Ft Smith AR

The truck staging area for our delivery dock is about 1/4 mi from the receiving office. Later, the dock we backed into was even a bit farther away the other direction. People look at you strange if you run from place to place when most drivers complain about shuffling 50 feet. Nevertheless, I got in an easy mile or more to loosen up my muscles after yesterday's run.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Phenix AL

A great riverwalk runs along the Chattahoochie River in Columbus GA. I started this tempo run at a truckstop on the Alabama side. I ran downtown and crossed the river at the Columbus College campus, and headed down the river to another bridge. I got back to the truckstop just after dark. I stayed on my 10-minute pace well, even with some strong grades. 5.3 miles in 50 minutes. Nice temperature in the mid-50's.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Montgomery AL

Ran two miles tempo around the truckstop

46 and overcast
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I-10 in Mississippi

Weights in cab
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

North Little Rock AR

3 miles fartlek

Go ahead, ask.

50 degrees and sunny
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Medway OH

Ran 3.5 miles while doing laundry at our company's terminal. Run, wash. Run, dry. Run, fold. Run, put away.

The temperature was 33 and a driving snow was coming down.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I-81

I did weights in the truck today. Legs and back are sore from all the walking. BTW, pictures of our trip are up on our trucking blog: adventuretrucking.blogspot.com

New York City Macy's and Chelsea

We got up to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then checked out of the hotel. We decided on lunch at Chelsea's Market. After eating we made out way, via the PATH train, back to New Jersey.

5 miles walking

New York City Broadway

We covered some ground today also, seeing more of the stores, sites, and going out to dinner at the Oyster Bar (not the one in Grand Central Station) We also got a deal on some last-minute tickets to the Broadway show Wicked.

7 miles walking

New York City Rockettes

We walked to Radio City Music Hall, around the stores to look at the Christmas windows, and went out to dinner on Times Square.

6 miles

New York City Ellis Island

Today we were sore from yesterday. I ran a mile on the hotel's treadmill to work the kinks out. We then walked seven miles to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and went to Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn.

1 mile running
7 miles walking

NYC Walking Tour

By the time we made our way from New Jersey to New York City and got to our hotel on Times Square we were warmed up for our walking tour of the city. We went with a friend who volunteers for Big Apple Greeters. He is 82 years old and wore us both out.

12 miles walking

Harrison NJ

We plan to go to NYC tomorrow, but needed a hotel for the night. dropped Cindy off at the Hampton Inn and parked the truck at our yard. The run back was 4.25 miles. A cold wind was blowing with high humidity. Brrr

Milford CT

We parked at the Pilot Truckstop and I took off in the direction of the ocean, specifically Long Island Sound. After some light industry the neighborhood turned to a pleasant residential area. The main activity seemed to be finishing up fall leaf collection. Near the shore the homes were larger and made to take advantage of the view. The temperature was 43 with bright sun and a cold north wind.

I did better at maintaining a 10-minute pace, finishing 5 miles in 50 minutes
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Lima OH

Sprints in Walmart's parking lot.
30 degrees and snowing. Amazing change in weather from yesterday.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Orlando FL

Incidental running while delivering.
77 degrees and humid at 10:00 pm!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Kingsport TN

Ran 5.25 miles in an hour on the treadmill at the hotel near the Detroit Diesel shop.
I was disappointed as my goal for this tempo run was 10-minute miles. Oh well...
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Kingsport TN

Walked two miles. Legs are sore from yesterday. Walking definitely uses different muscles than running (or sleeping).

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Atkins VA

Our truck broke down again yesterday. Since the nearest shop is 70 miles away and does not open until Monday, we are spending a couple of nights in a motel.
Cindy and I walked eight miles today. We went from the hotel, up the Lee Highway to the tow company's yard, and part of the way back. One of the mechanics from the yard saw us and offered us a ride.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Carteret NJ

Sometimes there is not anywhere to run. While we were waiting for a load I decided the shipper's yard was not a good place to get in a few miles. Dodging hostlers and trucks and forklifts is not a way to endear yourself to a customer.
What to do? I jumped rope for two four-minute sets (try it) and did some push-ups and dips.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Cokeville WY

I ran a couple of miles to get back in the swing of things. It was 28 degrees and snowing. The altitude seemed to get to me. Cokeville is only at 6200 feet, but I was pretty winded when I got back to the truck.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Home Work

Would moving 5000 lbs of flagstone, 4000 lbs of river rock, yards of millings and soil, and dozens of pavingstones count as crosstraining for running a marathon? As sore as I have been, it is going to count in my book!

We did take Sunday off to go to church in Colorado Springs http://cwccs.org/ and to visit friends.

Frazier Park CA

We often has some time at the Flying J Truckstop in Frazier Park CA, just a bit north on LA on I-5. We wait there until appointment times in the LA basin because parking is tight down there. We have explored quite a bit of the surrounding area by bike, walks, and runs.

