tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38694344766611539622024-03-23T03:13:53.951-07:00Evolving Through RunningEvolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-36313295770109391542015-01-21T17:31:00.000-08:002015-01-21T17:31:52.195-08:00Evolving Through Cancer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">14 months ago I finished an Ironman</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">13 months ago I was diagnosed with cancer</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">12 months ago I went through surgery and radiation</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Last year we lived and loved, waited and hoped...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">1 week ago my doctors said they were pleased with my progress</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br />3 days ago I signed up for Ironman Maryland<br />Yesterday I built my training plan<br />Today training began<br />Today I stopped looking back<br />Today is Day 1...</span></div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-20128507709824010852013-04-16T07:19:00.000-07:002013-04-16T07:19:44.260-07:00Today's Routine ... anything but routine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I staggered from bed in the heavy darkness this morning and
headed out for my usual run ahead of the sun.
It’s what I do, and what I’ve done for the last 4+ years. Just part of the routine. Unfortunately it didn’t feel very routine
this morning.<br />
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So much to process.
So much sadness. So much
anger. So senseless, and brutal, and
cold. Such a stark contrast to the
warmth and support the permeates the running community that I’ve come to know
and embrace through this blog, and training, and races. Although circumstance makes it feel that way,
yesterday wasn’t an attack on running, it was an attack on people, and
celebration, and freedom. If the timing
wasn’t an accident, it was an attack on innocents and innocence, intended to
optimize damage and maximize terror.
When my kids ask ‘why?’ I wish I had an answer. Instead, I find myself asking the same
question.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The true impact of this on America, and on society, and on
events like marathons remains to be seen.
Big-city marathons will never be the same. They will go on, and people will likely be
even more motivated to participate, especially in the Boston Marathon, but the ‘feel’
of the races will be forever changed. I
think of my family waiting for me in the stands near the finish of the Marine
Corps Marathon a couple years ago, and don’t imagine I’ll ever be comfortable
with that scenario in the future.
Sadness and anger well up again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was so much good, decency, and heroism to see in the
aftermath of yesterday, and I choose to focus on that. People offering help, food, and their homes
to strangers in the midst of chaos.
There is so much good around us, but it’s hard to miss the darkened bulb
in a sea of light. Unfortunately
extremism in the pursuit of attention is far too effective. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I pray for the injured, and the families of those injured or
taken from this world. I hope for swift
justice, and the discovery that this is an isolated incident. I hope for the return to normalcy, but not
complacency. Until then, I run.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-82154928135094173852013-03-27T05:43:00.001-07:002013-03-27T05:43:51.057-07:00Slacker Redeemed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just so I don’t create the illusion that it’s all
sticking-to-the-plan and never a missed workout in my world, I completely blew
it two weeks back while on business travel in San Jose. I went from my two-a-day triathlon training,
to one 8-mile run in the span of 5 days.
Yes the days were long, and yes the time-change was messing with me, but
there really wasn’t any excuse. I packed
all my running gear, the weather was nice, but I got lazy and embraced the
sloth. It was both guilt-riddled and
glorious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRfWeDukUPofJVJpSaOyuIidytJQ55mV5B6EsLuLFe7Fclvz3BrywjXLiRCKgENs2dCe4t8drmd1BfEzqZN5acmxcE4yMYUwP2ZdAAy4wjUHQ74_QXs2h_fATXg-LIMM5q3V4lDtQR9s/s1600/slacker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRfWeDukUPofJVJpSaOyuIidytJQ55mV5B6EsLuLFe7Fclvz3BrywjXLiRCKgENs2dCe4t8drmd1BfEzqZN5acmxcE4yMYUwP2ZdAAy4wjUHQ74_QXs2h_fATXg-LIMM5q3V4lDtQR9s/s320/slacker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thankfully once I got back to NC I got back down to
business. Running is going well, biking
is good and I’ve been able to get off the trainer and on the road for the last
couple weekends, and swimming is slowly getting better. I’ve started studying the videos for Total
Immersion, and it seems to be helping.
Still don’t feel like my form is great, but I’m able to go more than 200
meters at a time without sucking wind, and I’m disliking trips to the pool less
with each outing. I ordered an Xterra
wetsuit yesterday, so hopefully I’ll be heading out for an open-water swim in
the next couple weeks. Not a fan of cold
water, so it’s not going to be pretty.
We’re running about 20 degrees below normal for this time of year, so
even though I have little room to complain compared to most of the folks up
North I’m still crossing my fingers that Spring will hit soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Signed up for the Monticelloman Olympic Tri in
Charlottesville, VA on May 5, so right now that’s the first official triathlon
on my calendar, and of my life. I may
sign up for a local sprint in late April.
Undecided, and not really excited about yet another race fee. Outer Banks Flying Pirate Half coming up in 3
weeks, and I think I’m going to run it hard to see what kind of a half-marathon
time I can do. I’ve only run one other
half-marathon, and I was pacing a friend in that one and really just passing
the time until the Irish Pub opened on St. Patrick’s day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Honestly … most of my races end up being about passing the
time until the bar opens. </div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-2380471758509322142013-03-04T06:35:00.000-08:002013-03-04T07:49:23.047-08:00Myrtle Beach Marathon Recap - All Good<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I decided to let this race sit for a couple weeks before
putting together a recap. Immediately
after the race I felt great about the whole experience, but I wanted to look
over the data and break things down to find those things I would have done
differently.<br />
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After some reflection, there really isn’t much of anything I
would change. Based on my preparation
and training, I think I squeezed out about every ounce of effort and
performance I could have on race day.
There’s no such thing as a perfect race, but I truly felt like I didn’t
leave anything out on the course. It
took 6 marathons and 2 ultras to finally feel that way at the finish, and it's a nice feeling.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2H0yjOXhwTg4woKxbJWxRy3COxjMkweQnzlDC69Qk9YXKMKQ3qPbGN3cu-UZzRc8kF4vDjXBBFO0D8YUvseYfQolzvJmGV7qKMWQr6HrLXwNaNMMYa7DxxW473f0m7NRwrY3qcMlRSac/s1600/full+course.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2H0yjOXhwTg4woKxbJWxRy3COxjMkweQnzlDC69Qk9YXKMKQ3qPbGN3cu-UZzRc8kF4vDjXBBFO0D8YUvseYfQolzvJmGV7qKMWQr6HrLXwNaNMMYa7DxxW473f0m7NRwrY3qcMlRSac/s400/full+course.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I’ll try and recap the race as succinctly as possible. The weather was outstanding – about 40
degrees and clear at the start, with some wind, but not enough to really have
much of an effect. We got to the race
about 30 minutes before the start, and were able to stay in the car and stay
warm, which was a nice change from my usual routine of 2 hours early and
walking around freezing. I settled in
just behind the 3:35 pace group, since that was around the time I was hoping to
post. I hadn’t done a specific marathon
plan, but had kept my mileage fairly high while doing a triathlon training
plan, so I didn’t really know what to expect.
My long runs had gone well, but I hadn’t pushed the pace in a long
time. I figured I’d hang around the pace
group for the first few miles, and see how things felt. Great anthem, strange pre-race appearance of
an elephant (some sort of wild animal theme this year), and we were off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhHaJs-GDV-4P8w4J2ugBUzwlvxgeUkPASd8B9-zIh59lRwgpFIVxuk9gnWOrCpE7VLip65rp1Mx2Wnglem_BAv_OSGQJqTJAi28XL2gQp7chHK5Nm8dGscGladO3BTFOp5YKVvPqpy4/s1600/front+half.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhHaJs-GDV-4P8w4J2ugBUzwlvxgeUkPASd8B9-zIh59lRwgpFIVxuk9gnWOrCpE7VLip65rp1Mx2Wnglem_BAv_OSGQJqTJAi28XL2gQp7chHK5Nm8dGscGladO3BTFOp5YKVvPqpy4/s400/front+half.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First half of the race - flat and fast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As usual, the first mile was pretty congested, so I hung
behind the 3:35 pace group and tried no to trip anyone or be tripped. By mile 2 the crowd was thinning, and the 3:35
group felt a little slow, so I moved out ahead of them figuring I’d see them
again later. I never saw them
again. I settled in at a pace between
7:45 and 7:55 a mile, was feeling good, and fell in with a group that was
holding that pace consistently. After
about 6 miles my legs were feeling good, and I was starting to think this might
be a solid PR day. I also really needed
to pee. Decided I’d hold it for a bit
since there weren’t a lot of options to take care of business. I was running without a Fuel Belt or an iPod
for the first time in a race, and although it felt a little naked, it was
forcing me to pay attention to how my body was feeling, and so far it was all
good. I kept the sub-8-minute pace going
until the half-marathon runners peeled away around mile 12, and then the
bathroom and nutrition could wait no longer.
Bathroom, gel, water, and powerade at the mile-12 marker, and then I was
back at it for the always eventful second half.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxN364j5eJQj9EQrrfhGF5Q55Yc2Br_00WgYp7bjp3ue223w7zR_2ATBiYr5WsBwr9TDvTh1bb65sGbMgQzvoxoqHZxJlb9B42sVbZQjqU4Ts-3egcgR3FW67HyTFPAq_MG-p7p49FmX8/s1600/second+half.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxN364j5eJQj9EQrrfhGF5Q55Yc2Br_00WgYp7bjp3ue223w7zR_2ATBiYr5WsBwr9TDvTh1bb65sGbMgQzvoxoqHZxJlb9B42sVbZQjqU4Ts-3egcgR3FW67HyTFPAq_MG-p7p49FmX8/s400/second+half.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second half - beach views and getting warmer</td></tr>
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Miles 12 through 17 continued right along the beach, with
nice views and lots of sunshine.
