The children

Here are a few pics of the cuties, Roscoe (the dapple) and Otis (black and tan).

Begging for punishment

Psycho Wyco 50k is a little more than a month away (Feb 10th) and I'm excited. It's a brutal 50k that I ran last year (my first BTW). Up to this point, I really didn't want to put myself through that again because I had swollen ankles for weeks and couldn't run comfortably for months. I wasn't able to prepare as I would have liked last year though due to travel - in the month before the race, I was on the road for 2+ weeks.
I may be niave, but I think I can not only finish it again, but improve on my time of 6hrs; 40mins. The past few weeks, I been putting more 'miles on my feet' starting with small amounts (4-7 miles) and increasing the number of days I run (2-3). Last week, I bumped my mileage to 21 miles/wk and 4 days. Yesterday, I put in a 13 mile day with at least 3 more run scheduled this week. I'm looking forward to increasing each the next few weeks with some long runs (20+ miles) mixed in.
I'll never be a great runner, but I can do better. I enjoy pushing myself though and immediately after last year's race, I was disapointed in my finish. Don't get my wrong, all this work won't help me win the race, but as long as I know I gave it my best, it's all I can do. Besides, I'll get to see some friends from the KC Trail Nerds and if not for them, I wouldn't be doing long races anyway.

I'm looking forward to it!

Getting back into the swing of it

After being away from my 'comfort zone' for 2 weeks (in TX and in GA for Christmas), you would think I would be more energized and ready to start back to work, but with how I like to work, it's been the opposite.
I can't just jump back and forth into my 'creative state', and sometimes it's tough for me to even find! When I start working, I don't like to quit in the middle of a piece...sometimes staying up for a few days. I'll get an idea or a 'feeling' about a work and must finish it then.
Before the TX trip, I had been in the 'zone' for weeks and been churning out piece after piece - some for work but others for myself. Doing multiple personal pieces is a good sign I'm having fun. This past week has been tough though AND I have jobs I can start on. I'm just gonna have to force myself to sit!!!

Great article about trail running

Here is a great article about trail running that points out many of its benefits. I wish every 'road-runner' could read this. I understand that running through the woods, slipping 'n sliding in mud, rain, and splashin' in puddles aren't for everyone, but I continue to tell myself most people haven't tried it yet.

If you're interested in trail running, please check out the most passionate trail runner I know, Ben Holmes, and his blog: http://badbenkc.blogspot.com/ The following article was taken from his site and was written my Matt Carpenter for skyrunner.com


Gnarly trails and magic rocks
By MATT CARPENTER
www.skyrunner. com

I remember that first gnarly trail to this day. I found it on my standard out/back run from the dorm. What looked like a little path turned into quite the discovery! Soon the whole cross county team started running it on a regular basis. In the past we had always sought out new training runs sometimes resorting to taking a van to distant places to log our miles. But this trail was different. We could run it over and over but it never got old. We called it the gnarly trail because it had everything: hills, creek crossings, mud, rocks even a few Tarzan vines. Time had no meaning because we never bothered to look at our watches. Simply put — this trail was fun!

Now, almost fifteen years later, I find I spend most of my running time on trails. I have grown accustomed to hours passing without notice. The excitement of never really knowing what lies around the next corner. The hunt for the next gnarly trail. But then again I am a trail and mountain runner. What’s in it for the road runner?

The next time you go on a run take notice of what happens when your foot strikes the ground. What happens when the next foot strikes the asphalt? And the next? If you are like most people the same thing happens again and again. The repetitive nature of running on a road can bring about our least favorite word — INJURY!

Contrast that to a trail run. I am talking trail here — not a paved bike path. Each individual foot strike is just that — individual. Throw in some rocks, slanted trails, and gravity defying curves and you give your feet and legs a well deserved natural break.

The same goes for the rest of your body and mind. On the road your running form seldom changes except for interruptions — cars, intersections, and the occasional whatever that always seems to break your zombie like trance. Even your mind rarely gets much excitement on a road run. After a while you may find yourself thinking of everything you were trying to get away from when you went on your run in the first place — work, bills and all those nasty little thoughts that creep in unless you run so hard that you only think about stopping. This tedium and monotony can bring about another not so favorite word — BURNOUT!

