Check this out! Three Day Stage Race

Three Days of Syllamo.

Day One: 20k
Day Two: Montrail 60k
Day Three: Ozark Outdoor 30k

Coooooooooool!

Heartland 50 Official Results

The results aren't on the website yet, but they were posted to the ULTRAlist:

Keith Grimes 7:56:05
Steve Plumb 9:20:09
Nattu Natraj 10:23:58
Ross Brennan 10:51:20
Dan Threlkeld 11:05:14
Wes Monteith 11:13:20
Bill Gomboc 11:29:42
Edward Stillie 11:48:27
Stephen Tucker 11:48:27
John Rainey 12:03:10
Marshall King 12:34:37
Verna Troutman 12:52:49
Sherman Hodges 12:54:08
Sam Ferrel 13:13:23

So officially I was 11th out of 14 racers.

Update: There were 16 starters for the 50, so there were two DNFs. If I had been able to stick with my race plan I would have finished 7th. So that will be a goal for next year--lots of hill training, some speed training, and a faster finish! I can't wait!

Official results are now posted here.

Feeling Good!

Thanks to everyone for all the great comments of support and congratulations! I appreciate the time everyone took to read my post and look at my pictures.

I've been feeling great! Today I feel no different than if I had done a normal long run on Sunday. My muscles are slightly sore, ankles are slightly sore, hips are slightly sore, but all else is great.

On Monday we took our daughter to the State Fair of Texas. That was hard because we did a lot of walking on the hard cement. But I think the cold bath after the race and the walking on Monday may have helped me recover quickly. I'm planning to take the rest of the week off and then probably do an easy walk on Sunday, maybe 10 miles. We'll see how I feel.

I'm still trying to decide what races to do in the near future. I'm signed up for the Rock Ledge Rumble 25k on November 6th. That will be a lot of fun--it's on a pretty rugged trail at Lake Grapevine, near DFW Airport. I've trained there and it's a great trail. Then there is SunMart in December. It is a 50k and a 50 mile race. I'd like to do the 50 mile but need to see how I feel and what other races I want to do. Also, the 50 mile race has a 12 hour time limit, so I would definitely have to do better than I did at Heartland. So I think I'll consider the 50k, but not the 50 miler yet.

I don't think I'll try to do the new Big Bend 50. It is a 9-10 hour drive to Big Bend, so it would either be a very long drive or a two day drive, which would mean more money for travel and more time out of school for Lela. I think it would be better to skip that race.

Bandera, in mid-January, has a 100k and a 50k but it is supposed to be a tough course. Rocky Raccoon is a 100 mile/50 mile race in early February, so that is a possibility, but I also am considering doing the Mardi Gras Marathon in late February. I won the men's racewalk division at the half marathon this year, so it would be fun to go back and try to win the full marathon.

Whatever happens, I'd like to do Ouachita Trail in Arkansas in mid-April. It's supposed to be a great 50 mile race and the scenery is beautiful.

So basically, everything is up in the air. I definitely want to get in some more races, but I also want to train properly: I've decided to do all my weekend long runs on trails (I'll alternate between North Short at Lake Grapevine [toughest] and Rowlett Creek Preserve [easier with some tough sections]). I'm going to try to do at least one weekday training session on hills. The rest will have to be on roads and the track because I don't have any trails nearby. Hopefully this will help with my strength, endurance and speed.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well.

Heartland 50 Race Report Now Available

I've posted my pictures from Heartland. You can find them here.

Hills? Kansas has hills??

I will be talking about hills for a long time. My wife and I always joked about Kansas--flat, pancake flat, nothing for miles. I will never, ever say that again. Never. Ever.

The race was horrible and awesome! It was sublime for 33 miles and excruciating for 17. I made mistakes, but I'm already planning to learn from them.

First, the long and short of it: I finished. My official time was 12:34:37. One hour and ten minutes over my "goal" time. But I don't care! I finished. According to my Garmin, I spent 11:42:12 in motion (I'm not sure it qualified as racewalking, but it was movement of some sort) and almost 52 minutes resting. So I was over on my pace and my rest time. And I know exactly why: hills.

I've got lots of pictures (I took about 25 pictures on the course) and you will see hills. Out of 50 miles, only about 5 were flat. The rest were never flat--up the hill, crest the hill, down the hill, up the next hill, repeat. My biggest mistake is that I didn't slow down in the beginning to compensate for the hills. I really thought this was a flat race. I don't know why I didn't pay more attention to the altitude chart (I'll post a scan later). So when I saw those hills I should have slowed down. Instead I stayed right on pace (even a little under) and stuck with my race plan. I spent less time in the initial aid stations than planned and was just slightly ahead of pace. At the turnaround I felt great and got lots of good compliments from racers and volunteers.

Then at mile 33 I just crashed. I was in pain in my ankles and legs, and my back was KILLING me from stooping over when climbing hills. I just couldn't keep up the pace any longer, so I slowed to what for me is a crawl, mostly 15-16 minute miles. But I kept walking. I had to stop for 10-20 seconds every couple of miles to rest my back which was still in agony. But I kept walking. I came to Kansas to finish the race and that's what I was going to do. I just stuck with my slow pace and my forward motion and headed for the finish. At about mile 7 two kids on a four wheeler asked me if I wanted a lift! I felt like the gods were taunting me!! I declined the offer and kept walking. At the last aid station (unmanned) at mile 45.4 I pigged out--M&Ms, pringles, nuts. It was awesome. I'd had some trouble eating after the turnaround (that may have also contributed to my crash) so I loved shoving M&Ms in my mouth by the fistful.

About three miles from the finish I could see the water tower at the start line and I knew I'd make it. I knew Angela and Lela would be waiting for me. I just kept moving forward at my steady pace. As I turned the last corner the race workers, spectators (about three people) and some other racers, along with Angela and Lela, started ringing cowbells. Lela had some balloons for me. They put a lawn chair right in the middle of the street and I crossed the finish line, gave everyone a hug and collapsed into the chair. 12:34:37. Finished!

Interestingly, if I had slowed my pace early in the race to accommodate the hills I still would have come in after my goal, so no matter what this race was destined to be slower than I planned. But I'm just happy I finished. Several other racers dropped (my wife said every time they brought one in she was sure it was me!) so just to finish is an accomplishment. A runner that I corresponded with before the race who was running his first 50 came in an hour after his goal, which he also attributed to the hills.

After the race I ate some pizza that Angela and Lela brought me, then drank two Big Reds Sodas. When we got back to the hotel I took a cold bath (almost as uncomfortable as the walk) read a magazine in bed and then fell asleep. I woke up around 7:00 this morning and went out to get some coffee and drive around town a little bit, then I came back to the hotel and started getting things ready to load the car and head home.

I could write a super long post about the race but I'll hold off for now. Here are some interesting things about the race:

1. I didn't get one single blister. I never changed shoes or socks. I love my feet! They got me through a lot and didn't complain. I seem to have lost feeling in one of the small toes of my left foot, but other than that everything is A-OK.
2. This race only had about 200 racers, so most of the time I was alone. And I didn't mind it. I enjoyed the solitude and thinking about the race and about anything else that popped into my mind.

3. For the last 12 miles I had decided that ultramarathons are not for me. I planned how I would break the news to the RBF; I planned what I was going to send to the ultrawalking newsgroup; I planned to sell the Camelbak 100 liter pack that I recently purchased (I purchased it on eBay and I was going to sell it on eBay); I started thinking about what non-ultra races I would like to do next. But I can honestly say that after five minutes sitting in that lawn chair in the middle of the road, I threw all those thoughts out the window! I'm ready to do it again (later, not now!). It was an awesome experience, and although I hated a fair amount of it I still had a smile on my face, partly because it was humorous to think of myself trudging down the road all alone in the middle of nowhere. I had to laugh out loud when I passed cows on the side of the road because I must have looked like a fool!

But I have such an incredible sense of accomplishment. My wife compared it to childbirth--she hated it, she was in pain, she didn't understand why she was doing it, she swore she'd never do it again, but once it was over she was ready to do it again. I would never compare the birth of my child to a race, but I think the two experiences share this in common: a willingness to undergo pain in order to feel a sense of accomplishment.

So no, I'm not quitting ultras. I loved everything: the informality of the race, the small number of racers, the awesome volunteers, the beautiful scenery, the incredible challenge. I'm tentatively planning to race in the Big Bend Ultra Run, a brand new 50 mile race in Big Bend National Park, Texas, in mid-January. I'm starting to plan my training strategy, and there's one thing for certain: it will involve lots of hills!

I'll be posting a whole photoessay (assuming my pictures all come out) so be sure to check back for that. At a minimum you must stop by and see the pictures so you can say, "Damn, Marshall was right, Kansas does have hills!"

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and support!!

PS There are 89 posts to read from the RBF, so it may take me a while to catch up. I saw already that Dianna had an awesome first marathon! As she always says, "Woo hoo!" Nice work, Dianna.

