June Roll Call - The Great Plains Strider a.k.a Clydesdale or Big Poppy

OK, I am pleased to say that I have been running the past three weeks consistently for the first time in months. The knee is holding up well. I guess the best thing I could do was rest it. I am not experiencing any pain during or after my runs, but I am being over cautious with mileage and stretching. I am determined to make it to the starting line first and foremost. My biggest challenge at this point is my weight - I'm at a whopping 220lb's at this point - true Clydesdale fashion. My goal is to get around 200lb's by October. Ideally I would like to be under 200lb's but we'll see how well I can manage my diet alongside the running. This is always a challenge with the amount of travel I do, but things are slowing down at work now.

Pat, gave me a good pep talk on not over training (he knows my competitive nature). Needless to say, my lungs feel great - they can handle much more than my legs at this point. I'll get my legs back soon enough, so I see this as a positive. I recently did a 10 miler and it was uneventful. I finished and that is all that matters. It was arduous at best.

My wife Tina (no given nickname - you can call us the "Long couple" though) is also training alongside me for a half marathon in September. It will be her first so I'm getting an opportunity to "mold" her a bit. We've had some nice runs together. She's really getting into it and playing it safe (focused on stretching and following her program). Tina was a very competitive 800 runner in high school, so this is totally different mindset for her. She's doing awesome though - I'm very proud of her.

Thank you to all that participated in the bashing I called upon myself. It was truly memorable and motivating. I am no longer a lolly pop sucking wannabe drowning myself in Doritos's, sour cream and chocolate/peanut butter shakes at midnight.

Can't wait until July when I'll be struggling to complete my runs battling wicked heat and humidity (usually mid to upper 70's and humid at 6am)...I'm sure you'll hear me whining about that next month...