Episode 15: Freedom sports

-Interview with owner of Freedom Sports in Panama City, Fl (myfreedomsports.com)
-Gordon tries to lure Pearl Izumi into letting him wear-test their shoes (motion control 11.5)
-He does some tunnel shout-outs in an effort to steal listeners from Trilogy Running (trilogyrunning.com)

Preston's Art

Here are a few of Preston's creations:

Don't forget your glasses...

I mentioned this in the podcast, but I forgot my Oakleys when I ran the early morning bridge/hill intervals. So I had to wear my wife's girl glasses. Here is photo evidence that I shouldn't wear them any more.

Spring Break

Here are a few pics from our spring break on the Florida Gulf Coast. It was college spring break as well, but we tried not to let the drunken chants of some college students dampen our fun. I ran a lot (in fact, I had one of my best running weeks in a long time), found a brand new running store (which will be the subject of a future podcast episode) and spent some quality time with the family. I also bought some cool "world beers" form world market.


No spring break is complete without spending 20 dollars in tokens to win 2 dollars worth of trinkets


Nothing says fun like burying your brother in the sand.


Needs no comment.


Nuff said

Ahhh, a week at the beach

Spring break is finally here and like most college-affiliated people, I am at the beach. Kind of ironic, really, I spend all my time surrounded by college kids and when I get some time off I head to a place where I am surrounded by college kids. The good thing is that this week is kind of early in spring break season and the condo is not overcrowded and most of the kids have been fairly well-behaved. Plus our condo is surrounded by full-time occupants, so I hear no music or partying at night.

Had a great 8 mile run today. I follow a side road across the road from the condo. With the Garmin it is very easy to set out and run until time to turn around and head back to home. I was scheduled to run 7, but I lost track of my location and had to run closer to 8 miles to get back. That’s okay. I cut back my long run last week so I needed to make up some miles. Being at rhe Gulf fof Mexico, there is no elevation, so my hill work on Wednesday will be on the big new bridge that spans the bay (I uploaded a video on runcast.tv last december when I ran the sme bridge: here's the link: http://www.runcast.tv/video/hathaway-bridge-run-florida).

Since I’m off work for a week I plan to nap a lot more than usual, which is never.

Episode 13 of the podcast is ready for download.

An incredible gift

On episode 10 of the podcast I had half-jokingly made an appeal for both a Garmin and Apple sponsorship so I could get a Foreunner and an iPhone. Of course, those firms will not sponsor a back-of-the-packer like me, so I did it for the joke. I think I also promised to foster world peace if they gave me one. See, we're trying to buy a house and any expense that we don't really need, we are trying to eliminate. I have a birthday coming up, and I could afford to buy either the iPhone OR the Garmin, but surely not both.

A few days passed and I received an email from a listener, two listeners--a husband and wife, in fact. They had both run Disney in January and both had Forerunner 305s. While at the marathon expo, one of them had purchased a 405 and they were left with this 305 that they no longer needed. They had even remarked to each other that it would be nice to give the 305 to someone who could use it. Then they heard episode 10. They wanted to give me the forerunner. I was blown away, humbled, and more than a little embarrassed. I felt slightly ashamed for begging like that. Offers by me to pay were rebuffed and I was encouraged to keep up the podcast as people were getting something good from it. What a great feedback, better than iTunes feedback for sure.

I am now challenged to pay this kindness forward, to merit this great and wonderful gift from a fellow runner whom I have never met, but who shares this passion for running. I want to become a better runner, a more efficient runner. I want them to be proud of their gift and to never regret sending it. That is my challenge.

Snow Day and a blog plug

Well, Alabama finally got snow today. Well, it has had snow before but not since my kids have been alive. We lived 9 years in Louisiana and got one snow storm. Unfortunately, my oldest was barely 1.5 years old and hated it. Ever since, he has wanted to play in the snow. My youngest, Hudson, has never seen snow. On two earlier occasions I had notified them of inbound snow, only to have the forecast fail me. Today, though, we had a 90% chance of 2-4 inches. I'd guess we probably got 1.5 inches, maybe 2. But it fell strong and long enough for the guys to get in it several times and do snow angels, pummel me with snowballs, and get real cold. It was a blast watching their faces. I was so happy for them, and pleased that the pressure was off of me for all my failed snow predictions!

Here they are as the snow started falling.


The snowman. Not much, but we made him look mean.


What's snow without snow angels?


Dad and youngest son in a moment of peace before the big snow ball fight


By the way, here is a plug for a great blog written by Nick Phillips. Please go give it a read if you get the chance. He likes running and he likes Disney. He's got it all! Find it at: http://www.nickphillipsworld.blogspot.com/

Mardi Gras in Florida (I've got some beads to prove it)

Last weekend we traveled to Florida to see my mother-in-law. She had had cataract surgery and we went down to say hello. By coincidence, it also happened to be the weekend of Panama City's Mardi Gras celebration, a two day festival on Friday and Saturday replete with Zydeco and Cajun bands and a couple of parades. Living in Monroe, LA, the past few years, I found that all that city can muster is a single parade a week before fat Tuesday (that's what Mardi Gras means when translated=Fat Tuesday). [To be fair to Monroe, no one goes there for Mardi Gras anyway]. P.C., while their parades weren't so impressive, at least had several of them and a 2-day festival. Not a bad job at all. It was fun. And the Gyros tasted incredible.

They also put on a 5K race. So, knowing we'd be there I signed up. I really don't enjoy 5Ks. I am no distance running elitist mind you, but I have a tendency to go out too fast and overstride, which generally results in shin tightness and a not-so-fun race. I'll run them, but I have to muster the discipline to run MY race, not the race of all those in the field with me. Well, I did it again, I scooted out at close to a 9:30 pace and by the time I reached the half mile mark, I was already tired and my shins were tightening. I ran it in 33:00:06, which is the best 5K since I ran a 30:33 PR almost two years ago. Hence my quest for speed while training for the Country Music Half-Marathon in April.


The start/finish line.


Very pretty course. We ran right along the Bay.


The Bay.


Imperial Stormtroopers have a long Mardi Gras connection, I suppose.


Zydeco Band from my part of Louisiana, LaFourche