100 Day Burpee Challenge, Garden 1/2 Marathon, etc...

100 Day Burpee Challenge

So today marks day 8 of 100 in the burpee challenge, and I'm beginning to see why its a challenge.  For those who don't know, a burpee is an exercise where you start standing with arms at your side, go down do a pushup, then stand back up and jump as high as you can.  The 100 day burpee challenge is where you have 100 days of doing burpees.  On day 1, you do 1, on day 2, 2 and so on all the way to day 100 where you do 100.  We started this challenge with exactly 100 days left in the year, so we finish on new years eve.  I'm quite excited about it.  The best part is, if you want to join its not too late, you just have to do all the burpees that you missed to catch up, if you start today you just have to do 36 :) .  If you want to join drop me a note and I'll add you to the bookface group...

Here is a video on how to do a burpee:

Garden 1/2 Marathon

I went and picked up my race packet on Friday afternoon with full excitement.  I asked the lady distributing bibs how many runners there were, she said about 400.  I got kind of nervous at this point because this was by far the smallest run I've ever been a part of.  After a quick chat with L I realized there was nothing to be worried about.  She explained smaller runs are great as they are more casual and you don't have to worry about traffic (people, not cars) as much.  I agreed with this theory, and the nerves subsided.

The weather was set to be a little cool at the start, but I was really looking forward to this run.  I had my normal race day breakfast, peanut butter toast with banana on top.  I got to the course a little early, and had the honor of watching the sun rise over the Lake Monona.  What.a.view!  Sadly I left my phone in my car, so sorry, but just imagine a really pretty sun rise over a lake with trees and stuff :)

The race was set to start at 7am, so we thought.  People started to gather around the start line at 7, then the lady said, the race will start in 15 minutes.  Some people were grumpy about that, complaining about the cold, risk of injury, blah blah blah.  The organizers were rushing to get everything set (the timer didn't get setup until about 5 minutes before the start), but they were doing there best and it all worked out in the end, kind of.

Before we knew it the start had begun.  I started off WAY to fast, again :\.  I told myself, just take it easy, let your body get use to the cold air. The first mile, 7:08 (PR), flew by.  I didn't even look at my split, the second mile went by quickly as well, 6:53 (PR).  That one caught my eye and I literally said, "oh boy, I need to slow down".  I then just kind of maintained for the next 10 miles at about a 7:15-7:30 pace.  Once I hit the last water station at mile marker 12 I looked at my watch and noticed it was only at mile 10.x...  I quickly looked for another runner to validate I'm not crazy.  I found a couple and they all had the same thing.  When I crossed the finish line and handed my 1/2 marathon medal I checked my watch, it read 11.7.  I felt kind of jipped.  I saw a couple other people continuing to run to finish it out for there watches (and because they are crazy, like me :) ), but I had already hit finish on my watch.  I decided to just run another 1.4 miles to finish it out on a separate run.  Thankfully Endomondo has a "merge" feature.  The bummer is after being stationary while I made this decision my muscles had time to realize the pain they were in.  So my first 11.7 miles was at a 7:22 average pace, my last 1.4 was at about a 8:30, still not bad, but I feel like I could have been faster if I just stayed on it, or if the course was actual distance :)  I ended up with a 1/2 marathon PR of 1 hour 38 minutes, a 2 minute improvement!

But distance/speed aside, what a view!  This run went all the way around lake Monona in the beautiful city of Madison Wisconsin.  It was actually quite peaceful.  After the group spread out over the first couple miles, I didn't really see any runners until the end.  Half of me was relaxed, the other half was freaked out and felt like I was off course.  Better course marking would have helped.

I'm giving the organizers a little slack since this was there first race.  They are going to have it again next year, hoping they will be a little better prepared.  Overall I give it a 7 out of 10.

By the way, cookie monster was there!

Sadly though, he didn't have any cookies...

Here is the official results:  http://tandhtiming.com/assets/Garden-Half-Marathon-and-4-Mile.html.

My take away thoughts, this race gave me the exact motivation I was lacking the week before.  I am now looking forward to my next challenge, the Madison Marathon in November, and maybe the Haunted Hustle, maybe...

Life and Stuff

So a couple life updates.  I had my family here for my big 3 0 birthday.  It was really great having them here.  I got to show them all my favorite spots of Madison, they all said they had a great time, so did I.  I think the biggest difference I noticed in being 30 is I'm in a new race bracket, other than that, SSDD.

