Disappointment, Excuses & Motivation

I'm disappointed in my mileage last month. In January 2013 when I started this journey, I ran 71 miles that first month. Last month I only amassed 61 miles - my goal was to at least hit 71 & shoot for 80.

I have heard and said many times - 'excuses are tools for the incompetent'. So here goes - I only ran 12 days in January. We moved in January, classes started back, I was sick for over a week, and it was freaking cold. Tools or excuses it made for a difficult January. On the morning of 1/31, I had only run 50 miles. I did pull a 10+ mile run that morning in the snow and cold to at least make a final push for the month.

If bridges ice before roads, they must also thaw last

I'm a big fan of putting your goals out there so you can be held accountable. For February, I need to run 94 to match Feb 2013 + the 10 miles I was short in Jan + extra kick-ass miles. Let's hope for warmer weather.

Also in February, we have 2 more beaches planned - Holden and Oak Island. If you're interested in joining, let me know.


If you are interested in getting smaller bits of news and info, you can follow my journey on Twitter at @RunSheatsRun. Follow me, and I'll stalk follow you back.

Ocean Isle Beach

Today we conquered the next beach on our journey, Ocean Isle Beach (OIB). We purposely planned this run at low tide. At both ends of OIB the water comes up underneath a few of the houses.

House meet Beach

Like Sunset Beach, I'm very familiar with OIB. I grew up going to this beach with friends and family. Even living at Sunset Beach the past 2+ years, we still vacationed at OIB with family. The cottage we stayed in was only 7 miles away from our house.

Start of the OIB run

The total run today was 5.84 miles from tip to tip. In the pic below it looks like we were running in the water. Not the case, although we did have to jump several pools to make it to the far end.

OIB Journey

End of OIB run

This is our next beach across the inlet, Holden Beach. We plan on conquering it sometime in February.

Holden Beach (seen from the tip of OIB)

After my original posts about this journey, I received an email asking about running with us on the journey. All are welcome. If you just want to run a special beach, or if you want to run the entire coast - let us know. The more the merrier. If you have a place to stay on any of the coast line, and want to provide a place to sleep and shower, even better.



Tip to Tip: 5.84 miles
Start time: 11:41 AM
End time: 12:34 PM
Date: 1/13/14 (Monday)
Weather: Sunny
Total NC Beach Mileage to date: 9.76 miles

Bird Island & Sunset Beach

One goal for 2014 is to run the beaches of North Carolina. NC has 300+ miles of barrier island beaches. I have been to most, but not all. I'm looking forward to this journey. This is not a race of speed, but a race to finish. I will run the entire way. However, I will stop and take pictures, soak in the moment, and pick up my finds.

The furthest island to the south use to be 2 islands at high tide when I was growing up. Now Bird Island and Sunset Beach are connected all the time. Today I began that journey with my wife starting at the NC/SC line and the beginning of Bird Island. From tip to tip Sunset Beach/Bird Island is only 3.92 miles. This will be one of the shortest islands to run this year. 

To get to the beginning of Bird Island, we ran 1.73 miles from the closest beach access. Got there, reset our MapMyRun apps, and started our voyage. We ran this just before sunset. It was a beautiful day. Our one take find was the bright white sand dollar seen below. 

Tomorrow we conquer the next beach on the other side of the inlet - Ocean Isle.

Tip to Tip: 3.92 miles
Start time: 4:45 PM
End time: 5:21 PM
Date: 1/12/14 (Sunday)
Weather: Sunny @ Dusk
Total NC Beach Mileage to date: 3.92 miles

Old & New Resolutions

Last year I wrote down four resolutions for me to accomplish in 2013. They were…

1. Be more responsive
2. Run 1000 miles
3. No Fries
4. No Soda

1. Be more responsive
Anyone that knows me knows I'm terrible about answering the phone.  I hate answering the phone. I hate talking on the phone. I just don't like it.  So I set out in 2013 to make a conscious effort to answer the phone and not to push it to voicemail. I can honestly say, I did very good during January and February. After that, I fell right back to my old ways- pushing to voicemail. I failed at this resolution.

2. Run 1000 miles
I have written about this all year. Hence the reason for the blog. I did run 1000+ miles in 2013. I continue to brag about this. Read previous posts for much more information.

