SO as i am about to go for a run, i am reminded of the last time i went running/stalked. Ok let me start from the beginning. Running is a very lonely activity and that is what i like and dislike about it at the same time. SO, i was running and saw another person running in the same direction that i was running!!!!!! SO of course i made it into a game. My game was to to try and catch him. He was running faster than me, so it  was a challenging game:)

He looked back at me half way through the run and when he saw me he did nothing and kept running, but as I made every turn that he did he started to pick up the pace. Now i don’t know if it was because of me, but it was pretty convincing that it was. He kept looking over his shoulder as if to say……”are you still there” or “who is this guy” or “get the hint go away”

Well i did not get the hint and did not go away. I was at this point following him where ever he was going, it was fun and really forgot i was running.  I had know idea where i was a t this point as I was following him. Eventually i had to break off and go back home as I was lost and only can run so long on my foot.

However, the whole time i was thinking of funny things to do when this other runner would turn around. here are a couple: BTW would love to hear Any of your funny things to do or say.

1. Slice my throat with my hand
2. Two handed wave
3. Say ” i see you”
4. Dart out of the way in the bushes every-time he turns around
5. “HEY you, do you have any friends”
6. “can i follow you home”
7. What’s your address, i will meet you at your house”

~dzob

While I was running I was thinking about what super power I would have if I could have one and it has always been mind control. Because I thought that if I was in a fight with another super hero I would win hands down. They want to burn me with fire, I can control them and say, “no you don’t”

But as I was running I saw this guy; We has about 45 and had on Khaki shorts, t-shirt and sweat shirt overtop kind of sloppy looking, but not dirty. He had a dunkin donuts back and coffee in one hand and his cell phone on his belt, but here is the weird thing, he was trying to hitch a ride. So that got me thinking…..what is his situation. Did his car break down and he stopped for a doughnut and coffee or is that cup and bag really old and there are drugs inside.

My mind starting going some strange places and that is when I realized that my new super power would want to know other peoples situations. Who they are, why are they here, etc. It is killing me that I don’t know that guys story.

So, i have not written in a while and I  know all two of you are upset that you could not get my daily rant or running story…well i am back to running and back to tell a story (YES!!!)

SO I tore my Achilles Heel and I went to see an orthopedic doctor and he told me to stay off of it for about a month and than get physical therapy. That month seemed liked the longest month in the history of longest months. after my LONG month I went to PT and saw a great doctor who started to give me some exercises to do and I asked “When can i get back to running?” his response “probably not for another month or two”……OR TWO!!!!!! about two weeks later he had me walking and eventually jogging. YES!!! I said i am back….well sort of.

He looked at the way that i was jogging and said “HUH….run some more……HUH, interesting.”

That did not sound good so i asked him what was wrong and he said “the way you run is weird and no wonder you got injured and he have to fix it” so basically my whole life I have been running stupid!!! SO we fixed it and i have to stretch before I run which I never did before….SO i have been running for about a month now for 2o minutes non stop, which has been great.

This morning I run for 23 minutes….30 minutes here I come!

Oh and I had to get fitted for “REAL RUNNING” shoes and they feel like a glove and now I don’t want to wear anything else. They are amazing, exspensive, but amazing. thanks for listening!!!

~dzob

SO of course the snow did not stop me from running. I went running on Tuesday near my parents house and it was a great run. I love running in the cold, it is so much better than running when it is hot. however not all of the sidewalks were clear, so i had to run in the road for the most of it. SO here is my problem, why are not all the sidewalks clear!?!?!?! I mean it was three days after the storm, get outside and clear your walk. I had to do it, in fact i had to do it twice, but i did it becasue that is what you do. If it is too heavy or you cannot lift it than you pay someone to do it. Either way you need to clear your walk.

Yesterday i went running as well, and the same problem. Except these where sidewalks on major roads that should have been clear, like a 695 overpass and walk on the Harford Rd. I had to run in the road and have cars honk at me. What was I supposed to do about it. I am not walking in a foot of snow.

