Happy Holidays

BELIEVE

Wishing you and your families a happy and blessed Holiday.

Be safe and...

Peace.....

Kevin's Running Revelations

WELCOME TO KEVIN'S RUNNING REVELATIONS

After 25 years of running, including 35,924.5 miles and 5781 runs, every now and then I get what I call a "Kevin Revelation" during a run. During my run yesterday, I had one that I thought it my duty to share with you. So here goes....

I AM TOO OLD AND FAT TO RUN IN TIGHTS ANYMORE!!

No need to thank me.

Peace......

Welcome Back Kevin

After a LONG time without blogging, I'm back. Hopefully on a more regular basis.

We spent some time last week in the beautiful state of Florida in a condo on the beach. It always amazes me to see how much money there is along the beach front!!

As with every vacation I take, I ate WAY too much and once back, feel like a real slug.

Got a couple of nice runs in while I was there. But today is my last day of vacation and it's time to get serious again!

So can you believe it??? TWINS?? After my WILD 2007, I'm now in for another WILD ride in 2009. Let me recap...

2007:

• turned 50
• 1 kid graduated from college
• 1 kid graduated from Law School
• had a new baby (might need to re-read this one)
• 1 kid got married

Yea, all that in one year! So now, after a very boring 2008 ;-) I need to ramp up for 2009 when I have this going on...

• new TWINS in March!!
• new GRANDCHILD IN JUNE!!

Yes, that's right. My oldest daughter who got married in 2007 is now pregnant and is due June 6. So, I'll have a 2 year old and twins babies in March AND will be a grandfather in June!! (Head spinning)

So over the next week or so I will be reevaluating my work outs and eating habits AGAIN. I'm going to need all the energy I can get and I'm not built for that right now!

Wish me luck!!

Peace....

Yep.. TWINS

I know many of you already know about this, from episode 156 of Phedippidations, and it's true...

My wife and I are expecting TWINS this March!!

Lots more to come, after I pick myself up off the floor.






Peace......

Be patient. It's ALMOST time to spill my guts!!

Peace...

Ever have some news you can't wait to share but can't yet because you are told you have to ZIP IT???

But I've said too much already. You better just keep checking back. ;-)

Peace.....

Long Time No Blog

I know, I know, it's been like 10 years since I've blogged! Part of it has been because I've been rather busy, part of it is because I've been in a podcast/blog funk. You know, just not generally in the mood.

But we really have been rather busy enjoying the summer together, doing lots of cool family stuff.





We made a long weekend trip to Chicago recently where we took Connor to The Lincoln Park Zoo.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is an awesome zoo right on the lake in Chicago that just happens to be FREE! I am serious! It's FREE! Not cheap, FREE!

And I don't mean FREE ZOO as in some "Carnies. You know, circus folk. Very small hands. Smell like cabbage." kind of way! It's an awesome zoo! If Chicago is in your future, check it out!





On the running front, it's been WAY worse than my family fun this summer. I'd have to say that on the "roller coaster of running", I'm definitely on the down hill side.

It started a few weeks ago when I ran twice in one day (total 10 miles) and started feeling some pain behind my left knee. Over the next few days, the pain moved down my leg and resulted in a swollen leg.

I finally went to the doctor and was sent for an ultrasound to run out any danger of a blood clot.

$500.00 later, no blood clot but a possible muscle tear in some muscle I can't remember nor pronounce anyway. I also twisted the same knee carrying luggage to the car for our Chicago trip and was unable to run for a few days!


You try going to Chicago and NOT running! That town (at least down by the lake) is running HEAVEN! But being there and NOT being able to run is running HELL!


The knee is improving SLOWLY, I think, but still not where I want it to be.

And of course, as is always the case, when the roller coaster is on the down hill side, my weight is always on the uphill side! Coincidence? I think not.


So it would seem I have my work cut out for me on that front.


Peace......

Back from vacation and ready for another one!

Four hours (one way) on a bus to get to New York to see the Reds play the Yankees and it was SO worth it!!! If you have never been to Yankee Stadium, you should get there this year before it's reduced to rubble. The history of that place is amazing. The Reds came out on the short end of the scoreboard, but rooting for the Reds was only my second reason for being there. What a cool place!

