Arrow-ZONA

Today's Run:

Distance: 4:05 miles
Time: 41:20
Pace: 10'12"
Calories: 594
Power Song: 

As I was cleaning out my garage a few weeks ago I stood on a piece of glass that cut right through my shoe and into my foot so I had blood gushing from the bottom so that forced me to take a break from running for a week or so. I forget how quickly one can get out of shape from not running for over a week.

While I getting back into the swing of things I realized my running shoes were now completely worn out and any more mileage on my shoes would really do more damage then good so I convinced my beautiful wife to get myself a new pair of shoes from My Wish List - Nike Lunarglide. 

Part of deal of me getting myself a new pair of shoes was my wife was allowed to get herself something from her wishlist. She did some researching online, and impulsively we got our new dog, Zona. The shelter said she was a Labrador Retriever, and her name was Arrow. Without even making the connection, my wife named her Zona. Put those two names together and you get Arrow-Zona like Arizona. We wanted to give her a new name because she is now in a new home, with a new family, and a new unit in the family and of course, a new running partner. 

After doing some of our own research, she has some Rhodesian and some German Shepard in her a little which we confirmed by our vet.

The Dream

Today's Run:

Distance: 4:12 miles
Time: 41:35
Pace: 10'06"
Calories: 594
Power Song: Beautiful Day by U2

I am acquainted with a man who's family won the lottery. I don't know the exact amount but I know that the family shared the wealth. Some homes were bought, a business was bought, and a really nice car was bought. This car off the parking lot was $60K then after all his add ons became very quickly almost a $150K car. My buddy and I talked about the team, you know, the dream of when you win the lottery. When you really can do almost anything without any risk. 

I put some thought into this. What dream would I have? Here it is, my life dream.

If I didn't have to worry about money for the rest of my life I would quit my job and hire a personal trainer. I would want to reach my full potential physically. I would want to put in 6-8 hours of training every day and get in the best shape of my life. But not only would I want to be in the best shape of my life but I would want to be a real competitor in the Ironman Triathlon. I would want to get a personal trainer who know more than I and tell me what to eat, when to eat, how to train, and keep me motivated on those rainy days and Mondays. 

Of course there are other things I'd love to do, take my beautiful wife on a extended luxury cruise, travel the world, eat caramel Gelato ice cream in Italy, swim the Mediterranean, and sky the Swiss Alps. I would love to see some of the great landmarks. 

Lastly, I'd do all those stupid things that only adventourous people do. I want to swim the English Channel, swim with the Sharks, jump out of an airplane, and build an airplane from scratch. I would want to take up rugby refereeing as a full-time job maybe. I would want to climb Mt Everest, Mt Kilominjaro, then run from New York City to Los Angeles. 

So now you know why my wife has a difficult time with me. I have so many dreams, I have so many ambitions and so many goals. I love my wife for putting up with me. 

Love you babes!

The World in Union

Today's Run:

Distance: 5:07 miles
Time: 48:28
Pace: 9'33"
Calories: 745
Power Song: The World in Union by PJ Powers

I thought about moments and milestones on my run today. This week there was cause for celebration. Not for anyone really, but for me. Today, on this run I completed 900 miles with Nike Plus. I'm almost to my 1000 mile mark. I completed the 900 miles in only 250 runs with an average pace of 9'53" per mile. 

This week was more than just another running week. This week celebrated a moment in history. This week, 20 years ago my country, the Republic of South Africa miraculously won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. This was not just about winning the biggest rugby tournament that comes around every 4 years. This tournament and everything leading up to this tournament was bigger for the country of South Africa. Only 5 years prior to the RWC, Nelson Mandela was released from a 27 year prison sentence. He soon became the first democratically elected black president of the country. There was much tension between the blacks and the whites of the country. There were mental, emotional, and physical preparations of civil war within the divided country. The message of Nelson Mandela to all the nation was one that no one ever expected. It was a message of godliness, it was a message of maturity. The message was of forgiveness and reconciliation. All the people of South Africa were brothers and sisters, no longer divided. 

