My Life is Crazy!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAH!

Sunday:::: 16 mile long run with Kelly out to Belmar Golf Club and back on the farm roads of Norman/Moore.

Monday:::Run to the Bank---65 minutes then opened a golf tournament.


Tuesday:::: Run of about 80 minutes---Out by Cedar Lane

Wednesday:::: Hot sun run out in the hills---82 minutes


So my training has been pretty solid even with working almost every day this week. Life has been busy and work has taken a lot out of me but Ashlee has been by my side and I just received our Playstation 3! Thank you father!!!!!  I might run a local 5k this weekend where you finish on the OU stadium at Owen Field which seems pretty awesome. I am so looking forward to the cooler weather and another chance to better myself!

Springfield College and the Blazing Sun!

These are pictures of Springfield, Massachusetts a potential location for Ashlee and myself for graduate school.  I spent the morning chatting with a graduate advisor from the college and things went very well. I think that Springfield is a place that is a great New England city that is near both the coast and the mountains of Western Massachusetts.

I had a great talk with the graduate advisor at the school for park management and I am excited about the potential opportunities in this area and to finally get to experience something new. I love Oklahoma and think that it is a great place but the jobs in state and national parks do not exist here as many parks cannot even stay open.  I have tried and tried for park jobs here in the state and people tell me they are interested but they do nothing on their end after I place myself out there for them.  So I say, "I'm Moving ON!"  Springfield is a nice New England City and has great proximity to many other great places such as Boston, Hartford, Cape Cod, and the Berkshires!  This school has affiliations with the YMCA and could provide me with a great academic opportunity and I am going to take it! As far as running goes, this is a very diverse area with trails, mountains, ocean running and scenic hilly neighborhoods as Springfield is on the foothills to the Berkshires.

To contrast to Springfield, the run I went on that afternoon was sooooo hot! 100 degrees no thank you!  I was living in the desert again and the sweat all over my body reminded me how much this summer had been devastating!

RUNNING , WEDDINGS, StAYing, ERRANDS--Life of a Runner!

My runs have been very consistent this week. I have logged great amounts of mileage and great efforts and even running errands at the bank and to the various other little stores in Norman.  I love using my legs to propel me through the world and to be efficient in the way I run my life.  There is nothing better than getting things done while saving precious gas money that can be used for other purposes.

As the country begins to suffer from the economic downturn, gas prices and the very system of labor that America depends upon is dwindling. With the amount of home foreclosures, loss of jobs, and increase in prices have created a serious issue and inconvenience for the people that have built this nation.  Ashlee and myself had the chance to watch the moving running documentary: Running America which looks at what is means to be American and how something as crazy as running across America is actually really sane in desperate times.  

It takes a film like this to inspire and to showcase the human spirit and the strength one can find while running.  This is one of the major reasons why I do go out and run. Yes, it can be seen as something crazy but in actuality, it is very sane.  I am not only bettering myself but I feel that by going out and mini-expeditions, I am more American than others. I have a very distinct relationship with the area I live in and with the natural landscape that most Americans scratch their heads at.  It is this simple almost primeval sense of feeling like taking a dream and making it a reality.  In running, nothing is given to you as each step is a step towards success.  This locomotion is what drives our very existence, to know that we must always keep pushing on regardless of how bad it hurts.  With everything being crazy in my life, I am optimistic for the things that are solidified: my running, My family, My most incredible girlfriend and future wifey Ashlee Prewitt, and a future that involves fashioning a life where we are in control of our destinies and not the other way around.

Today, Ashlee and myself talked about Graduate school and about leaving Oklahoma to distant lands. Many of the programs that I have interest in are stationed on the east coast and for both Ashlee and myself, it could very well be a most-exciting new adventure.  Maybe we will open a running store together and have that as our business venture while I continue my running career. All I know is that I have the great support of those that love me and that is all I need to make the impossible, POSSIBLE!

BrookHaven Run 7th Place!!!! Lake Thunderbird Trail Hang-Over

With the stress of work, my performance at Brookhaven was less then stellar. I ran 15:30 again which is 5 minute pace and I placed 7th one spot better than last year though I was not near perfect form.  My first k was at 2:58 and I zoomed through a 4:50 mile like it was nothing. I felt nice and relaxed. I knew I had to be patient if I wanted to run well. Jerry pushed with me the whole 3k distance as we began to pick people off. I was surging and still felt great.  At this time, I was in fourth place right on the heels of Rob Sorrel. I was on the move but Rob kept holding me off as I began to draw closer and closer. It was at 4k something just hit me. My chest was heavy and a simple breath was like breathing on the moon.  I had no oxygen entering my strained muscles as I just could not push anymore. It sucked! It sucked to see Jerry pass me, Scott pass me then some random dude right near the line. I felt horrible as I surged all I could to pass this guy at the line but just missed him and tripped over the finish-line as the Kenyan winner, picked me up. It was miserable. I felt like I through away a perfect opportunity to do something great.  I am switching jobs and Ashlee was there to help pick me up. I was sad but she gave me new strength as each day I run, I need to prioritize for the things that we not only make my running career healthy, but to have an overall healthy life in all facets.  Running is important to me but there is no other feeling of being complete when you can come home after a long day and see your family ready to greet you. Ashlee is my strength and I thank you for that sweetheart.

