tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41550401422242306622024-03-13T11:43:11.585-05:00Oz Runnerthoughts on life and running from the land of Oz....Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-88002841778789735582012-10-27T16:25:00.001-05:002012-10-27T16:25:42.502-05:00Nairns Oatcakes review<img src="webkit-fake-url://6F971772-0FDB-4605-891A-4D09F5970A53/imagejpeg" /><br />
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The people at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1439248421"></span>Nairns<span id="goog_1439248422"></span></a> sent me a couple boxes of Oat cookies to review--Stem Ginger and Mixed Berry. These cookies are all natural, wheat-free, and made with whole grain oats. <br />
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From the Nairns website about the benefits of oats:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">There has been a great deal of research into the positive health benefits of oats. Oats are high in fibre and contain complex carbohydrates which have the amazing capacity to sustain and slowly release energy, which helps you get the most out of your day. We work hard to make sure that all that oaty goodness stays in all our naturally energising products, without </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">ever compromising on taste</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">The box contains four small packs of 5 cookies, for a total of 20 cookies in the box. I actually like the four separately wrapped packs, and think it would help the cookies stay fresh longer. A serving is two cookies and contains 90 calories/4g of fat. Each cookie is about two inches in diameter.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">First I tried the Ginger Stem cookies. They had a strong ginger smell right out of the pack so I knew they would be strong tasting, and they were. If you like ginger, these cookies are for you. They have an almost overpowering ginger flavor to the point that the spice burns in your mouth. Of the two cookies that we're sent, these were not my favorite I even let my son try one and he made a funny face after biting into one. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">The other cookies, Mixed Berry, we're much better. They had a nice fruit sweetness taste and were enjoyable. I could see eating a couple of these as a mid day or late night snack. I had to read the ingredients to see what fruit was actually in the cookie and it appears that they contain dried cranberries and raspberry purée pieces. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">In addition to oat cookies, Nairns also makes oat crackers. Check out their website for more info.</span></div>
Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-21206355860260944072012-10-08T10:17:00.001-05:002012-10-08T10:17:44.310-05:00Race for the CureLast week I signed up and ran our local Race for the Cure. It is probably the biggest 5K in our area and the after-race free gifts from sponsors cannot be beat--cookies, chips, travel bags, granola bars, coupons, and yes, even toilet paper.<br />
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My goal was to break 30 min and I just missed, finishing in 30:15. There were a lot of walkers and I was dodging people for the first mile or two. I was impressed by a lady pushing a triple-stroller in front of my pretty much the whole way.<br />
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I ran for my friend Jana, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and my thought was to run the race in her honor (they have bibs you can fill out "Running in celebration" or "running in memory" and pin to your shirt, and to pray for her throughout the run, and then send her a note afterwards with the bib letting her know she was in my prayers. Well right after the race I ran into her! It was so cool to see her and give her a hug and hand her the bib with her name on it. <br />
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This is a really fun race to do because of the cause, the number of people, and all the pink. Here are some pics from race day:<br />
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<br />Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-18795603499672174352012-09-16T16:47:00.001-05:002012-09-16T16:47:39.242-05:00My own 5K and Biggest Loser peeps in townThis past weekend, two former Biggest Loser contestants--Ken and Austin from season 11--were in town. They spoke at both of my kids' schools, and partnered with a local church to do some seminars on health and fitness. They also participated in a 5K race Saturday morning.<br />
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I went back and forth in my head whether to do that 5K or not. If my son would have ran with me I would have done it, but he had his 1st soccer game of the season on Saturday and wanted to save his energy. I decided to not to the official race instead to do my own 5K. I ran the same route for the Hammer It 5K race I've done a couple times that runs right past my house. The start/finish lines are still marked with spray paint on the road. My goal was to break 30 min, but I just missed, finishing at 30:40. Still, I felt pretty good afterwards, and I saved the $20 5K entry fee.<br />