Spectator support was kind of sparse, but enthusiastic. The volunteers at the water stops were
great. Lots of them, and very
supportive. I’m a fan of having names on
the bibs. It adds a lot when people are
cheering for you by name. After my pit
stop I was able to get back to sub-8 pace pretty quickly, and continued to feel
good until mile 21, when I took another quick stop for a gel and some hydration. I was still feeling pretty good, and knew at
this point I was looking at a PR. I also
started upping the game a bit, and thinking about going under 3:30. I decided to step the pace up and roll the
dice. Worst case I would flame out in
glorious fashion. Better to burn out,
than fade away.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJNybfEdDzy28SomDR6DTykEzryK_3iMkIOFhUCThrzKzTZ4jK-5wY9WCjv65EJHw32sgybdrIZPEbTWvjpVYR1fTJSpKxceI8zaXr0YkJ8BzW0wqnrCCFlZzu7ahlWT-pJ8ca85jBck/s1600/sprint.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJNybfEdDzy28SomDR6DTykEzryK_3iMkIOFhUCThrzKzTZ4jK-5wY9WCjv65EJHw32sgybdrIZPEbTWvjpVYR1fTJSpKxceI8zaXr0YkJ8BzW0wqnrCCFlZzu7ahlWT-pJ8ca85jBck/s400/sprint.PNG" width="247" /></a></div>
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The last 5 miles, like most of the race, were nice and
flat. This is the point in most races
where I turn up the music to try and distract myself from all the people going
through various types of distress, especially cramping. With no music to turn up, I just focused on
the pace and my breathing. Once I hit
mile 25 I knew I had a shot at sub 3:30.
I didn’t want it to come down to the wire, so I stepped up the pace for
mile 26 and ran a 7:18 split. Finally, I
broke into what felt like a sprint for the last .2 miles. I’m guessing it didn’t exactly look like something
out of Chariots of Fire, but I did manage to pass several people down the
finishing chute, and crossed the line feeling completely spent.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH04VUvfjdiTTrRWM_5GevxQuG5q_nvJxbyi6cXJdNnGVprxPHuE0akCYjvPQ_1sPjafqCBf-cblY6tBRAwL7twmSKEKukuFlWsGb6NATavqAR_D4e3U1gPCl3g8FoGh5YO22ZDEVNgE/s1600/finishing.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH04VUvfjdiTTrRWM_5GevxQuG5q_nvJxbyi6cXJdNnGVprxPHuE0akCYjvPQ_1sPjafqCBf-cblY6tBRAwL7twmSKEKukuFlWsGb6NATavqAR_D4e3U1gPCl3g8FoGh5YO22ZDEVNgE/s320/finishing.PNG" width="227" /></a></div>
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Final time: 3:27:00. My favorite part of the race is my splits for
the last 5.2 miles. I finally had
something left for a ‘kick’ at the end. Not
much, but something.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBm_CFEUrsCL0_HjSu6JrqhfEghwvmxsVfA4vwnFzPcZ2iqC7-YVKVwo-Wmcd0zXP0B90sTqFMvP178iHezmrsXVGYraTmH3GV5shKvSmusCkdAQt_ucjBB9-rHUfOsRXvdv_OhuKwGk/s1600/ending+splits.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBm_CFEUrsCL0_HjSu6JrqhfEghwvmxsVfA4vwnFzPcZ2iqC7-YVKVwo-Wmcd0zXP0B90sTqFMvP178iHezmrsXVGYraTmH3GV5shKvSmusCkdAQt_ucjBB9-rHUfOsRXvdv_OhuKwGk/s1600/ending+splits.PNG" /></a></div>
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My friends and I also set a significant PR in the beer tent
after the race. This wasn’t the usual “here’s
one watered down low-carb, gluten-free, organic, almost-beer, and now you can
get more for $10 each.” This was 5
different kinds of beer, no tickets, no rules, just right. We rehydrated in style, went home for a quick
nap, then met up with some more friends for good food, good drinks, and much
poker into the early morning. Easily the
best marathon day/night I’ve ever had.
Thankfully the race was Saturday morning, because by 2PM Saturday the
beautiful race weather had turned into pouring rain, and by 8PM the rain had
turned into a rare snowstorm in Myrtle.
The next morning it was 28 degrees, with an inch of snow on the grass,
and howling winds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would HIGHLY recommend this marathon to anyone, new to the
sport or a seasoned veteran. Very flat
course, outstanding organization of the expo and the race, awesome volunteers
that really seemed like they wanted to be there. Swag included a nice tech shirt, a toasty
fleece blanket with the race logo, and a very nice finisher’s medal. The beer tent was a winner, but they also had
pizza, and bagels, and muffins, and pretzels, and Smartwater, Powerade,
chocolate milk, Krispy Kreme, etc. They
didn’t mess around with the post-race refuel.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqeST6e6CIKkjpoHgpTHneTQYKWYvaNeBe1blMQ2HcZhVJ4qoQPjhvGDJmKs4GhL-wpoAeELQUInZ2MnscXom1260l5J-nc7nJXIDqh4HNy2cDq3qbnvXzPJBrOA8ciGYNKRgv8GM2hM/s1600/medal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqeST6e6CIKkjpoHgpTHneTQYKWYvaNeBe1blMQ2HcZhVJ4qoQPjhvGDJmKs4GhL-wpoAeELQUInZ2MnscXom1260l5J-nc7nJXIDqh4HNy2cDq3qbnvXzPJBrOA8ciGYNKRgv8GM2hM/s400/medal.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I’m guessing I’ll be back to run this one in the
future. I managed to catch a monster
cold right after getting back home, so I took a full week off from all
activity, and I’m back into triathlon training again. 2013 is still my year to give tri’s a try,
but a 3:27 only puts me 12 minutes off of a BQ time, so I’m thinking 2014 might
be the year I try to get a BQ. Don’t
want to get too far ahead of myself, but it never hurts to start thinking about
new goals and challenges.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-73274777294939235432013-02-18T06:41:00.000-08:002013-02-18T06:41:34.394-08:00Myrtle Beach Marathon - 18 minute PR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Great weather. Great course. Great friends.<br />
<br />
Some days the racing gods smile on you. You don't ask why, you just say thanks.<br />
<br />
Here's the email I got this morning:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0HdpUQxEwcSkVzTJOuKz2pF-QIO5qf_9UFDSBHfZEV2qkBhSPCl989s5NKalVQ4BdhUhcrQHpJl33qOKmRX_tm0eueo9m3wPiOdahKEy0upbavibwMGSuHCif4WKygfK0N4uT5-Ei9U/s1600/mb+marathon+time.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0HdpUQxEwcSkVzTJOuKz2pF-QIO5qf_9UFDSBHfZEV2qkBhSPCl989s5NKalVQ4BdhUhcrQHpJl33qOKmRX_tm0eueo9m3wPiOdahKEy0upbavibwMGSuHCif4WKygfK0N4uT5-Ei9U/s400/mb+marathon+time.PNG" width="311" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
18 minutes and 25 seconds off my PR. I think I may have set a personal record at the beer tent afterwards as well.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now .... so much sore. My quads are not amused.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Time for more Advil.</div>
<br /></div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-84475788493411121622013-02-12T05:04:00.000-08:002013-02-12T05:04:04.811-08:00January, Hokas, and Myrtle Beach Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2013 is apparently running on fast forward.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Somehow we’re almost halfway through February, and it barely
feels like the new year got started.
Stepped up training has swallowed up my calendar, and the days are just
flying by. A little too fast for my
taste, but there’s definitely not time to get bored.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
January marked the beginning of my first-ever triathlon
training cycle, and it has definitely been tiring, but overall I consider it
successful thus far. I’m still a little
too run-heavy on my plan, but that is by design with a marathon that is now
just 5 days away. Twice-a-day training
is not easy to schedule, but I didn’t really expect it to be. Here’s where I ended up for the month of
January:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Running</b> – 19 runs, 178 miles<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cycling</b> – 9 rides, 188 miles (2 outdoors, 7 trainer – lousy weather)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Swimming</b> – 7 swims, 5 miles<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lifting (upper body, core)</b> – 8 trips to the gym<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running continues to go well, with a couple of nagging minor
injuries, but generally overall good health.
Bad weather meant more trainer rides than I would have liked on the
bike, but I expect to get outdoors more as the weather improves. I really like riding the bike outdoors, and
enjoy speed entirely too much. Swimming
is getting better, but still not great.
I need to work on my stroke and building my lung capacity. Or else grow fins and gills. I’m open to either approach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my continuing tinkering with my footwear, after much
research I added a pair of Hoka Bondi B shoes to the rotation. I’ve only worn them on one 10-mile run so
far, but I was very impressed with the maiden voyage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9NLja5xBsckZp_6fKXK0-XQRUG97b2H5o44EvERNcUq4HxEUhc8abELtCglZIIsuziT-NSeDQFHJXuBrIVwN-XOO-zXYvxK6dXRkZS0fz01FUiM_0xVOa6dgzOtpE4kJSSVVQzOk8j0/s1600/hokas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9NLja5xBsckZp_6fKXK0-XQRUG97b2H5o44EvERNcUq4HxEUhc8abELtCglZIIsuziT-NSeDQFHJXuBrIVwN-XOO-zXYvxK6dXRkZS0fz01FUiM_0xVOa6dgzOtpE4kJSSVVQzOk8j0/s400/hokas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There really was no break-in with these
shoes. They are designed for
ultra-cushioning, and they deliver.
Despite the maximum cushioning, I still put a part of Superfeet Green
insoles in them, and they felt great. I’m
planning to make these primarily my devoted long-run shoes, so they won’t get a
lot of use in terms of volume of runs, but they will get a lot of miles. I’ll keep providing updates as I get more
experience with them, but first impressions are VERY promising. Unfortunately these shoes come with a
non-trivial price tag, so I’m also curious to see how well they hold up. If I’m only getting 300-400 miles out of
these like most of my other shoes, then I don’t know that the ROI will be worth
it. We shall see.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0b4c0aFSk-n8CttGnCofV6K3oRyDWC9GVyw9MGGv4ugE0GMd80vCqw9CXn3004Nb0VAvssU_jNn_0t2dgAsAbD5Jg7jYbozTnN8s4uRS33t6alwCfWZrKfmTir5lz3ZtXkgdxO38rsg/s1600/myrtle+beach+marathon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0b4c0aFSk-n8CttGnCofV6K3oRyDWC9GVyw9MGGv4ugE0GMd80vCqw9CXn3004Nb0VAvssU_jNn_0t2dgAsAbD5Jg7jYbozTnN8s4uRS33t6alwCfWZrKfmTir5lz3ZtXkgdxO38rsg/s320/myrtle+beach+marathon.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This coming Saturday I’ll be lacing up the shoes for the
Myrtle Beach Marathon. I’ve tried to
maintain a fairly heavy marathon-training plan within the triathlon training I’ve
started, and I think it has worked fairly well.