Today I ran two fast miles around the truckstop and up the road to the small mountain town of Fraizier Park.

Ripon CA

The Flying J Truckstop in Ripon CA has a grocery store and some restaurants only about a mile away. We highly recommend Esmerelda's Mexican Restaurant. Try their Mole Chicken.

If you are walking to food, does it count as exercise?

Two miles.

Cindy in Reno

Cindy does not enjoy running. She does like getting out of the truck and seeing some scenery, shopping, and checking out restaurants. We came up with a solution. Cindy does like walking and hiking. When we go out together, I will walk with her for a while, then take off running for a while. We both get exercise and get to spend time together.

Reno NV

There is a lake near the TA Truckstop in Reno NV. I think it used to be a quarry. Now a great path goes clear around the lake. A marina, shops and restaurants, and cute townhouses border one side of the lake. The other side of the lake has a playground, swimming areas, benches, and (of course) a casino.

Cindy came with me and I walk/ran four miles.

Lexington NE

Got in a quick 3 miles as the sun was going down. Temp was 46 degrees. I need to get my winter running gear into the truck when we get home next week!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Broke Still Down

Still at the airport hotel. The picture is of the distictive tower and curved roof of Lambert. I ran 2.25 miles on the treadmill while Cindy rode the exercise bike.

Broke Down Still

Our hotel downtown was full for Saturday night, so we took the train out to the airport and got a hotel out there. I wanted to check out the neighborhood, so I ran four miles on the streets around the hotel and Lambert Field Airport.

Still Broke Down

Shopping crosstraining means that your wife has a list, and you get some miles in walking. We took the Metrolink train around the area and did most of the shopping-with-your-sweetheart stuff. We window-shopped, bought some items so I could carry the bag, ate lunch at a bistro-style restaurant, enjoyed people watching and looking at nice houses near Washington University. I did not have to hang out by the changing room while Cindy tried on clothes, though. I figure at least eight miles of walking.

St Louis MO

One bad thing about having your truck in the shop is that you cannot make any money with it. One good thing about having your truck in the shop is that you can catch up on things that you have been meaning to take care of, but have not scheduled the time to get them done. You can catch up on bookkeeping for taxes, order some stuff off the internet, update your blogs, make phone calls and send emails, and get in some miles running.


We stayed at a hotel downtown. The temperature was a bit cool, 45 degrees, so I ran a mile on the treadmill in the hotel to warm up before taking to the streets and running another four miles for a total of five miles.

Honeydo Crosstraining

When we bought our house earlier this year, we knew that the Home Owner's Association would want us to do something about the unfinished project the previous owner had started in the backyard. I had hoped to get in some miles during our time at the house, but after moving almost three tons of flagstone, dirt, cinderblocks, and pea gravel, I decided to call it crosstraining.

Portland OR

After dropping our loaded trailer in Portland and hooking up to another loaded trailer in Clackamas, I decided to run a quick mile around the truckstops in Troutdale. So I did.

I wonder if I could have improved my pace by taping twenty dollar bills to my body and letting the homeless people and prostitutes chase me around? Some trucker desperate for diesel would have caught me instead, I would imagine.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Salt Lake City UT

While doing some minor repairs on our truck, I took some time to put in an easy mile around the Flying J truckstop.

Grand Island NE

 

The Bosselman's truckstop is only a mile away from a state recreation area. My legs were still a bit sore from yesterday's run, but I ran over to the park, to the end of the lake, and back to the truckstop. 2.4 miles, two chigger bites, one appreciative glance from a girl in a pickup with low standards, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Oak Grove KY

br>Subject: Oak Grove KY

The sun rose over a cool and fresh Nashville as I hooked a trailerload of tires.
"A perfect morning for a run," I thought as we rolled north out of town toward Chicago.

By the time I parked the truck at the Flying J in Oak Grove KY, the sun was well up with the temperature in the mid-sixties.
I ran about three miles into town and back again. Not quite at six miles when I reached the truck, I took a lap around the truckstop to finish at 6.2 miles.

The farmers have been harvesting corn in this area. Cindy and I enjoy this time of year, watching the harvest crews work their way across the country.

Beto Junction KS

This morning we had a load that needed to go 2600 miles in about 49 hours. Not much extra time for running.

I did, however, run a fast mile after fueling at the T/A Truckstop in Beto Junction KS. On my first lap I got the usual response from the drivers starting their day. They stared in horrid fastination at the chubby, half-naked runner in their midst. On the second pass, though, the same drivers greeted me brightly.

Cindy thinks they just needed a little time to get used to the idea.

Mill City NV

Our truck needed an oil change today, so I did some desert running. OK, it was actually down the frontage road of I-80, but it was in the desert.

