Philly to LA on Foot

Applefest Half Marathon Race Report

2008-10-05T17:58:00.005-04:00

I ran the Applefest Half Marathon yesterday in Hollis, NH. It started at 10 AM which was nice because it didn't require me to wake up in the middle of the night to get there. It was an hour away so I left the house at 7:30 and had plenty of time to get there, get my number and wait for a while before the start of the race.

The half marathon is now in its 26th year and attracts between 900 and 1,000 individual runners. While that's a decent amount of people, it was quite manageable as they blocked off half of the street for the runners. I was behind people in the first mile, but after that, it thinned out and you could really run at your own pace. They put limits on the number of entrants and apparently it sells out early.

I'll separate this report into 3 sections: Interesting Things/People, My issue with the headphone ban and finally my running of the race.

Interesting people/things

While I was waiting to get started, I met a great guy named Fred. He was 70 but didn't look a day over 55. He retired at 55 and traveled the world going to great marathons. He ran the first marathon after the Berlin Wall fell where they ran across from East Germany to West Germany. He also did the first marathon of the millenium in New Zealand on January 1, 2000.

I mentioned that he probably had a lot of t-shirts from all of these runs. He chuckled and said at last count he had 880! That's unreal. What a neat man.

While I was running, I saw a great shirt that helped me to keep things in perspective. It was a shirt from the Make-A-Wish foundation. It said:
DLF >> DNF > DNS.

In other words: Dead Last Finisher is better than Did Not Finish is better than Did Not Start. What a great way to look at it for those of you doing something for the first time. The mere fact that you're getting out to do something is so much better than having never gotten off of your couch.

Headphone ban craziness

As I mentioned in my original post, they have beyond Draconian rules for headphones. While I know that saying there's a headphone ban allows them to get and keep insurance, I can't imagine any insurance company requires them to be this over the top with their enforcement. From their web site:

"Applefest does not consider this a game of wits, stealth or technology changes. If any device is capable; 1) of playing music, 2) of acquiring the ability to play music, 3) of being a continuous distraction to the user, then it is disallowed."

Wow. They also say that "mere POSSESSION of disallowed items on the race course will be considered a violation and the runner will be disqualified." So if they even see an iPod on you, even if you're not using it, then you're disqualified. They also said they'd pull you off the course. This is beyond ridiculous and a big reason that I won't be doing this race again next year. While I didn't wear my headphones, I thought it was a ridiculous and insulting way to go about enforcement of the rule.

In fact, why even enforce the rule? Tell people they can't have them and if they break it, it's on them. At least the Portland Marathon got it right by being music friendly.

About the Race

Now that I stepped off my soapbox, on to the race. It was a fairly nice course with some rolling hills and nice declines through the woods. The temperatures went from 53 to about 60 degrees by the end, which was perfect.

I had some stomach aches earlier in the race but my left knee and lower back were feeling fine and I was keeping a pretty good pace, sometimes as quick as 8:05 a mile. I was really feeling great through 8 and felt like I could run forever.

Then came mile 9 and 10. There's a 200 foot rise in elevation over a set of hills (elevation profile below) and that was just killer. We rose for almost 2 miles near the end of the race and a lot of people dropped off. I was determined to at least keep running, no matter how slow. I did it, but by the time I got to 11, I was quite tired. Ironically enough, there was a cemetary at the end of the hills. That gave me a quick chuckle.

I finished the half-marathon in 1:54:58 which is within 30 seconds of when I've finished almost every half-marathon. I don't know what it is, but my body doesn't want me to move any faster or slower, no matter how hilly the darn thing is. I ran almost exactly the same on the first half (about 57:15) as I did on the back, so at least I was consistent there.

Though I'm not concerned with the times much anymore, I did want to at least stay until 2 hours, which I did handily.

When I got in, I was treated to apple crisp and bagels (with apple butter as the glue). That and some sports drinks made for a nice ending.

So the numbers for the race... I came in 367/908 and 32/49 in my division (20-29). Without looking at the relay teams, the individual runners ran a combined 11,894.8 miles which is the distance from New York to LA out and back twice and a quarter of the way there again. That's impressive.

