Homegrown

Well, it has been sometime and since there has been some major changes in my life I felt there was no better way to renew my running than come back home to where it all began. Actually it was the V-Team but since this is our new home I felt it was time to come back a renew old friendships and share my love for running with friends that I shared some much with along with all the support! Heck I even meet my wife through the boards! Please stay tune for more to come if you wish!

I got a piece of land out in the country side
Lay back and smell the sun warm up the Georgia pine
Been so good to me, takin' it easy
Why would I ever leave?
'Cause I know
I got some good friends that live down the street
Got a good lookin' woman with her arms 'round me
Live in a small town where it feels like home
I've got everything I need, and nothin' that I don't
Homegrown
Homegrown
We got a fire goin', down by the riverside
Sip whiskey out the bottle, livin' like we'll never die
C'mon and stay a while if you don't believe me
Why would I ever leave?
'Cause I know
I got some good friends that live down the street
Got a good lookin' woman with her arms 'round me
Live in a small town where it feels like home
I've got everything I need, and nothin' that I don't
Homegrown
Homegrown
Homegrown
Homegrown
I got some good friends that live down the street
Got a good lookin' woman with her arms 'round me
Here in a small town where it feels like home
I've got everything I need (homegrown) and nothin' that I don't (homegrown)
Everything I need (homegrown) and nothin' that I don't (homegrown)
It's the way that you care for the things you think you want
It's the way that you care for the things you think you want
It's the way that you care for the things you think you want
I've got everything I need, nothin' that I don't (homegrown)
Everything I need, nothin' that I don't (homegrown)
Everything I need, nothin' that I don't (homegrown)
Ooh everything I need, and nothin' that I don't (homegrown)

Howdy, Schuey!  Welcome back.  Jerry was actually back for a couple of posts around Boston, I think.  He hasn't lost a bit of his personality.

I'm looking forward to having you back and posting, again.  Mark is in charge, now.  He wants to be thought of as a benevolent monarch.  

If you don't agree....

Thanks Ounce, I’m looking forward to be back and catching up with you all around here! I wanted to do it sooner but the last 2 years have been crazy between working 2nd shift then moving to days finally to then moving to 3rd shift for the last 3 months and now finally back on days to building a house! Finally looks like a some what normal life schedule is going to be in order for the most part to where I can now get back to some good training to maybe chase after some PRs. I’ts fun getting settled back into getting up at 3am and out the door around 3:30am to 3:45am for that morning run.

Hey Schuey...glad you stopped in.  Can't wait to hear more details about what you've been up to and follow along as you return to running on a more regular basis.  The boards are often pretty quiet especially this summer but we post when we can and enjoy each others company.  Welcome back!

Not a bad week of training for try to find my overall groove.
End the week with a nice easy long run by choosing one of the less hilly routes I can run by our house on the country roads.

Gratz on the mileage.  For what event are you training?

I’m getting ready to run my new home state marathon in November the Indy Monumental Marathon with a little side detour Sep 7 running 100 mile trail race for fun.

From there most like then take a week or 2 off after the marathon and then start gearing up for my 13th Boston and hope that I get into the Western States 100. If I o t get in that I think I’m might give the Midwest Super Slam a shot which is doing 5 100 milers from June to Oct I believe.

If only you were more motivated.

Right only if I could only truly commit myself! Haha

So, I can’t believe it has already been 6 years since the birth of my daughter. It’s amazing how big she already is and that she started kindergarten this past Tuesday. She is such an amazing little girl smart, beautiful, caring, empathetic, talented which no doubt she gets from her mother. What I do see in her that I may have passed on is that she most likely will have my dads height, as of now looks like she will be at least 6ft tall (she is in the 70th % for her age) and dang is the girl athletic! She ran her first mile race this past July when she was still 5 and ran very well! When she was done she said “daddy remember when you told me that there are times that it hurts and it gets really tough and you just have to suck it up and push through.” I said yeah, her response was”well today it’s started to get tough and hurt but I sucked it up and pushed through and I did it!” So, proud of my amazing little girl! If I recall she ran 9:30 mile at 5!!!  No matter what the outcome of her athletic endeavors or succeeds or failure I just want her to have fun and enjoy competition and realize how sports is a great avenue to help succeed in ones life spiritually, mentally, and develop personal skills to be able to use in any situation in life.

