Back from a paid tour of the Middle East.

Well, as some of you might know, I have been in Afghanistan for a little while. I just now have hit a year of being stationed at Eglin, and already have a deployment under my belt. It was much, much different than what I am used to with "Big Blue". The job satisfaction on this trip was easy to find. Well, anyways, I am home. Just got back a few weeks ago. Been fishing as much as I can. My wife is around 7 months pregnant. Life is going to get crazy here pretty soon. I can't wait though. Very excited. We decided not to find out what the gender is of the baby. It is really the one last big surprise you can have in your life. Some folks might be a little perturbed, because they can't buy us gender specific clothes, but hey, it's alright with me. How about buying us something we really need, like diapers, or baby wipes?? sounds like a no-brainer to me.

I started fishing over at East Pass in Destin. Around the Coast Guard Station there, are some nice flats that are supposed to hold some reds. I haven't hooked up with any reds yet, but have slayed some trout.

I am thinking about getting a 6 weight set up for the salt. Since I can only seem to hook up with trout, that should be a blast. Then, if I manage to get a hold of a red with the 6 weight, it should be a blast!

Snow, who needs it??

I was super stoked to come home.  Until it dumped a foot of snow all over the Ozarks.  Totally ruined every plan I had made.  So, needless to say, I left my fishing stuff at home in Florida.  I did, however, bring my running stuff.  Well, today it was 20 degrees with a wind chill of 10.  Sorry, I don't think I'll be running unless it warms up considerably.  Weak.  Well I did take some pictures from the plane.  Check them out!

The neighborhood maze.

I hadn't ran in a few days. I knew I needed to. I didn't really want to drive to go run. I decided to run around our neighborhood. I don't think I ever went as far as half a mile from the house as the crow flies. I ended up having to zig-zag and pretty much run every street twice. Oh well, at least I was out there. It was cold too. In the 40s, with a wind chill in the 30s. Brrrrr.

This weekend we officially signed up for the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Pensacola. I can't wait!

I wasn't so sure about today.

I knew Tracy wanted me to run with him today. I wasn't so sure my body wanted me to run, however, since I had beaten the crap out of it this week. I pretty much had to beg my boss to let me get of of work in time to meet Tracy. All of that was stacked against my better judgment. Urging me not to abuse myself. Well, I got out of work barely 15 minutes early. I made it to the gym where Tracy was waiting patiently. It went well. 3.41 miles in 32:36, average pace, 9:33. Not too bad. I really needed to run today. Jodie made cupcakes for her boss, and of course, I took the extras to work. I ended up eating a few. I felt totally guilty and majorly fat after that. I feel less so now. Great run.

Now I just need to make time to go out and ride my new bike! Tomorrow. . .

Until next time. . .

Running on a whim.

I have had a pretty freakin' bad week so far. I won't go into details, but I will say this, it made me question re-enlisting.

Today when I got home Jodie told me she might go for a quick run. I decided I could easily go and harness that rage and anger that I had bottled up. I decided I wanted to go to a good distance. Well we went back to Hurlburt Field and ran on one of the paths there. I was wearing a winter long sleeved running shirt and a shor sleeved running shirt. For some reason I decided I wanted to wear my hoodie as well. Not such a great idea. About a mile in I was burning up, so I took the hoodie off. I ended up carrying the damn thing for 3 more miles. I am not sure if it threw off my rhythm or not, but as soon as I dropped it off at the Jeep I was able to go another 1.2 miles without feeling too terribly beat. All in all, it was a great run. It got dark quick though. I ended up going 5.29 miles in 49:11. Not too shabby. Well, time to clean up.

Until next time. . .

Camera addiction.

I love technology. It's hard not to. I also love photography. So when the two get together, what's not to love?? Well I recently got a Droid 2 and have been learning my way around it. I found this App called Vignette. It's a camera app and it processes your photos as you take them to resemble lots (and I mean LOTS) of different kinds of effects. Films, exposures, tilt shifts, etc. Well I am a little addicted to this app. I take WAY too many pictures with it. They normally just sit on my phone unless I think they should be on Facebook. Well I decided to start posting them on here. So, here is the first installment.

Another great run.

