1000th post: A look back and a giveaway!

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. - Walter Elliott

Alternate post title: “A Narcissistic Celebration of Me!”

As I press “publish”, this will be my 1000th post on this little blog that I started in October of 2007.  (Well, sort of. It is actually 1,004 but I don’t think that those 4 “tabs” should count)  When I started, I didn’t set out to create a website that has certainly become a part of me.  I like to think of my blog like a tapeworm.  Every so often I have to feed it or else I shrivel up and die.  But, in spite of my intentions - much like the Walter Elliott quote above, I didn’t write 1000 posts at a time.  I wrote each and every innuendo laden, toilet humor, irreverent post one at a time.  And here is a look back.

My blog started out as a collection of random thoughts that I had during my travels as a out of town management consultant.  The blog honestly didn’t have a focus, nor an audience for the first 2.5 years.  In fact, the tagline of the blog was “I am Boring: But if you are reading this, so are you!”.  The old URL (still active) was http://adamrisu.blogspot.com/  It represented my first name: Adam, my last initial: R, and my alma mater: Iowa State University.  I’d post about things I saw in the airport, or things that were going on in my life, and (even back then in those formative years) I’d blog about my running.  For example, here is a post within the first few months of my blog that talks about my training for my second marathon in Olathe, KS:

…..I am in week two of the training. So far it has been going pretty well. The interesting thing is that I am trying to pick up my speed. I ran the previous race with a pace of 9:07 min miles. I would LIKE to pick that up to around 8:00 min miles. We'll see how that goes - I have been able to do it for 6 miles so far, but I was pretty gassed at the end. Ironically, the issue isn't that I don't think that I can't do it, it is just that I am having a hard time getting my internal speedometer set to 8:00. I may just have to get a good treadmill after all.

As my life evolved, so did my blog.  It went from nearly all personal posts to posts that were 50% personal, 50% running.  I’d post HORRIBLY boring posts about each and every run that I did.  Not surprisingly, no one read them. June 17, 2008 a post titled 6/17 Run.  Snooooooze.

Switching to morning runs. They are much cooler while being much more humid (due to the cool moist air). Overall I had an OK run - 8:17 min pace, which is actually a bit faster than I wanted to go. I would have liked to stay a bit slower than that to give myself time to rest up. I'm going to try extra hard to take it easy on the Thursday run - which is another 3 miles. Gosh, I never thought that I would have to keep myself from running TOO fast......still very early I suppose.

Those horribly dry posts morphed into what my blog has now become:

The extra 7% is due to the fact that “candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker”

Bonus points if you know what movie that is from

So, what horribly dry running posts couldn't capture, butterscotch ripple does.  Now I post about whatever is on top of my mind.  Sometimes that is running, other times it is about annoying things that I see around me, and more recently it is about family and how it is forever changing my life.  In short, my blog has morphed into what my life has become. An internal struggle to wear pants as little as possible. That is, it only has a few very selected filters and is a reflection of what I am doing - or rather what I am doing that I want to remember.

With that, I thought that I'd pull out a few favorite posts, Oprah style, answer some of the top questions I get asked, and give away some of my favorite shoes.   They're not even used!  My readers are soooo lucky....

Top 5 favorite posts: (Actually, 6) 
I’m a dad!    The first post after my son was born.  Why didn’t everyone tell me that having a son would change every aspect of my life?  Oh right, they did……. And I didn’t believe them.  Dang.  Next some moron will tell me that the edge of the world isn't on the horizon.  Idiots.

ABC easy as MEME  Most fit-fluential award, mommy top blogger, sugar on top award. . . . There is seriously not an internet meme that I have seen that I haven’t liked.  If you’re looking for someone to tag (and link back) tag me and email me!!

Mcmillian Race Calculator: Boston Marathon edition:  Just when I thought that a 3:10 marathon was within my reach, Boston changes it to 3:05.  Bastards.  Whatever, their race, their rules, my obsession.

Operation GYAMA:  During the Rock and Roll New Orleans marathon, I strained a ligament in my foot which put me out of action for 6 weeks.  This post was ALL about not using my foot as an excuse and getting in whatever workout I could.  Get Your Ass Moving Anyway.  GYAMA.

Bikram Yoga:  Hot, sweaty, sultry, bendy, yoga.  I literally sweat’d enough to wring out my towel – and I have the pictures to prove it.

