Tis the season....

...for dropping the ball. I have been a little sparce with my work-outs not because I'm lazy (OK maybe a little) but because We have just gotten a dog in Runner household. It was a decision that we had made a while back and were going to get a dog in the spring. A puppy came available and we made the decision to get him now. He is a 12 weeks old German Shorthaired Pointer, Male and his name is Otis. he has fit right in with the family and his crate and house training is getting better everyday. We have already startd a puppy class to get him well socialized since I plan on taking him everywhere with me. He will not be able be a running partner till he is a little better trained and he is a year old so his bones are done growing.

Mrs. Runner and I are doing the Celtic Soltice 5 miler in Druid Hill Park on the 19th (followed by brunch and beers at The Pratt Street Ale House) so I have been trying to get out running but the weather has put the stop to that.
More to come.

Drag the River - Primer & Insanity Update

Drag the River is a band my friend Chris C. turned me on to a couple of years ago. until I heard Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass solo efforts(on Suburban Home Records) did I finally get the get the band as whole.
here is a stream of their new album, Primer




I am two weeks down with Insanity and took my second fit test which I saw a big improvements and I feel good with this being a month to get ready for my plan of a big two month push of the soild Insanity to take to the end of January. More later and the tale of the tape so far.

The Takers

The guys over at Suburban Home records are trying to get their band, The Takers on the sound track of the great show East Bound and Down on HBO.

'If you haven’t heard the Takers’ debut album, “Taker Easy”, it is time you took a listen to see what these guys have been up to. I posted a full album stream below. Take a listen. The band is from Gainesville and are one of only a handful of bands I know carrying the Outlaw Country torch that was lit during the 70’s with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and others. Songs like “Curse of a Drunk” and “Friends in Bottles” almost seem meant for Eastbound & Down. Although the Takers don’t live the chaotic life that Kenny Powers lives on the show, their themes of disappointment, booze, and hard life would make the perfect soundtrack for the show.'

Good Looking Fellow

Suburban Home Records recently had a picture of the Husky Runner on their fine Web Establishment sporting one of their t-shirts at The Chesapeake Real Ale Festival.

Insanity - Week One in the Books

I have made the transition to doing my work out in the morning before I leave for work. That is 5am Ringy-Dingy and down stairs I go to the sweat factory. I like working out in the morning I get to work at 6:30 and I have a lot of energy to get work done before most folks get in around 8am. Mrs. Runner have an arrangement that I set my clothes out and a towel down stairs before I go to bed so I don’t disrupt he little ones as I shower and get dressed for work. It has worked out pretty good except for Monday when I was running late and I guess I never got a chance to cool off before I showered and left for work because I had HUGE visible (Thanks, Drew) sweaty pits by 9am. I had to change my shirt half way through the day to a dark shirt I luckily had in my truck.

Soreness is relative. Still crushing 6 days on 1 off and five small meals a day. I really like the work-out I did tweak my back a little during the work-out yesterday that I kind of felt today and may take a day doing the elliptical to let it mellow a day. One week down 7 to go.

Insanity - Day 3

One word: HolyCrap!
The Program is circuit training on steroids. Have a water bottle on stand by you do get 20-30 second breaks between the sets of circuits. Each work out I have done is 41 minutes from warm up to cool down and stretching. Sweat has been dripping and breathing has been heavy. I always here people talking about the 'core', I think I have one in there somewhere because it hurts. I like the work-outs kinda reminds me of getting 'bent' in boot camp when I was younger man of 18. Mrs Runner has decide that she is going to do the program not everyday but in pieces along with her treadmill/running/elliptical workouts. She said it was "hard to the point of it not being fun."
I realized that if I stop now my body is going to hurt worse than just continuing doing the work-outs. I am very content with the small meals and the recipes the give you are very good.

Thanks, Richard....I will and I won't.

