles. Since I don't live with my kids full time anymore any excuse I can find to spend time with them is a bonus and I REALLY needed the company. I feel really fat and self conscience so she was a nice distraction. Talking about school and work and evrything else that 11 year olds and their dads talk about. Before I knew it we were done and I could barely stand up! My heart was pounding out of my chest, my legs throbbing, my back stiff as a board. And I loved every minute of it. I felt alive again, after nearly a month of no running it really feels good to "feel". The thing about sitting around and doing "nothing" is you feel nothing. More to come...

R.P.D.

In New York State, it is still illegal to shoot a rabbit from a moving trolley car.

HAPPY FREAKIN' MONDAY EVERYONE.....

So after another long hiatus and another handful of excuses I am going to start running again today after about a month off. To quote the 12 steppers out there... I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!!!
Sorry for the disappearing act every few months, but I will do my best to keep running through the coming months and when I run, I blog!!!!

R.P.D.


It is against the law to whale hunt in Oklahoma. (Think about it...)

THE PICKLE GRABBER

In the midst of madness the simplest things can make you smile.....

A little background before we begin. I am settling into my new house, it is spartan to say the least. And lonely at times. Having lived with someone for the better part of 16 years, the adjustment to solitude can be tough. I don't have cable yet and I rarely turn the TV on. the strangest time is dinner time. It is just me, my dinner and what ever mail I happen to get that day.
I was sitting there two days ago in a funk. Worried about bills, money, the kids, yada yada yada. When I happened on a old book "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff. So there I am with my spicy brats, corn on the cob, glass of milk and the local coupon paper and the book. Something was missing, I mean besides all of the usual kid sounds at dinner...pickles. How to get the pickles out of the jar, ahha!! I remember my mother-in-law gave a pickle grabber. Bet you never heard someone say THAT before!! Anyway, there I sit reading the foreword of my book fishing the pickles out of the jar and I found myself smiling. For that brief second all that mattered was fishing those pickles out of the jar and every time I got one....YES!!! It dawned on me how little it really takes to make us happy!
The next day, yesterday, I got to see my kids as they come over on Wednesday after work. You ever watch a kid. I mean just sit back and watch them be happy. They don't need money, cars, video games, TV, nice clothes, jewelery, a bunch of toys. Just put a small group of kids together and a game of hide and go seek and I will show you happiness like nothing you will ever see. I have asked this before, when is the last time you ran for the sake of running, or skipped? You have to be careful where you do that second one!!! The point is, stop for a second, grab the pickle grabber and be happy!!! Life is too short not to!

Have a great day and as always thanks for stopping by.

R.P.D.

P.S.
running again...more to come....

I was tagged by coach Ken.

Here are the rules as explained to me.Copy the rules (or your version of them) and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers and then tag 5 new people. If tagged, you’ll find your name at the end of this post.To be sure everyone tagged knows they’ve been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a comment notifying and referring them to your blog for details.Lastly, once the chosen have answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.

Here are my responses.



1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Ten years ago the only running I was doing was to the smoke shop.



2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

My best race was Nike '06, I think partly because it was my first marathon. I still remember every last detail about that day. The worst has to be the Crim that same year. Leading up to that race I had a miserable week and at mile 2 I was already done both physically and mentally.



3. Why do you run?

I started running shortly after I quit smoking. I felt myself getting fat and did not want to be one of those huge ex smokers!! After barely making back to the house after 1 1/2 miles the couch was looking pretty good, but one week later I was signed up for marathon number one...the rest is history.



4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?

Best...finish what you started!!! Worst....I honestly can't think of anything.



5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

my middle name is Pierre.



Who I am tagging....

Marathondudebill

Dabigleap

Motownrunnergirl

Gr8lakesrunninggal

Amy @ Runners lounge