It's gotta be a female as she can't seem to make up her mind. One day it's going to rain, the next snow....can you say menopausal weather????
Landed in Denver this am and the temps were 25F, within 30 minutes down to 12F, currently 7F and projected to be -7F tonight...WTF??? It only gets better....tomorrow the high is 5F and Low of -17F. That's cold by anyone's standard. Trying to stay healthy this week. Cold's are circulating around the office. I feel like operating out of my hotel room, sequestered from everyone. It's always stressful knowing how much time has been invested in training for a big event like the RR100 and the thought of missing it due to be sick. You've gotta be at the top of your game on race day, there is no faking it or muscling it through.
So I'm in bed and going to get 8 hours of sleep every night this week and pump my system full of antioxidants and vitamins, with lots of H2O.
Work is quite busy but in a positive way....lot's of cool things happening.
Today was a day of rest, while tomorrow am I plan on getting in 6-7 miles. Nothing strenuous. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow evening :) which I'm very happy about. Wednesday will get in a 2-3 mile run. Thursday the same and Friday is a travel day to Houston - so no work out.
Got up at 4AM today so I'm going to call it a day...
Cheers!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
My lightning's flashing across the sky You're only young but you're gonna die
A busy day in TN......Up early, yard work till 12:30, biz calls and emails and a 5.5 mile run at PL. Did I mention the yard work....how to trim knock out rose bushes....aint no easy way.
Lot's of running around and way too much stress as usual on a Sunday as I prepare to leave in the am for Denver......gotta get up a 4AM......fun stuff!
THis was not my idea of a stressless taper......a big bummer.
Any vays......signing off for the night..
Hells Bells....
Lot's of running around and way too much stress as usual on a Sunday as I prepare to leave in the am for Denver......gotta get up a 4AM......fun stuff!
THis was not my idea of a stressless taper......a big bummer.
Any vays......signing off for the night..
Hells Bells....
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Infamous Taper......
Got up early today to get some work done......that was until my computer decided to take a nap......off to Mac Authority to try and revive the damn thing....looking like I need to break down and buy a new piece of equipment. Not part of my plan today...grrr!!
Reserved an SUV from Hertz last night in Houston and got a room reserved for Tim and I near the course and Sam Houston University. Checked out the 10 day weather forecast for Huntsville and it's looking like a rainy Saturday with temps in the low 60's and low's in the high 30's...brrrrrrrr. Hopefully the wether will change and we'll have a picture perfect day.....fingers crossed. If not the course will look like the picture below.
In any event, we'll be prepared.......
Gotta go to Mac Authority now....
Reserved an SUV from Hertz last night in Houston and got a room reserved for Tim and I near the course and Sam Houston University. Checked out the 10 day weather forecast for Huntsville and it's looking like a rainy Saturday with temps in the low 60's and low's in the high 30's...brrrrrrrr. Hopefully the wether will change and we'll have a picture perfect day.....fingers crossed. If not the course will look like the picture below.
In any event, we'll be prepared.......
Gotta go to Mac Authority now....
Friday, January 28, 2011
1 Week till the Century Trail Run......
I have officially begun my taper today.....after an 8 mile trial run on Green Mountain I decided to take today off. I made it back to Nashville and had a great Sushi dinner and then answered a bunch of emails for work. I plan on getting up to hit the gym for an easy 3 mile run and solid core and stretch work out.
In the afternoon I've got a conference call at 1PM CDT and Jack has a Bball game at 2PM CDT. Then cooking a pot roast and chilling out for the rest of the day.
Getting most anxious to race........
Cheers!
In the afternoon I've got a conference call at 1PM CDT and Jack has a Bball game at 2PM CDT. Then cooking a pot roast and chilling out for the rest of the day.
Getting most anxious to race........
Cheers!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday was a day of "rest", which meant a solid core work out, calf raises and quad strength training. Played a little BBall with Jack, Sinclair and Sadie and then off to a TP meeting with Greg and Daryl.
Had about 5 hours of work to get done as well for PLLC.
Two good playoff games. Looking like a Steelers vs Packers Superbowl. Hopefully I'll make it back from the RR 100 to Nashville for the game with the kids.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Good Day......
