Jul 042011
 

My brother and I are separated on the birthday of this great nation, but that didn’t stop us from having an amazing time.  My girlfriend, Cindy and I are heading out to Huntington Beach to hang out with some old friends that I have been fortunate to reconnect with, Ryan and Tami Bertka.  We took one of our heroes, Mike Nunez with us and plan on barbecuing and watching fireworks at the pier off of Main Street in Huntington Beach. 

Rocky went with his girlfriend (sorry ladies, he’s taken) out to Santa Clarita to spend time with friends in that part of the world and I’m sure he’s having a great time. 

Mostly, we want to wish you all a very Happy 4th of July and we hope you have a safe, wonderful and memorable day.

Jul 022011
 

A week and a half ago I posted that I was going to do 30 sprint triathlons for 30 days in a row . . . well, I didn’t manage to do that either, but I am starting that program today . . . I just don’t think I will be doing 30 in 30 days.  I think I’m going to make it 15 Sprint Triathlons in 19 days since our Sprint Triathlon will be on the the 24th and I can account for some rest time in between.  I have a feeling the my times will be extremely slow at the start since I haven’t been training.

You caught me in another lie . . . You must be proud of yourself.  Follow along to find out how I do on my 15 Sprint Triathlon in 19 days challenge.

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.

Jun 302011
 

I have a confession to make.  I have been lying to all of you for the past 3 months and I am completely ashamed of myself.  I had told all of you that I was going to increase my distance in running, biking and swimming each week while I was training to become an Ironman and I did . . . from January 1 through March 15 that is. 

For the past 3 months, I really haven’t done much training.  My brother and I did run in the Orange County Marath0n on May 1, but since then, my training has been non-existent.  While I have been calculating my Ironman training distances all along, I figured I would just owe myself and make up the miles later, but I have gotten too far behind.

I have told you all that I have run a total of 440 miles, biked 1,442 miles and swam 106,000 meters or 62 miles.  In actuality, the numbers are much smaller . . . In reality, I have run 186 miles, have biked 454 miles and have swam 19 miles or roughly 30,500 meters. 

I am terribly sorry that I have deceived all of you.  I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself.  All I can say is I’m not a role model.  But, I’m jumping back on the band wagon again and I promise you that I will no longer lie to you about our progress in training.  Well, I take that back, my guest post for tomorrow will tell of another thing that I lied about, but I promise . . . after that, no more lying . . . . .

Jun 292011
 

Weekly Amount:

Running = 26 miles
Biking = 82 miles
Swimming = 5000 M or 3 miles
Total Amount: 111 miles

Overall Amount:

Running = 440 miles (730 miles to Seattle)
Biking = 1,442 miles (1,328 miles to New York)
Swimming = 106,000 meters or 62 miles (46 miles to San Diego)
Total = 1,854 miles (916 miles to New York)

Accomplishments:

Zeb Runs to San Francisco

Jun 282011
 

My brother Rocky is a big supporter of Southern California sports teams.  He has had season tickets at one point or another to The Los Angeles Galaxy, The Anaheim Ducks and most recently, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Because their are at least 81 home games every season, it becomes virtually impossible for season ticket holders to attend every game. 

Therefore, I have had a variety of chances to watch the Angels play thanks to my brother.  So far, I have seen at least 4 games and every time I have gone to a game, the Angels have won.  Every other time my brother goes he says that they lose.  That leads me to believe one thing . . . The Running Brothers are the equivalent of that kid in the movie Angels in the Outfield . . . when we both attend the game together the Angels always win. 

If anyone from the Angels organization is reading this, I think you should have us be your new mascot . . . The Rally Monkey is getting old.  It’s time for something new and fresh . . . consider The Running Brothers as your new winning mascot.

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.

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.