Saturday, December 29, 2007

the last 2

friday nite:

2.25 miles/18:46/8:20 pace

treadmill, weights


saturday am:

2 miles/17:22/8:41 pace
outside with some hills

3 minute rest

1x400 - 1:49
recovery
1x400 - 1:52
recovery

cool down

Thursday, December 27, 2007

"It is true that speed kills. In distance running, it kills anyone who doesn't have it."
-brooks johnson

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

wednesday

went to the gym after a sloooow day at the office

3.15 miles/28:15/8:57 pace

felt good.

weights

I am thinking of signing up for ING Half Marathon in Atlanta late march. stay tuned..

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

christmas morning

gray skies, about 45 degrees. no wind. my goal was to run 4 miles at about 9 min/mile pace...but i had a faster pace and didn't want to slow down. so, i cut the run short and went faster.

2.5 miles/20:10/8:04 pace

walked a little bit afterwards through quiet streets. no place else i would have rather been!

came back home and ate some breakfast. a swell morning.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

2 miles/8:30 pace
outside

followed by:

5 sprints up a short, steep hill
13-15 seconds per sprint.
felt awesome!

saturday

28:10 - 3.1 miles/9:05 pace
treadmill
hr = 156

weights

Thursday, December 20, 2007

the days have felt quite long and today i was weary. however, at one point i just had a laughing spell at work...just because i was sooo tired. tired from just everything...as i am sure lots of people are right about now. the year is quickly coming to an end and it's crunch time in lots of places. i felt "out of it" most of the day today...i feel like so many of my hours are spent at work or on work that i feel in some weird kind of daze. i'm not complaning, just commenting and noticing more for myself than anything else.
before leaving the office today, i was pretty certain i would NOT go to the gym. however, when i left and got into my vehicle...i drove in the direction of the club, so there i was. i was on the treadmill listening to ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" (those 2 guys are funny!!) and soon enough, i was all wrapped up in my workout. And I was so HAPPY. And as I continued to run and then lift some weights, I realized part of myh happy feelings came from feeling like something was back in order...something was back on track..if even for just a little bit. My workout is a place just for me...away from work, people, all the current craziness of the holidays...away from everything except my own heartbeat, my own sweat and my own level of exertion and satisfaction. i'm so gratfeul.

no warmup
3 mile run/27:10/9:03 pace

weights

6am

wednesday

1/4 mile warmup
2 miles/17:10/8:35 pace
1/4 mile cool down

fast, for me - especially since it was right out of bed, no food, couple sips of coffee...burning the fat, baby!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Saturday

run
3k/16:00 minutes/8:35 pace
-outside, cold, hilly...fun!

Sunday

run
1/4 mile warmup
2.25 miles; 8:49 pace
1/4 mile cool down

bike
16:30
6 miles

Sunday, December 16, 2007

JFK 50 Mile PHOTOS!!

This was on a downhill portion of the Applachian Trail. Downhill! Notice how I am smiling!!




This was on the towpath, next to the Potomac River. I still had my trail shoes on so it was somewhere between 15-26 miles approximately.

Friday, December 14, 2007

another 6AMer

(from thursday)

1/4 mile warmup
2 miles/17:10/8:35 pace/mile
1/4 mile cool down

weights

--feeling good....

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

6am workout

woke at 5:30am and decided it was a good idea to head to the gym. long days this week and any time i can find to get a workout in has got to be taken advantage of!

1/4 mile warmup
2.25 miles /19:32 / 8:41 pace
1/4 mile cool down

weights

as i was getting dressed in the locker room and about to head on in to the office, i realized i forgot my bra and my blazer. oops! not too happy i had to drive back home to get those items. oh well, at least i got a quick workout in!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

from sunday

3.25 km (2.01 miles)
16:44 minutes (8:17 min/mile pace)


followed by

sprints up a short, steep grassy hill at park

5 sprints = 2 minutes
1 minute recovery
5 sprints = 2 minutes



A good little workout. Short, more intensity.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

"There is no finish line"
-Nike advertising slogan

Incredible weather here in Atlanta. high 60's-low 70's

BIKE - outside, hilly
33:34 minutes
7.75 miles

Friday, December 7, 2007

"one morning in boston, it was snowing so hard that i didn't think anybody would be going training, but i went down to the track anyway. billy smith was there, though. he opened the door and said, "the road to mexico is out there."
-David Hemery - won 400 meter hurdles in Mexico City 1968

this is absolutely one of my all time favorite quotes. it says so much...about both athlete and coach. it always gets me fired up!

TREADMILL
.25 mile warm-up
2.30 mile run - 20 min/8:41 pace
.25 mile cool down

BIKE
6 miles
16 minutes

Enjoyed a smoothie afterwards. great way to end a hectic friday. looks to be superb weather this weekend. hope to get out on my bike!

Monday, December 3, 2007

feeling better

"why should i practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. i want to learn to run fast."
-Emil Zatopek

.25 mile warmup
2.2 miles in 19 minutes/pace 8:38
.25 mile cool down

weights-upper body

Sunday, December 2, 2007

a vent

Not much has been going on with exercising. The past week, I did 3 very short runs; 2 outside and 1 on treadmill. It felt good to move my body and then afterwards, it didn’t feel so good. I felt like I labored way too much each time. Clearly, my body it trying to tell me something. I just don’t like what it is saying. I have had a ton going on these past 2-3 weeks. Here is a short re-cap: stressed out about making my first ever offer on a house (did not go through..for the better) flew to Baltimore and ran 34.4 freaking miles, got sick with food poisoning afterwards for 3 days (made worse by my vulnerable, comprised body); on the last day of being sick, hopped on a plane to LAS VEGAS for “thanksgiving/vacation”, spent 3.5 days having a blast gambling and such, but all in smoky environments. came back home and started my new position at work and have been working a ton.

When I look at this schedule, it makes sense my body would be tired and giving me signals. Sometimes, travel alone can do that to one’s body. Mixed in with all of it is being in contact or around so many people and you never know what happens in situations as such. BUT, I FREAKING HATE NOT FEELING 100%.
I HATE IT.
On my way outside today and over to a coffeeshop, i saw how quiet the Sunday streets were and the perfect running temperatures. I just wanted to run...

OK! Enough of all that. I’m gonna be using some of this “down” time to think and do some research on how I can improve my speed...especially leg stride/turnover. I already found a good source last night while checking out a book at Borders. I’m also checking out 2008 race schedules and looking to see what I want to do, especially during the first quarter of 2008.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Final thoughts and a bit more...

Trinity, BP & I went to Outback Steakouse for dinner. As you can imagined, I was FAMISHED. We are were...especially after waiting about 75 minutes for a table. Sheesh. But, when the food came, man was it ever good!! It was about the best meal i have ever had. We soon returned to our hotel rooms and as I lay in bed, I had numerous thoughts of the day and what I could do differently next time. My mind automatically went to “how can I improve?” “what can i do better?” Even though i was and still am disappointment, I did not wallow in any of that...i was already looking ahead. And I now know I can finish the 50 mile race. I’ve seen it. I’ve been there. I have the experience. I just need to tweak a few things in my training and I know I will be set.
Sure, I am proud of what I was able to accomplish on November 17th. But, I am far from satisfied. I will be back on that trail or some other 50 miler. The best is yet to come.
I gotta give more shout outs to trinity and bp. They were rock supporters and crew. I am a very self-sufficient and independent woman, however, I cannot imagine doing a race like this without some support. Seeing them at the aid stations helped get me as far as I did. THANKS!!!!!

We ate at BWI airport prior to take-off back to Atlanta. I had fish and chips & i believe that was the culprit to some food poisoning I experienced later that night when I returned home and extended the next 2 days. ICK! NOT FUN!
My quads were so extremely sore and I was barely able to make it to the bathroom so I could vomit. UUGGHH. Anyways, that knocked me out for 2-3 days. It was even worse because I couldn’t stretch or move my body. I couldn’t try to work out any soreness because I was sleeping so much. It was not pleasant.

Ok. Now on to better things. I recovered and Trinity, BP, and I hopped on our planned flight to Vegas over the Thanksgiving Holiday. We spent 3 nights and 3.5 days in the desert city. It was a fun-filled trip...in fact, the most fun I have ever had in Vegas and I didn’t even win! We gambled a lot, laughed a lot, ate and just took it all in. It was so needed for me. A great break from work and a major “treat” after the race. I found myself just dancing at random times and being silly and goofy and I needed it. My oh-so-serious self took a break!!

I’m still not feeling 100% physically and that was evidenced by last night. I went to the gym and ran a measely 2+ miles on treadmill. I could feel myself laboring even for that short mileage. This was my first time running since the race (except for the 1 mile I ran to my hotel in Vegas because I didn’t want to take a taxi)

My promotion at worked has now kicked in so my work days will be longer. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to making time for some workouts, some cross-training and some longer runs on the weekends. Maybe even take a class or 2 at the gym.

What’s next, friends? What’s next?

Cheers!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

JFK 50 Mile report: part 3

The next mile marker/aid station was around 27 miles. It seemed and felt like a long haul between the 15.5 marker and this next one. I passed some folks, some folks passed me, walking, running, shuffling..most people were very nice, offering "hellos" or encouraging words or other comments like, "what ARE we doing out here"

Other than my quads which were tired as hell, I felt great. No stomach issues, no feet problems and aerobically, I felt strong. It was surreal to be on the path for so long...the colors of the leaves kept changing...one section would be bright red, then next, a section of bright orange and green...I kept powering along as much as i could while chugging down another gel and snacks at an in beetween aid station. I knew there were time cut-offs for the mile markers, but I didn't recall what they were exactly.

As I pulled into 27 mile aid station, I took off my long bottoms and grabbed some grub. I told BP and Trinity I wasn't sure I would make it pass the next marker at approx 38 miles. They were encouraging and supportive and I gave them hugs and headed on out.