3. No Fries
You read it right. No Fries in 2013. I went the entire year without a single fry. The hardest part of this resolution was not having fries at Cloos' Coney Island in Raleigh. BEST FRIES EVER! In fact, I still have not had any fries in 2014 because I'm waiting for my first fries after over 1 year to be from Cloos. I hope to make that happen this week.

4. No Soda
Yep, no soda either. In fact I basically only had coffee, water, and alcohol in 2013. No tea (except in Hong Kong), only milk in cereal, and no sodas. I went through some cravings, but all in all it wasn't that hard. I still haven't had soda in 2014.

For 2014 Resolutions….

I haven't committed to anything yet. I'm still working on my list. Any help is appreciated.

However, I have made 2 'running' goals for 2014.

The first is to run a different bridge each month with my wife and sister. It's just something different and should be fun to do. For January, we ran over a bridge that crosses the Neuse River. It's a nice bridge, but the best part is the raging water below.

The second is to run the coast of North Carolina - from State line to State line every beach in NC. I will document this journey this year on this blog.

Year to 1000 in Review

My goal this year was to reach 1000 miles. When I reached 100 miles for the year, my wife snapped a photo to send to our podgies. When I hit 200, she did it again. On the 300th mile, I started catching on....

Some things I notice from the pics….

• I'm not wearing the same shirt in any of them
• I'm only wearing a hat in 2 of them (I'm a hat guy). 
• 7 are in a rocking chair. 
• 7 of the shirts were given to me. 
• 2 are from companies that have been a great support to me and my students - Ruckus & Lone Rider - check them out. 
• 3 of them are from former students - Carolus Apparel, Crank Arm Brewery, & Hurst Landscapes - check them all out. 
• All of them were taken by my wife, except the last one - she's just over my left shoulder. 

It has been an awesome year!

3.43 miles / 1007 in 2013 (Year of Running 13)

As part of @MissZippy1 and her #yearofrunning13, here is my year...

• Best race experience?

This is a tough choice. I really enjoyed running Carrera de los Muertos in Chicago, but I have to say that my best experience was the following day when I ran the Battleship Half Marathon in Wilmington, NC. This was my first 1/2, and I ran it with my wife, sister, and brother-in-law and lots of family cheering us to the end. The company made it my best experience. Running it in 2 hours didn't hurt either.

• Best Run?

The first time I ran over the Sunset Beach bridge. The view will be forever ingrained in my memory.

• Best new piece of gear?

I'm really not a gear purchaser. I would have to say my best new piece of gear is the shirt I received for running in the Carrera de los Muertos. I wear it with pride.

• Best Piece of running advice you received?

Get up and let's go. I constantly heard this from my wife this year. She was a great motivator.

• Most inspirational runner?

Has to be my wife (see previous answer). She never has an excuse not to run, and she never accepted mine.

• If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

Accomplished Goal! I set out to run 1000 miles in 2013. Done!

3.61 miles / 1004 in 2013

I ran today. I didn't have to run. I ran today because I wanted to run. 

I'll use the last couple of weeks of 2013 to reflect and recap on this journey....

Many would expect me to go through a few pairs of shoes if running 1000 miles. I did. 3.5 pairs this year. The last pair looked like a bald tire with the threads popping out when I finally retired them. What really irritated me this year is how many ear buds I went through. I didn't lose any, but I'm breaking out my fifth pair today. My fourth stopped working after my 3rd mile. Four pairs this year that either completely stop working, only one side worked, or gave a strobe like effect of sound while running. Shouldn't these things be a little more durable?

5.29 miles / 1000 in 2013

At the end of 2012, a former student posted about her dad running 1400+ miles for the year. I thought 'Wow, that's cool.' Each year I make a couple of New Year's resolutions, and I'm pretty good at keeping them. So I decided to make one about running. I set a goal to run 1000 miles in 2013. To some this can be no big deal. To others, this seems unattainable. For perspective, I ran 75 miles total in 2012. (Note: I ran 26 miles in June 2012 because I was on a health kick). So this was a little daunting, but I set my mind to it. So- first a thanks to Lisa's Dad for the inspiration.

Today I ran my 1000th mile. Not only did I complete my goal, my wife and sister also completed their 1000th mile today. We all shared many runs this year including my first 1/2 marathon, several vacation runs, 5ks, 10ks, 15ks, etc... I really need to thank them for the motivation. The competitiveness between the 3 of us drove me for the second half of the year. If they hadn't been pushing so hard, I would have probably finished much closer to 12/31. We all started today at 995.22 miles for 2013. This was carefully planned. 