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After my son's soccer game, we went to a seminar on health with Ken and Austin. They gave a lot of great tips and advice on eating healthy. We love watching the Biggest Loser. Ken and Austin started Biggest Loser at 377 and 396 pounds, but said at their heaviest they had both been well over 400 lbs. (450 and 430). By the end of the show, they had gotten down to 222 and 219, respectively, losing about 43% of their weight. They shared a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff about the Biggest Loser at the seminar too. One interesting fact is that a week is not always a week on the show for weigh ins. Because of filming crew schedules and the union, etc, most of the time a week is 10 or 12 days. So when someone loses 10 lbs in a week, they usually had longer than 7 days to lose that weight. Here is a picture we took with them:<br />
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<br />Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-48625334842413739582012-08-28T08:34:00.002-05:002012-09-04T08:11:55.371-05:00Hornet Hustle 5K, #3My son's school does a running event each year as a fundraiser for the PTO, so that the kids don't have to go door to door selling candy/magazines/christmas trees, etc....They have a 5K and 2 mile race, as well as a 1 mile fun run. My son and I have done the 5K race the last couple of years. 2 years ago (when he was 8 yrs old) we ran together and finished in about 33 min. Last year I had been battling injuries and not running so my son finished in 29 min and I was about 37 min. This year, I was debating whether to even do the race because I only started running again about 2 weeks prior to the race, but in the end I decided to do it. I finished in 35 min and my son improved on him time once again, finishing in 27:44. He was the first grade school age finisher.<br />
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The course is a cross country course, with rolling hills and a uneven surfaces, which made it a bit trickier. Also, there was a huge thunderstorm about an hour before the race (I thought they were going to call off the race) that created muddy surfaces and standing pools of water that you had to jump over in a few spots.<br />
Thankfully the rain stopped falling long enough for us to get the race in, and then is started raining again. It was a fun event. The high school cross country team always does it together and they usually beat everyone else. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have participant medals this year, as they have in the past. Instead they gave out rubber bracelets. I also thought they should have age group awards, which they didn't.<br />
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I have been running about 4-5 days a week for the last couple weeks, and so far my lower legs/feet feel okay. I hope to continue running with hopes of shedding a few pounds and doing some more races in the future.<br />
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<br />Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-6824082473094071842012-03-02T14:50:00.000-06:002012-03-02T14:50:37.421-06:00Run For Your LivesOkay, so I have been a non-blogger for awhile now, mostly because life and work have been super crazy busy. But, mostly prompted by a weight loss contest at work, I've started running again and I've lost 24 pounds in the last 2 months. I have resigned myself to being a slow runner and having plenty of rest days for my body to recover. Staying healthy is key, which can be tough because running is hard on the body.<br />
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A co-worker who has taken up running alerted me to a new 5K Race where you get chased by zombies called <a href="http://runforyourlives.com/" target="_blank">Run For Your Lives.</a> Looks fun. Check out the video.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/A4XvnVz9qDQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-59525994227676118712011-08-28T06:27:00.000-05:002011-08-28T06:27:23.147-05:00Hornet Hustle 5KI am still alive. Barely. I haven't run in a very long time, so I haven't felt the need to blog. This is a running blog after all. My last 5K was about a year ago and I haven't run much since. First it was my lingering foot injury. I've been to the podiatrist a couple times, wore some custom inserts for awhile, and did some stretching exercises twice a day. When it seemed like my foot was feeling better, the "Midwest Heat Wave of 2011" kicked in, and I didn't feel like doing anything but staying inside with the AC cranked drinking lemonade. So I didn't run. And I've gotten out of shape. And it showed in yesterday's 5K.<div><br />
