I got the coveted penny! I ran 13.1 miles Saturday for the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon!

Even though I wasn't nearly the "winner" of the race or of my class, I feel as if I have accomplished something amazing! You can see my actual time online at RunAbe.com.

What a rush! This whole journey has been eye opening.

Bishop with his post half-marathon penny!

Team Checkers!

I went from hating running to fully embracing the important health impacts of taking to the streets for a jog. Plus, I think I may have inspired several other people to take the initiative and get ready for long runs in the future!

I lost 40 lbs, quit smoking, gained a new appreciation for making the right nutrition choices and also ignited a new found sense of overcoming adversity and accomplishment.

I have to send out some mad props to a few people.

Firstly, big thanks has to go to my girlfriend Meghan for all the support she gave me in the months of training. She put up with quite a bit of me complaining of aching knees and also being tolerant of my crazy training schedule.

I also have to thank my general manager Mark Birch. He didn't have to, but he ran with me for the entire 13.1 miles Saturday. I know he could have made the race in well under 2 hours, but he kept with me for the race and gave me the real-time support! Thanks Mark!

Big props go to Team Checkers: Tiffany, Jaxon, Meesa, Adrienne, Paul, Siona, Cameron, Biz and others--Seeing you all early before the race and at mile 11 was a total morale booster!

Also, mad props to my mom who miraculously appeared at three different parts of the race AND the finish line! Wow!

Special thanks to AthletiCare and The Springfield Running Center for the training info and running equipment.  Without the knowledge you guys passed on, I wouldn't have been able to do what I did!

And, I can't go any further without thanking all of the amazing organizers and volunteers. You guys really made the race possible. I could have just gotten up and ran around for 13.1 miles ... but the experience was much bigger than the run. Seeing the smiling, clapping, and cheering volunteers at every intersection, at the water stops, at the finish line, was an absolute thrill!

Thank you all for your support! Here's to next year's 50th Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon!

I just finished up a 3-mile run.  

The first mile was great!  Probably the fastest mile ever, at least for me!  But I definitely felt a bit of a lag into my second and third mile ... maybe I should stay clear of coffee the next 48 hours.  

Tomorrow, it's just a ten-minute run.

Sleep ... gotta get that sleep tonight and early tomorrow.  

What else am I missing?  Oh yeah!  Running gear!  

I gotta get those last minute supplies and to do that, I'm back at The Springfield Running Center.  A while back, I stopped in to test some products.  

I found what I really needed was something to keep the sweat out of my eyes.  

Typically I have been running with a beanie on because it's cold ... I also found it keeps the sweat out of my face.  

The crew at The Springfield Running Center said I should probably stay away from the beanie because it may be a bit warm this Saturday.  The forecast for central Illinois is sunny, breezy (25 mph winds) and a high of 70.  The Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon is going to gorgeous! 

I also picked up some GU Chomps that have electrolytes and vitamins.  "They have electrolytes!"  I'll be able to chew on some of those midway through to give me mid-run energy boost.  

They've got everything there, by the way.  The Springfield Running Center has everything else you need from tights, to jackets, and even some defensive spray (for those creepers [and maybe vicious unleashed dogs]) that could get too close.  If you think you need it on a long run, The Springfield Running Center has you covered! 

Also, if I had TV, I'd be watching News Channel 20's Alicia Lewis Friday morning.  

...

And yes, I'm nervous!  

Read more about my half-marathon training here!

Wow ... less that a month left before the Lincoln Presidential Half-Marathon.

Sunday, I ran 10 miles in the rain ... in the cold, cold rain.

You know, it's a form of meditation like none other.

Jogging a long distance takes a long period of time and will teach you a lot about yourself.

At the beginning of this whole training thing, when I was smoking cigarettes and eating garbage, I never thought I would get to the point where I've dropped 35 pounds in 2 1/2 months, and able to run 10 miles in one run.

I'm impressed with myself.

But really, it's just about getting out and doing it!

I'm not gonna lie, I love people saying "you're looking great!" or when someone I haven't seen in a couple months says how much more vibrant I appear.

Plus I feel better.  I have more focus and energy than I've had in a long time!