I'm going to Kansas!

I'm already feeling much better than I did this morning. I have no doubt that I will toe the line Saturday morning in Cassoday, Kansas. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and support. I went out tonight to get my last remaining supplies--duct tape, moleskin, a small flashlight and a disposable camera. I finished packing my drop bags and I printed and laminated my race plan (along with a couple of motivational quotes). Here are the quotes I chose:

"Do, or do not. There is no try."
Yoda

"Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever."
Lance Armstrong

"People should learn endurance; they should learn to endure the discomforts of heat and cold, hunger and thirst; they should learn to be patient when receiving abuse and scorn; for it is the practice of endurance that quenches the fire of worldly passions which is burning up their bodies."
Buddha

I'm all ready to go!

Tom's a hit!

Tom Waits' new album, Real Gone, is a big hit. Read a great review here. It's definitely the latest adaptation of the signature Waits style. Lots of different moods and styles, lots of strange aural experiences, lots of obscure lyrics with that awesome Tom Waits voice.

I ordered mine from Amazon and I was able to listen to an audio stream of the entire album. It's incredible! If you'd like to hear the whole thing, you can access an audio stream here (but only through the end of the week). Check it out--you'll love it!

Whole lotta racin' goin' on!

Lots of bloggers will be racing this weekend. Make sure you stop by and give them some words of encouragement:


Dianna (the running chick with the orange hat) will be running her first marathon, the Hartford Marathon

Mike Paus will be running the Chicago Marathon

Hilary will be running the Steamtown Marathon

Annalisa will be running the Tufts 10k for Women

And of course Mark, aka the Blogfather, will be running the Royal Victoria Marathon

Special thanks to Mark for the Complete Running Calendar. If you haven't already done so, go here and post your upcoming races. You'll be surprised at the incredible support you will get from *almost* complete strangers!

I'm sick

OK, no need to panic yet, but I'm sick. Three days before Heartland, and I'm sick. It started a couple of days ago with a sore throat, which I hoped was just allergies. I felt a little worse yesterday morning, then last night I felt kind of light-headed and woozy. I took some antibiotics and some benadryl to help me sleep and then I slept late this morning and took the day off work today. I've got work to do but it can be done from home. My plan is to rest and sleep today and tomorrow, then sometime tomorrow make the decision--Go or No Go (I feel like a NASA flight engineer--how exciting!).

I've been loading up on vitamins, fruits and vegetables trying to boost my immune system. I had an Orange Dream Machine smoothie from Jamba Juice yesterday for lunch, and I'm going to have another one today. I've been drinking Emergen-C vitamin packets and took some extra multivitamins. I've also been sleeping a lot (about 10 hours last night). I'm hoping I can kick this before Heartland--my biggest concern is just feeling weak. It's seems fairly obvious that one should not undertake a 50 mile race if one is feeling weak!

Fortunately, I have a backup plan. If I can't get it together in time for Heartland, I'm going to race in the Palo Duro Trail Run in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States and is really beautiful. The race is exactly one week after Heartland so I would have an additional week to rest and recover. I had originally wanted to do this race but decided it would be better to race earlier (at the time I was training for Ultracentric 24 hour race). Now that I'm not worried about Ultracentric, this race would be great. I still hope Heartland works out because I'm excited, I've got a good plan, I'm prepared, I've tapered, etc. But at least I have a backup plan (I need to see how late I can cancel my hotel in Kansas).

So that's the latest from my world. I'm just going to take things as they come and see what happens. If all else fails I will switch back into training mode and continue training (and doing some shorter races). If that happens, I think I will train for two races:

1. SunMart: a 50k and 50 mile race in Huntsville State Park in Huntsville, Texas. I would probably do the 50k.
2. The Big Bend Ultra Run: a brand new 50 mile race in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

One of the cool things I really like about Ultras is all the cool places you get to race! I've been to Palo Duro Canyon several times, but always in the car. We might get out at designated "Scenic Overlooks", then jump right back in the safe car and drive around. It would be awesome to actually be out there "in the mix" and enjoying the canyon in a little bit more primitive manner.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. Hopefully I'll be lined up at 6:00 am in Cassoday, Kansas this Saturday!

Making preparations

I've started preparing for Heartland in earnest. Over the last few weeks I:

Bought three plastic laundry bags at the Dollar Store to use for Drop Bags
Bought two more packs of double-wide wrist sweat bands
Bought 6 Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bars
Ordered a case of Clip2 Energy Drink
Saved plastic grape juice bottles to fill with Clip2 and put in my drop bags
Filled four gel flasks with Hammer Gel (mix of Espresso and Vanilla)
Prepared a race plan and drop bag checklist
Bought a laminating kit so I can print out and laminate my race plan and attach it to my Camelbak
Bought bag tags that can be laminated and attached to my drop bags
Made sure all my race clothes are washed and ready to go

I still need to find some moleskin in case I have blisters. I've never had a problem with blisters in the past, but I want to be prepared.

The race has three manned and three unmanned aid stations. The course is out and back, so I'll get to visit each aid station twice. That's a lot of aid stations for a 50 mile race. My plan is that I will NOT stop in the unmanned aid stations (if water is readily available I will grab it and go). I will stop in two manned aid stations (Battle Creek and Lapland) for no more than five minutes to refill my Camelbak, grab a new wristband or hat if needed, get more Clif Bars or Gel, etc. At the Teterville Road aid station, which is 1/2 mile before and after the turnaround, I will stop once (after the turnaround, so at 25.5 miles). I've scheduled 15 minutes in this aid station in case I need time to change socks and shoes, treat blisters, etc. However, I would love to get in and out quickly. If I stick to my goal race pace (13:00 per mile) and my aid station strategy (total of 35 minutes, which I think is generous) I will finish in 11:25. I'm hoping my pace is a little faster and I spend a little less time in the aid stations, so maybe I will come in faster than that.

Later today I'm actually going to fill my drop bags so I make sure I have everything I need. Then I'll think about what to wear (I want to pick clothes to minimize chafing). Then I'll wait. This tapering is awful. I'm going to walk 5-10 easy miles tomorrow, then walk Tuesday, then no more walking until the race. I'm really, really excited--it's going to be a long week!

My daughter's going to run a marathon!

We've signed her up for Marathon Kids, a program that encourages kids to eat healthy, exercise and run a marathon over a five month period. We will track her distance every time she runs and she'll run her "final mile" at an event next year. We went to the kick-off today where she ran her first loop around the track. It was crowded, but not crowded enough. This was the kickoff for all of the Dallas area, but there were probably only 1,000 kids there. I was disappointed that my daughter's school didn't make more of an effort to recruit kids. I only saw a few of her schoolmates there, but other schools arrived in buses with dozens of students (one had over 140). I think next year I will work with the school to promote this event because I think it is so important. Childhood obesity is growing rapidly (as everyone knows) and PE time is diminishing. Kids need something to compete with the television and the video games.

Save your pennies! October 5th will be a great day!

Two of my favorite artists have new albums coming out on October 5th!

Tom Waits will release all new material on Real Gone. Tom Waits is the Alpha and Omega of all music cool and innovative. His recent albums have been almost flawless and incredibly diverse.

Anti records will also release the last album recorded by Elliott Smith before his suicide. from a basement on a hill has 15 songs, including two of my favorites, "Pretty (Ugly Before)" and "A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free."

Best of all, they are being released the Tuesday before Heartland so I can buy them and listen to them on the long drive to Kansas!

Tried something different today

Since I'm tapering for Heartland I'm not doing any difficult workouts. But I still want to walk, both to maintain my weight and for the enjoyment of it. So today I tried a slightly different workout. Instead of planning a set distance, I set my Garmin Forerunner to alert me after 1 hour 20 minutes. My plan was to walk to the track and around the track for 1:20, then walk back, giving me about 1:28-1:30 of walk time. I also turned off the auto-lap feature of the Forerunner.

Then I started walking. I didn't look at my watch; I didn't monitor my distance or pace. I just walked until Garmin told me I had hit 1:20, then I walked home. I thought this would be good mental training for Heartland; I don't want to spend 50 miles and 11 hours staring at my watch every five minutes. Interestingly I really enjoyed the walk. I don't listen to music while I walk so I just spent 1:30 thinking, about work, about the race, about goals, about the family, about anything. A great way to clear my mind and enjoy the physical activity without the stress of laps, pace, etc.

Distance: 7.21 miles
Time: 1:28:03
Pace: 12:12

50 km at Goal Pace; Time to Taper

Today was my last long walk before Heartland. My goal was to do 30+ miles at my race pace. I've decided for Heartland that I will try to maintain 13:00 minutes per mile pace, plus I'll take approximately 35 minutes of breaks at the aid stations. That's 10:50 of walking, with a finish time of 11:25. The cutoff is 12:00 so I think that will give me plenty of time.

