Update: Where I've been; Where I'm headed

I've always had a problem with blogs that I really get interested in, follow on a regular basis, and then find that the author seems to fall off the wagon in terms of regular updates.

Don't throw stones from glass houses, guys. I'm guilty. Lesson learned.

I'm now getting back on-track and on-line with this blog, so I owe to you, the reader, a status of what I've been working through since late Summer.

In pseudo-order of importance, here is what has been happening:

* Training for the North Face 50 mile endurance run in Pine Mtn went extremely well throughout the summer months. I logged my highest monthly mileage totals over the hottest months of the year and felt great in the process.

* In the 4 weeks leading up to the TNF 50 miler, I allowed my mileage to slip a bit. On paper, this wasn't a huge issue, but it proved to allow an ever-so-small sliver of self-doubt begin to enter my mind. That proved to be nearly fatal on race day. Race day saw me completely blow up around Mile 20-something. My nutrition went horribly south, my stomach turned on me (that's NEVER happened before) and I simply ran out of gas. When you can't eat or drink calories, you simply stop moving. I certainly did. I'm still working to get over my 1st DNF.

* I am now training for the Iron Horse 100k Endurance Run that will take place in February. Really looking forward to this race and I believe this is where redemption will take place.






* Just started running in a pair of Brooks PureFlow size 12's. Without question, these are the best, most comfortable pair of running shoes I've ever worn. Period. Go. Buy. Some.

That catches you up on where I am right now. Starting today, I'll be back to regular blog updates, I promise.

Getting back on track

To the (likely) few followers I still have out there in cyberland, yes, I'm still alive. I'll have an update shortly. Everything is fine, just hectic and busy. More to come in a bit...

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10 milers? Why not! The build-up continues

Believe it or not, I'm feeling fantastic. With the multi-day 10 milers being part of my weekly routine now, I just "do" them. They're not difficult per se, but the end result is a much stronger me than in previous cycles. When you consider that I have been snacking on long runs between 16 and 31 miles every Saturday, I have really been having a very strong training cycle leading up to The North Face 50 miler in 7 weeks.

Calling all Fathers to a movie theater this Fall..

I'm really stoked about this film hitting the big screen later this year. At a time when our families seem to be falling apart, it's time for us Dads to step up and get back in the game..

2011 North Face Endurance Challenge - Open for Registration

Late Summer vacation, 1,100 step workout and taking the Tuesday 10 miler to "a whole 'nutha level"

We decided to grab one final Summer vacation before school starts back, sowe took off to northern Georgia and the mountains that reside there. With some family living nearby, we planned on stopping by while in the neighborhood. Good times had by all.

One of the coolest things we planned on doing together on this trip was to climb down to the canyon at Tecullah Gorge. Having not been there before, this sounded like high adventure to us all.

High adventure it certainly was.

After the several hour drive from our home to Tecullah, we arrived at the state park and began our climb down to the canyon floor. The trip to the bottom involved multiple switchbacks along the side of the gorge and totalled just under 600 steps.

At the canyon floor, we were treated to beautful views of the towering waterfalls emptying into the basin. Understand that the climb down to this point was a bit tough on the knee joints, but we KNEW the climb back UP the roughly 600 steps was going to be tough. Mind you, we were moving during 90+ degree heat, so sweat was in abundance.

...and then I felt tiny, insignificant little raindrop.

And then, the bottom fell out.

Suffice it to say, the climb back out of the canyon left us soaked to the bone. Our three boys absolutely loved this adventure, and it was pretty cool to be there in the midst of it all. After the rain finally subsided, we were able to get into dry clothes. Much better...

As I continue my build up for the North Face 50 miler in October, my mileage continues to increase. I have suffered no ill effects of the additional training volume and I grow more confident every day, both for the 50 miler as well as my hopeful 100 miler debut in April.

Oh, and we're going all-in starting this week with 10 miler Tuesday's AND Thursday's....

10 miler Tuesday and the ecstasy/exhaustion of going longer

I had a great tempo 10 miler late last night, so my "Tuesday 10" streak lives on ! It feels great to be able to go out and run a nice tempo pace for a solid performance. These workouts are going to provide continued confidence as my training continues to get tougher.