Also, a special thanks to my wife for 'making' me run many days when I didn't want to. Any one who has ever run any distance before knows you always feel much better afterwards. I have a hard time remember this the following day. She doesn't. 

To celebrate the 1000th mile, we took a polar plunge into the Atlantic. It was cold. However, the final mile and completion in the ocean is one of the best feelings I have experienced in a while. It was AWESOME. 

I'm not done. I'll keep this up for the rest of 2013 and start over in 2014. I have some neat ideas for next year. I'll write about those later. 

75 to 1000

That's my niece charging in behind us. She was a trooper, too.

Keep reading this year. I have some other stories to tell. 

3.52 miles / 994 in 2013

This post is a little off the beaten path, pun intended.

When at my wife's parents' home in Louisburg, NC, I have a 5 mile loop I run through the country. On this loop I pass Horton Hill (pictured above). Every time I pass it, I can't help but imagine the battle that took place on it during the Civil War.

The Battle of Horton Hill was a small battle. However, it was a very bloody battle where all but 2 soldiers perished on the grassy knoll. Although they were wounded and bloodied, Sam Horton and Dick Baker  survived the battle. Horton & Baker were both privates. However, Horton was a Confederate soldier - Baker was fighting for the Union.

The legend goes that after 4 days of engagement, Horton and Baker were overwhelmed by the silence. Both believed that on the other side of the hill remained a strong army in wait. They grew restless and afraid of the near certain fate of death, or worse capture.

It was on the second day of silence when both on their own accord decided to breach the hill. Rather die fighting for freedom, than lie in wait for death they raced up the hill to face their enemy. As they reached the crest, the silence haunted them. Then, they saw each other. Both fired! Both missed. It was in this fraction of time they realized - there was no army. As if looking into a mirror, they saw themselves. In this moment, they chose peace. With caution, they began talking instead of fighting.

As the story goes, they sat under the tree pictured and drank North Carolina moonshine for days creating a friendship that would last for generations. Still today the family names of Horton and Baker litter the country side in this rural area of NC.

In reality - I concocted this entire fable in my head while running on these lonely roads of Franklin County. It is not likely true, but generating the story has made the time go by while running the miles.

4.50 miles / 967 in 2013

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I originally was urged to write this blog to document all the things I was finding on my runs. The last 2 weeks have been good for the hunt. I found a bungee cord, a penny, a gel bike seat cushion, and a cool pencil with fish on it. 

Today I found the strangest thing to date. 

Wired burlap ribbon. New. Still in the plastic. Found on the side of a lonely country road outside Louisburg, NC. I think it's a weird find. You?

I also found 35 cents today in the grass along the same road. There were 2 coins that reflected the sun just right. One of them was not a quarter, can you guess what coins I found?

4.36 miles / 954 in 2013

If you've read any of my previous posts, or at least the first one, you know I set a goal to run 1000 miles in 2013. With only 46 miles to go, I've started thinking of how to run my 1000th mile.

My top 3 finishes that I've come up with so far are as follows....

1. Finish with a 'cool' race. My original thought was to finish with a marathon. I'm not sure I'm ready for a marathon, but I'm not ruling it out. The other problem is there is not one close and in the right time frame. So, then I thought maybe just a 'cool' race to finish would be good. I really enjoyed the Race of the Dead experience in Chicago. If I could find another experience like that to finish, I think that would be a great finish.

2. Finish at the NC State Bell Tower. The Bell Tower is very special to me in many ways. I can imagine running down Hillsborough Street for my last mile with the Bell Tower in sight as a great way to finish. If I could add actually running up the stairs in the Bell Tower and finishing at the 'top', that would be even better.

3. Finish where I started, sort of. My first mile this year was at Sunset Beach, NC on January 1. My thought is to finish by running over the Sunset Bridge (which I've done numerous times this year), onto the beach, and finish with a plunge in the ocean. This is where I finished my first 1/2 marathon (I created the route), but without the plunge in the water. It should be nice and cold. Brrrrrr

I need your help. Give me some ideas or give me feedback on mine.

7.52 miles / 925 in 2013

IT'S COLD!! The temp in the mornings has hovered around 30 degrees this week. Although, I remember enjoying running in the cold weather earlier this year, I'm not ready to do it again. Yet.  So instead of braving the low temps, I wimped out and went to the gym.

