This is the day...this is the day...this is the day THAT ALL THE RACE GEAR COMES! So for the last 3 days I haven't been able to stay off the UPS.com "Track my Package" feature watching my race gear come across the country from California. The most exciting part that I just managed to find out yesterday is that you can call UPS and they will actually send you a text message about where your package is at! It's like knowing where Santa Clause is or something, unreal!
Having 2 exams today I tried to tell myself that I would not open my race gear until they were over but when the man in brown showed up around 11:00 I just could not help myself, I immediately put it all on and went for a run. Wow, everything felt so light and the Cool Max shirt was so breathable I felt like I had a fan blowing on me the whole time. This is happening. The race is just over 2 weeks away. Excitement, and nervousness sets in big time now. The training will continue but in small increments, no more long sessions, and most of all mental preparation. I'm ready.
Total on the day -
Miles - 5
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
VT Relay for Life
Relay for Life night! I got off work, went home and immediately packed up my things and hiked over to the drillfield. WOW, there was 5,200 people walking around a track that was 1/5 of a mile, it was packed!After checking in and looking around a bit for my team I decided it was about time to get started. Being 7:30, at this point I only had 10.5 hours left.
The run started out a bit hectic I must say trying to weave in and out of walkers. It was hard not to get frustrated but I just had to remember that most people were not there to run so I would have to suck it up and just do my best until things settled down later on into the night. I kept a running log throughout the night so here is how things carried out for the next 10 hours . . .
Start ---------- 7:35 PM
50 Laps ------- 9:24 PM
110 Laps ------ 11:45 PM
Rest ---------- 11:45 - 12:15 (Met up with my team during this break, Woot!)
155 Laps -----1:49 AM
Rest ----------1:49 - 3:40 AM (I should have never brought a sleeping bag)
200 Laps ---- 5:32 AM
To emphasize a bit on the run. It was so great running with all those people and seeing so many people out for a great cause. All of you definitely helped me keep going to finish the run whether it be from the spontaneous "go Henry!" shouts, to generous water and food donations, to my new friend Zak that did a bunch of miles with me.
However all this encouragement started getting me thinking a bit about the upcoming race in the keys: there are 50 people in this race, not 5,000. There won't be a live band and the encouragement of seeing cancer survivors out there on the track with you. We will be running in a straight line on a road with cars flying by, not running around a track with cheery friends and people trying to sell lemonade and throwing footballs. There will be NO SMILING ALLOWED in the keys. Haha, ok so thats a bit extreme and I will most definitely be smiling, perhaps crying? throughout the race and definitely as I cross the finish line but it started to make me nervous about keeping that motivation throughout the race because you all made it so easy to keep going!
However; I won't be alone in the keys and if there are two people that I look up to, that know me thoroughly and know darn well how to get me excited and motivated, that would be Hannah and Mark. To an ultra runner, the support crew is your backbone. They keep you going, keep you hydrated, keep you fed, and most of all just seeing them at that next stop keeps you motivated. The support crew is just as much a part of the race as the runner, after all, both of their races end at the same time whether it be 16 hours or 32. So I wanted to say thanks to my sis and "bro" for all the time they are committing because I couldn't have a better team!
So those of you on my team should get a kick out of this picture. For those of you that don't know, I met my team about 3 days before Relay for Life while they were downtown late night selling Doritos and snacks to fundraise.Well I didn't have a team and wanted to participate so they graciously took me under their wing and gave me this napkin because well, I was having a little trouble remembering the team name. Thanks yall!
Some shout outs from relay!
-Zak, the mining engineer, thanks for running with me, I'm impressed that your'e not a runner
yet pushed yourself to do 16 miles anyway
- Team Ateht Ahpla Ihp, even though we didn't get to hang out to much at the race thanks for
reaching out and letting me be on your team, oh, and when I came back to the mountain of
water bottles it was like a little oasis!
- Jess Quick,Caitlin, Jill, Bryon, and the competitive cheer girls, it was nice meeting those of you that I didn't know and I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 hour break with you all and the many conversations we had during it. Oh! and thanks for the food, not gonna lie the cookies are almost gone!