On the subject of tough training, let me say that I am living proof of the benefits and balance that it brings. Without question, my running is getting stronger. I recover much quicker than I ever have before, and find that I have alot more resilience than I had previously thought. I have hard training sessions as well as recovery runs. I go long on the weekends and feel completely recovered within 3-4 hours. In fact, the back to back weekend long runs have proven to be relatively easy to complete. I know that my training plan is working for me, even though it's new territory in terms of mileage.

I will finish up July with around 175 miles of running. I am happy with that. I will run a 24 mile long run on Saturday, and I am excited about that too. We are now leaving the realm of where my marathon training long runs have taken me in the past, and I am okay with it. Anything I do now will only serve to help me on race day. If I can continue making forward progress, I should be standing on the Start line of North Face 50 mile in October, ready to run.

Tuesday 15 and Thursday 10 sessions

Since getting back from vacation earlier this week, I have been getting in some really strong workouts.

After a couple of rain-induced rest days at the beach, I really felt the need on Tuesday to go moderately long, some I grabbed a solid 15 miler that night. I followed that up on Wednesday with a 6 mile recovery run.

The big change for me since focusing my training on ultra distance, is the fact that I have seemed to lose some speed. Since my workouts now do not really emphasize speedwork, my old marathon tempo sessions seem like a distant memory. For 50 or 100 mile events, speed just isn't in the equation.

Having this thought bouncing around in my head, I decided to go out late last night for a 10 mile tempo run. I didnt have a large amount of confidence that I would been able to dig that deep, but I felt pretty fired up about trying.

As I forced myself to a faster cadence and concentrated on quick turnover and good form, the pace began to get easier. By mile 8, I was having to work a bit but I realized that I was well within my ability.

I finished the run in just under 90 minutes and felt very grateful for the result.

Remember, you are stronger than you think you are. You can do far more than you think you can.

Go get after it.

Vacation at the beach; Continuing ramp-up

My wife, our three boys and I just returned from a trip to the beach for the 2nd time this summer. We've been really fortunate to have the ability to go down for a week or so, and we had a great time together as a family. We did some cool stuff together, swam alot, and had an all-around great time. I ended up only getting in two (or maybe three, I can't remember) runs in while in Florida, but it was nice to take a break. My body appreciated the recovery time, I know. I finished up last week with a whopping 25 miles. That's pretty weak for me, but like I said, I enjoyed the break.

Now that we're back home, I am back in the saddle with the ramp up to the North Face 50 miler in October. I ran a nice 15 miler in the wee hours of this morning, and that was actually a little more effort than I expected it to be. Having done a few 20 milers over the past 5 weeks, I didn't expect 15 to take much energy, but actually did. It's good though, because I had to work my way through the run, which is good practice.

Here's my training schedule for the rest of this week:

Tuesday: 6 miles (easy --> tempo)
Wednesday: 5 miles (recovery)
Thursday: 6 miles (hills)
Friday: Rest or 5 miles (easy)
Saturday: 14-16 miles (long)
Sunday: 5 miles (recovery)

I hope everyone's training is proceeding smoothly. It's hard to believe, but Summer is drawing to a close. I'm looking forward to those cooler days of Fall, but I know Winter is only around the corner from those cool days. I'm in NO hurry for dealing with the cold again.

Gear Review: Injinji 3/4 ToeSocks

I've been trying to get caught up on some gear reviews for various pieces of "stuff" that I've picked up in the past few months, and here is a product that I've been using for several years.

Injinji ToeSocks are running socks that provide superior blister protection during a run. Long before Vibram FiveFinger toe shoes were created, Injinji realized the common problem that distance runners suffer from; blistering between the toes due to friction.

Their solution:

Alot of people shy away from the Vibrams simply because of the odd look of the shoe. Let's face it, some people don't like being the center of attention. Sporting a pair of Vibram Bikila's all but assures you of being the center of the conversation as people invariably begin asking you about the "odd looking shoe" on your feet.
The Injinji ToeSocks are obviously invisible to everyone else because they're, well, inside your shoe (duh).


I started using the ToeSocks years ago while training for a marathon. I routinely had to deal with blistering between my big and 2nd toes, and my usual solution was to preventable bandage them prior to the run. While this worked to alleviate the blistering, it was a time consuming task.