So, as I have mentioned, I have been running with my friend Tracy. As it turns out, Tracy might end up to be a faster runner than me. Until Sunday, the furthest he had ran was 2 miles. So, in his mind, 3 was damn near impossible. So, after running 3.2 on Monday, he feels unstoppable (well, not exactly unstoppable, but it really broadened his running horizons.) Today we ran the same loop we have been running, but today he we crazy motivated. We started out nice and steady, and after a mile or so he started to pick up the pace, intentional or unintentional I'm still unsure. We ended up running 2.6 at an average pace of 9:23. Not bad compared to the first few days of him running. I am afraid I have created another monster. I know I did with Tony Burch, well, I'm not so sure he is still running. When he was, however, he was a monster. Now, I am worried Tracy might get the bug. Well, let me rephrase that. I am not worried, just uncertain. I don't want him going out and trying to run XX number of miles without at least working a little while longer at the shorter runs. I did lay it out there to him that once you get down the ability to keep a pace for a while, and can maintain that pace without killing yourself, then you can run however long you wish really. I mentioned the half marathon to him and said there should be a 5k, I think he is down for that. We will see.

Until next time. . .

Taking a day off.

Yeah, it's a hard decision to make after having ran for the past three days in a row. However, I think my body may need a day to recover after beating it down repeatedly.

Also, my bike is coming in today. The new fixed gear that my wife got for me as an early birthday present. It's from State Bicycle Co. Here is a link to their site: The Marino

I can't wait for this bike to get here. Rest assured, there will be updates once it arrives and I begin assembly.

Who knows, maybe I will get out and run a few miles while i'm waiting.

Until next time. .

Trying this from my phone.

So, I have this smart phone, right? Let's see how smart it is.

This afternoon I met up with my friend Tracy for another jaunt. I convinced him he could go longer than we went yesterday. We did. 3.2 miles in 32 minutes. I'll work on getting him faster after he can get some more distance in. Once again, it felt great to pound the pavement. Can't wait to get back out there.

Until next time, get out there and RUN!!

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2.25 mile run

Today we met up with some good friends of ours and went for a morning run before breakfast.

My friend is also in the Air Force, and is concerned about passing his fitness assessment. I am trying to motivate him some by running with him, and passing on any info I might have about running. We ended up running 2.25 miles in 22 minutes. Average pace was 10:04. Not horrible, not great either. It was better than sleeping in, that's for sure. After running, we went to a great breakfast place here in Ft Walton. Joe & Eddies. It's a great diner food type place. They specialize in omelets. I got the Gerard, which has sauteed onions, ham, cheese, and hash-browns mixed in. AMAZING. Also, Jodie noticed that they had cinnamon toast on the menu, so I got that as well. Such a great breakfast.

Now I am going to work on a messenger bag that I've been working on. I have to be prepared for my new bike this week!!

Until next time, get out there and RUN!!

Ok. Wow. I need to do this.

HAHA! Wow, I just looked at my blog for the first time in, a LONG time. I posted 49 blogs in 2009, not too bad, not great, but whatever. I posted 4 in 2010!! 4. Wow. I really need to work on that. I was much more accountable when I was blogging regularly.

So, there I was, not blogging. Not running. I was, however, getting quite a bit of fishing in.

Recently we moved to Ft Walton Beach, Florida. Quite a change from Wichita, KS. I love it down here, so much. In my childhood, my family would come to the Gulf Coast at least once a year for vacation. Specifically, Gulf Shores, AL. That's like my second home. So when the chance came to come down to the gulf, I jumped on it. Not weeks after I got orders down here, the Deep Horizons oil rig exploded. Kind of put a damper on my mood of moving down here. Well, however many months later, and tar balls are still washing up down here. I just hope that by the end of this year, things will be back to "normal."

Whenever we moved down here, I was extremely exited to get into saltwater fly-fishing. I met a few nice guys who gave me pointers on what patterns to use, and how to fish them. I still wasn't sure where to go though, there is so much water to choose from. Well my extremely gracious, and loving wife got me a kayak for our anniversary (I got her one too). So, I have been paddling around Choctawhatchee Bay and chasing Speckled Trout, and Redfish. Such a blast!!