Insanity - Day One

November 1st started me down the road of sweat and tears. The first thing you do is a what they call the Fit Test. The DVD starts with a warm up that made me want to stop before I began. For the Fit Test you do a series of 8 exercises in 1 minute sprints to see how many you can do in time allotted to later gauge your progress. The two that killed me were the power jacks and power jumps. My bouncing was knocking over pictures and books fell off the shelf as a was jumping around. I was sweating like a whore in church. During the program You do the Fit Test every two weeks to mark your progress. The meal planning is sweet and just what I needed in addition to cutting back on the pops. I am eating 5 small meals now instead of 2 big ones and washing it down with a couple of coldies. 1 down 59 to go.

Yes you, Chubby guy there on the couch. I'm talking to you....

I was sitting around the house digesting too much of something maybe I didn't need to eat and drinking a beer and a infomercial comes on. It's these skinny little dicks and this hot chick I would love to have wash my clothes telling me about this great video series that could make me look like them. I would love to be a hot chick so I am immediately interested. After a quick inventory of what I have been putting in my body since beer festival season started, Baltimore Beer Week followed by a 4 day fishing trip of beers and deep fried goodness I could use something to do so I don't put on my normal holiday 10-15 lbs I have to lose when I start running again in the Spring. So in true fatty form I decided this would be a good idea to invest in my health over the holidays. Mrs. Runner bought this for me as a gift for her so when I'm finished I can wash her socks on my 2 pack. I will be keeping up with my progress here on the blob I am even going to weight myself and take a before picture that I may or may not post when this is all over.


For 60 days beat the piss out of yourself and eat right and I could be one of these peoples 'before' pictures sounds like a great idea.

Cory Branon and Jon Snodgrass

Check out Suburban Home Records. You can stream the entire Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan EP below.


and check out other music from The Suburban Home Line up...

A10 Huskyrunner Recap

The weather has been great the past two years for the race. In a moment of clearity I realized a lot about myself during my run this past Sunday.

1)I don't know how to prepare for a race. Last year I was up all night before the race 'Dancing with Rhea Pearlman' so needless to say I was dehydrated for the race last year and cramped up early and often. This year I felt so much better and in fears of dehydrating I believe I over hydrated not to the point of having a 'slosshy stomach' but damn close I would guess. I took water at the stops and don't know if that helps or hurts because I don't train with 7 water stops in a 9 mile training run.
2)I'm not fast or what people would classify as 'good at running'.
I am OK with this. I am 35 and a good 15-20lbs. heavier than I should be. I don't think people expect me to run 8 minute miles when their normal response is 'you Run?'
3)I don't have a runner's mentality. Some runners I guess run through pain...pain tells me to slow down. Weird, I know. I kept up a good pace for the first 6 miles and slowly got to a pace that was comfortable and my breathing was controlled and finished the race with a smile and a glad that is over(and a beer).


The Severn River Bridge was still there(twice)and I was OK. The next time I see it I will be in a car and our realationship will be like that till this time next year.
The after race snack were a sad state of affairs. You should know that I was not the first one to hit the after race goodies but I'm sure the Bananas were yellow if I would have ran the race in hour and 20 minutes. The joke I made in the office today to a guy in my office who also ran the race was:I should have taken a banana. I guess they would've been yellow today. He too was not impressed with the location of after race snacks or them themselves and left quickly for a place to have lunch elsewhere. This is sad because in the past they have been very good bordering on great. Hopefully next year it will rebound....that's right I said it! I will be back next year. I don't do it for time, Competition, or the glory. I do it for myself and no one else. and they give out cool stuff that when skinny runners see me wearing it say 'He Runs!?!'

Hey,Annapolis 10 Miler....You Suck!

Long story, short: I Finished.
More to come later, when my quads stop hurting, on the sad spread of after race nourishment.

Countdown to the Pain Cave

The Annapolis 10 Miler is one of the few races that you do not receive your 'premium' till you actually finish the race. Most races you go to pick up your packet and your shirt or whatever the give away is already in your bag. Hell, why run the race I got the shirt. I always ignore the shirt or in the bag till after the race. I would never wear a shirt of a race I did not run or finish my soul can’t take that kind of torment. When I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon (13.1 miles of my life I would like to have back) I did not even look at the shirt till I came to my senses a day later but people were actually wearing their shirts to run the race, which I feel is like wearing the t-shirt of he band you are going to see in concert….Don’t be that Guy.