My biggest trouble today was going slow! I had a really hard time going 13:00 mpm; I only walked 5 miles over 13:00; I walked one under 12:00 and a lot between 12:00 and 12:30. My overall pace was 12:38 so that's pretty close. At least I know I can slow down and still stay on track.

For the next three weeks I'm going to take it easy. I'm still going to walk 4-5 times a week for the next two weeks, but the walks will be slower and shorter. The last week I may walk Monday, then not at all until Tuesday. This will be my longest taper ever but I think I need it. I was pretty sore by the end of the walk today so I need to get over that and build back my strength.

I hope everyone had successful training or races this weekend.

Distance: 31.1 miles
Time: 6:33:08
Pace: 12:38

Nice weekend so far

We've had great weather here in Dallas and I took advantage of it. Yesterday my daughter and I went geocaching. I heard about geocaching by reading Jon's blog and Flashes of Panic. It's basically like a "treasure hunt" or scavenger hunt with GPS (if you're interested there's a lot of great information on the Geocaching website). I thought it would be a good activity for my daughter and me, a good way to get outdoors and get her used to exploring slightly unknown areas. We didn't go any place exotic--all of the caches were within two miles of our house, and one was in the very park where she plays. But it's interesting that normally we stick to the sidewalk and the marked areas and never venture off anyplace unusual. Geocaching encourages us to explore. I'm excited about a series of caches I read about yesterday--there are 6 caches along the DART red line light rail. I'm a big fan of mass transit (both as an environmental issue and as a cool thing to enjoy--I have a Master's degree in Urban studies) and I've taken my daughter out on the buses, trains and trolleys here in Dallas, so I think we'll really enjoy a cache hunt combined with light rail.

After the cache hunt (we found three of the four we were hunting) we ran our normal weekend errands (Whole Foods Market, Tom Thumb, etc.) and we all spent the evening together at home. I made Bar-b-que'd Sweet Plantains for dinner, then my wife and I fell asleep watching Full Metal Jacket (we're both huge Kubrick fans and like all of his films except Eyes Wide Shut).

Today I walked on a trail I had never walked before, the Rowlett Creek Preserve. It's primarily a mountain biking trail maintained by DORBA. It's a good trail with a lot of variety (some nice dips and hills, some smooth and easy sections, lots of shade) but since it's more urban than the North Shore of Lake Grapevine there was a lot more trash around the trail and in the creeks; it was kind of depressing. I wanted to do some trail walking but I didn't want to push too hard since I need to start tapering for Heartland, so I just walked all of the loops once, completing almost 11 miles. My pace was fairly slow because I stopped frequently to enjoy the wildlife: lots of large spiders, a baby snake, some turtles in the creek, etc. I will probably walk this trail again since it is only 15-18 minutes from my house, but I prefer North Shore and will probably spend more time there. North Shore is also a more challenging trail so it will provide better training; I think I spent about 30-40% of my time at North Shore jumping, hopping, running up hills, etc.

For the rest of the day we are just going to prepare for the week: laundry, cleaning, etc. I've got to make a quick trip to San Antonio Monday night, coming back Wednesday night. I'm also going to start planning my gear for Heartland. I'll post more information soon about the race, the aid stations, the route, etc. One bad thing is that there is a high probability of flat tires for crews, so my wife and daughter will probably not crew for me at the race. They will be there when I start and finish, but my wife is not physically able to replace a tire due to her reduced long capacity so it's too risky to ask her to crew for me.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and great racing/training!

New blogger from Iraq

Here is a blog from a running member of the U.S. military in Iraq. Interesting reading. Go back to some of the first posts in June
to learn a little more about him and his history.

More flip flops than John Kerry

Just kidding! I'm a Democrat (actually I'm left of the Democrats) but I'm not a big fan of Kerry. I do think the charge of flip flopping is unfair (considering how much the world has changed in 30 years, I would expect someone's views to change).

Anyway, this isn't a political post. I'm doing the 50 mile ultra in Kansas. I know, I know, I said I wasn't. I've been struggling with my goals and my purpose lately. Not in a bad way--struggling is probably not the best word. Exploring, considering, pondering, wondering, hoping. What I've finally decided, for the time being, is this:

1. I like being outdoors, I like trails, I like the variability and unpredictability of trail walking.
2. I want to be outdoors for longer periods. I don't like short races.
3. I want to explore other outdoor/endurance activities, such as fast packing/ultralight backpacking. I want to do some of these activities with my daughter.
4. I want to forget about pace, time, ranking, etc. I want to get outside and move and enjoy it.

So I decided to go ahead and go to Kansas and put my ass on the trail and see what happens. I'm not going to do the 24 hour track race. I'm going to focus on trails, some ultras and some shorter distances, and I'm going to learn about hiking, backpacking, primitive camping, fastpacking, etc. I'm a city boy. I don't know anything about the outdoors or survival or camping. But I want to know. I want to walk away from the world for several days with just a pack on my back. I want to introduce my daughter to a world beyond cars and concrete and work. I know this all sounds weird and hopelessly romantic, but this is what is inside of me right now. I'd like to go on some exciting adventure with my daughter when she is older, like hiking the Appalachian Trail or hiking in some remote spot overseas or something else crazy and adventurous!

So my plan is to race in the Heartland/Spirit of the Prairie 50 mile race on October 9th. I've also signed up for the Rock Ledge Rumble, a 25k trail race here in the Dallas area. After that I don't know what I'll do, and I don't care. I will probably explore more of the local trails and spend some time just enjoying the outdoors and my own movement. I just want to have fun, to feel fit and to feel challenged.

Thanks to everyone for their recent suggestions and support. I'm excited!

Coincidentally, I made this decision yesterday and booked a hotel. Today in the mail I got my race packet. I feel like everything is meant to be. Our hotel is in El Dorado, which is mentioned in one of my favorite poems ("Wichita Vortex Sutra" by Allen Ginsberg) which was then made into one of my favorite musical works (the poem read by Ginsberg himself with piano accompaniment by Philip Glass). Here's a good excerpt (curse blogger for removing the formatting!):

Let the States tremble,
let the Nation weep,
let Congress legislate its own delight
let the President execute his own desire -
this Act done by my own voice,
nameless Mystery -
published to my own senses,
blissfully received by my own form
approved with pleasure by my sensations
manifestation of my very thought
accomplished in my own imagination
all realms within my consciousness fulfilled
60 miles from Wichita
near El Dorado,
The Golden One,
in chill earthly mist
houseless brown farmland plains rolling heavenward
in every direction
one midwinter afternoon Sunday called the day of the Lord -
Pure Spring Water gathered in one tower
where Florence is
set on a hill,
stop for tea & gas

Check out this blog!

Check out Tales of slow, brave Athena. What an athlete! And what an attitude! Go, Athena. You're an inspiration!

Weird.....

I wrote two posts on Tuesday and I thought they were lost. They never showed up on my blog and I got a "Page Not Found" error when I tried to post them.

Well, now they are here! I don't know how or why, but I guess Blogger finally posted them.

Arrrrrgghhh!

Last night I wrote a long post about walking in marathons, based on this article from Runner's World. Then Blogger lost it. I don't have the energy to rewrite it.

Then I overslept today! I will probably only be able to train one day this week (tomorrow) because Tuesday was a rest day, I overslept today, and Friday I feel like I should take the day off before the 5k on Saturday. Oh well, it is what it is. I also feel like my cold is coming back, so maybe it is better that I didn't walk today.

Runner's World article on Marathon Walkers

Chris Brogan pointed me to this article in the current Runner's World. I had heard that someone was writing an article through the Yahoo! Marathon Walkers group but I hadn't seen it yet.

My first thoughts on reading it:

1. It doesn't really apply to me. While I'm no elite racewalker, I can compete with a fair number of runners out there and don't want to finish at the back of the pack any more than runners do. I'm out there to compete and push myself, even if I'm only competing against me.

2. Most of the complaints about walkers have to do with race etiquette, not walking in and of itself. There are plenty of people (runners and walkers) who line up at the front when they shouldn't, or congregate together and block the path. Walkers are only more visible and an "easy" target for complaints.

3. This is more of a problem in these large, mega-events. In the few large events I've done the start has always been crowded, confusing and frustrating, no matter where you start. I often have to dodge around people (and people often have to dodge around me) because of the sheer number of participants. This is one reason why I much prefer smaller races, especially 100-300 people.

4. I completely respect the position of the race directors. They have to make money or the events we all love will go away. I feel that they should set reasonable limits on their events and expect that the participants will manage themselves and their own capabilities. There is a large market in walkers so some events will naturally cater to that crowd. But there is nothing wrong with an RD who puts a 6 hour or 5 hour limit on the race. In racewalking I've seen some shorter races (mile, 5k) that told you not to show up if you couldn't keep a certain pace (and they were paces I could not maintain) so this is not exclusive to running.