One of the greatest moments was the interview with Francois Pienaar after the final whistle. The interviewer, David said to Pienaar, "Francois, you had 65,000 South Africans here, tremendous support." To which he replied with, "David, we didn't have 65,000 South Africans, we had 43 million South Africans." The crowd cheered and the flags waived in support. The support of rugby, the logo of the Springbok, and the colours of the green and gold really brought the country together in a way that no one ever foresaw. 

I could go on about the greatness of the national leader, "Madiba" but I won't. It is safe to assume that I celebrated this epic moment with my favourite movie, Invictus while wearing my Springbok jersey, the Green and Gold.

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

Today's Run:

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:00:45
Pace: 10:06
Calories: 872
Power Song: Grace Kelly by Mika

This is a Saturday run. These runs are my slow, long, and easy runs. Nothing hard, nothing to push. Simply to add on the miles. These are runs where I get to spend more time focusing on everything else but my actual run, the times, the splits, and the tempo. These are the runs where I do most of my thinking. 

This particular run my thoughts went deeper. I thought about our family struggles and the issues we face on a daily and monthly basis. I thought about solutions, resolutions, and ideas to help us. I don't believe it would be appropriate to disclose all my thoughts from that run on this post but it would be fair to say that my wife and I had conversations like we've never had before, definitely not in a bad way. In fact, these were good, deep conversations that brought us closer. We became more united and had a more common goal. We have a hard, long road ahead of us but I believe it's worth it. 

The overall theme of our conversations was about us, and our future, and all that meant for us. I will just write briefly the general topic that we spoke about without listing any details.

I believe if anyone wants to achieve greatness in anything, there has to be some measure of sacrifice. Nothing great comes by quickly and easily, no career, no financial success, no sporting achievement, and definitely no loving relationship and marriage. Nothing valuable in life comes without sacrifice and effort.

In my short 28 years of my life I have met thousands of people in various settings. I'm sure you have too. We notice how people react to conflict, challenges, and temptations. Yesterday I helped a buddy of mine with his car. I asked him about his kids and his wife and responded, "Actually, I'm not married anymore. It sucks. I wish it didn't turn out this way. We just got divorced." Now I see this guy almost every day of the week and I never noticed what kind of pain and emotional heartache he was going through but he kept his cool through it all. Then I know another person who as soon as they break a nail, the whole world has to know about it and make sure they all feel sorry for her. So, with that said, we all know people who act differently to whatever challenges life throws at them.

My post today is to hang in and hang on. Don't give up. Whatever you're going through, hang tough. Don't quit just because the road is too long or too hard. Don't throw in the towel because you don't think you can do it. 

I'm reminded of an English leader, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill and his first speech to the House of Commons in 1940.
I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all our strength that God can give us. That is our policy. You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory - victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be. [Churchill: the Life Triumphant, American Heritage, 1965, p. 90]

A few weeks later Churchill went back to Parliament. We shall not flag or fail." We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. [Churchill, p. 91]

I truly loved this run and I hope for more runs like this. I loved that I had an eternal companion to share all my thoughts with after my run. I am grateful for my health that allows me to run. I'm so grateful for my loving family who have nothing but pure love for everyone else in the family.

Though we have struggles as a family, we have a vision of our future. We have a common goal and destiny. I love that we are both putting in effort. Sure, we may cry together and then shortly laugh together because of how pathetic our situation but every day we give our 100% to make it to the next day.

Here's for tomorrow. Cheers!

Send some Love

Today's Run:

Distance: 4.3 miles
Time: 41:47
Pace: 9:43
Calories: 621
Power Song: Dream On by Aerosmith

Sunrise on today's run

On my run today I listened to the same devotion I read earlier which I commented about in my previous blog post. The speaker, Jeffery Holland is an inspiration and a role model for me. He was the president of a university when he gave this speech. It spoke of love and human kindness. If you're not into that stuff, that's okay but I wanted to share some parts of it with you. 