I'm actually not a member of a gym, but I talked my way into a free one-day pass to our on-campus gym. (A big shout-out and thanks to the staff of Carmichael Gym.) This was the first time I had been in this gym since I was a student many years ago. It was weird how some of the same nerves appeared just like I was a freshman in college again. Also, it smells the exact same as it did in 1991. However, it is much more advanced than it was back then. It still has the old rubber track that runs around the interior of the building (I think. I actually didn't see it), but now it has MANY treadmills available.

In reality, I'm not a big fan of running inside, especially on a treadmill. I've mentioned in earlier posts - I like having a destination. On a treadmill, I'm already there. But - it's cold, so a treadmill it is.

I just picked a random treadmill, actually the first one I came across. It was in a row of maybe 18-20 treadmills surrounded by elliptical and stair machines. When I started, there was only one other guy within a machine of me. He finished pretty soon after I started.

About a thirty minutes into my run, I realized that I was surrounded by young college co-eds. Surrounded - 2 on each side on treadmills, 4-5 of five in front of me on elliptical, and the same behind me on the stair machines. My first thought was, wow the gym has really filled up. After taking a quick scan of the other equipment, that was not the case. In fact, almost all the other equipment was empty. My second thought was - "wow, maybe I've still got it" :) Why else would all these young ladies be surrounding me? This thought quickly passed when I realized that of the 20+ TVs in the gym all but one was on a 'sports' channel. On the TV directly in front of me - Survivor. I guess Survivor still has 'it'.

3.23 miles / 901 in 2013

Final weekend update...

Really this is from Monday - After a personal record at Carrera de Los Muertos and the Battleship 1/2 Marathon, I was on a running high. Add in all the travel and work, I was also very tired. Two emotions fighting each other like two seagulls fighting for the same piece of bread. 

Monday was a good opportunity to take a break and rest. However, I was only 2 miles away from running my 900th mile for 2013. Most would say - why not wait one more day? It's a rather simple answer...

For every 100th mile I've run this year, my wife has taken my picture. This is not an egotistical thing, but something that I want her to be a part of each time it happens. If I had waited until Tuesday, I would have been away for work and she couldn't have been there to take the pic or more importantly to me, to be a part of it. 

Courtesy of my wife's iPhone...

1/2 Marathon / 898 in 2013

2nd Weekend Update....

After the Race of the Dead, I spent the rest of the day in Chicago at the conference I was in town for. Normally, I would stay through Sunday, and take in more of one of my favorite cities. However this weekend, I needed to get back home for my first 1/2 Marathon - The Battleship Half Marathon. 

My flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30PM from O'hare to Wilmington with a layover in Charlotte. If you're not familiar with Wlmington, I'm not surprised. It's a very small airport. Very few direct flights. The parking lot for the airport isn't much bigger than a typical grocery store parking lot. No parking deck at this airport. 

Back to the flight- the flight from ORD to CLT went off without a hitch. Actually arrived 20 minutes early. Normally this would be a great opportunity to catch an earlier flight home. If 'home' this time wasn't Wilmington, maybe. There were no earlier flights to ILM. In fact, I think it was the 2nd of 2 flights all day. This was already a late flight considering my first half was the next morning at 8 AM. To add insult to injury we were delayed over an hour while seated on the plane waiting for a co-pilot. After arriving at my hotel around 1AM, I quickly got to bed with great anticipation for an early morning run. 

My first half marathon... 

I've run a 1/2 before, just on my on course. See an earlier post for more on that. This was special, I was going to run a 'real' half marathon! Not only that, my great support system was there too. 

Running with me - my wife, sister, and my brother-in-law. In the crowd - my mom, my brother-in-law, my nephew, and my youngest son. 

Although, much credit too my co-runners - much more to my cheerleaders. Running is a terrible spectator sport and it was cold. 

I must say, I was really excited to get this started. That sounds crazy to me. I used to make fun of my wife for wanting to run. I would say things like - 'if you ever see me running, somebody is chasing me'. So this excitement was exhilarating. 

My goal was to finish in less than 2 hours. Unfortunately, I failed. My time - 2 hours and 29 seconds. DAMN!! 29 seconds!!!!! Next time, I'll pay better attention to the clock. 

That being said, it was one of the most rewarding athletic achievements I've ever accomplished. I'm still a little giddy thinking about running that far with a pretty decent pace. 

Here's my running team, after the race...

And my awesome medal...

