Running on Faith

Thank you to Paul’s Uncle Henry and Aunt Miriam Esch for their donation to Team Running on Faith!

Another huge THANK YOU to Tevis and Gwen Laspa for their additional donations to Team Running on Faith.  That is incredibly generous and we are speechless!

Thank you to Tevis and Gwen Laspa for their very generous donation to Team Running on Faith.  They are part of Paul’s extended family all the way up in Ridgefield, Washington!  THANK YOU!!!

Thank you to Paul’s Uncle Carroll and Aunt Sheila Esch for their donation to Team Running on Faith!

It has been about three weeks since my last post and not much has changed as for as my training goes. I am still running regularly, twice during the week, between 3 to 4 miles and a long run, up to 11 on the weekend. We are still cycling as well when the opportunity arises. That’s it. See, told ya, not a lot to talk about with my training; I still have a lot of work to do!

Now let me talk about some other things that have been happening in our lives.

 

As I have mentioned before, Marci and I are blessed to have two healthy kids and a couple of things has happened with them over the last couple of weeks that got me thinking about the reasons we signed up to do this marathon.

 

Camren is our youngest. He’s 12 and is probably one of the sweetest caring kids you will ever meet. He has a grin and hug for just about everyone he meets. Well, he had a small outpatient procedure done at BRASS about three weeks ago to remove some pimple like bumps from different parts of his body, nothing serious but they were going to have to knock him out to do it. As we were sitting there waiting for and knowing the nurse was going to come out and tell us everything was fine, it got me thinking about all the kids and parents at St Jude’s that are not near as fortunate. A lot of the parents at St Jude’s will not be getting good news and the thought of that just gets to me. In fact a lot of parents will be getting bad news and they need our help. There is not a lot we can be but we (that means YOU, whoever is reading this, and me) still need to help.  Donate Please.

 

Blake is our oldest.  He’s 14 and a fierce competitor. There is nothing in the world he would rather do than beat me in a race of any kind. I’ve always told both kids that when you beat me at something, it is because you beat me. I will not let you win! Well, it just about happened at a triathlon in Lake Charles two week-ends ago. I will give you the high points. It was his first open water swim, 525 meters and he beat me by a minute and a half. Luckily my ride was good, 15 miles, and I beat him by just over three and a half minutes. The run, two miles (think about it, I am training for a marathon); he beat me by a minute and a half. Overall I took the win, by 45 seconds, but I can see my days are numbered. You might be asking yourself where is this idiot going with this story. Well, I was thinking after the race about how proud I was to be competing in an event, and having my son damn near beat me and how there are parents at St Jude’s that would love the opportunity to do some of the these things we are doing. Right now their hands are tied and they are watching their kid fight for their life. It is just not fair and we need to help. Donate Please.

 

Please help us, Team Running of Faith, help them. We can make a difference.

 

Paul

A big thank you to the orginal Mr & Mrs Xctmnt, Jimmy and Arnell Esch, for their generous donation to Running on Faith.

It has been a little over a week since I have last written and my training is going well. Last Wednesday evening Marci and I got out and ran a little. I went 6 miles at a relatively easy pace without much problem. I continue to wake up in the days following with sore shins. It is nothing that I cannot live after taking some Advil but it is uncomfortable for a few days. My buddy Timbeaux has been telling me that I need to soak my feet and shins in buckets of ice water immediately following my run to help ease my pain. I keep saying that I will give it a try but there is always something to else coming up that keeps me from doing it. Anyway, what does he know? It is not like he has run Boston or anything. I will get back to the Ice thing in a few minutes.

 

Fast forward to Saturday morning, Marci, Blake and I plan our Saturday ride knowing that we would be going out without any spare tires among us; Blake had used the last one to repair a flat on Marci’s rear tire the night before. I think you know where I am going with this but I will continue anyway. We leave the house about 8:00 with Marci leading followed by Blake with me holding the rear. We ride a single pace line for a couple of miles then changing positions with me out front, Blake  then Marci. 5 miles out on HWY 64 while dodging garbage cans and traffic Blake and I notice Marci had fallen off the rear, we doubled back to find her with a flat front. She never heard it pop but it just went down. She said she would call for someone to come pick her up but since I knew we had no spare and went riding anyway I felt it was my fault and I should go back and get my truck. Blake waited with her while I rode back to get my truck. Moral of the story “Don’t ride without a spare”. 

 

 

Back to the Ice thing. Sunday morning Marci and I went for our weekly long run. 8 miles about 30 second slower than marathon pace. Nothing fancy, just a run but it got hot fast. Once we both finished, it’s off to the back porch we go to sit and cool off. Half a bag of ice per bucket, add some water and in go my feet. Aside from Timbeaux I am not sure if anyone who is reading this has ever done this but it is quite INTENSE, PAINFUL, SOBERING and I am sure a lot of other not kid friendly adjectives. Marci and the kids just laughed and laughed but I did maintain this on and off for about 20 minutes. I really could not feel my anything below my shins for most of the morning. I am uncertain if either of the definitions below could happen from sitting with your feet in ice buckets but I was beginning to get scared.

