What have I learned after close to six months of running?

It's time for another recap of all the things I've learned and general observations since the madness of training for a half marathon/quitting smoking began.

- Running is still boring and it is still amazing to me what my mind will think about while on the treadmill (although if you've read my blog, you probably have a good idea of the stupid stuff i sometimes ponder) I've started listening to more music on the treadmill rather than watch tv.  I could definitely use some good music suggestions so feel free to comment, email, call, text, etc. with any good stuff for me to download

-The confident part of my brain wants me to consider what my pose will be when I cross the finish line.  Will I put my arms up in victory? Should I try and play it cool like it's not my first half-marathon?

-The not so confident part of my brain (also known as the normal part) wonders how much knee replacements cost and why the hell I thought this would be a good idea

-It is really hard to get motivated to run after a really long day.  Although, I didn't really learn this...because I already knew it was going to be hard to get motivated even on a great day!

-Getting ready for this half-marathon is one of the few things that has worked to keep me from starting smoking again.  The sad truth is that if it weren't for this training, I would have started smoking again months ago!

-I really need to make sure to warm up before I start my runs.  When I warm up runs go better, when I don't I feel like crap.  Simple as that!

-I am definitely too self-conscious about running outside and people seeing me look like a dumbass...but I'll have to get over that soon.

-I've learned that blogging is alot of fun for me (and hopefully entertaining for anyone reading it) and that I enjoy trying to figure out how to get new readers.  Also, I obsess over who could be reading my blog from other countries. 

-I've known, but have been reminded, that I have an amazing group of family and friends that I extremely supportive

-I am now running about 4 miles without dying...I still need to get to 13.1 and I'm still nervous that I won't make it

Has anyone ever run a half marathon hung over?

Before Mel Gibson went crazy, he was in the awesome Lethal Weapon movies.  Mel's partner in the movie, Danny Glover, is close to retirement and has to take on Mel as a partner because no one else wants to be partnered with him (we should take a moment to analyze Mel Gibson's craziness.  Was he always a racist, Anti-Semitic, lunatic and he just stopped being good at hiding it? Or, did he become crazy over the course of years?  It is also interesting that in the first Lethal Weapon movie, the climactic scene involves Mel Gibson fighting....Gary Busey!!  For those of you who don't know...Gary Busey has also turned crazy over the years.  So, to recap, two actors that played crazy people in Lethal Weapon are now actually crazy!)   Why bring up Lethal Weapon?  Because I frequently find myself feeling like Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies.  His catch phrase in the movie is "I'm too old for this shit".  Most recently, my Danny Glover moments have involved any attempt at consuming alcohol.  I've never been a big drinker, but it used to be that I could have a few drinks and not have to worry about it the next day.  These days, if I have a few drinks, my head is hurting the whole next day.  Recently, I went to a local brewpub and tried the beer they served with the highest alcohol content.  It's not hard to predict that this lead to a Danny Glover moment the next morning. 

Unfortunately, my ability to recover from drinking may have an impact on my half-marathon attempt.  A few days after registering for the half-marathon, I received a save the date magnet for a wedding in the mail.  You probably already guessed that the wedding is the day before the race.  I'm a fan of going to weddings.  There aren't too many events like that were everyone is celebrating and happy.  I'm definitely excited for this one, because I've known the person for a long time.  I'm just bummed that I won't be able to really "celebrate"!  I don't think it is a good idea for me to have any alcohol the day before the race (I haven't done any official research on the matter...just guessing).  Especially, when you consider the fact that I have become old and far too susceptible to day after drinking grogginess.  Let's just hope I don't get too caught up in the joy of the wedding and decide to try to run the half-marathon with a hangover!

Why are there so many conspiracies?

I don't remember our country having the level of paranoia that we seem to have.  It seems that everyday I'm hearing about something new.  Is Osama Bin Laden dead (yes, praise God!)?  People refuse to believe it without seeing pictures.  Was Obama born in the USA? Donald Trump and all sorts of dumbasses must see a birth certificate because they got a mass email that told them that Obama was lying! Did George Bush plan 9/11? People saw video of the planes and terrorists took credit for the attack yet people still don't believe it. Is that Comcast Xfinity commercial some sort of brainwashing/mind control?? OK, I made that conspiracy up but I think that answer is yes...i can't get the song out of my head...It's fun for you! It's fun for me! Come on everyone blindly spend their money on higher cable bills! 

It used to be that there were two good conspiracies.  Did aliens crash at Roswell and who really killed JFK? Now, it's like people got bored and have to turn everything into a conspiracy.  Our country has some serious trust issues!  I guess I can understand some level of questioning authority and government...but I think we have waded into the territory of ridiculousness.

Our new conspiracy culture has forced me to change my plans regarding running this half marathon.  Originally, I wanted no photo evidence of my attempt to go from heavy smoker to completing a half marathon.  I didn't find it necessary to document my tired, sweaty, pathetic face for all to see.  Unfortunately, I also don't want to be accused of not completing my intended goal!  What if Donald Trump decides to target me??  "Michael Ramsey needs to prove that he completed that half-marathon!" So, I now need to consider how to document my half-marathon training/attempt.     

Do runners shave II?

Blogging has been a cool experience so far.  There is something cool about spewing thoughts and having other people read them.  It's also awesome when people share their thoughts in comments section.  One of most interesting things about having a blog is that I can see how many people have read the blog and how they got here.  Admittedly, most of the people that read my blog get here via my facebook page where I post when I have a new entry.  People can follow the blog or subscribe to get the blog emailed to them, but most clicks come from facebook.  I am happy to say that I do have an international following! So, welcome readers from Canada, Russia, the United Kingdom, Italy, China, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and Finland, who probably accidentally clicked on my blog.  The really interesting part (at least to me) is that many people end up doing a google search to find out if runners shave their bodies and end up at my blog!  It makes me feel somewhat guilty that people are trying to find out actual information and end up reading my rambling blog and the entry I posted earlier about whether I was supposed to shave my body before the half marathon.  It makes me wonder what other phrases I could include in my blog that would get people to end up here.  If I mention "Royal Wedding" will that lead to thousands of clicks on my blog??  If I mention Sarah Palin or Barrack Obama, will that increase my readership??  I'm not sure but to those of you that happen to be looking for accurate information on whether runners shave their bodies, I apologize for not giving you any idea what to do.  I can tell you that when I attempt to run the half marathon in September, I do not intend to shave my body (but i have been considering shaving my head).