A Snownman In September

Day 29 -- Sept. 5, 2012

Today I'm 189.8 pounds of rolling thunder.

Everybody loves a snowman, especially when it's 95 degrees outside.

What's this you say, snowman talk in early September? Why yes, and a double snowman at that.

Golfers know all about the snowman. An eight on your scorecard looks an awful lot like a snowman and not a great thing to have to record when you're hitting the links.

Today, when I weighed in I was thrilled to see a snowman pop up as the second digit. It's been a while since I saw an eight as the second number. So long, in fact, that I jumped (well stepped) on and off the scale a number of times.

You see I've got a digital scale that measures everything from weight to body fat to phases of the moon. But it also can be a little shifty about recording weight. The first measurement is almost always delightfully low, so I usually do three readings to make sure which one sticks.

And lately the one that sticks reflects the goo that sticks around my chewy, chocolate center.

I'd like to say I know the magic that was used to turn the nine into and eight, but for now I'm just happy to see my old friend the snowman.

I'm also being sort of selfish. I'm trying to channel as much mojo as I can to our younger son who is struggling this year with his running. What a difference a year makes. And what a difference having some friends to run and pal around with at meets and practices makes.

Last year, both boys loved cross country. This year, the younger one is struggling to find his place on the team. He hasn't really turned the corner on how running can be enjoyable, so that makes things even tougher.

Running is one of those activities where you have to put in the time. The more you run, the stronger you get, and with a little coaching the faster you get. You definitely gain fitness, strength and stamina.

It certainly isn't an activity that you can rely on natural ability alone to be successful. But for our young lad it's hard to get passed the nagging soreness of the start of the season. And the running in the heat and humidity.

His mother and I are thankful for supportive coaches. Hopefully we can find a way to make it seem less like daily drudgery and more like something to look forward to.

Last season, he had friends on the team, and they all ran about the same pace. This year, the friends didn't come back out, so it's a little lonely right now.

So we're trying to channel our mojo his way. We're also working to manage his soreness with ice baths (yeah, he hasn't tried that yet), Epsom salts and pain medications. 

Back on the street yesterday, I added some hand weights to my short day, and it was a whole new experience. I know the reviews are mixed on running with weights, but it's better than running with scissors. One of the bad things about running is it does little for your upper body. By adding the hand weights you get work for your shoulders, back, plus upper and lower arms.

I'm not sure I'd use them on a long day, but every once in a while on short runs it helps mix things up a bit.

Today will be a long run day for the world's slowest human (and now snowman), so if you see me out on the road, give me a wave.