<div>My son's school does a 5K and Fun Run as a fundraiser each year, and I tried to talk my 9 year old into doing the 2 mile or 1 mile, but he wanted to tackle the 5K again. He totally killed it. sub 30 minute 5K on a cross country course with a few rolling hills. I didn't see him after about a mile. I was sucking wind, had to walk-run-walk-run the whole way, and finished about 7 minutes behind him. He was the first kid from his school to finish. I told him afterwards that I was proud of him and that it was official---he was faster than me now.</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Yesterday was a gut check and a reminder to me that I need to get out there again and run, even if it means I'll be starting over. Hopefully that means I'll be getting back in shape and blogging again soon.</div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-72809261239515141732011-02-19T05:31:00.000-06:002011-02-19T05:31:58.872-06:00Move That Bus!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zkoW5bHZmEQ/TV-mzmzyoZI/AAAAAAAABaY/ezZAw9SlKJM/s1600/IMG00024-20110217-1408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zkoW5bHZmEQ/TV-mzmzyoZI/AAAAAAAABaY/ezZAw9SlKJM/s320/IMG00024-20110217-1408.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Okay, not quite yet....but, the Extreme Makeover crew with Ty Pennington is in town to build a house for a well deserving family and my wife and I took the opportunity to serve together on the project. We were actually the very first volunteer group. There were 20-25 of us, and it was all very secretive and hush hush so they could surprise the family. We were told to check our email at a certain time and be ready to spring into action. And we were. The weather was great and we had a lot of fun. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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Behind us is where they are digging the basement for the house. The recipient is Carl Hall, a former WSU baseball player who was paralyzed from the neck down last summer in a car accident. He has a wife and 4 kids and from what I hear he's a great guy. Our work was mostly prep work for all the other volunteers. We set up the barricade fencing for the spectators, built flooring in the catering, volunteer, and VIP tents, and basically did whatever set up was needed. They expect to have the house finished next weekend. We are going to try to volunteer again and be there for the "reveal day."Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-15771936123794981022011-02-18T08:49:00.002-06:002011-02-18T08:49:00.684-06:00Worth the Weight<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w5fNEufbDCA" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
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This is the story of a guy I work with. He went from 380 lbs down to 245 through gastric bypass and exercise. It's pretty motivational, but kind of long (8 min.)....if you're strapped for time, go to the 4:50 to 6:50 mark and check out how he got into running and took his pant size from 56 down to 38.Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-58043119534622788502011-02-16T05:45:00.001-06:002011-02-16T05:49:55.974-06:00Slowly Thawing OutWe got hit with the Midwest winter blast and have had wintery weather the last couple weeks--- lots of snow, ice, negative wind chills, and school cancellations. <br />
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</div><div>Of course, we didn't get hit quite as bad as our neighbors in Oklahoma, or Arkansas. I heard that in Tulsa school was closed for two weeks. And in NW Arkansas, they set a 100-yr old state record for snowfall in a 24 hr period (23 inches). My company totally shut down there for 2 days, as did many other businesses.</div><div><br />
</div><div>All this cold stuff always puts a damper on my running (read: no running the last couple weeks).</div><div><br />
</div><div>But fortunately, the weather finally broke over the weekend and we've climbed into the 50's. The snow is melting. Woo-hoo.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I got out for a 3 miler last night and it felt great. I have lost 12 lbs in the last 5 weeks (even WITH all the valentines candy!) and it sounds weird but I could feel it in my running, I felt lighter and stronger. Still, I have decided that my body is old enough now that it needs extra rest days between runs, so I'm going to try to be smart about that and not overdue it.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Here is a pic of the snowman my boys made over the weekend, after it warmed up and the snow packed really good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3XIOGmi1eI/TVu4yX1OuYI/AAAAAAAABaI/OJlWM9lqlF0/s1600/February+2011+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3XIOGmi1eI/TVu4yX1OuYI/AAAAAAAABaI/OJlWM9lqlF0/s320/February+2011+079.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
PS--Big win for K-State Monday night. Thank you to KU for possibly saving our season.</div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-9740905402756958572011-02-01T08:39:00.000-06:002011-02-01T08:39:32.468-06:00Giveaway Winner! And Some Purple Hot Chocolate.Thanks to all who entered my $45 CSN Giveaway. The lucky winner is....................<br />
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<a href="http://misszippy1.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Miss Zippy!</span></a><br />
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Congrats! I will email you with your winning code shortly.<br />