I'm a simple man; I see a Western States shoutout, I respond.  

I'm back in northern California, so when you get in, hit me up.  Crew, pacer, trail beta, a place to stay, whatever you need.

Mike that would be totally awesome bro!!!! Yes, I could definitely  could you have your help apart of my crew and pacing!!!! Awesome to hear you are back in good old NorCal! I thought so from looking at your Strava. Great to be back on the boards with you all!

Thank Kevin and it's great to be back on talking with old running mates again. Hey just an FYI not this year but 2019 I'm planning a return run trip to run JFK 50 miler. Will keep you posted maybe we can hook up and you can meet Kristina and Little Marty III.

Hope you are doing well too my fiend! Also, must add that I owe my Ultra obsession to you!!

Well, were does one start with not have a blog for so long. First I have to say it is great being a dad of two wonderful children, I attempted to talk Lisa into having a 3rd but she is not going for it. Basically in a nutshell she said unless I can carry and delivery the baby it's not happening. HaHa!

With having a career, being a husband, and father it has been a challenge to balance all that along with training for running events. It's an act that I wish I could say I have been able to fine tune by now but it is never that simple. Every time I think I have it down something comes up that throws a curveball into the plan. Last October after working the 2nd shift for several years I moved to the dayshift which was great. With that I was really excited about getting into a normal routine with the occasional covering the 2nd and overnight shift for colleagues. I would have to say that finally there seemed to be some balance between life and training and everything started to gel about the time Boston 2018 came around (will write more about Boston 2018 later but will say it will forever be a day that I will always remember, hold dear to my heart and will be one of my favorite Boston's!). Just when it was all comin together another curveball came in the form of stepping up and working the overnight shift for 3 months. Yes, I will admit it was one the hardest thing I have done and really respect and admire people that work that shift all the time. Good news for me is now I'm back on the dayshift which again means trying to find all that balance and normalness again. I would say that I'm starting to get there and it will all work out. What I have learned as I have become older and father that running/training is only a extension to what is truly important in my life which is my family. These days instead of my running/training dictating my life/schedule it is the other way around family dictates running/training.

So, with that the plan seems to be pretty simple for me these days. Get up at 3am in the morning Monday-Friday go out for a run if time is left I then either workout or jump on the Peleton bike. If there is time I will try to get in a short run when I get home from work. Try to get up early for long run on Saturday and up early to on Sunday to run before church. Plan seems to be pretty simple and some times there is adjustments to this schedule but at least it is something and I allow for it to be flexible. Which I have to do since now we live out in the country (Indiana) so I take a bus to work everyday from downtown Valparaiso which takes about 1:15 each way. Well, worth since we now live on 2acres of land have farms, horses, cows, bulls, and etc. all around us and I will add it is awesome to run on these country roads!!!

With that being said we will see were all this leads and for the time being focus is having fun with my running and let the race times fall were they may in the future. I think in my next post I will talk more about what I have planned in the near future and the far future along with what my training philosophy is these days.

Have a great day everyone as Des says "Just show up!"

Love the story about your daughters first mile race!  What a great memory.

Sounds like you're in a very good place in your life and that you have your priorities exactly where they should be.  It's sometimes tough to accept the slower paces that come with life changes.  My cardiologist kept telling me to run for the experience...not the time.  Initially my thought was that I had more fun when I ran faster.  When I finally accepted the fact that I wasn't going to return to my pre-cardiac event times and chose different events with different goals I started enjoying running again.  You may be young enough to put family first and maintain your running goals...if not enjoy life!