The obvious test will come Saturday when I see how my legs respond. I’m tapering this week, with only 2 runs, no
bike rides, and primarily just focusing on swimming. I’m not entirely sure of my strategy yet for
the marathon. I ran two marathons, and
50k, and a 50-miler last year, but didn’t really ‘race’ any of them. I haven’t ‘raced’ a marathon since the Marine
Corps in the Fall of 2011. I’d like to
give it a go this weekend, and see if I can’t pull a PR. I’ve been nursing a minor groin strain for a
couple months, that some days doesn’t factor at all, and other days really
starts talking to me at around the 10-mile mark. Right now I’m leaning towards starting out
the race with the 3:35 pace group, and just seeing how I feel. If things feel good, I’m going to see if I
can hang with that pace for the whole run.
This race will have a few new twists for me:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>No support team</b> – my family won’t be making this trip, so I’ll
be running this one solo. Two good
friends of mine will be running the half, and I’ll be staying with them for the
weekend, but I’ll be on my own once the gun goes off.</li>
<li><b>No Fuel Belt</b> – I’ve always run with my own drinks, gels,
etc., and my family has helped me swap out my fuel during the race. This time I’ll be relying on the fuel
stations to get me through. I’ll carry
two Gu with me, and that’s all. Will
feel a bit naked out there, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve learned that I require a lot less food
and drink during races than I used to think, so I’m not too concerned about
this as long as it’s not freakishly hot.</li>
<li><b>No tunes</b> – iPods are prohibited for this race, so no
motivational music for me. I usually try
to run the first half of races with no music, and fire up the iPod for the
second half, so I don’t think this will be a big deal. Would have liked to have had the option,
however.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking forward to the weekend, and looking forward to
reworking my training plan post-marathon to more evenly work on the three
disciplines. Still need to sign up for
some shorter triathlons between now and the 70.3. Also need to win the lottery.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-39115076944738686052013-01-28T07:08:00.000-08:002013-01-28T07:08:49.307-08:00That Escalated Quickly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There must be some sort of name for it. Kinda like Murphy’s Law, only from someone
not named Murphy. Or perhaps just a
different Murphy. Begs the question of
what would have happened had Murphy come up with a second law. The basic theory is that as soon as you
convince yourself that there’s not enough time to handle whatever your current
schedule is, something else will come along that will make you long for the
schedule that you thought was impossible.
Maybe it can be my law. I’m
definitely living it right now.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I thought my running schedule to train for an ultra was near
my limits in terms of duration and intensity for what my mind and body could
handle while still staying employed and actually seeing my family on
occasion. Then I discovered triathlon
training. Kinda putting a beating on me
right now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RZBWXuKJXxKv-sIj-_F5GLvslutnL5RYNp7-nDBQT8lnKtw9yBVL7rkkjYqKS7bpKORulm7VNA_hEwlWshLsZLud6tIb1Qtyz6FcVcV3Xn22Ri8FPfSiX6nUzlTdzvybm2DB2XxPKVc/s1600/anchorman+teq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RZBWXuKJXxKv-sIj-_F5GLvslutnL5RYNp7-nDBQT8lnKtw9yBVL7rkkjYqKS7bpKORulm7VNA_hEwlWshLsZLud6tIb1Qtyz6FcVcV3Xn22Ri8FPfSiX6nUzlTdzvybm2DB2XxPKVc/s400/anchorman+teq.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Admittedly, I’m pushing the boundaries a bit on the tri
training since I was already signed up for a marathon in the middle of
February. I’ve created a Franken-plan
combining a 24-week Ironman training plan, and a moderate-level marathon
training plan to get me to the line in Myrtle Beach in 3 weeks with the
potential to try and race the marathon and see if I can put together a PR. Net result is for 6 weeks each week consists
of 2-3 strength-training sessions, 2-3 bike rides, 3 swims, and 5 runs. Trying to get enough sleep to support this as
well, which is equally challenging. It’s
been pretty fun so far, but I won’t be terribly unhappy to get past the
marathon and work out a more sustainable model.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My recent tinkering with my running shoe mix has me going
the opposite direction of the wave of minimalist-shoe momentum, and looking at
Hokas. For those that aren’t familiar
with these shoes, they take the approach that more-is-more, and offer more
support and cushion than just about any other shoe on the market. I finally saw one of these shoes in person at
a tri store last week and I’m thoroughly intrigued. Rockstar <a href="http://www.runemz.com/">Emz</a> uses Hokas for much of her
prodigious treadmill running, and if they help her put in 4,000+ miles a year,
they certainly have potential for me.
With the amount of training I’m pushing right now, these might be some
more insurance against overtraining injury.
I’m always looking for ways to slay the injury dragon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6y7RuJiRurW18KUWWMmFqKeYk2gdcNT3fbNG8GllsaAy-0zSjZAmNunBnmIRtsOl1cSWUyyl8pLql4kgrtU2kcm4F0ENdjBCehQLoiY4J0O6a8qeyNL8q2fpvE8nx2pqYI6Vjw68s-gw/s1600/slay+dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6y7RuJiRurW18KUWWMmFqKeYk2gdcNT3fbNG8GllsaAy-0zSjZAmNunBnmIRtsOl1cSWUyyl8pLql4kgrtU2kcm4F0ENdjBCehQLoiY4J0O6a8qeyNL8q2fpvE8nx2pqYI6Vjw68s-gw/s400/slay+dragon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Swimming remains my main nemesis right now. Apparently water has gotten much thicker
since I did swim-team as a kid. There
can’t possibly be any other explanation for the degree to which the pool owns
me right now. Water and I are starting
to work out some sort of tolerable agreement, but it’s still pretty
contentious. In the meantime, I’m
stepping up my sprint workouts at the track in hopes that I get fast enough to
just run across the water like this guy….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5r6zZ1oEbW2TRpHef17t2mjFFjyVI67ykn913I_EB7FgImx-oGbBf6YUOiueLetAPA73__OPjhqyr_SLIANF2ReYoEa1-S759dqiN8XT3jambECM67iHk6wiFNznveLYhZFkP6Hbmgd8/s1600/b+lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5r6zZ1oEbW2TRpHef17t2mjFFjyVI67ykn913I_EB7FgImx-oGbBf6YUOiueLetAPA73__OPjhqyr_SLIANF2ReYoEa1-S759dqiN8XT3jambECM67iHk6wiFNznveLYhZFkP6Hbmgd8/s400/b+lizard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seems like a reasonable plan.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-57390918614342659652013-01-08T08:04:00.000-08:002013-01-08T08:04:16.848-08:00Doomsday, 2012, and (not) Drowning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As far as I can tell, the world did not end. In fact, 2012 came to a very relaxing, quiet
close at the Evolving household. One of
the highlights of the end of the year was the Doomsday Marathon. With a 9PM start, in the middle of nowhere
(written directions included the phrase “drive until the pavement end, then
keep going”), with no man-made lighting and 30-degree temps, I found myself
questioning my sanity as I finished my final gear check. Once things got underway, however, it was one
of the more unique and memorable running experiences I’ve undertaken.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The course was an approximately 2.5-mile loop that started
in the woods, and then picked up a sand road through an old Air Force jump
field for about 2 miles. I was very,
very dark, and with rain for several days leading up to the race, there were
several spots on the road that consisted of large puddles that, if one weren’t
paying attention, turned things into a bit of a steeplechase. The sand was very loose in a couple sections,
which made things very challenging on the later laps. The race consisted of 11 laps, so the actual
distance per my Garmin ended up being 27.31 miles. I ended up 6<sup>th</sup> out of the 46 that
finished, with a time of 4:24:31. The
guy that won the race ran a 3:09, which was pretty amazing considering the
tough footing, puddles, and serious darkness.
The guy lapped me 3 times, and he was flying. Very, very impressive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I came into the run nursing a slight groin pull that I got
playing tennis, and by the end of the race it was none too happy. I also managed to turn my left ankle on the
10<sup>th</sup> lap, but it didn’t end up affecting me very much. One of the best things about this race was I
had surprisingly little soreness afterwards, other than my injuries, and was
back to running again in only 6 days. No
orthopedist, no PT, happy happy, joy joy.
I’d definitely do an event like this again. I’m not aware of any other ancient
civilizations predicting our doom anytime soon, so I think this was a one-time
affair, but the guy that put this one on puts together some pretty cool races,
so I’ll be keeping an eye out for what he dreams up next.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With 2012 now in the books, I consider the year to have been
a huge success as far as running goes.
Not only because of the training and races, but also because I stayed
largely injury-free. No trips to the orthopedist,
and no quality time with my physical therapist.
Not to say I didn’t have my share of aches and pains, but I was
unusually smart about managing my training and my pains, and think I’ve learned
some good lessons for the future.
Training-wise, I managed 1926 miles of running, 627 miles of cycling, 10
trips to the pool (not great), and 79 trips to the gym. Race-wise, I finished 2 5ks, 1 half-marathon,
2 full-marathons, 1 50k, and 1 50-miler.
