Kevin: Day 5107

Day 5107. All I can think about physically today is my throat. It went from totally fine one second, to very sore on the lower left side when swallowing the next. I was incredibly concerned at first and am still concerned, but figure we'll see how it feels in the morning. It did happen right when I had paused from eating and perhaps I had scarfed something down too fast. I've gotten a little carried away over the past yeat with the practice of, "feeding", as opposed to eating. I often eat quick and for sustenance and nutritional purposes, not so much for the experience or taste.

One of the mantras that runs through my head is that a few minutes of pleasure, like eating a real hamburger, i.e., one that has a bun, are not worth it in comparison to the benefits of eating well and feeling and looking well all day every day. I have added sweets into the mix on the weekend, and they can get a little out of hand. But, I have found that I've still been able to refrain from cake, cookies, or ice cream on weekdays. I have drawn a somewhat hardline and it has worked. 

Today was Fina's first day of Pre-K4. It was odd. I didn't feel too emotional on the surface. But, the second I walked away I had to hold back the tears. I haven't done it yet, but I was thinking it might be helpful to find a moment of solice and tap into those emotions and let those tears flow.I think the moment may have passed though. 

It was hot today. I was able to squeeze in a free weight workout and 4 mile or so run. My schedule is still not in my control with baby Merrick. Nothing too substantial to point out today. My run down North Cap to New York Ave was a little later in the morning than normal. With the later time, there were more of the homeless or downtrodden individuals on the street. I can't get a feel for whether this is getting worse or staying the same, but I'm pretty confident it has not improved.

Guess that's about it for today. Streak on.

4.2 miles down

6 dogs

Kevin: Day 5101

Day 5101. Nothing remarkable this morning. On runs like today's, if I don't write a recap right after the run, I tend to forget the highlights, if any. It is actually a nice thing to be able to somewhat meditate or shut off your mind while jogging. At the very least, I find it almost impossible to run without some type of positive energy ignition. 

So, let me think. I know I ran to North Capitol Street and then back and by the McMillan Sand Filtration Plant. But, what happened along the way. I did see some random memorial by a tree with a ripped oil painting with a post-it sticker reading, "my husbands, don't touch". There was also an American Flag decorative wood plank with a post-it that read, "my flag, don't touch". There were various other scrap items, some candles, and fake flowers. 

I noticed there was an absence of human acknowledgement today. Typically a run coincides with a fair amount of eye contact and head nods. Running by, is much less awkward than walking by, when it comes to acknowledging strangers. There's little contemplation of how much contact is appropriate. It's ridiculous how much I think of that when walking. I typically notice people at least a good 20 yards a way and then proceed to keep my head and eyes focused downward or off to the side. Meanwhile the entire time I am thinking about the person and when I am going to acknowledge. I usually pull up a little early resulting in a kind of eye contact/head nod pump fake. This kind of serves as an opener. Then a few steps later the stranger is ready for the real thing. But how long do you hold eye contact?

Kevin: Day 5100

Day 5100. It's cliche yet true. It is amazing how time flies. How focus shifts from one pursuit or task to another. Last week, I said to myself that I'd try to start blogging a bit again. The key word was a bit. In the recent past, recent being in terms of a 14 year old blog, I have attempted to jump back into writing blog entries full throttle after time away. But times have changed. In 2008, my responsibilities were different as were my feelings towards the blog. In 2008, I looked forward to run recaps. For the past decade or so, the blog was often an afterthought or entirely forgotten. The running streak is no longer something I cling to as part of my identity. At least not the way it was then. 

The running streak is now just a part of me. It's difficult to find something to compare to that is not theoretically a must, yet is something I have done daily and won't compromise on doing daily for over a decade. I can't think of anything, and certainly not something that takes a minimum of 10 minutes or so of my day. 

Where am I going with this? I don't know. I guess I'm just typing out loud. 

Since last week I have found myself in a pretty good groove. I've been finding ways to get my runs in early. The physical difference in morning runs versus later day runs is minimal. The difference psychologically is immense. For one, I go from either feeling great about accomplishing the task early on, to dreading the thought of not completing it. It's not that I don't enjoy the later day runs, I have literally not gone on a run ever, and felt worse after... I think. If I did, I have long since suppressed that memory

Regardless, morning runs just get you going. 

Even better than just running, is getting in resistance training. I hadn't lifted a weight or done pull ups since Merrick was born. Yesterday, and today I did. 

