Why I Smile So Much

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Cooper River Bridge

Sometimes I need a little motivation and a reminder of why I smile so much...

Like when my alarm clock goes off early in the morning and I just want to go back to sleep.

Lucky for me, I got up this morning and I went for a run.

Not only did I get to run over the Cooper River Bridge and see an amazing sunrise this morning, I was experienced one of my favorite things.

As my running partners and I made it to the end of our run I saw a runner who had started with some of my other friends.  She had a glow about her and was smiling.  I asked her how her run went and she said (joyfully) that she had run to the other side and back for the first time!

She was so excited and so were we!  It was so cool getting to be there to experience that joy with her and it just made my day.

Charleston Runs

Last night, as I was leaving work I saw three of my co workers getting ready to go for a run.  All three of them are new to running (two of them were in my last Couch to 5K group along with four other people from my office).

As I walked passed them I wished them a good run and could not stop smiling.  I still can not believe that there are now so many people running in my office!

Later, when I got home, one of those co workers called me.  She was so excited because she had just run her longest distance without stopping!  I could hear her joy and again I could not stop smiling...


Today, I stumbled upon an interview I had done with Endurance Planet about my son completing his first "Kids" Marathon.  Even though the interview was about my son, it reminded me why I share my adventures with everyone.  It reminded me why I write this crazy blog and why I wish everyone could feel this joy that motivates me so much.

It reminded me why I smile so much.

Smiling with my wife during one of her longest runs

Check out the podcast at http://www.enduranceplanet.com/three-beautiful-words-i-did-it

Peyton after completing his Kids Marathon

Friction

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Friction:

(From Webster’s Dictionary) noun \ a: the rubbing of one body against another b: the force that resists relative motion between two bodies in contact

Ex:

The friction of sandpaper on wood.

Oil in a car engine reduces friction.

(From Marine Corps Bulldog Challenge) noun \ a: sand bag that your crazy ass will carry during the Bulldog Challenge b: 15 obstacles your crazy ass will carry the above mentioned sand bag through during the Bulldog Challenge

Ex:

The Bulldog Challenge is a grueling six mile (10k) endurance course that will push you and your three team mates to the limit while sucking the energy right out of you. Your team will encounter 15 obstacles that will add “friction” to your 10k run; what you once thought of as easy will become seemingly impossible; all while running throughout the campus of The Citadel, part of the City of Charleston, and our life-draining marsh.

So with this definition in mind and with the BulldogChallenge less than two weeks away, my team (SAY SOMETHING!) has been training with friction to get ready.

Ninja Stunt Man and Sandy

Two of our teammates (CSR and NSM) ran stadiums a few weeks ago while passing off a 48 pound sand bag to each other.  They ran the entire Citadel Bulldog stadium!

One night we all ran the Cooper River Bridge and brought the sandbag (aka Sandy), but we made Ninja Stunt Man run with it the whole time. 

I did practice running up the Bridge carrying LA though.

Noah and LA

Last Wednesday we ran without the bags, but added one minute of exercise (push ups, crunches, Russian Twists, etc...) after each three minutes of running at tempo pace (followed by two minutes of running at recovery pace).  Much harder than you think (the exercises not carrying LA)!

This past Saturday the whole team ran a seven mile route that included the Bridge.  We ran with 20 pound bags of rice and stopped at the foot of the bridge to do squad push ups.  We then ran to the top and back and did ten pull ups each. 

The “friction” of carrying 20 pound bags of rice definitely slowed the group pace and added a whole new dimension to the long run.

We are still working on a trip to the Citadel O Course, but we all feel pretty comfortable with all the obstacles (additional friction).

The nice thing is that after running seven miles with friction (20 pound bags of rice), you totally feel like you are flying on your next run!

End of the BDC 2011

And the Winner is...

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And the winner of the awesome Sport Science giveaway is...

Maribel S.!!!

Thanks Sport Science for giving Maribel one of your MultiPaks and a Smarter Basic Shirt!  You guys are awesome!

If you didn't win (stop crying), you can still get some of their cool stuff at Sport Science.

Okay, that's it for the giveaway.

By the way, I received a record number of emails for this giveaway, 83!!!  The winning number from Random.org was 11.

Sport Science - cool shirts!

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Just saw that Active.com did a review on the Sport Science's shirts.  Check it out at:
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Sport-Science-Tie-Dye-Review.htm

Don't forget, Sport Science is giving away one of their MultiPaks and one of their Smarter Basic Shirts to one of my readers.  All you have to do is visit their site and send me an email with "Sport Science" in the subject line.  I don't send span so you don't even have to sign up for anything!

Here is the info:

Sport Science is going to give one of my lucky readers one of their new MultiPaks AND one of their awesome Smarter Basic Shirts!

Sport Science is a very cool company that has some really nice products.  I bought a shirt for my wife at an expo last year and she loved it!

This is all you have to do:

Go to Sport Science and…

 Email me at noah@mooreonrunning.com (Subject Line: Sport Science) - I will not share your email and will not send you spam.


I will pick a winner from all the emails I get up to February 19th at 11:59pm.

That’s it. 

Good luck!

Running Over the Hill (Bridge) - open invite

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Tonight (Friday) at 11:45pm I am meeting my friend Greg for a run to celebrate his 50th Birthday!

This is an open invitation to anyone in the area to come join us on our run over the Cooper River Bridge as he goes over the hill :)

We are meeting at the gas station at the foot of the Bridge and you are welcome to run as much or as little as you want.

By the way, this is great night training for the upcoming Palmetto 200!

Read more about Greg and why this run means so much to him at: CharlestonRuns

I am proud to call Greg my friend and thrilled to usher in his next 50 years in such a cool way.


Hope you can join us!



Don't forget to enter the Sport Science Giveaway!


Here are the details:


Go to Sport Science and...


Email me at noah@mooreonrunning.com (Subject Line: Sport Science) - I will not share your email and will not send you span.


That's it!