Fitness Magazine:  If there is one post that I go back to and laugh at, it is this one.  I actually still get Fitness Magazine.

Top 5 questions I’m asked about my blog:
Where do you get the ideas for posts?
Most people THINK that it is on my runs. It isn't though - anything that I think about while running I always forget.  So, I normally try to think about as little as possible while I run.  Most of my really good blog posts come while in the shower.

How long does a post take to write?
Ugh, I swear to god THIS post has taken hours....  Normally a post takes around an hour by the time I steal find all of the random pictures online, etc.  The one thing that most people get wrong is that they think I go back and add all of the strike throughs and "that's what she saids" after the fact. I usually just sit down and start typing and they flow out of my brain like everything else.

Who takes all of those pictures of you on your blog? (and then after finding out it is my wife) HOW do you actually convince her to take them?!
My wife takes 75% of the pictures that are posted of me on my blog.  Just like in our marriage, I've used repetition and bribery to get her to take the pictures that I couldn't figure out how to take with the self timer. "Come on, just take my picture and we can go to your crappy girl movie tonight"

I have a blog/tumbler/twitter/facebook fan page, how do I get more readers?
You want the truth?  The REAL truth!? There are two options here (as I see it).
Option #1: Dive in heads first.  Be that guy/girl that posts 3x a day, updates twitter every 10 minutes, and most importantly comment on other people's blog's / twitter.  How are people going to find you if they don't know who you are?  Honestly, I've seen VERY popular blogs that are VERY uninspiring/boring with huge followings.  The above is the only think that I can think that got them there.  Oh, giveaways don't hurt either (see below!)
Option #2: This may sound horribly simplistic, but write/tweet/post what interests you.  There are at least 12 (maybe 13) people who are on the internet.  Odds are if you are interested in something then someone else is interested in it as well.  Don't try to be all things to all people, focus on a niche and milk it for all it is worth.  (This is the option that I'd like to think that I used. I used the irreverent blogger, but VERY serious runner route.  Yeah, I like to have fun and mock things on my blog, but I also run my tempo runs balls out, ran 70 miles per week twice during my last training cycle, and have ran 14 marathons.  So, there is that.)

Why is it called The Boring Runner?
Simple.  Because running is horribly HORRIBLY boring.  Seriously, think about it from a non-runner's perspective.  It is honestly just falling forwards very quickly  Left, right, left, right... over and over.  Basically, this blog is my attempt at proving (to no one in particular) that you can indeed talk about something that is simple and make it interesting.

A few Injuries:
I was recently chatting with a friend who was amazed at finding out that I was previously a very VERY injury prone runner.  I ran my slow runs too fast and ran through wayy too much pain.  I did a 10 min search on my blog and was able to find just a few examples of the issues I've had.  Honestly, I just didn't want to read through any more of those dull daily run reports - there are LOTS more out there!
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2008/06/618-run.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2009/09/beach-cures-all.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2009/10/stress-fracture.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2009/12/shin-splints.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2010/03/blogger-meetup-ouch.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2010/03/doctor-visit.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2010/03/monday-mri-odds-and-ends.html
http://www.theboringrunner.com/2010/09/hip-flexors-im-benched.html

Giveaway!:
As promised, as a thank you for getting this far, I'm going to give away (completely self funded, non-swag, I have no ties to Brooks what so ever) not one but TWO pairs of my favorite brand of shoe ever.  BROOKS!

There are a few running brands that I am loyal to, and Brooks shoes is one of them.  Here is an example of what I mean to the right.  I took this picture of my closet 10 minutes ago.  Right now, I have no fewer than 8 boxes of Brooks shoes.

I know what you're thinking...  "Blah blah blah, how do I win??"  Well, HERE is how!  Multiple ways to win, just post a comment for each way you enter. (What would a giveaway be without some WORK)

• Follow my blog +1
• Follow me on twitter +1
• Post about my 1000th post on your blog, twitter, facebook, etc +however many you want.  If you post it on twitter - make sure to tag me @TheBoringRunner
• Let me know what your favorite part of ANY running blog. Mine, someone else's, whatever! +1

I'll pick a winner from all entries collected through Sunday Nov 27th.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race -Calvin Coolidge.  

With that, I’m not sure what my blog has solved, but I’m willing to take the next 1,000 posts to trying to solve something.