Next for me is the 48 Miles in 48 Hours event on the 18th/19th and the Seacoast Half-Marathon on November 9.

My upcoming running schedule

2008-10-03T11:00:00.002-04:00

I'm going to have a rather packed 6 weeks of running coming up.

Tomorrow I have the AppleFest Half-Marathon in Hollis, NH. I haven't specifically trained for it, but that won't matter. I'll just use it as a training run for the next event I have coming up two weeks later.

Two weeks from that, I have my 48 Miles in 48 Hours event. That will be a two-day event over October 18 and 19.

Then, only three weeks after that, I have the Seacost Half Marathon on November 9. That means that I'll have to stay active after my 48 Miles in 48 Hours event, which will be no easy task.

After that, well, I'm thinking my body and mind may need a break from running, at least as much as I've been doing. I'm planning to join the Y and get some swimming in over the winter. Since I'm not training for a marathon in February like I did last year, I can afford to mix things up a bit while still hitting the roads.

Wow, that schedule gives me a headache.

Observing a marathon finish

2008-09-28T17:12:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of watching the Clarence DeMar marathon finish in Keene, New Hampshire. It's only about an hour away from my humble abode in Concord and most importantly, THE ShirleyPerly was running it, so I got a chance to meet her in person.

I got there around 10 AM, 2 hours into the marathon. I had expected to see a bustle of activity with people running around trying to take care of any last minute fires. That couldn't have been further from the truth. People were just hanging out and it was very quiet.

The first runner finally came in at 2:40 and the crowd (about 20 people) cheered. Then another and another. There was a small group that came in just before 3 hours. And then people started to filter in as the time went from 3 to 4 hours.

This is the first time I've witnessed a marathon finish purely as a spectator. And let me tell you, it's something all of you should do at some point. I saw a lot of stuff that will stay with me for a while. Specifically? Well fine, since you asked.

I was struck at how emotional the scene was and how much it reminded me of my marathon. I was beyond elated and very emotional as I crossed the finish line. Even re-reading my race report today still takes me back to the emotion I felt. Standing at the finish line is just one of those amazing experiences that you wouldn't really understand unless you've been there.
I stood next to a family that was waiting for their dad/husband to come in. They had raced from another part of the course to see him at the finish. The Boston Qualifying (BQ) time was 3:20:59 for his age group. They were getting more and more nervous. They saw 3:20 come and go and they were heartbroken. To see him round the corner only a minute later to finish at 3:22:20 was just heartbreaking. So much training to just miss BQ.
I watched a woman finish around 3:50 when she had absolutely nothing left. As she came around the corner in the last .2 miles to the finish, her legs started to buckle and she could barely stand up. Another runner had her arm around her shoulder to keep her upright. Her body had clearly given up but she wasn't willing to sacrifice her good time for the sake of her body. Thankfully there was medical staff there to help.

And then came Shirley at 4:08:25. It was such a thrill to finally see her and meet her because she's been a tremendous inspiration to me and many others. We chatted for a little while about my upcoming race and training, travel, etc. That alone was easily worth the quick drive.

My first 3-a-day

2008-09-25T19:17:00.004-04:00

I just completed my first 3-a-day run in preparation for 48 Miles in 48 Hours. I did it to test my body and try out different things prior to the big day(s).

I ran 4.43, 5.12 and 5.82 respectively from this morning to this evening for a total of 15.37 miles and about 2,100 calories burned.

I ran at 10 AM, 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM. That was a mistake.

First, I should have gotten up and out earlier than 10 AM because when I got back I had to eat breakfast and then lunch an hour or two later.

Second, I had two pieces of chicken for lunch (50g of protein) and ran an hour later. Big mistake. I need to give myself a couple of hours to digest because it felt like a rock in my stomach.

Third, by the time I got back from the middle run, I had a little over an hour to rest before going back out. I need more time to rest.

That said, all things considered, I'm tired but not exhausted. 3 8-milers in a day will be tough, but going back the next day and continuing will be even tougher. I'm confident that I'll be able to do it but it will be quite a challenge.

OK, time to replenish some calories. I'm planning a dinner of two pieces of chicken (boneless, skinless), salmon and catfish. When it's all said and done, I will have consumed about 90 grams of protein. The general rule, from what I hear, is to consume about half of your body weight in grams of protein. That is a TON of food but I'm trying to get as much protein as I can. It does the body good!