I wrote a few running companies today. (Runner's World only picks testers that live in Easton, PA) I get a new pair of running shoes maybe once or twice a year. I almost never get new running clothes. Companies have test teams. The test team writes reviews on sneakers after a minimum of wearing them for 100 miles. New nice running shoes every 100 would be sick. The disparity between cheap running shoes and the pricey ones is huge. It would also be extra incentive to bank more miles. And... to keep track of those miles with more blog entries. 

Time will tell.

3.5 miles today

9 dogs

Kevin: Day 5093

Day 5093. Pretty solid run this morning. Since Merrick was born at the end of May, my schedule has been thrown for a loop. Prior to May 26th, I was in one of the better fitness grooves of my life. A large part of this groove was predicated on diet. Since we last reminisced, I have adopted a low carb diet. Perhaps you could call it Meditaketo, with pizza allowed most any day and sweets, most often ice cream, allowed on the weekend. I'm not sure how long, but for several months I went pure Keto.

For a long time my weight had hovered somewhere around 210-215lbs. Now, I'm in the 200-205lb range. It seems small, but it's not. Along with the diet change I have incorporated quite a bit of new wrinkles into my lifestyle:

- push ups on most days. I can do 100 in a row now. My record, I think is 117 straight

- I had been doing dumbbell workouts, pull ups, and sit ups.. but this tapered off in May.

- Intermittent fasting typically somewhere from 7-9pm to 12-3pm. 

- No processed foods or drinks

- Try to, often fail, at cutting off technology, cell phone, when in bed and reading instead *the dichotomy between how I feel in the morning after bedtime with cell phone usage vs without is tremendous. 

- No Juice

- Try for all organic and grass fed

- Green tea in the morning, Chamomile tea at night

And certainly some other things I'm forgetting. No milk... not easy. 

All of this has improved my thinking and energy, as expected if you think about it. The challenge is simple and known. Can you identify your habits and routines. Then, can you be consistent in changing the ones that need work. So much of what I do is on autopilot. For example, a few months ago I opened up my freezer. There were Dove Chocolate Ice Cream Bars in there. Without hesitation, I instinctively reached for the bar. If I hadn't put a no dessert rule in place, it would have been over. I wouldn't have thought twice and would have crushed that bar. Instead, I, wait for it... had a conscious moment and pulled back. You have to put black and white barriers in place. Sometimes certain circumstances can and should change these barriers, but not often. Child birth is a pretty valid routine changer, in my mind. Although, there are certainly individuals that don't bend even for child birth. 

This morning it was my turn to feed Merrick sometime around 5:30am. Afterwards, I saw a nice little window/opportunity and grabbed a hold of it. I got some push ups in, laced up, and headed out the door. I ran to New York Avenue and back, about 2.5 miles. I haven't been getting in many 5+ milers recently. Perhaps with Serafina back in school, those opportunities will arise again.

As I hit the turn at New York Avenue I looked up and saw a rainbow. I don't know what the alleged significance of a morning rainbow is if any, but they are certainly rare and a pleasant addition to a beautiful early day run. When I got back home I was able to get some other household odd jobs done and truly felt a sense of normalcy that's been elusive this summer. 

2.5 miles down

4 dogs

Kevin: Day 4,043

Day 4,043. I'm sitting here in our living room/sun room area. There is no sun. It's a little after 5am and the sun doesn't come out to see us as early these days. It's tough on the streak/my schedule when we get to these seasons with less light in the morning. Nicole doesn't like me going out for runs in the dark. I don't blame her. 

I don't know how many people are like me, but it's ridiculous that something so simple can alter my day so greatly. I mean, come on man, take care of some other tasks you have on your plate. I am a sucker for routines. I don't know if sucker is the right word. What I'm meaning to say is, if I have something that is a routine, like a run to start my day; I'm almost paralyzed from completing other tasks until that run has taken place. Unless I actively say to myself, "think about what other stuff you have to do."

Is this normal? I wish I had a mental autopilot function for completing tasks, no matter what they are. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to install that as we go, but for now; if it's not on the schedule... it might not get done. 

Another element may be needing to add a sense of urgency/better notion of timing. I hate when people are late, but often find myself pushing the limit on making it to appointments on time. I always want to be better. I always fault myself for what I am struggling with. And unless I am having extreme success, I tend to diminish any successes/accomplishments that I have achieved. The human brain is complicated my friends. And all of our minds are different.

Ok, that was a bit of a tangent; but helped to clear my mind, for a moment at least. 