The plan was to run 5 miles, but a large, unchained monster of a dog whoofed me before I reached 2.5 miles. By the time I got back to the truck I was at four miles and called it a day.

Lincoln NE

The company we drive for has a yard in Lincoln NE. I planned to stop for a run on their treadmill. Cindy said I should include a picture on the room, because most people have not seen the inside of a trucker exercise room, including most truckers.

Sacramento CA

How about a cross-training day? Whenever Cindy is in the mood to ride our tandem bike, I plan to adjust my schedule to suit her fancy. We rode out of the Sacramento 49er Truckstop to the Sacramento Riverway. The ride took us to Old Town, then up one of the channels of the river.

Another sunny day, we say lots of boats out on the river, including a "Duck". These tourist vehicles drive down the road on wheels, then into the water to get a different view.

Check out pictures of the duck on our trucking blog: http://adventuretrucking.blogspot.com


We rode fifteen miles on the bike. It seems like I should count some of the miles toward my total. Until I do further research I think three miles on the bike might equal one mile of running. I guess. So a total of five miles toward weekly total.

On the Road to Chicago

Today I used the weights in the truck while we were driving. Now that is multitasking.

Portland OR

Today we had to wait most of the day for a load about 110 miles away in Springfield OR. I was sore from yesterday's run, in my quads and knees, but hated to waste a day off. Cindy and I walked downtown for a couple of miles, near the convention center. Afterward we walked five miles up and down Collins Beach on Sauvie Island. Portland was having a beautiful, clear, late-summer day.

I suppose I could credit my total for about seven miles.

Salt Lake City UT

We had to wait about five hours for a load in Salt Lake City UT today. What a great time to start building milage so I can start a formal training program. Most programs start with the assumption that you are running about 25 miles per week before you begin training for your marathon.

I have been running more like ten miles a week.

I started at the Pilot Truckstop off I-80, exit 118. Dodging the wary glances from 300 pound truck drivers, I donned my running gear and took off down N Temple. I had seen that there was a river toward downtown and hoped I could find a path next to the water.

The Utah state fairgrounds are also on the river, and the fair is just getting underway. I found the path, the Jordan River Parkway, and headed north. I was paying attention to my stride. I know I am turning my right foot outward as it comes forward, and I have been hitting heel-first. Both are no-nos. I continued on the path until 700n, and went west to Redwood, then south. My pedometer stopped working for about eight minutes, and I would have been back at the truckstop showing 4.2 miles on the display. I decided I wanted to actually see the five on the display for the first time since I broke my ankle, so I ran down N Temle to the airport and back. The pedometer read 5.44 miles, so I am counting 6 miles for today.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mr&dirflg=w&ie=UTF8&ll=40.779112,-111.933646&spn=0.031002,0.076904&z=14

paste in browser to see the area

Longer Runs

As a teenager, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in my life. One of the items was to run a marathon, pretty ambitious for someone who did not like to run.



In 2005 I decided to "treat" myself for my 40th birthday. I would train for, and run, my marathon. I could finally get that sucker off my list. I trained for about four months, with the help of a friend who was about to run his 10th marathon.



I chose the PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon in Phoenix AZ in early 2006. A choice that most truck drivers would consider inadvisable (aka "crazy". (aka "what the heck were you thinking you nutcase?")) The last quarter of any year is when the money is made in trucking. The stores need to be filled with food and consumer goods for Thanksgiving and for Christmas, not to mention that companies are trying to reach end-of-the-year sales goals. Time to take care of deliveries is tight, and time off is rare.



In any event, I set my goal to finish the 26.2 miles (42.1km) before the street sweeper overran me. The course has a seven-hour limit. I made it in 4:48!

One unfortunate thing happened, though. Along the way, while trying to learn about running and marathons, I read an article that said most 1st-time marathoners do not run a second marathon. Something like 95% or so make one attempt and never try again. I thought to myself, "Self, we can do better than that." Self should have rose up and smote me about the head and shoulders for such a thought. Self was in a quite mood that day, I guess. Self is in for it now, though. The original plan was to stay in "marathon shape" for a while and take care of number two. A broken foot and ankle, then a round of cluster headaches put the cabash on that idea. (What is a cabash? Why do you put it places?)

Minimally displaced fracture of the distal tibia involving the medial malleous, avulsial fracture of the talus, and osteochondral fracture of the talus. I paid to learn these cool words and I plan to use them! It really means a broken ankle and foot.

The trigeminal nerve. The nasty looking critter is responsible, or at least involved in, cluster headaches. More information is available at http://clusterheadaches.com/ if you are bored or enjoy hearing about pain. I advise you to go on with your life instead.

Now, I (and self) are not in marathon shape. Now comes the crunch time: train and complete the second marathon. Also: do not read any articles about running that imply you are a wimp if you do not run at least three marathons.

Welcome to my journey,

Danny