The next few miles did me in. My legs were tiring more and more. I was only running about 5 minutes and walking 3 minutes, etc...At a low point, SCOTT, flew by...he was smokin'. We exchanged hellos and he was gone. How the heck was he running so fast? My mind kept changing from thoughts of, "i should stop at 38" to "no way...i'll be so close, i will finish"
Basically these were my only thoughts for the next 7 miles when an inpromptu decision was made for me. There was an aid station at 34.4 miles and the race official said I could not go on. I had missed the time cut-off by 15 minutes. I was so shocked because I thought the next cut-off was at 38 miles. (there was one at 38, but this was also one I had somehow misread)
There were people right behind me who had to stop as well and like me, they had been surpised.

After my initial shock, I was really disappointed because I wanted to make it to 38, at least. That is where BP and Trinity were waiting for me. I knew the possibility of finishing 50 was becoming unlikely, but to have someone tell you that you have to stop is even more deflating. I understand why the cut-offs are necessary, but my feelings are the same. On a race of this sort, I WANT to be able to call it a day. Not a clock or a human. I want to be able to decide my body and mind are done. I didn't get that chance.

More runners came in to the aid station and we waited in the growing cold for a van to take us to the mile 38 or the finish line. As I looked at the faces of my comrades, I could see they were disappointed also for not getting the chance to make their own choice as to when to stop or even finish. Our day was done.

The van came and about 15 of us piled in. I got off at the next aid station and met up with BP and Trinity.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

JFK 50 Mile report: part 2

The gun went off and some clapping from the crowd accompanied hoots and hollers from us
runners. The adventure had finally begun!! We made a climb of nearly 3 miles on paved
road. To my left was a sea of orange and red leaved trees in the distance. I
felt a sense of peace and excitement; a welcome change from the previous days' anxiety. The
climb was steep with a majority of us walking most of the climb. Wow.
What a way to start a 50 miler. No joke of a climb. Finally, the
applachian trail. First time for me. Gorgeous, but very demanding of mental
energy. I kept my eyes on my feet most of the first 9.3 miles until the first
aid station. Rocky at some sections and then leaf covered and deceptively
tricky in other parts. I was quite glad at this point that it was not
raining!! With excitement, I finished the first section and met Trinity and BP and 9.3 mile mark.
They were my troppers all day. I grabbed a few bites of a clif bar, more water and headed off to
next section. Trinity came with me on this section and I was happy to
have her there and to share more of this experience with her!
9.3 to 15.5 miles were more of the same trail/terrain. Some parts not even runnable
due to the heavy rocky terrain, but I still tried to pass as many people
as possible. It was a tricky and wild descent
off the trail and down to the next aid station.
I was definitely ready to get off trail and onto towpath.
I made the mistake of not changing shoes at 15.5 mark. I didn't
realize we were gonna go right to the towpath. At aid station, I had Trinity
strecth my left hamstring as it felt sooo tight. I stayed at rest stop more
than I wanted. I ate a banana, fractional pbj and got more water. Grabbed small
handful of pretzels and headed on. Again, BP and Trinity were awesome as my crew/handlers.
I was stunned by the C & O Canal Towpath. All I could see straight ahead
was the flat path completely covered
with various colored leaves. On the left, was the Potamac River. There was such a peacefulness out there...
A beautiful quiet...

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

JFK 50 Mile report: part 1




It all starts with what you bring to a race. Here are a couple of pictures taken by Trinity (T2) the night before we left for Maryland. All my gels, bars, and clothing. Shoes: for trail portion: ADIDAS Response Trail and for Non-Trail portion: ASICS 2120



T2 and I left our hotel in the saturday morning darkness so we could arrive at Boonsboro High School Gymnasium by 6:20am for a pre-race meeting. We arrived and went into the gym. I was so freaking happy to be there, I can't even tell you. There I was, surrounded by about 1400 other really crazy people. Everyone was pretty bundled up as it was below 30 degrees outside. People were sitting, standing, stretching...and then the race director greeted us and gave us some info and details about the course. I loved the quiet, the seriousness of the crowd. Not to belittle any other distance, but hey, this wasn't some 5k or 10k crowd out there. I looked around and just felt happy. Happy to finally get to race day. I had been very anxious the past 2 days and it was great to finally get to the big event and go!!

We exited the gym and had to walk .6 of a mile to starting line. Here is a photo of me: all smiles.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Falling Short

JFK 50 Mile Race:

With disappointment, I report I did not finish the race.

I completed 34.4 miles in 8 hours, 15 minutes.

Much more later...

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Last Post before JFK 50 Miler

"Seeing a great performance, whether by a human, or another animal, still inspires me to no end. I'm moved by others' dreams and by their devotion and courage in the pursuit of excellence. I get choked up when I see a kid, or anyone else, fighting hopeless odds - someone who goes out there to run the lonely roads with a dream in the heart, a gleam in the eye, and a goal in mind. I admire those who have the courage to step up to the line of a great race to run their heart out for a dream. "

-Bernd Heinrich in "Why We Run - A Natural History

There are so many things I could comment on or reflect on, but at this point, I'm only reminded of words written by the late George Sheehan. Some of you may have seen these words written before...but they are the words that have sunk into my skull and my soul...

"the long distance race is a struggle that results in self-discovery. it is an adventure into the limits of the self, representing for runners what has been called the moral equivalent of war - a theater for heroism, where the runner can do deeds of daring and greatness.....an opportunity to be your own hero."

CHEERS!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 3.33 miles treadmill

Followed by hot tub and a strawberry-banana smoothie. Then went to REI and bought 3 clif bars, 2 power gels, 2 gus, and 1 clif shot blok. Also picked up another pair of awesome socks.

ok..also bought another pullover Columbia Fleece (i already have 2) I just love 'em. They are actually men's size small. I bought a burnt orange color. Perfect in time for the upcoming BROWNS vs RAVENS game we are going to on Sunday after race day.

getting ready, getting ready....

Sunday, November 11, 2007

the weekend

Saturday: 3 miles, 28:05 - outside
Sunday: 3 miles, 28:34 - outside

Both days I wanted to run longer, but I was not feeling well physically. I think a combination of (lots of) stress and fatigue. Felt better today than yesterday, but still not 100%. Felt good to rest. I have a full plate right now and really need to do a lot of very basic things: EAT ENOUGH! SLEEP! TRY TO RELAX!

I'm not worried about JFK. I am really looking forward to it...to the adventure, to the challenge and to the opportunity to get away and do something I love: run a race! It will be so neat to just get there, get all the info and BIB # and meet people. And then, it will be awesome to get to the starting line. Regardless of anything else, it is awesome just to be able to be a part of it all.

I've got 2 buddies coming along for support and I'll be happy to have them there. T2 will come out and run either once or twice with me and we'll have to figure out where. I'm sure no matter where it is along the 50 miles, I will be pretty damn happy when I see her.

Cheers to all and have a good week.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Time: 29:17
Distance: 3.25 miles, treadmill

"the pleasure and pain is only yours. it's personal."

-cut out from a magazine & on a collage i made
I go online, look at my blog, check the "countdown clock" and see the race is in 8 days.....


YIKES!! WHO-HOO!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

a fellow race report:

Christian's race report on his attempt to do the Mt Masochist 50M MMTR

Monday, November 5, 2007

Time: 42:10
Distance: 4.5 miles - treadmill

I took a vacation day from work today and although it was gorgeous outside, I elected to go to gym because I didn't want any more hills! A good run and legs felt pretty good after 1/2 mile or so..

Got a much needed massage and enjoyed every second of it!

During the JFK Race weekend, I will be going to see (my team) Cleveland Browns play Baltimore!! I'm sooo excited. This is the best season( thus far) Cleveland has had in years. I have been a fan forever and it's been a long time since browns fans had anything to get excited about. They just finished a nail-biter on Sunday in OT vs Seahawks. GO BROWNS!!!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Time: 3:45
Distance: 21:50 miles - all over the city!

When I began the run, my thoughts were heavy with the news of Ryan Shay, who died yesterday while pursuing his Olympic Dream. The news shook me up much more than I would think it would. People die every day. People I don't know die all the time. Why the heaviness with this? I'm still not sure, but I guess it is just because of the enormity of the event this young man was participating in....the U.S. Men's Olympic Trials. Unbelievable. Apparently, he had a heart condition...that decided to take him from earth on the day he was going to burn through the streets of NY toward a dream.
As I made my way from my house and into the early miles through the PONCE DE LEON corridor, I thought of him and his family and just how enormously shocked and saddened they must be....
My thoughts started to shift as I passed through the OAKHURST & KIRKWOOD nieghborhoods; the mid 50's temperature felt perfect and I was focused. I sucked down a power gel and soon made my way back to my house for a pit stop to re-fuel on water, grab a bit of gatorade & change shirts. It was my own little aid station at mile 9. I ditched my iPod & headed back out through VIRGINIA-HIGHLANDS, a bit of MIDTOWN and into DOWNTOWN. Passed though GA STATE campus, CNN CENTER. There were lots of folks out around there cause of the FALCON-49ER game about to start. Ingested a GU, some RED LICORICE along through rest of downtown & by GA TECH campus. About this time, my left outer upper thigh area started hurting. This typically happens on long runs that are not on a trail. At this point, I could not wait to get my butt over to PIEDMONT PARK and do a few laps around a "track" that is all crushed rock. After 1-2 miles at the park, I went in the direction of my house. I was between mile 20-21, when I saw a car gently honk and someone wave at me from inside. It was a colleague from work who I really dig. He is a cyclist, mostly, and has done several 100 mile rides for juvenile diabetes. (I will definitely hope to train with him when I go for my goal of a 100 mile ride sometime next year.)
As I was zig-zagging my way though my hilly neighborhood, I decided to call it at 21 and 1/2 miles.
Overall, a very solid run and I'm pleased with it. However, I do wish i had one more weekend to go longer.

This afternoon, I was able to watch some coverage of the NYC Marathon and watch PAULA RADCLIFFE!! She is amazing. She pulled away in the last 1/2 mile or so and finished so freaking strong. It was inspiring and it made my eyes tear....to see an athlete, a female athlete, pushing and being so determined....how amazing it must be to be the front runner, especially at the NYC Marathon. She has never come in 2nd in ANY MARATHON SHE HAS RUN. UNBELIEVABLE.

