Springer and Strains

Hello out there! I love that when Bruce Springsteen says that at the beginning of Born in the USA on the 1975-85 Live set. Not a great start to the week. Not a great ending to the month. While working out this morning I was trying one of those nifty balance moves and severely strained my right thumb. That means it’s hard to type. It’s easier since it’s my right hand and I’m left handed but still hard to type with my thumb/wrist/fingers all numb and wrapped up tight.

The good news is its feeling better. Ibuprofen is king and so was the ice on it. Thanks to my better half, Maria, for tending to me after I lost my focus during the exercise. Thank goodness no tendon damage. Just damage to my ego.

For the next few days my focus will be on my legs and left side. Still have that dog training going on and with my right thumb feeling numb my left arm should be getting an extra work out on the leash. Plus, a couple of extra six-to-seven mile runs this week will do the lungs and legs good.

I had to make a hard decision this week and not buy Springsteen tickets. I really wanted to take my kids to his Tampa concert in March since I have brainwashed them with his music. Unfortunately, the cost per ticket and handling charges is out of my price range. So they will just have to listen to all my Bruce Anthologies and satellite radio. In addition, Ticketmaster had weird limits on how many you could buy online so I guess it was not meant to be.

Until next week my friends I’m saving what typing skills I have this week for my full-time work. Yeah, I said it work. TEAM KEATON out.

Sharlie, Me, Halfathon and my Boy



Sharlie and Me

Team Keaton is off and running for 2012. My role on this team has a lot of variety. Variety is good and it can at times leave you exhausted. The word exhausted does not bode well for a guy who likes to think of himself as an endurance athlete.

Late last year I was able to connect with Travlete.com.  I will be contributing endurance race stories for the site. The first was Tough Mudder Florida and this past weekend was the 7^th Annual Clearwater Florida Halfathon (half marathon). Great race, venue and the whole works. I ran a 1:38 and that’s about three minutes slower than my last attempt on the big bridge course in 2007. Not bad for no training. Well no run training. That P90x2 thing gets a lot of credit for keeping my legs fresh. You need that strength training especially after the big 4-0.

Enough about me and the halfathon. I started puppy star training with our canine teammate lab/retriever/hound/mix pup. She’s (Sharlie) almost 11 months old and she’s the worst in the class. That makes me the worst trainer in the class. She is doing a little better but the master dog trainer tells me Sharlie needs exercise. And since the trainer knows I can run; Sharlie and I run. Not that much. We started at least twice a week. Basically I have taken the Ivan Drago approach with the dog. I must break her! She’s in basic training…Full Metal Jacket style.

Time to get serious. Team Keaton member Evan, my son, is an avid reader. He’s gifted, but that gifted personality of his is landing him in deep water. Not sure why but since Christmas break he’s acting up and being a very demanding little man. He will be eight soon so I try to remember when I was eight. Deep down parents really don’t want to punish their kids. Right? I know it’s for the better. Team Keaton member Maria, the wifey, sees the brunt of the boy’s attitude. Being a parent is an endurance sport. You can’t DNF (if you don’t know what DNF means Google it) in parenting.

Variety is good and tonight I’m exhausted.

New Year, New You

That's me back in the day of sprint triathlons

We are nine days in the new year. What are your goals? What are your resolutions? We all know they are the same thing just one sounds more official or dreamy and the other means work. It's all in the mindset.

I did not make any resolutions. I did have a long time friend from elementary school make a resolution for me. His resolution is for us to see each other face-to-face this year instead of on Facebook. I'm not one for resolutions but we have less than 356 days left.

I turned 45 the other day and made some mental goals. First, to double my miles on the road from last year. That means more than 1,000 miles running. That's not much for some people. Really, here in Tampa Bay that's a three month goal. Second, I going to run in an event every month.

I kicked off the 2012 season on Sunday with the Kiwanis Honeymoon Island Adventure Run. It was a five mile course and I finished in the top ten out of at least 250. I say 250 because that was my number. My running time compared to a few years is ago is about a minute slower per mile. So in other words I knew my body would not be in pain thanks to my training, but the lungs would have a say in the day's adventure. Including in that race or event every month is to get at least one triathlon in the books. I'm not sure which one.

My final goal is to complete P90x2 with my wife. We are in week two and its different and a great home training system. We finally ended the YMCA membership as with Beachbody (distributor of P90x) there is no need for the clubs or YMCA. Those facilities are great in their own way but they just don't match the intensity or results as the training from P90x and that training guru Tony Horton gives you.

So I ask again what are your goals? Lose weight, get in shape, get some confidence or get that beach body ready for summer. Here in Florida its always beach body time. Make 2012 your time.