Author: Joe The Runner

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5 Ways to Cope with the Impact of Heat on Your Running

I have recently noticed an increase in people on Strava, Fitbit, and Instagram, saying that they have cut their runs short because they felt completely drained for some reason. My best guess is that as spring is turning to summer, people are not aware of what a little heat and humidity can do to you while you are on your runs. And by a little heat, I am talking in excess of 65 degrees F.

Above this temperature your body works harder to get oxygen to the muscles during strenuous activities. Basically, something has to give. You either intentionally slow down so that you can run longer or you try and maintain your normal splits, and you have a much more difficult time of it! You will either slow down unintentionally, or you will cut your run short. But don’t fret, after a couple of weeks of running in increased heat, your body will start to adjust and you will feel a little more like your normal self. And, I have found that if I am training in heat and then race in a cooler environment, it helps a whole bunch!

Here are some tips for minimizing the impact of the heat:

1. Run early or late, when the hottest part of the day has not been reached or has already passed.

2. Find a really nice shaded path to run, such as parks or trails. A couple of degrees will make a big difference. The rule of thumb often quoted is your pace will slow about 20 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees increase above 65.

3. Stay hydrated before, during, and after your run. This is key! Drink lots of water and electrolytes. Keep your urine the same color as pale wheat.

4. Run in clothing that allows for your body to stay cool and wear as little as possible.

5. Plan on going at a slower pace and know that you are still getting a quality work out in.

There is another way, but I hate to suggest it. You can always run on a dreadmill. That’s right; I call it a DREADMILL, because I find them so boring. But they do have a place in our sport…

I always struggle with the heat too because I hate seeing those slower splits, but it comes with the territory. As your body adjusts, it will become more efficient at delivering that oxygen to your muscles, and that is a great thing for us runners! Sometimes you have to slow down a little to speed up!

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The Birth of Joe the Runner

For those of you who read the blog regularly, some of this you already know, but stick with me because I am going to introduce you to a young and very talented up and coming graphic designer who created my logo, and she has a lot of exciting projects that she is working on. For those of you who have not been reading my blog, where the heck have you been?! Just kidding, welcome aboard! This post will give you a taste of what this blog is all about and then I suggest that you catch up by reading my story, and any of the other posts that may interest you.

When I started the blog, the most logical place to start was with the story of how I lost 130 pounds and started to live a much healthier lifestyle at the ripe old age of 44. I knew that I wanted my website to be about positive things and helping people realize that that are “Capable of more than they think.” The vehicle that I planned on using to prove this point was to profile ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things. Telling the stories of people like Chris Stoll, who had an accident that internally decapitated him and who is walking today, or Jose Rodriguez, a man who lost 120 pounds and then became an MMA champion, would show people that they can achieve their goals and overcome the greatest of odds. It is possible.

I knew that I wanted a logo that would embody all of this, but I am not a creative person. So I reached out to a young and up and coming graphic designer named Karen Tarabokija over at Bold Creations in New York. She asked me some questions about what I wanted my “brand” to stand for, and then read through my blog. When she came back to me with some logo suggestions, I was blown away! She got exactly what I was trying to communicate and captured that in a logo. MY logo. She told me “JR is obviously Joe Randene AND Joe the Runner. The R is breaking through your challenges and allowing you to achieve your goals and become the best version of yourself.” YES, that’s it! That’s the message. We are all capable of more than we think, and if we work hard enough, we can “break through” and become closer to that best version of ourselves. Thank you so much Karen!

My Logo!

While the blog is about positivity and people taking control of their lives and happiness, it will continue to be heavily biased towards weight loss and running, for a couple of reasons: One, that is who I am, so the lens that I see the world through is one of a guy who used running to transform his life. Two, the readers are constantly requesting tips on running, nutrition, and gear. This feedback is great and it helps the blog to evolve over time in a manner that meets the needs of my readers. Don’t worry; there will still be profiles of people who have accomplished great things that are not related to running as there are always great lessons to learn in these stories.

I am still on holiday and my wife is giving me that “Let’s go do something” look, so I’ll wrap it up. Thank you all for your support, the website traffic continues to grow everyday! Let me know what you think of the logo. I’ll put Karen’s info below. If you need a great graphic designer, give her a call. Keep getting out there everyday and working towards your goals, whether that’s to run a marathon, lose weight, or to start that business you have always wanted to, you can do it!