All in all it was a pretty balanced article that I'm sure will receive a lot of feedback. I don't think there is any reason that walkers and runners can not coexist. They are each trying to accomplish something different. Think about trail runners, mountain bikers and hikers. When I recently walked the North Short of Lake Grapevine, I was very proud to complete the out-and-back in a little under four hours. A mountain biker could probably finish in 1-2 hours; a good trail runner is 2-3; a hiker in 7-8. Each of us sought something different out of the same route. I don't compare myself to runners because we are in different sports, just like a road cyclist shouldn't compare him/herself to a runner.

There was only one quote that bothered me, by Bob Glover, author of The Competitive Runner's Handbook: "Now they just go out and do it because they're told they don't have to run it, they can walk it. It's a cop-out for an underachieving society." That is an unnecessarily harsh and unfair statement. Someone who walks a marathon has achieved something! Most people, even most reasonably fit people, could not walk 26.2 miles. It is an achievement. Like I said above, it is a different achievement. I doubt any of these eight hour marathoners count themselves in the same "league" as the elites like Bob (jerk). I am totally in awe of olympians, elite marathoners, ultramarathoners. But I'm still working my butt off to be better and faster and stronger and healthier. To criticize my effort is to criticize amateurism in general. Should only superstars play basketball? Should only prodigies play the violin or the electric guitar? Should I stop playing chess? Or better yet, should I tell my daughter to stop learning chess if it becomes apparent that she will never be a Chess master? ARRGH! I have to stop before I get more angry!

Since I'm on this topic, I did receive an interesting comment during my race yesterday. I usually negative split my races because it takes me a little while to warm up. Therefore I usually pass a few people during the race. Yesterday was no exception--I probably passed 10 people in the last half of the race and was only passed by one.

Right before the turnaround I passed a woman who said, "I thought this was a running race." She immediately said, "Just kidding," but she didn't really sound like she was kidding. She might have been. Or she might have felt discouraged that a mere "walker" was passing her. Who knows.

In the last mile of the race a woman who passed me said, "I've been so impressed with you for the last few miles. Good job!" Mostly I've met with tons of encouragement and nice comments, even from people I'm passing.

So much of someone's attitude toward walkers depends on one's attitude in general. That's the main lesson I've learned. What do you think?

Rainy, Messy Labor Day 15k

Today I returned to racing on a wet and rainy Labor Day. My wife had some insomnia last night so I ended up waking up at 4:30 and never going back to sleep (it's hard to sleep when someone is watching "The Shining"!). I was reading the news on the internet and relaxing when I heard the sound of very loud and hard rain! I hadn't checked the weather in a few days so I wasn't expecting rain. Luckily it slowed down by the 7:30 start; it lightly rained about half the race and then stopped for the other half.

My legs felt pretty heavy and slow during a lot of the race. I think that might be because I didn't train at all last week; I took an unprecedented seven day break from racewalking. But I still had pretty decent times, a negative split and a PR. I had one really slow mile in the middle (mile 6) but that was mostly due to slowing down at an aid station and adjusting one of my safety pins that was starting to rub uncomfortably. My splits were: 10:22, 10:22, 10:22, 10:09, 10:12, 10:34, 10:11, 10:15, 10:15, 3:12. My previous PR was 1:38:20 (10:33 pace) so I trimmed almost three minutes off my previous best and 18 seconds per mile off the pace. I think if we had had dry weather I could have done even better.

Distance: 15 kilometers
Time: 1:35:37
Pace: 10:15/mile

I'm planning to race in a 5k next weekend (9/11, the Freedom Run). I'm hoping to set a PR but since I haven't been doing any speedwork that may not be possible. I thought I could go faster today but never got below 10:09/mile, so I may not be able to push the pace below my current 5k PR of 10:08. I am planning to do some speedwork on Wednesday so maybe that will remind my legs what it feels like to go fast!

Happy Labor Day and happy racing/training to all the other bloggers out there.

Big news

It was on June 8 that I announced my intention to race in a 24 hour ultra. Today, I'm announcing that I've changed my mind and I'm cancelling my plans. I've decided that I just don't want to push myself that hard right now. As Chris Brogan mentioned in one of his comments, this is supposed to be fun, but it's not fun for me right now. I'm burning the candle at both ends to get in my miles and it's starting to catch up with me. I've been sick since Sunday and haven't walked at all since then. I've decided that for the time being I want to work on speed and I want to RACE! I'm tired of walking at a 12:30 to 13:00 minute per mile pace when I know I can do 9:20 to 10:20.

It's funny but this hasn't been a difficult or agonizing decision. I'm tired of walking slow, I'm tired of not racing, I'm tired of being sore all the time, I'm tired of walking myself to the point of exhaustion and pain each Sunday. Once I decided this isn't what I want to do right now I felt much better. I'm really excited and already have some race plans.

If I can get over this cold I'm going to race in the Labor Day 15k on Monday, then the Freedom Run 5k on 9/11. Then I might do the Lost Dog 20k on October 10, and the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon on November 7.

I'll probably do a 5k race in November, along with the Turkey Trot, then finally I'll Run the Rock in the Dallas White Rock Marathon. Last year I did the half and I've always wanted to do the full marathon. This is Dallas' premier marathon and always draws a large crowd.

So that's my news. Thanks to everyone for their comments, thoughts and encouragement. I'm excited and and glad I made this decision. I'm looking forward to training again and hope to set some PRs in my upcoming races. After all, I have been walking 50-70 miles per week, so that's got to help my strength, endurance and speed. If I spend some time focusing on speedwork I hope to get my pace below 9:00 per mile on some shorter races. I'm not there yet, but that will be my new goal.

Happy running and walking!

Beautiful day!

Today was a beautiful day for a walk. Yesterday morning it rained non-stop. I heard it from bed and was so glad Saturday is my rest day. I also got to sleep in yesterday because my wife got up and took care of the little one (normally I try to let my wife sleep in on Saturday because she gets up every other day of the week to get the kid ready for school or because I'm on my long Sunday walk).

Today's weather was cool for this time of year (70's) and sunny. There was a big, beautiful, yellow moon setting over the lake and the downtown skyline when I started walking (at 5:30!) and the lake was full from yesterday's rain. I saw a raccoon, some turtles and lots of birds.

The walk was kind of tough. I went out too fast and was getting pretty sore by the end of my second loop (three "short" loops equals about 27.3 miles) but I really wanted to get in three loops so I kept going. My times on the last loop were slower but acceptable to me so I feel pretty good about the results.

I can say that I'm getting a little burned out on the Ultra training. It takes so much time, and it prevents me from racing because I have to stay on track with my long distance training. I also don't do much speedwork and don't have much variety in my training because I'm just focusing on quality miles. I think I've decided to switch back to half and full marathons (for a while, maybe forever) after the Ultracentric race at the end of November. There are a lot of races I'd like to do but can't because of the two pending ultras.

After November I'll probably do the New Year's Day 5 mile run again, then the Lake Benbrook Half Marathon again, then the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans. Last year I won the men's half marathon racewalk division; I'd really like to try to win the full marathon this year. We'll see how I feel after November 28th!

Distance: 27.2 miles
Time: 5:21:14
Pace: 11:48

Olympic 50k Racewalk Results

Robert Korzeniowski captured his fourth gold medal in racewalking by winning the men's 50k racewalk in 3:38.46, only 17/100 of a second short of the Olympic Record. He won the 50k Gold in Sydney and Atlanta and the 20k Gold in Sydney. Many consider him to be the greatest walker ever. The American walkers, Curt Clausen and Phillip Dunn, finished in 32nd and 35th place, respectively. Here are the complete results.

Here is a photo essay.

I'm a little behind in my posts

I'm a little behind in my posts for the week so let me quickly catch up.

Sunday I was successful in my long walk. I walked 33 miles and felt pretty bad at the end, but no so bad that I couldn't go to lunch with the family and go to the mall and the grocery store. I went a little too fast (my pace was at least one minute faster than my planned ultra race pace) which contributed to my fatigue at the end. I ended up with 73 miles for the week, my highest weekly mileage ever.

Distance: 33.0 miles
Time: 6:45:19
Pace: 12:16

Monday was a rest day.

Tuesday I walked in the neighborhood and at the track. I pushed the pace and felt really good. I was happy I could walk pretty fast considering I had walked 33 miles two days before. I even turned in a 9:44 final mile.

Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: 1:50:50
Pace: 10:51

Wednesday I felt tired and was also running a little late so I only walked 8 miles. I have a little less flexibility in my morning schedule because I drop my daughter off at school.

Distance: 8.23 miles
Time: 1:38:53
Pace: 12:00

Thursday I was just sooooo tired. I've been getting up every day at 4:00 am, but not getting in bed until 9:30 - 10:30, so I decided to get back in bed and rest.