Two weeks ago I met for the first time a man I would like to meet again and know more of. His name is Henry D. Stagg—Don Stagg to his friends. He went to bed in August of 1965 about the way everybody else goes to bed and about the way he had all of his life. The difference came the next morning, when his body awoke and his eyes didn’t. He was blind, frightened, and he was more than that—terrified. He went to the doctor, who said with guarded optimism, “Well, this thing sometimes doesn’t last very long, and it might just be an hour or two.” Well, the hours stretched into days and the days stretched into weeks and the weeks finally became a month. Don Stagg could think only of one thing, and that was suicide. He wanted out. (He hadn’t asked for this kind of body, and he didn’t suppose that he had to go on with it, so he wanted out.)
Well, to make a long story short, Don Stagg found, in the midst of his experience, what one of the prisoners found; that is, it takes some love to get from where we are to where we need to be. One evening Mrs. Stagg arranged to slip the children past the hospital security. They shuffled into the room, and Don did not know who was there. He was surly and arrogant almost all of the time, by his own admission, and he didn’t want to talk, but then he felt those little hands on his legs and on his arms. The children said, “Daddy, we love you, and we want you to come home. We don’t want any other daddy.”Don had seen a little light in a dark place, so he went home and started that night to pace off the house. He first paced off the steps from the bedroom to the refrigerator. He says, “It’s one thing to be blind; it’s another thing to starve to death.” When he had the house mastered, he went out into the neighborhood and then up and down the streets for miles away. He decided that he could do quite a little bit, and about two years after the effects of this disease had taken his sight, he enrolled in law school at the University of Utah. In four years he had passed all his courses and the state bar. For one year he worked for the attorney general’s office and now is in private practice.Don Stagg is blind and has some limitations and some bonds put upon him by his own body, but he is doing a great deal. He water-skis and he snow-skis and, just a short time ago, he shot a two-under-par game at the Bonneville Golf Course in Salt Lake City. Now, there are some things he can’t do. He cannot see the daughter who has been born to him since he lost his sight. But he believes he will and he believes that that will not be a limitation upon him and that he will not be bound down by that blindness or by anything else. There’s something in that kind of spirit which seems to break every kind of bond that might ever come in this life or the next.

Have you helped someone in need today?

We Are Who We Are

Today's Run:

Distance: 4 miles

Time: 35:07

Pace: 8:45

Calories: 591

Power Song: Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

I love today's Power Song. It reminds me of my younger days. It was one of my favorite songs growing up young in college. But today one of my first songs that came on my Pandora was a song by Ke$ha, We R Who We R. 

I enjoy a good song and usually I don't listen to the lyrics but when this song came on I felt my pet peeve creeping in. Okay, this is more of my point view and personal outlook on life but the phrases, "We are who we are" and "We're born this way" and "Do whatever makes you happy" are really annoying. To me those phrases are signs of laziness and ignorance. I say laziness because it's an excuse not to do something hard but worthwhile. I think of the scenario, "Sorry, I have to take drugs, I was born this way" the pit of lazy excuses. "I'm fat because I was born this way." No, you're overweight because of some unhealthy eating habits. I don't buy these ignorant excuses, I just don't.

People can change. People are supposed to change. How do people change? By doing something OUTSIDE your comfort zone. No one reaches new heights without pushing themselves. You cannot expect to wake up one morning and hike up Mount Everest or swim the English Channel. I believe we are more than what we believe we are. I believe we have high capabilities, I believe each person can soar so much higher in this life if we push. Sometimes we need some help. I read an article today from a devotion given on a university campus which I'd like to share with you.

The famed naturalist of the last century, Louis Agassiz, was lecturing in London and had done a marvelous job. An obviously bright little old lady, but one who did not seem to have all the advantages in life, came up and was spiteful. She was resentful and said that she had never had the chances that he had had and she hoped he appreciated it. He took that bit of lacing very pleasantly and turned to the lady and, when she was through, said, “What do you do?”

She said, “I run a boarding house with my sister. I’m unmarried.”

“What do you do at the boarding house?”

