Ready, Aim…

Published
by
Chris
on Wed, 14 May 2008
in Misc
. 3 Comments

…Fire!

The men in my Bible study group got together for a guy’s night and hit the shooting range (Lloyd WMA in Crittenden for those who may be interested). Prior to last summer, I had never fired a “real” gun (not counting BB and paintball guns). While visiting my grandparents last year, I took some pot shots with a rifle at a ground hog that was well off in the distance in the corn fields (no, I didn’t come any where close to hitting it). I felt pretty uncomfortable at the time, so I didn’t take more than a couple shots.

I was still a bit hesitant about firing at the range tonight, but figured it would be a good experience to have - you know, just in case… While I can’t say this is something I necessarily loved doing, it was good to get rid of the nerves that accompanied holding and firing a weapon. Justin gave good lessons and rules on shooting and marksmanship that put me more at ease, and I felt more comfortable with each round I fired. My paintball experiences helped as well - I was already very cognizant and in the practice of having the safety on whenever not shooting, so that was one less thing on which I had to intentionally focus.

Justin, being quite the gun enthusiast (he’s even built a couple), had plenty of weapons and ammo for us to shoot, including a M1 Garand, AR-15 Rifle, M1911 Pistol, as well as a .22 Remington rifle and .22 pistol. All kinds of different calibers and sizes! The M1 and M1911 had quite some kick to them (to me at least), with the .22 pistol feeling smooth in comparison.

We had the typical paper targets, but Justin also brought some floppy disks that needed “formatting.” :-) Overall, I think I did fairly well at the hitting the target, though I know I flinched and blinked before firing most shots. I did hit a floppy, though! (Does it really matter if I wasn’t aiming at it? ;-) )

I’d definitely say I’m now more comfortable, though still cautious and careful, with guns, so it was a great learning experience. I took a few pictures before my camera batteries died, so check the gallery for these in a day or two.

Summer Break

Published
by
Chris
on Sat, 10 May 2008
in Personal and Quizzes/Tests
. 3 Comments

Woohoo, classes are over for the semester! Ah, jessie, it feels good! My last final, on Thursday, was a killer. 78 accounting word problems. Yuck! I finished in a little over two hours, and I was the second or third done. I studied pretty well for this test, having had more time since my other class’s exam was the previous week and the additional motivation to finish as quick as possible because I had somewhere to be that night. No amount of studying can prepare you for a test that long and “reading” intensive, though, especially after a long week and killer day at work. My brain started shutting down about halfway through, so I don’t have a good feeling about the results, but at least it’s over!

At long last, I got to see Needtobreathe, one of my top 5 bands, in concert. They were in town at the Mad Hatter (along with Seabird), so James and I went out to see the show. I had heard goods things about their live show, so I had been looking forward to a tour stop for some time. And they didn’t disappoint! It was a great show, and awesome to hear the songs live. James got excited when they played some Counting Crows (Long December). Good stuff, and a great way to celebrate the end of classes!

And to continue that celebration, some friends and I went to an improv show (think Whose Line). My friend Missy is the leader/coach of the Q City Players and invited us out for a friends and family night before they began their tour. Funny stuff! It felt really good to laugh after the long week. Good job Missy and Q City Players! Good luck on your tour!

One of the reasons that I decided to not take summer classes is because of the many things that I want to do over the summer. That list includes:

  • volunteering (probably for STARS)
  • getting more involved in my church
  • getting involved in a creative ministries (specifically puppets)
  • searching for grants and scholarships for grad school
  • taking road trips to visit family and friends
  • finishing up some projects around the house/yard
  • looking for a new “lavoro”

I’m definitely looking forward to a great, productive and fulfilling summer!

P.S. Still working on that pesky Shoutbox…

MacGyver Movie

Published
by
Chris
on Mon, 05 May 2008
in Movies
. 1 Comment

Transformers, G.I. Joe, The Greatest American Hero and now - a MacGyver movie! My childhood is coming to the big screen. And I love it! :-)

Flying Pig 10K - The Results

Published
by
Chris
on Sat, 03 May 2008
in Personal and Running
. 7 Comments

Woohoo! Flying Pig 10K Runner 21254 came in at 1:16:45 (unofficial time) 1:16:32 (official)!

Wow, what a morning! It was plenty cloudy and wet out, but the temperature was absolutely perfect! Nice day for a run, eh? :-) Let’s start out with a check of my goals, then I’ll go into more race details.

Goals

  • Finish - check!
  • Run across both bridges - check!
  • Finish in under 1:30:00 - check!