Ok that is all setting you up for what happened in the snow, with ice, sidewalks and you guessed it my good ol friend the barking dog. SO i was running on a sidewalk that was mostly clear and really focused because when the snow starts to melt it freezes over night giving you ice. SO i really have to watch the walk to make sure that i do not slip or to jump or run around it. As I said i was focused! and out of nowhere this dog starts barking as if i just kicked him and was attacking it’s owner and it scared me. So i turn, look, and stop all at the same time and….you guessed it…..I …….hit some ice. and completely fell on my running ass. As it happened i cursed the house, snow, ice, and sidewalk.

I am ok, but…….those damn dogs

~dzob

So last week i was running in the woods and it was raining and the trail i was running in was muddy and I slipped in the water 4 times and I loved every minute of it! That is the best running. My shoes where wet, my shoes where muddy, my hair was socked, and my legs where covered in mud, and I loved it!

But that is not the point of the story, I am just setting the scene.

So I was running and I was tired and I was wet and I look up and see there is someone else in the woods (which makes me nervous….because why are they there. I know why I am here, but they were not running) and i see more that it is a couple and they are walking there 1, 2, 3, 4…..5 DOGS!!!!! i run by them and the dogs bark, but they did do mutch after that. SO i run up this huge hill and turn around to come back on the same trail and i see two of the dogs running up after me!!!! Where are the owners?

the dogs run away, so i thought, ffffeeewwww. and as i am running past the couple and the insane amount of dogs and then……..i see one is braking away from the pack and chasing me….so i have to cross a little stream on this trail and my thought is that there is no way the dog will follow…………..I was wrong. I t came with me barking and basically at my heels….so i stop…look at the dog……..and i hear the owners say “come back here” “Come BACK here” “COME BACK HERE” and it did not do anything. It just looked at me and I was looking at him. For what seemed like 5 min. Eventually i started to run and the dog ran back to its owners…WTF Dog owners. Leash your dog or at least control your dogs. This comes form every scared runner, walker, and passer by. “I DON”T KNOW YOUR DOG IS FRIENDLY” So stop telling me that after it has already scared me and is 2 inches in front of me.

~dzob

So last week I went for a run at in the trails at catonsville. It was great; muddy and hard to find where i was going. I slipped a bunch of times got my shoes wet and muddy and it was amazing. those are the kind of runs I love. Any way this post is really not about the run, it is what happened after the run….

I went to the gym to shower and change. I always hate this because it is the same gym as students use and I don’t need to see a student in there. I really hate seeing people i know from work or school in a different setting than what i know them from. Isn’t weird when you see a teacher in the grocery store or at a restaurant. now think about it if you see them in the gym changing. So anyway i hate showering at the gym at school, but I have to so lets move on.

When i get into the gym I see some paper towels sitting next to my locker. (clue #1) than i hear the water running from the shower area. My first thought is who is using them and the second is oh crap! so i have to do, so i can get back to my office, so i go into the shower area and i see that it is an old man (clue #2). SO i ignore him and go about my business and when i am done showering i go back to my locker and see that the paper towels (clue #1) are being used by the old man. He is standing on them! I have been in a lot of locker rooms and have seen a lot of old man and THEY ALL STAND on a towel and or paper towel while they are getting dressed. what is that? I am going to have to start to ask questions, it fascinates me so much.

Let me ask; what is the first thing that you would put on clothing wise when you are in a locker room? My answer would be underwear. That is not what old men do. First is they air dry, so that’s great. The second is a shirt, no bottoms, what? and the third is socks and then come the underpants……why…why….why. I don’t know why they do it that way but i have seen to much. I don’t want to see your junk…cover it up!

This guy put on his flip flops, so yes he has flip flops but he stands on paper towels, and goes to the hand dryer to blow dry his hair…….with nothing on, but his flip flops….so hw was flip flopping if you know what i mean…..damn!

It is so weird…anyway just had to share

I hope you enjoyed:)

~dzob

and p.s i have many more if you ever want to hear more…..maybe i should not have shared that:)

Ok, so I have not written a running story in a while and thought it was about time. Because this semester I am teaching many morning classes my running schedule has been disrupted. I would usually run about 7:30 in the morning and then go into work, but this semester i have 3 morning classes, so i have to find time to run while at school.