My big goal for 2012 was to give Ultras a try, and I accomplished that
goal and had fun in the process. Not
sure what my ultra future looks like now that I’m giving triathlons a shot, but
I suspect I’ll rekindle the ultra relationship sometime in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that 2013 is in full swing, I’m trying to get my act
together to figure out a training plan for triathlons that doesn’t kill me and
allows me to at least occasionally see my family. The biggest challenge for me is getting in
the time in the pool. As much as I wish
I enjoyed it more, I’m just not a big fan of swimming. Running and biking appeal to me for the
outdoors factor, and swimming in the pool is just tedious for me. My mind wanders, and I lose track of laps,
etc. It doesn’t help that my endurance
in the water isn’t great, and I know my stroke needs some work to move from
sprinting form to more sustainable long-distance form. For now, I’m content with not drowning. I’m studying up on some of the assorted
technique programs out there (Total Immersion, Effortless Swimming, etc.), and
just trying to get in the routine of getting in the water 2-3 times a week. Hopefully I can get to the point with swimming
where, like running, it feels strange to not get in a swim. Time will tell.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-51945166129295765202012-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:002012-12-18T11:41:16.264-08:00Doomsday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still quietly plugging away at running, and still struggling
to make time to read or write any blogs.
Hopefully just a function of the time of year. After the holidays I’m hoping this blog rises
from the ashes to chronicle my evolution from running to triathlons. Optimistic/hopeful that the new year will
bring new sanity to life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_RlmzWtzlJHiNEvYsGwxk-Szlb30y0Hj_3R5ncJ183oE4ct2GsaK4GmrFlm6DP65sEFjVnDF8BWH-3TK-EPrmQiBxtfP1OqfkhAQcQzhH9-W6BajSGgCHpRW-_0vkV_E7GLj_t6mrhM/s1600/doomsday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_RlmzWtzlJHiNEvYsGwxk-Szlb30y0Hj_3R5ncJ183oE4ct2GsaK4GmrFlm6DP65sEFjVnDF8BWH-3TK-EPrmQiBxtfP1OqfkhAQcQzhH9-W6BajSGgCHpRW-_0vkV_E7GLj_t6mrhM/s1600/doomsday.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m still operating without a formal training plan, but
starting to gather information about building out a plan and a base for
half-ironman training. In the meantime,
I’m trying to maintain between 40-50 miles running a week to hold my fitness
from Ultra training. In the short-term,
the reason for this is that I’ve signed up for a marathon this Friday night
called the Doomsday Marathon. Small
affair (less that 50 runners), that starts at 9PM on a 2.5ish-mile dirt road
which we’ll loop on 11 times. If the
Mayans are right, I should only have to run about 20 miles before the world
ends, so I can avoid those angry last 6 miles.
Seems like a winning proposition.
If the Mayans let me down, it’s going to be a long, cold drive home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve made a fairly radical (for me) departure with my
running gear, and have added the Brooks Glycerin 10 to my usual stable of Asics
Gel Nimbuses (Nimbii?). So far I’m
liking them, and haven’t noticed any new calf issues, which is where new shoes
usually start to take their toll. They
feel a little heavier than the Asics, and they have a much less constrictive
toe box. Don’t know that I prefer one
over the other. Right now they’re all
just playing nice with each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Would be a busy holiday week next week, but with the world
ending and all it shouldn’t be a problem.
The Mayans have saved me a lot on holiday shopping this year. Thank you Mayans.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy <s>Holidays</s> Doomsday.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-72449870188122253082012-11-14T05:05:00.001-08:002012-11-14T05:20:18.096-08:00Nashville Ultra Recap & More Evolving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I needed a week away from all things running, blogging, and
generally healthy after crossing the finish line of my first 50-miler. I’ve gotten more sleep, eaten more bad food,
and neglected any form of exercise more in the last week than I have for the entirety
of 2012 leading up to the race … and it has been glorious.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All in all, I consider my first 50-mile ultra to be a
resounding success. My training seems to
have been just about the right amount.
My walk/run strategy, and my ability to stick to the strategy right from
the start, served me well. Hydration and
nutrition worked out well, although it was close to 80 degrees as a high on
race day, so I probably could/should have consumed even more liquids than I
did. No gear issues, no injuries, and no
points during the race where I questioned my sanity any more than I do on most
every day. Good stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Nashville Ultra is a great race, and I would highly
recommend it. It’s pretty small, and
spectator support is largely non-existent, but the organizer does a great job
with logistics and aid stations, and the participants are very supportive of
each other throughout the course. The
race consists of a 16-mile out-and-back through a park, that is very scenic as
it winds along a river and through farmland, followed by a 34-mile urban out-and-back
that takes you through downtown Nashville and gives a nice little foot-tour of
the city. Unfortunately I don’t really
have any pictures, but if you’re looking to buy boots or listen to live country
music, then downtown Nashville is where you want to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d break my race experience down into the first 40 miles,
which were tiring but pretty much what I expected, and the last 10 miles, which
were mentally and physically challenging in a way that my marathons have never
quite achieved. The last 4-5 miles of
the race are a steady set of uphills that are a little soul-sucking, but make
the finish line that much sweeter. I
finally crossed the finish line at 9 hours, 42 minutes, and there wasn’t a whole
lot left in the tank. I experienced a
few pre-cramp twitches in my calves and left quad, but never actually had any
cramps to deal with, which was something I was concerned about based on the
heat. Sadly, my stomach wasn’t feeling
that great at the end, so my post-race celebratory beer had to wait until the
next day after the 9-hour drive home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QCpUU1LrTMGVZJVhZ7N0Wao1kHAVHzIj4FNustxpDWdc-vL8WDJFNpG7xtBmx89UisRA02oKzobJrN2tZT-ooiu86Dh4rD-IYRwTAnQnV5mYikB-uO4ghol0YAQpxYIH4nJ2EzmqNsc/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QCpUU1LrTMGVZJVhZ7N0Wao1kHAVHzIj4FNustxpDWdc-vL8WDJFNpG7xtBmx89UisRA02oKzobJrN2tZT-ooiu86Dh4rD-IYRwTAnQnV5mYikB-uO4ghol0YAQpxYIH4nJ2EzmqNsc/s320/photo+(6).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finisher''s mug ... meet finisher's beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That beer may have been accompanied by another beer or two
after sitting in the car that long.
Details are a bit fuzzy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would definitely consider doing another ultra, but don’t
feel a tremendous desire to pursue one right now. I’m signed up for a half-ironman next June,
so I need to slowly start transitioning from run-training to tri-training. I think this is truly a case of ‘Evolving
through Running’. I’ve struggled to come
up with anything interesting to post on the blog in recent months, and I’m
realizing that with where I am at the moment I’ve said and learned most of what
I wanted to say and learn about running from blogging, so now I need to broaden
my goals, and broaden my experiences to find a new voice for my training
efforts. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t have anything mapped out yet race-wise between now
and June, and I’m ok with that for now.
I got back out for my first run post-ultra yesterday morning, and
everything felt great. I was only sore
for a couple days after the race, and then I gave myself time to heal since I
know there’s more trauma than just what the soreness highlights. I don’t have a tri-training plan identified,
but I’m scoping a few out. I’ll start
mixing in swimming over the next couple months to build a base, and I’m
planning to get back out on the bike starting this weekend to make peace
between my arse and the saddle again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have much to learn about biking and swimming, and I’ll be
sharing the learning process right here.
I also need to dial-up the accountability for getting in the pool, and
this blog will help to keep me honest.
Looking forward to stretching my boundaries.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-16008214609872540912012-10-30T05:44:00.000-07:002012-10-30T05:44:18.367-07:005 Days 'till My First 50<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The prep work is largely complete.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB55wHyOxvyU7G9-jLwnM6mEWxO_QrVfCALz39GNt_efOpVFK9L6suhXYlEbdHFggB-07PGwHhVxXGmNk_Av3b3IfmEuKpzQIOoQ3F79Sqr-j_sdBd8vUam1VLzFEqD-gLnC8XHi4lZKc/s1600/Nashville+Ultra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB55wHyOxvyU7G9-jLwnM6mEWxO_QrVfCALz39GNt_efOpVFK9L6suhXYlEbdHFggB-07PGwHhVxXGmNk_Av3b3IfmEuKpzQIOoQ3F79Sqr-j_sdBd8vUam1VLzFEqD-gLnC8XHi4lZKc/s1600/Nashville+Ultra.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Somehow, barring a stray sniper clipping me on my last short
run on Wednesday, I made it through my training plan with no significant
injuries.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday morning at 7AM I’ll be taking the first step in my
first try at a 50-mile Ultra. According
to some who dismissed my 50K as “just a long marathon”, this will be my first
foray into ultramarathons. I’ve never
gone beyond 32 miles in a single run before, training or racing. The great unknown. Testing my mental and physical
boundaries. I’m really looking forward
to this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've survived 24 weeks of training specifically targeted for this
race. My underlying training plan was
specifically defined for running. I
tried to add in cross-training, including weight training, along the way. I was able to stick very closely to the
plan. You never know what you’re body is
going to feel like on race day, but mentally I feel good about my training:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1,055 miles of running</li>
<li>297 miles on the bike</li>
<li>33 trips to the gym for strength training (mostly upper body
and core)</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite the hurricane currently wreaking havoc on the
Eastern U.S., the forecast for Saturday looks good. Lows in the 30s, highs in the upper 50s, and
sunshine. I know better than put too
much stock in extended forecasts, but I’m hoping this forecast holds up. Mostly just hoping the rain stays away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve got my race day strategy figured out, and have a loose
plan for nutrition and hydration. Past
races have taught me that I have a tendency to overhydrate and over-carb (gels,
chomps, etc.) on race day, so I’m taking the less-is-more approach here that
worked well in my recent marathon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My biggest focus this week, aside from packing properly, is
getting sleep. I can’t fix my poor job
of getting sleep over the last few months, but I can get myself to bed early and
sleep as late as the taper allows this week, so I’m feeling well-rested on race
day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One key decision still remains open …. the official
post-race celebratory craft beer. These
races serve as an excuse to overspend on an unusual craft-brewed Stout, so I
have to choose wisely. If that’s the
biggest worry on my mind right now, then I know I’m feeling confident.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bring on the Fiddy.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-55106894671054476272012-10-22T06:47:00.004-07:002012-10-22T06:47:55.526-07:00Freedom's Run Marathon Recap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Cold and Hilly.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Great race, beautiful setting, great experience, but if I
were to sum up the 2012 Freedom’s Run marathon in two words they would be cold
and hilly. I was expecting the hilly,
but wasn’t expecting or prepared for the cold.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's slightly misleading to call this a 'race' recap, since I didn't really race this one.