ToeSocks were a new product at the time, and I ordered a pair from an online retailer. I decided to try them on a mid distance run of about 12 miles. The first thing I noticed about them was the very unusual way they felt when I managed to get them on. It's hard to explain, but it's a different sensation than wearing a traditional pair of socks. What I discovered on the run several miles later was that the ToeSocks did an incredible job of blister prevention. I didn't even get a hot spot on my formerly blister-prone toes. With that training run complete (and many, many others following), I was sold on Injinji ToeSocks.

Perhaps the only drawback I've discovered with the product is that it may not be ideal for trail running on wet, technical trails. While I never had any problems with the ToeSocks wicking away moisture from my feet during road races (even marathons), a wet, or humid technical trail that subjected your feet to endless amounts of sweat, rain or stream crossings kept the ToeSocks from pulling away the moisture from my feet. A previous 12 miler along technical Pine Mountain Trail yielded quite a few blisters and many hot spots as well. To be fair, I was forced to traverse a half dozen stream crossings, and it was raining a fair amount of the time in the woods, so even the top-notch DryMax socks would have had a hard time keeping my feet dry.

All in all, Injinji ToeSocks are a winning product and worthy of consideration.

Gear Review: Nathan 22oz. QuickDraw Plus handheld

Ever since I began running competitively a couple of years ago, I've experimented with many different hydration solutions.  With the vast array of options that are in the marketplace now, there is a solution to most any hydration need. Since your choice of hydration solution will primarily depend upon the distance you will be covering on the run, planning is key here. 

For this review, I'm going to cover one of my true "go-to" handheld systems. 

The Nathan 22oz. QuickDraw Plus:

In general, most handhelds will allow you to carry anywhere from 10 - 22oz of fluid. The 10oz bottle varieties typically go on a hydration belt in either two or four-bottle configurations. I've used a four bottle config for a few years now, but I just don't like the weight around my hips that this type of pack embodies.

I think the nicest thing about the Nathan QuickDraw handheld is that it has a nice cinch-strap that allows you to really lock it down around your hand so that holding it doesn't require active effort. It literally "holds" onto your hand. Also, the small pocket is pretty nice for storing your car key, a debit card and small cell phone (no iPhones or Droid X's in here). 

As I have been training for my upcoming 50 miler in October, I've really been trying to reach a decision on what type of hydration system I'm going to use on race day. I had originally decided that a Camelbak-type bladder system would be the way I would go, primarily because of the abundance of fluid I could carry on the run. Hydration is key in any race, but an ultramarathon takes it to a new level. 

The problem with the back-mounted bladder systems is one of weight. The unit I will be using during April's 100 miler carries approximately 2 liters of fluid. Over the course of a marathon or even 50k, that weight is not insignificant. Over the course of 50 or 100 miles, it's massive. However, the benefit of having fluids at all times during the race is paramount, so the weight is just part of playing in the game.

All in all, the QuickDraw Plus is perfect for your runs (road or trail) in which you need to carry your own fluid or when the weather is hot and/or humid. I have two of the QuickDraw handhelds, and they are adequate to get me through a 2-3 hour training run in the southern 95 degree summertime. They're also reasonably priced at around $15-$20 each.

"10 miler Tuesdays" continue; midnight 20 milers = running goodness

Really digging the 10 miler Tuesdays, and it's becoming a hard and fast effort as part of 50 miler training for me. It's really encouraging for me to see that I can now hammer out 45+ miles per week without issue, injury or fatigue. I know that ultramarathon training is supposed to get you to that point, and it really seems to be working well for me thus far.

I will finish up this week with around 50 miles, which is a decent week of training for me. Along with the "Tuesday 10", I"m incorporating Thursdays as hill workout sessions, and Monday and Wednesdays as 7-8 mile easy/recovery days. Saturday marks long run day, and I'm being considerably more disciplined about my long runs, and that's a first for me. During previous marathon training seasons, I was quick to cut out a long run at a moments' notice, knowing that if I grabbed a couple of 18 milers and a single 20 miler, I would be okay for race day. Not with ultra training. I've hit every single long run (except one) AND the back-to-back run that follows on Sunday. In fact, here's the breakdown of what I've done for long runs thus far:

• Two 12 milers
• Three 14 milers
• One 16 miler
• One 18 miler
• One 20 miler

The sweet thing is that I've done all of these within the first (6) weeks of training for the North Face 50 miler in October. By the time I toe the line on race day, my long run mileage tally will look like:

• Eight 12 milers
• Ten 14 milers
• Six 16 milers
• Six 18 milers
• Five 20 milers

The latest "weird thing" in my training revolves around the timing of my workouts. For the past few years, I've been religiously up at 4:30am to get the day started with a run. Since last November, I just have not had the discipline to be consistent about getting up that early to run. Eventually, I would find myself running in the late evening/lunch/nighttime hours, but it was not consistent at any single time of day. Since summer has started, I have (for some strange reason) gotten back into the swing of really enjoying doing my run (ESPECIALLY long runs) around 11pm. 