- Jessica Daniels, for every shout out!
- All the girls out there from Sigma Kappa, you guys always put a smile on my face :-)
For those wondering how I kept track of my laps, I worked out a little system that goes as follows. I carried a water bottle, so starting with my right hand after the first lap, I would move one finger to the side of my water bottle, after the second lap I would have two fingers on one side and three on the other. After 5 laps (one mile) all my fingers would be on the same side of the bottle and I would start on my left hand. After completing two miles my my left hand would be done and I would go back to the right and do the right hand water bottle one more time. After 3 miles or 15 laps I would make a mark with a pen on my wristband, as you can see from the picture below. If you count them, there are 13 marks. 13 x 15 = 195 and then I finished with 5 laps that aren't marked.Lastly! Thank you so much to everyone who helped donate to my fundraising page! We just hit the goal of $1,000 yesterday and we still have 3 weeks to keep going!
Total on the day -
Miles - 40.0
Time - 10 hours
Friends - Awesome
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
There are the good days and the not so good days of training. . .
Well, once again being Tuesday I decided to gorge myself at D2 once again.
2 servings of Hunan chicken with white rice
2 glasses of cherry coke
1 plate vegetarian macaroni and cheese and corn
1 plate of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce
1 bowl chinese broth soup
1 bowl low fat granola cereal
1 plate of spinach leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli
1 creme brulee
1 bowl of peaches
1 apple
0 motivation to sit in the sauna at the same time as trying to digest all this food
I learned that having a huge meal and going to sit in the sauna for 45 minutes, just is not going to work as part of my schedule. What an uncomfortable feeling, trying to digest and sit in a room that is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If every day of training was a good one though, it wouldn't be training. So after 20 minutes in the sauna I couldn't bare it any longer and went home and layed down. No run today, I needed a break. However, learning from your mistakes is what training is all about so from now on I will try to make breakfast my big meal OR run in the morning and then make dinner my big meal.
Total on the day
Sauna - 20 minutes
2 servings of Hunan chicken with white rice
2 glasses of cherry coke
1 plate vegetarian macaroni and cheese and corn
1 plate of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce
1 bowl chinese broth soup
1 bowl low fat granola cereal
1 plate of spinach leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli
1 creme brulee
1 bowl of peaches
1 apple
0 motivation to sit in the sauna at the same time as trying to digest all this food
I learned that having a huge meal and going to sit in the sauna for 45 minutes, just is not going to work as part of my schedule. What an uncomfortable feeling, trying to digest and sit in a room that is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If every day of training was a good one though, it wouldn't be training. So after 20 minutes in the sauna I couldn't bare it any longer and went home and layed down. No run today, I needed a break. However, learning from your mistakes is what training is all about so from now on I will try to make breakfast my big meal OR run in the morning and then make dinner my big meal.
Total on the day
Sauna - 20 minutes
Monday, April 20, 2009
If you're goin through hell, keep on goin . .
24 days till race day, and last night I already had my first weird dream about running and those horrible letters DNF (did not finish). My stomach feels like the race is tomorrow morning.
Being a new week it was time to take a step up in the sauna training so today I took in a pen and paper to write a bit to try to take my mind off the heat. I learned two things.
1) Pens work really well in the sauna because the ink is hot and flows smooth
2) Pens do not work really well in the sauna because your paper is drenched with sweat
Anyhow, writing a bit did help to take my mind off things for the first 30 minutes and then I moved from the top shelf to the lower shelf for the last 17 minutes which mentally was very relieving. For anyone not familiar with sauna, there are generally two rows of seats, one is high and one low. The high seats are much hotter than the lower ones.
Following the sweat, I headed to McComas and did a run walk run combo of 4 miles, 1 mile, and 5 miles respectively. The first 4 miles I ran at an 8.5 mph pace, walked the 5th mile at a 4 mph pace, ran the 5-7 mile at a 7 mph pace, 7-9 at a 9 mph pace, and finished the last mile at 10 mph.