One more update to follow...

5k / 881 for 2013

Sorry for the delay in updates, it was an awesome weekend. 

First Update-

I did make it for the Race of the Dead in Chicago. By far, it is my favorite 5k I have ever run. The people, the turn out, the costumes, the entertainment were awesome! 

I ran a PR for a 5k. I contribute this to one thing - it was freaking COLD! This country boy from NC was not properly dressed. I was affraid if I slowed down, I would freeze. 

If ever in Chicago during Carrera de Los Muertos, this is a must run!

More updates to follow....

0 miles / 878 for 2013

No actual running today. However, I'm stoked for this weekend. I flew out this morning at 5:30 to Chicago. Arrived with a full day of pitches and some impressive moments with current and a former student. Now to the running...

My name is Lewis, I'm a procrastinator. I've known about this trip to Chicago for a year, but I pushed everything to the last minute. Flights, my room (not the student's), and the race of the dead. Since I was going to be in Chicago, I wanted something 'cool' to do during my short stay. I LOVE Chicago. I've been many times. I would move here if my wife became a snow bunny instead of a beach bum and/or if the climate would change in Chicago. It's 71 degrees at home today, 41 here. Big difference. 

Anyway, I found this cool race - Carrera de los Muertos (race of the dead). Actually, I'm only assuming that's what the translation is - based on the marketing. 

Back to my procrastination - I postponed my registration until I knew for sure my travel plans were set (ie procrastinated, I knew I was coming for 3 months) At that point I tried to register (today)- too late :( Registrations were sold out. However, I'm a nice guy and was able to acquire a registration, bib and shirt to run. I'll leave the details out of 'how', to protect the nice people that went out of their way to make this happen. I'm extremely excited to Race with the Dead! 

Look for an update, pics, and the next reason for my 'stokedness' for the weekend tomorrow afternoon. 

3.72 miles / 838 in 2013

This seemed like a lack luster week of running. I took 3 days off in a row, which is rare. That being said the day before the break I ran 11 miles when I only intended to run 3 or 4. However, the long run was not the reason for the break...

•The first day of break- I took my wife on an all day road trip shopping trip. YES, all day. 

•The second day of break- we had an early dr's appointment and waisted the day running errands instead of just running. 

•And, the third I was in class and meetings from sun up to sun down. 

However, I made up for it by running 7+, 4+, and 5+ the following 3 days. On those runs I came across some cool 'creatures'... Deers, dragons, and birds. 

What is the coolest thing you've ever 'run' into???

4.15 miles / 801 in 2013

As you can see in the title, I broke 800 miles today. That means I need to average 2.43 miles/day to reach 1000 by 12/31. At the 700 mile mark, I needed to average 2.76 per day. I'm improving. 

(The pic is an unintended ad for Hurst Landscapes. However, I highly recommend them if you are in the Raleigh area.)

On another note, looks like I'll be in Chicago for Halloween. Any race or route recommendations?

4.05 miles / 783 in 2013

I ran an early and quick run today, but the hunt was on. What I found today reminded me of my very first beer. When I was 12 or 13 I found 3 pony Budweisers in a soy bean field (I grew up on a farm). If you don't know what a pony bottle is. Here you go...

When I did a google search for this pic, I was amazed that people are actually selling these on eBay. This one is $4.99 if you're interested. 

Anyway, a pony bottle is only 7 oz of beer. I never understood why they were manufactured. Who can only handle or need 7 ounces of beer???

Today I found a full bottle of Stella Artois perfectly place on a small dirt road I often run down. My thought is a couple of teens were out drinking and left one behind. It's mine now...

4.10 miles / 779 in 2013

I absolutely love running on the beach. What could be better? In my opinion, it's an awesome way to finish the week. I've written before about how I like to run to destinations. Finishing on the beach with a beer, lounge chair and a sunset is the perfect run for me. 

Before I get to the sunset...

While running today, I noticed several jellyfish in the surf. This is common this time of year. However, they reminded me of something else. October is breast cancer awareness month. My wife is a 10+ year survivor. We do a lot of 'breast cancer stuff' and a lot more in October. At many of these events, there are tables/displays of breast implants and info for survivors about implants. Almost always, there is a sample implant. Every jellyfish I passed made me think of these implants. Is there any chance the doc that came up with the idea of implants got it from a beach full of jellyfish?

Back to the sunset...

I moved to the beach 2+ years ago for nights like this...