Dad's Birthday and the Weather's "Trick"

Last Saturday was my dad's 50th birthday! Colleen and Mom planned a mini surprise party for him (it was a surprise for everyone, because we didn't know who was coming and who wasn't)! The first person to show up was our pastor: Per. He heard that Dad liked chocolate, so he wanted to get him something unique. He sure did. It was chocolate wine. I never heard of it, but Dad let me take a sip of it, and it actually wasn't that bad! That's saying a lot because I really don't like the flavor of wine, and chocolate wine just sounded weird. In a little while our neighbors (the Belangers) showed up and brought in this awesome chocolate cake. We all talked for a bit and then the Kidds showed up and after a little bit more talked everyone but the Kidd kids left and the girls and Darby started raking our yard while Dad, Kevin and I got dirt to fill in the end of our driveway.

After we got a few loads of dirt we spread it out and then Dad let me 'pack down' the dirt with the van. By this time the girls and Darby were about 2/3s done their raking and Kevin and I joined in.

It was becoming dusk when we finished all of our raking. It was getting quite chilly so we all went in and had some hot chocolate. We decided that all the girls would be going to the Richards for this dinner thing with a huge family. All of us guys (Darby, Kevin, Dad and I) went to Longhorn Steakhouse for supper. We had to wait a bit because it was full so we went to Best Buy and looked at different things there.

It was a little over 15 minutes when we headed back to Longhorn and were seated. I was super pumped because I was going to get some ribs. I love ribs! They're so yummy! Ah. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.....

After some laughs and great food we went outside to leave and go play some pool at a local pool place. That's when the weather played it's 'trick' on us. It was snowing. I mean really, snowing in October! I guess that's the weathers Halloween trick!

Anyway, we played some pool, Dad and Darby vs. Kevin and I. The first game Kevin had an unlucky bounce which barely let the 8 ball roll in a pocket too early, thus making Dad and Darby win. The next game was much closer. I felt bad for Darby though, he hadn't sunk a single ball yet. As the game went in Kevin and I only had one or two balls left while Darby and Dad had the 8 ball left. It was Darby's turn to go, and the Que ball was on the opposite side of the table of the 8 ball. Darby hits the Que ball, making it slowly roll across the table, and actually hit the 8 ball, which rolled even slower into the corner pocket! That made Darby's day, and I'm pretty sure made everyone else's day!

When we finished with pool, we brought Kevin and Darby home, and waited for the rest of the Kidd family to show up and unlock their door. When they did show up, I decided to start my first snowball fight of the season! It was me vs. the Kidd kids. Let's just say years of baseball and dodging random objects for years gave me the upper hand... and I was only hit twice, while I had at least 10 hits. It was a short fight, but was an awesome fight. I love snowball fights!!!

Energy and a Short Visit

I haven't worked out since soccer ended. I never realized how much energy I've been spending with sports, until now. I've been energetic most of everyday, I've been taking awhile to fall asleep, and I've been waking up around 4 or 5 am for the past 3 days. That's too early for me, so I just go back to bed. So I'm thinking I should start working out again, that way I spend my energy and I'll become stronger! Sounds like a plan!

Yesterday afternoon we had Jenna over! It was a pretty short visit (2:30-6:45), but a fun visit! For awhile we just talked and Colleen made chocolate cover things (raisins, Oreos, and pretzels)! Once Shannon finished her work, Colleen, Shannon, Jenna and I played a game of Catan. It was a slow game that went back and forth, but I ended up winning in the end. When we finished we ate supper and then Jenna left and us Clarkes went off to Bible study!

Running, Part 3

In this post I'll won't be writing how "how to run well" or anything like that. I'm going to be writing about why overall body strength helps you run.

To start it off, I'll be obvious: leg strength is important! Calves push your foot off the ground and help prevent you from running on your heels. Shin muscles counter the calf and help you not run on your toes.

The quad pulls up your leg (not the only muscle group that does, mind you), and extend your leg. Very import while sprinting because extending your leg is part of the explosion that pushes you while sprinting, or just running.

The hamstring counters the quad. It pulls your lower leg up by contracting. This makes it so you won't be running straight legged and so when you kick something you don't hit your face.

Your hips and glutes are big muscles that are the primary muscles for pulling your entire leg up. This is important for obvious reasons such as bringing your knee up while you run.

Now that all was pretty obvious, but did you know that your core and arm strength play a big role in running? Especially sprinting. Arm and core strength are not too big a deal if you're a distance runner, but it's still helpful to have some.

Now, how do your abs help you run? I'll tell you what I know! Your abs (mainly lower abs) help lift up your legs. Do some leg lifts and you'll see that they do, and they can get tired pretty fast if not strengthened and toned.

Your back is the counter for your abs. It does a ton of stuff, but I don't want to write about all of it, and I'm kind if ignorant on back strength. Just assume it's a good thing to keep strong!

Your abs and your back (your core) are also stabilizer. They keep your upper body from being thrown around, which prevents injuries and makes helps with speed by making your legs only have to do one thing: go forward.

Your core can't stabilize everything. Your body would still twist and turn just because the shear weight of your legs. Your arms, chest, and shoulders can counter this weight-unbalance! Your chest pulls your arm forward, so to balance you when the leg on that side is in back of you. The shoulder is the counter for your chest, and pulls your arm back, which balances you when the leg on that side is in front of you. Your biceps and triceps keep your arms in good form, and your forearm and wrist keep your hand upright and lined up with your forearm so that you don't injure your wrist while running.