Now the Time to Prepare is in the air. I have trail races to run this fall and winter and I have the ultimate goal of the OKC marathon and Mount Washington again.  I need to run smarter and more importantly, recover smarter to gain back the 8 pounds I have lost in muscle due to not eating enough because of work and the combination of running. I do not know what my next job will be just yet, but I am working on it. I have a chance to work at the Athletic Loft thanks to Pat Proctor, a member I have met at Belmar.

In many ways, I am starting all over again.  I have a new lease on life and it is time to get back to the roots that have made me such a happy person over the years.


Lake Thunderbird was awesome by the way.  Connor and myself ran the back trails which take you to sights such as Dragon's Den and Quadzilla.  Trail running feels so good! I have a strong sense of the trail and how to run it effectively.  Winding up and down the trails going through sand, gravel, rock, and wood planks and bridges give Thunderbird quite a reputation. I love these trails and at 5pm, Connor and myself decided to get lost in the woods. We ran the trails til the sun almost set and ran a grand total of 1 hour 43 minutes and 37 seconds....a total of about 15-16 miles. It was just the type of run to take the mind off of a tough race and to re-calibrate myself back to what drives my passion for running.  Ashlee's parents also came into town and let me tell you it was a blast. I had so much fun OU bar hopping that I kind of wish I had infinite money just so I could bar hop during the day!  It was such a pleasant time with everyone and I am excited about getting back on track.

Monday had a nice and easy run of 65 mins and 10 miles---Out to Athletic Loft and then Eagle Cliff Drive to the Golf Course then back.

Member/Guest Not Running Much and The Calm to The Storm!

Sunday---83 mins---Nice run picked up the Tulsa 5k prize money

Friday----75 min run---Loving the slightly cooler evenings here in Heat capital of the USA!!!

Thurs--8 miles of walking and running at work for a 4am-9pm shift!


Work has been a big stress on me and Ashlee of late and I have decided that switching to a different job will be best for me.  I can no longer deal with certain aspects of that place and so I must move on. Just like running, it takes courage to get out the door and to keep moving but once you get that first initial step, you do not regret ever going off to run in the first place!

Lake Thunderbird, Home Sweet Home

A standard view of Lake T-bird!

Lake Thunderbird is my bread and butter. This park is what solidified my decision in spending my collegiate years here in Norman, Oklahoma.  When I am out at Thunderbird, I feel this charge, this energy that is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. You could say there is something mystical about this place and to know it is man-made really shows are true ingenuity and worth to manufacture something truly worth-while.  I love the trees, the winding roads that crest into the sky, the water which is warm but is something Oklahoma needs to keep going if it ever rains here again and the mysticism of nature. This place is more than a park, it is an adventure, an experience of Oklahoma. The trails are awesome!!!  Nice sand or dirt single-track that winds up and down through the Oklahoma forest like you are riding some crazy roller-coaster ride.  I love it. I always tell people especially Ashlee that I have run at Lake Thunderbird today because a training run out there is more than just a run, it is an escape into a world where people and nature co-exist. Where you feel a connection with something higher than you there. Where oil or football is not the closest relationship you have with the land.  I  wish there was more Lake Thunderbirds out there. More little systems of Oasis(s) that provide all of us an escape from the rigors of daily life. I run because it provides me a system of balance that helps not only my mind but my body and spirit.  It is because of this activity that I can be cheerful or even saddened but I can tell everyone that I made great strides in improving my fitness and my longevity on this planet.  My family are great supporters of my running. Special shout-outs to my father Chuck and my lovely girlfriend Ashlee Prewitt for all the love and support you give me.  

Life is about those experiences that take your breath away and Lake Thunderbird does that for me. This place will always have a special spot in my heart.  Time to keep on running!

TO THE RUNNING::::::I was able to track 12 miles or 83 minutes of humid climbing out on the roads away from Thunderbird on 108th ave NE up towards Franklin Road.  Slow run because of the humidity and the climbing was tough but I managed to slog through it all and finish feeling accomplished as I did the ceremonial wade in the lake ritual which I partake in after every run out there. Cmon, why run at a lake and never dip your feet in the water? That is not fun! So I always manage to take a short dip in the Lake though I have to watch out for cat fish!

Running Bulletin: Brookhaven 5k--Norman Oklahoma---Prize Money to be won---Sept 3rd! Be there or be....Well in last place.

The Mean Green Machine!!!

Running...It is something that never really gets much credit. Something that often is laughed at, people hate, people cringe at. But for my girlfriend, Ashlee, running is a lens...a lens into my mind-into my body and soul. I have never seen someone who never was a runner have such compassion for the sport as she does.  She cheers me on like it is a big OU football game ready to scream her lungs out. She laughs and cries, smiles and frowns, all for the glory I seek when I go and push myself to the limits. I love her and she is my inspiration for it all. When I feel like crap like tonight for instance, I think of her grace and love and it carries me miles and miles back home.  I never thought I could find someone who appreciates running the way she does. Thank you Ashlee! You win the Mean Green award for being such a great motivator.  

I have run well the past few days. Both night runs and both decent mileage of 10.5 and 10.  I am close to a nice average for the week and my baby is helping me stay  well fed and keeping my spirits up.  She really is something special and though I do not mention her much, she is always on my mind. She is like my lucky rabbit's foot; I may not always mention it but it is always there within me, helping me conquer great obstacles. You are my lucky charm Ashlee and for all the hard work I put into running, I want you to know that I would not be able to do it without your support. Thank you!

With Ashlee, I am already at the Summit! I have made it to the top and it is thanks to her spirit and strong will that gives me the strength to push when I am ready to give up! Thank you sweetheart!