Running in the Lou

I'm reporting live from St. Louis, MO this week. I came up with my mother and sister to hang out with some family, and also to run on some courses that I haven't been on in a long time. Most are just my own personal routes through neighborhoods, but a few, like the Creve Coeur Park, are a great flashback from back in the day. My cousin, Nick, from Florida decided that he wanted to run with me the first day. I get excited any time somebody wants to run with me because...well, it doesn't happen very often. Nick lasted just past the three mile mark. Needless to say he is not a very big runner...and also thinks I'm insane (which is a popular concensus these days). I was just excited to not be running by my lonesome for a (brief) change. Thanks Nick.

Anywho, it's freezing here. A stark contrast from balmy Louisiana. But the runs have been easy and enjoyable. Actually I think they've been easy because I'm enjoying being on courses I haven't visited in many moons (a little indian lingo). It's also good to see my family, including my aunt who has cancer and is my inspiration for this run. I'm not even sure the most fluent poet could describe how important she is too me. I wish I could see her more often.

Happy New Years.

Run Run Rudolph

I apologize for not posting in awhile. Christmas festivities have been demanding a great deal of time.

On Monday I set out from Pineville High School on a three hour run. I was nearing the one hour mark when I ran into Dave who was doing his morning run. So he and I finished his run and then I continued on for another hour. Nothing monumental to report about this run, except that it took more out of me than I expected. I was fine during the run and immediately afterwards, but for the next 2-3 days I was spent. I took 3 days off total from running (left achilles was sore), but had no problem falling back into rhythm with strong, hour long runs.

I was in Natchez this weekend. I didn't get to train any on the Trace (that will come eventually), but I did get to run on the River City Classic course. This race kills me every year (it's a monster of a 10k filled with hills), but I felt great on it. Despite my history of doing terrible in this race, I am looking forward to slaying it come February.

So tomorrow, Christmas Eve, I'm going to get at least two hours on the bike and then try to get two hours worth of running. I have a huge back log of Rush Limbaugh episodes to listen to, so that will be my soundtrack, haha. After that its time to kick back with the fam for more festivities.

Merry Christmas to every body out there. God bless, be safe.

Low Impact Theory

Big Dave and I were talking and came up with a theory... a Low Impact Theory. What it says is that, relatively speaking, the last 50 miles of the run will be more difficult than the first 50. We know that I am in shape, we know that I've been running long enough that I have sufficient muscle memory, and we know that I will have enough mental motivation (provided by me and others) to complete the run. However, I'm not use to being absolutely fatigued when running. So what Dave and I have conjured up is a training method where we completely void my body of as much energy as possible while keeping the physical trauma at a minimum. So a typical day where we utilize this theory would include several hours on the bike, followed by a swimming session, and maybe then an intense, but slow, workout with free-weights. After all of this, then we get out and run for 3-6 hours. The idea, again, is to simulate how I'll feel at mile 50 and then start the running.

This theory is completely new to us, so suggestions are welcome. Really, regardless of how much we pool our genius, we're still amateurs at this and every move we make is educated guess work, at best.

Hurt So Good

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very rough, mean place. And no matter how tough you think you are, it will always bring you to your knees and keep you there, permanently, if you let it. You or nobody ain't never going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.

If you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth. But you've got to be willing to take the hit.

_ Rocky Balboa

BR Results

Just got the race results in from the BR Marathon. Of course, because of the injury, I completed only the half. I grabbed 6th place overall and 2nd in my age-group...not that I ever really count the age-group awards. My time was a little slower than I thought. It was actually 1:24:44. Still respectable, but not what I wanted - or of what I am capable.

The ankle is much better. I've had on a hard air cast all week, but honestly I could have come out of it yesterday. I'd just like to be certain its 100%. So I'm on the bike and in the pool for a few more days. Yesterday I knocked out about 25 miles while rocking out to The Darkness. I'll do about the same workout again today, maybe with a free-weight workout, but I'll probably be blaring Van Halen...metal, baby.

Big Dave and I are collaborating on a kind of movie trailer for this run. It may not be out for a few weeks at least, but stay tuned. It will be heavy.

DNF

I had a tough weekend in BR. Friday night was the Reindeer Run 5k and then Saturday morning was the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon. I should have known better than to try and do both. I also should have known to rest more than I did this week (I kept at least 10 miles/day up till Thursday). But, live and learn. Big Dave made an interesting comment, "Your brain is telling your body to go harder than its capable." True story. In short, I did ok Friday night at the 5k and ran about a 17:50 (I think that's right, they messed up the course and we all ran longer than was intended). Saturday morning was a different story. I was great up till about mile 8 when my left ankle started killing me. I decided to DNF rather than hurt it more and ran the half-marathon in about 1:23. I think it was just a minor sprain or I stepped on it funny; regardless, ice and r&r are on the schedule for a few days.

On the upside, we got tons of administrative work taken care of for the ultra. In addition to doing a TV interview for Tiger TV (thanks Abby), Brian, Jill, Big Dave and I met with Pat Fellows to discuss how to get sponsors and how to handle multimedia in spreading the word. We may also be coming into some free goodies, things like shoes and gels. Anything will help, really, and shoes are a huge plus. Anywho, the ever-accommodating Pat Fellows came through and is hooking us up with some templates to send out to businesses. Hopefully this will "get us in the black" fairly quickly.

I had a realization this week. I've always known this was bigger than me, that helping beat cancer was the real feat. However, all the hype has kind of been around me since I'm the one getting out doing this arguably ridiculous physical feat. Doing the interview today and having to talk about why I'm actually doing it brought me back to a my humble senses. I hope this stays with me through the rest of training leading up to the ultra. I'm just a vessel, those with cancer are the real story.

Turkey Trot

Tendonitis was not on the menu after all. My achilles' apparently just needed some time to aclimate to jacking up the mileage. So after 3 days of swimming and biking, I am joyfully back on the road. I'm averaging at least 2 hrs a day and probably close to 100 miles/wk. Oh yeah, I think maybe I ate some turkey from China. I went running with Big Dave this morning and thought I was going to lose several bodily organs. First they poison our toys, now my turkey. Hey China, what's up?

Tendonitis?

I knocked out 16 miles yesterday (about 2hrs worth of running) and was planning on taking today off and doing a half-marathon tomorrow. What's that phrase? "The best laid plans..." Well, I am now hobbling around the house and grimacing with each step. It's my right achilles that is bothering me -- a kind of sore, burning sensation. It isn't swollen, which makes me think I just stepped on it funny (as opposed to developing tendonitis). So no race tomorrow, that kills me. And it looks like I may be in the pool and on the bike for at least a day or two.

Ain't Scared

Well, game on. I'm fresh off some incredible motivation courtesy of Dave Melichar. He just finished Ironman, FL. Talk about getting pumped up. While it only took him a little over 12 hours to finish, I'm estimating it will take me about 20 hours to complete my physical challenge....8 hours longer. I'm excited, though. I couldn't be more jacked up if it were tomorrow. I love it when the odds are against me. Lets kick it.