Peace Joe the Runner

Karen Tarabokija

Facebook: Bold Creations

Phone: 845.447.1812

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5 Great Reasons to Schedule Rest Days

Body

We put our bodies through a lot. A typical week, if I am training for a marathon, might look like this: 45 miles, 1500 push-ups, and 4000 feet of vertical climbing. Taking a rest day allows our bodies to recover and rebuild those muscles that we are always tearing down. It also helps with niggles, soreness, and injury prevention which all help to make us better runners!

Mind

It’s often overlooked, but all of the training we do takes a toll on our minds too. There is always the stress of fitting our workout in around obligations and then, when we are working out, we’re thinking about form, cadence, speed, etc. A complete day of not running gives our minds time to relax and reflect on what we are doing with our training, providing us with the opportunity to make adjustments in an objective way. Then when we go out for our run the next day, we can attack it with a fresh mind!

Time

Scheduled rest days are the perfect opportunity to catch up on errands or spend time with family. The days that we train can be very busy with our normal lives and running being squeezed in to windows of time that include work and other commitments. On rest days, I will literally schedule a date with my wife or some time with my kids.

Taking Care of Yourself

If you’re like me, the first thing that I give up on if I get too busy is doing the small things that will help me prevent injury and feel better in general. Things like light core work and foam rolling. Scheduled rest days are great opportunities to get a great session of foam rolling in or maybe even some yoga.

Guilt Free Recovery

This may be the best reason of all to schedule rest. Since it’s absolutely necessary, I make it a part of my training plan, therefore I don’t feel any guilt when I take them. I’m not sure who said it, but there is a saying that goes something like this “You know you caught the (running) bug when you have to be disciplined to take a day off.” That pretty much says it all.

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How to Set Great Goals for Race Day

If you are a runner, you know that we live in a world of PB’s. For those of you who may not know, PB means personal best. We runners love to keep track of our times for specific race distances and then try to beat them to measure our progress. But really, if all we do race after race is chase PB’s, then I guarantee we will not be as happy as we could be. Each race is an accomplishment of its own. And, if you run different courses, there are so many variables that can impact your time. My personal best for a half marathon is 1 hour 40 minutes and 44 seconds. The course was fairly flat and the weather was cold, so I didn’t have to battle heat. Today, I ran the same distance with 1500 feet of climbing steep hills and finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes. Was that a “bad” run? No, in fact, runs like that may prepare me to beat my PB later due to all of that hill work!

So how do you set good goals for each race? I believe that you should have multiple tiers of S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Let’s say that I am running a half marathon, I will set goals like these:

  1. Have fun and smile no matter what, remember; you PAID to do this!
  2. Run within myself and finish. Period.
  3. Achieve my PB for THIS course.
  4. Achieve my PB for THIS distance.
  5. Place top ten in my age group.

The way that I look at it, if I have trained well and start the race relatively healthy, the first three goals are all very achievable. Sure, as discussed, different variables could impact them, heat, rain, injury, etc. but they are all well within reach. Even if I do not hit a PB for the course, I can achieve the first two goals as long as I do not suffer a serious injury or completely bonk! So I can smile at the end of the race knowing I went the distance! Honestly, even if I do get the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish), I’ll be happy because I am out there taking a risk and living life! Failure simply means you are pushing your boundaries, and that is never a bad thing.

Those last two goals are “stretch goals”. They may or may not be achievable on a particular day, but when I have one of those magical days where I get one or both of them, I REALLY enjoy myself. I walk around with my head in the clouds for a couple of days and just soak in the moment, because nothing feels better then doing the work and then getting a superb result! But, these are not goals that if I do not hit them, will really bother me. It’s all upside with no downside.

Trust me, if you fashion your goals in this format, you will enjoy your running much more. Having goals such as these gives you the opportunity to enjoy every race that you run. And at the end of the day, isn’t that the most important thing? The next time someone asks “How did you do?” start with “I had a great time and I finished the race feeling pretty good!” Let them wiggle a minute or two and then share your time with them!

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Get Six Pack Abs in Only 90 Seconds a Day!?