Today I felt better and did my normal neighborhood/track walk. My time was pretty good and I didn't feel like I was pushing hard.

Distance: 10.3 miles
Time: 1:51:45
Pace: 10:50

Tomorrow the plan is to sleep in and rest, then do 22-26 miles on Sunday. I'm thinking about trying a new trail so I can get in more miles on the trails. My first ultra is a trail ultra (although it is supposed to be a pretty easy, smooth and flat course) so I feel like I need some trail miles to help me prepare.

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend and gets in some good training or racing!

Olympic Racewalk Results to Date

There have already been two great racewalk events at the Olympics, the Men's and Women's 20k walks. Both were exciting races and the "favorites" were upset, especially in the Women's event where local Greek walker Athanasia Tsoumeleka "walked" away with the Gold! The American men had good races, but when you compare them to the field you can see that Europe and Asia (especially China and Russia) put a lot more emphasis on racewalking than we do here in the States.

Men's 20k Racewalk:
Results
Photo Essay

Women's 20k Racewalk
Results
Photo Essay

Article on Racewalking

Here's a decent article on Racewalking from the Boston Globe, including brief interviews with the US Racewalkers at the Olympics. The article is a little bit silly but portrays racewalking in a positive light.

First Day of School!

Except for non-stop torrential rain, the first day of school went as well as can be expected. Here are a few pictures:


Here is Lela, about to enter her classroom for the first day of school.


Here she is having some second thoughts and first day fears.


She's settled in and getting to business.

Mom did OK with only a few tears after we left the classroom. This will impact her more than anyone since she spent all day with Lela. She's considering her options, including volunteering, working, school, or sleeping.

Walking related, I had good walks yesterday and today. Yesterday I went to the track for my usual workout; I've increased my daily walks from 7 miles to 10-11 miles. Yesterday I felt good and pushed the pace quite a bit.

Distance: 11.20 miles
Time: 2:00:52
Pace: 10:47

Today I went to a local paved walking trail because the track was too waterlogged. The route is short so I tried some neighborhood walks to extend it. I was also pretty tired from lots of walking this week so I cut the walk short at 10 miles.

Distance: 10.10 miles
Time: 1:57:38
Pace: 11:38

I'm blogging from San Antonio. Our development project goes live tonight so I have to sit around until 9:00 pm, then go on site and test everything to make sure it transitioned to production correctly, then sleep, then fly home tomorrow morning. Luckily tomorrow is a rest day so I don't have to get a walk in. Sunday I'll do long miles, hopefully 33-34 if I'm feelng OK.

I also got another pair of shoes, New Balance 110s:

These are the only commercially available shoes specifically for racewalking. They are light and very flexible, but they don't offer much support, so I primarily use them for shorter distances. I use the NB 833s for longer walks, and Asics GT 2080 (since discontinued and replaced with 2090) for trail walks. They are road running shoes, not trail shoes, but they offer me the additional support and cushioning I need on hard trails and I don't want to spend money on a pair of trail shoes yet.

Catching Up

I haven't posted in a while! Things have been busy. I all but wrapped up my recent project (just a few more tasks to be completed) and proposed a new job for myself to our CEO--put me in charge of employee relations, because employee satisfaction at my company is at its nadir and many people are looking for jobs (some are just waiting on an offer so they can resign). I got her approval of my ideas, but today I prepared a budget for her. As they say, Money talks. We'll see if she is still as interested after she sees the money I want to spend.

We also bought a new car, a Honda Civic for my wife. We have always been a single car family and have never had any problems, but now that our daughter is starting school (tomorrow! Weep!!) we really needed a second car. We were able to get the payments and terms we wanted, and we showed up at the dealership around 6:30 and left around 10:00, so it was a pretty quick and painless process.

As for walking, I've done quite a bit of that. My last post was August 8th after my 32 mile long walk. Last week I only walked three times because I had some major hip pain in the middle of the week. But I was still able to walk 40.6 miles in those three days.

The most interesting and challenging walk was a trail walk on the North Shore Trail of Lake Grapevine, outside Dallas. I got there at 6:00 am and hit the trail, only to find that the trails were filled with spider webs! With big spiders!! Some of the spiders were as big as my thumbnail (just their bodies, not including the legs)! I had to pick up some brush and wave it in front of me as I walked to flush out the webs. It was a little disgusting for a while, but eventually the sun came up and other hikers/runners/cyclists hit the trails and cleared up the webs.

This trail was very, very challenging. I actually ran quite a bit, running up and down the major inclines, and I jumped over rocks, up rocks, over roots, across streams, etc. When I finished my legs were killing me and they were still sore for a couple of days. I walked the entire North Shore Trail round trip, plus a couple of small "detours" (I got lost) so I walked a total of 19.13 miles at a pace of 12:32. Considering the difficulty of the trail I thought that was a good pace.

I took Monday off to recover and did an easy recovery walk Tuesday morning:

Distance: 7.16 miles
Time: 1:29:55
Pace: 12:33

Today I did a longer walk and pushed the pace a little more:

Distance: 11.11 miles
Time: 2:05:32
Pace: 11:17

Tomorrow I would like to do another 10-11 miles, then 14 on Friday, then Saturday off, then long mileage on Sunday. I haven't decided for sure, but I would like to do about 33-34 miles. We'll see how I feel Saturday/Sunday morning.

I have lots of blogs to catch up on. I hope everyone is healthy and happy and enjoying their running/walking.

It wasn't pretty, but at least it's over

I did my long walk today, and it nearly killed me! ;) It was tough. I decided to do three loops at the lake. The first two were a standard loop of the lake plus an extra small loop on the spillway that makes the entire circuit 11 miles. So after two loops I was at 22 miles. Then I started my third loop, which was to be a standard loop and a smaller extra loop to get about 10 miles and end up around 32. At the beginning of the third loop I kicked a board on a wooden bridge and almost tripped. It strained my right knee a little bit and I thought about turning around, but the pain wasn't too bad and didn't seem to be aggravated by walking. It's not sore now so I guess the problem wasn't too severe.

I drank a TON today. I filled up my 40 oz. Camelbak with half gatorade/half water. Then I filled it up with 100% gatorade (after loop 1). Then I filled it up with 100% water (after loop 2). Then I stopped at 7-11 and bought another bottle of water to fill it up (halfway through loop 3). That's approximately 160 oz. of fluids! But believe me, I needed it. I only needed to urinate once during the walk, so I guess the rest of it was burned up and went to good use.

I also managed to do the whole walk with only one small sip of gel. I ate a Clif Bar and a couple of Fruit Leathers, and I took Succeed Electrolyte caplets.

By the end I just wanted to sit down. What really sounded good was a Coke with crushed ice; I started mapping a route to Sonic on the way home. This is unusual for me because I only drink Coke/sodas about once per month. But it sounded sooooo good. I just kept reminding myself that I could have a nice, big, cold Coke and some crushed ice to chew. That was my mantra for the last 5 miles, and I managed to drag my tired carcass to the car and drive myself to Sonic to fulfill my promise to myself. I was (and still am) beat and feel a little sore and tired, but nothing I haven't felt before. Now I'm going to clean up the house and do a little laundry, then try to sit down and read a book. I've also got to pack; back to San Antonio tomorrow, but only for 2 1/2 days/2 nights. I'll use the hotel treadmill while I'm there.

And the new shoes were great! The extra support was really needed today, but they are still very light. My only problem with my feet was that I pulled my socks on two hard and they hurt my toes, plus I have one small toe with a sore in the nail area that was uncomfortable. But no permanent damage!

I hope everyone had good training/racing this week.

Distance: 32.30 miles
Time: 6:38:20
Pace: 12:19

I'm back

I'm back from my long business trip to San Antonio. I was supposed to return on Saturday morning (after putting the application into production late Friday night) but the customer messed up and production has been delayed by two weeks. So yesterday as soon as I could I headed to the airport and went standby on the first flight back to Dallas. I ended up on the ground in Dallas by 5:00 and was picked up by my wonderful wife and daughter.

I spent all week training, two classes that were each two days long. It was exhausting and stressful. Luckily it's almost over: one more two-day class next week, then a quick trip in two weeks for the production rollout, then I'll go into "maintenance and support" mode for this system and roll off onto some new projects.

I really wore myself out this week. Whenever I travel I stay up too late, and I had to get up early every morning so I could get to the training early and setup. I spent all day on my feet talking and training. I didn't eat enough. But I still managed to walk three afternoons/evenings at McAllister Park, the park with the wonderful trails I discovered last week. The only bad thing about the walks is that I walked in the evening, not the morning, so the temperatures were between 95 and 100 degrees. I'm really not used to those temperatures!

I managed to walk 6.23, 7.58 and 6.14 miles in the park on the trails. They are a mixture of smooth dirt, rocky dirt, some nice rock with scree, lots of roots, etc. The trails are really awesome--I saw tons of cactus and prickly pear, lots of other flora and fauna, armadillos, deer, wild turkeys, etc. I might try to take some pictures next week so everyone can see how awesome this park is.