This just seems to really work for me, and it's the weirdest thing. Last night saw me start a 20 miler around 11:40pm, and I ran until around 3:15am this morning. I remember how much I used to enjoy running in the dark, and it really is speaking to me again now. I love just running through our neighborhood while the entire street is dark and everyone is asleep. For me, it seems to be easier (for now, anyway) to run until the wee hours of the morning, come in and shower, and go to bed. My wife thinks I've lost my mind, but I seem to make her think that on a regular basis anyway. :)

At least for now, I'm living the title of the blog; I'm definitely running after daylight ... :)

The Tuesday 10 - Part Dieux

Really digging the 10 miler Tuesdays.

2011 Summer Solstice 5k Race Report

There's nothing quite like a local 5k, run on a course that even I consider to be hilly, at 8pm on Saturday night, with a race start temperature of 94 degrees.

Like I said, nothing quite like it.

This race is celebrating its 5th year and my family has been part of it ever since it started back in 2006. In fact, this was the first organized 5k that I ever cajoled my wife into running with me a couple of years ago. I will never, and I mean NEVER, forget her turning to me on one of the monster hills and saying:

"I can't believe you talked me into running this race as my first...."

Priceless.

Anyway, fast forward to this years event. Our two oldest sons were unfortunately out of town on a camping trip with a group from church, so this was a different experience for us. It's traditionally a family oriented event for us and all of our kids run the races. This year, our 8 year old was the only child we had present, so he toed the line for the 1 Mile race all by himself. Luckily, there were several friends with him so he wasn't alone.

It's really a cool thing to watch your kids go tearing out of the Start line during a race. Seeing that excitement and focus in their eyes is really amazing to me. My wife and I were able to spectate the race, take some pictures and mill around.

About a half hour later, the 5k runners were called to the Start line. I lined up in the first 20% of the runners so I would be able to get out in good position. At this point, let me remind you of my nice 14 mile tempo run that I completed earlier in the morning. Because I'm training for the 50 miler in October, the 14 miler was the most important run of the day, obviously. After running it pretty hard, I felt good and well rested. I thought that I had sustained no significant expense of energy, fitness, or fatigue. I knew I had this 5k later in the day, but I thought I held enough back from the 14 mile tempo so that I could perform the 5k in typical sub 22:00 fashion.

Yeah, right.

As the gun goes off, I tear off (relatively speaking, of course) and assume around a 6:20 pace. This is typically how I will run the 5k. I'll maintain the 6:20 pace for the first 1.5 miles or so, and then let it slip to around 7:00 pace until the final stretch. Once I can see the Finish chute, I'll merely empty the tank with whatever is left.

This time though, the 6:20 pace had my heartrate pegged in VO2max land from the start. My typical 5k race heart rate is 140, which is high for me. My resting heart rate is between 45-50, so 140 is pushing me into Zone 2. In less than 2 minutes from starting the race, heart rate was at 180-190. Unsustainable is the word that came to my mind.

At any rate, I realized that my vacation into anaerobic territory would be short-lived and that I had to simply get as far as I could before my pace inevitably slowed. I struggled greatly with this run; moreso than I can remember struggling in a race. At Mile 2, I remember realizing that I felt worse at that point than I have ever felt after a full marathon. Far worse.

I hung on to a 7:00 pace until the 2.9 mile point, at which time I just about passed out. This was the last, long and steep hill before the straightaway to the Finish chute and I usually am able to really push my pace up this monster and then kick it to the Finish. Unfortunately, I had nothing to give on this day. I made it up the hill at somewhere around a 7:45 pace and was nearly dead by the time it leveled out for the final 100 meters to the Finish. I had no kick left. I had no energy to call upon. Even worse, I had no desire to try. I crossed the Finish line and immediately collapsed on the grass beyond it. I just laid there. I've never felt worse than I did at that moment. I didn't care if I came in dead last, I only was glad it was over.