The pace changes were not a pre-thought out schedule yet I ended up getting into a race against the clock on the treadmill. I got to the hour mark on my run and was at 6.9 miles, my goal for the day was 10 miles. Knowing I can finish a 5k in 20 minutes, I challenged myself to finish under 80 minutes. About mile 8.2 rolled around and I hit a wall, "oh just walk for a minute", "the gym doesn't close for another hour, you'll definitely finish your 10 miles", "legs are feeling pretty tired right about now, this is a quick pace, you deserve a rest", "it's not the race, this is training, so why try your hardest right now, just take a little break", GET OUT OF MY MIND SHEDEVIL! I kept up, thought through it for a second and broke right on through it on the premises of whats another 13 minutes running, at least its not 13 more minutes in the sauna. Sprinting through the last mile with the treadmill at top speed ( I think at least 3 people were waiting for me to trip and sail right off the thing) I finished in 79:54, satisfaction.
Total on the day -
Sauna -47 minutes
Distance - 10.0 miles
Time - 79:54
Calories - 1405
Being a new week it was time to take a step up in the sauna training so today I took in a pen and paper to write a bit to try to take my mind off the heat. I learned two things.
1) Pens work really well in the sauna because the ink is hot and flows smooth
2) Pens do not work really well in the sauna because your paper is drenched with sweat
Anyhow, writing a bit did help to take my mind off things for the first 30 minutes and then I moved from the top shelf to the lower shelf for the last 17 minutes which mentally was very relieving. For anyone not familiar with sauna, there are generally two rows of seats, one is high and one low. The high seats are much hotter than the lower ones.
Following the sweat, I headed to McComas and did a run walk run combo of 4 miles, 1 mile, and 5 miles respectively. The first 4 miles I ran at an 8.5 mph pace, walked the 5th mile at a 4 mph pace, ran the 5-7 mile at a 7 mph pace, 7-9 at a 9 mph pace, and finished the last mile at 10 mph.
The pace changes were not a pre-thought out schedule yet I ended up getting into a race against the clock on the treadmill. I got to the hour mark on my run and was at 6.9 miles, my goal for the day was 10 miles. Knowing I can finish a 5k in 20 minutes, I challenged myself to finish under 80 minutes. About mile 8.2 rolled around and I hit a wall, "oh just walk for a minute", "the gym doesn't close for another hour, you'll definitely finish your 10 miles", "legs are feeling pretty tired right about now, this is a quick pace, you deserve a rest", "it's not the race, this is training, so why try your hardest right now, just take a little break", GET OUT OF MY MIND SHEDEVIL! I kept up, thought through it for a second and broke right on through it on the premises of whats another 13 minutes running, at least its not 13 more minutes in the sauna. Sprinting through the last mile with the treadmill at top speed ( I think at least 3 people were waiting for me to trip and sail right off the thing) I finished in 79:54, satisfaction.
Total on the day -
Sauna -47 minutes
Distance - 10.0 miles
Time - 79:54
Calories - 1405
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Don't fart in the sauna please . . .
Excitement struck again this weekend as I finalized all the plans for the Keys 100 race. I booked our hotel about a mile from the start line and ordered all the remaining gear I will need for the race! Check out the list to the left (If you click the picture it will make it bigger and easier to read), I'm gonna end up looking pretty goofy after I get all that stuff on! Now that all the big pieces are in place, it's time to start getting down to all the small details like what types of foods i'll want, music selection, coolers, etc. The planning is unending!Once again taking it easy over the weekend and recovering a bit from my miles on Thursday. I did go out today however and do my sauna time and get in a few miles. I finally realized as well that the sauna training is doing is starting to kick in. Why?
1) Mentally it is growing easier and easier to go and sit in there.
2) I'm starting to get goosebumps in 65 degree weather.
3) I start sweating much earlier into my runs because my body is getting used to this being a way of cooling down.