My plan was to test out my 25-minute-run/5-minute-walk strategy that I’ll
be using in a couple weeks in my ultra, and I mostly stuck to the plan. My only deviation was that I ran for the
first hour rather than starting with the walking at the 25 minute mark because
I was so cold I needed to keep running to try and get some warmth going. It wasn't exceptionally cold at the start, 33
degrees, but I didn't pack for the cold, and was at the start 1.5 hours early, so
by the time things got going I was nice and chilly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re thinking of doing this race, it’s really two
races. The first half of the race is primarily
on the C&O canal, and feels like you’re running on a treadmill with trees
on your right, and the Potomac River on your left. Scenic, but fairly redundant and not terribly
interesting. The second half of the
race, however, is where the scenery and the hills kick in. The run through Antietam battlefield is
really amazing. They've obviously gone
out of their way to keep the land looking much like it must have looked when
the battles raged, and it’s very sobering.
There’s not a great deal of spectator support for this one, but the few
that were there were very enthusiastic, and much appreciated. I’d definitely recommend this race, and will
consider possibly doing this one again in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I basically stuck to my plan and made this a
change-of-scenery training run, and a dress-rehearsal for the 50-miler that’s
now less than 2 weeks away. I ran much
faster than I wanted to, and faster than I should have, and ended up finishing
in 4:04. My legs felt very good after
the race, and even after getting in my car and making the 7-hour drive home my
legs still felt pretty good. Good enough
to go out for a 12-mile recovery run 10 hours after arriving home. Considering that my first 3 marathons landed
me in physical therapy and caused weeks of downtime before I was running again,
I’m very happy with a 17-hour turnaround for a return to training.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday was my last 20+ mile training run, and now I taper
for 2 weeks before heading to Nashville to see what the world beyond 31 miles
holds for me. I feel well prepared and I’m
really looking forward to giving it a go, but I’m definitely anxious to see
what happens when I get out beyond 50K.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll be sure to pack lots of warm clothes for this one.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-87830893157426258682012-10-09T19:29:00.000-07:002012-10-09T19:29:21.681-07:00Long Lost Blogger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Once upon a time I blogged on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
In many of those posts I made mention of
having a few too many things going at once, and not getting enough sleep. It dawned on me that writing and reading blog
posts was one more thing I was trying to wedge into the day, often late at
night when I should be sleeping and recovering from the early-morning
workouts. So …. the blog got pushed well
down into the depths of the to-do list, and suddenly two months had
passed.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28EEj7DTnJfWC8GNSFvbqLxhFDFCKlddRSH65xBCxFFZJeOnhLohwU2E16cj74ec5EWNV-UKQtzjBfKvbia_Yio64HwQb8QD3z55uHt2_LBYTrw0oBPdN37MnOlNjOTgQ3PyKdJXZoFU/s1600/this+way+that+way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28EEj7DTnJfWC8GNSFvbqLxhFDFCKlddRSH65xBCxFFZJeOnhLohwU2E16cj74ec5EWNV-UKQtzjBfKvbia_Yio64HwQb8QD3z55uHt2_LBYTrw0oBPdN37MnOlNjOTgQ3PyKdJXZoFU/s1600/this+way+that+way.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some quick updates since last I
felt bloggish:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>My wife and two partners opened a tennis shop, and things
are going really, really well. Steep
learning curve in the world of retail, but every day brings a new lesson, and
learning is never a bad thing</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Ultra training has been going very well, and I’ve been able
to avoid any issues beyond the usual aches and pains that seem to come with
running in your 5<sup>th</sup> decade. I’ve
dialed the biking way back and focused on quality running. 260 miles in August, 265 miles in
September. Really enjoyed the warm
weather, and not looking forward to icy morning runs in the months ahead.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>In the category of “hasn’t quite registered yet”, I signed up for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 in
Raleigh coming in June of 2013. I’ve
been toying with the inevitable move to triathlons, and since this one starts
about 15 minutes from my house, it seemed like destiny. Guess I’ll have to get back into the pool
once I’m through my upcoming races. Damn
pool.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>In three days I’m driving up to Harper’s Ferry, West
Virginia to run the Freedom’s Run marathon.
My training plan called for a 25 mile run, so I figured I’d add an extra
mile and have some fun with a race.
Treating it as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for my upcoming ultra, using my
run/walk approach. Hopefully my legs
will bounce back quickly so I can wrap up the rest of my training.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Three weeks after the Freedom’s Run I’m off to Nashville for
my first attempt at a 50-miler. I’m
feeling good about my training, but don’t really know what to expect beyond 31
miles, which is the farthest I’ve run in a race or training. Should be interesting. I’m really looking forward to it.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve got lots of blog reading to catch up on, but
(hopefully) not at the expense of sleep.
Damn sleep.</div>
</div>
Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-34275446335460335562012-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:002012-08-09T12:25:31.238-07:00But I Would Run 1,000 miles and I Would Run 1,000 More ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Apologies to The Proclaimers for hijacking their lyrics.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a numbers junkie.
I work with metrics all day long at work, attend Business Intelligence
conferences, and generally just swim in a pool of statistics all day. That bleeds over into my non-work life as
well, where I love to crunch numbers and maintain spreadsheets and pivot tables
for all kinds of things, many of which have no business being in a
spreadsheet. My trusty Garmin has
enabled my numbers addiction in many wonderful ways. At the heart of all that data, however, is
the key question of how many miles have I run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As of yesterday morning’s run I crossed over 1,000 miles run
for 2012. It sounds like a big number,
and many days feels like a big number, but taken in isolation it’s not
particularly significant. However, when
I look at that number relative to last year, it starts to tell a story. Part of what drives me with running is trying
to get better. Not trying to win races
or any crazy lofty goals, just pushing myself to get better in terms of the
quantity and quality of my training, and hopefully my performance when race
days come along.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I finished my run yesterday I was at 1,004.3 miles of
running for 2012 spread across 113 runs.
On this same date last year I had run 585.87 miles spread across 116
runs. Basically the increase is a
combination of a more strenuous training plan, but more importantly, I’ve
stayed relatively injury-free this year versus last year, where I started the
year with no running and lots of quality time with my PT. Although I’m sure luck plays some part in
staying healthy, I’ve worked very hard to try and learn from my injuries and
address the root causes. At the risk of
jinxing myself, it seems to be working fairly well this year. Knock on all things wood.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking back at all of 2011, I ended the year with a grand
total of 1020 miles run, so I’ve nearly reached my full-year numbers from last
year. Additionally, this time last year
I didn’t even own a bike, versus this year where I’ve logged 582 training miles
on the bike. I think that may be a big
reason for my relative health this year.
At least I like to think that to justify the investment I made in the
bike. I thought running was expensive
until I started buying bike accessories.
Ouch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m really excited to see how my body responds to the next 3
months of training prior to my first try at a 50-miler. The long runs are getting plentiful and
lengthy, and even the shorter runs are lengths that a couple years ago would
have seemed crazy to try and get done before heading to work for the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Miles to go before I sleep.</div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-23669990756751016432012-08-03T08:24:00.000-07:002012-08-03T08:24:52.345-07:00July Training Recap - Strong in the Saddle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
July was a good training month.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to my trusty training spreadsheet I
ran the most miles I’ve ever run in a month, 192.34 miles, and came through
relatively healthy. I also logged the
highest weekly total I’ve ever run, 58.63 miles, and the numbers only get
bigger from here per the ultra plan I’m following. My legs seem to be adjusting fairly well to
the increased workload. Still not
getting enough sleep. Broken record on
that one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The more interesting stat in July is my mileage on the
bike. I’ve generally substituted my
Sunday recovery run with a relatively long ride on the bike, and I’m really
enjoying the time in the saddle. I think
I like the speed a bit too much.
Hopefully that doesn’t end up getting me hurt in new and even more
spectacular ways than running ever offered.
Although I only got in 5 rides in July, I managed 193.06 total miles,
with a longest ride of 53.55 miles. I
think the biking is helping the running, and the running is helping the
biking. At the very least it’s giving my
feet a break on Sundays and keeping the pounding in check.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s the recap for July:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Running:</b> 18 runs,
192.34 miles<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Biking:</b> 5 rides, 193.06
miles<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lifting:</b> 8 trips to
the gym<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly, zero times in the pool. I’m planning to get there eventually this
summer, but for now the running and biking are working for me, so they’re
winning out when I need to decide what to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This Saturday I have a 24-mile long run on the plan, which
will be the longest training run I’ve ever done. Planning to try the 25 minutes running / 5
minutes walking approach which I need to adopt as part of my Ultra
strategy. Will also walk any major
hills. Still trying to get over the
mental hurdle of feeling like I need to be running all the time. We’ll see how it goes.</div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-64451755080661378572012-07-25T05:16:00.002-07:002012-07-25T05:16:53.945-07:005K In Less Than 20<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;">Raced my second 5K on Saturday morning. My only goal for the run was to try and go
under 20 minutes. I didn’t go in with a
particular strategy, other than trying to keep all my splits under 6:26. Unlike most everything else, I tried not to
overthink this. Run fast, try not to
puke.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race itself is an interesting affair. They are in the process of building a toll
road through our town, which is being opened in phases. Just prior to opening a section last year
they ran a 5k on the road, with profits going to MADD. This year they did the same thing, only they
ran in the new section set to open next week.
