Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Litter, Life and luck...
It is so ugly... There are trash cans everywhere. There is no real reason to litter. It just means they may be lazy? They have no sense of beauty? I am amazed as I ride bike and see the trash line the roads. Running on the Minnesota River path today I saw everything from a used condom to cliff bar wrappers. When I ran today, I intentionally went slow as I did hills Tuesday. I was amazed at what I saw. I was both angry yet confused. So what was new. This video above gets to what would be a cool outcome for those who litter... No one gets hurt?
Well, I did it... Signed on to the Superior Website and bit the bullet... I signed up for the 100 mile. I feel like am am in better shape than last year although I am heavier. I thought, what the hell. Last year I believed I could finish. This year, I believe I can not... Last year I felt confident as the energizer bunny. This year I feel like the Pillsbury dough boy. Last year my life was in total turmoil with my son leaving for school, me moving and very busy in a relationship. This year I am bored, not much occupying my time but work and training and I am lucky if I date (or event get out of my small world) more than once a month. The tale of two 100's may be a great way to start my report?
But I believe that successful 100 miles takes more than training. Luck has something to do with it? Some may disagree but there are so many things that have to come into play to succeed. Weather, food, sleep, transportation, shoes, and many other things all have to line up to make it the best possible solution. I am not going to wish for luck alone. Five weeks left. To me that means three hard weeks and a taper. That will be long runs on weekends and the hills on Wednesday's. And much more in between!
Carry on...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Who said it was easy?
Been a while since I posted on the blog. Why? It is summer and I am
busy... Although, life is not always easy. Neither is training for
100 miles and writing about it... The last post was on weight loss.
That is never easy. A while back it was on the recovery from Afton,
which was not easy. Then there was the knee. But we all have those
times in our personal life, which are never easy as well. It could be
the job or the relationships we have in life. Sometimes I think a
relationship is harder than running 100 miles. But how would I know,
I never have run 100 miles. Some would question if I ever had a real
relationship as well...
busy... Although, life is not always easy. Neither is training for
100 miles and writing about it... The last post was on weight loss.
That is never easy. A while back it was on the recovery from Afton,
which was not easy. Then there was the knee. But we all have those
times in our personal life, which are never easy as well. It could be
the job or the relationships we have in life. Sometimes I think a
relationship is harder than running 100 miles. But how would I know,
I never have run 100 miles. Some would question if I ever had a real
relationship as well...
Relationships can be broken and one can only wonder if they can ever
get fixed. This thought really came to me when a fellow blogger
recently posted about 1986 and where she was in her life. (Elementary
School and I was a year out of university life - I felt so old!)) I
also had just come off my first year of running marathons. I was
dating a girl named Lori for three years. It was that interesting
kind of relationship. You know, I was a cocky little 24 year old who
really needed to be slapped. I always told her I was with her for the
fun (what an ass I was) and she never believed me. The band I was in
even wrote a song about that relationship. It was named "I am in
love with your body, not your mind". Looking back that the pictures,
the long hair (perms were used to get those REO Speedwagon curls!)
Then one day in May, 1986, she looked at me and said "you are not
kidding that you are only with me for the fun". I said yes, she
dumped me, and that was it. I often thought of how terrible I was for
doing that and often thought if I should have worked to salvage a
relationship I never thought I had. I did nothing, moved on... My
most recent dating experience has that same feel with roles
changed... Makes me wonder if I have come full circle? I once had
a friend who said relationships are like a car. You keep them going
as long as you can but at some point, they need to end. Not sure if I
ever believed that, but he is on his second wife, and his second car,
since I met him. I also have a friend that is with his first wife, 23
years, and still drives the 1980s honda civic... He loves that car,
and loves his wife.
Most recently my real world job has been difficult. I love my work as
a City Planner, do not get me wrong. Although there are times where
several hundred people are opposite in desires. It creates a clash
that really puts the stress on the old body and makes it hard to
train. I am happy I have been getting close to 40 or more miles in a
week as well as a few hundred on the bike. In my real job, we have
redevelopment's which are very time consuming and often stressful.