Well I managed to get in 14 miles today on the tread mill at PL. Averaged around an 8:45/Mile. Felt pretty spent and significantly glycogen deficient at the end of the run. Only had one hammer gel early on and 32 oz of H2O. Felt like falling asleep while on the treadmill. I tried to emulate race condition feelings and then trying to fight thru the urge to stop and simply curl up and go to sleep. I successfully fought off the urges, did not pass out and made it home in one piece.
The tally for the week was about 49 miles. Pretty good for 2 weeks out from the RR100. No major injuries or issues to note. I plan on being careful over the next two weeks and cross training in the pool and bike. I will limit my running next week to 5 miles per day. The following week only 10 miles before the RR100 with a ton of rest, hydration, vitamins, etc.
A 100 mile run is nothing to take for granted. I have trained very hard for this event and feel good about getting to mile 60 or 70 and from there on is a toss up. You never know if you're going to twist an ankle, develop achilles issues, sprain a knee, develop exercise induced asthma, poor nutrition/hydration during the race, inclimate weather/temps, etc.
While I'm confident, trained and experienced.....again nothing can be taken for granted.....
Going to get some rest.....
Cheers!
PS - A great evening with the Ducey's at Wild Ginger (It's a sushi joint!)
The tally for the week was about 49 miles. Pretty good for 2 weeks out from the RR100. No major injuries or issues to note. I plan on being careful over the next two weeks and cross training in the pool and bike. I will limit my running next week to 5 miles per day. The following week only 10 miles before the RR100 with a ton of rest, hydration, vitamins, etc.
A 100 mile run is nothing to take for granted. I have trained very hard for this event and feel good about getting to mile 60 or 70 and from there on is a toss up. You never know if you're going to twist an ankle, develop achilles issues, sprain a knee, develop exercise induced asthma, poor nutrition/hydration during the race, inclimate weather/temps, etc.
While I'm confident, trained and experienced.....again nothing can be taken for granted.....
Going to get some rest.....
Cheers!
PS - A great evening with the Ducey's at Wild Ginger (It's a sushi joint!)
Friday, January 21, 2011
14 days.............
Banged out an 8.5 mile run before work today. I'm 14 days out from RR100 and feeling good. Going to get in another 10 miles in the am and call it a week. Next week begins the infamous taper.......
Cheers...
Cheers...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Night Trail Run in Red Rocks
So far this week I have managed to get in 9.25 miles on Sunday, travel day Monday, Tuesday got in a 20 minute swim, 1 hour spin class and a 45 minute run (5 miles), Wednesday rested and today got in 5 miles this am and another 7 this evening on the snowy trails in at Red Rocks, in Morrison CO with DTR's.
Running at night in the foothills of the Rockies is really something special. It was nearly a full moon tonight, with pretty clear skies. The temps were in the high 20's, which was a little chilly at first but then warmed up quickly as we made a 3 mile climb up the switch back trails. The trails tonight were much more technical than some others we run at night. I managed to wear 2 lamps, one around my waist and one on my head. It provided a pretty good view of the trails. I purchased, for $28, a nice pair of Yak Trax which go on the bottom of your running shoes to help with the traction in sketchy conditions. They worked really well and couldn't even tell that they were being worn.
No issue today with Posterior Tibial or anything else for that matter. I've been diligent with my stretching. Received a fabulous massage on Wednesday night which worked out most of my kinks - a real life saver. Getting to bed early so I can get up an put in 10 miles on the treadmill in the morning. I need to get in more miles as I've only logged in 26 miles so far this week and really would like to get in 50 before i begin the DREADED taper over the next 2 weeks, commencing this Sunday :(
With that said....I'm going to hit the rack.
Cheers!
Running at night in the foothills of the Rockies is really something special. It was nearly a full moon tonight, with pretty clear skies. The temps were in the high 20's, which was a little chilly at first but then warmed up quickly as we made a 3 mile climb up the switch back trails. The trails tonight were much more technical than some others we run at night. I managed to wear 2 lamps, one around my waist and one on my head. It provided a pretty good view of the trails. I purchased, for $28, a nice pair of Yak Trax which go on the bottom of your running shoes to help with the traction in sketchy conditions. They worked really well and couldn't even tell that they were being worn.