I really noticed today how running for hours is so very calming to me. I feel like my head is so busy much of the time and being out there with myself for a long time brings some peace and quiet.

Cheers to all. Be well, friends

Saturday, November 3, 2007

On one of the most exciting days for the men's running Olympic hopefuls, there was also an incredible trajedy.
You can read about both here: men's trials

Obviously, I didn't know R. Shay, but I have followed his racing some and actually thought of him as a big longshot to do well in the race. Incredibly sad. 28 years old.

I feel pretty deflated even mentioning my training, but here it is:

Friday: 2 miles -- hills around neighborhood - just to loosen up
Saturday: 5 miles, 57:29 @ Sweetwater
I did the Yellow Trail twice as it has the most climbing and I wanted to get in as much as I could since the start of JFK 50 will be climbing. A good, solid run, with very steep ascents and descents.
Tomorrow will be long.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Wednesday

Time: 46:03
Distance: 5 miles, outside

"Run hard, be strong, think big"
-Percy Cerutty

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

ASICS

What a company!!

In 1998, as I was just beginning to take this running thing seriously, I found out about the PEACHTREE ROAD RACE. I got a prized number even though I lived in CALIFORNIA at the time. On a whim, I mailed a letter to ASICS, explaining a little about me and my drive for running and that i was ABOUT TO RUN IN THE LARGEST 10K IN THE COUNTRY.
They wrote me back and said all I had to do was call a phone number with my name and shoe size and i'd get a free pair of shoes.

WAY COOL!!!!!!!

Fast forward to 2005 and I am training for the SF MARATHON and running in honor of my mom and raising money. Again, i mailed ASICS another in depth letter asking for any kind of donation. They sent me a very nice letter back along with a gift certificate for NEW SHOES AND NEW SHORTS at any place that sold their products!!

Double fast forward to current time: I mailed them a letter a month or so ago and explained that 2 times in the past they have been gracious enough to support me and how I'd be so honored if they would again as I attempt my FIRST ULTRAMARATHON -- THE JFK 50 MILER

I got home today, not feeling all that great physically, and went to my mailbox thinking I could hear back from them at any time. AND THERE IT WAS...a SIMPLE ENVELOPE AND NOTE from my contact at ASICS: I HAVE A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR A NEW PAIR OF SHOES. I have to redeem it by sending it back to the company.

IS THIS GREAT OR WHAT?? I will have you know that in my closest and other floor space, i have 13 pairs of ASICS. 2 of which were given to me by the company and the rest, I have purchased.

I am grateful and PSYCHED. They have come though once again. AMAZING.

Sometime, you just have to tell your story...and ask!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Time: ? but faster than usual
Distance: approx 3.2 miles, outside

Ran a faster than usual 3+ miles with buddy DC today on a spectacular fall day. Monday's are usually an off day, but it actually felt really good to push the pace and feel my lungs stretch. know what i mean?

18 days til blast off............

Sunday, October 28, 2007

"All pressure is self-inflicted. It's what you make of it or how you let it rub off on you."
Sebastian Coe

Time: 1:57:54
Distance: 12 Miles, outside

2 good runs this weekend. I guess more to the point was I felt strong on both days and I was surprised. Both saturday and sunday, when I woke, I felt tired still and not too motivated at all. And then shortly into the runs, I felt really good and my pace was good. Maybe some of my feelings are related to the distances being shorter...but I just felt refreshed in a sense. The temperatures were just about 50 degrees at the start both days. I definitely was having fun out there. On the route today, I deliberately went into an area that I had not been in a while and new I could see some changes in construction etc..
I saw a corner that had been re-vamped as a little sitting area with a bench and some new grass. On the wall nearby, there was some graffiti. The words were: HUG LIFE

I LOVE IT!

Soon, my feet with touch down on the trails of Maryland.

"I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me."
Wilma Rudolph"

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Time: 57:45
Distance: 6 mile, outside - brookhaven neighborhood, small hills

9:27, 9:31, 9:50, 9:59, 9:44, 9:05

Awesome run. Didn't quite start out that way, but soon after I felt pretty good. Beautiful area to run in...wide streets, lots of trees, people walking, running, cycling...

Had fun and felt strong. Nice Feelings to have!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Thursday

Time: 43:00
Distance: 4.5 miles, treadmill w/ various intermittent inclines

Weights, hot tub

“Work as though you would live forever, and live as though you would die today. Go another mile!"

-Og Mandino

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

"Spirit...has fifty times the strength and staying power of brawn & muscle."
-Unknown

Tim: 26:41
Distance: 3 miles, treadmill

weights, hot tub, smoothie...

Tonite: will sit back and root for the sure bet UNDERDOGS: Colorado Rockies!

Today's Inspiration

check it out:
Scott Rigsby

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Running, Running, Running

LATE MORNING: I know what got me out the door, but I have no idea how I didn't stop after about 500 yds. My legs were so freakin' heavy. WOW.

Time: 45:45
Distance: 4.7 miles, outside


LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING:

Time: 47 minutes
Distance: 5 miles, treadmill

As oppossed to the "runners high", I have been in a "runners trance" this weekend. It's been a trip, really. I think today's runs were more satisfying than yesterday's....simply because I ran on some tired legs and felt pretty decent after I got going. In fact, tonight at the gym, I was just in some kind of zone. Yesterday was painful, as I would expect it to be.

Nevertheless, I am nervous about JFK race. Is is really a race? or an Adventure?

I have no idea...I have no idea.

To a non-runner or even someone who runs occassionally, i think the thought is, "you must really love running.."
you know...I don't know if i would say exactly those words. What I love is the challenge I am presented with each and every time I put on my shoes and get out the door. That's the love. That's the juice.

Saturday: road, trail, road....treadmill

Morning:
Time: 3 hours, 11 minutes
Distance: 16.62 miles

Went out to Stone Mountain again. Gorgeous morning.
1-7 road miles
7-13 trail miles
14-16.62 road miles

For the transitions, I changed shoes and used my car as my own little "aid station", replenshing on water, powergels, mini-peanut butter sandwiches, banana. I started chafing on one leg in the later miles...not fun!

Late Afternoon:
Time: 33:11
Distance: 3.50 miles, treadmill

Hot Tub afterwards. AAAHHHHH

Thursday, October 18, 2007

So often I have tried to write about what running means to me. And I have felt my words cannot quite capture what it is that I FEEL inside. So often when people ask me why I run, I try to give an answer...and many times I feel i was not accurate in my answer..that i have somehow fallen short.

I guess it was about in 2000 when i started reading George Sheehan's writings. He was a runner, doctor, writer, philsopher, etc..
His books, namely, PERSONAL BEST, became and remains my "bible." He was able to so very eloquently put into words what I struggle to do and I am so grateful.

Here is a short except on his words on "a runners high":

"my days run becomes my retreat..my mind is free to disassociate, to wander on its own. One some days, this brings on another type of high - a creative one. My mind is a cascade of thoughts. The sights and sounds, the touches and tastes, the pains and pleasures of my entire life become available to me. I am able to read a journal i never knew i'd kept."


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

Treated my body to a much needed massage tonite. We are body, mind and spirit.

Balance.
Time: 33:45
Distance: 3.27, trail

Went to a place called Yellow River to run yesterday. A bit out of the way, butI had an appointment out that direction, so it made sense. It was good to get on a trail mid-week. So refreshing! Hardly anyone out there. More of a mountain biking place, but I only saw 2 riders. Weekends are packed though.
Came across some deer. Actually, almost ran right into one! When they move, run?, trot?....the movement is delicate and graceful.

Legs were heavy. Looking to get a massage tonite. The air felt good on my face.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Time: 27:39
Distance: 3 miles, outside rolling hills

Ran after work in the beautiful Brookhaven neighborhood. Basically did a large loop on the outskirts of a golf course. I was feeling kinda down beforehand, and of course, my spirits were lifted afterwards. Temps in the 70's.

Afterwards, went across the street to The Big Peach and picked up the shoes I checked out on Saturday, ASICS 2120. Nice! Can't wait to wear 'em tomorrow. Maybe they will give me some extra speed....

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Time: 3:01:38
Distance: 17.34 miles

All throught the streets of atlanta today. Felt pretty good except for last 2 miles were a bit tough. Walked another mile and a half home. Awesome weather this weekend. Mid 40's at the start of the runs and clear/sunny. Yesterday afternoon, i stopped in a local running store called THE BIG PEACH. I went in to check out what new ASICS were in and what new apparel. I bumped into the owner who I have gotten to know some since his store opened a few years ago. He is a ultrarunner and excited to hear about my upcoming quest. Just talking with him gave me a nice boost and some comraderie. It was good to talk with someone who has been there....I didn't get any shoes, but I might. I gotta check out another place and see if the colors are any different..... :)

I didn't wear my iPod today, but I had it one yesterday. I had it on shuffle and 2 of the songs that came on were recent downloads.. 1) Let's Go Crazy and 2) Baby, I'm a Star, both by Prince. I tell you what, those songs completely GET ME GOING! Not only do i want to run faster, i also want to sing out loud and DANCE!! FUN MUSIC...

Cheers.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

"When people ask me why I run, I tell them, there's not really a reason, it's just the adrenalin when you start, and the feeling when you cross that finish line, and know that you are a winner no matter what place you got."
-Courtney Parsons

Time: 1:31
Distance: 9.35 miles

9:33, 10:10, 10:06, 9:24, 9:36, 9:45, 10:34, 9:33, 9:39

When I woke this morning, the darkness still existed. I pulled out my journal to write something down and caught a few words from last weekends entry, "I only ran 16 today..." and I thought to myself, wow, I rememeber when I FIRST ran 10 miles back in 1998. During those days, I had never run past 6-7 miles at any one time. I made a goal to run 10 miles for a Kinesiology class I was taking in college. I'll tell you, I was soooo excited when I finished that run....the furthest I had ever run. It was awesome. And now, years later, I am going for 50. Wow. Hell, I remember when I ran 3 miles as part of my plan to stay in shape for soccer. i thought 3 was a lot. and it was. for me. back then. We are all at different stages, aren't we? And everyone's stage is special. Whether you are a 5 minute miler, someone just trying to finish a 5k or someone going for 100 miles. It's all special because we all have the ability and privelege to look back in time and see how far we have come. 1 mile is a big deal. Shaving 10 seconds off a PR is a big deal. Running a 10k under 50 minutes is a big deal.
Hopefully we can all give ourselves credit and kudos for our achivements, our "milestones."

