Capitol 10K was huge!!!

Sunday was a great day for running -- mid 60s with light rain
showers to cool me off! That was the day for the Capitol 10K.
Here are a couple of pictures taken after the race, and a copy
of the newsletter I sent out to my subscribers at
http://www.beginning-running.com/.

Your Beginning
Running Newsletter

Capitol
10K and Last Day of Sale


Yesterday I hit another of my goals! I ran the Capitol 10K in
Austin, Texas. There were 6,566 timed runners, and I was not
last! (I was #6,355, so there were 211 slower than me.)

I don't know how many total runners there were, as there were a
bunch more fun runners, many in costume. All I know for sure is
that they were still finishing some time after I had stopped for
refreshments, so I felt really good about that. Since this is my
first race in nine years, I was excited, and it turned out just
great!

For those interested in statistics, my time was 1:34:27.8 and I
was 10th out of 18 in my age group. I don't know if he was the
oldest runner, but a 97-year-old crossed the finish line about
20 minutes after me. The winner's time, by the way, was just
over 30 minutes; his pace was exactly 5 minutes per mile. (I
console myself by noticing that he is my junior by almost 40
years!)

If you're thinking about a race, you'll find a big race is a
wonderful way to boost your enthusiasm. This was the biggest
race I have run, and I have found that the bigger the race the
better my chance of not being last! Not that it really matters
-- the last person to finish gets cheered by the crowd almost as
much as the winner.





My wife took the photo of me finishing -- I had a great kick at
the end and passed the finish line before she saw me! They
announced my name just as I crossed the line, so the shot is a
little late.

Remember, today is the last day of the Road Runner Sports
sale.

One of the great things about them is that you can run in their
shoes for 60 days and then return them if they don't work for
you. Where else can you get a deal like that?



Sincerely

Alan
Jenkin Fitness Runner with a Beginner's Mind

Huntsville,
Texas

beginningrunning@gmail.com

I'm stoked!

Yesterday (Sunday), I ran 10 miles for the first time in more years than I can remember. I was stoked! I couldn't wait to put out a special newsletter to the members of my running site.

Then, today, it dawned on me that I could also put it on this blog. Duh!

So here it is:

Your Beginning Running Newsletter

Special Edition

I am so excited that I need to share this with you right away!

I just got back from a long run (actually, a jog, rather than a
run). If you're in the second stage of my program, you know
about LSD runs. Well, my last long run was 8 miles.

I had set a goal to run 10 miles before April 18. Today, the
weather here was perfect, sunny and breezy and in the 70s. When
I set off for my run, forcing myself to keep my pace as slow as
possible, I knew it was going to be a great run.

As I settled down, after 5 or 10 minutes, I found myself getting
into "the zone". That happens when suddenly everything seems
perfect and I feel that I could run all day without getting
tired.


So guess what? I met my goal a month early! Just blew away 10
miles.

Of course, this means I broke my 10% rule, but what the heck! If
you never break a rule, you never live. The bad thing about is
that that last mile was really hard work, but who knows how much
of that was just because I knew I was breaking my rule?



Anyway, it feels great to be there already. Now I can
concentrate on picking up my pace in time for a 10K in two
weeks. Wish me luck!

Sincerely

Alan Jenkin Fitness Runner with a Beginner's Mind

Huntsville, Texas

beginningrunning@gmail.com

We've been busy!

Sam Camp is exciting and is giving us a lot to do. Reaching our goals is challenging but fun!

My goals for Camp are:

1. I have developed a website and newsletter service for beginning runners, and have 100 or more members by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th., 2008.

2. I have run 10 consecutive miles or more by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th., 2008.

3. Team Laser (our small group of five) has selflessly committed 16 hours or more of community service per person, for a total of 96 hours or more by Friday April 16th., 2008 at 9:00am PST.

Working backwards through this list, I have 5 hours of service so far (30%) and have run 8 miles (80%). The first goal is lagging: I have the website and the newsletter service, but so far have only 21 members (21%).

I'm sure I'll get the other 79 members within the time frame, but I'd like to get at least 200. After all, what's the point in having a goal if you can't blow past it?

So, dear reader, if you want to support me, sign up now! The good news is that until April 18th. it doesn't cost anything. The even better news is that you can drop it anytime (only please hang in there until after April 18th.!) Meanwhile, you can assist me by letting me know all the errors you find or suggestions you may have for improvement. Even if you're not a runner.