I'm on my way to pull off 13.1 miles.

The really cool thing is, I'll get to see all those historic Lincoln sites in a pretty unique way--Pushing myself further than I ever have! 

Before the race, I have to go and talk with the crew at AthletiCare to fine tune my technique.  

Plus I've gotta get with The Running Center for some running provisions. 

Want to run with me?  It's not too late to register for the half-marathon.  Get to RunAbe.com!

There is a limit to how many runners there can be and registration so far is up, from what I understand!  Be sure to register early to save money! 

Anyways, you can't gloat all the time.  Tomorrow I've got to put down 6 miles.  Friday it's weights.  Then Saturday, it's a nice easy 3 miles (never thought I'd say 3 miles was "easy").  Then Sunday, it's my fun-day, run-day Sunday with a big 11 mile jog.  

My body aches just thinking about it! 

In my training for the Lincoln Presidential Half-Marathon, I've made great strides --- pardon the pun --- but what I've really noticed is I'm new at this whole thing.

My previous posts about quitting smoking, my diet, how to track my food and my workouts, have all be very helpful, but nothing has been more helpful than my conversation with Jason and Jeff from St. John's Athleticare.

I sat down with Jason and Jeff for a couple of hours to go over what I've been doing in training and what I should be focusing on.

We're a few weeks away from the big run, and one thing I really need to do is take advantage of the off days. These are days I've been neglecting as I want to drop as much weight as possible before the 13.1 mile run (by the way I've lost 25 lbs since this all started).

However, as we get closer to the big race, I'm going to be putting a lot of stress on my knees, hips, and body in general. The off days will be crucial for me to recover!

Jason laid out for me a training guide for the next few weeks. Last Sunday I upped my big run-day Sunday to 7 miles. That was difficult, but I got through it, especially after loading up on carbs before running! This next run-day Sunday I will get up to 9 miles! Then I'll take a break the following week and only run 3 or 4 miles for my big run-day. But, it'll kick back in the following two weeks to be 10 miles one run-day Sunday and then 11 miles for the following run-day Sunday! HOLY COW! That's a lot, but I can get it done!

The thing Jason really stressed was the taper weeks just before the race. The two weeks beforehand, I will not be running nearly as much. This is a way to prepare me for the big race.

Jason also stressed how I need to test out clothing, foods, water intake, all to prepare for the big day. I don't want to have digestive issues, chafing issues or anything else that will hold me up from crossing that finish line.

Next, I'll tell you about something else that's gonna get me through the race ... and that's some new shoes and running gear from The Springfield Running Center off West White Oaks.

Where were we on our journey of a dumpy millennial adult training to run the Lincoln Presidential Half-Marathon? Oh yeah, food!

You've gotta have it! But I'm overweight and running 13.1 miles will be easier if I'm 40 lbs lighter.

So, I've got to eat right and lose weight.

Repeat over and over: The right foods, in the right portions, in combination with consideration for burning more calories versus calories ingested equals weight loss.

In other words, I study what I'm eating, calculating the calories and keep track of my progress. That kind of thing can be hard to manage. But the good news is: there are resources!

I've been using this free application called Map My Run. This is just one of several free services that would allow you to upgrade for more "features," but for my purposes the free features on Map My Run were enough. One of the great things about the application is it allows me to track my caloric intake by searching foods and entering the calories.

It also calculates how many calories I should have a day based on my height and weight. The program even offsets those calories when I log certain workouts.

By having all this in one location I can obsess over my weight loss and challenge myself to be satisfied with nutritious foods, proper portions, and more water.

Also, when I see how many calories are in fast food burger or the malnutrition in many popular foods, it really plays games with my head to where I don't want those things anymore. It's kinda like that psychology thing I talked about in a previous post about quitting smoking.

Using that program and keeping a daily food log for the past three weeks has allowed me to lose over 15 pounds. The proper nutrition plus daily exercise an occasional long-distance run ... I'll be ready for this half-marathon by April 6th!

On the next blog: My daily exercise. Hint ... it involves a lot of sweating and strange noises mixed with really loud music or talk radio blaring in my ears.