Cheers.
Have Fun >> Train hard >> Train Smart

Thursday, October 11, 2007

"Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training and some are not."
-George Sheehan

Time: 28:35
Distance: 3 miles, outside

9:11, 8:44, 8:38

Ran at a trail area along side with Chattahochee River. Very popular place. Weather was awesome; cooler than yesterday with a little breeze. Felt very good out there.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Time: 28:29
Distance: 5K, w/ hills, outside

9:37, 9:01, 8:53

A gorgeous day here in Atlanta. GORGEOUS. I couldn't wait to get home, change clothes and move my body!

early morning

I am enticed and lured by the dream. I am beckoned to be brave, to be daring.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Time: 39:14
Distance: 4.25 miles, treadmill

Flight is booked for JFK 50. HOLY COW!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Double Duty

AM WORKOUT

Time: 1 hour, 11 minutes
Distance: 7.1 miles

Run was more fun today. Legs felt much better. Ran through streets of atlanta and hit the park 2 times. that was some of the only shade. 90 % humidity again. What the hell? Ankle felt good and I elected not to wear the brace. Iced afterwards.

While I was having coffee this morning, I re-visited my hand written journal entries from my training days for the San Francisco marathon in July 2005. It was humorous, revitalizing and reaffirming to read!

PM WORKOUT

Time: 41:17
Distance: 4.25 miles, treadmill


Felt pretty good doing the double workout. I hope everyone had satisfying workouts or whatever this weekend.

Sad news about the 2 runners who died today while running The Army 10 Miler and Chicago Marathon. My prayers are with their families.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Time: 3 hours
Distance: 16 miles

it was difficult out there today. i didn’t have enough fuel beforehand or during the run. i ran 8 out and back on the Silver Comet Trail. It was 90% humidity with low 70’s temperature. not ideal conditions. it’s been quite some time since i ran this many miles on what is a relatively flat course. the aches and pains are different and more noticeable DURING the run. The repetitive surface doesn’t allow for changes in stride and it does wear on the legs differently. My hamstrings and quads were tight from start to finish.
I bought a nifty ankle brace last night to wear as more of a protective mechanism than anything else. it worked well. i iced afterwards since the ankle is still not 100%.

the most positive thing i will take away from today’s training was that i was out there for 3 hours. Mentally, a good thing.

Plans for tomorrow are not solid, yet; except that I will be home at 1pm EST watching Browns vs Patriots. GO BROWNS!!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Just to get the Blood Moving

Time: 17:15
Distance: 2 miles, outside

An incredibly busy day at office; glad to just get outside afterwards and move with the elements. I'm so grateful to be able to move my body. Simple as that. May I take nothing for granted. Even the wiggle of my toes.

Train Hard, Train Smart, Have Fun

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

"Desire is the most important factor in the success of any athlete"
-Willie Shoemaker

Time: 37:15
Distance: 4 miles, treadmill

Iced my ankle afterwards...from beating it up over the weekend.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

"To keep from decaying, to be a winner, the athlete must accept pain - not only accept it, but look for it, live with it, learn not to fear it"
-George Sheehan

Time: 27 minutes
Distannce: 3 miles, treadmill

Monday, October 1, 2007

rest day ramblings

Yesterday while i was out shuffling on the trails at kennesaw, a world record was being broken: Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie shattered a marathon world record on Sunday in Berlin. Time: 2:04:26. This equates to 4:44 pace per mile. JUST LET THAT SOAK IN FOR A SECOND OR 2. 4 minutes and forty-four second pace per mile for 26.2 miles. THAT IS UTTERLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE to me. At my best, I can maybe run ONE 7-min mile. WOW. WOW. WOW.

As I sip on this Late Harvest Autumn Ale from RED HOOK, the light sounds of the TBS commentators are in the backgroud. They are broadcasting the rockies/padres baseball game. (i am rooting for rockies in this game) Overall in the MLB playoffs though, I am rooting for Arizona. Why? Because they were solid all season and have a good young team, are exciting, and most importantly, The GIANTS are long done. GO DIAMONDBACKS! (sorry to the AL's...I just cannot root for an AL team...)

I am already thinking of where to go for my long runs this weekend. I am thinking North Georgia, North Carolina, The GULF COAST...as you can see, i am all over the map. We'll see how the week goes and what the mood feels like.

it seems like i see more and more folks out running. hmmm. maybe this running thing is catching on....

cheers!

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Time: 1:47
Distance: 9 miles estimate (forgot the GARMIN!)

Kennesaw trails; not easy, but another gorgeous day in the ATL. How I love a good breeze!!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Time: 2 hours, 20 min
Distance: 11.66 miles

I really wanted to run somewhere different today so yesterday, a colleague mentioned the trails at Stone Mountain I didn't even KNOW they had trails. I had only been there once and ran a 5 mile loop on a paved road. Well, little did i know!

I had coffee and woke up some and headed out. I stopped at BELLY and got my usual: Rosemary bagel w/ egg & cheese. This place is about 3 blokcks from my house and I usually go AFTER a run, but today, i wanted to get my calories in my system before hitting the trail. I woofed it down in the car and soon was at the park and ready to roll run! There are 3 trails and I was on the RED trail. None of the trails have much elevation change, but the red trail was longest. Trail was very narrow and at many parts, HEAVILY rooted and then a few parts with boulders. I rolled my left ankle 3 times, but I think it is actually fine. (i iced when i got home & will continue). The best part was that many parts of the trail were basically alongside a couple of the lakes there. i DIDN'T even KNOW there were lakes at Stone Mountain! Man, where have i been?? It was awesome to be near water, of course. Added bonus was the morning was absolutely beautiful; cool and clear and every so often, a gentle beeze would cross my face. AHHHH. YUM.

Some parts of trail are not well marked and i got lost for a bit. I was actually on part of the STONE of STONE Mountain. Not fun. Walking and running at a severe angle. Not fun. I crossed over some train tracks and was trying to get down onto the trail again and I slipped and FELL! (does this make me an ULTRARUNNER now?) I slipped on a bunch of pine needles and fell on my butt and the right side of my back, just below my shoulder blade, hit a flat rock. Lucky me, seriously..it could have been jagged or something. I heard myself make a sound, though now I don't know what it was. It was actually kinda cool to fall, ya know. We don't fall too much as adults....I even cut my pinky finger somehow on the fall. A nice little cut that caused me to suck the blood for a while. COOL! I almost fell a few other times when my feet would hit a stump or root or something and I caught my balance before flying and falling on my face. Needless to say, I learned this trail was one where I seriously had to pay attention. It does get mentally tiring after a while though. I finished the last mile on a paved portion and felt good afterwards.

I'm having dinner tonight at ECCO A cool place with excellent food.

Cheers and TRAIN HARD and Enjoy! THIS IS LIFE!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Time: 1:13
Distance: 7.5 miles

hilly, warm. had a bar & banana prior & a gel during. felt very good. best i have felt in a while. such a nice feeling!! i would even call it fun and enjoyable, which is not an all too frequent feeling. legs felt alive again and i was very thankful.

some songs that played on the iPod were:

The Heart Remains a Child - Everything But The Girl
It's not right, but it's OK - Whitney Houston
Boadicea - ENYA
Who's that Girl - Eurythmics
Not ready to make nice - Dixie Chicks
Crush - Dave Matthews Band
The Story - Brandi Carlile
Brand New Lover (mix) - Dead or Alive
Narrow Daylight - Diana Krall
Ain't 2 proud to beg - TLC
Plastic Dreams - Jaydee
I don't know anybody else - Black Box


In other news, I booked my hotel for the JFK RACE. YIKES! YIPPEE!!

What's on your iPOD?

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Woodminster

Back in 2002, I participated in the Woodminster Trail Race. This is a 9 mile trail run in the redwood hills aread of Oakland CA. It's the kind of race that is very simple. Not many folks participate and those that do, you just know by looking at them that they are loyal runners and live in the area. The start gathering area is in a sunken grassy area, surrounded by beautiful redwoods towering above.
The BIB number is just that: a number. No race sponsors. Nothing else on it. CLEAN.
The race is TOUGH. One of the toughest I have ever done. Somewhere along the way prior to mile 5, there is a long stretch of steep, narrow single track, where you are humbled to walk a large portion of it....and what i recall was the sound of birds, the smell of the woods, and the sounds of heavy breathing and panting from the fellow racers..

When you are done, there are a few tables set up with gallons of water and juice to pour for yourself. There is no t-shirt.

Why am i even writing about this? A race from 2002?

Because what you DO get is a coffee mug. I am drinking out of it now.

"37th annual Woodminster X-Country Race" -- it has a neat little drawing of some figures running in the woods. This was our "trophy". I love it.

Have a blazing week!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Time: 28:30
Distance: 3 miles

Outside, warm, hilly

Sunday, September 23, 2007

"True sport is always a duel: a duel with nature, with one's own fear, with one's own fatigue, a duel in which body and mind are stregthened."
-Yevgeny Yevtushenko - Russian poet

Time: 1:17
Distance: 8.25 miles - Treadmill

Saturday, September 22, 2007

The Long and Winding Road...

Time: 1:56
Distance: 10 miles, Trails

Details: 10 miles of tough trails at Kennesaw Battlefield. Chocolate Chip CLIFBAR prior, 1/2 banana during.

Reflections: cool temps in the morning, but some humidity. felt good at starts, but as soon as i started hitting the ascents, i knew I was in for a tough one. My legs felt void of much energy/power on the ascents and felt like I was laboring hard even though i was going slow. Took many quick walk breaks, but i had to not care...what mattered is that i was out there and i stayed out there! It's always easy to quit. It's always easy to turn around and go back. Not today. I probably felt the best miles 5-7...not sure why...maybe my body was just finally awakening...maybe i'm not 100% back to normal.

2 guys who looked they could be from Kenya flew by me as i was headed back to the finish. man, they were fast...