BTW, one of Billie's goals is to lose weight until she can get into size 12 jeans. She made it already, and is now trying for a 10. Way to go, Billie! She's lost about 30 lbs., and looks great for it.

We're Back!

We made it back safely to Huntsville after an exciting two weeks in Phoenix, San Diego and Ventura. Billie got some great photos (I think) but they're all still in her camera. The first weekend of Samurai Camp 14 with Klemmer was amazing. I came back with three goals (including a team goal) -- all to be accomplished by April 18:

1. I have developed a website and newsletter service for beginning runners, and have 100 or more members who are receiving my regular newsletters by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th , 2008.
2. I have run 10 consecutive miles or more by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th , 2008.
3. Team Laser has selflessly committed 16 hours or more of community service per person, for a total of 96 hours or more by Friday April 18th, 2008 at 9:00am PST.

The current status for Goal 1 is that the web site is now up and running properly, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please encourage them to look at the site and (hopefully) enroll. I am making it free for the first fifty. If you or anyone you know, would be available to test it for me (by enrolling), that too would be helpful.

For the second goal, I ran 8 miles today, so am well on my way. I'm still v.e.r.y slow, but am working on my speed because I'm running the Capitol 10K in Austin on March 30.

I have not yet started on the third goal.

The following week with Klemmer, staffing Heart of the Samurai 24 was also amazing, but slightly marred by the fact that Billie and I both got allergies. We think it was caused by mold in the room: the weather was pretty damp most of the time. If/when we staff again, we'll probably stay off site.

We saw Paul, Alisa, Kai and Judy for a brief visit last Monday and Tuesday and flew back to Houston Tuesday.

On Thursday we went to the World Championship Barbecue Cook Off at the Houston Rodeo to see Trent perform a great show. Billie stayed on in Houston at Rusty's house to work on her Samurai Camp goals, while I'm working on mine in Huntsville. I'll see her again Monday, when Trent's label has a Houston Rodeo Kick-Off and CD Release Party. Then, in the evening Trent will be performing at the Hideout (formerly known as the Astrodome).

After that, maybe things will quiet down for a while so we can continue to work on our goals!

My new web site is up!

It seems a long time since I blogged. I have been very busy getting ready for the first weekend of Samurai Camp with Klemmer in Phoenix. One major task was to get my new web site prepared.

Things were going well until I hit an unexpected hitch. The site that I had developed was unusable with my hosting service due to a software incompatibility -- one of the problems with trying to do something new in a limited time. So I was now slipping behind on my goals before I even got started.

I had already contacted the Small Business Development Center at Sam Houston State University here in Huntsville, so Monday I called them with an urgent message that I needed help in developing my web site. After playing telephone tag for a while, we finally got together, and last night they put the site together for me, using my provisional text. So today, one day before the deadline, the site is up!

It needs work still, but at least the hard work is done, and it looks a lot better than it would have done if it had been left to me. The person who put it together has worked for fourteen years on web site development. I had only about fourteen days' of experience, so the difference showed!

Go look at it -- I'm looking for suggstions for improvement. And, if you're one of the first fifty people to sign up, you'll get a lifetime free membership. (Unfortunately, the membership form is not working yet, but you have a link on the site you can use. Getting that form working and setting up the e-mail responses are my first two tasks when I return at the end of this month.)

Today, Billie and I are leaving for Phoenix. We shall be there for the weekend, then go to San Diego next Monday. That week we are staffing Heart of the Samurai, where about two hundred people, including Trent, will be taking part. What an incredible two weeks lie before us!

From San Diego, we shall leave for Ventura to have a quick visit with Paul, Alisa and Kai before returning via LAX.

We try not to let the grass grow under our rocking chairs.

To your good health and may you always have as much fun and excitement as we do!

Alan and Billie

The cast party was a huge success!

We drove from Huntsville to Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne, TX, on Thursday in time to have lunch with Trent. When we arrived, he was already at lunch with the cast, and we got to meet a whole group of people, including Mel Tillis, Roy Clark and Joaquin Jackson, all of whom play in Palo Pinto Gold. Roy is waiting for a hip replacement -- I later heard that he had postponed it in order to take part in this movie. What a trouper! (The picture shows Roy autographing Trent's guitar, while Mel seems to be looking for a ride!)

Joaquin is the real thing: a genuine Texas Ranger, he is author of "One Ranger" and "One Ranger Returns".