No issue today with Posterior Tibial or anything else for that matter. I've been diligent with my stretching. Received a fabulous massage on Wednesday night which worked out most of my kinks - a real life saver. Getting to bed early so I can get up an put in 10 miles on the treadmill in the morning. I need to get in more miles as I've only logged in 26 miles so far this week and really would like to get in 50 before i begin the DREADED taper over the next 2 weeks, commencing this Sunday :(
With that said....I'm going to hit the rack.
Cheers!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
There is No Substitute for Experience
At this time, 21 days from now I hope to be enjoying a nice breakfast and getting my 100 mile medal for completing the RR100 Trail Run. This morning I ran about 9.25 miles over near Percy Warner park with the usual Sunday am crowd. It was a fairly easy run, averaging about a 8:30/mile until the last 1.5 miles where I picked up the pace and ran it in at about a 6:30/mile.
I'm nursing a Posterior Tibial injury. It flared up yesterday on the treadmille and I had to cut my run short and finished at 16 miles instead of 20 miles, as planned. I took 2 alleve and iced it for 20 minute last night and did some research. Here's what I learned...
1. Left untreated it can cause the tendon to rupture and collapse of the arch
2. Treatment includes (i) Ice 2X/day for 20 minutes each session (ii) stretch calf (iii) wear shoes with a strong arch with limited flexibility (iv)try not to over pronate or do not turn your foot so that your big toe side of your foot does not strike first.
So my plan is simple. lower my miles from now till my race, ice it, take Alleve, wear the proper shoes and try to run on even surfaces. I think that the cause of the injury is due to the # of miles that I've put on using my Kona K-Swiss racing flats. They have officially been retired as of today.
Last week mileage ended up around 35-40 miles, about 10 miles short of plan - but an important part of training is listening to your body when you have an injury and rest. I'm not as trained up for the RR100 as I'd like to be, but then again I really don't think that anyone is. Running 100 miles isn't easy no matter how much one has trained. Patience and simple determination will be my race dace corner posts.
My weight has been consistently around 180-182 lbs for the last 60 days. Part of my training has included strength training and more specifically I've been doing quad and calf work outs with heavier weights, but still with high reps to build muscle. I think that I may have added a pound or two from the leg workouts. This is new for my routine. My thought was that running trails and hilly ones at that will require more muscle to avoid overuse injuries involving the tendons and knees. Another important part of staying healthy has been to get my weekly massage as well as doing a much better job of stretching.
There is something to be said about experience......for all you young bulls......stay away from the stove.
Cheers.... The Conquistador.
I'm nursing a Posterior Tibial injury. It flared up yesterday on the treadmille and I had to cut my run short and finished at 16 miles instead of 20 miles, as planned. I took 2 alleve and iced it for 20 minute last night and did some research. Here's what I learned...
1. Left untreated it can cause the tendon to rupture and collapse of the arch
2. Treatment includes (i) Ice 2X/day for 20 minutes each session (ii) stretch calf (iii) wear shoes with a strong arch with limited flexibility (iv)try not to over pronate or do not turn your foot so that your big toe side of your foot does not strike first.
So my plan is simple. lower my miles from now till my race, ice it, take Alleve, wear the proper shoes and try to run on even surfaces. I think that the cause of the injury is due to the # of miles that I've put on using my Kona K-Swiss racing flats. They have officially been retired as of today.
Last week mileage ended up around 35-40 miles, about 10 miles short of plan - but an important part of training is listening to your body when you have an injury and rest. I'm not as trained up for the RR100 as I'd like to be, but then again I really don't think that anyone is. Running 100 miles isn't easy no matter how much one has trained. Patience and simple determination will be my race dace corner posts.
My weight has been consistently around 180-182 lbs for the last 60 days. Part of my training has included strength training and more specifically I've been doing quad and calf work outs with heavier weights, but still with high reps to build muscle. I think that I may have added a pound or two from the leg workouts. This is new for my routine. My thought was that running trails and hilly ones at that will require more muscle to avoid overuse injuries involving the tendons and knees. Another important part of staying healthy has been to get my weekly massage as well as doing a much better job of stretching.
There is something to be said about experience......for all you young bulls......stay away from the stove.
Cheers.... The Conquistador.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Managed to get in 5.5 miles last night on the switch back trails in Golden CO. Temps were in the mid 30's. Trails were snow covered .... for the most part. This was my first night run in the Rockies with snow packed trails.