Last weekend, after sunday's run, i was watching football and during commercial i flipped channels and found live coverage of TEMPE ARIZONA IRONMAN TRIATHALON. I was immediately glued to the TV. It was so inspiring watching these athletes do their thing. A woman who had been ahead on the run the ENTIRE time actually had to stop with about 1 mile to go...looked like she was suffering from cramps or something....and then she was passed by another woman who had surged on the run. The woman who had to stop ended up coming in 2nd on the women's side. How amazing is that...to have a lead and get passed so late!! Listening and watching her be interviewed was neat. She was such a professional. Disappointed, of course, but completely gracious.

Ahhhh.....COMPETITION!! I love it.

Friday, September 21, 2007

"The primary reason to have a coach is to have somebody who can look at you and say, "Man, you're looking good today."

-Jack Daniels, exercise physiologist

Thursday, September 20, 2007

"Running in a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, "Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?"
-Peter Maher, Olympian, sub 2:12 marathoner

Has not been good the last couple of days. Body has been very fatigued. Ironically, i think my not feeling well was perpetuated by getting a massage on monday night. sometimes, i know that can happen....everything just gets sort of rattled. As of tonite, thursday nite, am feeling better and hopeful for some good long runs this weekend.

I did get in 2 short runs outside this week as weather has been awesome and beautiful:

Tuesday: 2.65 miles, 24:58

Wednesday: 3.14 miles, 30:00

Monday, September 17, 2007

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Time: 1:42
Distance: 10 miles

Details: chocolate POWERBAR, prior; very cool temps. awesome

Refections: had a great run this morning. felt strong the whole way. through many streets of atlanta. stopped in to a gast station at approximately 7 miles to grab a GREEN SQUALL POWERADE (my favorite flavor) and mixed it with my remaining water. nice to feel strong after the 8 yesterday. had yummy dinner last night prepared by my friend, Ms. Kitchen, who always feeds me well.

I am really noticing how much it helps to recover properly. I've been drinking those EAS drinks after running and icing. It all helps.

Hope all have strong, satisfying workouts this weekend.

Cheers

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Time: 1:25
Distance: 8.5 miles

Details: choc chip peanut butter clif bar, prior; Silver Comet Trail (flat, paved)

Reflections: Running at the Silver Comet is like visiting a dear old friend. I always feel welcome and it's always a pleasure to return to a site that knows me so well. As I traversed along the paved path, I wondererd just how many steps i have taken on this old railroad track that was transformed into a path where so many could exercise their body, their soul. It first welcomed me as I began my first marathon training back in 2000. It carried me, it supported me, it pushed and challenged me. With it's help, I completed my first marathon in Chicago in 2000. So, needless to say, it's a place i know well and am grateful for.
Today's run was a simple out and back along the trail. So beautiful out there with the trees still forming canopies and hiding a bulk of the rising sun. Lots of folks out there, as usual, but i noticed a lot of folks wearing fuel belts and such. Of course, i wondered what THEY were training for....Lots of cyclists out there too and i was a bit bummed i had not brought my bike so i could ride afterwards. oh well. I've got a longer run planned for tomorrow. Not sure where...either Kennesaw Trail or through the city.

TRAIN HARD, TRAIN SMART

Friday, September 14, 2007

Mid Week

Tuesday

Time: 26:43
Distance: 3 miles, treadmill

Wednesday:

Time: 31:46
Distance: 3.5 miles, treadmill

Reflections: both days at the club were accompanied by a friend who might join. it was so fun having her there...a buddy to workout with. much more fun than i would have imagined. we ran side by side on treadmill and did weights and did some ab exercises together. she is not all into the weights, so i have been able to help and motivate her...a good feeling!
Sat in hot tub afterwards......ahhhhh

Eating much better this week: other night, had trout, new potatoes, asparagus/carrots. yummy. clean. healthy.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Sunday

Time: 1:44
Distance: 8.43 miles

Details: late am start. a bit warm. chocolate chip clif bar prior, strawberry/banana gel during

Reflections: well, i didn't quite make the 2 hour mark; but i still feel good about the run. I went back to Sweetwater instead of Kennesaw. Running Sweetwater trails back to back days is NO WALK IN THE PARK, PEOPLE. Mile 5.5 to 6.5 was nearly entirely all a steep uphill climb. So, uh, no, I did not run up this monster.
I felt kinda out of it the whole time. Not sure why. My sleep has been off as well as my eating which i'm sure would explain a lot. I iced my quads and hamstrings afterwards which felt great. I NEED TO EAT BETTER.

"Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity"
-Michael Johnson

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Time: 1:07:30
Distance: 6 miles

Details: trail run at sweetwater creek park. 70's, almost perfect weather! yeah!. Peanut Butter POWERBAR, prior

Reflections: had a pretty good run on the tough trail. much better than 2 weeks ago when it was so freaking humid. I forgot my gel which irritated me. and then, after the run was over, i felt irritated....like i didn't go hard enough or long enough, blah, blah, blah. I gotta get over those thoughts but they kept me irratated this afternoon. I am planning too go 2+hours tomorrow at Kennesaw, regardless.

Looking forward to watching Federer Semifinal shortly....

Friday, September 7, 2007

Wednesday/Thursday

2 runs on treadmill

3.39 miles
3.54 miles

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

How about that FEDERER fella! Inspiring!

I'd love to go to US Open sometime...

Monday, September 3, 2007

Time: 1:19:50
Distance: 8 miles

Details: chocolate mint clif bar prior, vanilla powergel during, low humidity, 73 degrees..with the slightest breeze

Reflections: yeah, LOW HUMIDITY!! the lowest it has been in a while. i started late and had no idea how far i'd make it so was very happy to do 8. A good 3 days in a row of 10k race, 6, and 8!! Actually, i felt the best today. legs felt the best today. I swear, the humidity just sucks life right out of ya! From miles 6.5-8, I got my runners high. it's been a while. i was psyched!! i ran up the last hill i would face and the next .3 miles was downhill. I finished and was hootin' and hollerin' afterwards, right there in the middle of the street. i didn't care. some things just can't be contained. know what i'm sayin??

The streets were quiet, thankfully. Quite a few folks out on their bicycles. I bought a new water carrier in Huntsville. It's a NATHAN belt with a pocket and 2 10 ounce bottles. I'm glad to have this for a change instead of the handheld other bottle I have been using. Nice to have my hands free again. Once I get into the longer miles, I know i will need both.

Hope all got some good training in over these 3 days.

>TRAIN HARD, TRAIN SMART<

Sunday

Time: 58:47
Distance: 6 miles

Details: chocolate peanut butter prior, strawberry-banana gu during, 73 degrees, ??? humidity

Reflections: wasn't sure how my legs would feel after yesterdays race, but glad to get another 6 miler in. nothing to exciting. i've got to build more miles!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Race Report

Monte Sano 10k

Time: 57:40
Distance: 6.2 miles

Details: chocolate powerbar prior, 70 degrees, 88% humidity; state park on top of a mountain.

Reflections: Monte Sano, Spanish for “Mountain of Health,” in Huntsville, Alabama was the location of this race. Course was 2 loops in the park; most of it on a paved road which was surprising. only a small portion was on part of a trail which was loose gravel. (i dislike running on loose gravel...i feel like i’m not moving fast enough...anyone else experience this feeling?)
course was rolling and i started out too fast even though i tried to tell myself not too. first 2 miles were 8:30 pace and i was already suffering from the humidity. it baffles me to no end how folks can go out and run 5-6 minute miles in this type of weather. WOW. WOW. WOW.
Being in the park was neat because since we were high up, there were areas where there was an incredible view of some surrounding mountains. it was gorgeous and very peaceful. i don’t think i have ever run a 2 loop course before and i found it kinda boring and very surprising considering how big the park was. oh well, i am sure they had their reasons. mentally, i felt like i had a ping pong game going on inside my head....i knew i wanted to use this as a training run and therefore did not need to go fast, but i also didn’t want anyone to pass me and i wanted to pass people...so i kept going back and forth in my head about how fast/slow to go...i think some of this mental banter took out some of the fun for me. i was not as relaxed as i had wanted to be.

other than that, i am still glad i did the race. got a good 6 miles in and it was cheap...only $15/race day registration. i got a tank top and afterwards they had all sorts of goodies to eat; bananas, pastries, watermelon, pizza. Huntsville is much more beautiful than i would have imagined. it is more like a valley, surrounded by mountains. quiet and beautiful.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Time: 26:40
Distance: 3 miles

Details: treadmill - followed by a delicious dinner w/ a friend. Trout with some kind of pesto butter, incredible mashed potatoes, green beans and a Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay. Ahhhh. yum. so tasty.

Looking forward to getting off the treadmill and onto the trails this weekend.

Stay strong.

"Restore the Roar"

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

"No timeouts, no halftimes, no rest: running is the only true sport."

Time: 32:00
Distance: 3.54 miles

Details: treadmill; weights

Reflections: I was so happy to work out! I felt like it had been days.....and it had only been 2. I guess these last 2 days have just been very LOOOONG. It's been raining a bit, so the temps are a bit cooler, but of course, the humidity is high.
I got a yummy blueberry/banana smoothie as i departed from the gym. I was as content as can be sipping that thing and driving home in the light southern rain. It gave back to me. i needed it.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Time: 1:05:04
Distance: 6.7 miles

Details: peanut butter PowerBar prior, strawberry-banana GU during. Temp/Humidity Unknown

Reflections: ran from my house and around various neighborhoods. felt better than expected after yesterdays outing. not very hot out this morning, but again, very humid. I iced my quads afterwards, while sitting on my patio drinking EAS. I have found these 2 be very helpful in recovery. They are full of lots of protein and vitamins to replenish the body.

I'm satisfied with the weekend runs and weekly mileage, but i gotta really boost it up. Trying to be careful about boosting it up is the key.

Train Hard, Train Smart

Saturday

Time: 1:26:39
Distance: 7 miles

Details: 74 degrees, 90% humidity. Chocolate Powerbar prior, Strawberry GU during.

