Grasslands Marathon - Blood, Sweat, and a Chupacabra

A few weeks now have passed since Susan and I ran the Grasslands Trail Run near Decatur, and we have both been taking a nice few days of easier workouts to recover. As usual the flow of life took up any extra time we had, but at least we were able to do a few other things besides workouts.

So the last time you heard from me I was talking about trying to find inspiration. Well I think that my mind was on that post instead of actually running a marathon. After  posting that last post Susan and I went and had a nice pizza dinner, and then went back and chilled at the hotel. It was finally around 9 when I thought about actually setting up my stuff for the next day. Normally I have set it all out that afternoon, and have gone through it 14 times to make sure that I didn't forget anything. I even had a new nutrition plan from Dr. Cooper, of Competitive Nutrition Systems, that I was trying out for this race (I will fill you in more later on her company). Needless to say I really didn't have my mind or spirit in this race. I can't tell you why that is, but it was not normal for me. I was actually not even thinking about the fact that I was going to run a marathon the next day.

After a great night of sleep, because I am pretty sure I still haven't realized at this point that I am going to run for several hours nor did I seem to care. I think I was just ready to start and see what happens. Either way we were prepared for cold and rainy and instead we woke up to cool and no rain. The actual weather app said that the temp was 61 and the high for the day was 56! Never trust weather apps. I need to make sure you understand this whole morning was just going too smooth all the way to the point of actually standing on the start line.

Many of you will not be surprised by this next statement, but by the time the race was about to go off I had made a new friend, a veteran Grassland marathoner, by the name of Jay. Well he was at the front so when I went to say good luck to him the race started, and the next thing I knew I was starting off the race with the front group. Now here is the point where someone that has done this for a few years realizes that they are going out too hard, and wisely pulls off to let the group go by. That person is not writing this blog.

The first few miles of trails were very sandy and somewhat technical, but other than that it was at a pretty fun pace just harder than I should have gone out. After the first water stop I knew that I was going to have to go for a "nature break" soon, and yes this is actually going to be important in a little bit. The biggest problem was that I didn't want to lose the group I was in just to go pee. As soon as I could I dropped off the trail and jumped back in as quick as I could, but I still lost sight of the group I was with before.

Over the next few miles I started running with a guy named Dan. Then as we start approaching a nice little hill we see the group that was ahead of us coming back towards us. This will be the first of two times that we are lost on this fine day, but at least we were all one big happy group. During this break I look down to find blood running down my leg. Somehow during my "nature break" I scratch the hell out of my knee. As much as it was bleeding you would have thought I had taken a spill.

There was a lot of drama on this first loop with getting lost and trying to bleed out, but the truth was that for the first time in a year I felt perfectly at peace with what I physically could or couldn't do. I was just running and enjoying the fact that on this day I was blessed with being able to run.

During this first loop I never once looked at my watch as it ticked down the mile splits. I knew I was going harder than I needed to and harder than I had been training. I mainly just broke it down to the simple things: trying to take in some calories every thirty minutes (more like 45), and do everything I could do to keep hydrated.

At the end of the first loop I ran into the water stop and the lady says, "What happened to your leg?"

My response: "A Chupacabra bit me."

Her: "Seriously?"

Me: "You never know what will happen when you go pee in the woods." ;)

I was very fortunate to be able to run with Dan and this girl named Beth for the first several miles of the second loop. It was really nice to have a small group of folks to share the pain with for at least a little while.

When I reached the water stop around mile 18 I knew I was low on calories and I had a headache starting from dehydration. I tried to take in some extra water at this stop, but that just ended up making me feel bloated.

Out of this did come another funny conversation,
Water stop lady: "Your leg looks bad. You fell? Do you want me to try to clean it up?"

Me: "Thanks, I'm Fine. I got bit by a Chupacabra when I went in the woods to pee."

Water Stop lady: She smiles and says, "If you have a your phone I should take a picture. It looks awesome!"

After this water stop I really hit the wall and for the rest of the race I had times where I had to run/walk some, but as rough as I was feeling I knew that I felt different than I had for the last year. I knew that this wasn't an all consuming pain, but it was pain that was endurable. It was pain that you have to go through to reach the finish. It was pain that you could smile about and keep going. It was pain that might have knocked you down, but it wasn't going to keep you down. Sometimes through pain we find happiness. Sometimes through pain you find inspiration.