Glad you're back on board and can't wait to hear more about Boston.

Thanks Nancy, yeah I’m sure I have a shot at some fast times across all race distances. For me the it’s the acceptance of not being hung up on weekly mileage like I was before the family. In my mind high mileage = success which I believe there is truth to that. 

With that being said becoming a parent and getting older (but still young at 47) and having my priorities right and become much wiser has taught me that success in running can be achieved though many different training ways and that success can be measured many different ways through races other than time (For me Boston 2007 (and Chicago for 07), 2012, and 2018 are great examples).

I hope over the weekend to share more on my take on how I’m now approaching my training with being older, husband, father, and career.  The great thing as with life and running as long as we are vertical we can always improve, change, and adapt to become better at every aspect in our lives!

Tell the next post “Just show up!”

Hey Schuey! Great to see you back in the old neighborhood! (Well, as close as we can get now, anyway.)

I'm looking forward to following your progress as you get ready for your races. Your new hometown must have some beautiful country roads for running under the big open sky. Not something you probably got to enjoy much in Chi-town. Happy for you!

And it is amazing that she's growing up so fast... and is able to run so fast at such a young age! It'll be fun to see where it takes her.

Onward!

Schuey wrote:Thanks Nancy, yeah I’m sure I have a shot at some fast times across all race distances. For me the it’s the acceptance of not being hung up on weekly mileage like I was before the family. In my mind high mileage = success which I believe there is truth to that. 

With that being said becoming a parent and getting older (but still young at 47) and having my priorities right and become much wiser has taught me that success in running can be achieved though many different training ways and that success can be measured many different ways through races other than time (For me Boston 2007 (and Chicago for 07), 2012, and 2018 are great examples).

I hope over the weekend to share more on my take on how I’m now approaching my training with being older, husband, father, and career.  The great thing as with life and running as long as we are vertical we can always improve, change, and adapt to become better at every aspect in our lives!

Tell the next post “Just show up!”

Can't wait to hear your ideas for different training (as opposed to just high mileage) and I'm especially interested in your philosophy related to measuring success in ways other than time.

Alright I'm still here, been a crazy last two weeks of work and finally trying to get everything ready to leave for the 100 miler this coming Friday. As promised I'm hoping to make a couple more post later this evening, now time to head to the eye doctor. Feels good to be on vacation finally since April.

Hi Schuey - since I've seen you guys in the last two years - I'm just saying "hi" and hoping to see you in April once again!

By the way, I've run Monumental (as have Nancy and Nick) as my sister lived outside Indy for a couple of years.  I really enjoyed the race especially its simplicity in that I basically stayed at the start/finish line and rolled out of bed and ran - kind of like a training run.  The course has just enough elevation change and my only complaints were: the pasta dinner the night before (it was awful) and the wind in the last 3 miles (I was probably just tired!).

Loved the report on Kristina's run - saw all the pictures from Lisa on FB.  Also her kindergarten pictures - so glad that she loves it.  Cannot wait to have her tell me herself in April.

Happy training.

As Michele mentioned Monumental is an easy race logistically.  I also stayed at the start/finish.  The corrals were a bit of a mess the year I ran and it was tough to figure out and get to where you needed to be due to construction near the start but I'm sure that was a one time issue.  I didn't run a great race but it wasn't the fault of the course or the event.  And the pasta dinner was a disappointment.  I'd opt for a meal at one of the nearby restaurants if I did it again.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites right at the start/finish.  They had a runner buffet the night before (which we should have eaten) and a free runner breakfast/brunch after the race.  We also were able to basically stay in the hotel lobby until about 15 min before the race and used their facilities.  With 15 min to spare, we took off our gear, ran out the door, tossed our gear bags in the gear tent, got in the corral and ran.

Isn't Indy Dot's home, too?