Reflections: really wanted to get out onto the trails this weekend so this morning i went to Sweetwater Creek Park. Only about 25 drive from my house. Let me preface this by saying I would like to go the trails more, but I have been a little freaked out to go by myself. Last year or so, there was news of a few women being attacked at different locations, so that really spooked me. This is the first time i have been to a trail alone in over a year. On the ride there, i could feel my anxiety rising; it’s very interesting...i feel much safer in “the worst part of town” type neighborhoods than i do out in the middle of the woods. Maybe it’s because at least i can see on the streets and i can also yell or scream for help and most likely someone will be nearby. But, out in the woods, what are the chances someone will hear you if you are in danger or something of that nature? Anyways. If any guys are reading this, my question to you is this: “do you ever feel afraid while running?”

If your answer is no, i say i’m jealous of you. I don’t spook easy of things, but yeah, running in the woods alone is something that does get to me from time to time.

OK. now on to the run!! My plan was to run for an hour and a half. Yeah, that WAS the plan. I have only been on these trails 2x before and i chose to go into an area I had not been before. It was the YELLOW loop. I was feeling pretty yellow by the time i finished that trail; BRUTAL. After the first 8 minutes, there was a long and steady uphill. Forget about it. In this weather, I walked up fast. As steep and brutal the ascent was, the descent was quad punishing! I was huffing, puffing, dripping and not having much fun.
Soon, i was onto the RED trail; it became BLUE and then WHITE by the time I was done. I was more familiar with this part of the trail since I had hiked it last fall; it has a mixture of parts that are heavily rooted, rocky, narrow and curvy. The last 5.5-7 miles has a HUGE hill and then more open space. Sheesh...I thought the hill would never end..AND I WALKED IT. Sorry, but i just could not muster much in 90% humid conditions. I constantly had to get over being bummed out that I was not able to go faster, but it was what it was. I did the best I could under the conditions.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Time:18:00
Distance: 2 miles

Details: 85 degrees, 62% humidity; ran at 11:30am. i intentionallyy went short as i run long both days over weekend. just wanted to get more movement in. run followed by 23 minute walk, 1.33 miles.

Reflections: I was so happy to go run today at whatever time i wanted to. I took the day off from work, woke up late and milled about until 11:30am. I ate Cream of Wheat for breakfast. When is the last time anyone at that? I know i hadn't had any since like, um..forever ago. Was a nice yummy change and great IRON content.

Before I went out the door, i was going through some running/triathlete magazines looking for stuff to cut out for a collage i am making. I love making small collages to inspire me. I came across part of an article i would like to quote here and now:

"WHAT PERCENT POSSIBILITIES ARE YOU AND WHAT PERCENT EXCUSES ARE YOU?"


Go. Live. Be Big!!!

Thursday

"Anything is possible, but you have to believe and you have to fight."
-Lance Armstrong

Time: 38:00
Distance: 4 miles

Details: treadmill run (post work). it was surprisingly easy to go 4 miles on TM, compared to the usual 3 i have been doing. felt strong and solid. weights afterwards.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Time: 34:22
Distance: 7.83 miles - BIKE RIDE

Details: approx. 98 degrees. Moderate to Significant hills;

I wanted to exercise today but did not want to go back to run on treadmill. Also, my right hip is bothering me some and i thought the bike would help. I think it did.

Train Smart, Train Strong

Tuesday

Time: 26:00
Distance: 3 miles

Details: treadmill; felt pretty good. Followed by 20 minutes of messing around with raquetball...mostly to just re-aquaint myself with hitting, etc.. i love raquetball and cannot wait to find a partner!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

“You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”

- Steve Prefontaine

I DIG this quote! Doesn't it just about sum it up? It sure does for me.

Time: 1:01:36
Distance: 6.06 miles

Details: chocolate chip clif bar prior, stawberrt Clif Shot during, 8:30am start (so much for the early bird); 76 degrees, 87% humidity

Reflections: it would have been easy to stay in bed this morning. i made coffee and then sat in bed while drinking it, water and chowing down clif bar. i thought, "man, it would be easy to just slide down underneath my covers". But, i didn't. i got into gear and headed out. Overall, i felt stronger than yesterday. Maybe i got a boost from the Trout i had last night for dinner; it's protein and vitamin b12 helping to pull me along the streets of atlanta. I felt fairly strong all the way through, as oppossed to yesterday when i felt very sluggish. iPod stayed at home today so i could intentionally be alone with my thoughts and hear my own breathing. i do so quite a few people out with NO WATER and i just don't understand it! are they camels? how can they run without water? can anyone shed any light??

Hope everyone had good, strong runs this weekend that boosted your spirits and made you proud. Now, can we get a damn beer??

Saturday, August 18, 2007

"it all comes down to having a dream. you have to know why you head out the door every day to run. your purpose will motivate you in every mile you train."
-Brian Diemer

Time: 50:57
Distance: 5.01 miles

Details: chocolate Power Bar prior, Vanilla Powergel during; 9am start, 75 degrees, 88% humidity

Reflections: a later start than i wanted, but that is just the way it worked out. too late. too humid. too warm. looking at the forecast for the next week, it does not seem it will let up. man, where is the relief???

I actually felt pretty good for the first 2.5 miles. then the hills. the the weather effect. then the struggle to even finish 5. damn.

Walked 1.46 miles home (21:57) then went to gym.

Ran 1 more mile on TM (9:00 pace), weights, sauna

Got an awesome banana/strawberry/protein smoothie at the gym on my way out. yum.

Tomorrow I will be more of an early bird and hope it aids with the distance.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Today has been one of those days where I have felt just completely drained. I have had very little energy all day. And i don't just mean energy for training, but just basic energy for walking, talking, working, being..

I felt like someone just stuck a needle in my arm and drained me of every ounce of energy.

Ever had a time like this?
Wednesday

Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 3.25 miles

Details: Treadmill run since we are still in the 100 degrees weather. ouch.
Weights and sauna afterwards.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Monday

Time: 26:09
Distance: 3 miles

Details; treadmill at new gym. YEAH.

Reflections:I signed up at new gym last night. A big place with lots of stuff and i am happy to have a gym again. 3 miles on TM felt good. Soaked for a bit in the hot tub afterwards. AHHH...nice relief for some tired quads. Tuesday will be off day as i am going to baseball game. Will be SOAKING in the sun, hopefully catching a GIANTS win over BRAVES.


Train Hard, Train Smart

Cheers

sunday

Sunday

Time: 46:30
Distance: 4.6 miles

Details: banana & yogurt peanut balance bar, prior; powergel vanilla during
9AM start; 75 degrees, 88% humidity

Reflections: wanted to run another 6-7, but just didn't happen. was drenched with sweat within 15 minutes. i probably physically felt better than yesterday and i would just attribute that to a later start, i.e. more time to wake up, etc..

...gettting in the miles, getting in the miles...

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Distance: 7.09 miles
Time: 1:14

Details: 6AM start; 79 degrees, 66% humidity; chocolate chip clif bar before, powergel vanilla, during

Reflections:
Well, getting up at 5am for a 6am start was what i did, although i am not sure how much of a difference it made weather-wise. A little, but not much. The ranges of temps lately have been 70-103. Tomorrow, I might just push it up to 7am. Today was the earliest I have begun a run since the 5AM start to the SF Marathon in July 2006! I was a little nervous at the start, but considering how warm it was, i figured there were probably not many weirdos or murderers out on the street. I do worry about this, at times.
I do love running when it is quiet and the streets are empty. Usually that is only early on sunday morning. This morning i was able to run in the middle of many streets as there were no cars around as far as the eye could see. COOL. I need and want to get back to the trails, but I cannot go this early by myself. Hopefully by next weekend this outrageous heatwave will diminish some.

I felt pretty good out there this morning except for the fact that my upper quads are sore as hell. Two days ago, i did some exercises in my house and just overdid it, i guess. I really need a massage and i think i need to start doing some ice baths.

Last night for dinner, I had a burger with blue cheese. and a Stella. yum.

Hope all are staying cool and still training hard, smart. Cheers

Thursday, August 9, 2007

"Running allows us to define our weaknesses and make them strengths. It
supplies those missing attributes that diminish us and keep us from
functioning fully. It makes us whole."

George Sheehan

Wednesday:
Distance: 3
Time: 26:30

On treadmill at new gym - i am looking into this new gym and trying to decide if i will join. a good amount of money, but i think it will be a good investment. stay tuned.

Followed by weight workout

p.s. they have racquetball courts! i love to play!!

Monday, August 6, 2007

"You learn you can do your best even when it's hard, even when you are tired and maybe hurting a little bit. it feels good to show some courage."
-Joe Namath


Distance: 6 miles
Time: 59:26

Details: food > clif bar chocolate chip, before, PowerGel Vanilla during

Reflections: Another good wake up period of about 1 1/2 hr before run. I am finding I need at least this amount of time to really wake up and eat, etc... An hour or less and I am not worth very much after 2 miles.

Began the run with buddy, S.L., at 8AM. Unbelievable, but it was much more humid at 8am today than it was on Saturday at 930 start. UUGGHH. Man, the air was THICK and HEAVY. Hard to breath. We ran through Decatur > downtown and around an past Agnes Scott College. Through some other nieghborhoods called Kirkwood, East Lake, & Oakhurst. All in all a solid run and i was happy with it.

I'm seriously thinking of beginning my weekend runs at about 5am next weekend. I need to put more miles in.

2 good 6 milers back to back was good though for the weekend


-Train hard, Train smart

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Saturday:
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:01:30

Details: Food > clif bar mint chocolate, before, PoweGel Vanilla, during

Reflections: had a good 1 1/2-2 hours wake up time prior to 9:30 am start. Much too late as the heat was already past 80 degrees. For the 1st time in awhile, I ran with iPod; a nice change. Beautiful, clear day...but WARM. At the start, i felt like I had quite a bit of energy, but about half way, my legs felt pretty heavy and my perceived level exertion was high, i'd say. Maybe not eating enough carbs lately or maybe some effects from 1.5 margaritas last night. :)
Still. I felt good being out there. As mentioned before, i have not had much time to run during the week, but that should change at least for the immediate near term. I was only able to get in 2 very short runs in this week after long work days.