The most rewarding thing that I noticed this weekend is how much simpler and fun every day tasks seem after running so much, just a hint that the repetitive treadmill training is working as well. Just every day activities, going to class, eating, wearing flip flops!, even just sitting outside on a nice day. They all are so much more enjoyable now, simply because, its something other than running on a treadmill, hopefully the 100 mile run in the keys will have this same effect.
Total on the day -
Sauna - 30 minutes
Distance - 4.5 miles
Time - 35 minutes
Friday, April 17, 2009
32 for 32
Knowing today would be a big day going to bed at one o'clock after the lighting of the memorial candle was probably not the best idea, knowing that I had to be up at 6 in the back of my head. Well needless to say I got up around 6:30, delivered some flowers till about 7:15 and ran over to Shultz for the 3.2 for 32 Memorial Run. All in all, what a cool event. Over 4,000 runners circling the drillfield all at the same time, we should do that every weekend.
After running the first run with Andrew we finished up in a solid 20 minutes and I had an hour and half to rest before the big chunk of the day. Come 10 o'clock, probably about 30 people showed up to do the 32 laps around the drill field and I can't say how much it helped me to keep going having some other people out there doing the same thing so thanks to those of you that came and participated! Not to mention meeting some new friends along the way Kirsten, Lauren and Ashley, you guys did a great job!
Completed about 10 laps and the parking services and police were really starting to wonder what I was doing. "How far have you run man?" "It's killing me just watching you" were among some of the comments. Well I finished 20 laps just before the noon ceremony so I stopped to watch that. Following the ceremony there was a picnic on the drillfield, something I did not take into consideration. On the next 12 laps, student afters student kept walking by with styrofoam containers full of pizza and i'd get a wiff here and there, my stomach was yelling at me. Well after about 29 laps my legs were feeling like jello and I had to walk a couple before hustling out the last one to finish in just about 4 hours. I'd have to say that the most touching part of the day however was when one of the students who had been wounded during April 16th approached me and said "thank you." I didn't even really know what to say I was just overwhelmed that I may have had even the slightest impact on him on a day like that.
Well after finishing 32 laps, I went and got my OWN styrofoam container full of pork BBQ, ate it and immediately fell asleep on my back on the drill field, to wake up to none other than a majorly sunburnt face and a wicked farmers tan. I did a little more running/walking throughout the day but did not finish the full 60 miles, we'll have to save that for another time. Also wanted to give a big shout out to Aynsley and Hayden, I really enjoyed my time with you all throughout the day!
Total on the day -
Miles = 34
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The hard part . . .
Took it easy today but its funny how sometimes you learn the most when you don't think you will learn anything. Sitting in the sauna, I realized that it is not the running part of things that is going to be the hardest part of this race. (Now before anyone yells at me, notice how I said hardest...I know the run will be hard!) I've been running my whole life. I was obsessed with running the mile in elementary school. My mom brought to my attention the other day that she used to tell me to "go run around the house ten times" when I had too much energy. I am ready to run.
The hardest part about this race will be diving out of the way of the Florida drivers down on Route 1 through the keys. No really though, just about everything other than the running. Eating the right amounts at the right time, drinking enough water, dealing with the heat (I can't stand being hot). Most of all, the mental game, keeping my head focused on the next step and not how many steps I have left. I don't even think I'll have much time to think about the running with all the other factors playing in.
Anyhow, no running for today because I'm resting up for tomorrow. The goal will be 60 miles. 34 before work. 26 after. The part before should be quite easier because 28 of it will be in the Run for Rememberance 3.2 and then running 32 laps around the drill field starting at 10.
I can't tell all of you all who have been supporting me about my blog how much it means. I had no idea people were even reading this really I just started it so people would believe I was going to do the run. It gives me a new fire every time someone brings it up. On that note lets all give thanks for our friends and family tomorrow, I know mine are a blessing to me every day.
Total on the Day -
Sauna - 30 minutes
The hardest part about this race will be diving out of the way of the Florida drivers down on Route 1 through the keys. No really though, just about everything other than the running. Eating the right amounts at the right time, drinking enough water, dealing with the heat (I can't stand being hot). Most of all, the mental game, keeping my head focused on the next step and not how many steps I have left. I don't even think I'll have much time to think about the running with all the other factors playing in.
