2011 – To Our Heroes

Dec 122011
 

Well, it looks like my running will be on hiatus for a while.  I had every intention of properly preparing for the L.A. Marathon, but it’s not going to happen because I’ve got too much on my plate.  I’m hoping to expand my business, Welborn Social Media and in order to do so, I am going to need to put all my attention and focus towards that endeavor.  This has been a great year for The Running Brothers, but I think I’m going to hang up my running shoes for the year and focus on work.

Another big event is happening in my life in the upcoming weeks as well as I will be getting my own apartment . . . my first time ever living on my own.  It’s really exciting, but also a little intimidating and overwhelming, but I’m sure I’ll get through it.  If you don’t hear from us for a while it’s because business and life is keeping me busy, but my brother and I hope to be back at it in the near future.

To our heroes . . . Thank you for following us this past year.  It has been an amazing ride and I know we will have a lot more adventures to share with you in the future. 

Thanks again for all your support.

Rocky Goes to the Hospital! How am I Supposed to Run the SLO Triathlon Now?

Aug 162011
 

Today was the 60th Anniversary of the California Scholastic Press Association Workshop – a two-week journalism workshop held at California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo every Summer. 

People were coming from all across the country to celebrate the event. 

My Dad has run the workshop for the past 30 years and today was a big day for our family.  My brother, sister and I owe a lot to the CSPA Workshop.  After all, that’s where my parents met.  Every member of our family had attended the workshop.  

It was a big deal. 

Rocky had thrown up all night long the day before and I was worried.  He tried to carry on as if things were normal in the morning, but I could tell he was hurting.  After a family discussion, we decided it would be best to take Rocky to the hospital. 

The decision was made to take him to the hospital at almost the exact same time the 60th Anniversay of the CSPA Workshop. 

Although Rocky was hurting, his pain didn’t seem terminal so my Father, sister and I made our way to the celebration.  We met and talked with people who came from all across the United States to celebrate the Anniversary with us.  But the whole time, our thoughts were with our brother. 

The highlight of the presentation was when my father, along with other instructors and board members from the workshop received the highest honor the workshop bestows upon those who are associated with it.  He had made the California Scholastic Press Association’s Hall of Fame.  When his name was announced, I saw him getting off of his cell phone and he was emotional. 

He graciously accepted the award and the festivities carried on.  Minutes later, after the award ceremony had commenced.  My father informed me about the content of his cell phone conversation.

Literally one minute before my Father had received one of the biggest awards of his life, he got another piece of news . . .

Rocky needed surgery . . . immediately.

A Message for Our Heroes

Jul 012011
 

Dear Heroes,

Let me start off by thanking you for following us for the past 6 months.  As you know, we have been posting content daily to our website.  Now that our work and training commitments have kept both of us very busy we are going to cut down on our posts.  We will still post daily, but we will only post written articles 3 days a week.  The rest of the days will be filled with pictures of The Running Brothers in action. 

We understand if you feeling distraught at the thought of no longer hearing about our adventures daily, but do not dispair.  Our pictures will help to bring a smile to your face and our articles will now be more interesting as we will have more time to devote to them.  We know what you’re thinking . . . “But your articles are always interesting . . . How can we possibly go on without hearing of your adventures.”  To that we say, you are our hero . . . so, act like one and quit your whining. 

Thank you for following us to this point . . . our adventures will only get wilder in the months to come.

A Guest Post by Greg Hamilton

Jun 272011
 

Greg Hamilton

I “met” the running brothers through the OC Marathon, specifically, through twitter as we were all entered in that event. While the brothers took on the massive challenge that is a full marathon, I took on the shorter half marathon, which I have really come to love. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to meet Zeb and Rocky, but through twitter we were able to stay in touch and they were kind enough to offer me the opportunity to write a blog entry for their website.

My name is Greg Hamilton and aside from being an MBA and marketing manager, I’m an avid sports fan, and am passionate about fitness and exercise. I was never really passionate about running at all until recently. In September of 2010 I had just started my new job after finishing my graduate program. One of the big reasons I came out to get my MBA in the first place is I wasn’t satisfied with my old job. It wasn’t the company, or the people, but my actual output at the end of every day. What I really wanted was something that I could own, something that I could create from beginning to end, with all the success and failures in between, and then be able to look back and say to myself, “I did that. I accomplished that.” That’s why I always loved sports. In Football you start as a team, you work toward a goal, and whether or not you can get there, I guarantee that if you put the work in you will be a better, stronger person. As much as I wanted that feeling in through my professional career, I realized that I could never duplicate what an athletic accomplishment feels like.

Funny enough, the turning point for me came from Peter King, Sports Illustrated’s football writer and one of the best sportswriters of our time. Peter made a wrong football prediction and in turn he decided to run a half marathon, which he did. When I read his final piece abut finishing I thought to myself, I need to get up off my ass and do something like that. Maybe it would bring back the feeling of sports accomplishment into my life. Setting a goal, working toward it, and knowing you gave it your all.

My first race was on November 15th, and since then I’ve become a runner. I love it. It’s not the running that I’m passionate about. It’s so much more than that. It’s knowing how you did the first time, and knowing that you absolutely can do better. It’s about being accountable only to yourself and being a better person for it. It’s about the community of like minded people who feel the same way, who encourage you, who run by your side, and whether they know it or not, make you better. I love knowing that I hit my first wall, came back again, and beat my time. Then I trained even harder and beat it again. I loved being passed by someone much, much older than me and then feeling humbled by it, but then smiling and thinking that someday, I want to be that guy, still doing it, and leaving all the young kids in his dust. And I love getting the medals. Just like in my goal to change my career, I can look at them and say. “I did that. I accomplished that.”