Came across 2 short hills which i walked and 2 steep hills which i ran-walked.

At the top of 1st steep hill, an elderly woman walking her dog said in a sweet southern accent, "you should've started earlier. it's already hot." "Yeah", I replied, "but i wanted to sleep in"

It sure felt good to sleep in when i was still in bed, but at 10:00, it sure didn't!

Close to the end and going up the last hill, i saw a guy with a OHIO STATE t-shirt on watering his grass. He saw me coming and said, "need some help?" "Yeah, Buckeye", I said, and he filled my water bottle. Thanks!

Ate some pasta tonight. Hope to get some good sleep and get out a bit earlier. Looking forward to tomorrow's adventure

Friday, August 3, 2007

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

-Moliere

YEAH! C'MON

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Sunday

6.75 miles with buddy S.L.

pretty disappointed it was not further. not enough rest lately and not eating enough.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Work Interruptions (grrrhh)

I've been cranking out the hours at work for the past 2 weeks and have not had lots of time for running. Worked 50 hours each of the last 2 weeks. It has thrown the running completely off. I will need to do another 4 days of extra hours before back to a more normal schedule. It has been 10 hours of raised intensity every day and by the end of it, i am wiped out. Of course, when i am able to put on the shoes and go, i feel whole again!!

Last night I just wanted to ride my bike, so i walked in the door from work and quickly changed clothes. Pumped up the tires and went: rode 7-8 miles. short, but wonderful. great to go fast and feel the warm wind on my face as the sun was edging away...

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

Saturday:

The first weekend day in like, forever, that i did not get up and run immediately. Needed the rest. and I had a 9:45am appt. to get my freaking haircut!! Finally. Whew. What a relief.

Afterwards, went to a nealry abandoned track and ran in the slightest sprinkles of rain.

3 miles - 28:46 Slow. Man, my legs felt like I had anchors attached to them. Very humid. But so peaceful at the track.

just for kicks and to mix it up a little, i did the following just to see what my times were:

4x200

Avg per 200 = .53/sec

I was glad to get out there today. Aiming for a 10-12 miler tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Sunday 10 Miles: Trail

After a neat & short little race on Saturday, my buddy SL and I went out to Kennesaw Battlefield to do some battling of our own.

(http://www.nps.gov/kemo/)

It looked pretty dreary out when we left my house just after 8am. Not cold, but grey skies that looked like rain was a comin'.

No worries from us. We both had new trail shoes to tear up and we were raring to go! We we took our first steps, the rain came down in small drops. For a good 10-15 minutes somewhere between miles 4-5, it began to absolutely pour down on us!! I mean POUR, like buckets were being poured on our heads. It was awesome!! The trail became very wet and muddy and soon our nice new shoes were well worn in. A few times, we almost fell from the uneven and tricky terrain. We had 2 short walk breaks and basically just used that time to talk about what a great day it was. SL was all fired up saying she couldn't believe trail running could be so much fun. AHH! Now, maybe I have a partner??

From miles 6-9, I deliberately accelerated a few times -- I love to feel myself go a bit faster on the trails…it feels so free, as if I am running free in the wild. How wonderful it was to get out and away from sidewalks, streetlights, treadmills, people, & cars!!!

We finished 10 miles which was more than I thought we would do. We were happily and sufficiently dirty when all was said and done!

We still gotta play, right?

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Race Day: Southeast Braintumor Foundation 5K

Wasn’t at all sure how I would do today after a work week of 10 hour days. Yikes! I got no running in except a 2 miler in the morning darkness on Thursday before work.

I was excited for the race even though i really wanted to sleep in instead of waking at 6am. My buddy, S.L., came over and we made our way over to Atlantic Station, race start. Of course, lots of folks, lots of good energy and a beautiful morning. Pretty humid, but not hot yet.

I was looking around the bib pick-up area for 2 other pals from work, but did not see them. We walked over to the start area and saw them and it was a good boost. We were all ready for our morning run.


(that's me with the blue Bandana) Race Start Photo

I didn’t really have time to stretch or warm up or anything and i thought to myself, “if i do 9 min miles, i will be satisfied.” My body was absolutley exhausted this past week. Coming home from vacation to work 10 hour days is not exactly how i would have scripted it. Oh well. Suck it up, right?


Mile 1 was flat and easy. 8:09

Mile 2 had a significant hill at approx 1.5 mark and then a smaller hill closer to 2nd mile mark. approx 9:00

Mile 2 - 3.1 was flat mixed in with just the slightest smallest grade. approx 9:00

5k Finish Time: 26:19 = 8:30 appox pace

Not bad considering my body conditions. It was a great and fun since I had cajoled 3 others into running. We had a good time cheering and supporting each other and a worthy cause!!



(after the finish, sweaty & happy!)

Friday, July 20, 2007

Catching up

Running in Seattle last week

Thurs 7/12: 25 min. just to move my tired body after traveling 5+ hours.

Fri 7/13: 4.2 miles - from hotel through Capitol Hill nieghborhood. Hilly

Sat 7/14: 5 miles - from hotel through Queen Anne neighborhood and waterfront area

Sun 7/15: 6 miles - best run of the weekend; from hotel to over near Lake Union and onto University of Washington.

Awesome weather all days. 70-80 degrees, sunny and gorgeous

Friday, July 13, 2007

Venturing into the Unknown

"Don't ever accept anyone else's preconceived limitations. If there's
something you want to do, there isn't any reason you can't do it."

Amy Dodson, running amputee


I'm in. Holy Cow. I have no idea if i can do it.

But, of course, that is what my life is about...the trying, the effort, the risk.

I will give everything.

JFK 50 Miler

Monday, July 9, 2007

latest runs, etc..

Saturday: 27:15, 3 miler with buddy S.L.

felt good. started at 7:30 to avoid major humidity. got up and down some hills and flats.

Sunday: 51:16, 5.21 miles solo

another early start at 7:30. this time, it was a heavy rain for about the first 2.5 miles; it turned into a drizzle and then ceased altogether. how refreshing to be out in te pouring rain. it felt good. i had a cap on, but my glasses still got messed up. oh well.

what geek goes out at 7:30 on a sunday morning and deliberately runs in the rain? i do. and the rest...you know who you are!!


on a more of a bummer note: about 1 month ago, i purchased these cool-ass New Balance shorts for 40 bucks. They are soo cool and i just loved them. Well, I've lost them. LOST!! I think i left them in my hotel in Panama City Beach a couple of weeks ago. DAMN!!!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Peachtree #6

I ran my 6th Peachtree today. The first one in 1998 was definitely the best because everything was new and unfamiliar. Now, as a "veteran" of this famed race, I know what to expect and not to expect. Expect to be crowded for first mile. Expect hot/humid conditions. Expect to not post anything near a PR. Expect to struggle. Expect to hear a myriad of bands and see thousands of spectators.

As mentioned in earlier posts, i have not run this race for last 2 years and I think the absence made me more excited for the day. Maybe it's that whole things..."absence makes the heart grow fonder". I was really excited for the race and as such did not sleep well at all last nice. Excitement sure has a way of turning into anxiety. Sheesh...

Oh well. I calmed down enough by start time and son enough, my group was off and running. I had definitely expected it to be very tight at the start, but somehow it wasn't. I had room to get my stride going early on, which was a pleasant surprise. I felt naked without my water bottle and ipod, but i needed neither today. Funny how i felt so weird without both of them. I either have one or both of them with me on every run, so i definitely noticed it. Had I not had my Garmin Forerunner on, I would have REALLY felt weird. I digress.

Saw my buddy, S., right after i started. Great to see a friendly face. First mile was about 8:15. Too fast, i thought. By 2 miles, I was at 17 min. Still a little fast. I didn't want to crash after the hills. Between 2-3 miles, I saw 3 different folks from work which was also very nice. 2 of them, i expected to see, but the other was a bonus. Great!! Mile 3 was 26 minutes total.

I felt fine. Felt like i had a good pace and nothing was giving me any trouble. I was taking in enough H2O and about 4.5 miles, I sucked down my vanilla GU. At about 3.5 miles, I was sort of targeting an under 57 minute finish. By mile 4 with a 35 minute time, I knew i was gonna have to start pushing soon to be sure I was under 57 minutes. Miles 4-6 are very deceiving...they are a steady and long uphill to the corner of Peachtree and 10th. I figured if i could just stay solid and pick it up a little until then, i could make my that final push down 10th street for approx 1/2 mile.

What I want to say here is that i felt solid. I felt strong. I felt like i was having a good race and I was very happy inside. This race has kicked my ass in the past and really humbled me and today, i just felt like I was better/stronger. So.

I made the left hand turn onto 10th street and pushed past some folks until my feet crossed the finish line and crossed over the rubber mat recording my chip time.

Peachtree #6 = 55:26

This was not my best time for this race. In 2003, I ran 54:09. But, today i felt better and enjoyed it more.

Hope to have soome photos to share soon!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Pre-Race Notes

The last time I ran Peachtree was in 2004. A tough race that day. A tough year that year. I skipped 2005 race just because. I decided I would be a spectator that year and made my way to the finish line just as the elite were coming through. WOW. How fast there their legs were turning over. Amazing. It was great fun spectating, but I truly felt i was missing out on something.

2006 rolled around and I got my application in on time and everything, but I did not get in. No number! So, I went out of town to Denver.

2007, I got my stuff in and about a month ago, the wonderfully large envelope from The Atlanta Track Club came in the mail. YIPPEE. I was in!! If you submit a previous 10k time of 55:00 or better from a legitimate race, you can turn documentation in to get seeded near the front. I was able to do this and got placed in time group 1b. Here is the breakdown of the groups.

Seeded/Subseeded
Time Group 1a
Time Group 1b -- me. yeah!!
Everyone else

The first year I ran peachtree, I was number 55,???. When you are that far back, the winner is done before you even cross start line. That is how many people are out!!!

Tomorrow, I will be # 16637.

Weather looks to be cool. Should be about 70 degrees by race start 7:30am EST. about 75% humidity. It has been very overcast today and I would not mind at all that continuing until late tomorrow.