Anyhow, no running for today because I'm resting up for tomorrow. The goal will be 60 miles. 34 before work. 26 after. The part before should be quite easier because 28 of it will be in the Run for Rememberance 3.2 and then running 32 laps around the drill field starting at 10.
I can't tell all of you all who have been supporting me about my blog how much it means. I had no idea people were even reading this really I just started it so people would believe I was going to do the run. It gives me a new fire every time someone brings it up. On that note lets all give thanks for our friends and family tomorrow, I know mine are a blessing to me every day.
Total on the Day -
Sauna - 30 minutes
Time to buy new pants??
With a focus on maintaining weight I payed a visit to D2 after work today. Knowing I had a big run coming up this Thursday, it was time to start loading up. I ate for about an hour and could barely walk out of the dining hall following
1 plate General Tsao's and Vegetable Stir Fry
1 plate whole wheat pasta w/ chicken sauce
1 plate corn, sweet potato fries and vegetarian nuggets
2 pieces of pizza
1 tuna melt on wheat bread
1 bowl of tropical fruit salad
1 plate spinach leaf, carrot, tomato, and cucumber salad
1 piece banana bread
and 2 glasses of powerade.
I drove home and fell asleep for an hour immediately and woke up and forced myself to drive over to the sauna. Well if the sauna isn't uncomfortable enough as it goes, having a stomach ache in the sauna really doesn't cut it for comfort. Oh and note to readers, taking an extra pair of underwear and leaving it outside the door doesn't always work either. A Chinese man who was studying electrical engineering came in for a few minutes. He was quite interested in my camel back and what I was doing so he really helped me forget about the time asking all sort of questions about the race. 31 minutes and done.
Time to head over to McComas, however it was already 10:30 so I knew I wouldn't get in a very long run today. The stomach ache and my lower back were really getting to me on the treadmill so I ran a few miles at a time between short walks and ended up leaving at midnight.
Oh! And the real zinger for the day. I went home, took a shower, put on a pair of pants and drove downtown to play some pool for the last hour of my night. Getting out of my car to walk into the pool hall, I stood up and POP. The button flew right off my pants. How could I possibly be running 60 miles a week and not fitting into my pants?? I guess that makes it a successful day on the aspect of maintaining weight, hah.
T0tal on the Day
Sauna - 31 minutes
Distance - 8.1 miles
Time - 1 hour 6 minutes
Calories - 1,150
D2 - Ouch
1 plate General Tsao's and Vegetable Stir Fry
1 plate whole wheat pasta w/ chicken sauce
1 plate corn, sweet potato fries and vegetarian nuggets
2 pieces of pizza
1 tuna melt on wheat bread
1 bowl of tropical fruit salad
1 plate spinach leaf, carrot, tomato, and cucumber salad
1 piece banana bread
and 2 glasses of powerade.
I drove home and fell asleep for an hour immediately and woke up and forced myself to drive over to the sauna. Well if the sauna isn't uncomfortable enough as it goes, having a stomach ache in the sauna really doesn't cut it for comfort. Oh and note to readers, taking an extra pair of underwear and leaving it outside the door doesn't always work either. A Chinese man who was studying electrical engineering came in for a few minutes. He was quite interested in my camel back and what I was doing so he really helped me forget about the time asking all sort of questions about the race. 31 minutes and done.
Time to head over to McComas, however it was already 10:30 so I knew I wouldn't get in a very long run today. The stomach ache and my lower back were really getting to me on the treadmill so I ran a few miles at a time between short walks and ended up leaving at midnight.
Oh! And the real zinger for the day. I went home, took a shower, put on a pair of pants and drove downtown to play some pool for the last hour of my night. Getting out of my car to walk into the pool hall, I stood up and POP. The button flew right off my pants. How could I possibly be running 60 miles a week and not fitting into my pants?? I guess that makes it a successful day on the aspect of maintaining weight, hah.