On a trail you must lift your knees to get over the rocks, torque your body to keep from falling over on the slants, and swing your arms wildly to keep from flying off the curves. Most of the time you are thinking about only one thing — the trail! You rarely end up in a zombie trance without having to pick yourself up off the very trail you so rudely forgot to think about.

The workout a trail run gives you may leave you feeling beat up but it will never leave you feeling beat down. A good trail run has an invigorating- one-with- the-world- who-cares- what-the- neighbors- say feeling. However, to get this feeling a good trail should have one or more of the following elements:


Magic rocks and roots the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards.

Surprises the occasional fallen tree, psycho mountain biker, bear, horse poop, etc.

Scenic stopping points something so awesome that you actually feel OK about stopping for a few seconds and saying wow! Note: The actual time will vary depending on your little understood obsessive compulsive gene (OCG).

A small dose of risk lets face it, magic, and not so magic, rocks can hurt you.

A small dose of fear of getting lost and ending up in another state.

Remorse a good trail always makes you feel sorry that it is over no matter how tired you are.
After you find a trail with some of these elements — or a gnarly trail with all of them — you may find yourself not wanting to get back onto the roads. It’s a risk with many rewards! Wherever I travel I almost always manage to find an off-road adventure that has something new to get excited about. Even the biggest cities often have a park or a river with a trail around them. Sometimes however I find myself back on the roads where it seems like I constantly look at my watch. I am never quite sure if I am timing how far I have run, or how much longer before I get to stop.

- Matt Carpenter

It's been tooooo long between updates!

Wow! I can't believe I've wanted this long to add an update. So much has happened over the past month and half that I might break it up into multiple posts.

November was one of the busiest months I've had freelancing. My first 'official' postcard mailing was a success bringing in multiple new clients. My next postcard is printing now and should be in the mail in the next few weeks.

I visited my sister, Melanie, in Waco, Texas in mid-December to help her work on her new home. I was there for 5 days and believe me, it was no pleasure trip. We usually worked for 6-8 hours a day scraping old paint off their 2-story home, painting hallways, doortrims, rooms, etc. We really accomplished a lot in less than a week. I've attached some pics of her house. You can see how much effort it took scrapping old paint - I spent 10+ hours on a ladder.

After working, Melanie, Brad, myself and two dogs (Hank and Porter) drove 16+ hours to GA to visit the parents for Christmas. If you can believe it, the dogs were great the entire trip - Hank slept and Porter chewed on his new toy. Brad drove the first half and I wrapped up the 10pm to 6am shift going from Jackson, MS to Dublin, GA.

Lucy met us in GA for Christmas where we stayed from the 22nd to the 27th. The folks are doing great and it was nice to be back home. Our family loooooves to eat so there was more than enough food for everyone.

Lucy and I only bought one thing for each other - and we already knew what it was - TWO 'lil Daschund puppies which we named Otis and Roscoe. Otis is a black/tan while Roscoe is a dapple (like a tiny blue-tick hound). They were frightened at home in GA because all of Hank, Porter, and Dixie, the family bulldog, but they've settled in nicely in Greenville. I've never had an 'inside' pet. While growing up in the country, my pets were all outside so they required little supervision. The two news pups are a different story. I'm constantly saying 'no', 'take that out of your mouth', 'let's go outside!', etc. I am slightly illergic to animals (mainly cats or long-haired dogs), but I'm doing alright with Otis and Roscoe. It's too late now though....Lucy would probably get rid of me before she gave up her babies!

On a sad note, Brad and Melanie's home was burgularized while they were in GA over Christmas. The robbers took anything valuable - TV, computer, guitar, some jewelry, etc. They even took half-used liquor in the freezer. Due to some helpful 'informants', they're pretty sure they know who did it. It just so happened it was a guy who was helping w/ the plumping and he knew they would be away for almost 2 weeks. The guy had loose lips and told the wrong person who contacted Melanie and Brad. Right now, nothing has happened - the cops are gathering statements and Melanie and Brad have been staying in a hotel for the past fews days due to their home 'not being secure'. Today they installed a new door (which the burgular broke into) so they should be at home tonight. I wish them luck and hope I never have to go through this. Too bad the attached pics are BEFORE their home was burgularized. Melanie said it was/is severly trashed.

NOTHING IS WORSE THAN A THIEF!!!!