 

Hypothermia (from Greek ὑποθερμία) – is a condition in which an organism’s temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and bodily functions. In warm-blooded animals, core body temperature is maintained near a constant level through biologic homeostasis. But, when the body is exposed to cold, its internal mechanisms may be unable to replenish the heat that is being lost to the organism’s surroundings.

 

Frostbite - injury to any part of the body after excessive exposure to extreme cold, sometimes progressing from initial redness and tingling to gangrene.

 

To give credit where credit is due, I think the ice buckets helped but after talking with my Timbeaux he said I might need something to help keep me distracted while I soak my legs, for example blaring music or possibly Tequila Shot and since I don’t like loud music this may be my last non intoxicated post!!!!!!!!!! The ice may not help but at this point who cares.

 

 

 

Pass the salt and lime

CHEERS

OK, my second posting is underway with not a lot to talk about. I am hoping to get better at this as the weeks go by. I plan on posting the past weeks events at sometime on Monday; Timbeaux has already e-mailed me this morning wondering where this is at? Well here it is.

 

The week did not start out all that good since I was trying to recover from the Memorial Day bike spill and knowing I would be on-call all week did not help. My alarm clock (Marci) wakes me every weekday morning at 4:00am for some type of exercise, going to the gym three days a week is the norm for me regardless of what is going on, I cannot tell you the last time I missed a regular workout. I am well past the time of wanting to be big and strong, now I just want to stay in decent shape and I am not talking about the round kind of shape (Arnell). I am normally in the gym every M/W/F for about 45 minutes to an hour and that is it. T/T mornings consist of stationary bike training. I bought a well used Schwinn spin bike and on days when I am not in the gym, I am in the garage with headphones blaring for 30 to 45 minutes. So from here out I will be omitting these events because I am normally sleeping through most of it and have very little brain activity at the time. If by some chance I come up with something I think you might be interested in I will let you know.

 

Wednesday afternoon Blake and I went for a run, not much to tell other than my shins are hurting. We went 3 miles at about an 8:30 pace which was what the goal was but for the next two days I walk with a limp. The problem is I am a heal striker, so when I run for longer than just a couple of miles my feet and shins hurt. I have been experimenting with my landing and stride but have had no luck with the discomfort. It is nothing that I cannot deal with but running 26.2 will be challenging.

 

On Saturday morning we planned a family ride with the four of us leaving from our driveway. We went 20 miles averaging close to 15mph, on the road by 8:00 and home by 9:30. Nothing too difficult, had one stop at the Chaneyville Fire station for a drink and an adjustment. As you can see in the picture below Cam does not want to be here but the thought of us doing something without him is too much for him to bear. His riding is improving but his attitude is not. It is a work in progress.

 On Sunday morning Blake and I planned a 30 mile loop, basically the same ride as yesterday but with a few extensions, no stops and some aerobar riding. He loves this type of riding. We did have to make one unplanned stop to get a picture of a silo. Now you must be asking why stop to take a picture of a silo? A month or so back we had to make a trip to a family reunion in Mississippi and Cam saw a silo, he was just amazed. What in world was that he asked???? So now it is a running joke and I wanted to show Cam that we have silos here close to home. 

 

 

 Anyway, as our ride near completion we saw Marci out on the road for her long run. So off the bike and into my shoes I go with the intentions of catching her.  Blake called it a day. My legs were feeling good but she had about a mile head start? I put the thought of catching her out of my mind, I went out easy knowing that I needed a slow easy run and that is what I did. With about a mile left to go my parents slowly drove by bringing me and Marci some water, how is that for support, Thanks. As we neared the house I was closing on her but just ran out of steam. I finished around 10:00am and man it was some kinda hot. It is going to be a long summer.

OK Timbeaux, you asked for it. First off I would like to apologize to all that will read this, my writing skills are poor. I will do my best not to butcher the English language. If I am to write a blog of the things I do or my training report leading up the marathon you will have to get used to hearing about my family, they are a part of everything I do, from swimming to riding to running, they are with me every step of the way.

St. Francisville Spring Century 2009

I had been looking forward to this event for the past couple of months for several reasons, one is I just enjoy riding and I don’t get to ride in St Francisville that often and two, my entire family would be riding with me, what better way than to spend your Memorial Day! Now, a little about my family, Camren is a 12 year old that is a big hearted bookworm, he is not a fan of sweating but loves doing things as a family, Blake is a 13 year old bike freak, the higher the hill the bigger the grin, and my wife Marci (Flash), she is as some say is my better half, I think I am the better half but whatever.