T0tal on the Day
Sauna - 31 minutes
Distance - 8.1 miles
Time - 1 hour 6 minutes
Calories - 1,150
D2 - Ouch
Monday, April 13, 2009
Mama said they was my magic shoes . . .
Waking up this morning felt like Christmas, I was super tired due to lack of sleep and I knew my shoes were coming! The anticipation of putting them on my feet, taking that first couple strides and feeling like I was floating was to hard to deal with through class!
Today also marks the 1 month date from when I will fly down to Florida to prepare for the race with my sister and Mark which means training has just taken another huge step up. Part of this step up will not only being increasing weekly mileage but sitting in a sauna once a day for the next month. Sauna training will go as follows. I will start out sitting in the sauna for 30 minutes for the first week and every week following add 15 minutes to that time. This way by the time I am ready to leave for Florida I will be up to an hour and 15 minutes.
Anyway, back to the shoes! So I anxiously sat through Organic Chemistry thinking about what type of polymer or molecule my shoes might be made out of. Then I went...ok no...I definetly was not thinking of what molecule my shoes were made out of, probably something more simple like "I wonder if the laces are neon green?" So I left ochem, ran a quick 5k in McComas, snagged pizza from West End, went to Plant Taxonomy, hurried home and looked on the porch, no shoes yet. Well off to work and back and there they were, 3 pairs of yellow Go-Lites. I immediately put them on, nervous about my knees hurting again.
The first sauna session today was a little tough. Rightly so though after reading that saunas average between about 150-200 degrees. The hardest part is the lack of things to do, you can't take in electronics, too hot. You can't read, your sweat would drench your book. I guess i'll just have to get creative with it, maybe I can find some of my old batman action figures to play with. Oh, and I figured out one thing, if you want to be in the sauna by yourself, take an extra pair of underwear with you and leave them outside the door on the ground.
Following the 30 minute sweat, I headed to McComas to finish up the day with a 1 hour/8 mile run AND . . the shoes felt great. I felt like a brand new man.
Total on the Day -
Sauna - 30 minutes , 40 oz of water
Distance - 11.1 miles
Time - 1 hour and 25 minutes
Calories ~ 1,350
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A quick punch . .
After starting out the day with two Debbie Downer exams it was definetly time to turn the attitude around. Running straight out of my last test I hustled to McComas and decided this was gonna be a Wally Haywood type day.
For those unfamiliar, Wally Haywood is an ultra distance running legend. He holds the world record for the 100 mile on a track, in 12 hours and 47 minutes. Well last night I did some calculations, this means he ran approximately 7.9 miles/hour for 100 miles! Wow. So then I figured out what it would take to run the first sub 12 hour 100 mile run. 8.4 miles/hour for 100 miles or in other terms covering 10 miles every 72 minutes.
I ran up to the gym all excited about checking out what this pace would feel like and the treadmills were full, that just means I got a good stretch in today though. So I hopped on the first free mill and took off, 8.5 mph, wow and it took me a minute or two to even get my stride in pace with the treadmill which maxes out at 10 mph. The first mile was horrible, stride constantly changing, and I felt like I was sprinting. Then the groove hit...and I was fine. I could pinpoint the one moment when I said, "I could get used to this." Well no headphones today but the pace and my endorphins kept me entertained for at least 30 minutes. I asked a girl what her favorite workout song is, she wanted nothing to do with my question. Maybe she thought I was hitting on her, in the gym, as I was running 8.5 mph?? Who knows. Well up came 60 minutes and there I was sitting at 8.5 and I decided I wanted to finish in under 70 so I slowly moved the speed up to 10 where I maxed out and finished in 69 minutes and 40 seconds. Success.
Now, do it for 100 miles.....
Total on the day -
Miles = 10.0
Calories = 1550
Time = 69 mins 47 seconds
For those unfamiliar, Wally Haywood is an ultra distance running legend. He holds the world record for the 100 mile on a track, in 12 hours and 47 minutes. Well last night I did some calculations, this means he ran approximately 7.9 miles/hour for 100 miles! Wow. So then I figured out what it would take to run the first sub 12 hour 100 mile run. 8.4 miles/hour for 100 miles or in other terms covering 10 miles every 72 minutes.