Finish Time: 4:25:59 22nd Overall

This is what I got from Tim after running the race. Still makes me laugh!

Susan and our cousins Alyson and Greg. I'm already out running at this point, and they are about to start.

Up close shot of the Chupacabra bite.

Susan, Keebler, and Alyson at the finish!

I have to end this post with a picture of something that has been harder to find this year than a Chupacabra. 

A man sweating, bleeding, in pain, smiling and named Keebler.

Peace,

Keebler

Finding Inspiration

I am sitting here writing, for the first time in a very long time, in a hotel room killing some time waiting for packet pickup for my first race of the 2014 season and I have started thinking about inspiration.

One of the main reasons I started to write this blog was to help inspire others to want a better life. I say better because it isn't all about eating right and exercising, but instead many times it is a combination of many things in your life that equal up to something greater.

The last year has been difficult, as I have written, but really on the grand scheme of things it hasn't really been a bad year. I can only turn on the news or talk to my friends to find stories that make my issues sound like nothing. One of the reason I haven't written lately is that I don't want to come off like I am whining about minor crap when many of you reading this might have some really serious stuff going on in your life.

The real problem is that I lost my inspiration over the last year. This comes from someone who by most standards is always the glass half full kind of guy. Every time I have felt like I had turned a corner then something would knock me down again, and even a few times the idea of quitting creeped into my mind. I really thought that notion left me the day my Dad died, but over time it has tried to rebuild itself.

Then I thought back to the days before I started living this kind of lifestyle. Those were the days that I never felt bad, but I didn't know what really feeling good meant. I didn't know that out of some pain that your body says thank you by letting you know what good can feel like. I didn't know then that my body and mind were going to welcome long workouts like a fat kid loves ice cream. I have been so wrapped up in myself that I didn't realize how bad I needed inspiration.

Finding inspiration can be one of the easiest and hardest things to find.  As this year has gone on I have found it harder and harder to find inspiration. Since I started training for my first triathlon 8 years ago this last year has been the toughest, and that includes when I was 50 lbs heavier! I think that I was so used to just doing the training, and my body accepting whatever I threw at it. Then one day my body quit accepting what I wanted it to do. Then it was like my mind and body were at war with one another.

The real funny thing is that I can remember my Dad saying for years that he never felt good, and I never could understand how someone could never remember feeling good. Then I wondered if he was maybe having the same reaction from the heart drugs that I have gone through this year. Who knows if that is right, or not, or if I would have ever known that I even felt bad without changing my lifestyle.

Inspiration is a drug that for me comes in many forms:

It sometimes is in the form of my wife and girls just hanging around the house being loud.

It sometimes is in the form of my Friday men's bible study group that I am always glad I choose over sleeping or going to workout.

It sometimes is in the form of a song that comes on the radio that completely changes my day.

It sometimes it is in the form of hearing about a person that after reading about your story goes to get checked out because he wants to be there for his grandkids.

It sometimes is in the form of a good book about an old runner.

It sometimes is in the form of dinner with friends.

The point is that inspiration is always there and much like faith you just have to be open to it. So keep your eyes open and find what inspires you.

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring with my race. I have been feeling better and better on my workouts, but I have still been hitting that wall. I wish I could say that I haven't missed any of my workouts the last few months, but it has been hard to hit them all. So that means tomorrow could involve plenty of pain.

What I do know is that tomorrow I will be chasing inspiration and at some point it will find me, because it always seems to be there when the fight gets the roughest. Have a great weekend and it's great to be back with you!

Here is our mile marker pole. Susan will be doing the blue loop and I will be doing the white loop and then the blue loop.

Susan checking out the course.

Trail Marker Signs

Another one.

Finally my favorite. This sign proves that tomorrow will be interesting!

Peace,
Keebler

P.S. Let me know what you find inspiring!

Another Year Older

Over the years what our birthdays mean to us seems to change. When we are young we are all excited. Then we start getting older, and another birthday is a reminder that we aren't as indestructible as we once thought. Then the years come where you are just ecstatic to make another year.

I am writing this the morning of my 39th birthday before everyone gets up and I have to head to work. The reality is that it still feels weird celebrating my birthday after losing my Dad on the same day in 2009.