So, although this was the second of these events, each one is a once-only
race unless you’re planning to play some human Frogger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The course was a straight line out-and-back with more hills
than you’d expect on a highway. I
started out with a group of 6, and slowly folks started dropping back until
there were 3 of us around the turnaround, when technically I was dropping back
as well. The first mile felt good, but I
went out a little too fast. The second
mile was tough, but it was cool to make the turn and be running the opposite
direction of the whole field, who were all very supportive and cheering for the
leaders while they were running. The
last 1.1 miles was pretty tough, and I was tasting my granola bar for the last
half-mile or so, but I managed to keep all my food where it belonged. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Net result - 19:40:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRaF6ZnsXZ6Rf51f9zjctJ7M9DlfMtX2csQz-STg_dIoJDQFgdxSgUVATrNPv4ytvk91lIe1eJr5cblyfj5xURPn82xZ9mXUE2wlS3PPJaewr8lPgidvTafVWcHWBI8Z3Wg-aU6aB99w/s1600/TET2+Results+DS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRaF6ZnsXZ6Rf51f9zjctJ7M9DlfMtX2csQz-STg_dIoJDQFgdxSgUVATrNPv4ytvk91lIe1eJr5cblyfj5xURPn82xZ9mXUE2wlS3PPJaewr8lPgidvTafVWcHWBI8Z3Wg-aU6aB99w/s640/TET2+Results+DS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">3rd overall of 375, 1st in age group. Here are the splits:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DDGlFoCJZS5xAMvYp4VX83u5H33HUrkJSC1GgPBDPzRkDt2nYqWWSbWWwOvCt8UvWzmFeWp36u-1adxUsgKPO2VsA516lQMubjTJM6rOa-AAWioU6okuLXR1TMJKtxp6_QmtjEbCscw/s1600/TET2+Splits+DS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DDGlFoCJZS5xAMvYp4VX83u5H33HUrkJSC1GgPBDPzRkDt2nYqWWSbWWwOvCt8UvWzmFeWp36u-1adxUsgKPO2VsA516lQMubjTJM6rOa-AAWioU6okuLXR1TMJKtxp6_QmtjEbCscw/s400/TET2+Splits+DS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Got a nice hockey-puck/paperweight/boat-anchor for finishing
first in my age group:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfiHzzO4IegMtKs_dS4jt06vaQStSpDy0vpYRFqPIvzssKf-BLfo-V25efY0MVRm8HzgOtNCnjwZgqglW03cMAWmtmPv1iL300k1me5AOv3QeATQaeDNH7WQVDlffgxOg41gDHKP-xqA/s1600/TT+Medal+DS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfiHzzO4IegMtKs_dS4jt06vaQStSpDy0vpYRFqPIvzssKf-BLfo-V25efY0MVRm8HzgOtNCnjwZgqglW03cMAWmtmPv1iL300k1me5AOv3QeATQaeDNH7WQVDlffgxOg41gDHKP-xqA/s320/TT+Medal+DS.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">I really enjoyed the race, and like the all-out racing
aspect of a 5k, but I’m still more interested in the longer distances and
testing my mind as well as my legs. I
might throw in a 5K now and then just to mix things up, but I don’t think I’ll
make a habit of these. I guess my next
goal would be to run one with an average pace below 6:00, but that will take
some serious speedwork, which isn’t part of my Ultra training plan. Maybe next Spring.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the 5K on Saturday I drove directly to a local trail and
did another 16 miles with a friend to
hit my training target for the day. The
long run was ugly. The race took a lot
more out of me than I thought, and it was hot and humid by the time we started
the long run. Just more confirmation
that early-morning running is my friend.
Also, woke up all kinds of sore in my quads and calves Sunday morning,
which I think is a result of the sprinting rather than the distance
running. Good sore, but sore nonetheless.</div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-24329591406287978992012-07-18T11:23:00.000-07:002012-07-18T11:23:01.119-07:00Back in Track<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Made a rare appearance at an actual track this morning for my training run. The group that I ran a relay with back in the Spring does a regular track interval workout on Wednesday mornings, and for the first time this morning I didn't have some sort of conflict and was able to join them. I'm running my second 5k this Saturday, and I'd like to try and go sub 20-minutes, but haven't been doing speedwork as part of my Ultra training and didn't really have a feel for my potential to blow-up if I tried to go out fast.<br />
<br />
The results were moderately encouraging. The workout was a 1-mile warmup, 10x400m intervals with 200m recovery between, and 1-mile cooldown. I generally felt good throughout, and was able to do the last 2 400s at sub 6-min-mile pace, which is really pushing it for me. Here's the data:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhl3KmttP1N2Rm125Ubco_rFuITTJkyBLlEOHfrEDvAZhs0sVk0HcSiYd29rQjVa61jJWUA22AdksO979yplfZu_SxeF2jgSUO_wwYfRSukpUYPy25frYX2_X5I5dBo5SPYwlpCVcKyA/s1600/track+workout+July+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhl3KmttP1N2Rm125Ubco_rFuITTJkyBLlEOHfrEDvAZhs0sVk0HcSiYd29rQjVa61jJWUA22AdksO979yplfZu_SxeF2jgSUO_wwYfRSukpUYPy25frYX2_X5I5dBo5SPYwlpCVcKyA/s640/track+workout+July+2012.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
So .... in terms of the 5k this weekend, I'm confident enough to roll the dice and shoot for a 6:15/mile or faster pace, still with the real possibility of a spectacular flameout at the end. That's part of the fun of a 5k though, right?</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-90534481209048829282012-07-12T09:51:00.000-07:002012-07-12T09:51:13.291-07:00Winner - Mizuno Running Shoes Giveaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Per random.org, here's the winning entry for the Mizuno shoes:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYQWr4FqgAft8S5Rb3Roa39Vins1T74IxU_Q641oRw-YWwJ6k39zMTsf9H5tYHiNLsOLM-Zz8KpA3Sl5XEW5ul59L2qqD8Jpui3xtepuVY0QWhCrgKCMef8SZs7I_R_WvbGks4VRJOpw/s1600/Mizuno+winner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYQWr4FqgAft8S5Rb3Roa39Vins1T74IxU_Q641oRw-YWwJ6k39zMTsf9H5tYHiNLsOLM-Zz8KpA3Sl5XEW5ul59L2qqD8Jpui3xtepuVY0QWhCrgKCMef8SZs7I_R_WvbGks4VRJOpw/s320/Mizuno+winner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Congrats to will1494! Can't access your Blogger Profile to get your email address, so please email me at cwstallman@gmail.com so we can get you setup to order your shoes. The offer from Mizuno expires 7/15, so please send me a note quickly.</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-86611318786322993612012-07-11T09:09:00.000-07:002012-07-11T09:09:29.576-07:00Mizuno Shoes Giveaway - Last Day (and a half) to Enter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Entries end Thursday (7/12) at noon Eastern, with a winner announced later in the day. Click this link to go to the post and get your entries in:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://evolvingthroughrunning.blogspot.com/2012/07/giveaway-mizuno-running-shoes.html">http://evolvingthroughrunning.blogspot.com/2012/07/giveaway-mizuno-running-shoes.html</a><br />
<br />
Good Luck!!</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-24337123506946640152012-07-09T07:28:00.002-07:002012-07-09T07:28:47.134-07:00Giveaway - Mizuno Running Shoes - Mezamashii Project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: #fafefb; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">You’ve probably
seen a few Mizuno Giveaway blog posts in the last few days. Here’s another. I was recently invited to be a founding
member of Mizuno's Mezamashii Run Project.
</span><span style="background-color: #fafefb; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Mizuno’s goal for the project (aside from marketing) is to help
runners have a more brilliant run, hence the name Mezamashii, meaning "eye
opening" or "brilliant" in Japanese. Harnessing the power of
real-world experience and social media to spread the work about Mizuno and
their products.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fafefb; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFEFB; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I was offered a free pair
of their shoes to try, and I took them up on their offer. This is no small step for me since I’ve been
running in Asics Gel Nimbus for at least 6 years. I went with the Mizuno Wave Creation 13. I’ve only done one 10-mile run in the shoes,
so I’m not yet ready to put together any sort of review. My initial impressions are good. They are decidedly more stiff out of the box
than the Asics, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Once I break them in and put them through
their paces I’ll put a review together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcVW9oHoYowg4FFUliKdGcGVLucT2OveyDxW_x6B5klYfyAmq1XDt_xHU48w9M2xypbC4J3cm2JoeAQ0IUKVFtYwmt5Xve6g9br1G89SWAj_VIUPmiecOGRSpBHmE9SDsYhrjyrhrKIs/s1600/mizuno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcVW9oHoYowg4FFUliKdGcGVLucT2OveyDxW_x6B5klYfyAmq1XDt_xHU48w9M2xypbC4J3cm2JoeAQ0IUKVFtYwmt5Xve6g9br1G89SWAj_VIUPmiecOGRSpBHmE9SDsYhrjyrhrKIs/s320/mizuno.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFEFB; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFEFB; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">In addition to my free
pair of shoes, they’ve given me another pair to give away to help another
runner find their ‘brilliant’ run. The
offer from Mizuno expires fairly soon, so this will be a quick giveaway. I’ll take entries through Noon Eastern on
Thursday (7/12), and announce the winner Thursday afternoon. There are multiple ways to enter, each
earning an individual entry. You must
add an individual comment below for each way you enter … each comment equals
and entry and one more chance to win:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFEFB; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Follow this blog, or let
me know that you already do <i><b>(leave a comment)</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Add a comment below
letting me know your current ‘go-to’ shoe, and how long you’ve run in that