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A co-worker gave me some purple hot chocolate for Christmas. With the wintery weather upon us, we tried it last night. For the record, it didn't taste as cool as it looked....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pic is kind of dark, can't see the purple-ness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-67541881437113392282011-01-29T06:24:00.000-06:002011-01-29T06:24:47.956-06:00City Museum and Circus DebutLast November on our way to spend Thanksgiving with family in Illinois, we decided to spend a day in St Louis. We went to the <a href="http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp">City Museum.</a> We had a <b>blast</b>. If you are ever in the St Louis area and have some time to kill, you should check this place out. <br />
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It's hard to describe the City Museum because it's not like any museum I've ever been to. It's more like a huge playhouse. My kids absolutely <u>loved it</u>. We went on a weekend night when it stays open until midnight. After 9 or 10pm, they turn off the lights in many of the areas and you can explore the building with flashlights. We stayed until probably 11pm. Among many other things, the museum has a huge outdoor metal sculpture you can climb around on, a maze of caves indoors you can explore, a 10 story slide, a ferris wheel on the roof, an indoor skate park, an adult sized hamster wheel, the worlds largest pencil, the world's largest underwear, and an old pipe organ that you can play.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The maze of metal sculptures you can climb on.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_QyoX_SI/AAAAAAAABZg/V-vJtoYOeLE/s1600/November+2010+248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_QyoX_SI/AAAAAAAABZg/V-vJtoYOeLE/s320/November+2010+248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Notice the bus on the roof? Yeah, you could sit in the driver's seat.</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_Z0oz0QI/AAAAAAAABZo/UpInY_hM488/s1600/November+2010+122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_Z0oz0QI/AAAAAAAABZo/UpInY_hM488/s320/November+2010+122.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the hamster wheel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_1BWJzUI/AAAAAAAABZw/RsEPP0dXWBs/s1600/November+2010+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_1BWJzUI/AAAAAAAABZw/RsEPP0dXWBs/s320/November+2010+054.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Exploring!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_3S7XfTI/AAAAAAAABZ0/5NeLGUn7-r8/s1600/November+2010+134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TUP_3S7XfTI/AAAAAAAABZ0/5NeLGUn7-r8/s320/November+2010+134.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The world's largest underwear.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The museum also had a small one-man circus in a theater with about 100 people. The absolute highlight of our time at the museum was my son getting picked to go on stage with the performer. This was the finale of the show. Enjoy.<br />
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</div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-78960483198376320382011-01-28T06:49:00.001-06:002011-01-28T06:50:20.558-06:00Heat WaveOkay, it's not exactly a heat wave but weather forecasters predict it's going to get up to 70 degrees today. In late January. In the midwest. I love it. It was beautiful yesterday too and we took the family for about a 3 mile walk last night. I also love that it's starting to stay lighter longer. Woo-hoo.<br />
<br />
I ran on a treadmill in Arkansas twice in addition to running outside a couple of times this week. Haven't run more than 3 miles at a time yet. I really want to ease back into it. I also have lost about 11 pounds in 3 weeks with the Biggest Winner weight loss challenge through work. Feeling pretty good about that, but I have much more to lose.<br />
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Did anyone watch the Biggest Loser this week? First, I didn't get why Gillian felt the need to make Dan/Don (whatever his name is) use curse words. It was like that was her whole mission, to get him mad enough to swear , and when he did it, she felt better. Like she accomplished something. I think she tries to psychoanalyze things too much. Second, did anyone else think it was extremely unfair when the two green team members were pitted against all the rest of the ranch competitors in the challenge? It was like 2 against 8 or something. Not fair at all, even though they almost won.<br />
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Enough rambling. Everyone have a great start to the weekend.Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-58613446029918114962011-01-25T13:10:00.000-06:002011-01-25T13:10:27.741-06:00Why Do You Run?<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8eXqAWjJ_dE" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe><br />
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So....Why do YOU run??Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-14688774961723923952011-01-23T07:49:00.002-06:002011-01-23T07:49:00.689-06:00Anyone ever done the Expedition Everest Disney race?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TTwwuXOaA2I/AAAAAAAABZA/Tum-jcLIEpI/s1600/everest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TTwwuXOaA2I/AAAAAAAABZA/Tum-jcLIEpI/s1600/everest.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We are trying to plan a Disney World trip, and one of the weekends we're looking at has a 5K race called the <a href="http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/expedition-everest-challenge/">Expedition Everest Challenge</a>.<br />