I also have been riding my bike to work. It's around a 12 and a half miles one way. Takes me about an hour. I could probably do it faster, but I am also carrying some necessities in a bag on my back, so I an a little heavy in the saddle. My wife just bought me a new bike, an early birthday present. It's another fixed gear. This time, without the retro styling, and fat tires. This is a more conventional road bike. Not quite as extreme track geometry, it should be a nice commuter. It should be here in a few days. Be looking for a post when I put her together.

Okay, so that takes care of the fishing, and the cycling, what am I forgetting?!? Oh yeah, running. . . . About that, well, I just recently started to get back into running. I could sit here and pour out excuse after excuse, but it just boils down to one thing. I didn't want to. There, I said it. I did not want to run. I had lost the enjoyment. The spark was gone. Sure, I would take a little 3 or 4 mile jaunt here or there, but it just didn't feel the same as it did before. My wife wants to train for a half marathon, and has wanted to for some time now. I encourage her as much as I can. Well, she found the one she wants to do. The Gulf Coast Half Marathon at Pensacola Beach. Well, it's not on the beach, but it's on the road that travels parallel to it. I will be training for this race also. That way, maybe I can get back into it. In fact, last night, we ran 5.5 miles along the Navarre Beach Highway. It felt GREAT!! I can't wait to run this half.

Well, I think I said this on past sporadic posts, but I am really going to try and post more blogs about my adventures here in Northwest Florida.

Until next time, Tight Lines! Or, should I say, Get out there and Run!! Either way, we'll see ya next time.

New bike.

Earlier I mentioned the new bike I have that I am super excited about and can't wait to ride it more often. Well, I though I would talk a little about said bike.

It is a Mercier Kilo OS. Not a super well known brand. I got it online from Bikes Direct. Bikes Direct is an online store that offers super discounted fully built bikes. This is the first bike I have purchased from them, and so far I am impressed. Lots of people ask if I regret buying online rather than at a local bike store. Not yet. Of course, on down the road when I might need some work done to it, I might have wished I had bought one from an LBS.

More about the bike. It is styled like an older styled British or European bike. Two top tubes, fat tires. It is a fixed gear. If you aren't familiar with fixed gear bikes, check out this Wikipedia article. Long story short, there's no coasting on a fixed gear. A huge change from every other bike I have owned. I keep wanting to stop pedaling and coast, and she tells me NO! It's a great feeling though. This bike feels a lot like driving a sporty little car with a manual transmission. Compared to my Schwinn 5 speed, or other bikes I have owned, which feel like driving a four door sedan with an automatic transmission. If that makes sense. Well, enough with this babbling, here are a few pictures. (Not taken with my Nikon)

Lack of motivation

So, assuming anyone still actually reads this poor little blog, I am having problems with motivation. For running anyways. I just got a new bike, and have been itching to ride, but the weather has been getting increasingly more worse as the days roll on. I know I need to be running, I just don't have that same drive that I did last year. I'm not sure what the difference is.

I think I will start talking about my bike(s) more now on here. Rather than just concentrating on running and fishing, both of which, I have not been doing much of lately.

Be looking for more posts soon, hopefully.

Some news

So, as most of you may have noticed, I have taken a bit of a sabbatical from posting. Coming home, getting back into the swing of things, and going back to work have all delayed me. I know, I know, excuses are like assholes; everyone's got them, and they stink. Really though, it's been tough to find time to post anything. Mostly because I haven't ran since I got back. For some reason, it was easier to run in 15 degree weather when I wasn't home. I find it extremely hard to get motivated to run in the cold here at home. Oh well, I will get back into it soon enough. The main reason for this post is to mention my new photo gear. I recently picked up a Nikon D3000 package deal on Amazon. So far, I love it. I am just getting used to it, but so far I enjoy it more so than the Canon Rebel XTi that I also have. Enough with the jaw-jackin', on to the pictures.

These are in no particular order. Just let me know what you think! Thanks.








Enjoy,

Parker

Ringin' It In.