If you saw that headline and thought that I really was going to tell you how to get six pack abs in 90 seconds a day, I apologize. No; I take that back, I don’t apologize. The people out there who write crap like that should apologize, because they are lying to you. Don’t get me wrong, those six pack abs do exist, and the people who possess them normally work very hard for them, so I tip my hat to them, but they are not getting them in 90 seconds a day.

They eat strict diets, perform cardio and most likely lift weights. Maybe they only do 90 seconds of crunches everyday, but when you add in the rest of their routine… you see what I mean? It is NOT 90 seconds. But that’s marketing folks. A headline like “Work Your Ass Off and Eat a Strict Diet” doesn’t get the people to click does it?

So what am I on about then? Well, I wrote this blog because I do not have six pack abs. And that’s not my goal. Being someone who lost 130 pounds, I am just a normal middle aged married with children dude with a gnarly beard who is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and help other people do the same. And what I bring to the table, in MY opinion, is I can relate to you.

Never having owned a six pack, other then the beer type, I am definitely more “dad bod” guy then “model bod” guy and that is ok. I look pretty good, but I feel great. What I am trying to accomplish, is I want to be the voice of reason amidst all of these crazy bullshit headlines like “These Foods will Help You Burn Fat” or “Get a Great Workout in 7 Minutes a Day.” My message is more like this: “You can do this. It won’t always be easy, but with a little change in your perspective and consistent application of some straight forward nutrition and exercise principles, you can do this. And if you’d like, I am here to support you.”

How do I plan on gaining your trust and building credibility? Simple, look at my blog. It is basically my life for the last three years and it chronicles my journey from OBESE middle aged man, to a guy who has run an ultra-marathon. You can follow me on Strava and Instagram and see my daily training AND when I am on vacation and chow down on some ice cream! I also highlight other ordinary people who have achieved extraordinary things, so you will have other REAL life examples of people who have TRANSFORMED.

I am not knocking people who are in amazing shape and who have always been in shape, they are doing the right stuff, but what I am saying is that they cannot offer the same perspective to you as other people who have struggled with their weight over an entire lifetime. When you are hitting a difficult patch or have fallen off the wagon, do you want to talk to someone who has always been in good shape, or someone who has fought the same demons and won?

Here is the best part, the price for all of this support, advice, inspiration, and love! A grand total of ZERO dollars. Why? Because I want to help people achieve their goals. I want people to see that they are capable of more than they think. My vision for this blog is that we develop a community of people who are communicating and helping each other in a more meaningful way then two or three lines on Facebook or Instagram. I want to have a space where we can really dig in to stuff. I want to continue to profile people who have done extraordinary things in their life so we can all learn and be inspired. I want to create a space where there is truth and positivity instead of bullshit and the constant drone of negativity that we are being spoon fed everyday. Will you help me? Peace. Joe the Runner

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How to Run Faster and Injury Free

“Up to about 10k, speed is fast. Past that, strength is fast. In long distance racing, it is very often a case of who slows down the least.” Joe the Runner

Whether it’s in the running community at Fitbit, or in a lot of the running posts on Instagram, I see a ton of well intentioned bad advice around the simple question “How do I run faster?” The reason for it is that there is not a simple answer to go along with that simple question. Unfortunately, the advice being given could lead to injuries if the runner takes it and they are not prepared for it. That is why I decided to write this post. I want to help people to get faster without getting injured. And to do that, you need to answer a couple of questions.

What are you trying to accomplish? Are you a sprinter and you are trying to improve your 400 meter time? Or, are you a marathoner who is trying to qualify for Boston? As you can see, these are two very different goals and they will lead to very different programs to help accomplish them.

The second and probably more important question is where are you currently as a runner? Are you an experienced marathoner that has a great aerobic base but hasn’t achieved a sub 3:30 marathon yet? Or are you a beginner that cannot run 5k without stopping? Again, these are two very different circumstances that will require different programs to improve.

Be careful when you see things like “Do Yasso 800’s every week.” Or “Do lot’s of hill intervals.” Or “Do 10 sets of 400 meter dashes every week.” All of these in a vacuum will work, but depending on your goals and level of experience could just lead to injury and frustration. I am not a track guy so I will stay away from any type of advice on sprinting, but here are some guidelines for improving your speed based on goals and experience.