But it doesn't take an 8 hour bus trip to make a 15 month old happy! Thank goodness all THAT takes is a trip to the local school play ground. Remember when it was THAT easy to make yourself happy? Well I don't but it's that easy for me again!

On the running front, not a lot going on. Still getting out the door 4-5 times a week, but mostly leaving my enthusiasm at home. Not sure what's up with that, but I guess that will return soon enough.

I've been going to the track once a week for the past month for some interval work. It feels SO good AFTER I finish!!!

Just need to hang in another month for my trip to Chicago and more another long weekend of making myself happy!

Peace.....

First Trip To The Zoo

It's been years since I had been to the zoo myself, but taking a child for the first time was like going for the first time myself.

I'm not too sure how old he should be before I break the news that not EVERY animal at the zoo is a "dog-dog", but who cares. There is nothing like helping my son discover new things. "Finest Kind"

The summer heat has begun hitting us here in Cincinnati, (not like my friends in Fla., but still hot) and it's made my lunch time runs more of a challenge. I seem to rotate between "I can't breath in this humidity" and "It feels good to sweat like this". No complaints yet.

Big plans to see JERSEY BOYS with my wife this weekend! A very cool Broadway play AND a date with my sweetie! Again I say... Finest Kind.

Also have final plans to visit YANKEE STADIUM soon to see this "House That Ruth Built" before it is torn down next year.

Probably followed by a trip to Chicago!

Summer is shaping up nicely ;-)

Peace.....

The Flying Pig Marathon

So if I can't RUN a marathon theses days (and I CAN'T) I might as well help others run one!

My buddy and I have worked The Flying Pig Marathon here in Cincinnati since it's inception 10 years ago. It's a real BLAST!

We are now the organizers of the finish line. You would be amazed at how much time it takes to put this thing together. Meetings start in January for the race that is held the second Sunday in May each year. Medals, blankets, chips removal, food, water, Gatorade. We are responsible for providing the volunteers, setting it all up and getting it all handed out. I work from about 5:30 AM till noon, and feel like I have run it when it's all over!

So if you are not already volunteering for a marathon, do it! And if you are anywhere close to Cincinnati next May, get in touch with me! I'd love to use you! ;-)

I have run 5 marathons in the past, and still have dreams of maybe doing another. But I have to tell you, after working the finish line, I'm not too sure I can put myself through that again. All of you who are doing them.. God Bless You!!!

Peace....

10 IN 10 Challenge!

OK,OK, so CAKE might not be a good option when I'm on a diet, but tell me, could YOU refuse a fist full of icing from this kid???

I started Nigel's 10 IN 10 CHALLENGE this past week. Doesn't a measly 10 pounds in 10 weeks sound easy?? DAMN YOU CAKE!

First week actually went well, losing 1.5 pounds, but it's not fun at all!

I really think the only way I ever lose weight is to really step up my exercise. By this I mean going from exercising 4-5 days a week to 6-7. Stepping it up a bit. I've been running 5-6 days a week and using the Elliptical Trainer when I can't or don't run. I stay with it for at least an hour every time. Maybe all in my head but it seems to work for me. In all reality, besides the great sweat and the calories I burn, I am much less apt to cheap knowing the work I had to put in to finish that hour!

Ran 4 days in a row this week (22 miles) and almost couldn't lift my legs out of bed on day 5! Don't think that's a wise move for my 51 year old body anymore. I better think twice before I do THAT again. Took today of completely!

That's all from sunny Cincinnati for now.

Peace.....

You CAN have your cake and eat it too!!

Look who turned 1!!!





BEFORE














AFTER






What a damn doll this kid is! It's far too easy to forget how much fun kids are. But it's all coming back to me in a rush now!

Connor had his first birthday and I followed with my uhm, I forget which one it was for me. Don't ask, don't tell.

Just finished producing and uploading The Extra Mile Podcast Episode 21 and what a blast it was! Thanks to everyone who helped. You should have seen the email I got from Steve. He LOVED it.