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It's a little pricey, but I think it sounds really fun. It's an 5K race in Animal Kingdom after the park closes that has obstacles along the way, and then at the end there is a treasure hunt. <br />
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I would love to do it with my 8 yr old son. Has anyone done this race? Do you think an 8 yr old can complete it and have fun? Or should he stick with the kids' race? Thoughts?Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-248308366699871282011-01-21T11:09:00.000-06:002011-01-21T11:09:20.703-06:00One Easy To Win Giveaway! CSNIf you want to win $45, keep reading.<div><br />
</div><div>CSN has literally TONS of items for sale and you can use the money for anything you want from any of their sites. Among some of their 200+ stores are <a href="http://www.luggage.com/">luggage stores</a>, <a href="http://www.csnmirrors.com/">mirror stores</a>, and <a href="http://www.fitnessequipmentandmore.com/">fitness equipment</a> stores.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I am going to make this very easy to win.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Visit <a href="http://www.csnstores.com/">CSN</a> and leave me a comment below with what item you might use the $45 to buy.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Do that, and you've earned one entry. It's that easy. </div><div><br />
</div><div>However, if you do want a couple of extra entries you can (one extra entry for each) you can:</div><div>1. follow my blog and let me know</div><div>2. post about this giveaway on your blog and let me know</div><div><br />
</div><div>Contest runs until the end of the month, and then I will pick a winner.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Happy blogging and good luck!</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-80403125570568783472011-01-20T06:45:00.001-06:002011-01-20T06:45:00.973-06:00Little People blog....I ran across a pretty creative blog. It's called "Little People -a tiny street art project." Check it <a href="http://little-people.blogspot.com/">out</a>. It's pretty interesting. He takes tiny people and puts them into interesting photographs. Here is one of my favorites, called "Life as we know it"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TK2zm-GjpLI/AAAAAAAABXc/7ZLrg_JvWoE/s1600/life+2+-+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TK2zm-GjpLI/AAAAAAAABXc/7ZLrg_JvWoE/s320/life+2+-+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-80663290126804838772011-01-18T15:57:00.001-06:002011-01-18T15:57:00.157-06:00The Biggest Winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TTURtNr9esI/AAAAAAAABY8/sNyNZhSv8HQ/s1600/bigwinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TTURtNr9esI/AAAAAAAABY8/sNyNZhSv8HQ/s1600/bigwinner.jpg" /></a></div>We are doing a weight loss contest at work called The Biggest Winner. I love the logo, and we all have different colored t-shirts with the logo on it. There are over 250 employees participating. We are broken up into teams of 4 and the prize goes to the team with the largest percentage weight loss over the 6 week contest. My team lost 19 lbs in week number one. My personal goal is to lose at least 20 lbs in the 6 weeks. I've been doing well, eating lots of fresh veggies and whole grains, and exercising at least 5-6 days a week. I lost 8 lbs in week one, and even though I know that you usually lose the most in the first week, I am proud that I am on my way to my goal. <br />
<br />
My sweetie is joining me in the journey, which helps. She has been really great with getting her workouts in and eating right, too. And of course since we are both doing this, our kids are eating healthier now too. The other day our 10 yr old, obviously ready to get back to eating hamburgers and fries, said "how long is this healthy eating stuff going to last?" Of course we said "for the rest of your life."<br />
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Is anyone else that is watching Biggest Loser getting tired of "the unknowns?" I mean seriously, show us these new trainers faces already....Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-5579557548489989742011-01-17T21:14:00.000-06:002011-01-17T21:14:14.343-06:00Hello Running, It's Me Again....Dear Running,<br />
<br />
I know you won't believe me, but two words have described these last 3 months for me --- BIZ-ZEE.....<br />
<br />
I have been super busy with work and the holidays and life in general, and even though I know that is not a good excuse, the truth is that I have not been a runner in almost 3 months. In fact, I've been pretty lazy and put on a few extra pounds. The only positive to not running is that I've been able to let my nagging foot injuries have extra time to heal. <br />
<br />
With the new year, I have decided to reintroduce myself. I've actually run 3 times in the last 10 days. Not far. Not fast. But, it's felt good to get out there and run again. I hope you can see that I'm trying. And I hope you'll go easy on me.<br />
<br />
Sincerely<br />
<br />