I got a new kitty, her name is Mia Mittens (with a British accent and everything).  I got her so that my other kitty would have someone to play with while I'm at work.  I read Think Like Cat because I already had it from my previous cat, who had some bad habits.  I recommend this book to any cat owner with a misbehaving cat, or if you are into learning more about cats.

Using the plan in the book, here they are together cuddling w/in a couple weeks!  If you know anything about my big cat, you will know that this is amazing.

I think that is all for now.

Until next time, burpee UP and run on!

2013 Madison Mini-Marathon Race Recap

I first have to say, what a well organized event!  Thank you to all the volunteers, police, medics, pacers, and fireman that came out to support this event.  The race started at 7:00am, holy hell it was early.

I got there super early for me (6:00am) because I heard that parking can be a pain in the butt downtown for this race.  I got right in my first pick parking spot with ease, but I think if I would have waited much longer it would have been a problem.  I did my normal warm-up routine, Kashi cereal at 5 (2 hours before), 1/2 Clif Mojo "Sweet & Salty Trail Mix Bar at 6 (1 hour before).  Then a couple Stinger gummies at the start line.  I think that prep fuel helped, but I might cut out the Kashi next time, or replace it with something a bit lighter.  I had a minor stomach cramp at mile 2.5.

The race started off by the union, I started in corral E.

Everyone was in high spirits, and the weather was absolutely perfect.  At the start it was about 64 degrees.  By chance alone I ran into my friend Glen from the Tuesday night Endurance House run group.  It was really cool, him and his family came out to support us!

The start happened really quick, but it was fun.  Like sheep we were herd into corrals, ready for the start. The first mile I tried so hard to not run fast, tried :-)  I really wanted to do a 9 minute first mile, ended up doing an 8. I looked for my friends Patrick and Cassi in the crowd but there were so many people, I missed them. I continued on, trying to catch-up to the 1:40 pacer.  The race continued to the farmers market on the capital square, then a straight shot down State St.  From there we went by the Kohl Center, and continued down by my work (yes I waved at the building).   After that we ran through the zoo park area, then through the arboretum.  During this point I saw my favorite signs.  1) "You paid for this", 2) "You got the runs", and 3) "There is cookies at the end".  The arboretum was also really beautiful, I wish I had a picture. The crowds were quite amazing, talk about positive energy! We continued on toward the water. To get to said water we ran 1 mile through parking lots with no shade, there was a heavy metal band though. When we hit the water I was so warm! We had to take a right to continue on but straight forward was a dock into the water.  I seriously thought about it for about 30 seconds, buuuut I didn't. Finally we shot up the trail along the water to the finish line right in front of the union.  The crowd was there, screaming cheers of joy, it was awesome!

My chip time was a 1:40:40.  That was an average pace of 7:42, way faster than anticipated.

We were greeted by awesome volunteers with metals, bananas, cookies (the sign was not a lie), water, cheesy popcorn (which I'm eating as I blog), and other treats. YUM!  I started walking down the finish area to meet up with people.  I was really excited my good friend Amelia came out to support me.  It really shows a lot that we can still be supportive of each other :)  I also met up with Kris and Glen from Endurance House Tuesday night run (you should come check it out some time).  Kris also ran it.  It was really great to have friends there, thanks again for coming!  We sat and hung out, listened to music, and just chatted about how we did.

le band

The After Party at the Union Terrace

Final thoughts: I had a lot of fun, and I would totally do this race again in a heartbeat. Very well organized with a great view of the city including: farmers market, state st, arboretum, the lake trail, and an after party at the union. No wonder why it was ranked the #14th best 1/2 marathon in the country (out of thousands). My shoes were also really great, I love Newtons.

Oh, and one more thing (totally took that from Steve Jobs), I got some PRs during this...

1. Longest distance ever: 13.1 miles
2. Fastest Half-Marathon : 1:40:40
3. Fastest 10K : 46:31
4. Fastest 5K : 23:07

Today was a good day!

