I did it! I finished 18 weeks of training and one day of 26.2 miles. I have to say it was furthest I have ever pushed my body and I am damn proud of what I did. On the other hand I am disapointed in the fact I did not get the time I wanted. So as much as swore I would not do this again, I am going back for more. The reason I am disappointed is because I finished at 4 hours and 18 minutes and I wanted to hit 3 hours 50 minutes. So I will be heading back at it for another round to hit my goal. Overall I am proud of myself but I learned a lot for the next time. Thank you to all those that helped me.
I am less than 30 days away from running a Marathon and less than 7 days away from running the longest i will run (20 miles) until that day. As I was running today and thinking to myself I should not have enjoyed those gigantic beers for $2.50 last night, that is pretty awesome. I felt really crappy today and was able to do 14 miles without really complaining too much. The only downside to all this is that I have never done this to my body before and it is still pretty tough. I say I don’t want to run another marathon but in the end I think I want to prove to myself that I can become a pretty bad ass athlete if i keep at it. This is my first one and I know I won’t finish in the time frame that I want to, so I just may have to do another one in order to prove to myself that I can get under 4 hours. Right now it looks like I will come in at just over 4 hours, which is great but who knows what game time will bring.
Today is Tuesday and I wanted to post something because it has been way too long since I have done so. Nothing has really changed as a whole, I still working my butt off to try and achieve this crazy dream I call success. The more I look at it though, the more I realize that adventure is success in itself. I have a lot of people doubting me lately and for once I really don’t care. I stepped into a career that I truly enjoy and the possibilities are truly endless. Every early morning (today was 7:15 am) and every late night (the picture is about 10 pm) is getting me closer to what I want.
Work has become a large part of my life and it is something I like doing every day but I have also found a few other enjoyments in the world as well. Health has become important to me ( I do cheat once a week) and I have begun to feel pretty damn awesome. With that, I have become a runner as well. Sunday I ran 18 miles by myself and it was flipping hard. Anyone who has pushed themselves that far knows what it is like, I had to talk to myself to make sure I finished those last two miles. The lesson learned that day is to not drink beer the entire day before (being healthy is tough).
I wanted to express some gratitude even though they don’t read this often or ever. I wanted to thank Allison Smith for becoming a very positive aspect in my life and being a wonderful girlfriend and training partner. Andy Magnus for offering me this job position and helping me through this crazy adventure of starting a business. I also want to thank my friends, I have been in a huge transition and I hope they understand that I am not avoiding them. I am simply trying to get my life in order. Lastly I want to thank all those that doubt me, I truly appreciate it. I feel sorry for them because they settled in life and don’t understand what is like to dream and achieve those dreams.
Cheers,
Joe
“The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t ’ is you. And you don’t have to listen.”- Nike
As of today I have ran 104 miles towards my marathon goal, which I am pretty damn proud of. I started this ordeal, barely being able to run 1 mile. Today I was supposed to run 7 but I took the long way home (not intentional) and did an extra 3. As I go through this, I have started to eat better as well. It feels pretty awesome to have a lifestyle change, which is fitting because life is changing almost daily for me. Everything is shaping up pretty well and in turn makes this marathon even better. I like kicking ass, even when it is hard. Believe me when I say, things are pretty hard right now but I love it.
Getting there,
Joe
I have been spending a ton of time working and I have to say I am really enjoying it. The shirt is a project I am really proud of, we are helping Lake Orion High School’s school store build their business a little. We had some volunteers help us out at the shop with production and it was a pretty cool feeling. We were able to help them get a lot of new designs in and also a better product. I have to say it was pretty satisfying to go in there and work with teachers and students. I never thought I would be in that position, surreal in some ways.
In the mean time, I have still managed to train for my marathon and I continue to eat healthy. I have even started to train myself to eat yogurt (which I have always hated) and I am feeling good. Running, eating healthy and doing some lifting has felt pretty good. Life is heading in the right direction.
Green Light Graphics is finally getting there and I have been putting in the hours to prove it. On this late evening I had to finish up some painting that the contractors missed and decided to enjoy a couple beers while doing so. Things have been going a 100 mile per hour but for the first time in my life, I feel like I have chosen the job that is meant for me. I get to work with so many walks of life and get introduced to their businesses as well, it is something that I will make a career out of. My responsibilities will change, my role (hopefully to owner) will change and even my office will change. But this can of paint and beer is just the start and I can’t wait to see what all this hard work has lead to.
It was sunny and it was warm, not the best combination for February snowboarding but the good company was key. I had a slight hangover to start the day, even had to work a little while I was there but still got some riding in and had a blast. The Shadows from left to right (Me, Matt, Brian). I had a blast and I really do appreciate my friends.
Turned into an up north weekender! Love it! (Taken with instagram)
Jenga at the limberlost is now my favorite thing to do.