I ran up to the gym all excited about checking out what this pace would feel like and the treadmills were full, that just means I got a good stretch in today though. So I hopped on the first free mill and took off, 8.5 mph, wow and it took me a minute or two to even get my stride in pace with the treadmill which maxes out at 10 mph. The first mile was horrible, stride constantly changing, and I felt like I was sprinting. Then the groove hit...and I was fine. I could pinpoint the one moment when I said, "I could get used to this." Well no headphones today but the pace and my endorphins kept me entertained for at least 30 minutes. I asked a girl what her favorite workout song is, she wanted nothing to do with my question. Maybe she thought I was hitting on her, in the gym, as I was running 8.5 mph?? Who knows. Well up came 60 minutes and there I was sitting at 8.5 and I decided I wanted to finish in under 70 so I slowly moved the speed up to 10 where I maxed out and finished in 69 minutes and 40 seconds. Success.
Now, do it for 100 miles.....
Total on the day -
Miles = 10.0
Calories = 1550
Time = 69 mins 47 seconds
Monday, April 6, 2009
Ants Marching . .
After taking it easy over the weekend and getting out to do some biking and canoeing, it was time for another large run. This one I want to dedicate to my friend Vinnie Thomas for a good talk we had Friday, thanks again bro for the motivation, inspiration, and support. I got myself super psyched throughout the work day and went straight to McComas after work. Shooting for 40 miles as a goal I got on the treadmill at about 6:20, McComas closes at midnight so this would be pushing it.
Mentally, it is very straining to think about running for 5 and a half hours straight. Knowing from past experiences that this thought would probably overtake me at some point during the run I decided to try to split the run up into hour segments. At this point in the game, running for an hour is typically no big deal. A big deal is running the treadmill to 99:59 minutes and then seeing it reset to 00:00 and saying.."ok, now lets do that one more time."
Well I set the treadmill on about 7 mph and started up. The first hour flew by and I looked down and was at 64:50, and just pushing 8 miles. I ate a Clif Bar, and started the second hour. Towards the 40 minute mark of this hour I started playing the time game in my head. 20 minutes left, 19 minutes left, 18 minutes left. Then the music changed pace completely and Dave Matthews - Ants Marching completely saved me and keeping it on repeat 4 or 5 times got me through this hour. Another bathroom break. Another Clif Bar. Hour 3 was difficult but easier than the 2nd hour because I knew I was passing the halfway point of the run. Having committed to running 32 /24 miles around the drillfield on April 16th I forced myself to finish this hour because that would be 24 miles total nonstop running. I walked the next 2 miles to complete a full marathon.
It was getting to be about 10:30 and the gym was beginning to clear out as well as the wierd looks I kept getting for being half fatigued. I decided to pull off a run walk combo for the next hour and a half and completed a total 8.2 miles in that time.
I had been to the doctor earlier in the day to get antibiotics for a sinus infection I've had for the last 2 weeks and they weighed me in at 163.2 so on the way out of the gym as a little experiment I thought I would weigh in again to see what type of weight I was loosing on these big runs. 157.5 . . . . holy smokes, 6 pounds?? Granted I was dehydrated and most of that was water weight, this explains why multiple people saw me sitting in D2 the next day with 8 plates and 3 bowls of food stacked up around me gorging myself from 5-7.
Total on the day
Miles = 34.2
Time = 5 hours 40 minutes
Cals = ???
Weight = 6 pounds
Mentally, it is very straining to think about running for 5 and a half hours straight. Knowing from past experiences that this thought would probably overtake me at some point during the run I decided to try to split the run up into hour segments. At this point in the game, running for an hour is typically no big deal. A big deal is running the treadmill to 99:59 minutes and then seeing it reset to 00:00 and saying.."ok, now lets do that one more time."