Here is this years Premium.



Notice it says 'Finisher'.
I like that they do it that way, because if you don’t run or finish no jacket or running shirt (in this case)for you. They always have the best give-a-ways but you have to bleed, sweat and cry to get.
Less than 3 weeks I have a 7 mile run this Saturday followed by regular week of running finshed with a 9 mile next Saturday and a ramp down to the race on the 30th.

Guest Blog @ Hobotrashcan.com

This is an article I wrote for ‘The Trashcan’ getting everyone up to speed on what has happened since Top Chef began in 2005, as the Sixth season gets ready to kick off in Vegas Baby, Vegas!

Guest Blog @ Hobotrashcan.com

http://www.hobotrashcan.com/2009/07/23/guest-blog-post-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank/
This was an article I wrote in response to the brilliant decision that Dreamworks bought the movie rights from Mattel for Viewmaster.....yes, that Viewmaster....also get ready for movies based on the board games Candyland and Battleship....I'm not kidding.

Hills!

In preparation for the Annapolis 10 Miler I have put into my training a hills loop. My wife came up with it last year because you could get out quick in the neighborhood and get a good work out. It starts at my house goes out to North Laurel Rd and up a ¼+ climb, a loop around the neighborhood at the top of the hill then back done the hill back towards my house down 3rd street around Decatur up the hill on 4th St. to Madison past my house back down 3rd St and then around the other way on Decatur to the bottom of Madison and then the hill back to my house. A 2 mile beatdown of hills to get the endurance for hills up. I sandwich this in between my other two runs for the week to hopefully get me ready for’ The Severn River Bridge of Doom’

Free Shoes....both of them

Free Shoes!

Safety First!

My wife, Mrs. Runner, and I have two children. So we do not get to run together much at all. I wake up, run, come home, make breakfast for the little ones and mommy goes running. We always have a quick briefing of where we are running and when we should be back and it always ends with ‘if I’m not back by such-and-such time come find me’.
My brother is an avid bike rider both road and mountain biking and he has had numerous run-ins with cars and sketchy roads and trails. Taking a page out of his playbook I decided to buy a product for my wife and I that I hope we will never need.
I purchased for us each a RoadID http://www.roadid.com/. It is much reminiscent of the dog tags I wore in The Marines, minus my gas mask size and religion. For $20 you get a tag with your emergency contact and medical information on a stylish 3M reflective band. They sell these to be worn on your wrist, ankle, or your shoe. We both opted for the neoprene ankle style, mine in red and the Mrs. in Pink. I filled out our tags with our names, address, home phone number, each others cell phone number, blood type and that we have no allergies to medication and that we are both organ donors. It may seem a little bit morbid to think about but if I get ripped in two by a passing car it would be nice if they could give my still functioning organs to someone (although my liver may not do anyone any good) or better yet get me some blood and put me back together.

It’s easy to say it won’t happen to you but I decided for us it is better to be safe than sorry.

…and don’t forget: Be Positive…..no really! If you see me bleeding on the side of the road get me some B+!

11 weeks!

Getting back on the Horse

Running Saturday was better. Not great. Each run should be getting better. I am breathing a little better. The River run is a good 3.5 miles and can be a very good trail not very scenic although it does go through Historic Laurel via Main Street. At this point I am trying to get my breathing and stride to match up. Which can take some time to hit the groove. nothing is worse than having to concentrate on your breathing while running once in stride you can just move without thinking. 12 Weeks till A10. It is on.
Hockey tonight running Tuesday, Thursday and long run on Saturday.

Don't forget to honk at chubby runners, it make us feel good.

Upper Respiratory Infection be Dammed!