Beginners

I’ll make the assumption that as a beginner you are focused on trying to maybe lose some weight and run your first 5k with aspirations down the road to move up to 10k’s and beyond. This is when you need to be patient and careful. If you cannot run 5k without stopping, there is no good reason to add speed work to your routine yet. Focus on running slow enough to run 5k without stopping, and work on your form. Just slowly increasing your weekly mileage and improving your running efficiency will lead to increases in your speed. Work your way up to 4 to 5 days a week of running 5k, and do not increase your weekly mileage by more then 10% in any week. Trust me, if you do this and stay consistent, you will see steady improvements in your 5k time. If you want to run a 10k, use the same process to work your way up to the 10k distance. Focus on increasing your weekly mileage slowly and work on form.

Intermediate

Once you can run the desired distance comfortably, you can add some proper speed work to your weekly routine. NOW, things like 800 meter repeats and hill repeats make sense, and will make a difference. I would start by adding one speed session a week to your routine and make sure that you do a nice little warm up of maybe 1k before jumping in. Start with something like 4 x 800 meters repeats with a minutes rest in between, and add one extra repeat each week until you get to 10. You need to be pushing the pace for the 800 meters so that you are a little uncomfortable. These are faster then your 5k or 10k pace. To keep things interesting, you can alternate weeks with hill intervals. To do these, find a nice hill that gives you 500 meters to 800 meters of climbing, and then run up the hill as quickly as you can, then jog back down for recovery. Start with 4 reps and add 1 rep each week until you get to 10.

There are a lot of different things you can do, fartlek sessions, 400 meter repeats, etc. but the principal is the same. If you run faster for these bursts and hills, you will strengthen your legs, improve your VO2 max, and build those fast twitch muscle fibers all resulting in the ability to run faster longer. I highly suggest that you Google various speed sessions once you have moved from beginner to intermediate and if you can afford it, find an on-line coach who can really help you if you have some big goals like a Boston Qualifier.

Ok, to summarize, don’t worry about “speed sessions” until you can run 5k to 10k comfortably and you are running at least 20k each week. Do not increase your weekly mileage more then 10% each week. During this phase of your running focus on form, running efficiency, and slowly increasing your weekly mileage. You will see an improvement in your speed I guarantee it! Once you are here, add one speed session to your weekly training routine by doing some research on-line, so you can mix things up and keep it interesting! Best of luck!

Put some of your favorite “Speed Sessions” in the comments below!

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You Get EXACTLY what you THINK you Deserve

“Instead of crying why me; ask yourself why not me?” Joe the Runner

If people avoided doing the things that they knew were bad for them and focused on the things that they knew were good for them, there would be no cigarette, alcohol, or junk food industry and the physical fitness industry would explode beyond imagination! There would be lines coming out the doors of libraries everywhere! The lesson here is that knowledge is not enough to help people change behavior. Not where emotion and psychology are involved. Tell me if any of these sound familiar:

“I worked hard all morning, I deserve this cigarette.”

You worked hard, so you deserve lung cancer, mouth and throat cancer, bad breath, brown teeth, smelly clothes, and the ability to contaminate the fresh air of everyone else around you with second hand smoke? Remember, that the second hand smoke is probably impacting the people you love the most, kids, partners, friends, and spouses! The best part is you get to pay 10 bucks a pack for the privilege.

“It’s been a stressful weekend; I deserve a night out drinking!”

You’re going to relieve your stress by drinking yourself silly, giving yourself liver cirrhosis, and by being hung-over and bloated in the morning? Once again, having the privilege to pay for it all with your hard earned money!

“I had a great work out, I deserve this donut!”

After making an investment in your health with a great effort at the gym or on the road, you are going to immediately cash that check by eating junk food? You deserve the high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and bad teeth associated with sugary and fried foods?

It’s all about perspective. If you view only the immediate rush or “reward” of the cigarette, alcohol, or junk food, it’s easy to trick yourself in to this cycle of “I deserve this.” But if you take just a second to go beyond that immediate hit and look at what you are doing to yourself long term, hopefully you will become a little uncomfortable. You absolutely must change your mentality before you can make a lifestyle change. So where do you start?