Oz RunnerOz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-58826762532686676902010-10-13T22:37:00.000-05:002010-10-13T22:37:00.060-05:00Impromptu 5K in IllinoisWe were in Illinois last weekend for my cousin's wedding. We were a bit worried about the weather because it was an outdoor wedding....in October...in Illinois. <br />
As it turned out, the weather was perfect, and the wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was on a farm in the middle of nowhere, next to a small pond. There was a large outdoor tent with chandeliers, bonfires, and dancing well into the night. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Saturday morning the day of the wedding, we didn't have anything going on, so like any good runner I jumped on Active.com to see if there were any racing events we could partake in. As it turned out, there was a 5K less than 5 minutes from our hotel. Even though my foot isn't really ready to run much yet, I decided it would be a fun morning to get the whole family out there for a small 5K race. Besides, it was for a good cause.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So that was the plan anyway. The website said "registration at 8am, start time at 9am." Perfect. We arrived about 8:10 to the church where it was supposed to start, and the parking lot was empty. "We must be early," I thought. So, we ran down to a store to pick up a couple of things and came back around 8:40am. Still no one there. Instead of waiting until 9am, I decided that they must have cancelled the race and not updated the website. But it was such a beautiful day that I still wanted to get the family out for some exercise.</div><br />
So we searched and found some great walking/riding trails about 10 minutes away. There were a grouping of about 4 or 5 parks connected with an awesome path, winding through forests, over bridges, with creeks and streams nearby. It was really a beautiful setting. We took our time, enjoyed the day, and walked for over an hour. I'm guessing we went at least a 5K, if not more. So we got our family exercise in, and it didn't even cost us an entry fee.<br />
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Here are a few pics:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ2iEVxqkI/AAAAAAAABXg/urSXdKhrGM0/s1600/100_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ2iEVxqkI/AAAAAAAABXg/urSXdKhrGM0/s320/100_2006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Running with my son....</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ6RzsrotI/AAAAAAAABX4/QJ3WgFwjYNs/s1600/100_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ6RzsrotI/AAAAAAAABX4/QJ3WgFwjYNs/s320/100_2022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>There were sculptures in some of the park...this is a sculpture of two bikes...</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ3ZCCOQlI/AAAAAAAABXo/i7CUXsO0SXk/s1600/100_2003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ3ZCCOQlI/AAAAAAAABXo/i7CUXsO0SXk/s320/100_2003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>My sweetie and son....</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ3b7iy-QI/AAAAAAAABXs/xeJuKms99No/s1600/100_2005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ3b7iy-QI/AAAAAAAABXs/xeJuKms99No/s320/100_2005.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The beautiful scenery of our trail...</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ3ell0_7I/AAAAAAAABXw/tRZUx7OQcjg/s1600/100_2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ3ell0_7I/AAAAAAAABXw/tRZUx7OQcjg/s320/100_2020.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>here is a map of our trail..the green areas are all the parks we went through...</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ2prgFF9I/AAAAAAAABXk/BkUrnu-KlQ4/s1600/100_1989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TLZ2prgFF9I/AAAAAAAABXk/BkUrnu-KlQ4/s320/100_1989.JPG" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>We stopped at a shoe store on the trip...this was an actul HUGE running shoe...</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Review:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Coming shortly, I will be reviewing an item from<a href="http://www.csnstores.com/ourstores.asp"> CSN Stores</a>. If you haven't heard of the collection of CSN stores, they are great. They have pretty much any type of item you would ever want to purchase, from <a href="http://www.diningroomsdirect.com/">dining sets</a> to<a href="http://www.swingsetsandmore.com/"> swing sets</a> and everything in between. Stay tuned.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-90818416641325535622010-10-07T06:27:00.000-05:002010-10-07T06:27:18.358-05:00These Feet Weren't Made for Running, Apparently....I went to see the doctor last week....again....for my foot.....the other foot...<br />
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This time it was not due to my chronic plantar fasciitis, it was due to a bony protrusion on the back of my heel that got stepped on during a volleyball game, and forced me to limp around for several days....<br />
<br />