My First 10K and Adapting to Newtons

I broke through my race wall this past weekend by finishing my first 10K race.  Fun fact, the best part about running a new distance is its a guaranteed PR.  The first couple miles were great, but I was running way too fast (7 min/mi pace instead of 8:30).  I hit the 5K mark at 24:03, which is a 5K PR for me, which got me all worried.  The hamster started running and I started doubting myself.  By mile 4 I started to slow.  This continued through the next mile when all of a sudden a voice said, "hey, how's it going?"  I looked to my left and saw a fellow running along side.  He just started talking about how he is running the 1/2 marathon tomorrow, and this is more of just a warm-up for him.  He was "taking it easy".   I kind of chuckled at that since I thought I was going to die at the moment.  He encouraged me through the next mile and a half to the finish.  What an awesome person, just what I needed to clear my head.  I told him thanks and started sprinting for the last .2 miles.  As I was running down the final stretch they called out my name, which was very exciting for me because every run before this I never heard it called.  I crossed the finish line and got my finishers metal.  

What a great feeling of accomplishment.  I looked back and saw my 5.5 mile coach finish and we walked the cool down together.  They provided water and pizza at the finish so we sat down, stretched, and just chatted for a bit.  It was a really cool run through the campus of UW-Madison.  The worst part for me was Observatory drive where it is a wicked hill climb of 89 feet in .25 miles.  However it was also the best part because as you rise over the crest of the 1/2 way point you get an amazing view of Lake Mendota.  So that was my race, I'm looking for the next one to come about.  I think I am going to sign up for the Madison Mini Marathon (a 1/2 marathon) that is in August.  It might be super hot but I wanna do it, its a perfect setup as its 12 weeks out.  That is a normal allotted time to train for said event.  Anyone else have any running plans this year?

I went to pickup my race packet at the Monona Terrace, little did I know there was a running expo going on.  I browsed around a bit, and noticed Endurance House (my favorite triathlon/running store) had a big tent setup.  I noted they had 35% off there shoes (which were all last year models).  I tried on a couple of pairs, but what really stuck out were these Newton mv2s.  

They are a mid-strike shoe and they felt really weird.  They feel like you have a pivot point on the ball of your foot.  At first I was hesitant, but the guy said if you want to go the minimal route this would be a good shoe to get started with.  I have heard that minimalist type running is better on your knees, which has been a problem for me in the past.  I thought, "heck, they give you a 30 day back no questions so why not? Especially with this great deal ($85 instead of $140)."  I took them out for a 2 mile casual run today and they felt great!  It kind of makes me feel like I am running like a velociraptor.  In case you don't know what I mean by that:

I ran a bit faster and there is more spring in my step.  I am planning an changing over completely to these shoes but not just yet.  I did some research and you are actually not supposed to just switch, but more use both shoes until your muscles can adjust.  Here is Newton's transition video:

#knowledge

So that is where I'm at with running.

On a last note, I found this quote and wanted to share:

    "Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." - Omar Khayyam

Learning from the past, looking ahead at the future

Every year I read many posts about people doing new years resolutions.   Every year I come up with something, but then usually drop it with in the first couple of months, just like everyone else.  Last year was a little different, my goal was to be more in shape*, and I must say "I think it was a success, but I want more."

I started off by buying a folding bike, which was great when I could commute to work (2.5 miles each way).  I since moved to a new city where I could commute via bike, but it is too far for a everyday kind of activity (14.5 miles).  I also joined a gym for the first time in my life.  It was a small community center gym that had enough equipment to be satisfactory for the price.  I worked out 5 times a week for a while.  Later it dropped to 3 times a week, but I did more intense workouts.  I even ran a 5k, something I haven't done since high school x-country.

After moving to another state in May things changed slightly.  I was in a new environment and didn't know anywhere I wanted to go biking, and didn't have a good gym.  The bike quickly started picking up dust.  I tried doing workouts at the apartment complex gym, but the equipment selection is quite... lacking.  My wife and I started searching for good gym, we came across Princeton Club.  It sounds la-de-fucking-da, it kind of is.  For $30 per month (special pricing that they have all the time) you get a membership.  We jumped on it and I must say that I am happy with it.  They have a bunch of equipment, good FREE classes, and racquetball (something I loved doing in college).  I haven't partaken in any classes yet, but I plan to try out spinning next year.

After a month of dust collecting I thought I should start trying to utilize my bike on the weekends for casual rides.  I quickly found that the city I moved to is one of the top ten in the nation for bike trails.  I mapped out a course and set off one Saturday morning.  It was awesome.  I've never scene so many bikers out together.  There is so many people with a lot of money put in there bikes.  Kind of crazy.