This is going to sound very warm and fuzzy, but I need you to hang in there because this stuff does work. Everyday, start saying to yourself, out loud if you have the balls, if not internally works too, “I deserve to feel great, look great, smell great, live longer, and keep more of my damn money!” This starts the change in your perspective that is necessary to start changing your behaviors, and believe me, it definitely starts with the mind. Once you start to say that this is what you deserve, how can you light that cigarette? How can you eat a donut after each workout? Say this to yourself everyday and every time that you start to head down the path of making a bad decision. Ask yourself what you REALLY deserve.

I’m not a psychologist, but this exercise that follows works well for me in regards to creating a plan and some goals to keep me on track. And like most great things in life, it starts with a lot of questions. Get a piece of paper and a pen, and sit down and answer these questions. “What is my ideal self?” Be specific and cover as many facets of your life as possible. What do you look like in regards to finances, your relationships as a partner, parent, friend, employee, boss etc., your physical attributes, are you overweight? Are you healthy? Do you smoke? How do you feel everyday? Are you full of energy? You get the point, be specific.

Now that you have a clear picture of what your ideal you is, start to write down the things that you need to do to move closer to the ideal you. If you said that your ideal you feels great everyday and has a lot of energy, you may need to quit smoking, eat healthy, and exercise. These become “goals.” Now each of those “goals” will require an action plan. As an example, if you want to quit smoking, you may want to join a support group, choose a date for that last cigarette (immediately works best), set up a reward system like putting the money from the cigarettes you would buy in to a jar and then buying yourself something you have always wanted when you hit that amount. Write it all down under “Quit Smoking.”

When you have finished this exercise, you will have a complete picture of your ideal self, you will have a list of goals to achieve, and you will have an action plan around each of those goals that will get you there. When you start to implement those actions and make progress, think about how great you will feel knowing that you are getting closer and closer to becoming the you that you have always wanted to be. When you hit a bump in the road, forgive yourself, forget it, and get right back on track. Don’t let the inevitable bump turn in to a complete disaster!

All that’s left to do now is get after it! You will get EXACTLY what you THINK you deserve. If you need support, we’re here. Email me at joe.randene@joerandene.com

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Excuses are Like ***holes

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” Jim Rohn

That quote up there is so very short, but it says it all doesn’t it? I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to finding excuses to get out of doing things that I don’t want to do. That right there is the key though, I make the excuses for the things that I DON’T really want to do. This is going to be tough, but I am asking you to be extremely honest with yourself throughout this post. If you do that and you still decide not to pursue a particular goal, then it is really more a matter of prioritization than anything else.

Let’s explore the two areas that seem to come up time and time again in regards to people telling me they can’t achieve certain goals because of: ENTER EXCUSE HERE. Those two areas are weight/fitness and personal finances.

Weight/Fitness

The list of excuses here goes on and on, my genetics/metabolism are terrible, I don’t have the time, it’s so difficult to eat healthy, I have a bad knee, I can’t afford it… Heard any of these? USED any of these? Yeah, me too. But they are bullshit and you and I know it. Everyone likes to point out the exception and say they “know a guy who has this issue and that applies to me.” It doesn’t. 99.5% of us are just fine and can maintain a healthy weight and body through a healthy lifestyle. In fact, I like to focus on the .5% of the people who really do have issues and say “I don’t care; I’m not going to let that be an excuse.” You see that guy in the picture up there? His name is Earl Granville and he just ran the Boston marathon and he carried his guide over the finish line… with one prosthetic leg! He lost his leg in 2008 in Afghanistan. Do you think his knee hurt?

I’m going to blow up a couple of more excuses. You don’t have time? How much TV do you watch? Are you a golfer? How much sleep do you get each day? How much time do you spend on Facebook, Instagram, or the internet in general? It takes about 30 minutes a day of exercise at an elevated heart rate to make a difference, let’s shoot for 5 times a week. That is 150 minutes in a week! You are telling me that you are so busy that you cannot find that time? I’m throwing the bullshit flag! If you woke up 30 minutes earlier and did the exercise, you’ll feel better then if you slept the 30 minutes! EVERYONE can find 150 minutes in a week. Unless of course you don’t want to. That’s not an “I am not capable” issue, that’s an “I have other priorities issue.”

By the way, those 30 minutes of exercise can be absolutely free. Running is free. Sure you need a decent pair of running shoes, but you need shoes anyway, so buy a nice looking pair and give them double duty. Walking at a brisk pace is free. Push-ups are free. (Click here if you want to see how to do 1500 push-ups a week in only 5 minute a day.) Planking is free… your picking up what I’m laying down now, right? So you have the time, don’t need the money, and are capable of doing this, NOW what’s your excuse?