Our youngest son came over to where I was laying and offered me a bottle of cold water, which I gladly poured over myself. My wife made it over to where I was laying and she seemed to feel genuine pity for my sorry, spent and exhausted carcass. Eventually, I was able to actually move again, and got up from the ground, grass stuck all over me. Knowing that I had the slowest time I've ever run that 5k in, I was certain that staying for the awards ceremony would yield nothing for me other than the opportunity to clap and cheer for runners that actually showed genuine athletic ability today; unlike myself.

Long story short, however. I somehow managed to still win 1st place for my AG, and yet again defend my AG championship from the past 2 (maybe 3) years. I don't know how anyone could have been slower than I was, but they apparently were. Nonetheless, I accepted my medal and chalked tonights performance up to doing too much in my 14 mile tempo earlier in the day, and leaving nothing in my body to call upon when I needed it. All in all, the 14 miler was more important to me because of the training. A fast 5k is not going to help me in October when I'm on the backside of Rocky Point hill in Pine Mountain at Mile 46. The 14 miler will.

So, that's it. 24:02 in a sufferfest for yours truly. I'll try to do better next year, that's for sure.

Tim Twietmeyer, Long run goodness and the Western States 100

Morning, everyone. I had a stellar 14 miler early this morning around midnight. I spent alot of the time concentrating on my running efficiency and form, and I gotta say that I had the best 14 miler I've had in a long, long time. Really concentrated on my foot landing, gait and stride economy. It's really amazing what level of feedback your body will give, but only if we 'unplug' long enough to be able to hear it.

So, I'm listening to a podcast leading up to today's running of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Tim Twietmeyer is now on the board of directors and heavily involved in operating the guts of the race. For those of you that may not know about Tim, he's a past 5 time winner of the WS, and has 25 sub 24hour finishes to his credit. A real ultrarunning legend when it comes to Western States.

Over the course of the podcast interview, one of the hosts asked Tim how he managed to balance extensive WS training with the demands of a family, home life and the balance between  them. Tim came up with what I consider to be one of the most brilliant things I've heard in a long, long time. He said that he always relied on the "Domestic Tranquility Index" or DTI. Basically, if the DTI was high, everything at home was in good shape, his wife was happy with him, the kids were cheerful, etc. On a day with a high DTI, he felt that going out for a long run was acceptable. However, on days when perhaps the DTI was low, he called the run a wash and didn't go that day.

Domestic Tranquility Index.

Brilliant, man. Absolutely brilliant.

-------------------------

PS - I'm running a local 5k here in town later this evening, and I should have a race report soon thereafter. Haven't run a 5k in a couple of months, but I've got a fellow colleague that is going to be there, and has been talking a fair degree of smack regarding performance in the race. I intend of smoking him, but we'll see....

Now Showing: Ten Miler Tuesday's

A new summer ritual began today - the Tuesday 10 !

Learning it all over again

As many of you know, I've been doing this running thing for around 5 years now. I've made that progression from 5k to 10k, half mary to full mary, and then to 50k.

As you can tell, I've done the training it takes to accomplish these distances and endurance experiences. Althiugh I'm in a different running spot right now, and am training for the longer ultra distances, I still should know "how" to train for them.

But I don't.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of how important it is to have confidence in your training. That confidence comes from your past experiences with that same training. With the new distances I'm chasing, this is completely new for me, and its unsettling.

I am pretty certain that I went through a similar zone when I decided to tackle the marathon distance, but an ultra is different. If you haven't done one, I don't know that you can really understand what I'm talking about.

A marathon is a very challenging endeavor, make no mistake about it. But its over in a relatively short period of time. The North Face 50 miler I'm running in October can very easily see me out on the course for nearly 12 hours or more. And the majority of those final 15 miles will likely involve some significant suffering on both the mental and physical side.

That's difficult to know hoe to train for. Actually, I am now regularly rehearsing in my mind how I will deal with the inevitable problems and mental fatigue that I KNOW will confront me in the latter stages of that 50 mile course.

Make no mistake about it, I am so excited about running this race, I can sometimes hardly stand it. My mind also continues to plan ahead for April, where I will attempt my first 100 miler. But having said that, I do maintain a very real, very healthy respect for the effort its going to take to get me there, and get me through. I just believe that God gave us these bodies to make full use of, and that's exactly what I want to do. I want to know the outer limits of what His gift can help me accomplish.