One of many great things about the city is the lakes surrounding it.  There are many parks along the water that you can just go sit.  During my rides I like to find a 1/2 way point where you can just sit and rest for a while and enjoy the day.  Its pretty nice.

I have also been working out about 3 times per week which has really helped in the winter months.

This next year I have decided I want to "step it up".

I want to run a 1/2 marathon.  Most likely sometime in the summer, probably around June (searching in progress).

I have already kind of started training for it.  I will succeed where I failed before.  I have tried multiple times to do this, and always ended up injured during training.  The one problem I had was I didn't workout, I just ran.  This time I am going to have a plan where I workout most of the time, and slowly ramp up my running.  This way my body will be ready for the running part.

Think I can do it?  Want to join?

For now I'm going to do workouts 3 times per week, and try to do 2 runs per week.  We will see how it goes, I'll try to keep you posted but as always, no promises.  I'm going to use http://www.jefit.com/ to keep track of my workouts, and nikeplus.com to keep track of my running, and a new "workout" google calendar to keep a reminder in my calendar on what to do today.

What are your new years goals?

Last but not least I want to say goodbye to my Grandpa who passed during this holiday.  He was a Veteren of the military, a husband, a father, a grand father, and a great grand father.  He had a long life and he is no longer suffering from his illness.  God bless, and rest in peace.

* My initial goal was to run 5 5k's for charity events.  I only got to one, but 1/2 way through the year I realized it wasn't going to happen to I adjusted it to just be "be more in shape."

How I Stay Motivated

Now that I'm back into the staying fit game I thought I would document how I'm staying motivated.  It is compressed of four different things that I'm doing.

Nike+ GPS Watch
My beautiful wife just got me the Nike+ GPS watch which I think will boost my confidence and consistency.   In the past I have been using my phone, but I really had a lot of weird software issues with it.  I really wanted an independent device that was easily accessible during my run and this watch got really good reviews.  It was a hard decision between Nike and Garmin, but since the Nike has a non-GPS feature (running indoor or on treadmill) it wins :-), especially since both sync with Endomondo (more on that later).

Nikeplus.com
There Nikeplus.com website is great so far.  There are a lot of negative reviews about it but those are most about the flash site that has recently been replaced by HTML5.   I have found it very easy to navigate so far and uploads are a breeze.

Endomondo.com
I have been using endomondo for about 2 years now.  There phone application used to be great, however since 8.0 there has been so many issues with my phone and the GPS.  Even with the application woohs I still really liked there website.  Mostly for the social feature as a lot of people at work are using it.  Also they just started syncing with Nike+, so I can still use it with the watch to stay social.

EarndIt.com
Earned It is an interesting website.  You sync your workout website (both endomondo and nike+ are supported) and it gives you points for working out.  After you build up points you can cash them in for giftcards to workout type places.  There are restrictions on what will give you points.  For example: manual inputed runs in endomondo don't count, however if you have a GPS based workout it does count. For Nike+ it looks like both GPS based and foot sensor based get points.  I just hit 300 points and got $20 off a purchase at endomondo's online store.  Got a cool running shirt.  It really didn't take much time to get up to 300.  You can also use your points to help out people in need, which is what I'll be striving for next.  During my runs I'll be thinking, "for the children in Kenya", ha.

Summary
Some people use websites, others use a friend's encouragement.  When it comes down to it, only you can get up off the sofa and go for a run.  These things help, but you are the one steering the boat.  Enjoy!

Minor Setbacks and Looking Forward

Background

This past spring I had a knee injury on a treadmill that prevented me from running as much as I would like.  Its really easy to fall off (training, not the treadmill) when these types of things happen.  I found that using a knee brace worked well.  I used it while training, and never felt better.  My confidence would be high and I would remove the brace, then it would hurt, and I would have to stop due to pain.  Getting frustrated, I think, "well you just have to run with a brace".  So then I would start with the brace again, and all would be well.  I continued on this cycle expecting different results, each time realizing that its not going to work.  I think Einstein would think I was crazy ;)

A New Path

So I decided to take advantage of my awesome healthcare (thanks to my awesome wife) and go get it checked out.  Scared that I was going to have to have surgery or they would simply say "well, your getting old".  So I went in, got a look over and got some handouts on knee related injuries and stretches.  I, of course, didn't do the stretching and went back to my old routine.  A couple weeks later I was stuck on the IR list again.