Due to my travel schedule I took two days off (Friday and Saturday). Tomorrow it will be back to the roads. I'm planning on doing a little over 30 miles tomorrow; that will be three loops around White Rock Lake, and I'll have to add a little extra loop I've discovered to get over 30 (a standard loop is about 9.3 miles). I'm going to get up at 4:00 and get going as quickly as possible, both to avoid the heat and to get home early and spend some quality time with my family. All this travel has been hard on everyone and I really miss being home. Since I have to leave again Monday I want to spend as much time with them as possible.

I hope everyone is having good training and avoiding the heat.

New shoes!

Picked up some new shoes today, New Balance 833s:



They are very lightweight and are used by a lot of racewalkers even though they are technically running shoes. They are also pretty cool looking, which is nice--silvery and space age, something David Bowie might have worn when he was in his "Major Tom" phase.

I really needed something new since my current shoes have 300+ and 500+ miles. These provide a little more support than then NB 110s (made specifically for racewalking) and should make my long walks more comfortable.

Two good long walks

This was my first weekend to be able to do two longs walks, which is one of my training techniques for Heartland and Ultracentric. Since it is not practical to do many ultra-distance walks in training, doing two (or three) long walks in a week is one way to acclimate my body to the long distances required for ultras.

On Saturday it was pretty cool for this time of year, low 70s in the beginning, low 80s at the end, and it wasn't too humid. I started around 6:15 and completed 20.1 miles. I pushed the pace a little bit (more than I should have considering I was going to do another long walk on Sunday) and by the end of the walk I was feeling sore, especially in "the buttocks" as Forest Gump would say. For the rest of the day I was still sore and stiff, and that really concerned me since I needed to get out again the next day. But I decided not to panic and to wait for Sunday morning before deciding if I could do the second walk.

Distance: 20.1 miles
Time: 3:51:12
Pace: 11:30

Sunday was great! I took a slower pace (around 12:20) and that made all the difference. I was a little sore in the morning but not much, and once I got started the soreness went away. The air was thick today and it was much sunnier and hotter (upper 80s when I finished) and within a couple of miles I was soaked with sweat.

After the first loop I ran into a great Master's racewalker who decided to change his route and join me. I really enjoyed talking to him, and it made the pace seem easier and the time go quickly. I was really happy to stop when I got to my car after the second loop, but I have to say that I could have gone on without too much trouble. Considering that I walked 42 miles in two days (and spent more than 8.5 hours on my feet) I feel great, and I even did a little bit of yardwork (after we took our daughter to Chuck E. Cheese). I'm going to take tomorrow off, but I could definitely get out and train tomorrow if I wanted to.

Distance: 22.1 miles
Time: 4:33:05
Pace: 12:21

Another interesting thing about the two walks is that I didn't use gel on either walk. I drank lots of gatorade and ate a Clif Bar at the halfway point of each race, but no gel. When I was training for the marathon I always had to suck down lots of gel, and I usually would still bonk at 18 to 20 miles, so hopefully the fact that I'm not relying on gel means that my body is adjusting to the distance and optimizing itself for ultras.

I'll be on the road all week this week, from Monday morning to Saturday morning. Luckily I'm going back to San Antonio so I'm planning to do most of my walks on the trails at McAllister Park. I'm still behind in reading everyone's blogs! According to Bloglines I have 102 unread running posts to read!! It may take me a while to catch up, so don't be offended if I haven't visited or commented in a while.

Hope everyone is having good luck with training and the weather!

Trail Walker (Ode to Chris Brogan)

If you've been reading Chris Brogan's blog lately (and if you haven't, you should), that guy's crazy about trails. Trail happy. Trail daffy. Gaga for trails. He's recently been running a lot of trails and really loves it.

Well when reading Chris' posts I was both jealous and resentful. I felt that, as a walker, I'd never really be able to do trails. Sure, occasionally I could walk on an easy trail, if I had to, but I didn't see it in my future. This made me a little sad because there are so many great ultras that I've read about or heard about, but 99.9% of them are on trails, so I felt cut off from all these great races.

Well, all that has changed. Last night I met a colleague at McAllister Park in San Antonio, which is the place to run and ride bicycles on trails in San Antonio. He was late so I was warming up, stretching, wandering around, etc. Then I saw some trail: single track, mostly dirt, slightly rolling. While I was waiting, I decided to give it a try. It was awesome. Awesome! I didn't trip or stumble or have any trouble with form. The only reason I had to stop was that my friend was so late that it got dark and we couldn't see the trails so we moved onto the paved jogging path. But I was really excited to think that maybe I could walk on trails.

Today I finished work early. It was the first day of training and in spite of all of my anxiety and trepidation it went well, very well. I promised myself that my reward for making it through the day would be another visit to McAllister Park. So I headed back around 4:45 this afternoon. It was 97 degrees (ugh) but what else are you going to do in Texas in July. So I hit the trails. Man, it was awesome again. I wandered all over that park. These trails aren't particularly technical or difficult, but I still loved it. I scared off some deer; I passed a family of wild turkeys; I even saw an armadillo. It was so great to get lost in the park and on the trails.

The best part was that, for me, I was fast. I actually did a 10 minute mile for part of the trail, and my average was 11:23. For a lot of you runners that may not be fast, but for me it was a very acceptable pace for a training run. Considering that it was my first time on trails, that it was 97 degrees and that I walked 8.26 miles, I'm very happy with the results.

There's only one problem: I need some trail shoes. Chris, can you loan me $80? I mean after all, this is all your fault!

Distance: 8.26 miles
Time: 1:34:02
Pace: 11:23

I love Texas in the Fall

At least it felt like Fall today. When I went walking this morning at 5:30 AM it was in the 60s. Right now it is in the 80s! Normally at this time of year it would be a low of 80s, not a high. There was also a nice breeze to make the morning very pleasant. I did a 7.1 mile recovery walk at the track this morning. I stretched well before I left the house and I didn't push the pace. I was pleased that I wasn't too tired and that my left calf felt great! No pain or even discomfort at all. Hopefully all of that is behind me.

I'm off tomorrow early for San
Antonio, so posting and blog reading might be sporadic. I'll be completing the final preparations for the system training I'll be conducting on Wednesday/Thursday. I have to conduct 4 two-day training classes over the next three weeks, but I know that the first one will be the hardest. Then this horrible project that I hate will be over and I'll be on to the next one. My next project is in Dallas and about 5 minutes from the office so things should be much more pleasant with much less traveling.

Good training, everyone!

Distance: 7.10 miles
Time: 1:22:50
Pace: 11:40

Great day today!

I had a great workout today. This was my first long walk since I took time off to heal my left calf, and everything was good. I did feel my calf more than I normally do; I was aware of a recent injury. But I made it the entire distance without any real discomfort, and I stretched well before, during and after. Now I'm feeling pretty good and am generally sore but don't feel anything unusual in my calf.

The weather was great. It was supposed to rain last night and this morning but the rain never came. Instead it was overcast and breezy and relatively cool for this time of year (80s).

I'll be traveling the next three weeks but I think I'll be able to do all of my training if I'm a little flexible. Then this horrible, terrible project will be finished and I'll be off to something new and hopefully more fulfilling. I've been so busy with this project that I actually had to work in the car while my wife drove me and my daughter from San Antonio to Dallas! We got home around midnight Thursday night and I had to work for four more hours, then get about four hours sleep, then work all day until about 7:00 pm and about five hours yesterday. I successfully completed a 108 page training document from scratch in that time, just in time since training starts on Wednesday!

I haven't caught up on everyone's blogs yet but will do so over the next few days. I hope everyone is having successful training and racing!!

Distance: 20.64 miles
Time: 4:00:02
Pace: 11:39

Roosevelt quote available for download

I liked the quote that I posted the other day so much that I made a version that can be printed and hung somewhere for inspiration.

It's suitable for framing! ;)

Click here to open or download the file (PDF). There are two versions (two pages in the document); one has a portrait of Roosevelt, one is running-related. NOTE: There's something flaky going on with Yahoo! Sometimes when you click the link above it won't work. Usually if you hit refresh it will work. I'm not sure what's going on. If you can't download it, feel free to e-mail me using the link on the left.

Enjoy!

Fortune Cookies

I got this fortune in a fortune cookie tonight:

Risk may cause failure, but success cannot come without it.

I think a lot of us can relate to that!

Tried out the leg today

I'm still in San Antonio today and have to get to work so I only have time for a quick post. I did six miles on the treadmill today and everything felt pretty good. I felt pretty tired (I haven't eaten enough this week and have been working very long hours) but I went faster than I realized and there didn't seem to be any pain or problems in the calf. Six miles isn't very far so we'll have to see how it feels on Sunday. But so far so good.