In order to run the trails I simply ran in my Saucony's with 2-3 screws in the front ball of the shoe and 2-3 on the heel. The set up worked really really well.
I must say, after being out of altitude for a few weeks really impacted my performance. Also, my asthma kicked in about 3/4 thru the run. Fortunately it was on the descent.
I did not get in my goal of 12 miles but that's ok. The quality of my workout was great! Vey very cool running at night in the snow.
Post run I enjoyed some homemade lasagna from Tim Engel. It was damn good! Lots of chatter about seeing a large mountain lion. I was too focused on the trail to look around for a mt lion.
Gotta get some miles in this weekend on the trails.
Feeling good right now.
Cheers!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Managed to stick with my schedule on Monday with a 5. mile run. Fartlek training followed by good core, calf and quad work out.
Yesterday got in another 7.5 miles in the evening. Work is beginning to heat up. Started at 10 minute mile and worked down to an 8 min/mile. Averaged 8:45/mile pace.
Total miles 13 for the week. Just landed in Denver with temps at minus 3F.
Rest day and will hit it jar tomorrow with a 12 mile run.
Cheers!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Rocky Raccoon Training Update
I'm not certain if one can ever be completely prepared or trained for a 100 mile trail run. When breaking down race day preparedness the following are significant determinants in the probability of successfully completing the event under the 30 hour time limit:
1) Weather
2) Nutrition
3) Physical conditioning
4) Mental conditioning
5) Support
Not necessarily in that order...but you get the gist.
Since the North Face 50 mile trail run I have been averaging 35 mile per week of running. This past week I peaked at 62 miles and my longest run has been 15 miles. I plan on getting in a 20 mile run this week and from there I will begin my taper. I will supplement my taper (which will be 25 miles/week) with long swims and spins classes.
The RR100 course appears to be pretty flat and non-technical, at least compared to my two points of reference, Leadville and Muir Woods. Race and course management will be a bit tricky as my tendency is to run too fast too early in the race. It's very difficult to run at a 10-12 minute mile pace when I train at a 8 min/mile pace. I'm just going to have to force myself to dial it back for the first 30-40 miles. Otherwise, I will pay for it late in the race, as I did in the NF50.
At 4 weeks out from the race this will be a 50 mile run week. Sunday - no run... Monday - 5 mile run... Tuesday - 8 mile run... Wednesday - no run....Thursday -12 mile run ....Friday - 20 mile run.....Saturday 5 mile run...
Hit Prairie Life tonight and got in a good core, calf, quad work out, along with a good stretch on the quads, calfs and IT Bands. Getting plenty of rest this evening and then a nice easy 5 mile run tomorrow. Thinking about adding on a 30 minute swim.....we'll see just how motivated I am tomorrow. Got a lot of things going on at the office and the twin's birthday on Tuesday.
Cheers
1) Weather
2) Nutrition
3) Physical conditioning
4) Mental conditioning
5) Support
Not necessarily in that order...but you get the gist.
Since the North Face 50 mile trail run I have been averaging 35 mile per week of running. This past week I peaked at 62 miles and my longest run has been 15 miles. I plan on getting in a 20 mile run this week and from there I will begin my taper. I will supplement my taper (which will be 25 miles/week) with long swims and spins classes.
The RR100 course appears to be pretty flat and non-technical, at least compared to my two points of reference, Leadville and Muir Woods. Race and course management will be a bit tricky as my tendency is to run too fast too early in the race. It's very difficult to run at a 10-12 minute mile pace when I train at a 8 min/mile pace. I'm just going to have to force myself to dial it back for the first 30-40 miles. Otherwise, I will pay for it late in the race, as I did in the NF50.
At 4 weeks out from the race this will be a 50 mile run week. Sunday - no run... Monday - 5 mile run... Tuesday - 8 mile run... Wednesday - no run....Thursday -12 mile run ....Friday - 20 mile run.....Saturday 5 mile run...
Hit Prairie Life tonight and got in a good core, calf, quad work out, along with a good stretch on the quads, calfs and IT Bands. Getting plenty of rest this evening and then a nice easy 5 mile run tomorrow. Thinking about adding on a 30 minute swim.....we'll see just how motivated I am tomorrow. Got a lot of things going on at the office and the twin's birthday on Tuesday.
Cheers
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