In the afternoon, we watched while they shot closeups of Mel, Roy and others for some indoor scenes. The weather was overcast, very cold with occasional rain, so we were pleased that the shooting was indoors! Cesario Garcia, from ZForm Film & TV Production, then interviewed Mel and Roy and then Trent and Joanne for the local News TV station.

A crowd of about two hundred cast, friends and relatives showed up in the evening to enjoy the party. After we all had a chance to visit, eat and drink, Steve Schmidt opened the proceedings with several welcoming speeches. We were then treated to a show of video clips from the movie, followed by outtakes (hilarious bloopers) and a great slideshow of pictures taken by Scott Reed. You can see the slideshow on his site www.isyteimages.com. Scott is a brilliant photographer, and has some wonderful shots on this site. Follow the links "Palo Pinto Gold" and "Galleries -> Concerts -> Trent Willmon". The second link has some great shots of the video for Trent's current single "Broken In". (The picture shows Scott talking to Trent.)

After that, the music started. Josh Allen opened up for us and, after a few songs, Trent joined him. Numerous other artists, including Bethany Jackson and David King followed -- what a talented bunch! I have given up trying to remember everyone's names: there were just too many.

The highlight was when Mel and Roy put on a performance. They decided not to sing, but to have Mel tell stories (with some feedback from Roy!) If you ever get a chance to hear Mel Tillis tell stories, grab it. He is one of the funniest story tellers I have ever heard.

I particularly enjoyed one brief comment Roy made. He and Mel have had this double act going on for a number of years now (they have been friends for fifty years). Roy mentioned that he would watch Mel telling a story, and when he saw Mel's jaw start twitching as he stammered, Roy would fill in the word. Then Mel would change to a different word, just to fool him!

Having been up since about 5:45 AM, we left the party around 10:30 PM to get some sleep. By then, only the hard core remained, anyway.

A wonderful time with a crowd of wonderful people. We are all looking forward to a reunion when the movie premieres at the Palladium in San Antonio. The date is uncertain yet, but will be sometime between May and July this year. We'll keep you posted.

I Was A Palo Pinto Gold Walk Off

What an exciting couple of days!

Monday we drove to Enchanted Springs Ranch, Boerne, Texas to watch a movie shoot. Our GPS did a great job of finding what should have been the quickest route from Huntsville to Boerne, but for one major goof. It dropped us into the middle of the Austin rush hour traffic on I-35, adding about an hour to what should have been a four hour trip.

However, we chose Monday because they were shooting night scenes, so we didn't miss too much. We watched a couple of scenes of Palo Pinto Gold being shot with Trent Willmon, Joanna Goode and Anthony Henslee, following which we got to visit with the great folks at Enchanted Springs Ranch and Joanna's family. We finally tumbled into bed around 12:30, and crawled out again about 7:00 AM Tuesday.


Monday had been cold, but clear: Tuesday was cold and wet. So Tuesday's shoots were indoor scenes, specifically a couple of scenes shot in a bar, with Trent, Anthony and David King (who plays one of the villains). The other character in that scene is Doug, the bartender.

The production team got started setting up around 10:00 AM, and broke for lunch around noon. It was then that they realized the bar looked too empty, so they approached me to ask if I would be willing to play as an extra standing at the bar. After a few nanoseconds of deliberation, I said "Of course -- I'd be delighted to help you out!"

So they got their extra, and I had a lot of fun!


Afterwards, Steve Schmidt showed Billie, Trent and me a clip of the bar fight scene (an obligatory scene for a Western!).

I've seen a lot of bar fight scenes over the years, and this one is certainly up there with the all-time best. I'd watch the movie just for that one scene (even though I'm not in it!)

I can't remember when I met such a fun group of truly warm-hearted, loving people as the cast and crew of Palo Pinto Gold. David King is a mean-looking villain, and looks totally intimidating until you get to know him, but he's great guy, with a good sense of humor. He's heading for Hollywood this year, and I wish him all the best in his chosen tough profession. I didn't get to meet any of the other bad guys, but I'm sure they're also just as much fun as the good guys I met!

For me, this was a double first time experience. I've never seen a movie being shot before (like all movies, it's a closed set). And I've never appeared in one before.

Are you wondering what a walk-off is?

Well, you've probably heard of a walk-on -- someone who just walks onto the set, but doesn't say anything. I didn't do that. I did slightly less, because I was in the bar when the scene opened, but walked off later.

So I call myself a walk-off!