Personal Finance

This is way too big of a topic to cover in a short half of a post, but I’d like to tackle the first basic principal in wealth building, and that is living within your means to create a little additional cash to save/invest each month. Here the biggest excuse I hear is simply “After we pay all of the bills, we have absolutely no money left to save/invest.” Bullshit. I’ll remind you to be brutally honest with yourself here as we ask some questions. Do you have an iPhone? What is your monthly cell phone bill? What is your car payment? How many times a month do you go to a movie? How often do you eat out? What kind of brands of clothing are you wearing? Do you have cable or satellite TV service? How often do you go out for drinks/happy hour? Do you smoke?

For 99.5% of us, after we answer those questions honestly, it should be clear that we spend a lot of money on things that we really don’t need. You need a car, but do you NEED a $35,000 car? You need a phone, but do you NEED an iPhone with unlimited calling and data? I know that you don’t NEED to smoke! Point made. There are tons of ways to save money that you can use so that you can increase or start contributing to a 401k plan or an IRA. In fact, I urge you with all of my heart to just automatically deduct 3% of your paycheck and put it in your 401k or an IRA and DO NOT TOUCH it for any reason. You won’t even notice a decrease in your take home pay after a couple of weeks and you’ll be on your way to saving money for your future! Then, with each pay raise, increase it 1%. This is a double increase because you will get the increase in savings from the raise and then the additional 1%! It adds up quick and you won’t feel it at all. STOP making excuses!

There you go. We destroyed the bullshit excuses people come up with and if you are being honest with yourself, if you do not make any changes after reading this, this is what you are really saying. “I prioritize surfing the web more than my health.” Or “I prioritize checking my Facebook page at the grocery store over saving money for my retirement.” I’m not saying that those are bad things, I am saying be honest with yourself so you make educated and honest decisions.

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5 Must Have Manners ALL Runners Need

“I draw the line on (lack of) coverage when I start to look like a running chia pet.” Joe the Runner

Wash Your A$$

Look, I am a runner too. I know. I know… Our sport is a stinky sport. We run, we sweat, and we even ooze at times. Toenails fall off, we bleed through our socks. I know! BUT, please, wash your clothes, wash your body, and generously apply deodorant every single day. If we all do this, everyone will all be a lot happier and will breath easier too!

Watch Your Snot Rocket

Me, I’m not a snot rocket guy, but I do see the appeal! I mean, when you are just getting in to your stride and really starting to feel it, and suddenly your nose starts to run and it gets harder to breathe… I get it. With one simple pinch of a nostril and a massive blow, you’re clear! Awesome for you; but not so much for the dude or dudette you snotted on. Take a second and make sure you’re clear on both sides and behind before you conduct your emergency blow. Thank you.

Use the F%*&ing Porta Potty

Man, I cannot believe that I even have to say this, but I do. Yes, the lines can be long. Yes, the race director could have put more porta potties out there. Yes, I know you really need to go and the race is about to start. And, and, and… I DON’T CARE. Plan your morning better. Think of it this way, you probably would not appreciate it if someone walking through your neighborhood had to go really bad, so they popped a squat on your lawn. Well, that’s how the host city feels. Pull yourself together!

NO BODY Wants to See All That

One of the best side affects of running is what it does to our bodies. I have massive calves and solid thighs. When I’m peaking for a race, my body fat gets below 10%, not bad for a guy with a dad bod! But trust me, NO BODY wants to see it all hanging out while I run around the street sweating and oozing! I’m not saying to not be comfortable, but if your shorts are so short, that squirrels are paying attention, that might be a problem. I’m a very hairy guy; I draw the line on (lack of) coverage when I start to look like a running chia pet. You get the point. Let’s be a little modest. If you can’t do it for yourself, think of the children!

If You Have Dressed Up in a Full on Outfit, Stay Out of My Finish Line Picture!

This one is probably more on me then the other person. If I haven’t trained hard enough to beat the panda bear that is pushing the wheel barrel for 10k, then I probably haven’t trained hard enough!

PLEASE add your own manners that I may have missed in the comments section below!

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