Karno's 48-hour event

2008-09-21T19:46:00.002-04:00

While I've been spending most of my mental energy getting ready for my own 48-hour event (48 miles in 48 hours), Dean Karnazes just went ahead and did his own to try to break a world record.

Dean ran on a treadmill in Upper Manhattan for 48 straight hours this past week to try to break the Guinness World Record of more than 240 miles. Though it didn't happen, Karno ran over 200 miles in 48 hours. Runner's World covered it here.

Geez, that certainly makes 48 miles in 48 hours seem paltry in comparison. Then again, to even be running 1/4 the mileage that he does is certainly an accomplishment.

Progress - 9/15/08 (Stotts City, MO)

2008-09-15T14:22:00.002-04:00

I'm now 1,142 miles into my journey and am continuing on Rt. 44 in Missouri. I'm just south of Stotts City. I'll continue west on Rt. 44 and will soon make my way into Oklahoma just missing Kansas by a mile or two.

Stotts City, population of 200, was originally known as Pax and then later as Belle Plaine before changing its name to what it is now.

The town saw some progress with Rt. 66 to its north and Rt. 44 to its south and has some local eateries like Hattie's Hamburger Heaven. Also, the Stearnsy Bears are manufactured in Stotts City. These bears have been featured on Hallmark and American Greetings cards in the past.

Movie Review: Plan 9 From Syracuse

2008-09-12T10:48:00.004-04:00

I recently watched the newly released movie, "Plan 9 From Syracuse". In this documentary, we follow Ryan Dacko as he runs from Syracuse, NY to Los Angeles, CA over a 120-day period in order to attract the attention of a movie insider. Dacko is trying to get the attention of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and founder of Broadcast.com, to get funding for his yet-to-be-made horror film.

Having only run a total of 10 miles at one time (10 years earlier in the military), Ryan has his work cut out for him. He needs to run about 30 miles a day for 90 straight days to get there on time. Needless to say, his body isn't so willing.

He's faced with support drivers bailing out, major injuries from almost the first day, and a dwindling budget. He diagramed the run on his web site and kept the country interested.

Overall, I thought the movie was just OK. It didn't start out to be a running movie and it certainly wasn't. I know this was just his way of getting Mark Cuban's attention. But, I think the movie could have been so much better if they focused a bit more on the running aspects of things. What's going on with his body? What should he be doing when attempting such a race? How should one have trained for something like this?

It does give an interesting look into the human body, though. Ryan's body just started to adapt to all of those miles, though there were certainly low points. It was inspiring and crazy, which I enjoyed.

It's a decent rental and you do end up rooting for the guy. If you see it, let me know what you think.

Seacoast Half Marathon entry

2008-09-08T10:03:00.000-04:00

I just signed up for the Seacoast Half Marathon in beautiful Portsmouth, NH on November 9. I'm running it with a couple of friends from school, so that will make the race extra enjoyable.

That, and I'll most certainly head to the Portsmouth Brewery afterward for some adult beverages and burgers. It's a little known fact that beer is a fantastic recovery beverage for runners. Dang. Now the secret is out.

Since I will have run the 48 Miles in 48 Hours a couple of weeks earlier, I'm not at all worried that I'll be able to do the distance in a respectable time. Will it be a PR? Eh, I couldn't care less.

48 Miles in 48 Hours featured on Endurance Sports Bar

2008-09-05T10:24:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to be featured in a post on Endurance Sports Bar, a site created by the great ShirleyPerly as part of her effort to give back to a sport that has given her so much.

They highlighted my upcoming self-created race, 48 Miles in 48 Hours, scheduled less than 6 weeks from today.

Thanks for the shout-out, Shirley and Stef! Check out the post here.

No treadmills for this guy

2008-09-04T14:31:00.001-04:00

I just recently had a conversation with a friend who was pushing me to join a gym. I think he was at least partly doing it so that it would keep him motivated and probably keep him company. And you know what? I just couldn't do it.