So if you see me running on campus please do not honk:)

I was running at catonsville’s campus Monday, did any else know that they have trails on campus? anyway that is where i was running, the trails. I LOVE running trails! There is a lot more to look at, to dodge, to think about. I LOVE IT. can you tell i love it? But i also hate them, because they make me nervous….why do you ask….I fear the people that may be lurking in the woods, murderers, strange people, and my own shadow:)

Any so i was running and feeling good, crossing rocks, going up steep hills, going down long hills, climbing over trees, etc….i felt like i could be on survivor:) I was doing good until……….i saw a flash of something through the trees….it was yellow…..no it was orange……is it moving………and then……………..i saw that it was a student…..or was it…..yes yes it was a student and they where taking pictures with their camera.

Run some more…..almost run into..more people….now i start to wonder why there are so many people in the woods….i don’t know what makes me more nervous, lots of people or not any people.

Run some more and I am really starting to feel tired and it is almost the end of my run and then it happens…………………there is a rustling in the bushes…..i think maybe it is another person, nope the bush is to small……….then more movement…..keep running eyes straight ahead…..and then it happens…..this thing darts from the bush right in front of me and I almost trip/step on it and then it darts back into the bushes….breath……than it come back out and this time I start to get nervous….i still cannot get a good look at what it is…it does this about two more times in a matter of seconds…….it turns out it was a scared squirrel!

A squirrel, A squirrel. A squirrel. I was scared of A squirrel! what? While this was happening i actually yelped out WHAT THE F….I had to laugh at my self for being so scared of such a little animal

Hope that made your day:)

~dzob

So I have not written in a while, but i have a lot to say! My family and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago and I have some things that I noticed.

1. People love to not wear shirts! And I don’t mean on the beach, when they leave the beach. There were people at the gas station not wearing shirts and people getting food without their shirts on, it was ridiculous. What makes them think that because they are at the beach that it means “NO SHIRT FOR ME” On the actual beach does not matter, but it does matter when it is off of the beach.
2. I was amazed at all the people running, biking, walking, etc in the morning. I was one of them, but I found it interesting that so many where doing it as well. It is good and not a complaint, but I was surprised. Because it was so hot there were tons of people running shirtless! Now I run and get hot but ever once did i say “it is so hot at 6 am that I need to rip of my shirt” I know it gets hot when you run, but I don’t want to see your sweaty back fat!
3. I think people who run at noon are idiots, they wonder why they are so hot. UMMMM maybe because the sun is straight above you and it is the hottest time of the day, maybe. “Maybe I should take of my shirt to show you my amazing pectoral region” Which way is the gym:)
4. Why is it fun to dig big holes in the sand? I was right there with the rest of the idiots digging a big hole. “look i dug a big hole, now what?” I don’t know what it is, but it was fun!

I have more, but that will do for now. Comment on your observation while on vacation!

~dzob

This post is not about dogs chasing me or any other dog BARKING issue. This is about me running the best time I have ever run. Yesterday morning at 7:00 I went out for a run and it was beautiful out, perfect running weather for me. I do not like it when it is too hot outside. In fact I love running in the cold. You should see what I wear, i look like snake eyes from GI Joe. Any way my typical pace is about 8 minutes a mile, so if I run 5 miles my should be……40min.

Because it was so nice out and I had not eaten I could feel my self flying down the road. My first mile 38:31 which is something like 7:45 a mile, which again is really fast for me. Now, I have been running for 13 years and stated out running a 12 minute mile. I ran in HS and college, took a break to gained 80 pounds than got back into running and eating right. I used to weigh 250 lbs now I weigh somewhere between 175 and 180, which is a good weight for me. Anyway that is a post for another day.

I was proud of my run and thought I would share.

~dzob

Ok so this is another running story, maybe not as funny as the snot rocket story, but what will? I get so many comments in person about that story it makes me laugh. So anyway. I was running the other day, like I like to do. It was about 3:00 and I had underestimated how hot it was.