Today I hadn't planned on running. It's my buddy's day off and he doesn't normally come and get me to go run. Well, today he did. So I suited up and we went out. I asked how far he intended on going, he said he didn't care. I said what about 7. He said that was fine with him. Then, I started thinking about how this was my first run of 2010, and I needed to make it a good one. I then asked him if he was in for running 10. He said sure thing. Why not? A 10 miler for our first run in 2010. That is what we did. My ankle that has been bothering me, didn't act up today, it probably will tomorrow though. My right hamstring, however, started to hurt with every strike of my foot. That started around mile 4 or 5, and kept hurting until we stopped and I popped a couple ibuprofen. One thing that happened to me that hasn't happened in a while is side stitches. I haven't has those in a long time, but today I must have been talking more than normal. I was able to get them to go away, which is a first. Normally I have to stop running to get them to go away. This time I just concentrated on my breathing, and before long, they were gone. On another note. Tony Burch keeps trying to get me to run 20 miles with him. He wanted to do it tomorrow, but since we did 10 today, he wants to do it at the end of next week before he leaves for home. I am not so sure I am ready for that. That 15 mile run we did a coupe of weeks ago took a lot out of me. We will see about that. I guess it depends a lot on the weather next week also. Anyhow, on to the stats from today's run.


Saturday, January 2, 2010

Location: Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan
Start Time: 7:10am
Start Temp: Above Freezing! Around 36-37f
Finish Temp: 38-39f
Mood: Still kind of out of it. Looking for motivation.
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 01:31:29
Average Pace: 9:08 min/mile
Tony Burch's prediction of my mood for tomorrow - Indifferent, slightly agitated at having a new roommate on the opposite shift.

Thanks for reading. See you in a few.

Get out there and run!

Day two

Day two, went better. I got off of work early, so it was harder to motivate myself to get back out into the cold. When Tony came by my room to see if I was going, I almost said no, but I knew I had better get out there. It was a little warmer than the other day, but still cold. I have been having to double up on my socks, wearing a pair of Injinji socks under more traditional socks. My shoes are a little snug in doing this, but it's for the greater good. There is still snow and ice on the not frequently used roads, which happens to be where we run. Needless to say, that added to the challenge. Trying not to inadvertently do the splits mid-stride was tough. Tony mentioned wanting to try to run 20 on Monday. Oye vay. Seriously? Well, why not, right??

On to the stats for today:

Wednesday, December 3oth, 2009

Location: Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan
Start time: 7:13am
Start temp: 24f
Finish temp: 26f
Mood: Better than the other day, still dreading it like I used to.
Distance: 5.4 Shooting for 5 again today, made up for Monday a little as well.
Time: 48:17
Average Pace: 8:53min/mile
*New* Tony Burch's prediction on my mood for tomorrow: Angry and bitter at the beginning of shift, changing to happy and funny by the end of shift.

Here is a link to today's run. Click!


Thanks for tuning in! See you in a few days.

Get out there and run!

Day One, Post One of re-do. . .

Ok, here goes.

I thought about writing up about the past runs I did, but I think that might bore me out of doing this again.

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Location: Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan.
Time: 7:15 am
Start Temperature: 21 F
End Temperature: About 19 F
Mood: Eh. Indifferent.
Distance: 4.9 Shooting for 5, but I thought I had an accident!! Had to get back to the dorms and check. Just short.
Time: 44:00
Average Pace: 9:00 min/mile

Garmin Connect link: Click


Not sure what else to put up here. I am sure this will evolve into something different over time.


Get out there and run!

Trying something new. . .

Okay, here is the deal. I have recently been slacking a lot with my running. Like, A LOT. I went from about 4-5 times a week, to maybe one time every other week. I have lost a lot of motivation. The whole reason for me doing this blog was to remain accountable to myself for my running. If I posted up my running info, and had some semi-regular readers, then maybe I would feel obligated to them, and keep going.

Then I deployed, and the blog got brushed off to the side. My excuses to myself were the lack of reliable internet access and, well, that is about it. So, a couple of weeks ago, we got wireless internet in the dorms here in Kyrgyzstan. A huge morale boost to say the least. However, the last thing on my mind was my blog. Even though my homepage is my Blogger Dashboard.

I was a little more motivated after my wife got me a Garmin 305 for our anniversary. But not enough I guess. I was still having problems getting into the groove again. Blame it on the weather, or the fact that I am deployed, whatever the reason, I just stopped running. Yeah, my ankle hurts every now and then. I can't let stuff like that stop me.

