Running Injuries? Stop Running.

I read this article in Competitor about the 5 most troublesome running injuries. It made me think about my transition from distance running to a more balanced training program. Why? Because, I suffered with 4 of the 5 before I stopped running entirely. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. My lower body was a disaster. My right heel hurt, my shins both hurt, my knees were growing more uncomfortable and my lower back was unstable. My love of running was slowly killing itself through overtraining.

Since running was the only activity in my incredibly unbalanced training program I looked for something different and found CrossFit. I chose it because it looked fun and, most importantly, has almost zero running. My weekly mileage went from over 20 miles to less than a mile. On rare occasion I ran a 5k.

I quickly realized my run-all-the-time training program left me pretty one dimensional. I was weak and inflexible. I failed to complete an Air Squat Tabata after a less-than-impressive 3 rounds and failed like a Plebe trying to do 2 minutes of push-ups. Since I had a lot of room for improvement I decided to give it a year and see what happened.

Over the course of a year (July 2008 to July 2009) I stuck to the plan and barely ran. It was tough. I missed the long trail runs the most. So, when the year was over I went back to one of my favorite trails to test myself on a 7 mile loop I ran once a week before I stopped. To my surprise, I was almost as fast as before. More importantly, I hurt a lot less and suffered none of the injuries that plagued me for years.

I switched to CrossFit Endurance shortly thereafter and follow their programming to this day. I remain injury free and am faster, stronger and more flexible. I should also note that I am not an endurance athlete of any note. Just a regular guy who enjoys running and wants to run with his grandchildren (in 30 years). I have no doubt my lower volume training will allow me to enjoy running even when I'm an old guy.

America is Awesome

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. I asked my son's teacher if they were discussing it in class. They are not and that's a shame.

It's a shame because the initial response to Pearl Harbor and our stedfast dedication to finish the job in both the Pacific and European theaters speak directly to the American character we must promote to our children. When we entered WWII we were the underdogs. Our economy was still struggling to recover from The Great Depression, we were not overly industrialized and our military was relatively small. Despite the challenges in front of us we thrust forward and eventually won a hard fought victory against Nazism, Fascism and Imperialism.

When FDR spoke to Congress on 8 December 1941 he never mentioned "fairness", he didn't ask "what did we do to deserve this?" he simply stated that (and I'm paraphrasing) America was attacked and now we are going to kick your ass.

When my grandfathers joined the service they did so because they believed that America was worth fighting for. They believed that Liberty was better than tyranny and they were willing to die to make sure I had a chance to live in a World blessed by America's greatness.

This American Spirit must be passed on to our children or they won't understand the wonderful gift God gave us when we were born free humans in the greatest Country in the history of the World. Today they are surrounded by people telling them "America is soft", "America is unfair", "America is no better than Cuba". Rubbish!

America isn't soft, our political leaders are weak and pathetic...on both sides.

America isn't unfair, it's the only place on Earth where a poor kid from a bad neighborhood can become a billionaire in one generation.

America is better than Cuba and every other country on Earth. Period. I'll debate that with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the obligation we have as Americans to suck it up, put our boots on and get to work. If that work is destroying three horrible regimes half a world away or getting out of a recession it's possible to succeed with hard work and dedication.

That's why it's a shame that my son won't hear about Pearl Harbor in school today.

God Bless America.

PS: I hope Army crushes Navy this weekend. Go Army!

I love You, Glory Days

The crowd, the lights, the smell of over-cooked meat on an enormous BBQ...I miss all of it. I miss being on a team, inside jokes and the camaraderie of competition. I miss it so much I built a race series to bring it back.

At Humocross we work hard to build a high school/college sports atmosphere for our athletes. Marching bands play, your family watches you race and the local community is part of the action. It's like a trip back to 1991.

Teams

Build a team in your office, Church or gym and work together to crush the competition on race day. Training with a team is one of the best ways to improve your life and be a happier person.

Train

Work with local trainers to build a plan, sign-up for a boot camp or use your charismatic personality to get the aforementioned team out to the park on Saturdays for a workout. You are much more likely to achieve your goals with a plan and a target event. Humocross offers very short race options so there is no reason to be intimidated and no excuse for not trying.

Spectators

We don't charge for spectators (other than parking) so your whole office, Church, gym and family can cheer you on without having to spend a fortune.

Enjoy

Stretch out, toe the starting line, breathe in the smokey BBQ air, check the stands for your girl (throw her a casual wink if you're so bold) and remember what it's like to feel like a Champion.

Humocross: Greatest Foot Race on Earth. Register Today.

How do I win?

Humocross is a "Survival Foot Race". You win by surviving rounds one and two and finishing first in round three.

Position Elimination

200 Athletes start in round one of your heat.

The fastest 100 Athletes move on to round 2.

5-15 minutes later...

100 Athletes start in round two of your heat

The Fastest 50 move on to the Championship Round.

5-15 minutes later...

50 athletes start. The Champ is the first Athlete to cross the finish line.

Time Elimination

200 Athletes start in round one of your heat.

A lap is 1 mile. We give you 12 minutes to finish the brutal motocross track. Finish in 12:01 or longer and you are eliminated.

5-15 minutes later...

Round Two: Finish in 10:01 or later and you are eliminated.

5-15 minutes later...

Championship Round: The Champ is the first Athlete to cross the finish line.

Zombicross

Everyone gets eliminated eventually...the zombies always win. However, you will have a great time before they get you.

http://www.humocross.com

http://www.zombicross.com

Zombie Survival Race: Course Guidelines

Humans enter the Survival Course at a standard starting gate. Once on the track they are subjected to several types of attacks.

Attacks

1. Chase Down: Zombies bust out in an all-out run and take down the slowest humans.
2. Lumbering: Slow moving Zombies amble about at "choke points" on the course.
3. Sneaky: Zombies are ambling in places where humans can't see them until it's too late for anything other than evasive action.

Our course designers are sadists so expect the most horrible sequence possible.

Obstacles

1. Zombies are the primary obstacle on the course.
2. Obstacles act as barriers between Zombie attacks (see "Things Zombies Can't Do").
3. Motocross tracks are tough to navigate on foot so most of the obstacles are easy to negotiate while running as fast possible...15 minutes in to a Zombie assault.

Decision Points

1. Each course offers choices between Zombies and physical exertion.
2. Run through a maze of hay bales and zombies for 100 meters or run an extra half mile through sparsely Zombied territory.

Punishments

1. If you lose "life" flags on a lap you have the opportunity to get more by completing a horrible task.
2. There are multiple punishments on the course.

Distances

1. Tracks vary in length between 1/4 and 2 miles.
2. Humans can re-enter the course multiple times.
3. Each course has specific rules on how many laps it takes to "survive" the apocalypse.
4. You are welcome to only run the course once.

Our Marketing Sucks

We are launching Zombiecross with a $100 marketing budget.

We admit our graphics are poorly drawn and that's okay.

You won't actually die

Humocross and Zombiecross are both part of our new Survival Racing Series. The goal of a survival race is to make it to the end without being eliminated.

In Humocross you win by being the fastest in your heats. We know you're fastest because you cross the finish line first. No chips. This is a real race.

In Zombiecross you win by holding onto at least one "life flag" while enduring miles of Zombies, pain and suffering. Again, no chips.

Learn more about both by visiting http://www.humocross.com and http://www.youaredinner.com