A New Path : Attempt Two

So I made an appointment with a PT doctor to try and get good stretches to do before/after my runs.  I think they will help a lot (trying to be positive).  I also got some good advice with something that I've been doing wrong.  So my whole running career (that sounds fancier than it should) I stretched first, ran, then I was done.  My PT doc threw the red flag on that one.  Turns out you should stretch before, run, then long static stretch after to help your muscles stretch back out after working them.  In theory it makes sense, now to practice that.

My goal is still to make it to a 26.2 mile race (full marathon) and finish.  Hopefully this is a start of something good and new.  The key to success for me is saying I can.

Wish me luck, I'll let you know how it goes.

Its so Darn Hot

Milk was a bad choice...

Sorry, I couldn't resist, but seriously this heat wave we are having in the midwest is a killer.  I went running last week only twice, which is really low for me.  I am going to try to get 4 runs in this week but we will see with the heat index being around 100 all week with humidity.

That brings me to my next point, how does one cope with running is given conditions?  Does one flee to the pool/Air conditioning or what?

I got a good suggestion from my sister who lives in FL (where it is always hot ).  Grab a rag, wrap some ice cubes in it, then put that around your neck.  I'm going to try this today, so I'll let you know how that goes.  Also she suggested bringing water.  I don't normally like running with things in my hand but in such extreme conditions its really a good idea.

Does anyone else have any good tips for keeping cool while running through the heat?

PS: The headphones still rock, no problems at all.

People Running with Gadgets Part 2: My Decision

Running is a great way to relieve stress.  It frees endorphines and can make you feel good about yourself.  I like to run with music, and I also like to keep track of how I do.  For about the past year or so I have been using Endomondo along with there free android app on my Droid X.  This has been great until recently.  Lately every time my headphone jack would move my music would pause and then I would be forced to run in silence.  Or even better it would continuously pause/play/pause/play until I rebooted my phone.  To put this lightly, it became really annoying.  A couple posts back I spoke about running with Gadgets and I put a lot of thought into if I need a new device or not (my wife will be so proud).

I finally decided that I don't really need a new device as my device does everything I want it to, just the headphone jack is being stupid, why punish the whole thing.  So after looking at countless reviews I decided on the Moto HD Bluetooth headphones.  They are really zazzy, errr, umm, I mean nice, and here is my pro/con list after a couple uses:

PROS
- Lite weight
- Stay charged for a long time
- The buttons to change songs, pause, answer calls, etc.. work really well. Being able to change your song while on the run, awesome.  For you smartphone going folk that use a arm band, you know what I mean.
- The microphone works well for calls.  The two people I asked said they couldn't tell a difference (this is a good thing)
- $50, originally 80 somethin', thanks amazon.

Somewhere Between a pro and a con
- Long term comfort is okay.  After about 3 hours of wearing them the side of my head felt the pressure but they were fine while I was actually running for about 30 minutes.
- At first they feel like they are going to fall off but they don't.  Just takes getting used to them.

CONS
- Randomly turned off while I was on the phone the other day, hmf, but turned it back on and it was fine.  Weird
- One size fits all, no adjustments.  I have a fairly regular shaped head (I think) and they fit well but not all people are created equal

Overall
Being able to change songs in a middle of a run by a click of a button is awesome.  However, unless you have a moto sized head (see what I did there ;) ) they might not fit correctly.  I would recommend them, but maybe try them out in a store first to make sure they fit.

Gadget People Go Running Too

Gadgets are EVERYWHERE!  There is a gadget and/or an app for just about everything you can imagine.   The old days of running are gone.  Majority of people you see running today have the ear buds in connected to some type of fancy device.  There are so many choices to what that device could be.  You have: your smart phone, ipod, GPS device, other MP3 player, etc...  So which to choose, I leave it up to you...