I still haven’t tackled a marathon yet. I’ve done a bunch of half’s, a trail run, and some obstacle races. Someday I’ll get there, but I still tell myself I’m new at this. That’s why I respect what Zeb and Rocky did, and they should be very proud of it. I also know that they feel the same way that I do. They know they can absolutely do better, and next time they will, and the next time after that. One of these days, I’ll be there with them.

Our Sixth Hero: Katie Lowrie – Q & A Part #5

Jun 262011
 

What are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about running as well as truthfully living in the moment, although it may sound cliché it is something I work for each and everyday.

What is one thing that you think everyone should do in life?

I think everyone should pick one thing in their life they think they could never accomplish and find the necessary tools to reach that goal no matter what it may be.

What is the best advice you can give when it comes to running?

I would say consistency is key; running is not a seasonal thing it is a lifetime commitment, one that is affected by all aspects of your life.

Claim Your Journey: A Guest Post by Brandon Williams

Jun 252011
 

Brandon Williams from Claim Your Journey

Claim Your Journey started out as my personal blog for a new journey that I was starting. Until January 2011, it was about 6 years since I ran any type of competitive races. I was in college and just really got caught up in that lifestyle. I did go to the gym quite a bit, but I didn’t run as much as I had growing up.

One day at my neighborhood gym, I came across a flyer for a trail race series called the Forge Trail Series. It’s four races in Louisiana throughout the year of 2011. I thought it would be an awesome idea to share the experience with others. Shortly after my first race and running with different groups, I realized I wanted to change the focus of the site.

According to a new inactivity index based on 2008 data released by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, Louisianians are among the worst when it comes to participating in physical activity, ranking No. 5 in the nation. On the other hand, there is proof that Louisiana has a very active running community, but lacks a news source to broadcast that information.

Claim Your Journey is a comprehensive initiative dedicated to fighting the problem of inactivity within our families in Louisiana through promoting Running as the first choice for a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Our Sixth Hero: Katie Lowrie – Q & A Part #4

Jun 242011
 

How long have you worked at A Snail’s Pace?

I have worked here for 2 years and 9 months.

When we came to try on shoes at A Snail’s Pace, you had us get on a device that analyzed our feet.  Can you tell us more about that?

First we place them on a foot pressure analysis device to measure their foot length, arch type, and even metatarsal pressure. After that we bring out a neutral test shoe that is one-half or even one size bigger than the machine said to allow room for swelling and downhill running. Once they have the neutral shoe on we watch them run down the center of the store and we look at the amount of over pronation of each foot stride, meaning where the person is pushing off of their foot. This helps us decide what three or four shoes will be best for the individual whether a neutral shoe is best or even stability or motion control.

What are your greatest memories involving working at A Snail’s Pace?

There are many but two great stories come to mind…

The first is about a guy who came into the store about a year ago and he had told me he was not training for anything he just wanted to lose some weight, so I fit him for the shoes I thought were best and about a week ago he came back in and I did not even recognize him, he had lost so much weight. And being the outgoing person I am I asked him if he had shopped with us before and his wife told me that I was the one to fit him for his first pair of running shoes and he also thanked me for helping him lose 125 pounds, he said I “helped changed his life.”

The second was when The Running Brothers came in and brightened my day with their goofy jokes and love for exercising and running together. 
 
What did you think of The Running Brothers when you met them?

When I first met the Running Brothers I had asked them if they had ever been told that they looked like the Step Brothers. As promised I watched their video right after work and proceeded to show my friends it was very entertaining, I believe I watched the first one. My favorite part was the graphics included throughout the clip.

Father Son Golf Trip to River Ridge – Day #2

Jun 222011
 

We woke up, grabbed breakfast and immediately jumped onto the golf course to start Day #2 of our Father Son Golf Trip at River Ridge in Oxnard.  We quickly moved our way around the golf course and when all was said and done, I had come out on top for the golf portion of our trip shooting a 78, Rocky shot an 89 and Dad shot a 97. 

For the two-day trip, Zeb amassed a 167, Rocky and Dad tied at 187.  All in all, it was another great Father-Son Golf Trip. We are really lucky that we get the chance to make this trip every year and always have a blast doing it. 

Thanks Dad for such a great time!

Our Sixth Hero: Katie Lowry – Q & A Part #3

Jun 212011
 

What race would you encourage others to participate in?

Taylor’s Wish 5k-great cause

Do you work for anyone else besides A Snail’s Pace?

Cornerstone Therapies- I’m currently interning for them

Do you support any charities?

Make A Wish Foundation-charity very close to my heart

Who’s your hero?

My mom Therese Lowrie: inspiration

Has anyone helped you out with your running career?

Nick Longo: Strength and Conditioning Coach.  My coach John Elders.  And probably most often from my dad Ed Lowrie.

What else do you love?

I love working with children, I love how they are so carefree about life and they always brighten my day!
 
Any websites or magazines that you would like to tell others about?

Well of course (anything) from A Snail’s Pace, also I read Runner’s World magazine.

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