Tonight I just finished a lengthy public hearing with hundreds of
people over a really delicate land use issue. Many legal minds and
one of the greatest companies I know were on the opposite side of many
citizens and myself. I really think there are many talented people
out there in this world doing there jobs, but they are fighting people
like me and others who make it hard for them to complete the task they are hired to complete. But people homes, neighborhoods
and corporate desires often clash. Many times I am on the side with
corporate groups and many times the neighbors. This project is one
where I sided with many of the citizens and I have had some pretty
brutal communications calling me incompetent, calling me an idiot and
saying I am not acting in the best interest of the community. Either
way, I did my job, and I know someone would be upset.
Anyway, after all that, I now have three weekends in a row free and
less stress so I can train. Still looking to do a run on the Superior
Trail in the first or second week in August. Think I will send out a note on
MNDRS next week to see if there are any takers. The more I think about
it, I think I want to leave Minneapolis at about 5 AM and run from
Finland to Cty Rd #1. This is where I expect to be in the dark and
would like to see it in the day. Will see what works... Need to get
a driver lined up first.
Carry on...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
What the hell?
What the hell is all I can say! I have a top of the line digital scale. I compare it to the scale at the physicians’ office each time I go. It is always appears to be consistent. But there are times it makes no sense. The past months, I think the circuits are haywire.
Here is an example. On Saturday, I went for a swim, showered, got ready for bed and stepped on the scale. I was shocked, 245 pounds… That is a 13-pound loss over the past months. I went to bed. Did not drink anything. After a solid 7 hours in bed, I woke… Nature called, I went… I then walked to the kitchen and the scale. I stepped on the scale… 251.7 pounds. So I did not drink anything, took a dump and gained 6.7 pounds… What the hell is the right phrase, isn’t it?
Now this is not the first time I saw this happen, this is just the most drastic. I have nights where I stay the same, nights where there is a 2-3 pound loss, but then there are those nights I gain 3-5 pounds… I have tested this by weighing myself 3-5 times before I go to bed, same reading… When I wake, exact same as the first if I check it numerous times… How can this be explained? Anyone else see this in their life?
My training is better now. Took longer than I thought to recover from Afton. I wonder if I am the only one who thinks Afton is much harder than Superior. I just have more of a challenge at Afton than the Superior Trail. But I think I am in the minority. My knee seems OK. A little twinge here or there but no pain, which is what counts. At this time, ST 100 and I look like we may battle once again. Want to wait another week or so to commit…
My son has been back for almost three weeks. After a year of campus life, he had to take care of all those things we parents make them complete. Dentist was the big one... Three fillings (only had one his whole life, now three in one year) and he is to smart for his own good as they have to remove his wisdom teeth. (I know, stupid statement) I recalled when I got mine out under local anesthesia, I had little issues. Heck, I ran that afternoon. He went under and had some significant work... he is really out from this. The swelling in his face is sad. He looks in total pain. We are starting the third day and he is still in pain… This is hard on a very active 19-year-old. But he will heal!
Carry on!
Here is an example. On Saturday, I went for a swim, showered, got ready for bed and stepped on the scale. I was shocked, 245 pounds… That is a 13-pound loss over the past months. I went to bed. Did not drink anything. After a solid 7 hours in bed, I woke… Nature called, I went… I then walked to the kitchen and the scale. I stepped on the scale… 251.7 pounds. So I did not drink anything, took a dump and gained 6.7 pounds… What the hell is the right phrase, isn’t it?
Now this is not the first time I saw this happen, this is just the most drastic. I have nights where I stay the same, nights where there is a 2-3 pound loss, but then there are those nights I gain 3-5 pounds… I have tested this by weighing myself 3-5 times before I go to bed, same reading… When I wake, exact same as the first if I check it numerous times… How can this be explained? Anyone else see this in their life?
My training is better now. Took longer than I thought to recover from Afton. I wonder if I am the only one who thinks Afton is much harder than Superior. I just have more of a challenge at Afton than the Superior Trail. But I think I am in the minority. My knee seems OK. A little twinge here or there but no pain, which is what counts. At this time, ST 100 and I look like we may battle once again. Want to wait another week or so to commit…
My son has been back for almost three weeks. After a year of campus life, he had to take care of all those things we parents make them complete. Dentist was the big one... Three fillings (only had one his whole life, now three in one year) and he is to smart for his own good as they have to remove his wisdom teeth. (I know, stupid statement) I recalled when I got mine out under local anesthesia, I had little issues. Heck, I ran that afternoon. He went under and had some significant work... he is really out from this. The swelling in his face is sad. He looks in total pain. We are starting the third day and he is still in pain… This is hard on a very active 19-year-old. But he will heal!