“Well, I skin potatoes and chop onions for the stew. We have stew every day.”

“Where do you sit when you do that interesting but homely task?”

“I sit on the bottom step of the kitchen stairs.”

“Where do your feet rest when you sit there on the bottom step?”

“On a glazed brick.”

“What’s a glazed brick?”

“I don’t know.”

“How long have you been sitting there?”

“Fifteen years.”

Agassiz concluded, “Here’s my card. Would you write me a note when you get a moment about what a glazed brick is?”

Well, that made her mad enough to go home and do it. She went home and got the dictionary out and found out that a brick was a piece of baked clay. That didn’t seem enough to send to a Harvard professor, so she went to the encyclopedia and found out that a brick was made of vitrified kaolin and hydrous aluminum silicate, which didn’t mean a thing to her. She went to work and visited a brick factory and a tile maker. Then she went back in history and studied a little bit about geology and learned something about clay and clay beds and what hydrous meant and what vitrified meant. She began to soar out of the basement of a boarding house on the wings of words like vitrified kaolin and hydrous aluminum silicate. She finally decided that there were about 120 different kinds of glazed bricks and tiles. She could tell Agassiz that, so she wrote him a little note of thirty-six pages and said, “Here’s your glazed brick.”

He wrote back, “This is a fine piece of work. If you change this and that and the other, I’ll prepare it for publication and send you that which is due you from the publication.” She thought no more of it, made the changes, sent it back, and almost by return mail came a check for 250 dollars. His letter said, “I’ve published your piece. What was under the brick?”

And she said, “Ants.”

He replied (all of this by mail), “What is an ant?”

She went to work and this time she was excited. She found 1825 different kinds of ants. She found that there were ants that you could put three to the head of a pin and still have standing room left over. She found that there were ants an inch long that moved in armies half a mile wide and destroyed everything in their path. She found that some ants were blind; some ants lost their wings on the afternoon they died; some milked cows and took the milk to the aristocrats up the street. She found more ants than anybody had ever found, so she wrote Mr. Agassiz something of a treatise, numbering 360 pages. He published it and sent her the money and royalties, which continued to come in. She saw the lands and places of her dreams on a little carpet of vitrified kaolin and on the wings of flying ants that may lose their wings on the afternoon they die. [The Gift of Self (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1974), pp. 151–53]

I share this article insert because I believe it captures my thought. We can do more than what we believe we're capable of. Who has ever truly reached their 100% potential in anything? We have more to go, so get out there and do it. 

Did you run today?

Meet the Track

Today's Run:

Distance: 3.42 miles

Time: 30:15

Pace: 8:50

Calories: 452

Power Song: Lose Yourself by Eminem

I did something I have not done in a very long time. Stepped foot on a track. But I did. I woke up with my full intention of running about 8 miles but decided to drive up the road a mile and hit up the local high school and their track just as the sun was rising at 5am. 

"I can do 8 miles around the track, right? Let's see 1 mile equals 4 laps, which means 8 miles is 32 laps. Oh yeah, I can do this... totally!" 

I have mentioned before that I watch random sports, any sport I'll pretty much watch. One of the sports I love to watch are the London 2012 Olympic events; swimming, running, shot put, triathlon, javelin, water polo, and anything else it offers. I love the competitive nature of the athletes, I love the environment and atmosphere. 

London Olympic Stadium

With all the enthusiasm and inspiration flowing through my blood I was running on the track. Not another person in sight, just me and the bounce below me worn out Nike running shoes. After one lap, "Are there yet?" It clearly had been awhile since I have ran on a track. It was different, cannot put my finger on it though. My competitive side came out of me. I was ready to compete at a higher level. I looked at myself as an athlete, sub 5 min mile athlete. Below is truly how I felt.

I stopped running after a few miles because I wanted to try something I haven't done in over 10 years. Run ONE mile. Just one, just to see where my short game is. One mile to show myself I haven't lost a step. One mile to prove to myself I still have it. One mile to set the benchmark for excellence. I started with my goal of a sub 6 minute mile. 

