You will never, ever, regret a workout upon it's completion.

Just wondering if this is normal. I am running and lets say I come up to an alley or a street and a car stops in front of me, so I stop. This same thing is even applicable on a track if some brain donor walks in front of me or there are three people taking up all the lanes. Does anyone else do the quick stop, slump shoulders, and stair directly ahead? Other than stopping, in no other way actually acknowledging the existence of this car/person at all. And in your head you are thinking "FUCK YOU JUST MESSED UP MY STRIDE, MY BREATHING, AND MY GROOVE YOU INCONSIDERATE NON CONTRIBUTING LAZY PIECE OF SHIT" Everyone thinks that....right?

Athletes praying before a race/game was brought up by a friend of mine on facebook, and I have thought about how absurd prayer is in the first place. Are you actually praying for a favor from god? And people pray for stupid things too! Now I understand people wanting prayer for a sick friend, but god has nothing to do with the outcome. Get real people. This quote puts it nicely:

by Epicurus: Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? If you believe that a god can/will grant success, then it necessarilyy follows that same god also must then deny it, which would seem antithetical to the idea of a god.

Something else interesting I found...

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. - Stephen Roberts

Now I have no problem with people having a faith. I have faith in myself, others have faith is something else. If that helps them through the day and make their lives better, so be it and good for them.

Ney Way...

I have been noticing people purchasing Airborne more and more often lately at Walmart. Is this the same stuff that had a law suit filed against it a few years ago? I did some research and this is what I found.

The makers have paid at least 30 million dollars in lawsuits and settlements because of false advertising and making unproven claims. If you look closely, you will see the claim on the box went from "Can prevent your cold or ease the symptoms" to it can "support your immune system". However, there is actually zero proof that the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, electrolytes, and amino acids in it can do anything for your immune system.

Also a bit of info on the differences between supplements and drugs. Supplements do not have to be under any regulation at all. They can put whatever they like into it, and put whatever they like on the package without the FDA looking at it first. I have talked to people who have worked in the supplement industry, and they no longer take them. That should tell you something about some of the companies products...

A drug has been looked at, tested, and its production is regulated.

How do you tell if what you are holding in your hand is a drug or supplement? Look at the food label, if the title is supplement, that's what you have, if it says drug, there you go.

Back to Airborne. In August 2008, the Federal Trade Commission made this statement:

"there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims made by the defendants that Airborne tablets can prevent or reduce the risk of colds, sickness, or infection; protect against or help fight germs; reduce the severity or duration of a cold; and protect against colds, sickness, or infection in crowded places such as airplanes, offices, or schools."

So the question is now, what does help the immune system? Look no further then common sense, once again.

1. Sleep is a big one.

2. Protein. Your immune system is actually comprised of many many proteins. A risk of that weekly long run is you may tap into your PRO stores during the run, reducing the amount in your body. These little guys are the building blocks of your immune system.

3. Do not focus on one system, focus on your entire body. A healthy body equates to a better everything.

And that myth about bundling up before you go outside during the winter to avoid getting sick, do not buy it. The cold does not make you sick, germs make you sick!

Wed Dave Graves and I met at the stadium at 6:15am to do stairs. I did about a half hour of stairs total, with some sprinting on the football field halfway through and at the end of the stairs, going down and back twice on the field each time. Afterwards I stopped by the Wellness Center to get some good stretching in, and headed back home, getting about five miles in before you woke up :p

I told Dave most of my running has been done at night. This was at 6:30am and he goes "well technically it's still night!" Yeah...thanks for reminding the sun still was not up Dave.

Later that day I ran to the Wellness Center and hammered out three miles of speed work. It was a half mile there and half back. On a dreadmill I did 12x400's. 400 at 6 min miles and 400 at recovery, off and on for three miles. The recovery varied between 7 min miles and 8 min miles.

Friday was a good day. I hope to use the 2010 Brookings' Marathon to qualify for the 2011 Boston Marathon. Well I ran 10 miles up on the track at the pace I have to run the full marathon to qualify. For my age group, the marathon needs to be completed in 3:09:59, which is 7 min 24 second miles for 26.2 miles. The 10 up on the track were done in 1:12:37, so the time was perfect. It was not too difficult until maybe mile 8 it became a little harder to keep pace. This was a test to see at what level my fitness was at. I was surprised I did not struggle more with the 10 miles, but that gives me more hope than I had before this run as to the possible, and hopeful, outcome of the May marathon.

To end the week I watched the New York ING Marathon Sunday morning. My favorites both finished 4th I believe. Paula Radcliffe had some problems and was dropped off the front group at mile 22ish. She has won the race three times already, and is likely the most dominant marathoner of the last decade. There were two really fast miles, I am not sure where at, but Ryan Hall was dropped off there and came in fourth still. Here is great news. American Meb Keflezighi was the first American to win there in 20 years I believe. And representing triathletes, Desiree Flicker placed 10th at 2:39:30, 10 minutes behind the winner. Amazing performance by her :)

I watched the first few miles and then went for a quick 4 miler to get 40 in this week. Here is the run:

4 miles

26:28 (6:37pace)

The run was amazing. Running from the High School to Hyvee I got sprinkled on and even for a few minutes there was a pretty significant downpour, and it was fantastic. This run puts me at 480 miles in the Vibrams, I will probably post pictures of the bottoms when I hit 500 or so.

I ran three with Barb this week on...Thursday and told her I have lost a lot of speed since my return, but can run much farther. The run mentioned above had my pace at a 20:30 5k, however my PR is just above 19 minutes and I would have difficulty breaking 20 at my current condition. Barb asked if it bothered me. I told her no, I am not training for a 5k, I am training to run a hundred miles in 24 hours and Boston in 3:09:59. Speed will come.

After that I drove home quick to see the parents and sign some papers for insurance. My home is a little farm house 10 miles out of a larger town. I love driving there because once I get off the interstate and onto the smaller roads everyone waves at you! It is the "hand on top of steering wheel, and raise two fingers" wave. There is a new adorable dog at the farm named Cow with one blue eye and one brown eye.

Well I am off to work now for a few hours and then I need to get crackin on some school work. I also need to write out everything I need to do in the upcoming week and month.

There is a lot of construction on campus these days. And whenever I see the guys working I cannot help but think....

Thanks for reading all

Kranz out