I started off running and no problem with the heat or the sun. AND THEN………it happened…….As i was running probably at mile 3 out of no where comes this DOG!! Now I stop here to tell you a side note. I cannot stand dogs, while I am running. They bark, run , or leap while I am running it is so annoying. The owners always say, “he is friendly” or “he is a nice dog”…ummm if we was a nice dog he would not park at me and make me wet my pants, ok?. OK! Right, so back to this DOG, all caps. All of a sudden this DOG come running, full speed, towards me and mind you this is not any dog it is a pit bull or Rottweiler! So it is coming towards me with what looks like no leash.

I am scared out of my mind. I actually say out loud, what are you doing?, as if the dog will answer me….”To eat your face, of course” But not to fear there is a fence, so the worse it could do is scare me and I move on with my life……too easy. All of a sudden the fence ends and here I am face to face with this DOG. He is running I am running and he is inches from me and I see it…..it is a glorious leash and it yanks him back, but he comes running again.

Now here is what is in my imagination; the DOG breaks the lease and I start to run faster and he runs faster and now I am in chase with a DOG who wants to eat me. Luckily that did not happen, but that lease was to long. Come on dog owner think of the people that are walking and running by.

So after that scare I still had 2 more miles to run. Now my heart is beating fast and it is hot and I might have a heart attack. I run another half mile and my feet are on fire, sweat is in my eyes, I AM HOT, not to mention I am now running up a big hill, so what do it do…….I actually yell….F*UCK. Literally out loud! I was so hot I don’t know what came over me, but I said it again and this time louder. After I said it two times I had to laugh because i was thinking what the other people that where in there yard were thinking.

What would you think if out of no where this runner comes by yelling the F word? Any way that is my typical day of running story. Hope you enjoyed:)

The full article is below and the design article is above. This is the first idea for this article more to come. Let me know as always

Today I ran my fastest mile pace ever. It was 7:53 for about 5 miles, so that I ran 5 miles in 44 minutes and 25 seconds. That is really fast for me and was very excited about it and had to share it! Even though that my regular pace is about 8 minutes per mile this pace seemed to make me extremely tired and I so exhausted when I finished and came home. 7 seconds does not seem like that big of a difference, but it was!!

What made me push my self and keep going was the music i was listening to. My high school coach, Mr. Link, told us never to listen to music as it will alter our pace and make it inconsistent, or something like that. That is in the back of my head every time a strap on my ipod and put on those headphones.

The music that really helped was some songs by the white stripes (ickey thump and Blue Orchid), Run DMC (Raising Hell (this I listed to 3 times) and Peter Piper) and Bad Religion (21st century digital boy). SO i wanted to thank the music….you guys really helped me through the tough hill at the end. When i said this is enough i must start walking RUN DMC said “king from queens from queens come kings we are raising hell in the class when the lunch bell rings….so loud like a cloud of thunder and lightning so proud to the crowd it is somewhat frightening……and bad religion said…..”i don’t believe it the way you look sometimes……the things you are offering me…… i am a 21st century boy, i don’t know how to read but i got a lot of toys, my daddy is a lazy middle class intellectual my mommy’s on Valium so ineffectual….and the white stripes said “white Americans, what? nothing better to do? why don’t you kick your self out, you are an immigrant to!”

SO thanks you!

~dzob

Here are the other comps

Alright I know I have been writing a lot of running related post, but this is so funny that I had to share. SO I was running in the cold and when i run in the cold my nose runs non stop (probably more than you needed to know). Anyway, SO I do not carry any Kleenex with me but I do blow snot rockets.

If you don’t know what snot rockets are: You put one hand on one side of your nostril and blow the snot out of the open nostril and it should shoot out like a rocket, hence snot rocket.

SO I was running along and had snot rocketed a bunch of time and could feel another one coming on, so I put one hand on my left nostril and………(let me explain that is was a very windy day) I don’t know if the winds where aligned at the right time, but the snot rocket came out of my nose and hit me square in the face….not just the face, but in my eye!!!!!!!

That’s right I had snot in my EYE. It was gross!!! I scrapped the snot out of my eye and kept running, but laughing and disgusted at the same time. I have had a SR(Snot rocket) hit my hand and even my sleeve or chest, but never my eye. Because it was so cold I imagined my eye being frozen shut with snot:)

. I thought I should share my experience.

~dzob