Around February of 2007, I made my last run on the treadmill and started running outside. At the time, I was preparing for the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia (May of 2007). I hadn't done any outside running and didn't really like the idea of running outside. I resisted it at first but then the outdoors just took over.

Now I'm hardly an outdoors guy. My idea of roughing it is going to a hotel without HBO. My theory on camping is that most people don't know that it's voluntary. You won't catch me out in a tent in any weather no matter how beautiful the scenery.

That said, I just can't get myself to go to a gym and run on a treadmill and I definitely can't get myself to use an elliptical machine. The whole idea of it bores me to death.

I'm also incapable of running on a track. The last time I tried to run on a track I didn't even make it a full lap around before I was so bored and had to run somewhere else.

Now I know that I suffer from this philosophy. Winters in New Hampshire are beyond brutal and this past year's was the second worst in recorded history. That meant I was out in below 0 weather first thing in the morning or whenever I could get out. It was brutal and taxing but there was something about the idea of being outside when everyone else was indoors that made it so satisfying. I blogged about lessons learned and annoyances, so it's not all good. All in all, though, I much preferred it to being inside.

I know that I'm going to have to join a gym at some point but I'm resisting it as long as humanly possible. I haven't run indoors in more than a year and a half and I'm not looking forward to starting anytime soon.

Moose on the Loose 10M Results

2008-09-02T11:39:00.000-04:00

I recently ran the Moose on the Loose 10 Mile run for the second time. The first time I ran this was a year ago after I landed in Concord. I really enjoyed the modified trail run (just before I dislocated my shoulder on another trail run last year), so I figured I'd give it another try this year. The race didn't disappoint.

For a trail run, there are very few roots and rocks, and the trail is extremely smooth. There was some sand and mud, but it was nothing like the trail race I did about a month ago. There were few uphills and few downhills and we ran past rivers and through the woods, though we never did make it to grandmother's house.

Since I'm really in training for the 48 Miles in 48 Hours run, I decided to use this as a training run more than a competition. I stayed right around 8:45-9 minute miles which was fine with me. I picked it up a bit at the end, but not by too much.

It was a 2.5 mile course that we did 4 times. That's not exactly the most exciting way to do things, but you go with what you've got. I finished in 1:27:45 (an 8:56 pace). I finished last year's race in 1:21:54 but that's because I pushed myself like crazy during the last lap. I wasn't feeling a need to do that this year.

PR? Nah. Do I care? Not really.

Movie Review: Marathon Challenge

2008-08-30T10:28:00.000-04:00

I recently rented the PBS NOVA special "Marathon Challenge". I absolutely loved it. It takes us through the lives of 13 couch potatoes as they try to run the Boston Marathon during after training for 9 months. Rather than making it painful to watch, NOVA had trainers and medical staff to minimize the likelihood of injuries.

These couch potatoes started from almost nothing--walking at the absolute most. They were checked out by doctors and cleared to run. From there, we saw the struggles of just running 2 miles all the way through the last training run of 20 miles. They had a coach as well as Uta Pippig, a previous Boston Marathon winner.

What I really enjoyed about this is how medical-ly it was. Being PBS, they were very educational. It talked about how the muscle fibers worked in the legs and how endurance running helps blood flow, etc. It was very interesting for something like me who has been running for a couple of years. It certainly puts the why into how we become fit.

Finally, it was absolutely heart warming to see people start from nothing and then finish a marathon (though not all of them did). It's similar to the feeling I get when I watched the Olympic marathons. The big difference is that I knew the Olympians were going to finish it; I wasn't so sure about the participants on the documentary.

Though I rented it, it's also available to watch online. If you watch it, let me know what you think.

American Cancer Society selected as charity for 48 Miles in 48 Hours

2008-08-28T15:41:00.003-04:00

I recently announced on 48 Hours in 48 Hours.com that I selected the American Cancer Society as the charity for the run in October. Having lost my grandmother and most recently a former colleague to this terrible disease, this charity has a special place in my heart.

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to the American Cancer Society by using my fund raising page.

I've also put a link on the right side of this blog and 48Milesin48hours.com to make a donation.

Cigna 5K by the numbers

2008-08-27T14:31:00.000-04:00

I ran the Cigna 5K a couple of weeks ago, along with 5,500 other participants who either walked, jogged, ran or a combination thereof. I was thinking today about how great it is that so many people made a point to get out and be fit.