What I found was a reality check. I got slapped in the face with a brick wall of fatigue. After 200m I was behind 5 seconds behind pace, 1 lap down and I was behind 12 seconds. That was my best lap. I was tired. I was in pain. I was not fit. Two laps down and I wanted to call it quits. My thoughts were of quitting, trying again later, procrastinating, and jumping ship. These thoughts were circling my mind but soon realized, with each thought, guess what? I'm taking another step. 

So I kept going. I kept running on. I decided to turn my thoughts to positive thoughts. If I don't finish this now, I'll never know what my mile time is. If I don't finish this now, what other hard things in my life will I quit before I reach the finish line. 

Alright alright, long story short, I finished my eternal one mile in 7:14. I'll live with it, but it's only my benchmark.

What's your mile time?

Here's the fastest mile run. Check it out.

Get Lost!

Today's Run:

Distance: 5.0 miles

Time: 48:47

Pace: 9:44

Calories: 726

Power Song: Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas

My body woke up at a usual time of 5AM. I had slept through my alarm clock, rolled out of bed and off I went. My intention was to only run for a quick 2.5 to 3 miles, just enough to warm up the body and get the blood flowing for the day. I got out there with my Nike Lunarglide and found myself on a new trail, a route I've never been on before. After a couple miles I realized I wasn't sure where I was. This is not my first time getting lost on a "quick" adventure. 

I previously blogged about my grandfather and my holiday time in Cape Town, South Africa. I was 14 years old and less than a week before my emigration to America. My family decided to take one last trip in the cable car up to Table Mountain. It's called Table Mountain because it's supposedly flat like a table at the top. 

Cable Car 

Table Mountain

The top of Table Mountain provides a most spectacular view of the city, the harbor, the sport parks, and the endless view of the Atlantic Ocean. My over zealous and adventurous mind had a different idea. I told my parents I'm going to go to the other side of the mountain and come right back. Okay, that "come right back" part was a little too ambitious. Two hours later I returned. It was dark and the search party was prepping for their journey to find me. We had no cellphones, and my parents had no clue where I was. 

When I started my adventure to the other side of the mountain there was a clear view of my destination, it was big and I could easily spot it. I ran there from the many trails the mountains offered, sometimes I made my own trails. I got there in 10-15 minutes. I thought this was wonderful. I was accompanied by other tourists from all over the world and flashing cameras snapped around me. The view was magnificent. 

On top of Table Mountain

As I was running back, I didn't know which trail to take. I came across many forks in the road. I didn't think of noticing any landmarks. I couldn't see my destination or the other side of the mountain. You'd think I could because it was flat but in all reality, once you're up there, it's filled with huge boulders and many ups and downs. The sun was setting, I was thirsty, and I had been running for over an hour. I eventually stopped to catch my breath. I was scared and not sure what to do. I was at an edge of the mountain, I could look down and see the city like the image above. I thought to myself, "it just may be easier to run down the mountain and find my grandparents flat" but of course, I would have gotten even more lost in a city I didn't really know and with no food or water I was soon going to fatigue. I didn't have much of a choice but to keep running. I kept running and running. And when I was done running, I ran some more. I didn't know if I would ever see the finish line. I didn't know how much further I would have to run. I ran and ran and ran until I found where I was supposed to be. It was such a huge sigh of relief. I don't remember if I got into trouble or not. I was emotionally overwhelmed and fatigued. I'm sure my parents were upset with me, I would be too. I learned a valuable lesson that day, 14 years ago. I'd like to take my family back to that mountain when we have a little extra money and when we're a little older for the kids to enjoy. 

Nevertheless, instead of running the 3 miles I wanted to run I found myself running a decent 5 miles. Surprisingly I wasn't late for work and surprisingly I really enjoyed running those 5 miles. I love running out where I live among the farmlands, surrounded by nature and the backdrop of the mountains. 

Ever gotten lost on your run?