Smart Phone:
The great things about using your smart phone is: 
1) You should have a lot of music on there, or Pandora is always available.
2) You can use awesome applications like Zombie walk and Endomondo to help keep track of your progress
3) Built in GPS so you can track where you go
4) One device to rule them all, no additional hardware so no additional cost (assuming you have a smartphone)

The lame things about using your smart phone: 
1) If you sweat a lot the smart phone gets wet, that isn't covered under most phone insurance,
2) the GPS on most phones suck the life out of your battery.  Once your battery is drained you are stuck by a wall charging said smart phone OR you go without your amazing device.  (the latter makes me sad and stuff).
3) To bulky for an arm band.  I found smart phones are turning more and more into Zach Morris style phones when it comes to size.

iPod Nano:


The great things:
Small, Nike+, Genius feature, price tag, watch, itunes

The lame things:
1) NO GPS,
2) no one knows if you need the tab for your shoe or not (not even the apple geeks),
3) Not sure if sweat resistant.
4) itunes (notice it is a great and lame thing)

Pebble

The great things:
1) It has the display like the kindle,
2) it integrates with your phone wonderfully (iphone/android/crackberry),
3) Open SDK so nerds can create apps

The not so great things:
1) You still have to lug around your smartphone (I think its hilarious that we think that carrying around a little smart phone is a pain).
2) You have to have a smartphone and a pebble
3) price, 150 for an accessory of your phone?....

Motoactv

The great:
1) All in one device: music, GPS, watch, timer
2) has wifi for auto upload to the intertubes (assuming you have wifi)
3) has bluetooth, everything is better with bluetooth,
4) Sweat resistant
5) Neat accessory list: watch, arm band, bluetooth headphones (with heart monitor?), heart monitor
6) Its a watch too

The not so great:
1) Its the first model that moto has come out with, might wait for version 2.
2) It runs on Android, so if they keep developing on it then it will be awesome, but if it fails then not so much.  Kind of a gamble in that aspect
3) Price, 250 for just the base model, then you have to get the arm band or watch accessory which runs another 20 or so.

Garmin Device

Great:
1) Top of the line GPS
2) durable

Not so great:
1) No watch

iPad

j/k, just making sure you were still paying attention :)  Can you imagine though, someone running with an ipad, bhahahaha.  Actually though, I've seen people running with them on a treadmill, or a stationary bike.

The End Result:

It depends on what you will use it for and how often you drop things.  The great thing about so many different types of devices is the selection.  If you don't like what you have then do you didn't do enough research before purchasing your device for running, or you fell victim to false advertisement.


So what do you guys/gals run with?  If you were to pick out a new device what would you pick?

Running - Hills

I read this in another blog and thought I would share it.  It is an interesting idea and it makes a lot of sense.  Anyway, enjoy:

Hills are an interesting challenge.  We know we have the strength and the experience to get through the climb, so it isn't a physical thing as much as it is mental.  Looking at something hard looming ahead is a daunting exercise in any arena, running or not.  I have friends and acquaintances right now who are looking at hills: a move with their family, a cancer diagnosis, an ADD diagnosis, a child with an incurable disease, a job change, a divorce, adjusting to a new baby, longing for a new baby and not having one, and many others.  The incline ahead is steep and unyielding.  So how do we prepare?  Running hills gives us some clues.  First, we relax - which is hard to do but essential.  We cannot make any assessments in a state of panic.  Then we remin ourselves and each other that we have strength for climbing.  Then we breathe; ideally, we breath deeply.  Then we begin.  We lift our legs and pump our arms and go at our own pace.  This is incredibly important.  It's so easy to lose heart on a hill when we compare ourselves to those around us.  We waste energy by taking our focus off the goal, which is of course going through the finish, not to it.  Some people attack a hill; others run steady.  Some have a mantra; others need a clear head.  It's good to know what kind of climber you are-the middle of a hill is not a good time to mess with definitions or change tactics.  When we practice enough by running hills, we develop our own rhythms and strategies.  The same with life's hills: The smaller ones make us fit for the biggies, and we can maintain our same rhythm.  The more we practice, the fitter we become and the less we fear. ~ Kristin Armstrong

Hills are always an interesting challenge, I agree.  I was always told to lift your legs higher, and do a sprint up the hill to maintain momentum after you hit the crest.  It seems to work well in my past experiences.  Most of the time (not always!) after a upward hill, there is a down hill slope.  During which you can open up your stride and not use as much energy. I do plan on trying the mental plan that Armstrong above wrote.  It seems like it would do nothing but help with other parts of your life.

Anyone else have ideas, motivation, cool stories, etc... about running hills?