It's been a crazy trip thus far, and I assume it likely will remain that way...

2011 Western States 100 course change announced

Official News of the 2011 Western States 100 and Its Snow Route

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Official Trailer for "Unbreakable: The 2010 Western States 100 mile Endurance Run"

I saw this trailer a few weeks ago, and intended to post it out here then, but I got busy and forgot to. If you haven't seen it yet, spend a couple of minutes and watch. I'm really stoked about the movie (due in Fall 2011) release and it makes me even more excited for my upcoming 50 and 100 milers.

Diagram of a mega-crappy run in paradise

(How's that for a title, huh?)

Back to the story. My wife, I and our three boys were at the beach late last week for several days of post-baseball, post-All Stars season family vacationing fun in the sun. With school only out for the past 2 weeks, summer is just getting cranked up here in Georgia, so we really enjoyed spending time together at the beach, the pool, the boardwalk, and some less-than-stellar food establishments, but that's another topic altogether.

So, what do you expect I am going to want to do while at the beach? Yep, you got it. I had my gear packed and checked and with us in our condo, just waitin' to be used. Beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery to help the miles pass by, and plenty of time to get er done in the mornings. Like I said, Perfect.

...eh, maybe not so much.

I get out the door around 9:40am on Friday morning, only to find that the summertime on the Florida coast is a bit different than in rural Georgia. You see, Georgia mornings are relatively mild in temperature until around 10:45 or 11:00 in the morning. That leaves plenty of time to get a solid run in before temps get ridiculously hot. Apparently, the rules in Florida are a bit different. It was SMOKIN' hot as I stepped out the condo door. I don't mean warm, either. I mean HOT and humid.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I love running in the heat of summer. Lunchtime runs are some of my favorites of all. But only after I've acclimatized to the summer heat and humidity. Apparently, I have not acclimated yet because I was about to endure a suffer-fest of mammoth proportions.

I get the Garmin synched up, push "Play" on the ipod, and off I go along the beach on a nice, wide bike path. Since I had taken the previous 2 (yes, I actually took 2 whole days off) from running, I was feeling pretty darn fresh and stoked about running in such a beautiful place. You know what comes next.

I dropped the hammer (for me, anyway) and started nailing out 6:20 pace miles. There were some other runners and walkers on the path, but I was able to just rip by them without even trying hard. I was thinking to myself about how easy this run was going to be. 3 miles out, 3 miles back, and done.

Have you ever noticed that just about the time you get cocky and start thinking you're bulletproof, the wheels come off? That's exactly what happened next. The wheels came off. Big time.

Long story short; I ended up walking most of miles back home. Yeah, walking. I walked more on that 6 mile run than I have walked in 50k races. I emptied the tank a little too quickly, had a little much cockiness to me, and paid a nice high price for doing so.

Humbled was I. I hope I learned something in this, and I hope never to repeat it again.

Have you had one of these "disaster" run episodes? Drop me a note or comment and give me all the gory details.

It's National Running Day today!

Thinking about a celebratory 10 miler today...

Some serious trail enjoyment on Pine Mountain Trail

Spent some 9 quality miles on the Pine Mountain trail Saturday afternoon as prep work for the North Face 50 miler. What an awesome, awesome day it was. The graph above shows the elevation change over the course of the first 9 miles of the race start, and I was able to make good, good time along this technical section of the course. Rocks, roots, stream crossings and a plethora of opportunities to fall down and break something key, all of these items explain this section of the trail in glorious detail.

Stocking up on piles o' miles, and what happened to Summer?

It isn't even the end of May yet, and my usual Summertime miles o' pallooza is kicking it into the next gear already. It's a ritual for me, and I just love this time of year, don't you?

Aside from the general awesomeness of the boys being out of school, there's baseball season, our family trips to the beach (epic adventures in their own right), and three months of unhindered, unhurried, unencumbered early morning running.(Insert evil scientist laughter here)

On the training front, I continue to be amazed at my fitness improvement in light of the fact that it is solely due to consistent, if not obsessive, running.  I am not within peak phase, but my easy/recovery pace range is now faster than my Disney marathon PR pace, and that astounds me. I haven't planned it that way, and I haven't done anything differently that can explain it, other than to just run

... a lot and often.