I am back from fishing in Miami and my friend Woody’s wedding in Key West.
June 1st was the registration for the 34th Annual Annapolis 10 Miler or more hipper known as The A10. If you plan on running this one you better do it quick, it always sells out.
I am on a mission for this race since in the past the hills have taken me mentally out of my ‘game’. I was whining in my head the entire time. “Who would put hills on top of hills? What kind of sicko is he or she?” So the running has begun with a goal of kicking this courses' ass (or the person who designed it) looming for August 30th. I am recovering or I may still have an Upper Respiratory Infection so yesterday’s run made 2 and half miles or less out of 3, that I could run and breathe, feel like 10. After coughing, gagging and leaving phlegm (that should be a spelling bee word) all over the neighborhood, I actually felt cleared out of all the bad I put in my body from the late nights in the Key’s.

Here we are: Ground Zero for the 10 mile training. 13 weeks of running 3 to 4 times a week and progressively doing more miles each week (Thank you, Hal Higdon) ending with 10 miles of hills and the dreaded Severn River Bridge.
It can only get better than the run yesterday.

I hope they are going to have those awesome chocolate chip cookies and watermelon after the race.

"Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished." -Jack Lovelock

The first step is admiting you have a problem....

....I am addicted. I'm not proud of it. I'm just tired of sneaking around and you should know the truth. My name is Brandon and I'm a Pho Junkie. This Vietnamese beef soup is the perfect meal. Come lunch time I am out the door in search of beef broth, noodles, cilantro, onions, sweet basil, bean sprouts, jalapeños, thin sliced rare eye of round steak, tendon, brisket, flank steak, tripe, (quite) a bit of Shrachi, hoisin sauce and fresh squeezed lime. I eat it at least once a week it is very filling and satisfies my appitite as well as my wallet with a large bowl (32oz) being about 7 dollars and you can doctor it how ever you want with the add ons to be as spicy or mild as you want to make it. I usually leave with my nose running, esophagus and lips burning from drinking the volcanic broth that is left when all the noodles and bean sprouts are gone. There is much debate on the pronucation of this wonderful food. I like to say it just like it is spelled 'Foe', although I hear Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern say it 'Fuh'. Call it what you will I call it good. My friend at work and I have four spots we like to hit all with good Pho and one with the be-all-end-all Pho. We hit Pho 88, Pho An, Pho Siagon 54, and our favorite Pho Vn One. Everyone has ther favorites. Some spots have more meat in the soup, or fresher add-ons, the other might have better noodles or better broth and sometimes they all come together for that perfect bowl. Monday is my main Pho day for lunch. and it usually starts with an e-mail to Drew around 8:30-9:00 am with any of the following subject lines: Pho-Time? Pho-Tour? Pho-Real? or simply Pho?, which he never turns down. I can and have eaten it for days in row for lunch but not like sushi which I could have at every meal but that is another post. Get out there and eat some Pho...If you are in the College Park area at lunch time there's a good chance you could see me and Drew sweating over a bowl of delicious Pho.


(The picture above is my awesome lunch of a large #14 :Tai, Sach- Fresh rice noodle soup with Eye of Round Steak, & Shredded Tripe from Pho Vn One.)

No running this weekend....just beer runs.

The 1st Annual Mt. Hope Brew Festival was this past weekend in Manheim, Pa on the site of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire . I was up there with DuClaw Brewing from here in Maryland, pouring suds for the masses. The beer was well received. How could you not be lured in by good beer, a cool trailer, free buttons, and a chance to talk to Jim Wagner? It didn't hurt that there were some 20 other breweries and we got to taste their beer too and hang out with the brewers. . Friday Night was a VIP tasting that was attached to the Punch Brother's concert going on that night on the grounds. Only a couple of breweries were attached to the VIP tasting: Seven Gates, Spaten North America, Cape May Brewing, Erie Brewing Co., Franklin's from Hyattsville, MD, Lancaster Brewing, Roy Pitz, and DuClaw. It was a great night for beer and bluegrass. Notable Beers Friday night: Franklin's Dubbel, Erie Brewing Maibock, Roy Pitz Daddy Fat Sacks IPA, and DuClaw's Naked Fish of course.