In other news.. My buddy Nigel has somehow talked a few of us into trying to lose 10 lbs in 10 weeks! Sounded like a good idea at the time! Just kidding. It does help to know others are in the same boat and following what I do. Mmmmm.. celery.

Training is going pretty well. The weather has FINALLY broken and my body has started to stop aching, for now. The miles are adding up slowing. Up to about 25 miles a week on the way to about 30. I think 30 is about my limit these days. Parts begin hurting and falling off after that point! Thank God nothing too important yet.

My other good buddy, Adam, has been talking a lot about Twitter and Nigel again nudged me so I bit the bullet and dove into that as well. Pretty cool I must say. Check it out and let me know so I can stalk, uhm, I mean "follow" you. ;-)

Peace....

Happy Happy!!

It's been a whole YEAR already!!!!! OMG! My "little" boy is celebrating his first birthday today!

I'm sure you are all wondering what you can get him too. So here's a little help:

Please feel free to send your significant contributions to:

The SEND CONNOR TO THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY College fund

I will be accepting contributions for the next 17 years. Thanks in advance for your HUGE checks.

Peace...

Back from the beach

So we are back from the beach just about a week, and it seems like months since I was there!! Whats up with that? Needless to say, we had a GREAT time.

We escaped Cincinnati JUST IN TIME too! It was snowing so badly when we left that we had to sit in the plane for an hour while they de-iced us. But we did got out of town!

The day we escaped, Cincinnati was hit with over a foot of snow that closed the city down.. all the while I was running in the sun in shorts! Life is Good.

Last Saturday, the 3 of us entered our first 5k together. Well, we REALLY entered the 10k but Connor decided HE wanted to stop after the first 5k. So dad stopped with him and mom did the second loop and ran the 10k.

I guess the little guy needs to do some more long runs!

Now lastly, I ask you, specifically you women with children out there. Who (and WHY!) names their shoes? Connor's mom has started buying these shoes called "pedipeds"? Very cute shoes but they actually NAME the models. Yea, real boys names.. Andrew, Charlie, Conner (obviously spelled WRONG). So every time my wife talks with a girlfriend about the shoes, the conversations goes something like this:

"I bought Connor some Ethan's yesterday that are SO cute"

"I LOVE those. Have you seen Harvey and Jake yet? Adorable!!"

And there I stand just shaking my head.....

Peace.....

Beaches Here I COME!!

A lousy day at the beach still beats a great day in the office! This is what's keeping me going these days!

I'm about over The Mother Of All Colds, coughing only occasionally, and although my running is SSSSSLLLLLLOOOOOWWWW these days, at least I'm running.

In a little over a week now, my wife, son and me will be heading for the North Carolina coast for a family vacation. Not nearly long enough (only 4 days), but better than braving the Cincinnati winter temperatures these days!

I ask you, is there anything more fun that running while you are on vacation? I just LOVE heading out of the door in a strange place to explore! I usually get up early, in enough time to get out and back before my little buddy wakes up. I explore the place and usually am able to find a cute little breakfast dive we can hit. Aren't those always the best places? I'm very pumped about the trip.

In addition (KNOCK ON WOOD), other than some small remnants of this cold, I have no nagging aches or pains! It's the first time in months I can say that!

So to recap.... Vacation, Running, Great Breakfast Dives, Sun, Beaches, Healthy.

Life is good.

Peace....

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

I officially HATE winter!!!

I don't snow ski. I haven't played hockey since I was 15 and lived in Minnesota. My back hurts when I shovel. My nose runs from October through March. There is NOTHING I like about this season!!

OK, there IS Christmas, and Thanksgiving, and building snowmen. There is that whole "laying by a fire during a snowfall" thing too.

This winter season has been particularly bad on my running and health in general.

I've been WAY sicker than any winter season in memory. And this has of course resulted in my running SUCKING too. Which of course depresses me, which makes me eat more, which leads too... Yes, it's a damn snowball!!

Hear my frustration yet? Step closer if you need to. If misery loves company, have a seat in front of the fire and prop your feet my friend.