Guess what? Your neck help too! It keep ls your head in a neutral position, keeping your spine healthy and your body a little more balanced!

Now, to end this post I'll say that all this should prove to you that building muscle helps you run, and that running is a great fully body workout! That doesn't mean you should make running your only workout! Strength all these muscles by lifting weights, or doing body weight workouts. You will probably notice a difference in your running capabilities if you strengthen these muscles! I did.

Richards Game Night

This past Sunday, after church us Clarke kids went over to the Kidd's to hangout and play games until we went to the Richards' game night. While we were at the Kidd's we ate lunch, I played Risk (I ended up winning), and then we talked and played President (a card game) until we left.

Once we got to the Richards we all just talked and watched or played some ping-pong until more people showed up. Eventually we had a bunch of SMASHers and friends there, which made things much more fun. We played Round Robin, President, Spoons, and we eventually started played Ninja! Round Robin was pretty epic, but my hamstring started getting irritated, so I ended up playing Spoons until it started feeling better and Ninja started. All the while eating brownies, cookies and drinking apple cider.

When we were about to leave we had a little meeting led by Pastor Sam about how the Lord has helped us and how we are to help others. Once we finished we headed home.

Another thing that was kind if exciting was that last night we went to Portland to briefly visit my Aunt and look at new phones! I'll probably be getting my dad's old iPhone 3GS, but have it jail-broken and go on to TMobile's service plan!

End of the Season

Last week I mentioned how my team made playoffs. It was the first time Leavitt did in 4 years. We ended up playing Lincoln Academy. We had pretty much the same record, except they had a few more wins.

The game was at their field. I must say, they probably have the worst field in the entire league. They almost have an entire baseball field on the soccer field. No joke. They had a "flattened" pitchers mound on the field, the corner of the field had the home base area. To top it off, it was rainy and muddy. It was all alright, because both teams were playing on the horrible field.

The game started out pretty good. It was going back and forth the whole half, yet no one scored. The second half was nearly the same. Both teams were getting tired, so that was making it easier to score. In the last 5 minutes of the game, Lincoln scores. Our team becomes quite... mad, no one gave up. We still tried our hardest. I got drilled in the face with 4 minutes left which left my face numb and my vision slightly blurred. I call for a sub, got one and then watched the timer count down as Lincoln stalled the game as much as they could. My vision went back to normal after a few minutes of sitting, but there was only 2 minutes left on the game and subbing me in would just stall time which is not what we wanted.

We ended up losing the game, 0-1. It was one of best games, and our last game. Great season boys!

Running, Part 2

Have you ever gone running and your arms just felt weird, awkward, or out of place? Some people hold them up too high, some people claw with one arm, others just run plain out weirdly.

This is all about distance running, sprint is more intense and arms are even more important.

I'm not going to try and explain all the things you could be doing wrong with your arms, I'm just going to explain what you should be doing with your arms.

Your elbows should be bent at 90 degrees, but don't stress it too much. Also don't hold it at 90 degrees, relax a little and let them swing a little (not a ton, or you'll run slower and look like an awkward ninja).

Another important thing is to have your arms "in sync" with your legs. Make sure your when your right leg is in back, your right arm is forward, vice versa, and the same with the left. A fun and funny thing to do is to try and sprint full out and move your arms at a jogging pace. It feels so weird, and shows why you need your arms "in sync" with your legs.

I just told you to move your arms back and forth opposite to your legs, but what if you don't know how move your arms the right way? Well don't feel like a fool if you swing your arms wrong, I always did until last year! The right way to swing your arms is to move them at the shoulder (not your elbow), how much you move them depends on your speed and turnover.

A good thing to remember is to keep your forearms pretty parallel. What I mean by this is when you run your arms shouldn't be angled in. Your arms and hands should be at your sides, not in front of your chest or flailing out to your sides.

Now why do you need to keep good form with your arms? Well if you don't use your arms your legs will make your torso twist back and forth and your body would be hard to control. You wouldn't run straight, you'll be slower, and all that twisting could hurt your back, your abs, or maybe your shoulders. Doing the above paragraphs will help you run faster, but it's not super important to have perfect arm form (unless you're sprinting), so don't stress it.

Playoffs

Yesterday I had a game that was supposed to decide if we made playoffs. The odds were quite against us if we lost. The game was against MCI. They are an ok team, but had a few really good foreign exchange students. One of them was extremely good, so I was to guard him most of the game. He was faster, stronger, and more skilled than me, so it was tough and if he got the ball it often took 2-3 players to take the ball back. That player scored two goals during the game, once while I not supposed to guard him, the other when I was. Overall our team totally out worked them, but just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net. I'm sure we had at least double their shots and triple their time controlling the ball. They beat us 2-0 in the end... That one player that scored their two goals was pretty much the only reason they won. So most of the varsity team were quite mad and bummed that they probably weren't going to playoffs. A strange thing happened on the way home from the game: coach got a few calls about the games that really mattered for us to make playoffs. All the teams we needed to win were winning, and all the teams we needed to lose were losing! It was extremely unlikely, but it happened! So now my team is off to playoffs! First game is this Saturday! I'm pumped!!! Leavitt boys soccer hasn't gone to playoffs in like 4 years! :D