Saturday we woke up and had minimal set up since all the beer stayed nicely in the trailer on site all night. The weather man was calling for showers all day but of course it was bright,warm, a little overcast and not one drop of rain. DuClaw was pouring Venom (APA), 13 Degrees (Hefewiezen) and what was left of Naked Fish from the night before. Once the the gates opened for the first session (11am-3pm) we were pouring beers almost non-stop for the first 2 and half hours and then it was just steady for last half an hour which made it good to step out from behind the table and see what other breweries were pouring. Cape May Brewing were our neighbors and they were serving their Fishermans IPA ran through a Hop Filter filled with Simco Leaf Hops. Victory was pouring Prima Pils and their Wit, Charles from Franklin's was pouring their Twisted Turtle Pale ale and Anarchy Ale. My new friend Jim, from Erie Brewing Co. was pouring Mad Anthony APA and one of my all time favorite beers Railbender Scotch Ale. The guy's at Roy Pitz from Chambersburg, PA were pouring their Old Jail Ale and a really good German Blonde that was the perfect beer for the balmy day. There was a lot good beers at the festival, only the guy who ran face first into a keg, drank them all. After the last session (4pm-8pm) there was a 'afterparty' at The Swashbuckler Brewery there on the primises of the Renn Faire. Jim, Bo and I just hung out with the other brewers and talked beer, told bad jokes and drank beers from the other breweries and Swashbuckler's beers (Jim shared a 1lt. bottle of Colossus to rave reviews). It was great festival, great weather, and good beer. The brew fest was very well run and we cannot wait to go back next year.



Also There was some fine entertainment next to our booth with The Ride the Keg. Which was barrel that was in rigged into the hydraulics of a Wood Splitter and spun, dipped, dunked, and threw patrons to and fro. it had no handle so all you could do is squeeze with your legs and hold the lip of the barrel for dear life. (Thanks, Bo for the keg ride picture.)

Everyone has set backs.....

Good thing the weather has been so bad. I have had trouble getting myself psyched up to get out in the wind and rain to get a good run in. Not to mention that I was recently in a car accident and although there was no serious injury, I did have a couple of days where it felt like I went a couple of rounds with a UFC fighter. So once this weather gets better I'll be back on the pavement, not being skinny.

Wear your seat belt.

Welcome to The Husky Runner Blog

This is your one stop shopping for everything you need to know if you are an A-Typical runners build and you run or want to start running.

I have run a Half Marathon, two 10 Milers, a couple 5K's and a 10K (my favorite). I run 8.5 to 10 min. miles depending on course and because I'm chubby.
This is my third year of running and I will share some tips I have learned to hopefully save you from learning the hard way.

First of all there are some things and apparel you may want to look into before you get started on this venture: ( Disclaimer: if I throw out a brand name it's only because I use the product. I have no affiliation with any company......but I would take free stuff if they offered.)
- A comfortable pair of running shoes. Do not assume your gym shoes are sufficient. My wife did some research for me when I got back into running. She advised me that New Balance had wider running shoes and they seem to cater to a 'Huskier Runner' which is where the name of this blog got it's name. Do your research or go with my wife's suggestion.
-Get a mp3 player.....and it doesn't have to have 'Eye of the Tiger' on a constant loop. I have found that music that you enjoy is enough. Something with a good beat helps just to help with your pace.
-I do not suggest running in cotton shirts. They can cause chafing of your nipples. If you have large pectorials or Man Boobs, cotton shirts may not be the best choice. Some sort of 'performace material' is good choice. All the major companies make there own style and cuts, but the materials are pretty close being the same. I run in Under Armour shirts and only on long runs do I get sensitve nips.
-When you are a bigger person your thighs sometimes touch....well when you run that touching will quickly become friction that will also burn like hell in the shower and for a couple of days after your run. I run with a pair of Under Armour compression shorts. All the major companies make different lengths and colors and materials. I find the ones that are made of smooth materials are the best kind to eliminate friction. These have single handedly saved me from starting a brush fire in my running shorts.

I am going to begin to cronicle my runs and more importantly after race snacks, goodies, lunch and beers.