Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Marathon Playlist

Here is my St Jude Marathon playlist in the works (no partcular order).



Eye of the Tiger

Gonna Fly Now (Rocky Theme) These have to be in there no matter what.

Cult of Personality -Living Color

Extreme Ways -Moby

Filled with Your Glory -Starfield

Second to None (from the Transformers soundtrack)

Beat It -Fall Out Boy

For the Love of the Game -Pillar

Use Me -Hootie and the Blowfish

The Hero -Queen (from Flash Gordon soundtrack)

California Love -2 Pac

Go Speed Racer Go -Everclear

Bad -U2

The Adventure -Angels & Airwaves

The Competitor's Creed -FCA

Unbreakable -Fireflight

Dreamer -Chris Brown

Numb/Encore -Jay Z and Linkin Park

Lord Give Me a Sign -DMX

Iron Man -Ozzy

Stronger -Kanye West

The Warrior -Scandal

Extreme Days -Toby Mac

Slam -Toby mac

Meant to Live -Switchfoot

I Go to Work -Kool Moe Dee

Scream -Michael and Janet Jackson

Revolution -Kirk Franklin

That is phase one of the marathon playlist.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ways I Don't Want to Die

Have you ever thought about ways you don't want to die? We WILL all die, and I have come to the conclusion that everything we do in life is a risk. One wrong move by us or someone else and life could be over in an instant. Then there are some things that are just accidents and just plain dumb luck. When I was out running the other day, my mind started to wander as it tends to do over the course of 11 miles or so. I was running next to a golf course with a par 3 hole just off of the road I was on when I thought, "One shanked line drive to the right, and I am a dead man. That's not the way I want to go." There are things that could happen that I would die content but death by a shanked golf ball is not one of them. Then I kept going with the list and posted it to facebook. Read, enjoy a good laugh and add one of your own as a comment.

#1 weekend fair amusement park rides.

#2 in a donut shop with local Law Enforcement!
-Douglas Johnson

#3 getting hit in the back of the head by a bad golf shot while running next to a golf course.

#4 Trying to repair a leak in a toilet tank - or - anything to do with a toilet!
-Douglas Johnson

#5 eatin alive
-Jon Kniss

#6 From loss of blood violating the first rule of garbage disposal repair (inserting your hand into the drain).
-Melissa Moody

#7 Being trampled to death at Walmart on black Friday
-Brandy Pecor

#8 death by my ex wife!
-Jon Kniss

#9 Buried alive.
-Kim Quin

#10 Hand propping a plane.
-Scott Woodliff

#11 Food poisoning after enjoying a really delicious meal that included an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. How often do we get these kinds of meals anyhow??!
-Thuy Witt

#12 A plastic surgery snafu.
-Ryan Witt

#13 blinded by cameras flashing on Christmas morning then falling down the steps and breaking my neck before I opened that big diamond I'd been waiting my whole life for
-Molly Byrd

#14 stabbed in the heart by a competitive fondue eater.
-Diane Harrison

#15 Falling from a really high place, and hitting the ground...splat
-Maria Schafer

#16 Blow drying my hair in the shower.
-Kim Quin

Reply: Kim if your drying youir hair in the shower you desevre it ! lol-Jon Kniss

#17 Disentary
-Jon Kniss

#18 Bike wreck
-Jon Kniss

#19 not dieing till you hear your wife say I TOLD YOU SO !!!
-Jon Kniss

#20 random drive by shooting.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Encouragement

Here is the quote I read at the August O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce luncheon about encouragement.

"Be quick to encourage others; colleagues, friends, family members and kids. Positive, uplifting comments give and sustain life where discouraging comments steal life. Always make it your practice to find something positive to say to others every time you see and talk with them. They will want to be around you more and help you succeed at whatever you set your mind and energy to do."

Smiles

Here is the invocation I gave before prayer at the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce luncheon September 22, 2009. Some have asked for it, so here you go!