make/model – curious if others are as overly loyal as me</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Follow me on twitter -
@EvolvingThruRun – or let me know you already do <i><b>(leave a comment)</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Link to this Giveaway
from your blog <i><b>(leave a comment)</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Share with me
@EvolvingThruRun and @MizunoUSA in a tweet saying why you want to give Mizunos
a try <i><b>(leave a comment)</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Like the LoveAllTennis
page on Facebook (</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LoveAllTennis" style="line-height: 14.25pt;">http://www.facebook.com/LoveAllTennis</a><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;">).</span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;">Unrelated to this post - this is a new
company my wife is launching, and ‘Likes’ make her very happy <i><b>(leave a comment)</b></i></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="background-color: #fafefb; line-height: 14.25pt;">Entries close Noon Eastern on Thursday
(7/12) – Good Luck!!</span></div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-75151923355300002512012-07-05T05:17:00.000-07:002012-07-05T05:17:04.288-07:002012 First Half Review - Ready for Ramp Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;">With the start of July I’m trying to take stock of my year
thus far, and figure out what is working, what needs tweaking, and where I need
to man-up.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6JaqLkjvjUBJtGT-YNrek0Fi-xhU4AoP6m9ZNi8IDkppnlqE8Qu4XXSzughG7J20xjtRujUM_bcbY1C8kfq_bd0kjYtKVIkFxExzQEx4OBHjDZrBPCj_-3JCdlm5oHBqoQjkl6CyA9E/s1600/Injury-Free-Road-Sign_0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6JaqLkjvjUBJtGT-YNrek0Fi-xhU4AoP6m9ZNi8IDkppnlqE8Qu4XXSzughG7J20xjtRujUM_bcbY1C8kfq_bd0kjYtKVIkFxExzQEx4OBHjDZrBPCj_-3JCdlm5oHBqoQjkl6CyA9E/s1600/Injury-Free-Road-Sign_0.png" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I consider the first half of the year to be successful based
primarily on one criterion … no injury-forced downtime. That’s not to say that I haven’t had some
angry body parts along the way – IT Bands, Plantar Fascia, Calf knots … but I’ve
been able to pay attention to them and manage them such that they haven’t put
me on the sidelines. Adding the bike and
swimming (but far too little swimming) has helped, as has mixing in some PT
exercises to keep my right knee/quad working well with the rest of my right
leg.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was doing a much better job of cross-training early in the
year, but once I made the decision to run a 50k, and then train for a 50-miler
in the Fall, I shifted back to a more run-heavy plan. I know this runs counter to the notion of
cross-training to reduce the repetitive strain of running, but I need to get a
feel for how my body reacts to higher mileage than I’ve tried for marathon
training, and I need to ramp up to the peak of 70 weekly running miles that my
current plan calls for. I’m still
getting out on the bike at least a couple times a month, and I should be doing
better with the swimming now that the neighborhood pool is open for the Summer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are the stats for the first 6 months of the year:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running: 90 runs,
757.34 miles total<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Biking: 18 rides,
349.8 miles total<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Swimming: 10 swims, 7
miles total<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weight training: 41
trips to the gym<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
March was my best month so far this year, with 157 miles
run, 99 miles biked, 2 swims, and 8 trips to the gym. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Race-wise, I paced a friend in a half-marathon in March, ran
a 200-mile 12-person relay and my first-ever 5k in April, and ran the Outer
Banks 50k in May. No races in June, and
nothing firmly planned between now and the 50-mile run on 11/3, although I’m
hoping to run a few 5ks, maybe a half-marathon, and a full-marathon close to
the Ultra as a long training run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m really liking the training plan I’ve got going now, but
the mileage is a lot higher than anything I’ve done in the past, and I’m pretty
wiped out by the end of each week. I
HAVE to start getting more sleep to keep with this plan and stay healthy. Unfortunately, knowing what to do doesn’t
magically get it done.</div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-88115644212463493222012-06-29T06:17:00.000-07:002012-06-29T06:17:05.584-07:00Serendipity and Scorched Earth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;">I’ve been writing about a possible departure from my beloved
Asics Gel Nimbus on this blog for quite some time. I’ve taken small steps in that direction …
Brooks Ghost as my everyday shoes, Brooks Cascadia 7’s for trail running … but
haven’t really committed to make the jump away from the Nimbii as my go-to
shoes. However, the good folks at Mizuno
may be inadvertently providing the push I need to test the waters away from the
calming shores of Asics.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As part of their Mezamashii Project they let me pick out a
free pair of Mizuno shoes to try and spread the word about, so these guys
showed up in the mail last week while I was fueling up on rum punch and
sloth:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifrMU5G0C0ooAelGmC-3kwxGVz83gs-DyOGNpZdbUhhfq4HYv8QVYSAg9fhm-Jin2vGHR51pd1yqR0uGwGZP54XFkZQHUtaJ6qL6NAXhtZFLsREL7ulPA2IbDKgl7y4kLgAf2WxGBVB0/s1600/mizuno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifrMU5G0C0ooAelGmC-3kwxGVz83gs-DyOGNpZdbUhhfq4HYv8QVYSAg9fhm-Jin2vGHR51pd1yqR0uGwGZP54XFkZQHUtaJ6qL6NAXhtZFLsREL7ulPA2IbDKgl7y4kLgAf2WxGBVB0/s400/mizuno.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mizuno Wave Creation 13 in retina-scorching crimson. I just picked up a pair of Superfeet green
insoles for them, so hopefully I’ll be giving them a test run this
weekend. I’ve got 18 miles on the plan
for Saturday, so that’s a bit too much for a maiden voyage, but I might try a
short recovery run Sunday night just to give them a spin. Supposed to be going out for a 25-ish mile
ride Sunday morning with a couple friends, so we’ll see how willing my legs
are. The other mitigating factor ….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFE6FINlT8x9rsTKYaLpfptFsQ-ADdXAG0Y8l2TPBRe3ikNz_5Yi3xVQcPtrfsvb1Uzy1Br4j_DV18h59JZOFPr7PvM6H1uUH2vtjkrcma2R6tlXh1Kyu-7sjd6kmUqpJb_8nNIO59ZcQ/s1600/crazy+hot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFE6FINlT8x9rsTKYaLpfptFsQ-ADdXAG0Y8l2TPBRe3ikNz_5Yi3xVQcPtrfsvb1Uzy1Br4j_DV18h59JZOFPr7PvM6H1uUH2vtjkrcma2R6tlXh1Kyu-7sjd6kmUqpJb_8nNIO59ZcQ/s400/crazy+hot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m no meteorologist, but I believe that is referred to as a heat wave. The good news is I love to sweat when
I run – the more sweat, the more it feels like work, so I say bring the heat. All the hours of standing on the hood of my
idling SUV in the driveway blasting aerosol cans skyward and taunting the ozone
layer have finally paid off. If I’ve
plotted the weather trends correctly, we should be hitting around 250 degrees
by the end of July.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do they make SPF 800 yet?</div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-76255761989624514502012-06-26T09:57:00.000-07:002012-06-26T10:59:49.653-07:00Vacation, All I Ever Wanted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;">As my last post made pretty clear, I’m dealing with some
stress right now. Nothing too crushing,
but stress nonetheless. Fortunately,
last week was a well-timed and much-needed vacation week for the Evolving family. The 4 of us, along with my in-laws, piled
onto a 46-foot sailboat in St. Thomas for a week of sailing in the Virgin
Islands. My father-in-law is a retired
Coast Guard captain who has probably forgotten more about sailing than most
people will ever know, so he provided the brains, I provided the muscle, and we
all tackled the high seas. Admittedly
the quarters were a bit tight, and there may have been an occasional bout of
tension, but overall it was an amazing experience. The best part – no laptop, no iPhone, no
email …. No worries.</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The weather and water were beautiful, and we spent countless
hours snorkeling in a variety of locations.
We bought a waterproof point-and-click digital camera before we went
since we didn’t trust any of the cameras in the house to actually work and hold
up to the conditions, so rather than bore you with words I’ll share some of
