"THIS JUST IN!!!"

Down another 5 this week!!! Total 47 since the journey started... Pretty psyched about that... :)

"WHAT A START TO 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!"

Well Saturday is, and will be for months, LONG RUN DAY!!! Me, and Gina headed out for our longest ever 8 mile journey this morning on an almost perfect 4th of July day... It went like another jog in the park... We really had no issues until the very end with a little hamstring issue with Gina, but we still made it to the end of our planned 8... Along with ourselves I saw some gals from BTCC training as well... Bethany, Dana, and Gwen were out doing one of their famous Tri Brick workouts... Riding and then running... I had just gotten done with a story of my Training Partner for my October Adventure Race when who but the man I was talking about came riding down the path... I was psyched... James from the Center is my Partner for my first ever TEAM / Adventure Race... I picked James because he has big goals and I want to see him reach them as well as he has that look in his eye that let's me know he is willing to do whatever is necessary to reach those goals and complete this event... Team efforts are tough because you always know someone else is relying on you... I have no worries about the pair of us and can't wait for the event!!! I hope you are all out there enjoying this day and looking forward to some good picnics... Happy 4th all!!! Straus

"ADVENTURE RACE????????"

Well, I'm up to it again... Today I headed out after work for a 5 mile run including one wicked hill, and a lot of sunshine... Then followed it up with Mowing my lawn, weedwacking, and a 12 mile bike ride... I've been feeling great... Better than I have in a long, long time... It's very strange already for me to go out for a run and look at how far I went and how I feel at the end... Quite bizarre to tell the truth... I love spreading these feelings so today I came up with a great idea that just might work to spread the love if you will... James G, one of my clients at work, came to me a few weeks ago tired of the place he had put himself in life... He recently had a new addition to his family and wants to be a healthier happier more active father... I talk to him about setting goals and what it has done for me... I have since stumbled across an Adventure Race that entitles : 11 Mile Mountain Bike Ride, 6-7 Mile Trail Run, and ends up with a 2 mile Canoe paddle... I needed someone who likes to mountain bike... Oh and that runs... Hmmm, none of my friends do such a thing... I then thought of James and the journey he is starting and thought, "what an idea!!!" It was perfect... I ran it by James today and he is currently mulling it over... I think he is in, and can't wait to hear what he has to say... James reminds me a lot of myself 9 years ago... Who better to help him get to where he wants to go other than someone who has been at the same place... Stay tuned... Race is in October!!!

"34 MILE RIDE, 4.5 MILE RUN"

Well to say I'm feeling better is an understatement... I can now toss in small runs after decent rides and still live to talk about it... I have been having some serious back issues lately, but oddly enough it does not effect my running or riding until afterwards... In that case, I pretend it's not there... lol... Ok, actually I eat Aleve like skittles and can't wait for it to go away... Myself and Pal Dan rode the Canal path to Easton and then hopped on the Delaware Canal Path and headed towards Philly today... We rode until the construction equipment cleaning up the path got in the way and turned around... The path has taken some hits from the rain the past year or so and is being fixed as we speak... Round trip was about 34 miles... I then came home, had a Protein Shake for lunch, and headed to the Parkway with Zoey and ran 4.5 miles in almost 90 degree weather... Gotta test those limits and run when I'm uncomfortable... It's a part I believe a lot leave out of their Training and then when the $hit hits the fan they are not ready for it... I will be... :) Have a great week all... (oh and all you animal nuts, I had oodles of water for both Me and My dog!!! :) )

Todd Crandell - Founder of Racing for Recovery has a documentary coming out soon... This is a guy who I look up to for his passion to help others struggling with what almost killed him... His addiction happened to be alcohol & drugs, where most of whom I deal with are dealing with eating disorders or self-esteem issues... A lot of the same things that go on upstairs happens to both groups of people... I have spent many hours reading about these topics to better help the clients and people I deal with... I wish Todd the best in making his dream a reality... It is tough with many bumps in the road and I certainly know how that feels... He has taken his negative addictions and created a positive one through fitness and ironman competitions... Very inspiring story... "Do what you love, Love what you do..." Best of luck on your journeys...

"SO WHY DOES ONE RUN A MARATHON???"

Well I can't speak for anyone, but myself... I have been reading many great stories since I decided to bite off this journey... Many great reasons for running a Marathon... Some stories of ending addiction... Others because of lost loved ones... The stories go on and on... If you have been following my blog you know of the beginning of this all which was my lost bet... It has grown to much more than that over the past two months... My ultimate purpose for being a Personal Trainer is being able to help others as they have helped me reach my goals and become more than I had ever thought I could be... Already in my 5 years I have touched many and it has been worth all the struggles to get where I am... Now I truly for the first time and trying to see where this all can go... Work is slow... Lots of people ask me how I'm doing and I always toss the smile and say great... Truth is, clients are low and sessions could be more than they are... So I'm taking this time to finish my story so that I can better help others start theirs... By the end of this year I hope to stand here a different person... Better suited to motivate the world and do what I do... By finishing what I've started I hope to better my business as a Trainer... So far it's been a great Journey... I feel like I should have stock in Saucony shoes, and the mileage is starting to add up... Come along for the Journey... Who knows where this will go... I am already working on ideas for next year!!! :)

"7 MILES ON THE TOWPATH!!!"

Yep, I said 7 MILES!!! Pretty psyched about that... To think I called my parents the day I rode 8 miles in the woods on my bike... Today Myself, and Gina ran 7 miles on the Canal Path in Bethlehem Township heading towards Easton... It was a mellow 3.5 miles until the rain drops started... Than the Gods above decided it was time for us to cool down a bit... The duration of the 7 mile run was a whole bunch of RAIN, RAIN, & MORE RAIN!!! We both loved it... Rain is a great way to run... It keeps you cool and you feel refreshed... When you run that kind of distance your sweating your buns off anyways so atleast this is a refreshing feeling rather than a swampy feeling... :) Now I'm going to mellow out a bit... I only have to run 8 on the first Saturday of my real training so I do not need to build any further than I have... Gonna do some cross-training and keep the legs where they should be so I'm ready to roll at game time... I'm feeling better than ever and have lost another 4 pounds this week... Since this journey started I have lost a total of 42 pounds... I still have a bit to go to hit my goal... It's just a matter of time... I know that 100% now... Stay tuned, more to come!!!