5:45 am, I knew it was going to be a long day when we awoke to the sound of thunder. It had thundered, lightened and rained all night, Marci and I lay in bed and discussed if we were going to attempt the ride, we paid for it so why not? We had loaded the bikes the night before so it was just breakfast and out the door by 6:30. The weather was looking better the closer we got to St Francisville, little did we know that Mother Nature was just screwing with us. On the trip up we discussed if it was going to be a 27 or a 50 mile ride, we all agreed that 50 was the one for us, well Cam did not agree, I kind of strongly encouraged, and then he agreed. Just as we arrived at the park the century riders were leaving. As we unpacked, unloaded and prepped for our 8:00 start time, the ominous looking clouds were building in the south. At 8:00 sharp the ride director started giving instructions and directions when a nasty looking lighten bolt popped behind him, his final word were “prepare to get wet”, nice.

As we were riding out of the park the sprinkles started falling. The four of us pretty much stayed in the back of the pack occasionally passing a few people who were putting on slicker suits and a person who had a flat. Two miles in the sprinkles turned into a pretty good rain and my wife and kids are behind me riding down Highway 10, I am thinking, I have got to be stupid (Don’t say a word Timbeaux) to put us in this position. About 6 miles down Hwy 10 we finally reached the spot where we go 27 or 50 and I decide at this point 27 miles will be a good day. We turn left off Hwy 10 and the rain seems to ease up but the big water drops from the trees were just as bad or worse than the rain falling from the sky. It was pretty uneventful for the next 6 to 8 miles with a few slight hills and a 13 year who thinks he is Lance Armstrong on my butt. We reach the only stop for the day at mile 14, there are about 6 other cyclist there asking for directions to the Bluffs, they are not part of the Century Ride but they were on some serious rides as Blake pointed out. At this point the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking through the clouds. The road is drying nicely so I think our potential problems for the day are behind us. I WAS WRONG. Several miles later while I was sight seeing instead of watching the rode, my front tire went off the road and down I went, cussing the whole way. Blake being the cyclist he is, and being right on my tail just about runs over my head. Luckily he maintained his composure and avoided his poor old daddy lying on his back in the middle of the road. My injuries are minor but I am ticked and snap at Marci when she come riding up asking what happened? I needed a break and just figured I would lie down in the middle of the road to get some rest. Sorry Marci. The last two events I ride and I go down in both. I am thinking about adding some new wheels to my ride.

Anyway I am back on the bike and am sulking when I hear Marci screaming, only to look back and see her riding off in the ditch as a car is coming around her and Cam. She never comes off the bike and rides back up onto the rode while Cam continues to ride like there is no problem. Let me recap just for a minute, Two Adult and two kids riding and both adults have spills while the kids seem to be doing fine and I was worried about them???? Anyway back to the story, we ride back into St Francisville without any more problems. We are some of the first to arrive back at the park about 10:30. We enjoyed some Bow-Tie pastalya and white beans before heading home. All in all it was a great day, I am really proud of both Cam and Blake for riding well in adverse conditions and again Marci, I am sorry for snapping at you.

Later!

Paul

Who is Mr. Xctmnt? This is an excellent question and one I have been trying to figure out for quite a while. This is what I have gathered so for; I am a 40 year old father of two and the husband to Marci (Flash). I am the youngest son to two wonderful and supportive parents. The Lord has blessed Marci and I with two beautiful boys, now young men or so they think. Our oldest, Blake, starts high school in the fall and Camren, our youngest will be in the 7th grade. Marci is the woman of my dreams. We have been together for just over 20 years and 19 of them have been wonderful.

Now about me: I have been running on and off since high school just to stay in shape. Aside from the Great River Road runs in the early 80’s I never really considered running organized events until Marci started talking about running the Corporate Cup in 2003. That started our family running. Since that time I have run in many 5’K’s, 10K’s, and a couple of half Marathons. I have even had the pleasure of running the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans with one of my sons, my wife, my dad and my brother. It was one of my prouder moments, knowing that we were all doing it.

Over the last few years my main focus has been on Triathlons. I have mainly competed in sprint triathlons but early this year, I competed with Marci, Christine, Tim and a lot of other BRTri members in the Half-Ironman New Orleans. My finish was not what I had hoped or trained for but I had a blast. I had two goals when I started, one was not to drown and the second was just to finish. Sorry Bob. Now it is time for bigger and better things. Running for a Reason.

St Jude

After keeping up with Christine and Tim’s adventure to Memphis for the St Jude Marathon last year, I was thinking then that it would be cool if Marci and I could do something like that. So when they asked us to join their team, we jumped at the chance. Now the real work starts, trying to figure out how to run 26.2 miles and raise some money for an outstanding cause.

So back to the original question. Who is Mr. Xctmnt?

I don’t have a clue!