The funnier thing is that I never have really thought about it feeling weird until a colleague at work asked me this week what it was like for me to want to celebrate my birthday while remembering it was the day I lost my Dad.

Well on one side I am still reflective and sad somewhat today, but then I think how pissed my Dad would be at me using him as an excuse not to be happy to be alive.  Then I also realize how sad it has to be for the rest of my family especially my Mom, but then you see how excited my wife and girls are to help me celebrate. Really how can anyone be sad when your kids are so happy for you. Even if all of the flip flopping gives me motion sickness the reality is that I am blessed to be here still with my family. I still have the chance to screw up, but I also still have the chance to do some good in this world.

 So I am choosing to do my best to not dwell on the years that I am missing with him, but instead focus on the years that I did have with him. Many kids never even had the chance to have years with their Dad, and I had 34 great ones.

I am also going to choose to really notice the blessings and the time that God is giving me to do the best I can with this life. Every day is a gift and we all take that for granted somewhat, but every day you get to wake up is a day you get to make a difference.

Here are a few pics that the great Kayla Hartzog took of those that remind me daily of how I have been blessed.

Finishing out 2013

Looking back on 2013 there was a lot that I could talk about not going right, but that isn't what someone named Keebler should do. The good and bad in our lives always really serves the same purpose, and that is making us into who and what we are. I won't lie and say this past year hasn't been a struggle, but it helped remind me that you have to look for the good in every moment of every day. The good in our lives is always there, but yes it is hard to find somedays. We want the good to be something big everyday, but the reality is that the good somedays can be as small as the smile of a child. It can also be as big as an evening with friends celebrating the end of a year that constantly reminded me to never give up.

So here are a few pics from our Feuerzangenbowle New Years Celebration.

I am sure you could tell by the above title the evening had to include Jurgen

Our mid evening concert 

The chef at work

A boiling pot of festiveness

A little more conversation while the concoction settles

There is only one way to melt a sugar cone into the mix

Nearly ready for consumption

Susan learning hand signals from Jerred 

Susan finally got it down
These were the only ones that could be pictured here:)

We were so glad to end the year with some old friends and some new friends. No matter what this next year holds for us we are very glad and blessed just to be here to enjoy it. All of us in the Keebler clan wish you all the best for 2014!

Happy New Year!!

Keebler

B.B. King, Thanksgiving, and the 1st Annual Turkey Waddle

The off season is not really off, but it is a time to slow down and recover. As I mentioned on my last post I have taken some needed time completely off. Then as soon as I got back to it I got sick, and then yesterday I strained my back. Things are better today, but everyday our bodies are getting older. So you just have to keep trying, and roll with whatever comes your way. The best example of this is a VM I got from my friend Jurgen updating us on his life, and the first thing he says is that he has been on the bike just trying to get back to being fit.

Now to the point of this post. The off season is that time to do other things besides always training. I have a short list of Blues players that I have always wanted to see, and of course B.B. King has to be at the top of that list. So after getting some great tickets to see him in OKC we set off in somewhat bad weather knowing that it was a gamble that he might cancel. After finally making it through the worst part near Amarillo we had smooth sailing all the way to OKC. That night while having after dinner drinks at a great place called Whiskey Chicks I saw on the news that the concert was cancelled. We were disappointed but we got to have a couple of days together just hanging out and enjoying the winter wonderland of OKC. Thankfully, we had plenty to do within walking distance, and we were able to get in some good workouts as well.

After we finally made it home safe we turned around the next day and headed to Snyder for Thanksgiving. Besides having a few days at home with family we also had the first annual (maybe) Turkey Day Waddle. I had got in contact with the owners of Kinetic COOP, a great local fitness and wellness studio, and since we were going to run on Thanksgiving anyway we might as well ask others to join us. It was completely unorganized and unsupported, but including us we had ten people join us. It was great seeing some old faces and new faces while burning some calories before the big feast.

So the last few days have been great, and to top it off we have tickets to another B.B. King concert in a  few months. Hopefully, we will be able to make this one :)

Keep going,
Keebler

P.S. Good luck to everyone racing Ironman Cozumel!

The road to Amarillo

Sante Fe Rail Station in Bricktown

Bricktown OKC

OKC National Memorial

A reminder why we should never forget what happened here.