Running. It has been maybe the most consistent distant month of my life. I may have forgotten other times that I was on a stretch like this, but even if so; it's been a long time. And this time, it's a new approach. Last June 1st, we welcomed Serafina to the world. Since then, the streak has had to accommodate to mesh with the schedule and demands of young Fina. We moved in May. Our house is across the street from an old industrial site. One lap around this site is ~.9 miles. I have never been a runner that could consistently run on a track or a treadmill, but running around this site has given me a re-birth of distance. 

I am now able to run around this site until my wife calls me to let me know Fina is up. Some days I get in 10 laps before she's up, some days it's not even 1. Running laps around the site has enabled me to keep accurate distance totals and more importantly, allowed me to push myself to get in extra mileage. If I'm 6 laps in, what's another lap? When I'm 7 in, why not go for 8?

I do miss the adventure that, "there and back", runs tend to bring; but there is also something nice about the consistency of occurrences when taking laps. There is a whole slew of people that I encounter multiple times a week and have become, "wave buddies". Or at least, "head nod buddies". 

It's amazing how much the simple gesture of waving can do to change the dynamic between two would be strangers. It doesn't work in every encounter, but overwhelmingly, a simple wave an acknowledgment tends to create a short burst of comradery. I love it. 

Run TBJ.

Kevin: Day 3857

Day 3857. Nothing too memorable from this one, just getting it in the books. A quick little dity from 11th St to North Capitol. Listened to a podcast from Levi Dalton along the way. Levi's show is called, "I'll Drink to That", and is the most interesting wine related podcast I've come across. The guy knows his stuff and asks great questions. He gets amazing guests on the show. 

3.2 miles down

8 dogs

Kevin: Day 3855 & 3856

Day 3855 & 3856. A couple somewhat similar runs. Here en lies the problem with waiting a little to blog these days.My short term memory is a little bit iffy. I cannot remember for sure if yesterday's run included a baby or not. I am searching through different places that I went during the run, digging for a clue. I am literally doing this as I type. Stopped by The Capitol Building, went kind of close to the Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin, past the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, etc... but did this all happen with a jogging stroller. I think it did. 

Today is a bit more memorable, more fresh. Nicole was not feeling so hot; so Fina and I walked her over to urgent care in Dupont. She had a sinus infection last week and seemed like the antibiotics weren't quite pulling their weight. 

The baby and I headed down 17th street to the National Mall, banging a right on Constitution. Along the way we avoided hordes of tourists and people streaming back from what must've been The Cherry Blossom 10 miler. It was frustrating. It shouldn't have been frustrating. Some days and stretches of time I am better at compartmentalizing minor annoyances. Writing helps with this. It enables a bit of reflection. Why are you getting annoyed that Jane, Jim, Jack and Brad Doe do not understand the unwritten rules of DC sidewalk etiquette?

Yes, it's annoying when people walk 5 wide across a sidewalk and do little to move out of the way for a man with a stroller. But who cares? Don't let it bring you down. Move over and move on. Right? Right. So it's Sunday night, we had a great family weekend including a Costco trip!!, I had two fantastic long jogs, and the blog (at least for the moment) is back. Life is good. 

13.6 miles (combined)

19 dogs

Kevin: Day 3854

Day 3854. So.... I had a baby. And a new streak of daily unbridled attention to Serafina Maria Rapp has taken over my life, sine her arrival on June 1st, 2018. It's been amazing. She is sweet, smart, adorable, you name it; she's got it. Such a ridiculously proud dad. 

As with many things in life there are trade offs. With the baby, my trade off has been taking part in any activities past 7pm on most nights. The streak has survived and I am more thankful for it than ever. Distances have been abysmal, BUT... after acquiring a BOB jogging stroller for $100 on Craigslist 2 weeks ago... there is hope. Serafina loves going out on runs and the weather is getting warmer. Dad is about to get back in shape. 

I've started to do some Facebook Live videos for our wine company and was about to say maybe I'll do some videos for the blog. But... mid type I thought to myself; ehhh... I mean, maybe I'll do a video here and there, but who am I kidding? This is my first blog post since last May! It's April!!!

Oh man. I often say to myself, you can do it. You can get back to blogging everyday. And then, almost a year goes by without blogging. Not without running though! I have one neighbor, Jordan, who doesn't believe me. He loves asking me like a second and third time in a row with his head cocked to the side making semi-extreme eye contact, "Come on... have you really never missed a day???". Yes, Jordan, it's really only 1.5 miles. 

Anyhow, today Serafina and I went for a quick 2.3 miles or so into The Truxton Circle area near 1229 New Jersey Ave NW. Decent trot in a light drizzle. 

9 dogs

2.3 miles down