The doctor said the bump is tied to me having achilles tendonitis at some point, and is called haglund's bump, or a "pump bump" because women who wear pump shoes get these bumps on their heels.....they took an xray and it showed calcification on the back of my heel, as well as the under side of my heel (the beginning of a heel spur)....so, he gave me a prescription, told me not to run for 3 weeks and come back for a check up....I actually felt better after a few more days, and have done some light running (shh, don't tell), but it definitely has me thinking that maybe I shouldn't run, if I am going to continue to damage my feet....I am definitely going to have this discussion with the doctor at my next check up....maybe I need to focus more on biking....not sure, just yet....then again, if the bump isn't causing me pain, maybe it will be okay to continue running....anyone have one of these heel bumps? Here is what the xray looked like<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TK2uS9L8M-I/AAAAAAAABXY/ERQmCASwluA/s1600/Haglund's2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TK2uS9L8M-I/AAAAAAAABXY/ERQmCASwluA/s320/Haglund's2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-34847091432545692372010-09-25T14:31:00.001-05:002010-09-25T14:39:33.491-05:00Valley Center 5K Race Report:<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5NMM5RqOI/AAAAAAAABW8/apG65PPyofc/s1600/100_1795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5NMM5RqOI/AAAAAAAABW8/apG65PPyofc/s320/100_1795.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st place in his age group</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <b><u>Valley Center 5K Run</u></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This weekend is the Valley Center Fall Festival, and our family always has fun with all the activities. This year I ran the 5K with my 8 year old. It was at 7:30am, so it was a bit of a chore getting him up and awake and to the start line on time. I knew that the race would be small, it usually is, but this year it was especially small because it was held on the same day as the Wichita Race for the Cure, one of the largest and best 5K races in the area. It usually draws 8 or 9 thousand people. The race we ran? Maybe 50. Tops. But that was okay, we were just there to have fun and enjoy the day, which we did.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5NHzZrxyI/AAAAAAAABW4/T0dqLrYX7rk/s1600/100_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5NHzZrxyI/AAAAAAAABW4/T0dqLrYX7rk/s320/100_1792.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">showing our medals</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
My son ran his first 5K about a month ago and ran it in 33:30. His time this time? 31:10. He did awesome. He got 1st in his age group (I think he was the only one in the 0-10 group), and I happened to take 2nd in my age group, the first time I've age-group placed. My son thought it was funny that he got a gold medal and my medal was silver.<br />
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We ran together the whole way and had a lot of fun. I made it a point to thank every volunteer that we encountered.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<br />
<u><b>"I need to put my new heart in."</b></u></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Just before the race started, my son found a silver heart pendant on the street and stuck it in his pocket. About 2.25 miles into the race, he says "I think I need to put my new heart in," and he gestured by putting the pendant heart into his chest, to give him more energy. About a half mile later, getting winded, he said "man, that heart didn't last very long." I told him maybe he should bring a few of those hearts next time. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5OychVcMI/AAAAAAAABXA/XE4r-RWNBYM/s1600/100_1782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5OychVcMI/AAAAAAAABXA/XE4r-RWNBYM/s320/100_1782.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my son with his "new heart"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After the 5K, we stuck around and did the kids fun run with my wife and other son. I think the distance was like 3/4 of a mile, but I was amazed that my 8 year old still had gas left, he ran pretty fast the whole way. My other son and my wife did a great job too. Afterwards we stuck around for the parade, and are looking forward to riding rides and the fishing derby as part of Fall Festival as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5Pmoliq4I/AAAAAAAABXQ/UMPZs0x_WrQ/s1600/100_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJ5Pmoliq4I/AAAAAAAABXQ/UMPZs0x_WrQ/s320/100_1784.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my awesome family</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-64150445722014014352010-09-18T10:26:00.001-05:002010-09-21T19:50:35.449-05:00Biking Advice?Before I ask for biking advice, I have to tell you about the hail storm. I started to go for a run this week after work, and I didn't get more than 1/2 mile from the house when I heard thunder, it started to drizzle, and tornado sirens started going off. So, I cut the run short and headed home. Living in Kansas, you kind of get used to tornado sirens, so I wasn't really worried, but I figured I didn't want to get stuck miles from home if it got really bad.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Little did I know that this was a pretty vicious storm. Not only were there tornadoes, there was hail. Big hail. <u>Seriously</u> <b>BIG</b> hail. Some of the pics I saw were hail 5 or 6 inches wide. There was a hailstone that set a record apparently, as well, like 7 inches big.</div><div><br />