Some fine sampling at the great TapWerks

A little target practice.

Some good outdoor time.

Hitting Reset

It has nearly been 8 years since I started the slow shift to a healthier person, and rarely in that time have I ever taken off (excluding sickness or injury) more than 2-3 days in a row. The struggles that I have been going through this year has made me want to truly hit reset, and after Palo Duro I knew that it was time.

I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my season of racing, but with a race where I felt great from start to end. The day after Palo Duro I went for a short recovery bike ride and I knew it was time to tell Tim I needed a break. I was not surprised to find that Tim knew why I was calling. I guess that is part of working together for the last few years that he knows me pretty well. A good coach knows when to push you and when the it's time to put the breaks on. So for nearly a full 2 weeks I didn't worry about or even think about training. I won't lie it was true bliss!

Finally near the end of the two weeks I was starting to feel that itch of needing to get moving again. Although it wasn't a very strong urge, but I am finally feeling like getting back out there.

These days it is very hard to keep the balance of a healthy lifestyle, but not only do you need to reset your health sometimes it is your spirit that needs to be reset. The thing that you have to always keep in mind is that the years we have ahead don't come free. We still have to work for those years even if we don't  know what they are to bring, but a break here and there isn't going to hurt. I have stated this many times before, but before I started living healthier I never knew that I couldn't feel better than I did. Now that I have been living this way for several years I know what good feels like, and I want to keep that feeling.

Are you sure you know what good feels like?

Keep Fighting,
Keebler

Running Down the Moon - Palo Duro Canyon 20k

A few weeks ago Susan and I met some of our friends at Palo Duro Canyon for the 50 mile/ 50 k/ 20 k run. I would have loved to have ran the 50k again this year, but considering how many ups and downs I have had this year Tim and I decided the 20k might be my best option. Plus, we were really excited that we were getting to hang out and race with some of our other friends we haven't seen in a while.

Friday we weren't able to leave until after work, and this meant we didn't get to Canyon until later than we would have liked the night before a race. Thankfully, our friend Theresa and her girls, were able to pick our packets up and meet us back at the hotel. Then our other friends, the Overbo's, got to the hotel a little after us but in time for the fantastic pizza we ordered. So after a late meal, maybe a little wine, and letting the kids run off some energy we all planned to meet at 5:30am to head to the race.

Now the night before we knew it was going to be cold, but when Susan and I went out for a little warm up jog that morning it was damn cold. Like frost frozen on the grass can't feel your hands and feet type of cold! I had thought about just wearing shorts and a long sleeve shirt, but I quickly forgot that idea once I couldn't feel my hands after a few minutes.

We all got ready to caravan to the race site sans Ashley,  Mimi, and the herd of kids. A quick side note, when you are going to a cold race make sure you travel with a transplanted northerner, they get up real early to make sure the car is super toasty, thanks Trig! When we got to the race site it wasn't too packed yet, but it quickly got that way. I was on the look out for a couple of friends Rod and Cody who were running their first 50k, but the temps kept me from searching too diligently for them. We all decided to stay in the car until we absolutely had to get out for the race. One great thing that we all noticed was that we were not going to need any kind of head lamps, because it was one of the brightest full moons we had ever seen. When we finally got out to go to the start Trig and I lost Susan and Teresa between the cars and bathrooms, and we never were able to find them before the start.

Susan and Trig ready to race!

Now for those of you that have been reading this blog for the last year you know that I have been struggling with many issues this year, and I was going into this race with no plan except to just run how I felt and enjoy.  I feel I have had a hard time doing this year, because it seems like everyone I know is improving while I  have struggled to just survive. I don't want it to ever come across that I am complaining about being able to race, but instead it is more about really knowing what good feels like. If I was't trying to live a healthier lifestyle I wouldn't know what that good should feel like. Yes of course I want to improve and get faster, but it is more important for me to know that this is a lifestyle and not just about the good or bad moments right now.