Viva Las Vegas

Today's Run:

Distance: 2.0 miles

Time: 18:26

Pace: 9:13

Calories: 290

Power Song: Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down

Vegas for me isn't what most people think. It's not gambling, strippers, and drinking for me; no, it's actually the opposite. It's the home of my wife, it's the home to my wife's family, my in-laws, and the sacred place of my marriage.

Las Vegas Temple

We drove down to Las Vegas because my sister-in-law had just graduated from Las Vegas High School with Honors and really proud of her. She's a great example to many of her friends and classmates.

Las Vegas High School 2015 Graduation

at the LVHS graduation

With all that was going on in the 4 days I was there I didn't have much time to go running. We were on the go all the time it seems like. We didn't even swimming like we wanted to. I was able to wake up at 5am one morning to go running only for a couple miles because I had to be back in twenty minutes. This was all I was able to accomplish but this was a lot of hill workout on this one.

Running pass Sunrise Mountain in Las Vegas

Bird Watch

Today's Run:

Distance: 6.0 miles

Time: 59:45

Pace: 9:56

Calories: 860

Power Song: Stronger by Kanye West

Every day that I have ran in my new farmland territory I've been accompanied by my new friend the Barn Owl on every run. No matter if it was 2 miles or 8 miles, I run pass my predatory friend, My Barny at least once. 

Don't get me wrong, I see and am surrounded by many other birds perched upon the wheat fields and appreciate the nature flow of the cardinal and finches but this is something totally cool and different. The first time I ran passed it I freaked out and called my wife to tell her. When I reached my halfway point and started running back I whipped out my phone to get the action shot of this awesome owl. 

I've ran passed this guy at least a dozen times since our first meeting upon the brown cliffs of Farmland. But as I was coming back from this particular run I saw Barny balancing on the trees to my side, take off, wings spanned out and soared through the air to lightly land next to, not one, but two other Barn Owls. After all this time I thought it was my buddy, Barny who was accompanying me on my runs but in reality it was actually Barny & Friends who was keeping watch. 

Now my next goal is to try tell them apart. 

What do you see on your runs?

5K Mud Run

Today's Run
Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: 25:53
Pace: 8:20
Calories: 442
Power Song: Don't Stop Believing by Journey

It was a beautiful quiet Sunday afternoon where I sat in peace and read my Runner's World magazine about a distance I ran a lot when I was in high school, the quick 5K race. I thought about the races I ran growing up from normal typical meets to the Regional's to the Cross Country State Championships. It was the distance I ran and practiced this distance quite a few years. So while reading the articles about the great 5K I was inspired to run a quick 5K the next morning.

Off I went out and realized I'm no where as quick as I was in high school. Back then, which was about ten years ago I ran a 5K in 16 minutes flat. Today, after running 16 minutes I was flat in mud. Yes, as I was running along my farmland trails I ran into a long puddle of mud. I didn't want to stop because with every step I was sinking more and more I thought I was in quick sand. As I was running my shoes were getting heavier and heavier with mud.

It reminded me of when I competed in the biggest Cross Country race in North America, the Living History Farms Cross Country race. It had rained all the night before and came race day, the 6.2 mile course was wet and very muddy. While most people were struggling with an extra couple of pounds of mud on the shoes, I simply took my shoes of as I knew my shoes were going to run it's last race that day. I didn't see another runner do that, take their shoes off. It was honestly the first thing that came to my mind. My feet were much lighter. I ran barefoot the 14 years of my life. Growing up in South Africa, every track meet, every cross country meet, any type of running was done barefoot. The bottom of my foot could have crushed the thorns and glass beneath my feet because of callas that had formed. Okay, not that crazy but you get the point. I finished that race at 42 minutes. A fun race.

My wife gave me the third degree as I walked into the house with my shoes, Totally expected of course. Today's run made my realize how much I've slowed down since ten years ago. I ran about ten minutes slower than I did in high school but then again, that was also about 60 pounds ago too. Anything slower than a 5:30 mile and you were kicked off the varsity cross country team. In any case, I'm glad I was able to work on a quicker tempo at a decent race distance of a the great 5K. Next run I think will be a little  slower and a little longer.

Did you run today?