If you run the numbers, assuming everyone finished, combined we ran 17,050 miles in a one hour period (5,500 participants x 3.1 miles). That's more than 3 round trips from New York to LA, all by participants in a local 5K. That's an amazing statistic and one we should all be proud of.

I've really taken to enjoying the pre-race stuff because I'm just so impressed at how many people are keeping fit and making the decision not to sit on the couch but to go out and do something. It's a beautiful thing and my hope is that it's contagious.

Running and Shooting: the Southport, Maine edition

2008-08-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

I was visiting relatives last week in Southport, Maine--just across the water from the ever-beautiful Boothbay Harbor, Maine. As is my custom, I went for a run in the morning along the harbor. I was even able to see the fireman's auction which was quite a lot of chaos for an island town of 684. Nothing like scenery to make a mundane 3.5 mile run pop. Below are some pictures.

The Southport Fire Department Auction. Apparently people were out at 6 AM.

Cozy Harbor

Boats along Beach Road.

Two-a-Days

2008-08-22T18:18:00.002-04:00

Today I started a training segment of two-a-day runs in order to get ready for the 48 Miles in 48 Hours event in October. I ran 4.5 miles this morning and 4.3 miles this afternoon for a total of close to 9 miles.

Since this was the first time I did it, I wanted to keep the mileage reasonable and not go out too crazy. I'm a little tired, but it feels more like I just did one run rather than two.

I won't be running two-a-days every day, but I'm planning to do it at least once a week--probably twice. I need to get my body in the habit of running multiple times a day and recovering in between.

For the 48 Miles in 48 Hours event, I'll actually need to run three times a day, two days in a row of 8-mile segments each. There's no time crunch, but I'd like to do it in a respective time. That means that my body has to cooperate which requires, at the least, good fueling.

After my morning run, I had a Smart Choice pizza, almonds, a Clif Bar, yogurt and blueberries. For dinner, I have a huge piece of chicken (boneless/skinless, of course) and a piece of swordfish (wild) with a side of vegetables. I'm going to get my protein in if it kills me (and it just might).

I have to admit: I did love going out that second time. Makes me almost feel like an ultrarunner, which is a title I can actually claim in a couple of months.

Book Review: Bart Yasso's "My Life On The Run"

2008-08-21T14:00:00.003-04:00

While Runner's Lounge and many others are reviewing Dean Karnazes' new book, 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days, I wanted to provide a review on another great running book I read over the past month: Bart Yasso's "My Life On The Run: the Wit, Wisdom and Insight of a Road Racing Icon".

If you're not familiar with Bart, he is the Chief Running Officer (what a great job!) at Runner's World, which is based in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. In addition to coordinating Runner's World's participation in races across the world, he acts as the running ambassador for the magazine and chief cheerleader for the sport. You may also know him as the creator of the Yasso 800s, which is a program that predicts your marathon running time based on your 800-meter time.

The book walks you through the tough times in Bart's early life and how running saved him and ultimately became his way of life. He talks about a run where he comes face to face with a rhino and others where he had to pull a donkey or do a "bare buns run" at a nudisty colony.

I found the tone of the book to be extremely upbeat and very fun to read. Bart clearly has a passion for the sport and is only happy if he can share that passion with others. The chapters were quick and inspirational and I loved every minute of it.

Bart still travels the country and speaks the night before races. He uses his now infamous PowerPoint presentation to show people how much fun you can have by running (as in the donkey, bare buns or rhino stories above).

I'd highly recommend that you pick up the book and give it a read. I'm already starting to share it with others and I'm sure you'll do the same. Happy reading!

Cigna 5K Race Report

2008-08-18T17:04:00.003-04:00

I ran the Cigna 5K road race earlier this week in Manchester, NH (me, pictured left, in the blue shirt). I ran it last year as my first race after moving to New Hampshire. There were about 5,000 participants last year, and this year it was closer to 5,500.

The weather was cooling down at the 6:20 PM start, but it was still quite humid. After some pre-race activities, the race started and we went through downtown Manchester. It's odd: this race seemed like a lot longer than 3.1 miles, just as it did last year. I routinely run more than 3 miles but this just seemed to take forever.