I was stressing about not seeing Susan before the start and kissing her good luck. Before I knew it the race had started and I was pretty far at the back. So I wished Trig, who was nursing a hamstring injury, good luck and took of on the inside. I knew from last year that if I didn't get closer to the front before the trails narrowed down then I wasn't going to be in control of my pace. The first mile or so is usually in the dark, but that moon was so big that it lit up the entire area. Somewhere around the first or second mile I settled in behind a guy in a gray shirt, and I was sure I couldn't take him so I stayed right behind him. If he reads this I should apologize for probably driving him nuts by literally staying three steps behind him for nearly 4-5 miles. It would have driven me nuts, but the only saving grace is that he had in head phones and couldn't hear me. As the sun rose over the first few miles I kept looking up and noticed that the moon was still hanging around right above the top of the canyon. The thought that kept coming to me was that I needed to not worry about anyone else's pace, but just keep trying to run the moon down. I was worried that the point that I have hit in every race this year where my body just starts hurting was going to happen any second. As I kept hearing Carmin the Garmin ticking off the miles I never once looked, because I knew that it wasn't going to matter what my HR was or what pace I was running. I just made a deal with myself that if I could hang with "Gray Shirt Dude" until the water stop at mile 6 I would just try to go for it, and if I blew up well I blew up.

The funny thing was that I would stop for a fraction of second at water stops and then run like hell to get right behind "Gray Shirt Dude". It was so cold during this part of the race that it wasn't until a few miles into it that I could feel my hands at all. After the water stop at mile 6 I caught back up to him and then knew that I couldn't keep ignoring nature any longer. When I hopped back on the trail I just knew that I had lost him for good this time, and to add to it 2 more guys were in front of me now. I easily could have panicked or just given up, but right then I knew I realized that for the first time in a long time I felt real good. This part of the trail was getting to some good ups and downs and it was some fun  technical running. I was also really having fun pushing that edge of running where you are barely in control, but I knew that I couldn't and didn't want to let up. I finally was able to get past the two guys that had gotten in front of me, and for a while I was running completely by myself. Then when I rounded a corner I couldn't believe my eyes but there was "Gray Shirt Dude." As I caught back up to him we were in an area of good uphills, and I knew it was either now or never. So on the next one I just went for it and got around him, and really pushed my pace. I was going so hard I just knew I was going  to go off the trail, but if I did there was no doubt I was going down in a fiery blaze of glory. I wanted to look back so bad, but I knew I couldn't. The reality was that it was better for me to believe that he was right behind me for the rest of the race.

 I kept thinking that if I could keep this pace until the last water stop I would only have 3 miles to go. Right before getting to the last water stop I came up on a guy and a girl that were going pretty hard, and I thought that if I could get behind them I might be able to take them at the end. Even though I was finally starting to feel the effects of pushing the limits, but I also knew at this point that I had plenty of race still in me. During the next mile I was able to get in front of the guy, and started trying to reel in the girl. I knew that I was about done in, but I was just hoping that if I kept the pressure on her she would crack at the end. Finally,  in the last mile I felt like I was gaining on her, but there just wasn't enough real estate to get the job done. She never let her pace up and even with the last incline in the parking lot she kept the hammer down. I didn't notice how cold it really still was until I stopped and started to cool down. The best graphic reference to show how cold just after a few minutes from finishing my sweat turned to frost and ice on my running jacket.

Regardless, of how I finished it was so good to finally have a race that  I felt I knew what my body could do and it was able to do it. I did feel the fringes of the muscle pain that I have felt for most of the season, but it was nowhere near the debilitating issue that it has been. This race for many reasons helped me feel like my life/physical/spiritual balance is coming back. Not only is this one of the best supported races I have done, but for me it is one of the most spiritual races. You get to experience such a beautiful gift that God has given us, and you get to do it with a bunch of people that are having fun being healthy.

One of the best parts of the day was for Anna and me to go out on the course and cheer on Trig, Theresa, and Susan. With Susan we were even able to run in with her. Then I was able to see Rod and Cody come in before they went out for their last loop. Those guys were animals and did great! Everyone had a great race, and for me it was the best way to end a crazy tough season.

As I am writing this watching Texas Tech play Kansas State seeing all of the guys in jerseys to honor veterans saying "Never Quit." I wonder if one of the best ways to honor our veterans is by doing everything we can to put more good out in the world. Keep that mentality that we can "Never Quit" trying to be better, and do better in all parts of our lives.

Keep Fighting,
Keebler

The kids taking over Cody and Rod's Tent.

Trig, Susan, and Keebler