What's neat is that so many people in my office know I am a runner. Even people I never speak with. So, when a race like this comes along, people walk by and ask if I am running. It's neat. I like that. I think there are only about 3 other folks from the office running tomorrow. I wish them a great and fun race.

I am looking forward to it. The excitement is brewing. I am looking forward to rising early, in the darkness, making coffee and eating a bar and sitting quietly with my patio door open. I will listen to the quiet morning and watch the day awaken.

And then soon enough, it will be race time. game time. party time.

Cheers.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Saturday ritual

“Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing.”

-George Sheehan


The weekend prior to any 4th of july peachtree race is one in which runners get out on Peachtree Road and practice the course.
This humid morning, my pal S. & I headed out and did our part as well. We parked one vehicle near the end and the other at my office building across from the start.

The race organizers have already begun the logistical preparations even though race day is still 5 days away. Lenox Mall area has tons of port-a-potties already there; makeshift fences have already been put up in place around the starting line which extends about 1/2 mile or so. We are getting ready...gettin' ready!! YEAH!!

S. & I headed out and passed many folks running in opposite direction, which is typical. I noticed right away how heavy my legs felt. I wasn't quite awake yet..having only woken an hour prior to running time. I was pooped this morning and would have loved to have slept in more, but I decided to forgo sleep for cooler temps! It was 80 degrees when we began at 8am and very humid.

I figured there were some folks doing some marathon training and as we passed each other ... runners and walkers, i said "good morning" and cheered them on. I noticed the whole scene gave me a boost! There were volunteers out from Atlanta Track Club giving out water and at the main big hill of the course(I think it might be called CARDIAC HILL, there were volunteers handing out little towels that had Piedmont Hospital logos on them. Consequently, Piedmont Hospital is at top of hill, so, you know if you are feeling ill effects on race day, you can just go on in....

I gathered steam as we got up and over the hill and was able to cruise to just past the mile 5 marker feeling o.k. I decided to stop there and save a bit. I will probably get in a run tomorrow...maybe even some of the course again...just for the camaraderie alone!!

5.1 miles
48:19

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Peachtree #4

After running Peachtree Road Race as a resident of GA in 2000 & 2001, I had to fly into town again as a visitor in 2003 for my 4th go at this race.

Below is an excerpt from my jounal entry on June 29, 2003. I was in San Francisco at Peets Coffee.

“driving here, i thought about race day morning on Friday, the 4th. I will rise early, have coffee and a bit of breakfast. It will be an early rising on another race day of my life. I don’t even know how to put into words what that means to me...the early rising, the preparation, the morning reflection, the anticipation of what lies ahead. I’m guessing it will take me between 54-57 minutes, but the experience, of course, goes well beyond those minutes. The preparation began long ago and this will be my 4th Peachtree.”

I flew into town on July 2nd and was able to stay with friends i knew. It was my first trip back to Atlanta since i had moved away. I’ll never forget getting into town in the wee hours of my red-eye flight and picking up my rental car. The darkness surrounded me and as I drove into the city, I saw all the downtown buildings greet me. Soon, the dawn would come...

Here is another excerpt from race day morning, July 4th 2003

“Peachtree Morning! I’m awake and ready. I’m having a perfect morning after a very hot sleep - interrupted by this very hot weather. I sit in the loft, having a fabulous cup of coffee, listening to great music - in the morning darkness that sits outside..that rests outside...that will soon slowly awaken. So, here I am on the morning of another Peachtree, awaiting another challenge of this life and today, it is this course that i cannot stay away from. This course that challenges me, begs me to keep trying, to give my all ... through the travel, the heat, the humidity. “C’MON” it says, “GIVE IT. GIVE IT ALL. Don’t leave anything today. Walk away exhausted, spent, dripping in sweat, blood, effort.”

Today - again - another chance to be my own Hero

Thank you God for another opportunity.

Here I go -----

#4 Peachtree Finish Time = 54:09

more to follow...

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Tuesday

I could have gone to the gym and ran on the treadmill. I COULD have.

But, I didn't.

After work, I ran 4.5 miles in 90 degree Atlanta Heat. The route was same as Peachtree.

I rode the train back to my office to pick up my vehicle.

A bit long, but I have been trying to get in some runs on the course. Even though I know it so well, it still befuddles me come race day, july 4th, every year.

Cheers

Train Hard, Train Smart

Monday, June 25, 2007

True Impact

Traveled 6 hours south by car Friday to Florida panhandle. My first ever trip to FL and the white sand beaches. One of the things i eagerly looked forward to was running in the flatlands and smelling the water.
After 6+ hours in the car, I was more than ready to hit the road Saturday morning. I put on my shorts and t-shirt and suddenly realized....I forgot MY SHOES!! I couldn’t believe it!!! I think what happened was I left them in my personal vehicle when I made the transfer to the rental car. Sheesh!! Oh well, what to do? Either not run or go barefoot. So, I went barefoot. I ran a mile on the beach which proved to be very difficult because the tide was still high and backed up right to the thick sand. This left little room to run and what little there was ended up at an slant which is not too good for the hips, thighs, etc... so I went 1/2 mile east, turned around and went 1/2 mile west. Then, i said, “screw it” and went to the street and hit the black pavement. I ran for 2.43 miles on the street...i had to stop when the bottoms of my big toes were becoming raw. ouch. I also developed a small cut on bottom of my right toe. So, now I have 2 raw bottoms on my big toes and am wondering if i should just buy some cheap pair of shoes or forgo the rest of the running until i get home. we’ll see.

but, boy! running on the flatlands is awesome!!

_____________________________________________


I CAVED. I found a new Target in town and hunted for some shoes. I found what looked and proved to be a decent pair of Champion shoes for 30 bucks. Good enough.
After lunch, laying on the beach and dipping a bit, I went out for another 2 miler at 4pm. 90 degrees. Ouch.
The feet also started to hurt from the rawness. double ouch.
Oh well...All worth it

Total run both sessions = 1+2.43+2 = 5.43

___________________________________________

Got up late on Sunday and headed out about 9am. 86 degrees. VERY humid. But the streets were quiet and the Gulf was a spectacular site.

3.5 miles

At least I had the Champions on this morning!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Lure of Peachtree

I first learned about the Peachtree Road Race
in early 1998 as I was looking through a Runners World magazine. The largest 10k in the country. In Atlanta on July 4th, every year.
Well, I gotta do it, I thought.

As I read more about the race on the web site, I found the application process unlike anything i had ever know. The application comes out ONLY in the Atlanta newspaper in mid march. You must submit the application on that Sunday or Monday via mail only and then HOPE to get in. Yep, that is all correct. It fills up THAT fast.
My hopes were a bit dashed when i read all this information because how does a runner living in the Bay Area get a copy of the Atlanta newspaper and get the application mailed back in a time good enough to obtain a race entry?

Well, thanks to the large newspaper selection at Barnes and Noble, I found one copy of the issue I needed 3 days after the issue date in mid march 1998. Excitedly and carefully, I completed the application and sent it off the Atlanta to the PO BOX for “out of state” residents. I was hoping the race folks held a certain amount of spots for us out of towners.

A long wait was the next part. I didn’t expect to hear anything until late may, early june. The wait was exciting yet also frustrating. The longer I waited, the more i wanted to get in.

Then, one day in early June 1998, I went to my mailbox and saw the big 8x11 envelope with seeming lots of stuff inside. “YEAH”, I yelled on my quiet cul-de-sac street. “I GOT IN”!!

I was so excited to open the package and see the contents with my BIB #, hotel and airline info, expo info, etc...

Soon, i booked my flight and then on July 1st, I was off to Atlanta.

(a REAL except from my journal dated 7/1/98)

‘happy july! today’s my departure date. i’m pretty darn excited. i’ve already been for a run this a.m. A quick 2..5 miles, but i also did grace hill! boy, that is a killer, i’ll tell ya. it is pretty great to run on clear, sunny mornings, like today. it’s so quiet and fresh out. birds are chirping. it’s like a clean slate. nothing has been touched yet.

and
7/2/98

"well, i’m here in atlanta and i am pretty out of it. i’m time-exhausted and having major allergy attacks. I can barely function and yet, i’d hate to take medicine-but, i’ll probably have to."


Up until re-reading this today, I had completely forgotten i had allergy issues on that trip. it’s interesting because once i became a resident of Atlanta in 1999, I have never had allergy problems here and lots of folks do...

I stayed in the Grand Hyatt which was host hotel with expo and only .5 miles from starting line. The expo was my first ever and i was happily overwhelmed by all the people, booths/exhibits and free stuff. Coca-Cola had given out free 32 oz bottles of Powerade Green which remains a favorite of mine today. I was completely buzzed by the excitement in the place and thoughout the city. What a thrill.

Race day excerpt from jounral dated 7/4/98

"6:13am - today is the race. starting time is only 75 minutes away. today, i will run in my first ever peachtree road race. maybe i could make this a yearly ritual. it is part of this city-a rintual for many. it’s intoxicating. ....i just peekd outside and there are many people out-walking, running, wheel-chairing it along the streets. it was dark when i awoke at 5:30am, but the light is emerging now. ...given the fact i don’t know much about what pace i’ll go, i;ll set my goal at 55:00 or less. maybe i can figure it out as i go along. i doubt i can set a “normal goal” as these conditions aren’t normal. this is wondeful, ya know? I flew across the country to run with 54, 499 other runners on Independence Day. Go for it. Give everything. I’ll do my best!"

As I would soon learn, under 55 was not gonna happen. The race begins at 7:00am for the first folks, the elite. Everyone else starts afterwards, in increments. Given my rookie and out of towner status, i was at the back of the pack, one of the last groups to go..my start time was closer to 8am. And if you have ever tried to run in Atlanta in July, then you know the conditions. Plus...all the people. It was like a running rock concert. It was an adventure. I took it all in. Peachtree Road was lined with spectators the whole way. Loud crowds, music, bands, and water/mist sprayers. Soon enough, i made my way into Piedmont Park and across the finish line. Then, i made a bee-line for the t-shirt area. My first and highly coverted Peachtree Road Race t-shirt.

#1 Peachtree Finish Time = 57:38


more to follow...