</div><div> Since I live on the north end of town, we didn't get any hail (that I know of), but down south, they got pummeled. Check out these pics:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJTXcrRwwUI/AAAAAAAABWk/POFVDaNNRkI/s1600/baseball+hail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJTXcrRwwUI/AAAAAAAABWk/POFVDaNNRkI/s320/baseball+hail.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>not sure what the deal is with the donut hail</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJTXp2CWiNI/AAAAAAAABWs/kQKXVlO0RPg/s1600/hail+windshield.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t5sETE5x9nQ/TJTXp2CWiNI/AAAAAAAABWs/kQKXVlO0RPg/s320/hail+windshield.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>my boss had a huge hail stone go through the windshield of his car</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div><u>Shifting Gears</u></div><div>So, here is the advice I need, for anyone the bikes out there. I went for a 15 mile bike ride this morning, and I found my gear shifting to be kind of clunky, like I don't know what I'm doing (which I don't). So, I wanted to search out some advice.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I just started biking a couple months ago, and really like it, but I'm kind of confused about what gear to ride in, when to shift gears, what gears to use when going uphill/downhill, or against the wind, etc. For example, should I leave my front gear on the big sprocket or small sprocket most of the time? I'm kind of just making it up as I go. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Also, what is a good speed/pace to shoot for on a road bike? I have been wearing my Garmin during my rides lately and my pace ranges from 12 to 22 miles per hour, depending on wind and hills. It seems like 15 mph would be about average. Is that good, bad, or just average? I have an older road bike that is kind of heavy, so that pace seems about right. I appreciate any advice you can offer.</div><div><br />
</div><div>------</div><div>I'm off to my son's soccer game, and then watch a little K-State football. Have a great weekend everyone.<br />
<br />
Happy Runner Giveaway <a href="http://happyrunnergiveaways.blogspot.com/2010/09/back-with-fun-brooks-giveaway.html">here!</a></div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-57751995894871733562010-09-14T06:10:00.006-05:002010-09-16T07:00:12.412-05:00Pep talk from a 4 Year old<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2CdJTfGiRCI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2CdJTfGiRCI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />I need to go rent "Miracle"........and I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sick of tired too...<div><br /></div><div>Tri Runner Giveaway <a href="http://thetrirunner.blogspot.com/2010/09/gymboss-timer-giveaway.html">here!</a></div><div>Racing with Babes Giveaway <a href="http://racingwithbabes.blogspot.com/2010/09/brooks-giveaway.html">here!</a></div><div>Run Faster Mommy Giveaway <a href="http://www.runfastermommy.com/2010/09/giveaway-from-brooks-and-team-bilbo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+RunFasterMommy+(RUN+FASTER+MOMMY!)">here!</a></div><div>Nathan Training Kit Giveaway <a href="http://www.andherlittledogtoo.com/2010/09/nathan-training-kit-giveaway.html">here!</a></div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-21716611389266172492010-09-13T06:38:00.002-05:002010-09-13T06:44:17.442-05:00CSN Giveawy Winner!Thanks to everyone who entered the CSN Giveaway contest. Random.org picked the winner, and the winner is......<div><br /></div><div>Lisa at <a href="http://chasinbunnies.blogspot.com/">Chasin Bunnies</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div>Congrats! I will be passing your email on to CSN to get you your prize.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks.</div><div><br /></div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155040142224230662.post-29217325726700758552010-09-11T21:13:00.003-05:002010-09-11T21:21:19.765-05:0015 Miles and My First WipeoutI flipped a coin this morning to see if I would go for a run or a bike ride, and bike ride won. It was a beautiful day, perfect for biking, and I went 15.5 miles. The strange thing is that I am more tired after running 3 miles than biking 15. Really weird. I almost went for a run after the bike ride, but decided against it. I had a really good ride. Except for two things.<div><br /></div><div>First, my bike light fell off and I realized the clip broke, so I'll need to get a new one. Not a big deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second, I had my first wipe-out on my bike. I was riding through a campground of a local BBQ towards the end of my ride, checking to see if my friend was participating in the BBQ cook-off this year, and I totally wiped out. I forgot I was riding on a sand/dirt path and took a turn too sharp, and down I went. Of course I immediately looked around to see if anybody saw me fall. (I don't think they did.) I hit my head, but didn't get hurt, but I did get a nice raspberry on my leg. </div>Oz Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10708432336187308653noreply@blogger.com7