The only thing that will help get me out of this winter rut, I fear, is either a complete and FINAL break in this Ohio weather (prop your feet right over there Melisa), a quick trip to sunny Orlando (scoot over a tad Chris), or at the VERY least, an end to all these crazy colds I have gotten this season!!



But if I look closely, I might see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

If I squint, I swear I can see a trip to a North Carolina beach in a couple of weeks. And if I look closer, I may see the official first day of spring only about a month away!

All that is fine, but in the mean time, any suggestions for beating (no wait, not just beating. I'd really like to PUMMEL) the common cold??? Or maybe the not-so-common one?

Peace.... *cough, cough*

GERMS! GERMS! GERMS!!!

One of these is a cute little vessel that collects and grows germs and viruses, allowing them to spread to humans, causing the sniffles, various aches and pains, and sleepless nights.

The other is a petri dish!!!

Now I realize I turned 50 this past year, but I refuse to believe that has anything to do with the fact that I have gotten 3 nasty colds in the past 7 months! Hey wait, 7 months just happens to be the same amount of time that my son, Connor, has been attending day care. hmmm.. How odd!

And I'm not just talking about slight colds. I'm talking about no running, sleep in the other room, coughing till my abs ache COLDS!! And they last almost 2 weeks.

If there is any good news in any of this, it's that I am about 90% over my third cold now. And just in time too! It was 56 degrees today and I HAD to get outside in it! 6 miles later, much of it spent caughing like I had one lung, and I feel much better!

Hope you all are getting through winter without these colds! but if you feel left out, send me an airline ticket and I'll ship you my cute little petri dish for a few days!!

Peace...

Ramble Ramble...

I was checking out Marathon Maritza's very cool blog and saw where she has become a crock pot junkie, and I think I was a little jealous! Our dinners have become not just monotonous, but because of the "Microwave-ability" requirement, not as healthy as they should be.

But the meals Maritza talks about sound very healthy and very YUMMY! So I sent her an email asking for her recipes and any suggestions. It would be very nice to throw it all in the crock pot and have it all ready when I got home.

So if anyone else has any easy/half healthy recipes, GIMME GIMME!

One day a few weeks ago I was leaving my house for the gym at an ungodly time of day (4:50 AM). On my way out of the neighborhood, I passed a runner (who was MUCH faster than I am!). I could see her coming at me from a LONG way off. She was wearing a flashing light that made it look like she was wearing a lighthouse on her ankle.

Needless to say, since I run a few times a week in the early morning dark, I had to find out what this thing was!

Turns out it's a product sold by ROAD ID called Firefly.

I ordered one and now, if you each walk out of your front doors at around 5:30 AM and face Cincinnati, you will see a bright flashing light moving at about a 9:30 pace across the horizon!

I still wear a vest (OK, 95% of the time) but this light is very cool and can REALLY be seen from a far way off!

I'd say it's worth checking out, as is the same companies Road ID product. GET ONE! ;-)

The foot (plantar fasciitis) is about 95% gone now and I've begun to SLOWLY add some miles back in. Up to about 25 miles now and feeling good.

That's about it for now. Hope everyone is doing well.



Peace....

Had a GREAT TIME!!!

I'm sure we all did some pretty awesome things over the holidays and I wanted to share one of mine with you all.

As some of you may know, I have a set of older (23 years old) twin boys and one is in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. SOOOO proud of that kid!

He does his 1 weekend per month duty right in Columbus Ohio at Rickenbacker Airport where they base 13 KC-135 refueling planes. You know, those very cool jets that refuel fighters in mid-air?


Well, a few days before Christmas, the base had an open house where you could invite family to come for dinner and tour the base. As you can see, I spent much of my time there on a KC-135. How cool was that!

Spending the day with one of my favorite people in the world, seeing what he does for his country... It just doesn't get any better than that! Does it?

This one ranks right up there with watching Connor (my 9 month old) reach for me every time I walk in the room!

I COMPLETELY fooled Santa again this year and had the most wonderful Christmas ever! Hope you all can say the same!

Now it's back to the old grindstone!

My foot is at about 90% now so I want to SLOWLY pick up some miles in January and make DARN sure to stick with my weight lifting! I'll keep you posted how that goes.

Peace....