We all have a personal philosophy – you know, the way we go about living. This philosophy comes out in the daily movements we run through and in the words we speak. Many of us even have philosophies specific to different aspects of our life, like careers and hobbies. Personally, I’ve got one particular to exercise.Continue reading “The Wildcard Approach”

Fall is finally here, in full blast. We tied our record low last night (45!) and today’s high is in the 70’s..is it possible to be unhappy this time of year? I think not. With the weather as nice as it is, I’m excited just to be outside in it. BUT, I desperately want to be out in the kayak. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, that’s a no-go at this point.

Since deciding I want to run an ultramarathon, I’ve managed to knock out long trail runs the past two Sundays. Although running 31 miles after last Sunday’s 14 mile run seemed pretty difficult, yesterday’s 16.5 mile run set things in perspective. 31 miles is far, but it’s totally doable. I now have no doubt in my mind that I will finish the Rocky Raccoon 50K coming up in four weeks.

My happy times have only been fortified by the release of Assholes Finish First last Tuesday, and the release of Gauntlgrym tomorrow. After finishing the last of Salvatore’s Transitions last night, and seeing two characters I’ve come to know and love over the past 10 years fade into nothingness, I’m definitely going to have to pull out Assholes Finish First for a pick-me-up.

Reading is something I’ve been doing a lot of lately. In fact, even though I’m a terribly slow reader, I’ve been averaging about two books per week. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Last week I knocked out the last book of Terry Brooks’ Genesis of Shannara trilogy (The Gypsy Morph) and the first book of R.A. Salvatore’s Transitions (The Orc King). I was sad to see the end of Genesis, but my enjoyment of Transitions is definitely making up for it. In nonfiction, I’ve been slacking. I’m slowly working on The Lost City of Z and I just bought Tucker Max’s new book, Assholes Finish first. I anticipate finishing that one within a few days, as I’ve been looking forward to it for over a year.

I’m watching…all of nothing, lately. After finishing the final season of Roswell last week, I haven’t found anything to keep my attention. I did start watching season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy, though. It’s finally out on Netflix.

And playing…Oblivion. It’s old and I’ve played it a million times, but it just never loses it’s luster. I’m just biding time until Two Worlds II comes out next Tuesday, and of course Fallout: New Vegas on the 18th. I’m getting anxious!

Here’s how I see it — I’m already training so much, so why not focus my efforts towards something specific, like I’m so used to doing?

I like my long runs, so an ultramarathon on a whim seemed like a wonderful choice. So wonderful, in fact, that I signed up for a 50K on 11/6. I don’t buy into the whole “you can’t do an ultra unless you log 60 miles per week of running for weeks on end” garbage. No sir. I’m gonna make this happen with only three runs each week. Just you wait and see.

Besides the fact that I’m a terrible swimmer (I can flop around pretty good), an Ironman seemed like another great option. But I can’t afford a full Ironman, so a half-Ironman seemed a more realistic option. I’ve got until April to learn how to swim 1.2 miles..time to get started.

After so much dedication to powerlifting and the strict training schedule that accompanies it, I experienced major burn-out. I spent all summer exercising on a whim, following no set training plan. It was wonderful.

But here I am a few months later, realizing that while I hate being tied into something specific, I need structure to function properly. My training lately has felt a little pointless, as I had nothing in particular to work toward.

Now I do.

So, my birthday is just around the corner (10/27)..and Christmas isn’t too terribly far away (kinda), so I’m thinking ahead a bit. I’m a bit of a gear junkie, even though I don’t have much money to throw around. Here are a few pieces of gear (in no particular order) I’m hoping to pick up before the year’s end:

1. Topeak Explorer Rear Rack

2. Mountain Hardwear Scrambler

3. Deuter DreamLite 500

4. GSI Pinnacle Soloist Cookset

5. RAT Izula Green w/ Kit

6. Black Diamond Spot

7. Marmot Trail Wind Jacket

8. Seals Inlander 7.0 Spray Skirt