For who does the alarm toll? It tolls for me.

Well I know one of you in Wogger Nation already asked my wife if I made it up and out of the house dark and early Monday morning. I love the excitement and enthusiasm but don't you feel like your Thursday was already ruined?

For those that waited patiently: The answer is no. I'm very embarrassed to admit this. However, I did make it on Tuesday! Here is a picture with my alarm clock to verify the time. Think of it like when the kidnappers make the hostage pose with a newspaper to verify they are still alive.

That's right. 5:13 baby! Only 28 minutes after the alarm first went off. I Wogged a few miles and was back in time to get my daughter ready for school. I felt pretty good although I was a little tired during the day. Hopefully I can get in the groove and soon it will seem normal to be Wogging in the middle of the night.

I have decided that I am not going to Wog on Wednesday mornings. My wife has choir rehearsal on Wednesday nights and it already makes it a long day. But going to try and do this everyday.

Speaking of my wife, let me just say here I am very proud of her. She, as you know, has also committed to doing the San Antonio 1/2 Marathon in November and she has been much more dedicated than I have been. She inspires me and helps to keep me accountable.

So it's been a long time since I ran at 5:15 in the morning. A few thoughts: Did you know it's still unbelievably hot even before the sun comes up in Houston in August? Did you also know that you can't really see sprinklers in the dark? While it might seem like it would be refreshing to run through a sprinkler in this heat, it would be better if you knew what was coming. I would be Wogging along and all the sudden: Bam! a face full of water. Oh well, I guess it's all cyclical back to my "we should drink water instead of sports drink" soapbox. Speaking of which, I thought I bought some classic red Gatorade the other day and got watermelon instead. Bleah!

Well, you've wasted another ten minutes. I hope you enjoyed today's post. Sunday starts the 10-week countdown so I will recap the 10-week plan to finish my 1/2 marathon. I hope you all stay with me on this journey, every step of the way.

11 Weeks ... Gulp

My wife and I are 11 weeks from Wogging the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Also affectionately know as the SAR&RM&1/2M. Ok, maybe no one knows it like that. From now on I will just call it The Half because I can't keep typing San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Dammit, I typed it again.

My wife and I still have a lot of work to do. The upside is we have accomplished many things.

1. We made the decision to do it (they always say this is the hardest part. B.S ... Running is always the hardest part).
2. We actually registered. It's one thing to decide, another to lay down cold hard cash.
3. We bought some cool gear! Even tubby people need to look good.
4. We have started to eat better and are in the process of changing our eating habits.
5. We have armed ourselves with knowledge. We bought books on running, stretching, diet, fitness and subscribed to Runner's World. - Which you may remember went on to inspire Wogger's World.
6. We got a plan to get us ready in 10-weeks (only one non-plan week left)
7. I decided to make the lifestyle change of getting up early (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) and doing my exercise before getting me ready for work and my daughter ready for school.

Ok. So far sounds good. But you Woggers paying close attention will notice there is no #8!

Do you see what I did there? I inserted the image of a Magic 8 Ball. Because #8 is missing from the list we can answer the mystery with the ball and it has the #8 on it so it's like a win-win!

#8 should say that I got up every morning last week and made it to the gym. The truth is I did not. Goose egg, nada, zero, bupkis. So this is the week. This is the week I add in the final piece: #8. I have no more excuses. Last week I did indeed have some good excuses. It was the first week of Middle School for my daughter. Last week was my first full schedule of clients at my new job. Last week was my wife's first week with kids back at school. In retrospect I didn't need it to also be the first week I get up earlier to go to the gym.

But my excuses are gone. Time is running out. Monday, August 29, 2011 I will get up at 4:45, go to the gym and be home by 6 to help get Isabel to the bus stop by 7 and me in my car by 7:05. I may not like it when the alarm goes off in 5 hours but I will love it when they hang the medal around my neck and take my picture. I will also love it when I run a full marathon with my grandchild someday and can look back at this time in my life and say, this is when it all began.

So do you think I'll actually make it to the gym in the morning? You'll have to wait until Thursday to find out. But I bet we can get a clue from the Magic 8 ball. What do you say Magic 8 Ball? Can I do it?

It's hard to read in the picture, it says: Reply hazy, try again.

Typical.