Yes, got them all! I was worried and anxious before the race, thinking I was in over my head, but once I got there and the shotgun went off, I plunged into the experience and just went. The results: I’ve run the most I’ve ever run in my life and did better than I could have expected. It feels good to know I could step up to the place and come out swinging on race day, though I had no precedent for what I was about to do. I came sooooo close to reaching my original time goal of 1:15, missing it by less than two minutes. I did not, however, reach my other original goal of running the first 5K. I stopped to walk twice. I did end up running 28 of the first 30 minutes, though, which isn’t too bad. Overall, I think I walked 13-14 minutes (definitely an area for improvement). In hindsight, if I had remembered where the water stops were, I would have walked less. At two points during the course when I was walking, I was getting ready to start running again, but saw a water stop and kept walking through it. Though I get on myself for taking walk breaks, I can at least say that I didn’t stop moving the whole time!

(In case anyone is curious, there was actually a strategic reason for setting a goal of running across both bridges. One was at the 5K mark and I knew I’d be tired by then and need some motivation to not stop. The other bridge was towards the end and I wanted the extra push to the end.)

My dismal training thus far this year became evident at the 3 mile mark when I felt something I hadn’t felt since my first 5K two years ago - chest pains. Thankfully, though I’m not a running expert by any stretch of the imagination, I have gained enough experience to work through the pain without stopping. I consciously took steady deep breaths, tried not to think about it and sure enough, the pain passed in a few minutes. Also, I was on a bridge at the time, so I kept thinking about my goal and the disappointment I would feel if I did stop to walk. Finished the race without having to deal with any of the dreaded stabbing pains again. Nice to get through that obstacle, and it did boost my spirits.

I have to say that I have even more respect for marathoners, but I’m also beginning to see how they can do it. You just get in the zone - much like when you’re driving and zone out, then wonder how you got from A to B. That happened to me today. I just got lost in thought and next thing I know I was at mile 4.

When I reached the 4 mile mark and saw the time at 48 minutes, I got pumped. Doing some quick math, I figured I was averaging a 12 minute mile. Two miles left meant about 24 more minutes - which would be under my original goal of 1:15! Talk about having an adrenaline rush and lifted spirits! Ultimately, the last two miles took longer than 12 minutes each, but the realization certainly did help me push through to the end.

Another area where lack of training showed was with my stride and pace. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to lengthen my stride while keeping my pace. I didn’t have enough training runs for this to become second nature, though. I did start with longer strides, but quickly regressed to what I’ve been doing and what I’m most comfortable with. A few times throughout the run, I realized I was “shuffling” along and changed up my stride, but eventually fell back to the shortened stride.

Climbing the uphill slope on the last bridge, I was fighting to keep moving. That’s when the crowd started to thicken and the cheering got louder - and I got my last boost. It’s amazing what the cheering can do for you, even if they’re all strangers. I sucked it up and surged forward, lengthening my stride, quickeding my pace and sprinting to the end. I was shocked that I had enough energy left to do this, but it felt absolutely awesome!

On a separate but related note - I had prayed the night before and this morning for the rain to stop during the run. I could live with it being cloudy and wet, but I knew being soaked to the bone would not help me. However, it continued to rain as I drove downtown and as everyone gathered at the starting line, so I resigned myself to a wet race. However, a few minutes into the race, it stopped! And it held off for the duration of the race! Praise the Lord! However, I didn’t think to thank Him at that time like I should have. It didn’t occur to me that I had an answered prayer until I was driving home and it started pouring again. Sad…I need to be more focused on my prayers and results.

Well, I’m certainly enjoying the runners high right now, but I think it’s about time for a nap. :-) Overall, this was quite and experience and I learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of. Though I wasn’t really planning to go any more races this year, I just might reconsider that…

Pigs Are Flying

Published
by
Chris
on Fri, 02 May 2008
in Running
. 1 Comment

T-17 hours and counting. 8am tomorrow the pigs will start flying. Definitely can’t stay out late tonight since it’s so bright and early in the morning. Weather isn’t looking too good…thunderstorms and showers throughout the night, and throughout the race. The temperature looks just about right - mid 60s - but hopefully being wet won’t put a damper on the event (pun intended :-) )

I checked out the route earlier. I’ve done three 5Ks so far, and they’ve all been basically the same - around the ballparks and along the Cincy riverfront. The 10K will be a welcome change of scenery. The course loops from the Cincy riverfront around the ballparks, across the bridge into Covington, continues to Newport, then back across the bridge into Cincy.

Having had disappointing training, I’ve revised my goals. Now, I’m shooting to finish in under 1hr 30 minutes and to run over both bridges without stopping. The rest is up in the air. I do think I’ve gotten in a little over my head, but I’m really hoping to surprise myself. If I don’t meet my expectations, I’ll kick my butt like I usually do and should end up doing better on the next one.

Wish me luck!