The Running Man: Leadville 100 Tips for First Timers

The Running Man: Leadville 100 Tips for First Timers: "Amazingly, the Leadville Trail 100-Mile Run has already sold out. The field is now set at 750, and I am sure glad I'll be there on the line...."

Training for The North Face 50 miler, but looking towards Leadville...

I'm now squarely in the training cycle for the TNF 50 in October. So far, everything is going very, very well. My fitness remains solid despite about 6 pounds I put on during the Winter. All things considered, my 50 miler training is moving forward with gusto.

But for whatever reasons, I can't get my thoughts to focus on this race. I can't even seem to focus on what completing it will feel like in October. And while I'm excited about running it in a few months, my mind eventually starts to drift...

...to Leadville.

Believe me when I say that I don't take lightly the very significant challenge that is the Leadville Trail 100 Miler. The failure rate hovers around 60%, and that sets the race apart from all others; Western States, Vermont, Hardrock - all are more forgiving than Leadville...so why can't I stop this train that I already know will see me lined up for this race?

Simply put, I honestly think I can train properly, plan wisely, and finish that race. I really do. If I didn't, I wouldn't even try. For the most part, I know my own limits. I'm not afraid to push though, and I can't think of a more glorious effort to push towards. Leadville. The name says it all, and I think I want a piece of it.

Only time will tell, but I've already mentioned to my wife that 2012 could very likely see me wanting to take it on. 

Cody's Run 5k - PR (It's the little things in life...)

I haven't ran any races less than marathon distance in over a year now.  In fact, I wasn't even sure that I had the capacity to run a quick, short race.

Saturday morning saw me line up for a local 5k, and I was pretty stoked. No pains or injuries, so I was able to show up trained and ready.

Since my training is not aimed at short distance speed, 5k races don't see me winning anything other than my age group.

It was a definitely challenging course, but I ended up with a new PR of 21:35...

Boston Marathon mojo

I don't know about you guys, but after following the drama of yestetday's race, I am more determined than ever to push my training to that elusive "next level".

As I have mentioned before, I have several running goals that I am committed to achieving, and a BQ is in the short list for sure. After watching Ryan, Kara and Des gut it out yesterday, I am committed to working even harder for that magic 3:20:00

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The healing power of lots 'o miles

Have you ever wondered how much money could be made if it could be done? How much someone would be willing to pay to feel it, even for a brief few moments?

I have.

I'm talking about what you and I know as "runners high".

I've read research synopses that indicate that the endorphin-producing chemical processes that take place in the brain of distance runners operates on the same neuroreceptors that cocaine targets in drug addicts.

That finding takes "running addiction" to a new place, doesn't it?

I think runners have long since reached some level of psychological addiction to that feeling experienced during an extreme endurance effort. It's elusive in a way, because it doesn't show up every single run (at least, not for me) and there's no real formula for finding it. It shows up in the most unexpected ways, and in the most unexpected situations. Some of my most memorable times of finding the "runners high" came during runs that I wasn't enjoying one bit. Some were even just plain painful, torturing efforts.

But then it happened... and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Know what I mean? I knew you did.

Now serving up: 8 miler Wednesdays

Fall ultra training begins soon.

8 miler Wednesdays start TODAY

Flat Rock 10k Trail Race - 2 days out

Starting to look forward to this Saturday morning and the Trail 10k I'll be running here locally in Flat Rock Park. It's being put on by bigdogrunning.com, our local run shop, and promises to be pretty sweet. This will be the first non-marathon/ultramarathon distance race I've run in at least a year.

I haven't run at Flat Rock before, but our oldest son, Josh did some of last seasons cross country practice runs there. It's funny, but the race advertisements call it "trail racing", but after a few ultras, I find it pretty humorous that a dirt road is now considered a "trail". No bother, I'm looking forward to seeing how many other racers show up, and seeing what I can squeeze out with a shorter distance race. Even though I don't think this is anything close to technical terrain, I doubt this will be a PR-level race venue, but I could be wrong. And rest assured, I'll put in a PR caliber effort - yeah, baby!

Oh, and I just happened to stumble across mention of the fact that Elite Racing's Rock n Roll Marathon race series is now hosting a stop in Savannah later this year. May be able to swing over to the coast and run along the river. I haven't run one of the R n R races since my wife and I ran Nashville back in 2005, I think. Anyone run any of them recently?