“Smiles cut anxiety and breed peace. They communicate that I’m okay and you’re okay. Smiles are a great way to make a first impression and start a conversation because it puts people at ease. Make it a point of intentional effort to begin any interaction with new people, coworkers, family and friends with a smile and you are guaranteed to start in a positive place.”

Friday, September 4, 2009

I Want More Energy!!!

Three of the last four years I have participated in the Lake St Louis Triathlon, and this year’s race was the best yet thanks to my new healthy energy supplement. I shaved almost five minutes off of my time and finished third in my age group in the sprint event with less training and only one change in my diet, FRS Healthy Energy. I do attribute much of the success gained this year to mental training, but with much less physical preparation the thing that kept me pushing hard throughout the race was FRS.

I began seeing ads for FRS on all of the triathlon sites last year with a big endorsement from Lance Armstrong it was intriguing, but getting so close to my Ironman event I didn’t want to change anything up in my diet. In the past I have had trouble with leg cramps on long events, but with a few adjustments to my caloric intake along with a few nutrition supplements they have been almost completely eliminated. Here are the things that have helped me and where I buy them.

The first thing I needed to do was balance my carbohydrate/protein ratio. This along with a good multivitamin gave me the biggest boost of energy I’ve ever had during my daily routine. The way I balanced the carbohydrate/protein ratio initially was through Myoplex Lite nutrition shakes. My training partner, Colin, introduced me to this through a program called “Body for Life.” I took these shakes after exercise and between meals, once mid-morning and once mid-afternoon, which increased my total meals for the day to five. This mostly eliminated the afternoon low energy that many people experience regularly. The best price I have found on Myoplex is at Target. You can get a four pack of premixed French vanilla or chocolate shakes for around 6.99. Inside many of the four packs is a coupon for 1.50 off the next purchase.

The second game changing supplement I started to use was Endurox R4 recovery drink. I found that after long training sessions, especially when I was increasing distance, I would get a little sore, but with an Endurox shake immediately after the workout I experienced little to no soreness. I was also able to take fewer days off after a long run or ride. Endurox R4 is good if you are training for a marathon or something where you are increasing your distances on a weekly basis. It is priced about the same wherever you can find it, GNC is as good as any. One other thing that had helped during training are Endurolytes electrolyte supplements by Hammer Nutrition. During a long run or ride I can feel within minutes my eyes brighten and gain more focus when I take them.

These things along with a “Now” multivitamin for men, 100mg of CoQ10 and “Irwin Naturals” Ginza-Plus daily carried to a successful 12:09:45 Ironman in November of 2008.

Fast forward to July of 2009 and I decided it was time to try the FRS I had seen advertised. I went to the website and found an offer for a free trial, so I ordered. There are several video testimonials on the FRS website, and they make this stuff sound amazing. Here is what I experienced.

The most noticeable thing that happened immediately was that my eyes brightened and I could focus on my work throughout the morning and afternoon. There was no real “energy” boost, just a sustained clarity. FRS claims that their formula of B vitamins and Quercetin gives the energy for more intense workouts and sustained energy throughout the day with no crash. The increased intensity is probably the clarity that I have experienced. I use the drink and chews and they seem to work. The flavor of the drink is similar to Tang and the chews are a little sour but I like sour. The results are clear with the clarity and focus at work and sustaining the intensity of my workouts it has been well worth the price of shipping to try it and I am now continuing my regular shipment once a month. I am hoping to qualify for the Boston marathon soon, so I will keep you posted on how FRS helps with the training and racing. Another side note, one of my questions when starting FRS was, would it keep me awake at night? I have had no trouble getting to sleep since I have been using FRS.

In conclusion, the combination of all the above supplements, a balanced diet and regular exercise raised my level of energy, health and focus for life. I took Lance Armstrong’s endorsement and I give this Lance’s endorsement as well. Wish I could say that I was a seven time Tour de France winner, but at least most of you who read this know me personally. Please post comments and any questions you may have. Thanks for reading!