Carry on!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Recovery is slow
It may be that I did grandma's two weeks earlier and started running
three days later, it could be that Afton's hills were harder on the
legs than I thought or maybe I am just that out of shape. My quads
still burn as of Tuesday night. I will ride bike tomorrow but I think
the thought of running will be out of the question. The legs just do
not seem like they want to move right? The good news, no knee
pain.... YEEE HAAAA...
three days later, it could be that Afton's hills were harder on the
legs than I thought or maybe I am just that out of shape. My quads
still burn as of Tuesday night. I will ride bike tomorrow but I think
the thought of running will be out of the question. The legs just do
not seem like they want to move right? The good news, no knee
pain.... YEEE HAAAA...
I did get the bad news that Buck Hill is closed. That is a shame as I
really was looking forward to 5 to 6 weeks of hills once a week. Now
I will look at alternatives. RTA has a nice hill, could drive out to
Afton, but thats almost 60 miles round trip... Could consider Hyland
but I am waiting to get verification it is actually OK to run that ski
hill? In the past, it was supposed to be close but users went there
anyway. I was almost the ski jump north of Hyland. Well I have a
few weeks to decide, but it is so needed if I plan an attempting the
100 mile again...
I am thinking of planning a day trip to run a few segments of the ST
100 trail. I would so love to make Julie Berg's beta but I have a
commitment that weekend. I bounced around a few ideas. One thought I
had for training was to leave Minneapolis on Friday after work and get
to the trail just before dark. After working all day, run the trail
for about 12-14 hours and then come back. I have a friend and my son
who said they would love to camp one night and would drive. I may
send out an invite to see if anyone is interested in a low budget all
nighter and commute. Who knows, my dumb idea may be a good one?
Well I have four weekends in a row now of tennis, all weekend. Makes
training difficult but it is also fun.
Carry on...
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Hills from Hell - Director and Volunteers from Heaven
I have been excited all week that my son is here. He came back from his Freshman year at the Colorado School of Mines in early May, spent a few days here and immediately left for Germany for an immersion course as he will study there all next year. He returned last Monday night and it he has sure matured well, and now he can insult me and I will never know... Between that, my weight 9 pounds more than last year at this race, and a killer week at work, I wondered how I would do this year?
I was not able to get to sleep Friday night, mostly from nerves but mostly fireworks... They seemed to never end. I woke at 4:00 AM and had no issues from the time I got up to the starting gun. The race was very uneventful for me, well sort-of.... I had a goal of keeping the heart rate in the 120s for the first half and trying to stay in the 140s for the second half.
I was happy to see Philip once again at the start. He sure has been working hard since the Superior 100. Last year, I went out faster and did not see Philip until the end. This year, I caught him up in the downward slope at about mile 23, once again he was moving well, but at 250 pounds, I tend to give up trying to slow down on the downhills. Someday i will really regret that!
To start the race, I hooked up with Les who I pretty much ran about 10 miles together. Once again, as two weeks earlier at Grandma’s, it was early in the race when Karen Gall passed me, with that great attitude, she will always succeed. She is so consistent.
After the first river run on the first loop, Les looked strong and I never saw him again. (Until the end.) I came into the half in 3:38, which was 23 minutes slower than last year.
The second loop I started with a young woman from Roseville, can not recall her name but she runs with Lynn Gannon. We ran to the first aid station and then she was gone. She was looking strong and it was a pleasure to run with her. From that point on I met several people and as I just kept going. Was not worried about time, I just watched the heart rate monitor. I had been drinking 20-30 ounce of fluids an hour, which is more than I would typically drink, but I was sweating a little more today.
