What Happened to Sporty Dad?

It’s been a while since I have posted anything about being a sporty dad, but that does not mean I have been living the sporty dad life…(that sounds weird). Since my last Sporty Dad post, I have run a few races, did a Spartan race, and I did not run the Chicago marathon. That is the one race I was sad I did not run, but maybe I'll do it again in the future. So here is what went down last year.

How do you define aging? #DadsDisruptAging

Disclaimer: The following post is sponsored by Disrupt Aging from AARP. All thoughts, opinions and body pains are my own. 

Have you ever thought about why you do the things you do? For me, it's trying to be athletic and show my children how athletic I am, but that has not always been the story. I was never much of an athlete when I was younger. I ran around with my friends playing games like freeze tag, and hide-n-seek, but never anything too strenuous. When I went to high school, I joined a few teams, but not being physically fit, my high school athletic career did not advance at all. After graduation, I started thinking that I passed my prime. I passed my time to be fit and to be athletic, but all that changed when I had my daughter.

Just Keep Running, Just Keep Running! (Sporty Dad 110)

On October 8th I joined about 45,000 other runners to run the city for the 40th Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The marathon has gone through a few different name changes, but the goal of all the runners is the same: to finish. Whereas last year I trained like a machine to run the marathon, this year my training was not up to par and I was nervous about how things were going to turn out. 

It's time to start running again!

Last year's Shamrock Shuffle

Next Sunday, April 2, I will be running in my fourth Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. I will be running with thousands of other runners throughout Chicago's downtown area and celebrating the beginning of the running season. Last year I ran the race in a pair of Lee Khakis just because they were so flexible and comfortable. This year, I don't know how I'll dress, but if you follow us on Instagram, you will probably see a picture or two of the run.

So why do I run? Why would I wake up early on a Sunday morning and run 5 miles? Well, one reason is: "Why not?" Why not take advantage of the time you have on this planet and go out and do something new and different that you have never done before. I like the notion of running on these busy downtown streets without the worries of cars hitting me when I am crossing the streets. It is also exciting to see all the people cheering you on as you run through the city and getting that rush when you cross the finish line. Yeah, I can't wait for that moment.

Lessons from Dad 2.0 Summit in Washington D.C.

By the time you read this I will already be home. Depending on the day I post this I might be doing laundry, working at one of my two jobs or just hanging out with my children. The Dad 2.0 summit would have been over and everything has returned back to normal. 

Don’t get me wrong I am happy with everything going back to normal. The weekend of the summit feels so rushed and busy that I feel better with the slowed down pace of my home life. I enjoy soaking in all the moments with my family at home. As much I as am happy to be home though, I am also sad that the Summit has ended too fast.

Run like the wind or Look at me trying to be sporty 104

I know that is not how the songs goes, but it would have been strange to title this post "Run like the wind, Bullseye!" because I am not a fast runner like Bullseye the horse was. Since our last episode, I am still training for the upcoming Chicago Marathon.

The program I am on has me running 4 to 5 days a week and it has not always gone as planned. There have been a few hiccups here and there, but what has been bothering me lately is my running playlist.

I ran how many miles? or "Look at me trying to be Sporty 102"

First off, as you can see, this episode of me being a Sporty Dad is sequentially numbered from the previous ones. I felt that I needed to start doing this, because with the numbers going everywhere, I did not want people to think that I was traveling through time doing all of these events. So from this day forth, the numbers will be in order. 

Running in my Khakis...Yeah, it Happened! "Look at Me Trying to be Sporty #101"

Last month I wrote a post for Lee Jeans about their new X-Treme Khakis. In that post I wrote about how comfortable these khakis were and that "I am seriously thinking about doing my next run while wearing them." Well, my next run was the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle and here's my story of how I ran it in my khakis. 

Running the Polar Dash or Look at me trying to be sporty again.

If you remember in my last sporty dad post, I wrote about the Spartan Race that I ran and did not finish. After that day I said to myself that I will train harder, go back and complete the race. I decided that I am going to chronicle this return to Spartan and share with all of you my process in getting ready for that day.  So here begins my #RoadBackToSpartan

Why do I torture myself?

See that picture above? That is the only picture taken of me during the Spartan Super that I ran last weekend on August 15, 2015.  While I may look like I'm doing good in that picture, things did not turn out that way. Look at me. I'm covered in mud. I look out of breath and I could probably pass out at any minute, so why do I do this to myself?

Let the running season begin!

The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K is considered the beginning of the running season in Chicago and this will be my second year running it.  Now, for me, keeping in running form over the winter is kind of hard, but I try to make sure that I am somewhat ready for this fun race.

Busy Weekend or Look at me trying to be Sporty part 6

Just like The Roots, you're probably thinking "What happened to parts 1-5?"  Well, let's just say that I have been doing a lot of runs and obstacle course races.  I have been doing so many that I have not been able to keep up with writing them on the site, but I had to share this experience with you.

My First 5K or Look at Me Trying to be Sporty.

A few posts ago I said that I am going to start being a little more active in my life.  With a second child arriving in April, I feel I need to be in better shape to have the energy to keep up with my job, my children and my day to day life.  So I signed up for my first 5K and said to myself "Let's do this!"

Push it to the Limit!

I hope that title has gotten the song "Push it to the Limit" by  Paul Engemann in your head right about now.  If you don't remember that song, think of the montage scene in Scarface with all the money laundering, the wedding and the tiger.  Ok, do you have the song in your head now? Good, let's go!

Warrior Dash Update

With the Warrior Dash less than a week away here is a quick update on how my training is going....not too well.  It seems like last year I was able to do a lot more in terms of exercising.  This year it feels like the opposite.  Although I do feel better mentally and physically than I did last year, there is just something that is making me a little nervous about this coming Sunday.

I still have a few days to get in some last minute runs, but we will just have to wait and see how things play out.  One thing I am upset about is the fact that I can not grow a full viking-like beard for the run. Instead, I have to settle for these Wolverine-ish mutton chops that I have now. 

Wish me luck!