With more than 5,500 participants, the packs never thinned out. Though I didn't originally intend to, I treated this race as a normal training race with fartleks. I ran my normal pace and then exploded around people to get to open space. I did this at least a half dozen times throughout the race, and I picked it up big time right at the end.

These faux fartleks were just what I needed. As I mentioned before, I need to adjust my workouts so that I burn the maximum amount of calories. It certainly helps to deal with the post-race pizza.

Overall, it was a good race again. Though I ran about 50 seconds slower than last year, it didn't bother me. I ran a 24:38 race this year and was fine with it. I know that if there wasn't the volume of people that I'd be able to run a faster time.

Next race is this weekend: The Moose on the Loose 10-mile run. I'm looking forward to it. This will be my second time running it.

Dissecting and getting past an IT band injury

2008-08-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

Back in April, I had an IT band injury on my left leg. Iliotibial band (or better known as "IT band") syndrome creates a stinging sensation typically on the outside of the knee. I decided to rest and let it heal--an excellent idea.

As we runners tend to self-diagnose and self-treat, I decided to stay with the pack and dissect the underlying issue that caused the IT band injury in the first place.

Here's what I came up with:

It happened not too long after starting to run post-marathon.
Post-marathon runs were more exploratory. I ran roads that I had never run before because I was bored with the standard routes.
Most of those routes had hills--BIG hills.
I ran the hills too fast because I had tended to just muscle through the hills and push through the fatigue.

Once I stopped running hills too fast, the injury went away. I tried using an IT band wrap, but it didn't help at all.

How do I know that the hills were the culprit? I ran in Ireland with a much faster friend and we ran up hills much faster than I should have. The result? IT band problems. How did they go away? Stop running hills so darn fast.

For those of you with IT band issues, Rice University has a nice page with an explanation of the syndrome and suggested stretches to combat it.

Stopping "postman's syndrome"

2008-08-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

I've started to do fartleks over the last couple of months. It's purely because I want to fight against postman's syndrome.

Postman's syndrome is named after the phenomenon of our bodies getting used to the same activity, no matter what it is. It's named after the postman, as they do a TON of walking but aren't always the trimmest of people. Their bodies, like ours, get used to the same activity day after day. Our bodies don't have to work as hard when we're repeating the same activity, and because of that, we don't burn fat as well.

It requires us to do different things. First, if we're only running, we need to change our pace through fartleks or intervals or hills. Even better, if we can cross train by swimming, biking or doing something else, our bodies will try to work harder by doing different things.

In a recent study done over a 15-week period, people who did interval running for 20 minutes burned three times the fat compared to people who ran steadily for 40 minutes. That's not just bodily efficiency--it's also time efficiency.

I know that my body's burning fat because my heart always beats faster and I sweat more when I'm doing fartleks. They don't have to be organized (which fits me) and they're not always fun, but I know it's helped me.

The propriety of the "snot rocket" while running with the opposite sex

2008-08-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

I typically run alone, mostly because I'm about 6 miles away from the downtown area. But, when I was in Europe, I ran with a female friend. As I mentioned, it was great to have some company on runs and it really helped me to keep going out.

However, I've found some difficulty in running with someone of the opposite sex--the snot rocket. It's a well known phenomenon and we all do it without thinking when we're running alone. Heck, one guy even went through a "scientific" analysis. But it feels like bad form to me to do it when you're running with someone else.

Here's the obvious problem: you NEED to do it on a run--typically several times. I tried to sniffle a bit or I hung back a bit and waited for a loud truck to go by. So I was able to get by, but it wasn't easy.

I'm sure another guy wouldn't bat an eye and she probably would have been fine with it, but it just seems a bit uncouth. What do you think? When you're running and sweating, is this a very short step or is it still a big leap?

The training of a disorganized runner

2008-08-10T10:30:00.003-04:00

I've slowly come to the realization that I'm a disorganized, undisciplined runner. When I was training for the marathon, the only distances I stuck to were the 14, 16, 18 and 20 mile runs on consecutive weekends leading up to the race. Other than that, well not so much.