what we saw and did:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiHgtf65ZiB54ztTtLaPeq0PBmGI256924YpDvihFE2SGvBs2vETFMt2m62PAR1LTd6g7lXN9fUb9clt5jWwpDvRSPSsj2n9NExnwGK_BeTGaL4rAbZ490ZVxAXEY-lqPPRjrgRFUUl8/s1600/P6150017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiHgtf65ZiB54ztTtLaPeq0PBmGI256924YpDvihFE2SGvBs2vETFMt2m62PAR1LTd6g7lXN9fUb9clt5jWwpDvRSPSsj2n9NExnwGK_BeTGaL4rAbZ490ZVxAXEY-lqPPRjrgRFUUl8/s400/P6150017.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our floating home for the week</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KPpIITWZ27FOSVwBvck7CHWjkVXKGuKi-cmznTY9WaCYQxl0QBUugg76j4pUjzWylQCRhsAGP9x_a9unXnbgjZcvKboVH9YcFgwGjZ8eqHkDDXZPOKetH78Z6vC9-NAN2ZvyMErGuTs/s1600/P6180062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KPpIITWZ27FOSVwBvck7CHWjkVXKGuKi-cmznTY9WaCYQxl0QBUugg76j4pUjzWylQCRhsAGP9x_a9unXnbgjZcvKboVH9YcFgwGjZ8eqHkDDXZPOKetH78Z6vC9-NAN2ZvyMErGuTs/s400/P6180062.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite fishes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmSo7E1eUGevOw5XOm3G4Fp8-YalVrKP6xsvFhdeoCjNBtpq-UhioDAhoLcT2UydeZuXkbBTsnjAwlMehrBBBEmYnURoxUq-7dnHp_GF0FHGq7wY1VNKEfbaAbpiIrbpHrsKlz0C7Bp4/s1600/P6200194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmSo7E1eUGevOw5XOm3G4Fp8-YalVrKP6xsvFhdeoCjNBtpq-UhioDAhoLcT2UydeZuXkbBTsnjAwlMehrBBBEmYnURoxUq-7dnHp_GF0FHGq7wY1VNKEfbaAbpiIrbpHrsKlz0C7Bp4/s400/P6200194.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ran into lots of these guys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2H0i2zhRrGK3BTZTeegERbAiYOCQVOl6T6znPbQoXXw7tn3T2iZgcTlLuUT2mw38ilASAn6HEhQdV4d-UzONaDgZ6AidOcObBbbuDgXOtc2xjEU6GK29Pa-AXQ1pp85cXy1aFMq3VuV0/s1600/P6200012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2H0i2zhRrGK3BTZTeegERbAiYOCQVOl6T6znPbQoXXw7tn3T2iZgcTlLuUT2mw38ilASAn6HEhQdV4d-UzONaDgZ6AidOcObBbbuDgXOtc2xjEU6GK29Pa-AXQ1pp85cXy1aFMq3VuV0/s400/P6200012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing is hard work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynjinzFK7yfkjV8CgmENZHiZs6vAdpo2Em_AyMpXVYSL2G2bnImThRi2JJjZHpcaQttne_xQWg5Q0jhOk6-aXXEIdeNiyj5kf3Us2nQGAyQWqoUWcXUUVztmlze8VnBw3HOY2aCttinA/s1600/P6180054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynjinzFK7yfkjV8CgmENZHiZs6vAdpo2Em_AyMpXVYSL2G2bnImThRi2JJjZHpcaQttne_xQWg5Q0jhOk6-aXXEIdeNiyj5kf3Us2nQGAyQWqoUWcXUUVztmlze8VnBw3HOY2aCttinA/s640/P6180054.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scenery was stunning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-F0GH1_obEOh-GKB3jk6sGfpcSTmYWb18V9-uiJnoAs7XWLgChhkLWVFdBFmNjtd8Dn15ot1Gen2gqk4GMJynVOPIPfbnK-QhI3JvqegPrZcgoL3VsWQsQOaTlv71ihc1zLxRHU_Lx8/s1600/P6190093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-F0GH1_obEOh-GKB3jk6sGfpcSTmYWb18V9-uiJnoAs7XWLgChhkLWVFdBFmNjtd8Dn15ot1Gen2gqk4GMJynVOPIPfbnK-QhI3JvqegPrZcgoL3VsWQsQOaTlv71ihc1zLxRHU_Lx8/s400/P6190093.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlnxVapb_qHAvqNJDIXmfcWFZce9yvOe-H7loHVCZTWv6I7Znzy-cORHIdTdSPBEfP_t9XRr0OCD6jJS3-wWWsCqREidnAtqxVhr09wvpKEq0MKpPXFLbpFKv0mBEkNUGIubF30kfhrk/s1600/P6170011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlnxVapb_qHAvqNJDIXmfcWFZce9yvOe-H7loHVCZTWv6I7Znzy-cORHIdTdSPBEfP_t9XRr0OCD6jJS3-wWWsCqREidnAtqxVhr09wvpKEq0MKpPXFLbpFKv0mBEkNUGIubF30kfhrk/s400/P6170011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvThxItVlCfq0lw4T5xVLXoVYfzK2HPOhukqXEGHtR-SkYUb05z7Raw5fm_V3ApbTAI-W2q26e2ANaTC4MskEZ9a2ZFIJ9xD5fBN3-0Kwpj4SIgn3CZiuYMjsTrGWT_HiFtODVEtKnkQ/s1600/P6170043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvThxItVlCfq0lw4T5xVLXoVYfzK2HPOhukqXEGHtR-SkYUb05z7Raw5fm_V3ApbTAI-W2q26e2ANaTC4MskEZ9a2ZFIJ9xD5fBN3-0Kwpj4SIgn3CZiuYMjsTrGWT_HiFtODVEtKnkQ/s400/P6170043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3Qady4RqO7kwNIc48cVE4DURNumJMrGd0ZwTAyKAIwE5B-0Mdg0Oj0eBemB2Z03YCS9Vqxdu4B4kAa_85HQHcC9OjdvyuP0gDOEdl4H4Y61HXDQECrggCeKexT__3ZNeX1gTdyORpK8/s1600/P6180050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3Qady4RqO7kwNIc48cVE4DURNumJMrGd0ZwTAyKAIwE5B-0Mdg0Oj0eBemB2Z03YCS9Vqxdu4B4kAa_85HQHcC9OjdvyuP0gDOEdl4H4Y61HXDQECrggCeKexT__3ZNeX1gTdyORpK8/s400/P6180050.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't get the boy out of the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKS3CekqiBvLHTD7oePxFDmkaNS5uttuy8WtW1X8yZBi-fMdtYlclYmCI8ZCF2Q_vcwNx0NEq4ftyUfYkmw_Bc8J18n_qqG44bMPu7Ak2ljggKtBhyphenhyphenNzulhitIue5PfXhYVz4rIR9W_bI/s1600/P6170111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKS3CekqiBvLHTD7oePxFDmkaNS5uttuy8WtW1X8yZBi-fMdtYlclYmCI8ZCF2Q_vcwNx0NEq4ftyUfYkmw_Bc8J18n_qqG44bMPu7Ak2ljggKtBhyphenhyphenNzulhitIue5PfXhYVz4rIR9W_bI/s400/P6170111.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discovered that the daughter has some serious sailing skills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO78-j8OcDyR7il32vkf0-LSIZZHW4V-lPgTs8hodSul8I5aNyJignMdGAGnoF2jaW3mxf6EGdrYx_jZUZA6sZjSyaqpf6Y29-xuwfrNuPlCXlPuL4svEL_AcTain1WIwAXNhyI9M_kM/s1600/P6210025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO78-j8OcDyR7il32vkf0-LSIZZHW4V-lPgTs8hodSul8I5aNyJignMdGAGnoF2jaW3mxf6EGdrYx_jZUZA6sZjSyaqpf6Y29-xuwfrNuPlCXlPuL4svEL_AcTain1WIwAXNhyI9M_kM/s400/P6210025.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The proper way to refuel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavdaOKN83RMsbI1YON7WcB6TSLl_jKn6wCn1oToVHqiUGIGXKnkr4uSESQmGavSbIDMlWmz1dfGYRW_Vo5ymOqmoC7eVscE73tFapdvp270Wsi8AtEjeccK7Flh5hdy8Mai_OgeE1cf0/s1600/P6210030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavdaOKN83RMsbI1YON7WcB6TSLl_jKn6wCn1oToVHqiUGIGXKnkr4uSESQmGavSbIDMlWmz1dfGYRW_Vo5ymOqmoC7eVscE73tFapdvp270Wsi8AtEjeccK7Flh5hdy8Mai_OgeE1cf0/s400/P6210030.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard not to relax here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28p_v0lFZFUR8fyv14_5KBmPD5LBCguXwe4MjebJo_yoQJCS2BK4kqVWvKIJTSX8NtBJkKPXvS7MSqKzjCInEprIsF3vepS53DQ3dtstM06NEFI8MIoorGxPatrGm3HuRG9C1w1ANLIs/s1600/P6210031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28p_v0lFZFUR8fyv14_5KBmPD5LBCguXwe4MjebJo_yoQJCS2BK4kqVWvKIJTSX8NtBJkKPXvS7MSqKzjCInEprIsF3vepS53DQ3dtstM06NEFI8MIoorGxPatrGm3HuRG9C1w1ANLIs/s400/P6210031.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mermaids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">No opportunities to run while we were there, and
I did find that I missed it on the days that my training plan said I should be
running, which I think is a very good sign that my heart and mind are still
very much into the training. On the
other hand, swimming and lounging proved to be very nice alternatives.</span></div>
</div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-14341385837445758482012-06-13T05:46:00.000-07:002012-06-13T05:46:49.841-07:00Ghosts Appear and Fade Away<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Busy snuck up on me again this year. Sudden, crazy busy.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSPAROacudAH4twLX4Q2ySgNCDRqIqml8JbXzpx-ZA9_24JDwpFCEnULF0WIY_EHOdcT7YfCzBsaAiFUyHsDobQG4TrRu5AtBLGF5-PB_624ZvQhDCg8_y-OU6iRAGFBHz1uDDLRSqyE/s1600/donthappy+ds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSPAROacudAH4twLX4Q2ySgNCDRqIqml8JbXzpx-ZA9_24JDwpFCEnULF0WIY_EHOdcT7YfCzBsaAiFUyHsDobQG4TrRu5AtBLGF5-PB_624ZvQhDCg8_y-OU6iRAGFBHz1uDDLRSqyE/s320/donthappy+ds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="color: blue;">“I can’t get to sleep”</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Work has gotten very hectic with an overabundance of moving
parts. Some might say a plethora. For those that have followed my blog for a
while, last year my company went through a round of layoffs which loomed like a
specter over everyone and everything all Summer. Our most recent quarterly report gave some
decidedly low guidance for the coming quarter, so suddenly the widespread nervousness has returned.
Stressful and no fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="color: blue;">“I think about the implications”</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve started ramping up my weekly running totals as part of
a 24-week training plan for a 50-mile run in early November. This training plan peaks at around 70 miles a
week, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never gone over 50 miles in an individual week
in my life. To pull this off I’m getting
up a little earlier every day, and going on fairly long runs both days of the
weekend, which means early rising on weekends too. Net result is I’m not getting enough
sleep. I know it, and I’m working on
it. However, running isn’t the only
thing contributing to lack of sleep….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><span style="color: blue;">“Of diving in too deep”</span></b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’re in the process of opening a store. I’ll save the details for another post, but
my enthusiasm for running is dwarfed by my wife’s enthusiasm for tennis, and by
the end of July we should have the doors open on a full-service tennis shop in
Cary, NC. My wife and two friends have
partnered to run the whole operation, and we’re trying to be as frugal as
possible up front until we start to get some cashflow. What this means is I’m in charge of I.T.,
construction, drywall repair, painting, electrical, etc. Basically all the physical fit-up for the
space. So …. typical day is up at 4:30,
some sort of training for a couple hours, off to day job, home for dinner, off
to the store for another 4-5 hours, shower, rinse and repeat. Some days it’s fun, some days it’s grueling,
and many days it’s both.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="color: blue;">“And possibly the complications”</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Plenty to worry about these days, and they cycle
through my mind at regular intervals depending upon where the fire burns the
brightest. There’s a common saying that
“worry never changed anything.” This is
true, but action born of worry can bring about positive change, so that’s where
I try to direct my worry when it chooses to appear … and fade away.</span></span></div>
</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869434476661153962.post-57698084595938110642012-05-25T07:24:00.000-07:002012-05-25T07:25:01.301-07:00Get Real<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Got my 'more cowbell' on recently and spectated at a Sprint Tri to support a friend. The folks I was with are all about running, and biking, and swimming, and all things racing. Someone mentioned the 50k I ran recently, and after a lot of nice, supportive comments, this was the last one I heard:<br />
<br />
"Nice job. Now you should run a REAL ultra."<br />
<br />
Ouch.<br />
<br />
OK. Here's where I'll be November 3rd going after the 50 mile mark.<br />
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Time to turn the training dial up to 11.</div>Evolving Through Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00708963226692830313noreply@blogger.com5