It was strange that even though I felt slow, I did manage to pass five people during the last 10 miles. The knee was good, (I did take a dive in on the snowshow track, those who felt the ground shake, assure me, it was not an earthquake, just me falling hard and rolling.) the heart rate was down and I just kept going on. I was really having an indifferent run. In the words of my old collage professor, he said there are “days I feel like a wart on a fat man’s butt”. That means I am just hanging in there, no one notices, no one cares, we just are being. That was this race, I was just being... Not really concerned about the time, just the heart rate.
Well, I was surprised at the finish I had ran 3 minutes faster than last year. That means I did the second loop 25 minutes faster than the year before. I know people thought the heat was more of a factor last year, but I felt it was warm this year as well. I know I did not recall sweating as much last year as this year, I was drenched, but was really heavy in fluid consumption. I took one S-Cap at mile 10 and 2 more at mile 20.
After the race I got a chance to talk with Wayne, who successfully completed the 25 K. I was able to see Philip come in, just under the 8 hours mark... Had a great conversation with many people including Mike (I think that is his name?) who was a fellow trail mix aid station worker who did the 50K also. He has some great results in Chippewa and did well here. GREAT JOB! There was Karen’s friend from Norway. He finished and we were expecting expletive in Norwegian, but I think he was to tired... I know I missed a few people...
All in all this is a great race because it has such a dedicated Director and the greatest core of race volunteers. Without the hundreds of hours these folks put in, this would not be the event it is and I can never thank them enough for giving so many the opportunity to compete in such a wonderful event.
Carry on!
I was not able to get to sleep Friday night, mostly from nerves but mostly fireworks... They seemed to never end. I woke at 4:00 AM and had no issues from the time I got up to the starting gun. The race was very uneventful for me, well sort-of.... I had a goal of keeping the heart rate in the 120s for the first half and trying to stay in the 140s for the second half.
I was happy to see Philip once again at the start. He sure has been working hard since the Superior 100. Last year, I went out faster and did not see Philip until the end. This year, I caught him up in the downward slope at about mile 23, once again he was moving well, but at 250 pounds, I tend to give up trying to slow down on the downhills. Someday i will really regret that!
To start the race, I hooked up with Les who I pretty much ran about 10 miles together. Once again, as two weeks earlier at Grandma’s, it was early in the race when Karen Gall passed me, with that great attitude, she will always succeed. She is so consistent.
After the first river run on the first loop, Les looked strong and I never saw him again. (Until the end.) I came into the half in 3:38, which was 23 minutes slower than last year.
The second loop I started with a young woman from Roseville, can not recall her name but she runs with Lynn Gannon. We ran to the first aid station and then she was gone. She was looking strong and it was a pleasure to run with her. From that point on I met several people and as I just kept going. Was not worried about time, I just watched the heart rate monitor. I had been drinking 20-30 ounce of fluids an hour, which is more than I would typically drink, but I was sweating a little more today.
It was strange that even though I felt slow, I did manage to pass five people during the last 10 miles. The knee was good, (I did take a dive in on the snowshow track, those who felt the ground shake, assure me, it was not an earthquake, just me falling hard and rolling.) the heart rate was down and I just kept going on. I was really having an indifferent run. In the words of my old collage professor, he said there are “days I feel like a wart on a fat man’s butt”. That means I am just hanging in there, no one notices, no one cares, we just are being. That was this race, I was just being... Not really concerned about the time, just the heart rate.
Well, I was surprised at the finish I had ran 3 minutes faster than last year. That means I did the second loop 25 minutes faster than the year before. I know people thought the heat was more of a factor last year, but I felt it was warm this year as well. I know I did not recall sweating as much last year as this year, I was drenched, but was really heavy in fluid consumption. I took one S-Cap at mile 10 and 2 more at mile 20.
After the race I got a chance to talk with Wayne, who successfully completed the 25 K. I was able to see Philip come in, just under the 8 hours mark... Had a great conversation with many people including Mike (I think that is his name?) who was a fellow trail mix aid station worker who did the 50K also. He has some great results in Chippewa and did well here. GREAT JOB! There was Karen’s friend from Norway. He finished and we were expecting expletive in Norwegian, but I think he was to tired... I know I missed a few people...
All in all this is a great race because it has such a dedicated Director and the greatest core of race volunteers. Without the hundreds of hours these folks put in, this would not be the event it is and I can never thank them enough for giving so many the opportunity to compete in such a wonderful event.
Carry on!
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