I decided to try something different with this blog. Before, I was just linking to my Nike+ and using Dailymile. Well, I can't seem to figure out how to have Dailymile recognize my Garmin, and that may be my blessing in disguise. Now I am going to sit down and actually write out my information and stats for the runs. That way I will be able to own them that much more. So, bear with me. Time to start over. Let me know if you have any ideas to make this little bog better.

Thanks,

Parker

Dang. . . .

Wow, it has been a long time since posting on here. I am a horrible blogger. My sincerest to any of you who might have been checking on a semi-regular basis for updates. The updates *should* become more frequent. I stress the should, because, in a deployed location, nothing is certain. We just got wireless internet in our dorms. So I now have daily internet access. With that, I think I will be able to post updates more often.

On to some updates.

A while back, I found out about these "incentive programs" at the gym here. Run 200 miles, and get a shirt, bike 400 miles get a shirt, etc. I am sitting at around 250 now, and I am thinking about getting in touch with the fitness center, and maybe doing one for running 300 and/or 400 miles too. So, that helped motivate me after doing the Nike Human Race 10K, and the Phedippidations Half Marathon. Yes, I said it. I signed up for the 10k, and ended up doing the half. I just thought I would go for it, give it a shot. I did it. I won't bore you with the details right now, just know that I did it.

After that I found out about a satellite race being set up by PJ down in Afghanistan. It was a satellite race of the Valley of Fire Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10k, in Nevada. He hosted one there, and I had the opportunity to join him in the run. Not in person, of course, but in spirit. It was great. I even got a shirt and finisher's medal sent to me. Pretty cool.

Aside from that, my dreams of having an AMXS running club came true, even if only for a few days.

About a month ago, on the morning after my day off, a buddy from work came to my dorm room door and told me to change, and that we were going to run. I told him I wasn't feeling it. He said that a few others were going to be disappointed . I said, "Others?!?" He said, yeah, we have a few others running with us today. So, needless to say, I changed and we hit the road. Six total runners, all running, just to run. It was a great feeling to have more company out there. For a little over a week, we had a little informal running club. It was great. People would run at their own pace, head back when they were ready to be done. No pressure to keep going. It was nice. That makes me want to find a running club back in Wichita when I get back. We will see about that one.

As for the Vibrams, I have run in them more. The blisters went away. They feel great. The only downfall now, the cold weather. With each individual toe exposed, my toes get super cold, super quick. So, I have postponed my Vibram wearing the mercury is at least visible on a damn thermometer.

On yet another note, they are about to start something called the "Tour de Manas" here. Some sort of a bike race, but as far as I know, it will be on exercise bikes. I am thinking about doing it. That will edge me that much closer to getting that 400 mile shirt.

Ok, I had better stop this before it starts looking like something by Tolstoy.

Get out there (bundle up!) and run!

5K rolled into a 10K . . .

Hey all,

It has been a while since my last post. Sorry about that. It has been a little busy around here.


A few weeks ago, I received and email about a 5k being put on by the Fitness Center here. I was stoked. Something to look froward to sure helps the time go by. When I signed in I found out it was actually a cross country event. You needed 5 or 6 people to make up a team. I don't have that many people at work here that are into running as much as I am. They also allowed individual runners to run the course. So I did. It was pretty chilly. But it sure felt good. At the end I heard the race director say that there would be another one the following Saturday. How cool? I think they will be having one a week until the end of November. Which pretty much rules. I ended up getting a shirt last time. But it had absolutely nothing to do with the 5k we ran. It was actually for a 10k they must have had a while ago.

Well, the second one was this morning. I convinced one guy at work to come along with me. He has recently been coming out with me on my daily runs. I told him he might get a shirt out of it. I also had signed up for the Nike+ Human Race 10K. Which was today. So I knew I needed to run another 5K after I was done with this one. The first 5K was great. I ran most of it using the Pose Method. I think that may have actually helped with the loose sand they had us running through. After the race the other guy told me he was tapped out. I said that is just fine, and that he did great. I dropped off something in my room and when I went out to finish my 10K there he was. He said "Let's go finish this." I asked if he was sure and he said he might instantly regret the decision, but at the moment, why not. He sure hung with me pretty well. It was inspiring. We ended the 5K at 25:37. We finished the 10K at 51:37. Not too bad if you ask me.

See you next week.

Until then, get out there and run!!