Thanks to everyone for visiting and commenting. I'm a little behind on reading everyone's posts but have tried to read a few and comment when I can. I'll catch up this weekend.

Happy training!


Distance: 6.00 miles
Time: 1:08:25
Pace: 11:24

To all of those struggling or frustrated

I've read some heartfelt posts by those among us who have been injured, or too busy, or too frustrated, or are just working through something. I've received lots of encouragement and positive thoughts from all of you in the blogosphere, so I wanted to repay the favor with one of the most motivitational and inspirational quotes I've ever read. I hope it will have the same affect you you that it has has on me. Remember, at least we are in the arena:

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiams, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt
Paris Sorbonne, 1910

Tough Decision

After today's walk I'm making a tough decision. I've got to take several days off. That pain in my left calf from last week's long walk is still bothering me. Today's plan was 20 miles at the lake; then I was going to do 20 miles again tomorrow (the family is out of town so I thought I would take advantage of their absence). Unfortunately at about 7 miles I started to feel some discomfort; it gradually worsened until I decided to stop at 8.4 miles. I could have gone on; it wasn't excruciating. But I knew that with each step I was probably exacerbating the problem. I walked (regular walked) the rest of the way back to the car and called it a day.

I really don't want to take a break, but I know that if I don't this problem will linger and will affect the quality of my training. I'm encouraged by the fact that I made it so long before the pain appeared, so maybe a good long break will set everything right.

The plan is to stop walking until Thursday. Thursday I will do easy mileage on a treadmill (I'm traveling almost all week so I'll use the hotel treadmill) and see how things feel. If all feels good I'll walk again on Friday, take Saturday off, and then do long miles on Sunday. If there are still residual issues I'll take Friday and Saturday off and do medium distance on Sunday. That means I'll have four whole days with no walking. I haven't done that since last summer's vacation.

I know this will be hard for three reasons:

1. My legs will feel fine. I don't notice any problem when I'm not training, so I'll be lulled into the thought that everything is OK.

2. I love to walk! It's become so important to me, especially in times of stress. The next four weeks will probably be the most challenging weeks of my career (and the most unpleasant) so it will be hard not to walk.

3. My weight loss has been great lately (I'm down to 163) and I don't want to lose momentum.

But I know this is the right thing. If I can't get over this problem, or if I let it linger, I will never be ready for Heartland or Ultracentric. Now's the time to deal with this issue and put it to rest.

Distance: 8.37 miles
Time: 1:33:25
Pace: 11:09

Good Quote

This quote is from the Editor's Note of the September 2004 Running Times. The article is discussing elite runners and "regular" runners, but could also be applied to racewalkers and runners:

"Speed is relative. Effort is universal."
--Jonathan Beverly

Back at the track

I haven't been walking at the track since my Garmin was out of commission. I know, it sounds dumb, it's a track so I should know the distance but I never bothered to pay attention; I just let Garmin do all the work. So I was walking at a local jogging trail marked in 1/4 miles.

Since Garmin has returned and is working well I went back to the track, which I really prefer. Nothing too special today, 7+ miles. I considered doing 10 miles but I really needed to get back and start working, and I also didn't want to tax my recently sore legs. The seven miles felt good, although I did have some tightness/soreness in my left calf again at the very end. It's mostly gone now so I think I must have pulled something and it is slowly healing. If it's not better by the weekend I'll probably have to skip my long walk and do something more reasonable.

Distance: 7.10 miles
Time: 1:18:24
Pace: 11:03

Les jeux sont faits

For you non-French speakers out there, this is a term from gambling which basically means, "No more bets, the game is in play." Well, for me and Ultracentric, "les jeux sont faits." I got official confirmation yesterday that I am in. I'm now focusing all my training and effort toward this event.

To that end, I've been looking for a good 50 mile race to use as a training race. I had several possibilities but I've finally settled on the Heartland 100/50 Mile Run. I think this will be a good race for several reasons:

1. It is October 9th, so I have a full month and a half to recover and continue training for Ultracentric.
2. I can drive (6+ hours) so I can afford it.
3. Even though it's a trail event it's not a difficult or very technical course. In fact, there is an ironic quote on the race website:

"This course is really not technically difficult at all, however, there is virtually no shade and no element protection and the rolling hills at times seem to go on for an eternity. In many ways this course has the potential to wear on her competitors like a 24/48 hour track ultra does...relentless and repetitive, yet different than a track event...exceptionally beautiful."

4. The race is held in Cassoday, Kansas, the "Prairie Chicken Capital of the World." How can you resist that???

The only bad thing is that my family can't come. We've been spoiled because our daughter has not been in school so we've had lots of flexibility. She starts kindergarten in the middle of August so now we will have to plan activities around her school schedule. So I'll be doing this race solo since it starts at 6:30 AM on a Saturday morning.

So now all I have to do is walk and strategize, walk and prepare, walk and plan, walk and walk and walk.

Welcome home, my lovely!

I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but I had to send my Garmin Forerunner 201 back to Garmin about 1 1/2 weeks ago. After a long training walk in the rain the buttons stopped working. The reset button would turn the unit on, but nothing would turn it off and none of the other buttons did anything. I was a little disappointed at first with their technical support; they were pretty slow to respond. Once I did get a response and we determined there was nothing I could do, they asked me for my address so I could get an RMA. Then it took another day for the RMA. Anyway, tonight I received a brand new Garmin! I guess the other one was totaled so they transferred my data to a brand new unit. The nice thing is they sent me the whole package so I have a spare charger and data cable. I can't wait to try it out again. I've hated having to resort back to trails where I knew the distance and estimating distances.

Speaking of training, I've decided to take tomorrow off. My legs are still pretty sore and I've been extremely busy at work. I've gotten home two nights in a row after 9:30, and that's not normal for me. I have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks--the Project from Hell, the worst project I've ever worked on, will end in early August and now is crunch time, so I'm going to relax tonight, sleep in a little tomorrow and then work my butt off all day to try and get caught up.

Thanks to everyone for the comments about my training and my pains. I appreciate the concern.

Sore legs today

I did another long walk today and by the end of the walk I was really feeling it. I started out at sub 11:30 miles, but finished with sub 12:00 miles. I also had some pain in my calves, especially the left one (that cramped on Sunday). I think it is just residual pain due to Sunday's long walk, but I'll keep an eye on it. I'm planning shorter walks for the rest of the week, then rest on Saturday, then about 20 miles on Sunday. If I still have some pain or discomfort I'll take some additional time off.

Distance: 13.50 miles
Time: 2:36:48
Pace: 11:36

Interesting Fact

I lost four pounds during today's walk, in spite of the fact that I drank almost 80 ounces of Gatorade, about 40 ounces of water (plus more when I got home), a Clif Bar, Hammer Gel and Succeed electrolyte caplets. This month's Runner's World has a good article on hydration and an experiment to help you determine your fluid requirements during exercise. So STAY HYDRATED! It's hot out there, people.

Milestones

I reached a couple of milestones today. First I walked longer and farther than I've ever walked. I made three loops around the lake (a first time for that, too) that equaled about 27.54 miles. I purposely started out slow and stayed slow because I knew I'd never make it if I went out too fast. I read a quote by an ultramarathoner recently that I really liked and that I kept in my mind during my walk today: "Speed is sex...distance is love." Today I was looking for love. I wanted a commitment. I knew it wouldn't be easy; I knew we'd quarrel at times, that we would disagree, that my legs would turn on my mind, but I hoped that in the end I'd find long, lasting love.

What I loved most about today's walk was that I didn't crash. Believe me I was dying at the end; I started having a pretty bad cramp in my left calf for the last 1.75 miles, but I was afraid that if I stopped I wouldn't start again so I just walked it off and finished before rubbing it out in the car. It still hurts a lot now and I have a pretty funny gait, but I'm sure it will get better quickly. I'm eating a banana now to make sure my potassium levels are good.

Anyway, back to pace. I targeted a 12:30 pace and I ended up with 12:20. I frequently had to slow myself down, even in the later miles. In fact my fastest mile was 19, and I also had good pace at miles 22 and 23. So I feel good about my progress. I still have a long way before I'm ready for 100, and I know I'll have to slow down even further to be able to complete Ultracentric, but I can see myself slowly making progress.

Two other milestones this week:
1. I walked more miles this week than ever before: 67.3
2. I crossed the 1000 mile threshold. So far this year I've walked 1010.8 miles

Thanks to everyone for visiting this experiment in vanity! It's so strange to sit here and write all about ME ME ME. I want everyone to know how I enjoy reading all the other running blogs. There are so many inspirational and funny stories out there. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

Distance: 27.54 miles
Time: 5:39:37
Pace: 12:20

100 Year Old sets 100 Meter Record!

I'd like to be like this guy and still be this active at 100! South African Philip Rabinowitz beat the 100 meter record for 100 year olds by 6 seconds. He also holds the record for the world's oldest competitive walker and walks 3.7 miles a day. What a guy!!