Well I set the treadmill on about 7 mph and started up. The first hour flew by and I looked down and was at 64:50, and just pushing 8 miles. I ate a Clif Bar, and started the second hour. Towards the 40 minute mark of this hour I started playing the time game in my head. 20 minutes left, 19 minutes left, 18 minutes left. Then the music changed pace completely and Dave Matthews - Ants Marching completely saved me and keeping it on repeat 4 or 5 times got me through this hour. Another bathroom break. Another Clif Bar. Hour 3 was difficult but easier than the 2nd hour because I knew I was passing the halfway point of the run. Having committed to running 32 /24 miles around the drillfield on April 16th I forced myself to finish this hour because that would be 24 miles total nonstop running. I walked the next 2 miles to complete a full marathon.
It was getting to be about 10:30 and the gym was beginning to clear out as well as the wierd looks I kept getting for being half fatigued. I decided to pull off a run walk combo for the next hour and a half and completed a total 8.2 miles in that time.
I had been to the doctor earlier in the day to get antibiotics for a sinus infection I've had for the last 2 weeks and they weighed me in at 163.2 so on the way out of the gym as a little experiment I thought I would weigh in again to see what type of weight I was loosing on these big runs. 157.5 . . . . holy smokes, 6 pounds?? Granted I was dehydrated and most of that was water weight, this explains why multiple people saw me sitting in D2 the next day with 8 plates and 3 bowls of food stacked up around me gorging myself from 5-7.
Total on the day
Miles = 34.2
Time = 5 hours 40 minutes
Cals = ???
Weight = 6 pounds
Thursday, April 2, 2009
If only wheat penne tasted like strawberry banana smoothies. . . .
So with some external motivation this morning I got up super early and ran over to the gym by 8:00 AM. Needless to say, McComas is like an empty department store at 8 AM. Luckily there were a few construction workers and 1 or 2 people on the treadmills to help somewhat. I didn't really go to the gym with a set goal today and was just going to sort of wing it.
Ends up winging it turned into 2 full hours of running without one stop, an accomplishment for me on the treadmill. I think it is the longest I have ever gone without stopping at least to walk for a minute. The song Switchfoot - Meant To Live got me through about the last 20 minutes real strong. Although they strongly recommend not using mp3 players in the Keys race, I think it will be necessary.
Directly after running I felt like it would be good to get used to eating and then try to run again so I went to West End, and ordered 2 smoothies, half basket of fries and some wheat penne with alfredo sauce. The smoothies went down real easy, the fries were a little harder to eat, but the wheat penne was just unbearable. I felt like I was chewing on stones I was eating so slow. Some of this had to do with the taste of the sauce being quite undesirable but it is also just HARD to eat right after you run. Well it took me about an hour to come anywhere close to finishing it and I started the run home. Pains and cramps everywhere, and by the time I finally got the 1 mile home, things started to buff out. It was probably one of the hardest time I've ever had running in my life.
Total on the day
Miles = 16.2
Calories = 2,200
Time = 3 hours and 45 minutes with meal time included
Ends up winging it turned into 2 full hours of running without one stop, an accomplishment for me on the treadmill. I think it is the longest I have ever gone without stopping at least to walk for a minute. The song Switchfoot - Meant To Live got me through about the last 20 minutes real strong. Although they strongly recommend not using mp3 players in the Keys race, I think it will be necessary.
Directly after running I felt like it would be good to get used to eating and then try to run again so I went to West End, and ordered 2 smoothies, half basket of fries and some wheat penne with alfredo sauce. The smoothies went down real easy, the fries were a little harder to eat, but the wheat penne was just unbearable. I felt like I was chewing on stones I was eating so slow. Some of this had to do with the taste of the sauce being quite undesirable but it is also just HARD to eat right after you run. Well it took me about an hour to come anywhere close to finishing it and I started the run home. Pains and cramps everywhere, and by the time I finally got the 1 mile home, things started to buff out. It was probably one of the hardest time I've ever had running in my life.
Total on the day
Miles = 16.2
Calories = 2,200
Time = 3 hours and 45 minutes with meal time included
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