I didn't create a marathon plan, though I knew I probably should have. I didn't do intervals one day a week and then cross train another. When I wanted to run faster, I did. When I didn't, well, I didn't.

I find that I may have a basic goal in mind when I hit the road, but it's generally nothing more than that. I saw I may want to run 5 miles, but if I feel good, I keep going. If I don't, I don't. Where do I get the 5 miles from? Just random based on what way the wind is blowing and how I'm feeling that day or what I have going on afterward.

Don't get me wrong. I am out 4-6 days a week, though these days it's probably closer to 4. I don't like when I go more than 2 days without running, but I get by if I need to. So I guess I'm disciplined in the sense that I do get out that often, but hardly disciplined in how far I go and why.

My theory is that organized people do intervals and disorganized people do fartleks. Why be bothered with structure when I can just decide to run to the fourth tree that the sun is shining on?

I have a great respect for people like Petra, Maddy and Charlie who are all training for the Chicago Marathon and have solid plans. I, frankly, just can't do it. It used to be in me, but I think it's gone off to greener pastures.

For me, I'm just looking for that fourth tree in the sun.

XTERRA STOAKED race report

2008-08-09T16:35:00.005-04:00

Well, I guess the moral of the story is be careful what you wish for. I blogged yesterday about races being "easy" runs and this race could not have been much more difficult.

I ran the XTERRA STOAKED trail run this morning in Hanover, NH. The race started at 10 and it was an hour away, but I made it with plenty of time to spare. Little did I know that this would be the last time I wouldn't be covered with mud for the next 5 hours.

During the pre-race meeting, the organizer told us that there were elevations as much as 2,000 feet up and 2,000 feet down. Needless to say, this was a bit of a surprise. Oh, and the trail is beyond muddy (my calf, pictured left). There were plenty of spots where it was nothing but mud and I couldn't get around so I had to go through it.

So we started and immediately went up a steep hill and then another hill and another and another. There were no less than 25 hills all through the 12.5K (about 7.2 mile) course, and there wasn't a one that was easy. I broke my rule and walked a couple of them after it got to be too ridiculous. Though I didn't love walking, it was the smart move. No reason to kill myself when I have plenty of races to go and training to do.

I did have one hiccup during the race. I fell at 3.91 miles but didn't get hurt. I managed to duck my shoulder (my left), rolled and got up without a problem (unlike my one big injury a year ago). I almost tripped a couple of times but managed to keep myself upright--no easy task with roots and mud all over the place.

I finished in 1:11:07 which was last in my group (20-29), but I'm not too concerned. The organizer said that an hour was a good time, so I'm not far off from that. The winner: 43 minutes. Sheesh.

Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted after that race. It was by far the hardest 7.2 miles I've ever run. I was very glad to get back in the car and get home and showered.

My Garmin was more accurate than I expected, but it did miss about .6 miles (assuming the race measurement was accurate).

Finally, below is a before and after with my sneakers. I'm not planning to clean them. As I blogged a couple of weeks ago, my shoes keep my running memories. They aren't more than a hundred miles old, but now they've got a trail run in them. I think they'd be proud.

Before

After

Races as our "easy" runs

2008-08-08T13:00:00.002-04:00

Charlie and I were talking about upcoming races and it dawned on me how I've started to approach these races. I've got a 12K XTERRA STOAKED trail race on Saturday that I just decided to sign up for this week.

Why? Well, 12K is an easy run for me. I do those runs during the week without a problem. In early October, I'll be running the Applefest Half-Marathon and the reality is that I don't need to train for it. I already do the required mileage each week to be able to run the race and finish respectively.

It reminds me of when I was training for my marathon. I was 12 miles into my 20-mile run and I realized that it was incredibly easy to run the 12 miles. A year earlier I certainly wouldn't have thought that. It just makes me very grateful to have put in the mileage I have and have the level of fitness I do.

Why do races now? T-shirts, of course.

Progress - 8/7/08 (Clementine, MO)

2008-08-07T18:30:00.002-04:00

I'm 1,010 miles into my journey and passing through Clementine, Missouri. According to Wikipedia, Clementine is a ghost town and nothing remains of the town. I'll continue down Rt. 44 (old Route 66) as I pass just south of Kansas and into Oklahoma.