It's good to be home

We drove back from San Antonio last night. We took a great new route, a rural highway that had beautiful scenery, no traffic and small towns dotting the road. I think it took a little bit longer but we all agreed it seemed much shorter and was definitely more pleasant. My wife and daughter are going to take the same route next week when they go to Corpus Christi to visit her aunt.

I'm working from home today so I was able to sleep a little later than usual and still get in my normal walk. There was nothing unusual to post except that I feel like I'm getting stronger and faster. Not dramatically faster, but yesterday I did 13 miles at 11:01 pace and this morning I did 7 miles at 10:56. These are blazingly fast, but they are pretty good for training, especially considering my increase in mileage. I guess the long mileage training and the mid-week long walks are starting to pay off.

Tomorrow is a rest day and then I plan to do 20+ miles at the lake on Sunday. I'd like to do 24 but I haven't had much luck lately getting over 22 so we'll see what happens.

Happy walking/running!

Distance: 7.00 miles
Time: 1:16:35
Pace: 10:56

4x10 pushups
4x10 situps

Just a quick update

A quick update from San Antonio. It's been a busy trip--it seems it's been harder than usual to balance family and work, I guess since I'm going out every evening with the family instead of staying home the way we normally would. But we've had fun--they went to the Alamo and the IMAX movies, we all saw the new Harry Potter movie on the IMAX screen, we ate dinner at the Riverwalk, the usual San Antonio stuff. Next time we come I'd like to do the Mission tour--my wife and I did it years ago and really enjoyed it; I think my daughter would really like it now that she's older and getting a better understanding of history.

As for walking, I overslept yesterday. Our daughter had a bad night sleeping and I didn't get much sleep. I still set the alarm on my running watch for 4:30 AM so I could get in a long walk; instead I woke up at about 7:15 AM holding the watch!

Today I successfully got up at about 4:30 and headed to a walking/running trail someone told me about. It is by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Babcock and Wurzbach. It's a simple asphalt 1/2 mile path with two lanes, one for walkers and one for runners. It wasn't crowded when I was there and it was nice to be able to go any distance by looping. I wanted to do a long mileage day so I did 13 miles (26 loops, phew!). I felt good the whole time and kept an incredibly steady pace, ending up with an average pace of 11:01 per mile.

Now I'll get a little more work done and then start driving home this afternoon. It will be good to get home!

Thanks to everyone for recent comments on my blog. I've been a little behind on my commenting (as Mark pointed out recently--Thanks, Mark!) but I've made an effort to get out and read everyone's recent posts and make some comments as possible. Thanks to everyone for the traffic on my blog! I get a lot out of reading everyone's thoughts and accomplishments. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

Distance: 13.0 miles
Time: 2:23:25
Pace: 11:01

Long and REALLY Slow

I wanted to stick with my distance training so I went out to the lake today. I had hoped to do more than 20 (22-24) miles, but I was just so tired and uncomfortable that I stopped at about 19.75. I started extra early to avoid the heat but I still got some sunburn on my face and I must have sweat a couple of gallons! I've started switching out my headband and wristband after each loop of the lake (about 9.33 miles) and you wouldn't believe how soaked these things are! My clothes are totally drenched and dripping; even my shoes are wet. Does anyone else sweat like this or am I a freak?

On another note, I'm going out of town for work again today. Luckily I'm taking the family with me so they'll have a three-day mini-vacation while I work. We're headed to San Antonio and we'll be driving (love road trips!). I'm taking tomorrow off, then I'd like to find a place to do long miles (maybe 15?) on Wednesday, then a normal 7+ on Thursday before driving back Thursday afternoon/evening.

I may or may not post while I'm gone, just depends on my schedule. I'll look forward to catching up on everyone's posts when I get back.

Happy running/walking!

Distance: 19.75 miles
Time: 3:57:06
Pace: 12:00

Flagpole 8k Race Report

It was a warm and muggy morning for the 20th running of the Flagpole 8k at Flagpole Hill in Dallas, Texas. The race started at 7:30 and when I arrived at 6:45 it was already 77 degrees. But in Texas we have to expect that, so there was still a good crowd of racers. The race course is on city streets and has a few small hills. After about a mile on major roads it turns onto nice quiet neighborhood streets until turning back on the major road for the final mile.

I went out hard and fast, probably a little too fast, and I slowed at mile three, my slowest split. But I was able to gut it out at the end and achieved my goal of finishing at a pace below 10 minutes per mile. My time was 48:50, for a pace of 9:49 per mile. My splits were:
9:52
9:41
10:02
9:57
9:17

As I've mentioned in previous posts this race was my first race ever last year, so I've been racing for exactly one year today. How much have I improved?

Last year my time was 1:00:24, a 12:09 pace. So I cut almost 12 minutes from last year's time, and 2:20 minutes per mile off my pace! This pace is also faster than my 5k PR (10:08) and my recent 5 mile race on May 1st (also 10:08/mile). Also, I compared this race from an Age Graded Performance perspective with last year's race. This year's graded performance was 62.93% (my best ever!); last year's performance was 50.57%. So I feel like this race is a real success for me. I remember when 11:30 per mile seemed fast, and now I can see that one day I might actually get below 9:00 per mile for shorter races! I'm still no Olympian, but I'll be very happy with times like that.

Happy 4th of July, everyone, and good luck to any other racers out there!

Tour de France Blog

There's a good Tour de France blog that posts on the race and posts links to good news sources. For all you cyclists and Tour enthusiasts you'll want to check it out.

Blog Survey

I copied this from Pam, who I think copied it from someone else, but oh well, it's kind of fun. Here we go:

There are TWO rules when answering these questions:
1) Only ONE answer to each. Of course its tough - thats the point!
2) Each blog/blogger may only be used ONCE. [I had to abandon this rule; I couldn't answer honestly without using some blogs more than once.]

What blogger inspired you to FINALLY start a blog?
Sean

What blog do you visit the most often everday?
Boing Boing

What blogger do you think you have the most in common with?
Chris Brogan. I swear we're long lost brothers.

Which blog can you be sure will make you pee a little you laugh so hard?
Running related: Rebecca!
General topic: Fark

Which blogger leaves you the best/funniest comments?
Charlotte

What blogger do you wish would update more often?
Race Walking Record

Which blog do you wish more people would read?
Running related: Annalisa. I love her insights into running and herself, and I love to read about her effort to run despite obstacles. Always interesting and entertaining.
General topic: AntiWar.com

Which blog do you learn the most from?
Mark

What blog is your newest addition?
James

Who has been on your blogroll the longest?
Sean (I know, I'm supposed to use each blog only once, but I can only answer this honestly by using Sean twice. I started reading him first and he inspired me to start blogging.)

Whose blogroll would you LOVE find yourself on?
Alison's

Whose blogroll were you the happiest to find yourself on?
Dianna

If you could write like any blogger, who would it be?
Running Related: pjmorse (running plus little extras)
General topic: Juan Cole

What blogger are you the happiest you've "met?"
Chris Brogan (OK, I cheated again, but not repeating blogs is TOO hard)

Which blog do you recommend the most?
Richard

Who is the next person you'll add to your blogroll?
Not sure.

Who is the blogger you hope to meet in "real" life?
Most of them!

Which blogger do you admire the most?
Annalisa

Who would you trust with your blog while you were away?
Chris Brogan

Which blog has your favorite design?
Annalisa

How many blogs are on your blogroll(s)?
Running related: 66
All blogs: 161 (see them here)

I'm back

I had to go to San Antonio for one day for work so I didn't get to blog yesterday. I stayed at a different hotel on this trip and they didn't have a fitness center! However, they gave me a half-price ticket for a fitness center around the corner, so I paid $7.50 (which I will expense) to walk on their treadmills. It was a pretty nice place, nothing fancy, with lots of equipment. I was glad because I wanted to do a long walk and didn't want to hog the treadmills. I didn't push hard but kept the pace steady.

Distance: 7.90 miles
Time: 1:30:00
Pace: 11:23

4x8 pushups

Today I had a great walk on the jogging trail near my house. I was able to maintain a pretty good pace, especially considering the additional mileage I've been logging lately.

Distance: 7.00 miles
Time: 1:14:18
Pace: 10:36

4x8 pushups
4x10 situps

Tomorrow I'm taking a vacation day from work, and I'm also tapering for my July 4th race, so I can sleep in tomorrow and Saturday and try to catch up on sleep and relax. On the 4th I'd really like to break a 10 minute per mile pace but I'm not sure if that will be possible. I know I can beat my current PR (12:09 mpm) since this was my first race ever last year and my pace is more than a minute slower than typical training paces these days. The only question is how fast I can go. I would at least like to beat my May 1st 5 mile race PR (10:08 mpm).

I'll post on Sunday and let you know how I did. Good training and racing, everyone!